iOS4: New Features Available on iPhone 4 and 3GS via Upgrade

With Apple’s new iPhone, the iPhone 4 announced today users are going to get a lot of new functionality, including a faster processor, more battery life, better reception and a front facing camera among other things. Apple also confirmed new features that iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch users will receive when they update their software to iOS4.

In fact, iOS4 was about the only new information we heard at WWDC when it comes to new features since many of these were announced in April. The name change makes sense because iOS4 will run on at least three different kinds of products, 2 of which are not phones at all.

Some of these new features will be available to you even if you do not upgrade your handset. The new features of the OS that are available on the iPhone 3GS and some of which will work on the 3G too. The iPad will get these improvements sometime this fall. And unlike past OS upgrades, the iPod Touch version will be free instead of the $10 charged last time around. We covered the new iOS4 features before, but here is a list of new features to remind you.

Here are the new features:

  1. Multitasking – there is going to be a form of multitasking which allows some apps to run in the background and when you start something like downloading a large document will continue in the background even if you close the app that initiated the action
  2. Support for Bluetooth keyboards even on the iPhone and iPod Touch
  3. iAd network which allows developers to put ads in their apps
  4. iBooks app to read eBooks
  5. A unified inbox for managing multiple email accounts in a single folder
  6. Support for multiple exchange accounts
  7. Portrait orientations lock
  8. Camera improvements including 5X digital zoom and tap to focus video
  9. Folder organization of apps so you can put a number of similar apps in a single folder
  10. Customize – Ability to customize your background wallpaper
  11. No Rate on delete – No longer will users be asked to rate apps when they delete it from the device
  12. Improved camera and video editing
  13. Enterprise improvements for business environments

Here is a video of the multitasking in action via the beta version:

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