The Tech News Blog
Report: iPhone OS 4.0 To Bring Multitasking Support This Summer
According to AppleInsider, Apple will finally be bringing a “full-on solution” to multi-tasking with iPhone OS 4.0 which is set to debut this summer. Presumably that means that third-party apps will finally be allowed to run in the background on the phone. The sources were scant on details about how it would remedy performance, battery life, and security issues, but they did say that the multi-tasking would use an interface similar to that in the Mac versions of OS X.
Office 2010 RTM in April and Business Release May 12
In a company blog post, Microsoft announced Office 2010 will be released to manufacturing in April 2010. Furthermore, the final version will be available to businesses on May 12 and consumers sometime in June. The blog post also detailed the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee program, which we also reported on last month.
Apple’s iPhone Patent Attack Surprises HTC
Yesterday Apple aired a bizarre lawsuit against smart phone maker HTC, who manufactures the hardware for the HTC Hero (Android 1.5) and the Nexus One (Android 2.1). The suit seeks to block the import of the phones from Taiwan. In the suit Apple claims to have invented, among other things, cell phone CPU undervolting, object oriented graphics on a cell phone, touch screen unlocking, and multi-touch gesture control.
Britain Piracy Bill May Snuff Public Wi-Fi
All around the world, many people enjoy free, open Wi-Fi at internet cafe and other widely used public destinations. In Britain, that sight may vanish, though, if a broad piracy bill passes Britain’s legislative body.
The new Digital Economy Bill, a piece of copyright crackdown legislation, would hold owners of open Wi-Fi connections in Britain liable for any form of copyright infringement conducted on their networks. There would be zero exceptions for individuals, businesses, public locations, libraries, universities, or small businesses.
Google Adds Several New Gmail Features
Google Labs, the research and development branch at Google, is always dreaming up wild and intuitive new services and improved versions of existing ones. Typically those efforts are rolled into existing projects, or even occasionally released wholesale as a new service.
Gmail just received its second major Labs-inspired upgrade in the last couple weeks, following the rocky addition of Google Buzz.
Steve Jobs Says No Flash for iPad and iPhone…Ever
In the wake of the iPad launch, Apple CEO Steven P. Jobs launched into a cross-country media tour. Even as his much ballyhooed tablet was being picked apart by critics who questioned its ability to serve as a competent eBook reader, Mr. Jobs visited The Wall Street Journal and other major news industry players in an effort to boost the device’s public perception.
However, Mr. Jobs found the folks at the WSJ were asking him the same question, a question that had infuriated him time after time — “Why doesn’t the i<device> have Flash?”
Smartphones Pose Problems For All Carriers, Not Just AT&T
Smartphones are a double-edged sword in the mobile phone world. Smartphones are one of the few categories in the consumer electronics market that is having robust growth, but the devices lure users who consume lots of bandwidth which in turn causes problems for wireless carriers.
The problems caused by high bandwidth devices are the stuff of legend on the AT&T network as the wireless giant lays the blame for poor network performance squarely at the feet of iPhone users who consume much more bandwidth than the average phone user.
Windows Mobile 7 Officially Unveiled
There’s a sort of beautiful symmetry in Microsoft’s mobile phone operating system announcement which aired today at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Holiday season 2009 Microsoft unleashed Windows 7, a desktop operating system that turned people’s preconceptions upside down and fueled unprecedented sales. This year it will look to do the same, with the release of Windows Mobile 7.
Forget the talk of delays (okay, so the OS will land almost in 2011), forget all the complaints about the past Windows Mobile operating systems, forget Microsoft’s slipping market share; you need to look at Windows Mobile with a fresh set of eyes because it is completely different.
Office 2010 Releases on June 15
Microsoft journalist Paul Thurrott has confirmed that Microsoft plans to release Office 2010 on June 15, 2010. He made the comment in his weekly WinInfo Short Takes, where he says: “Office 2010 for Windows, meanwhile, will become generally available June 15, 2010″.
Microsoft just recently made a release candidate version of Office 2010 available to technical beta testers and rumors from inside the company point to a release to manufacturing (RTM) date of late March/early April.
Office for Mac 2011 Coming Late 2010
Microsoft today released some screenshots and some information surrounding its latest update to the productivity suite for Mac, Office for Mac 2011. Some of the changes to this new version include the “ribbon” interface that has been in Microsoft Office for Windows since version 2007. The new version will also include support for the Office Web Apps and the first Mac OS X version of Outlook.
Recent Posts
- Report: iPhone OS 4.0 To Bring Multitasking Support This Summer
- Office 2010 RTM in April and Business Release May 12
- Apple’s iPhone Patent Attack Surprises HTC
- Britain Piracy Bill May Snuff Public Wi-Fi
- Google Adds Several New Gmail Features
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