If your AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 won't recognize a charger when you plug it in, odds are you need a new dock connector. A dock connector can go bad over time or if it's become exposed to liquid or humidity. If you're off warranty and would rather attempt a DIY repair instead of shelling out the cash for a new iPhone, here's how you can fix it!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It's also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don't feel comfortable opening your device, don't. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

Read this first

If you're iPhone 4 recognizes a charger but dies when you disconnect it, odds are the battery needs to be replaced, not the dock connector. We can help you replace your battery too:

• How to replace the battery in an iPhone 4

What you need for a DIY GSM iPhone 4 dock connector replacement

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• GSM iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models)
• New GSM iPhone 4 dock connector - Black dock connector, White dock connector
• SIM removal tool (or a paper clip)
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Remove your SIM card

Use a SIM removal tool or a paperclip to remove your SIM card and tray. Set them aside.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you'll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You'll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. You will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from.

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Remove the top logic board shield

Click to enlarge image

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.


Click to enlarge image.

2. Next you'll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip.

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

Click to enlarge image.

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You'll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.
3. Next pop up the LCD and digitizer cables to the right of where the camera cable was connected. You pop them up in the same direction.
4. The 3 cables further to the right will need to be disconnected as well. They pop up in the opposite direction.

Disconnect the cellular antenna

To disconnect the cellular antenna, just pop the round cable up from the logic board holding it in place. It is connected to the speaker housing so just leave it where it is for now.

Remove the logic board

Click to enlarge image.

1. Start with the 2 screws holding the logic board down in the middle and at the bottom left. Both use your #00 Phillips screwdriver. They are the same size. The one on the right of the logic board in the middle of the device has a water sensor over it you'll need to remove.
2. The second screw is located where the logic board meets the speaker assembly towards the bottom left of the device.
3. The third and final screw holding the logic board in is located at the top of the logic board off to the right. It is the only cross-head screw in your device. Use a small flathead screwdriver to carefully remove it.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.

5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn't fall off. If you lose this, you could see reception issues.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have one more #00 screw to remove. It sits to the right of the speaker assembly in the bottom right hand corner of your device. Remove it.
2. The second screw holding the speaker assembly into your iPhone you've already removed when you removed the logic board.
3. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Disconnect the home button

Click to enlarge image

1. The home button fastens into your dock connector so in order to replace the dock connector assembly we'll need to unplug the home button.
2. Use your pry tool to gently unfasten the clip holding the home button cable in place. This cable is very tiny and fragile so handle it with care.


Click to enlarge image.

3. Next, gently use your pry tool and your finger to back the cable out of the clip.

This is as far as we'll need to go with the home button. Once it is unhooked, just disregard it while we move on to the dock connector.

Remove the dock connector assembly

There are two screws and some adhesive holding the dock connector into your iPhone 4. We'll need to remove those in order to pull the assembly out of the phone.

Click to enlarge image.

1. Remove the two screws holding the dock connector in place with your #00 screwdriver. There is one to the left and one to the right of the actual docking port. The one to the left may be covered with yellow tape. Just peel it back.


Click to enlarge image.

2. The left and right sides of the cable are held down with adhesive. Use your pry tool to pull up the cable and the left part of the assembly. Take care not to pry on the home button cable. Use your pry tool to hold it out of the way when removing the dock connector assembly from your iPhone 4.


Click to enlarge image.

3. Next move over to the actual dock connector cable which is also held in with just adhesive. Gently pry it up.


Click to enlarge image.

4. The rubber gasket to the left just plugs right into the frame, so to speak, so just pull it out gently to separate it from the frame.
5. You should now be able to remove the dock connector assembly from your iPhone.
6. Now pull the rubber gasket from two steps ago off the old dock connector assembly as you'll need to place it on the new one.

Install the new dock connector assembly

1. Place the rubber gasket you removed from the old assembly onto the new one and now we're ready to install the new one.
2. Peel the adhesive off the back of the new dock connector. Compare where the adhesive is on the old and new assemblies. Your iPhone 4 has grooves in the frame showing you where to line up the left and right.
3. First line up the actual dock port and sit it flush. Replace the 2 screws on either side to hold it in firmly.
4. Before going any further, go ahead and stick a dock connector cable into the port like you would to charge your iPhone. If it slides in nicely and feels like it should, continue reassembly. If it doesn't, remove the 2 screws and re-align it. It can be a bit tricky to line it up perfectly, but you'll get there.
5. Plug the rubber gasket back into the mid-frame.
6. Now line up the rest of the dock connector cable assembly. Make folds in the cable where necessary. It's helpful to compare how your old cable is folded and mimic those folds on the new one. Be careful not to dislodge or tear the home button cable while re-positioning the dock connector.

Re-connect your home button

1. Use your pry tool and finger to carefully slide your home button cable back in place.
2. Once the cable is positioned where it should be you can go ahead and use your pry tool to push down the clip that fastens it in place.

Reassemble your iPhone

Once you've gotten your dock connector in nice and flush, you're ready for reassembly. You can either follow these steps in reverse order or watch our reassembly video above starting at about 3:20.

And... done!

Upon powering back up your iPhone, check to make sure it'll hold a charge. If the dock connector was installed correctly you should be back to being able to charge normally. Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com.

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we're cool too!

Additional Resources

• How to DIY replace the dock connector in a Verizon or Sprint iPhone 4
• How to replace the vibrator in a GSM iPhone 4
• How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 4
• Even more DIY repair guides

World famous celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay  is planning on using iPads in his restaurants to provide customers with an interactive wine list experience, and later the complete restaurant menu. Ramsay is set to open his first Las Vegas restaurant and it will be the first of his restaurants in the US to utilize the SmartCellar software running on iPads; Ramsay already uses the same software in his UK restaurants.

"We congratulate Chef Ramsay on this most recent addition to his incomparable, worldwide restaurant empire," says Patrick J. Martucci, chairman and CEO, Incentient.  "Of course, we're gratified by his continued satisfaction the SmartCellar system and pleased to see it debut in yet another Gordon Ramsay establishment." Added Ramsay, "There's no better way to enrich our patrons' visit to our restaurants than by offering the attractive, fully interactive and completely irresistible SmartCellar.  Give them one of these iPads and they instantly become more knowledgeable about their selections and more engaged in their entire epicurean experience."

The new Las Vegas restaurant will get a total of 20 new iPads and they will be handed to guests so they can peruse the vast wine and spirits collection. Guests can then order directly from the SmartCellar app. Ramsay plans to roll out more functionality for the iPads later in the year with the addition of the restaurant's full menu.

Gordon Ramsay Steak will be a fresh, high-energy dining environment that playfully transports guests from Paris to London. Set within the Paris casino, which is whimsically modeled after the "City of Lights," the restaurant design will celebrate Chef Ramsay and the city of London, where he lives. This innovative concept will reflect edgy, exciting and bold designs and will bridge the resort's Parisian theme with Ramsay's British heritage. A prefect synergy as Ramsay's early education took place in the Paris kitchens of famous Michelin Star Chefs such as Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon. San Francisco based EDG Interior Architecture + Design, which previously created designs for Rao's and Bradley Ogden restaurants at Caesars Palace, will spearhead the design.

At least the new iPad doesn't have Siri, if Gordon went off on one of his famous four lettered outbursts, who knows what Siri would have made of it all.

Tim Cook recently visited a bunch of U.S. politicians to open up the lanes of communication between Apple and Washington. Two weeks ago he visited House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. An anonymous aide says conversations stayed light and introductory, so nothing heavy like the e-books case or patent infringement issues came up.

This is just one of the many ways in which Tim Cook is handling Apple in a decidedly different way than Steve Jobs ever did; as you could imagine, Jobs was never particularly interested in working with the government, nevermind in such a relaxed, friendly manner. President Obama was known to be relatively chatty with with Steve Jobs, and even the rank-and-file bureaucrats are opting to pick up iPhones.

It certainly behooves Apple to get cozy with lawmakers, especially now it's more embroiled than ever in legal issues with other manufacturers. Still, their lobbying budget is way smaller than Google's, and these meetings are but a small first step towards Apple's involvement with Washington.

Source: Fortune

The Mobile Nations podcast is a GO! Come chat with the editors from Android Central, CrackBerry.com, iMore, webOS Nation, and WPCentral. It's a cross-platform podcastapalooza, and we want to hear from you! Chat now!

For today only, the iMore Store has the BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $11.95!. Get yours before they're gone!

Looking for a product to protect your device from scratches and add style? Look no further. The BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber is designed to custom fit your iPhone 4S. It offers the tough carbon fiber protection, but smooth to the touch.

Installation is simple and, when removed, the BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber will not leave any sticky residue. Each skin is very thin and will not add bulk to your device. The BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber is tough and durable, and you can be assured that your device is protected.

Features:

• Strong PVC Based Film
• Carbon Fiber Textured Film
• Custom-Designed for iPhone 4S
• Very Thin with No Added Bulk

Shop BodyGuardz Armor Carbon Fiber for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!

Apple has released the 2012 World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) schedule to developers. In doing so, they've also revealed the date and time for the most anticipated even of the show -- the Keynote. Monday, June 11, at 10am PDT.

At last year's WWDC keynote, Apple revealed more about OS X 10.7 Lion, and debuted iOS 5 and iCloud. In previous years they introduced the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G. We're expecting this year to be more like last year than previous years, with more on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (and maybe word on some new Macs to go with it), as well as the iOS 6 beta, and enhancements to iCloud.

iMore has heard there won't be any new iOS hardware this summer, which means no iPhone 5 until the fall again, or mythical, rumored devices like the iPad mini until the fall.

WWDC 2011 marked the last keynote appearance of Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, and WWDC 2012 will mark the first such event with Tim Cook as Apple's official CEO. While Jobs singular presence will no doubt be missed by everyone, Apple executives like Cook, SVP of marketing Phil Schiller, SVP of iOS software Scott Forstall, and SVP of design, Jony Ive have formidable stage presences by any standard.

I'll be at WWDC 2012 from Sunday through Friday, as well our app editor, Leanna Lofte, and our podcast co-host, Seth Clifford. If you're going to be there, and either want to show off an amazing new app, or just want say hi, drop us a line at iosapps@imore.com.

The complete WWDC 2012 schedule is available via the link below, or via the just released WWDC 2012 iPhone and iPad app, though be advised -- you need to be a registered developer attending the event to log in to either.

Anything you're particularly looking forward to at WWDC 2012? Keynote? State of OS X and iOS? Apple Design Awards? The parties? All of the above?

Source: Apple

A Chinese parts manufacturer has added the above casing to their catalog, which some claim could be for the upcoming iPhone 5. You'll notice the bottom is hosting a slot for the new micro dock connector we've been hearing so much about.

The body looks long enough to house a larger screen, which almost feels like a sure thing at this point, even if it's hard to tell the aspect ratio, an object of quite some debate.

The rear plating is anchored by brushed aluminum alloy, not Liquid Metal as previously rumored. The source also claims that we'll see the iPhone 5 in more than just black and white color schemes, which is an interesting tidbit, presuming this casing turns out to be legit.

Supposedly there's some extra room around the bottom to improve speaker quality, which would be sensible given Apple's history with music, but I'd find it hard to believe they'd go all Beats Audio on the iPhone. That's a lot of info to glean from a casing, but the really interesting stuff that's supposed to fill up this casing is still open to conjecture. We're expecting LTE squeezed in there at the very least.

Of course, there's always an element of doubt in cases like this; for one, even if these parts are actually from Apple, they could very well just be prototypes and not going into final production. Secondly, Ally, our resident hardware expert, says the camera hole is too small, even if it's a bigger iPhone.

So don't get too attached to this design since it might not pan out, but for the sake of discussion, what do you think of the look? Does it fall closely enough in line with what you were imagining the next iPhone to look like? Is there enough differentiation here from previous generations to stay interesting? Personally, I'm digging the look, and love the feel of brushed metal for a backplate.

Source: 9to5Mac

UPDATE: It looks like a repair shop has access to the white casing. I'm holding out for a bright neon green one.

We had heard rumors that Apple would be bumping Google data from the Maps app in iOS 6, and a possible reason why, and now we've reached the next stage in the long road of rumors -- the blurry, highly cropped camera spy shot. BGR scored the pictures and, based on them and information they received along with them, produced a mock up of what's sure to be one of the headline features, especially on demo day -- 3D maps (see above).

3D models are nothing new in the world of GPS apps, but certainly ambitious for Apple's debut. Apple has acquired a few companies in the mapping world leading up to this release, including C3 Technologies, Placebase, and Poly9. Given Apple and Google's quickly-souring relationship, it's no surprise to see iPhones and iPads without Google Maps preloaded, but I would be surprised if Apple didn't keep it available and updated as a regular ol' title in the App Store. To what extent will Apple scour all things Googly from iOS, though? Will YouTube get kicked out? Maybe switch the default search engine, but to what, Bing? It's laughable, but RIM did it. That's also assuming Apple would want to partner with anyone else; this move with maps sets an interesting precedent where Apple is the one making all of the preloaded services on the device. Not only does Apple have the cash to invest in pushing into these new areas, but it falls perfectly in line with their philosophy of owning the entire experience. I'm a little worried about Apple's ability to do that and retain quality, though; once upon a time, Nokia had a whole suite of solutions that they had made in-house, but eventually handed off the bulk of them to Yahoo! and ultimately to Microsoft.

The new maps app should be launching alongside iOS 6 this summer. Anyone excited to try it out, or is Google Maps still doing the job just fine? Do you think Apple will be able to do as good of a job as Google did, or do they lack the expertise, even with their handful of acquisitions? And the big question... If we don't end up liking the new built in Maps app, will we be able to get Google Maps in the App Store?

Source: BGR

 

At Macworld 2007 Steve Jobs showed off mobile Safari's Page switching interface, but despite the operating system as a whole crying out for similar treatment, to this day Pages haven't expanded beyond Safari. At the iOS 4 event in the spring of 2010, the iPhone added limited 3rd party multitasking and a fast app switcher interface, but rather than Pages or even an Exposé-esque grid interface, it locked to the Dock.

And as far as showing currently open apps, making those apps as visually distinguishable as possible, and making them as fast as possible to switch between, that's where iOS has remained. Even on the iPad's far larger screen.

Is it time for something more?

Desktop precedents

Over the years, desktop operating systems have evolved various ways of handling multitasking, app switching interfaces. OS X on the Mac alone has gone through various incarnations of the NeXT-derived Dock (including lights beneath open apps, and Stacks for folders), Exposé and Mission Control, and the Windows-derived CMD + Tab.

Mobile operating systems are both more recent and far more resource constrained than the desktop -- less power, less processor, less screen real-estate. So, mobile has evolved different methods of showing, identifying, and switching apps.

While these things all existed well before the iPhone, highly visual, design-centric interfaces were far less common. I'm sure someone will tell me Symbian had the best multi-object mobile interface imaginable back in 1812. Or Maemo/Meego. Or some Windows Mobile launcher. For the purposes of this post, however, we're going to start in 2007 and work our way forward through current, popular operating systems.

iOS Safari Pages

The original iPhone had excellent multitasking -- it could fade music out to take a call, keep the call going while loading web sites or email, and fade music back in without missing a beat. However, only certain specific apps could run in the background, and due to their nature, and since there were no App Store apps back then, no fast app switching interface was needed.

Even in 2007 however, Safari did have to deal with multiple objects -- websites.

Desktop Safari has tabs, but Apple chose not to use them on the much, much smaller 320x480 iPhone screen. The Music (previously iPod) app has CoverFlow in landscape mode, like Desktop iTunes. Apple also chose not to use that interface for mobile Safari.

Instead they went with Pages.

A horizontal list of visually identifiable thumbnails with text labels on top, Pages are easy to switch between through scrolling and tapping. (It's possible this type of interface was used on a mobile device prior to the iPhone, but I'm not familiar with one if so.)

Tapping the Pages button in Safari invokes the Pages interface. While the order of Pages can't be re-arranged, tapping the red X icon at the top left of a Page closes the Page.

When Apple introduced the App Store with iOS 2 (then iPhone OS 2) in 2008, they didn't allow any 3rd party background tasks, and so still didn't need any lists, visualization, or fast switching. (And wouldn't until iOS 4 in 2010.)

webOS Cards (and Stacks)

Just because Apple hadn't yet pulled the trigger on multitasking doesn't mean mobile multi-object interfaces stood still, or that the Pages metaphor remained limited to the web rather than the OS.

The original Palm Pre and its webOS operating system debuted at CES 2009 and was shown off by former Apple executive, Jon Rubenstein. It was the most impressive mobile product introduction since the iPhone in 2007, in part because Palm seemed to specifically target things the iPhone wouldn't, or couldn't yet do. One of those was 3rd party multitasking, and the way they handled it was by making Apple's Safari Pages metaphor system-wide.

Called Cards, the early implementations showed one app or window (e.g. a website or email) in very similar fashion to Safari Pages. Instead of tapping a button, however, a less discoverable but more elegant swipe gesture "shrank" the current window into a Card and switched to the horizontally scrollable thumbnail view. You could also, very naturally, touch and flick a Card away to close an app or window.

In the original version, you could even shrink the cards down smaller to see more open apps and windows at one time. (Greater immediate information density.)

It worked wonderfully.

Palm later expanded the Cards visualization beyond what Apple did with Safari Pages by introducing Stacks in webOS 2.0.

Stacks allow you to group Cards together into sets of similar apps by type, task, or any other way you like. Stacks slightly reduces visibility (because apps or windows can be harder to see if they're tucked underneath other apps or windows), but increase speed because the distance between apps you commonly use together can be made much smaller.

In short, it works even more wonderfully. (Especially scaled up on the TouchPad running webOS 3.x)

iOS fast app switcher

Apple enabled limited background tasks for App Store apps in 2010. They added APIs for streaming audio, location, and voice-over-IP (VoIP) so Pandora, TomTom, and Skype, among others, could stay active even when you switched out of them and into other apps. They didn't add a persistent internet connectivity API, sadly, but did give a few minutes grace period for internet apps to finish activities, like uploading pictures, before they suspended. Mostly, instead of apps relaunching from scratch every time they opened, Apple let them set state on exist, and return to state on resume, so perceptively they never seemed to close.

To manage all this, Apple didn't go with the Pages or Cards interface. They went for something decidedly different.

The iPad version of Safari, which debuted in the spring of 2010, didn't use a horizontally scrolling set of thumbnails at all. Instead, thanks to the larger screen, iPad Safari showed website thumbnails all at once in a grid view. The grid didn't last long, however, and when iOS 5 was released in the fall of 2011, it was replaced by a tab interface, similar to desktop Safari.

Pages stayed in Safari on the iPhone, however, but still wouldn't expand OS-wide. Apple did, apparently, experiment with something like the original iPad grid, or the OS X Exposé interface, in iOS 4 but ultimately decided against it.

Instead, to show open apps, to make them more visually identifiable, and to enable faster switching between them, Apple went back to the Dock. Or rather, went behind it.

With a double click of the Home button, the active screen fades and lifts up, revealing a background Dock, and showing open apps as a horizontally scrollable set of app icons in reverse chronological order. Tap an app and, with a carousel-like flourish, the current app swings around to the back and the selected one swing to the front.

This configuration shows more apps and makes each app more immediately identifiable than Safari Pages. Four apps is more than the one central Page, and the two Page edges on either side. Also, icons are typically faster to differentiate than thumbnails. Their information density is lower, however, so while you can tell which app it is, there's nothing to show what state the app is in. (In iOS, with the exception of Calendar, all the icons are static as well, further lowering information density.)

If the tasks you are doing are chronologically proximate, the switching is fast (e.g going back and forth between the same two apps). Otherwise you need to swipe horizontally through a potentially long list of apps to get to the one you want, which in some cases can be slower than using the regular Home screen app launcher.

When in fast app switcher mode, roughly 80% of the iPhone screen (and more of the iPad screen) is not used. Similar to the Alt/CMD + Tab desktop interface, this puts the focus on the task of app switching, but comes at the expense of waste screen space that could be put to better use (for example, like it is in Mission Control on OS X).

Apps in the fast app switcher can't be re-arranged, but by tapping and holding, they will go into "jiggly" mode and can be closed by tapping the X icon at the top left.

With iOS 4.3, Apple also experimented with gesture-based fast app switching on the iPad, and made it official in iOS 5.

With gesture-only interfaces, while switching can be fast (though also constrained to reverse chronological order), it offers no visualization what-so-ever. You can only tell which apps are open by swiping through them all. (Which is likely why Apple also added gestures to bring up the existing fast app switcher and Home screen app launcher interfaces as well.)

And so app switching remains today, more CMD + Tab than Exposé or Mission Control, more identifiable than informational, more a utility than an experience.

Android incarnations

Google's Android mobile operating system embraced 3rd party background processes and task switching early on in its development. Between Android versions, and original device manufacturer (ODM) interface layers like HTC's Sense, Motorola's Blur, and Samsung's TouchWiz, there have been quite a few different implementations.

The current version, the one used in Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich, was spearheaded by Matias Duarte, formerly lead designer of webOS at Palm. So, it's no coincidence Android has taken a webOS-like approach to app switching -- albeit at a 90 degree angle. (You scroll vertically instead of horizontally.)

Because Android has ODM interfaces, and 3rd party launchers, and a custom ROM community, if you don't like Google or anyone else's version of task switching, you can choose another device, or sometimes another implementation for your existing device.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS cards

BlackBerry's PlayBook OS borrowed heavily from Palm's OS-wide Card implementation of Apple's Safari-bound Pages interface as well. It was first seen in late 2010 and released in Spring 2011.

The 7-inch screen, larger than a phone but smaller than a 9.7-inch tablet, combined with the real-time nature of the QNX underpinnings, makes for similarly wonderful visualization. Because of that, it has all the advantages of webOS' card metaphor.

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango cards

Microsoft's original smartphone operating system, Windows Mobile, had robust multitasking but an antiquated user interface. Windows Phone launched in late 2010 with the elegant, "digitally authentic" Metro interface, but initially lacked 3rd-party multitasking. That changed with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in the summer of 2011, which re-introducted a much more limited multitasking to Microsoft's mobile phone platform.

However, while many elements of Metro were fresh and different from other mobile operating systems, Microsoft chose to go with a highly constrained version of the now very familiar, almost commonplace Pages/Cards, horizontally scrolling thumbnail metaphor for fast app switching.

BlackBerry 10 grid

BlackBerry 10, expected to ship in the fall of 2012, doesn't keep the card metaphor of the PlayBook but switches to a grid view for app thumbnails. You get to see 4 at first, and can swipe down to 4 more. You can also swipe immediately into the app launcher, or notifications and messages, thanks to the gesture-centric user experience.

It's a very slick implementation, with the goal of optimizing one-handed ease of use on larger touchscreen phones.

Options for and iOS 6 fast app switching

The most obvious options for iOS 6 fast app switching are:

1. Keep the current fast app switching interface
2. Change to the now-common Pages/Cards-style interface
3. Change to am Exposé/grid-style interface
4. Change to something else that's better

Keeping the current fast app switcher

Keeping the fast app switcher does nothing to move the platform or mobile interface forward. For good or for ill, it keeps Apple and iOS exactly where they are today, even as the rest of the industry is providing more informationally and experientially rich app-switching interfaces.

Apple might well prefer this option. It's familiar to existing users, which is a feature, and it's more or less hidden away unless you go looking for it. That keeps things simple for casual users, but accessible for power users.

Changing to a Pages/Cards-style interface

Changing to a Pages/Cards interface loses some of the immediate recognizability of icons, but gains the additional information density of thumbnails. It brings Apple and iOS up to par with most of the rest of the mobile platforms, but does nothing to leapfrog them.

Apple could claim they're merely extending Safari Pages, and use that claim to try and sidestep charges they're copying webOS and others (especially if they don't do Stacks, though Apple really didn't seem to care about charges they copied Android for Notification Center).

Since it would work like Safari Pages, it would be consistent on the iPhone (though not iPad). However, Apple eschewed that before in favor of keeping consistent with the Dock. wWuld they go back to it now? Where would the current media control widgets go if they did?

Changing to an Exposé/grid-style interface

Changing to an Exposé/grid interface is similar to changing to a Pages/Cards interface, though it would initially fit more thumbnails onto a single screen than a horizontally scrolling list does. (However, it would still require scrolling to see subsequent screens of additional thumbnails.) The more thumbnails per screen, the easier it is to switch between them but the harder it is to get any useful, glance-able information from them. Red X icons for closing apps could be persistent, like in Pages, or could require the thumbnails to be putty in "jiggly" mode first, which could also enable re-arrangement.

Apple would get pretty much the same benefits, and face the same drawbacks, of Cards/Pages. They chose not to go this way for app switching before iOS 4 even hit beta, however, and in iPad Safari, they abandoned the grid view for tabs. So, again, would they revisit it now?

Aping Exposé's successor on OS X, Mission Control, is more problematic. Relatively few iOS apps have multiple windows, like Safari, making the stacks less necessary. Keeping the regular, app launcher Dock around also doesn't seem to be an optimal for a switcher interface (and going to the fast app switcher would be redundant).

Changing to something better

Changing to something better than Pages or Exposé is a huge interface challenge. Those metaphors have become standards because they work, and they make sense. Concept videos and prototype devices like the First Else, and interfaces for movies like Iron Man are one thing. Nailing real world usage for hundreds of millions of users is quite another.

Apple does, however, have some of the best mobile interface designers on the planet, and a track record of coming up with great design solutions. It would have to really be better than the current fast app switcher, provide more information, recognizability, and accessibility, and work great with one hand (especially if they go to a larger, 4-inch, 16:9 screen as current rumors suggest). Could Apple do it? Should they?

Is iOS 6 the time for Apple to revamp multitasking fast app switching for the iPhone? For the iPad? For mobile?

Additional resources

• The 16:9 iPhone
• The 4 inch iPhone
• How Apple could provide direct document access in iOS 6
• iOS 6 and the opposite of widgets
• Is it time for Apple to revamp the Home screen?
• The challenge of bringing Siri to the iPad
• iOS 6 and privacy: How Apple should draw inspiration from Android for better app

If you don't have kids, your iPhone Camera Roll is probably filled with pictures of your pets. If you do have kids, your iPhone Camera Roll is probably filled with pictures of your kids with your pets. That means, unless you don't have pets at all, you'll want to take absolutely the best pictures you can of them. Not surprisingly, a lot of the iPhoneography tips we've covered previously also applies to pets, but there are some specific things to keep in mind -- and in frame!

Find light

I know I say this in every photography article I write, but that's because it really is that important. You need light. And it's especially important with pets because they move. A lot.

We learned about the reasons why having more light is important with moving subjects last week when learning how to take photos of our kids, so please check out that article to recall that information. To summarize, if you have more light, you have a greater chance of freezing your pet's motion. So it might be a good idea to head outside for Fido's big photo shoot!

Get down to your pet's level

One of the simplest things you can do that will drastically improve you photos is too get down to the eye-level of the pet you're photographing. This may mean squatting, getting on your knees, or for the real little ones, laying on your belly.

Posing tips

Posing pets is hard, but I've got a few tricks that will help get your pet to look at you with perked up ears and happy eyes. The biggest trick? Bribery.

Bribe your pet with his favorite food or toy. If your pet is a dog, it helps if he knows basic commands like sit and stay. Without food, my dogs will often look at me with their ears back and droopy eyes if I direct them somewhere and instruct them sit or lay down and stay. But if I have food or a toy in my hand, they look at me very intently and happily.

The other main thing you need to keep in mind is flexibility. Be willing to go with the flow. It's impossible for you to know what's going through your pet's head, so you need to flexible to his wants and needs. If you become frustrated and angry, your pet will sense that -- and that'll result in photos of a sad looking pet.

Here's a few more specific ideas to get you started:

• For trained pets, have them stand, sit, and lay down for poses. Have that bribery ready for the happy expressions! Try taking the same photo from different angles.
• Play with your pet and get actions shots. For pets jumping in the air, getting low to the ground and looking up at them will make it seem as though they are jumping higher
• Scratch your pet's belly and take the photo from directly above
• Be mindful of your background and how it may clash with your pet. You want your pet to stand out, not blend in.

Catchlights

Just as with portraits, catchlights in your pet's eyes will really help give your photos that extra aww-factor. Catchlights can literally change the mood of the photo from being moody and mysterious to happy and fun. If you're seeking out good light sources, this will actually happen naturally. The trick to catchlights is to make sure that your light source is hitting your pet's eyes. That's it.

Now go out and shoot!

So now that you're equipped with some tips for getting great photos of your pets, go out and practice! As always, please share your favorite photos with us in the iMore photography forum. Have fun!

Slingshot Racing is a great new iPhone and iPad racing game by Crescent Games with a few interesting turns you don't see every day. For one, it's a luge racing game, which is a refreshing change of scenery after scores of car racers available. Secondly, Slingshot Racing features fluid, precise, and surprisingly fun one-touch controls. See, every corner has a turnstile off the track which just spins continuously. As you approach, you hold down your finger on the screen, and your little racer harpoons to it, enabling you to slingshot around the corner and gain momentum. You have to be sure to release your touch at the right moment though, otherwise you'll just smash right into the inside wall.

Slingshot Racing features the usual spread of game types, including time trial, item collecting, competitive grand prix, as well as local multiplayer. There are 16 tours with 4 challenges each across 8 different tracks, all littered with a variety of power-ups and obstacles Each race is scored out of three bolt nuts, depending on how you place; new events are unlocked the more nuts you have, though you can go ahead and unlock all of them for $1.99.

Game Support exists for leaderboard and achievement tracking, but it would be really nice to see Slingshot Racing get online multiplayer up and running. It would be nice to have ghost bobsleds on the course replaying your friends' top result when you're trying to beat them, but that might be asking for a little much. iCloud saving is active, which is great considering Slingshot Racing really excels at local multiplayer on the iPad's big screen. I've had some issues getting my cloud sync to work, but it's on the feature list so I'll chalk it up to an isolated incident. The game is also universal, so you only have to buy it once to enjoy it on both your iPhone and iPad.

The graphics are polished and playful, with a distinctive steampunk feel. Textures and models are fully optimized for the new iPad's Retina display, which makes for a particularly sharp and smooth experience. The sound is equally nice, and includes fine details like the scratching of ice as you round a corner and the rickety jostling of grinding against your competitors. There's a decent variety of music, so there's nothing too mind-numbingly repetitive except for maybe the main menu screen.

I'm a huge fan of Slingshot Racing, though I'm finding its accolades for originality are a little steep as the gameplay is very similar to a free abstract action game released last year called Orbit1. Much like Orbit1 (and Beat Sneak Bandit, for that matter), it can certainly get a little repetitive using the exact same mechanic over and over, even if getting your timing down is still a significant challenge. Slingshot Racing still gets major points for applying the inertia formula to the racing genre and adding some top-notch graphics to the mix. It would be nice to see some added customizability aside from paint jobs and the handful of different chassis linked to them; I know it's hard to offer a lot of variety considering there's no acceleration or handling ratings you could adjust like in normal racing games, but maybe weight categories could differentiate how fast you come off of a slingshot, how much speed you lose after an impact, and how well you can handle impact with other racers or walls.

If you're bored of the same ol' racing games, Slingshot Racing is a breath of fresh, crisp, wintery air. Grab it now while it's on sale!

The good

• Elegant, simple controls
• Fun, sharp, and unique style
• Excellent local multiplayer

The bad

• No online multiplayer
• Sled customizability is shallow

$0.99 (on sale from $2.99) - Download Now