The first of Apple’s big iPhone OS 4 announcements was multitasking, and the first set of multitasking announcements were APIs to let streaming music (think internet radio), location services (think navigation, check-in games, social networks), and VoIP services (think internet telephony) register threads in the background. For users this means you can keep listening to your songs, getting your turn-by-turn directions, and answering your virtual phone all while surfing the web or playing a game.

To find out what it means for developers, we asked some. Read what they had to say after the break!

NAVIGON, which makes MobileNavigator [$79 -- iTunes link]:

We are very excited about the background location feature and will work on implementing this into our app, so that the app can run in the background and provide directions when, for example, taking a call. We've really been waiting for this, so it's great to see this happening now.

TeleNav, which powers AT&T Navigator [Subscription - iTunes link], Rogers Navigator [Subscription - iTunes link] and other location-aware services and apps:

Overall, we are very excited about the new multitasking and background location features as it opens up a variety of new capabilities for navigation and other location-based services on the iPhone. We're actively working on new features and capabilities and look forward to sharing these with consumers soon.

Slacker, which offers Slacker Radio [Subscription - iTunes link]:

Right now 4 out of 5 of our mobile apps are on platforms that support multitasking and our listeners have let us know they enjoy being able to utilize their smartphone’s functions while listening to their favorite music. We are elated that soon Slacker listeners using their iPhone will have this same capability.

Fring, which makes the VoIP service of the same name [Free - iTunes link]

fring is congratulating Apple for reaching this decision, which will only enhance the iPhone/ iPad’s user experience. With the allowance for VoIP calls over 3G and now the background VoIP functionality, Apple is taking great steps allowing for the freedom of choice fring has been a big supporter of, since day one.

Seems like they’re happy. While some internet chatter has revolved around whether iPhone OS 4 is providing “true” multitasking or not, the end result for the user is that they’re getting these 3 types of functionality in the next update. Of course, we’d enjoy other services as well, including persistent connections for SSH and like protocols, and background updates for timelines like IM, but from zero to this for 3rd parties is certainly a good start.

Fring, Slacker, TeleNav, NAVIGON comment on Apple’s iPhone OS 4 multitasking is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Just when you think the internet can’t take any more crazy it laughs, loosens its belt another notch, and unleashes something like ITWorld’s story about Adobe getting ready to sue Apple over the iPhone’s lack of Flash support or the iPhone OS 4 SDK prohibiting cross-compilers, or Canada winning Olympic hockey, whatever.

It’s not like the real news isn’t crazy enough right now, what with iPad and Adobe CS5 shipping and iPhone OS 4 getting previewed all within the last week or so.

Just what exactly is Adobe’s cause of action remains unaddressed, of course. Last we checked, being upset — even being righteously PO’d — isn’t grounds for legal action.

If ever Apple gains a true monopoly position in mobile and abuses that monopoly, then cases will no doubt be made (remember, you can have a monopoly, and you can be abusive, you just can’t be an abusive monopoly). Until that time, we get the feeling Apple is going to do everything they can to leverage their technology to get as far ahead of the mobile platform competition as they can. They’re going to go at a dead sprint, in fact, until they reach that very line. They want to be so far ahead by the time they have to worry about anti-trust and may be forced to switch gears, competitors will be too far behind to catch up.

Adobe’s only option is to do the same — take Flash further and faster than Apple takes the iPhone. Make it killer on the backs of Android or some other platform. That or sue Apple for patent violations if they have the portfolio stones, because as far as we can tell, there’s nothing involving the iPhone’s lack of plugin support or cross-compiler acceptance for them to sue over.

Of course, free enterprise means the freedom to sue just because, so ultimately who knows what Adobe will do. We’re not lawyers anyway, so if you are, correct us in the comments (pro bono, ‘natch).

Regarding rumors of Adobe preparing to sue Apple is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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MusicSkins, who makes some of the hottest skins around, has just unveiled their new line up for the iPad. Among the high quality, perfectly rendered skins are some of your favorite artists including The Beatles, Black Eyed Peas, Jay Z, AC/DC, Rihanna, Madonna, Bob Marley, The Grateful Dead, Kiss, Linkin Park, Taylor Swift and more. They’re easy to apply to the back of your iPad so you can get just the custom look you want.

What’s more — to celebrate the unveiling, MusicSkins has kindly offered to give away 15 of their MusicSkins to our TiPb readers! Just head on over the the TiPb Forums and tell us which MusicSkin you most want for your iPad. (Check the link above to see the selection).

The give away starts now and ends Sunday, April 18th at 12pm PST. We'll randomly pick the winners and let you know via PM (so be sure to check your messages!).

More MusicSkins for iPad pics after the break!

TiPb Give-Away: 15 MusicSkins for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Another gem of a feature has been discovered in iPhone OS 4 – dedicated support for in-car systems. This new feature allows an iPhone or iPod to generate an on-screen menu that is fed via a video out to your car using IAP (iPod Accessory Protocol). Your device then becomes a remote control.

Now with some states banning the use of cellphones while driving we are not too sure how good of an idea this is for anyone but passengers. Regardless, it suggests that Apple may soon introduce their own car kit. The ability to connect our iPhone or iPod (or iPad) to a car-kit to gain full access to the vehicle’s complete AV system sounds pretty cool to us.

Would any of you be interested in a Apple Car-Kit? Sound off in the comments!

Video after the break!

[Via TUAW]

iPhone OS 4: iPod application includes hidden automobile integration is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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If you have been in search of a tough case that offers dual layer protection while keeping a slim profile the Case-Mate Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G [TiPb Store Link - $29.95] may just be the case you have been looking for. For the full review follow us after the break!

Getting your iPhone snug and secure in the Hybrid case is a pretty simple process once you get the hang of it. It’s just a matter of two steps 1) put the silicon skin on, and 2) attach the outer hard shell. It may take you a few tries to get the volume rocker seated properly but once that is done you are good to go. My only real gripe with using the silicon skin is that it attracts dust so be prepared to clean it quite often if you are a neat freak like myself. At the end of the day, however, I am happy to trade a cleaning or two for top of the line protection.

The Case-Mate Hybrid feels absolutely great in the hand with it’s textured outer shell. It gives you just the right amount of grip to make sure your iPhone won’t easily go flying out of your hand. And in the worst-case scenario, if you happen to have one of those moments where a drop is out of your control, rest be assured your device is very well cushioned by the the 2 layers of protection the Hybrid is constructed of.

Along with two layers of protection Case-Mate also delivers one sweet look with the grey outer hard shell in combination with the black form-fitting soft silicone skin. The case wraps completely around the device leaving the screen, camera, headphone jack, vibrate switch, and 30-pin charging/sync port open. Meanwhile, the power button and volume buttons are covered and very well protected. It would have been nice if Case-Mate tossed in a cover for the 30-pin port but that is something I can get over with the over all quality of the case.

With a few minor annoyances aside, Case-Mate has done a fantastic job with this Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, which you can purchase the TiPb store for $29.95. It has a little something for everyone. If you are a hard shell case guy/gal or a silicon skin guy/gal this is perfect combination giving you the best of both worlds and you should definitely consider picking one up. As picky as I am with my cases, I promise you this one is a winner.

Case-Mate Hybrid Case for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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9to5Mac casts a spotlight on the file sharing feature shown off during Apple’s iPad Announcement event back in January as part of iPhone 3.2 for iPad… and how it was mysteriously gone come launch day, April 3.

Given the current kluge that is getting files onto and off of the iPad file sharing seems like a fairly important feature to suddenly go missing.

You could flip a switch in the Settings and your iPad disk would show up on your Mac/PC’s desktop as a drive. You could copy files from your desktop to iPad this way manually. This would have been a great feature for carrying around important PDFs and other documents. You could store important files on your iPad, not just ones that were going to be used in iWork.

Was the feature not working properly and, given the already slipping deadline for delivery, get pushed off to a future iPhone OS update? It doesn’t seem to be in the iPhone OS 4 beta 1, but that doesn’t mean it won’t show up again in time for the final iPhone OS 4 release this summer.

Given the inclusion of iWork, however, and the ability of the iPad to handle a higher level of productivity it is strange and irksome to be waiting, especially after having been teased by the prospect.

Anyone else missing it?

Where did file sharing go in iPhone 3.2 and will it come back for iPhone OS 4? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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For those of you who have both an iPad and an iPhone or iPod touch, how does you usage differ between those two devices?

It’s been just over a week now and I’m finding that I grab the iPhone for quick, on the go and interstitial activities and the iPad for slower, more relaxed and deliberate activities.

The other day I saw some new stories pop up in RSS and actually walked away from my desktop, picked up my iPad, sat back on the sofa, and started reading them there. I’ve closed my laptop done the same thing. When you have the time and a nice place to sit, nothing beats the iPad experience. When you’re pressed for time and need to race to get things done, nothing beats to iPhone convenience. I’m finding the same is true for gaming, social networking, and productivity apps.

What’s clear to me at least is that the early cop-outers were wrong — the iPad isn’t a big iPhone or iPod touch and the iPhone and iPod touch clearly aren’t small iPads. Just like desktops and laptops run the same technology and certainly have areas of overlap, they also both excel at their own ends of the spectrum (power towards the 12 core vs portability towards the netbook) and have different ideal use cases.

What’s your experience been?

How does your iPad usage differ from your iPhone usage? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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UPDATE: Nothing for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad owners to see here… unless you’re also in the market for new Core i5/i7 MacBook Pros. Apple’s got your press release and new MacBook Pro product pages ready. Now how about those international iPad pre-orders?

Here we go again — the Apple Online Store is down! As Apple’s strange and unique mix of old WebObjects technology and pre-launch hype bring it’s online sales to a sticky noted halt, we’re left to speculate as to what wondrous new gear may await us when it returns.

Bad news — it’s probably nothing iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related. iPad’s already out and we won’t see new iPhones before June/July or new iPod touch before September.

Good news — rumor has it if you’ve been holding our for a new Core i5/i7 MacBook Pro you might be in for a treat.

Who knows though, could just be a new version of Apple Remote Desktop (or routine maintenance).

What are you hoping for?

Updated: Apple releases New MacBook Pro [Apple Online Store down!] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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last chance: Pre-Order iPad accessories now and save 10%!

The TiPb Accessory Store now has new iPad Accessories available for pre-order. Pr-order between now and April 14th and use coupon code iPad10 to get an additional 10% off on your entire order! (excludes shipping).

You can find iPad Cases, iPad Screen Protectors, and a new pair of headphones for your iPad, and more.

(Not getting an iPad? Tired of the iPad hoopla? The coupon code will also work for any of our iPhone 3GS Accessories too!)

Last chance: Pre-Order iPad accessories now and save 10%! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Opera has just announced that their Opera Mini browser for iPhone has been approved [Free - iTunes link]. According to Engadget, it’s already popping up in some international App Stores and should/could be in your App Store any time now. Update: looks like it’s live now, go get it!

Opera Mini likely received approval because it’s not an actual web rendering, JavaScript processing engine like Safari (or Firefox, IE, Chrome, etc.) but a proxy-browser. All the rendering and processing is done on Opera’s servers and then compressed and sent to the app for display.

This also means it doesn’t use as much data, and can thus usually display web pages faster and with slower data connections than a full-on browser — especially useful for people on roaming data rates or on EDGE connections.

It breaks SSL encryption by necessity however (https sites), so while you may want to use it to traveling the outskirts, you’ll like want to avoid it when mobile banking downtown.

(You also might want to use it for it’s on-page text search feature — something even iPhone OS 4 still lacks.)

Let us know when Opera Mini appears in the App Store for you, and if you try it, what you think of it. Video of Dieter checking out the pre-release version after the break!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

YouTube link

Opera Mini for iPhone Approved, in App Store now is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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