You see a one or two seconds shot of various apps. After each shot is a word related to the app just shown. The ad starts with “iPad is…” and then shows the words: delicious, current, learning, playful, literary, artful, friendly, productive, scientific, and magical.

You’ll see apps like: Fruit Ninja HD, The Photo Cookbook, Star Walk, Flipboard, Pages and The Elements.

According to the report, the new iPad will have a 7-inch touchscreen. Another report comes from DigiTimes Research and suggests Apple will also release a new 9.7-inch iPad (generation 2) in the first quarter of 2011. The iPad will likely get a Cortex A9-processor and 512 MB of memory. It will also have a IPS-screen with a resolution of 1024×768 pixels.

The current Apple A4 processor in the first generation iPad is already a very economical processor while still offering a lot of power. The Cortex A9 will be even more energy-efficient while still delivering more power then the Apple A4. Though the rumors say the A9 will likely be a multi-core processor, a single core Cortex A9 could be offering a speed up to 2 GHz. Officially the Cortex A9 will have 4 cores. With such a processor in the iPad it becomes pretty easy to perform 3D-manipulation and HD-video editing while still drawing only a small portion of power from the battery.

With all the negative attention the iPhone 4 is getting, will Apple release iPhone 5 earlier then expected? iLounge thinks so and says the plan is to release the iPhone 5 as soon as January! We can also expect a next generation iPod touch ofcourse, but it looks like we’ll see an iPod shuffle with a touchscreen soon as well. And the iPad isn’t even available in most countries, let alone the availability of the iPad in countries who do have the iPad, but rumors have it that Apple plans to release a 7″ iPad early next year.

Early September Event

Apple reportedly has three new models of iPods ready for release. Expect to see the new iPod touch and a new iPod nano. The third iPod will be the shuffle, which will come with a touchscreen (as was leaked not so long ago).

New iPad Already?

I’m very happy with my 9.7-inch iPad and I think it’s a perfect size. It’s not too small and not too large. Apple obviously thinks it’s necessary to release a smaller iPad. The 7-inch iPad is scheduled for launch later this year or early next year, the report says.

It’s Time For iPhone 5

If you buy an iPhone you want to proudly show its design to your friends and family. The iPhone 4, how unfortunate, needs a case to make sure the antenna isn’t blocked by its user’s fingers. The fifth generation iPhone will likely address these antenna issues. The question is, will this new iPhone be an actual new version with better hardware, or will it just be a tweak to address the antenna problems?

What do you think? Will these rumors come true or do we have to take them with a huge grain of salt?

Apple has sold over 3 million iPads and Microsoft is not happy with those numbers. The company is now working together with Acer, Dell, Toshiba and other companies to bring Windows-running tablet- or ‘slate’-devices on the market.

“We’re coming full guns,” said Ballmer at the company’s annual presentation to analysts at its Redmond, Washington headquarters. “We’re going to sell like crazy; we’re going to market like crazy.”

The main priority of the company is to bring tablets on the market. And instead of using chips from ARM, Microsoft will use Intel chips. A new chip will push the tablet-market to the next level next year, says Ballmer. Windows Phone 7 should also be a game changer for Microsoft. The new mobile phones running this operating system should arrive this fall. Steve Ballmer added that Microsoft will try to ‘aggressively’ promote the new tablets and mobile phones.

Source: Reuters

“From what I understand, Apple’s going to be offering customers the option to get their iPads engraved just before the Holidays roll around,” the source said.

It’s unclear wether or not Apple will ask some money for this service, although it is highly likely it will be free to make the iPad even more attractive.

Source: Erictric.com

The problem is that the antenna is external and when it makes contact with your skin it’ll be short-circuiting, causing the call to drop. That’s what Consumer Report says, but Apple doesn’t admit this problem. They say every phone has this issue. Whoever you want to believe, Apple posted their findings on the official Apple website.

The press conference offered a presentation from CEO Steve Jobs, explaining that all phones have antenna issues and not only the iPhone 4. He also showed that only a very small portion of iPhone 4 users are reporting problems with the device. As a solution (read: work-around) Apple will be offering free cases to all customers who bought the iPhone 4.

The end of the presentation was followed by a Q&A session held with Steve Jobs, Tim Cook and Bob Mansfield, but is not included in the video posted by Apple. To watch the video, go to Apple/PressConference.

iOS 4 Features

First of all, and probably the most important feature; Multitasking. It’s one of the most asked features for the iPhone and people are now finally able to do multiple tasks at once. Just double tap the home button and an extra bar will show up at the bottom of the screen showing your currently active apps.

The second most important feature (at least in my opinion) is the Folders feature. Keep your finger on an application till it starts wiggling, then drag it on top of another app and let go. The two apps immediately form a folder and the software names the folder accordingly. So placing two games in one folder will result in a ‘Games’ folder. You can also rename the folders to your own liking.

Another great feature is the  Unified Inbox. Have multiple gmail-accounts, hotmail-accounts or other email-accounts? You can now organize them to look like it’s one inbox. If you get a mail in your gmail-account and later a mail in your hotmail-account, both mails will be shown in one inbox. So you don’t have to open one account first, then go back to the main menu and select the next account. It’s all organized together.

I must admit, I don’t read a lot. But the e-book reader of the iPad is wonderful. It’s only a logical step to introduce iBooks for the iPhone. The cool thing about this feature is that you can read a book on your iPad, sync it to your iPhone and continue reading on the iPhone where you left off on your iPad. There’s no need to buy the e-book twice and it also doesn’t matter if you buy it from your iPhone or from your iPad, the e-books are interchangeable.

There are a lot more features, but smaller in significancy. The Wallpaper feature for instance. It’s already available on the iPad, but with iOS 4 you will be able to set a wallpaper for the Home screen on your iPhone as well. You will also be able to Gift apps, use Faces and Places on your iPhone and pair a wireless keyboard via Bluetooth. A very small new feature, but a very welcome one, is the fact that text messages now show how many characters you’ve used so far, telling you how many messages you’re sending. I’m sure there are a lot more very welcome changes, but I think I’ve discussed the most important features here.

Is a jailbreak still needed?

To answer that question, you will have to ask yourself why you want to jailbreak your iPhone in the first place. My reason to jailbreak my iPhone was to be able do multiple tasks at once. Another thing I do like is the fact that you can make folders. But with the iOS 4 you get Multitasking and Folders, so two very big issues have been solved. The display of how many characters you’ve typed in a text message is also one of those things that is no solved with iOS 4.

If the above reasons are the only reasons to jailbreak your iPhone than I would recommend using the iOS 4 software from now on and don’t use the jailbreak anymore. The result is a more secure iPhone and one that has all the features you want it to have via the official way.

However, there are more reasons to jailbreak. To name one: SBSettings. This application is used to change your phone’s settings. But instead of closing a currently running app and tapping the Settings icon to change your phone’s settings, you can swipe at the top of the screen (over the displayed time and battery percentage) to activate SBSettings without closing any app. You can then turn on/off options like Wi-Fi, 3G and Push. With the same app it was also possible to lock the screen from rotating (the rotation lock will now be available in iOS 4).

Another reason to still jailbreak your iPhone is the fact that you can install themes with an app called Winterboard. You can also change to theme of the lockscreen and the icon dock. And one other big reason to jailbreak the iPhone is that you will be able to install Mobile Theater and download movies with it…for free.

To get back to the question: Is a jailbreak still needed? For me personally I’ll go back to the official software to at least try out if I miss anything of the jailbreak. If I do miss things like SBSettings and themes, I can always jailbreak my iPhone again and start using the wonderful apps in the Cydia store. I must admit Apple did a great job at implementing some frequently asked features and convince me to go back to the original Apple software.

Last pieces of info

• The release of iPhone OS 3 took place after 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific. The same is expected this time
• You can update your OS by syncing your iPhone/iPod touch with iTunes
• The first generation iPod touch and iPhone will not receive an update
• The iPad will be updated to iOS 4 this fall
• You can check if the new firmware version is available via this link: http://ios.e-lite.org/

iPhone 4 Design

The iPhone 4 has a completely new design. It comes in black or white, just the usual. But it has a stainless steel band, which functions not only as the phone’s antennas, the band also provides structural rigidity. The volume buttons are now separate plus and minus buttons. And there is the microphone, headphone jack, speakers, 30-pin connector.

The new feature is that iPhone 4 has dual-mic instead of only one. One mic is at the bottom and the other is right next to the headphone jack. This secondary mic is used to cancel background noise so you can have a clear and silent conversation.

iPhone 4 also has a new processor chip. The iPad offers an A4 processor chip and the iPhone uses the same A4 processor technology but pushed on an even smaller chip. This makes the iPhone 4 a fast mobile phone capable of smoothly executing tasks like multitasking, video editing, and placing FaceTime calls.

The battery is the largest component of the iPhone. It is designed to provide 40% more power. The talk time will go up to 7 hours on 3G and 14 hours on 2G. The Internet use will go up to 6 hours on 3G and up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi. The battery will last up to 10 hours while playing video and up to 40 hours when playing music. In other words: an impressive improvement.

New Camera System

The iPhone 4 has two camera’s and both of them are impressive. The normal camera on the back is now a 5 megapixel camera which produces sharp and crysp pictures. The exciting part is the fact it offers LED flash. So even in the dark, making pictures is fun. When you look on the front you’ll notice another camera. The front-facing camera is used for video calls. This features is called FaceTime and can be utilized in many ways. Click “FaceTime” to see FaceTime in action.

Just call someone and tap the FaceTime button to start video-chatting with each other. And with a simple tap you can switch between both the front camera and the one on the back. The FaceTime feature only seems to work on Wi-Fi. Apple will have to make deals with providers to offer 3G video calls.

The Retina Display

This technology allows for better and much sharper display of pictures, video and text. The pixel density is so high, your eyes  won’t even be able to distinguish individual pixels. This is what they call a Retina Display. The new 3.5-inch display has 4 times the number of pixels per inch. The ppi is now at a stunning 326. The contrast ratio is also 4 times higher, meaning every single color is just much brighter then you’re used to with previous iPhone models.

The iPhone 4 also offers IPS, the same technology used in the Apple LED Cinema Display and iPad. To top it all off, the glass of the screen is made of the same material used in trains and helicopters. It’s harder, more durable, more scratch resistant and even more flexible.

Video Recording And iMovie

The 5 megapixel camera has become something you’ll use more often then a normal digital camera. Since a phone (in this the iPhone) will be with all the time, it’s a perfect device to use for making pictures. But what’s even cooler is the fact it can now shoot video in high definition. Even in dark environments you can still make perfectly smooth videos.

After making a video you may want to edit it a little. Making the clip shorter for instance. But with iPhone 4 comes a brilliant new piece of software: iMovie for iPhone. The application will soon be available for just $4,99 and offers features like adding themes and transitions. It’s designed for multi-touch and offers you the possibility to also add photos and music.

As far as the information on Apple’s pages goes, it seems the iMovie app is only available for iPhone 4. No word on iMovie for 3GS or previous models.

Gyroscope

According to Apple the iPhone 4 is the first phone with a built-in three-axis gyroscope. This new sensor is capable of sensing advanced motions. It can now ‘feel’ when you’re moving forward or backwards, or up or down. This allows for a better gaming experience and people will probably come up with some interesting new applications.

Engadget shows pictures of the Apple trackpad. Back in February it became clear Apple had registered the name ‘Magic Trackpad‘. The trackpad looks like the one embedded in the MacBook and MacBook Pro. It also has the appearance of a Wireless Keyboard.

After the introduction of the iPhone and the iPod touch, Apple launched the Magic Mouse late last year and the iPad earlier this year. The touch technology seems to be implemented in Apple products more and more so the Magic Trackpad seems to be a logical next step. The new product can probably be linked to the computer via Bluetooth and needs two batteries.

So again, just hours before the WWDC launch, it suddenly gets extra interesting. Steve Jobs at least has my attention for today’s keynote.

click on the pictures to get a larger version

A Vietnamese forum Taoviet.vn has posted some photos of the leaked 4th generation iPhone. They clearly have one of the units in their possession and were able to post some new information. This iPhone has the same design as the previously leaked version but it now shows this is a 16GB model. The previous leak simple showed “XXGB” written on the back, indicating that it was a prototype.

The following set of photos shows that the iPhone has been turned on, there are no screws on the bottom, some teardown photos, and what appears to be the processor: