Hasta La Gadget!

While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren’t working on the earlier year’s model.

What’s there

• Folders
• Threaded mail
• iTunes playlist creation / editing
• 5x digital zoom: just tap on the display near the capture button, but be warned, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture
• iBooks: we were having issues with the earlier build, but it seems to be running fine after today’s official download — PDFs work, too.
• Photos: you can now sort by albums, events, faces, and places
• Game Center: the icon is present, but as of this writing we’re unable to connect to the servers. (Update: a number of readers saying it didn’t come with today’s download. We nabbed ours as a gold build, which might explain the discrepancy despite still being considered “up to date” by iTunes.)
• Spell check has been updated
• Spotlight search: you can search the web and Wikipedia from the home screen search bar. That said, not all our queries — “Engadget,” for example — weren’t offering the option. [Thanks, jkane08]

What isn’t

• Multitasking: this is the big one. Double-tapping the home button doesn’t give you the handy menu, there’s no fast app switching, and background use is missing in action.
• Screen lock: normally in the multitasking menu (which isn’t available on 3G), it’s nowhere to be found, even under Settings. Bummer.
• Home screen wallpaper: you’d think this simple addition would make the cut, but sadly no. The dock has been given a visual upgrade, though.
• Bluetooth Keyboard support: we haven’t tried this ourselves, but an influx of reports from Twitter suggest this is also a no-go.
  

We’ll keep testing, but be sure to let us know your own discoveries below!

iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Yep, the iPhone runs Android 2.2, too

Yep, the iPhone runs Android 2.2, too originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How desperate are you to get Netflix running on your iPhone? Desperate enough to jailbreak, grab frameworks from your iPad, and do some plist hacking? If the answer to those questions is “yes,” then the folks at ModMyi have something they’d like to show you. According to the site, a tipster has been able to get the video streaming service up and playing on an iPhone by making what appears to be fairly simple changes to his device; namely, boosting the iPad’s MediaPlayer.framework and altering plist settings once the app was installed on his phone. It’s not all wine and roses, as using Netflix where it’s not supposed to be used causes a massive battery drain (go figure), and there are issues with crashing and 3G playback (two more unsurprising problems). Still, it can be done, and this is just the start — so if you want to get in on the party (and maybe even help out a little bit), hit the read link and see what it’s all about.

Update: Cody tells us the powers that be have already disabled this little gem of a workaround. We have to hand it to you, powers that be — that was mighty quick for a Memorial Day weekend.

[Thanks, Cody]

Netflix for iPad hacked and running on iPhone (update: disabled) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 May 2010 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, this is intriguing: Walmart just officially announced that it’ll be selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 starting Tuesday, a full $100 off the regular price. Given the high probability that Steve Jobs will introduce the thoroughly-leaked next-gen iPhone when he gives the WWDC 2010 keynote on June 7th, the price cut seems like either an attempt to clear out remaining inventory or a way to slide the 3GS down the line to replace the $99 8GB iPhone 3G — a move which would corroborate some whispers we’ve heard today that the 3G is no longer being shipped to stores. Either way, the 3GS just got a lot cheaper, which is never a bad thing, but we’d still say potential iPhone owners should wait a couple weeks and see what’s coming next.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Walmart officially cuts iPhone 3GS to $97, potentially clearing out inventory for the iPhone 4? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last time on let’s-speculate-about-Apple-products, the New iPhone rumor mill dug up dirt on video chat and a 5 megapixel camera. Now, it appears there might be one more reason to call it the iPhone HD. MacRumors reports that the iPhone SDK 4 beta includes the value “AVCaptureSessionPreset1280x720,” leading some to believe Cupertino’s next phone will record video in 720p. Mind you, the iPhone 3GS was technically already capable of that feat, so this might not have anything to do with a new handset, but honestly, at this point the iPhone’s camera wouldn’t be competitive recording in a smaller format anyhow.

iPhone OS 4 unlocks 720p video capture, further solidifying iPhone HD? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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