Los Angeles Web Design Blog

Well it looks like Apple has finally got their head out of the clouds of self righteousness and decided to give us what we’ve been screaming for since the iPhone was first released. The ability to multitask is finally coming, in a round about way, that is, but from the sounds of it, it should work. Part of the tackle with the iPhone and multitasking, was trying to find a way to switch between apps easily. What they’ve decided is the ability to double click the home button, which will bring up recent apps you’ve had open, which you can then select. This will allow the app you just left to go into a state of suspension. This suspension will allow you to return to the app where you left off. I imagine this was done to limit the load on the phones processor and save on battery life. I give Apple credit on this, I think this was a very smart move.

They are also offering true multitasking for apps such as Pandora and Skype, using background audio and VOIP services that give apps the ability to play audio and use VOIP in the background. This gives a user the ability to run Pandora, while searching the web, reading the news, viewing maps, etc. The VOIP is important because that gives the ability to receive calls and Skype messages while using other apps as well. These are two big improvements in 4.0 and the Skype will come in very handy for me for sure.

Another feature being added because of this background processing is the ability to keep the GPS receiver active, so it can track your location at all times. Can you say (Big Brother)… This is a bit scary to me, but I think you have the ability to turn it off, otherwise I’m sure people would go nuts on the privacy issue. This will be useful when using the Maps, which will allow the map to open to the exact location you’re already at so you don’t have to wait when you select the locate icon.

One more cool new feature is Task Completion. This allows an app to continue with a task you’ve been working on in the background, giving you the ability of switching to a new task or app. or opening a push message that comes up. Before you would lose what you were working on in another app when you switched to a new one or responded to a push a notification.

Now, my favorite new feature, Taa Daa, Spell Checking, that’s right, they’re finally implementing spell checking, woohoo. This is great news for people like me, who for some odd reason, still have trouble spelling certain words, even though I received high marks in English haha..

and lastly, the ability to Gift an app to a friend. This is a cool new feature which should have been thought of and added in the beginning. Imagine how many people would have purchased apps for their friends or family already. Apple left money on the table with this one, but they finally got it in 4.0. I’d be curious to see the numbers on app purchases for friends along with total purchases. Apple share holders should be happy about this new feature, because it only means more revenue.

Well these are just some of the important new features coming in 4.0, but I think I listed the ones that mean the most to most of us. Chime in and tell me what you think? If you would like to watch the full Keynote speech, here’s the link.

Ok, so many of you may have heard that Facebook has changed it’s privacy policy and is now partnered with third party companies who they will share your personal info with. Also, they wont just be sharing your info, they’ll be sharing the info of your friends and vise versa. They have it setup, so even if you remove yourself from participation, they still get your info from your friends, unless you block all companies that Facebook ads to this new open web initiative. What I’m going to do is show you step by step, how to do this, as simply as possible.

Step 1: Go to the Accounts, Privacy Settings.

Step 2: Click Applications and Websites.

Step 3: Click the “Edit Settings” box under “Instant Personalization”

Step 4: Un-Check the box that says “Allow”

Step 5: After selecting “Confirm”, select the small text link at the bottom that says “Learn More”. Then on this page, you’ll be given a bunch of links that are meant to confuse you and make it difficult for you to know where to go and what to do next. So scroll down and select the 3rd link from the bottom “How do I opt-out of instant personalization?”

Once you’ve done this you’ll see links to the “Third Party” companies that Facebook is partnering with to share you and your friends information. Here are the three companies currently, Microsoft Docs.com, Pandora, Yelp. If you click on these links, you will be taken to their page, then all you have to do is select “Block” under the image on the upper left. BAM… you’re done..!

The real problem lies in how often and how fast Facebook will partner with new Third party companies. This means you will have to come back and repeat these steps for any new links that appear.

I hope this helps. Feel free to comment if you know a better or faster way.

Poking around on Twitter, which of course led me to Mashable, I found a cool online business card site, here’s the Blog Article from Mashable below. Create a Card and then comment and tell me what you think?

Name: DooID

Quick Pitch: DooID combines the basic ideas of business card websites and e-mail signatures to create a useful service for everyone.

Genius Idea: DooID is a free business card website tool that lets you put an attractive, accessible page together with all of your social networks, contact information and work info in one place. You can also choose to make some information available only to users who have access to a special “guest password.”

Inspired by Tim Van Damme’s beautiful business card website, DooID is a nice option for users that want a way to showcase all of their information, but either lack the time to handcode the JavaScript or CSS or don’t know where to start.

When you sign up for the service, you choose a username that will become the basis for your DooID URL. From that point, you fill in information you want to share. You can add in user profiles from social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and more. Plus, you can add links to other websites.

You can also choose to add your personal and business contact information. This information can be publicly available, or you can choose to make things the details viewable only to users who are given your guest password.

We really like that you can customize the look of your DooID. Here’s what mine looks like, using one of the pre-built color templates and font options:

My DooID Business Card

DooID has pro features that you can purchase for either $35.88 per year (or $2.99 per month) if you pay at once or $3.99 per month. This lets you add an e-mail contact form, upload your CV as PDF, have more control over your RSS feed, have access to more themes and also have access to an iPhone version of the site for an enhanced mobile look.

DooID lets all users — pro or free — embed an easy link to their DooID onto their website or on other social networks.

We really liked how easy it was to create a DooID, and think that this is a great idea, especially for users that don’t have time to build something themselves. If we had any requests, it would be that a) The Twitter icon get reversed (the “t” is currently backwards) and b) That the pro option also include the ability to map to an external domain. Even if domain mapping was a feature that cost more money, I think it would make DooID a really good option for users looking for a good landing

In these tough times, with so many people struggling, I don’t see the iPad or any other new gadget doing very well. 2010 will be a year to hope things turn around and what this means is more sluggish economy and more people cutting back on their luxuries, such as the new phone you’ve been wanting to get, or that new laptop. So with this being the case, you can surely bet that Apple will drop the price of the iPad as soon as it doesn’t sell, which I bet it won’t. This article below is from Business Week and breaks down the actual cost of the iPad, showing that there’s plenty of room to lower the price. Just wait it out everyone and you’ll save yourself a bunch of doe, cashola, mulla, greenbacks..

Apple’s (AAPL) iPad tablet computer, introduced Jan. 27, may have component costs of as little as $219.35, according to a preliminary estimate by market research firm iSuppli.

Materials for the iPad, due to go on sale in March and April, include a multitouch-screen display that may cost about $80 and a $17 processor designed by Apple and manufactured by Samsung, according to El Segundo (Calif.)-based iSuppli.

Even the lowest-priced iPad, with 16 gigabytes of memory and a retail price of $499, may be beyond the reach of some budget-conscious consumers, some analysts have said. The relatively low price of the iPad’s materials gives Apple scope to reduce the retail price over time, iSuppli analyst Francis Sideco says.

“There’s certainly a decent amount of headroom in there,” Sideco says. “If they had to reduce the retail price, they certainly could.”

Price Cut Speculation

Credit Suisse (CS) analyst Bill Shope fueled speculation over price cuts when he released a research note Feb. 8 saying Apple may be flexible on pricing if the iPad doesn’t attract as many buyers as hoped. “While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble,” Shope wrote in the note, citing recent meetings with Apple executives.

The cheapest model lacks features some consumers may want in a tablet computer and therefore may not be the most attractive option, says Roger Kay, an industry analyst and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “They wanted to be able to say the price is $499 and I think they shaved everything off to get there,” Kay says. “You can make the argument that the $499 model appeals only in the most limited range of use scenarios. If you want to put anything significant on it or take it anywhere, you need the more expensive models.”

Colin Smith, a spokesman for Cupertino (Calif.)-based Apple, declined to comment on iSuppli’s research as well as the prospect of price cuts for the iPad.

Research firms including iSuppli conduct so-called teardown analysis of consumer electronics to determine component prices and makers and estimate margins. Researchers at iSuppli didn’t have an actual iPad and instead relied on Apple’s public statements on its features. The analysis includes material costs, though not other expenses incurred by Apple, such as marketing.

The iPad’s most expensive component will be its 9.7-inch multitouch display, similar to the one found on the iPhone but more than twice its size. At $80, the display will cost Apple about five times the cost of the display used on the iPhone 3GS. South Korea-based LG Electronics (066570:KS) is the most likely supplier of the display, Sideco says. Apple hasn’t disclosed the identity of the maker, and LG spokesman John Taylor didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

A4 Chip Manufacturing

The chip running the iPad is called the A4, the fruit of Apple’s 2008 acquisition of PA Semi for $278 million.

Samsung (005930:KS) has supplied the main applications chip used in the iPhone 3GS and two previous iPhone models. In the case of the iPad, Samsung is playing a role akin to a chip foundry, building the chip under contract based on Apple’s design, Sideco says.

Chip foundry companies including Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and United Microelectronics (UMC), both of Taiwan, similarly manufacture chips for so-called fabless chip companies that don’t have the means to build their own semiconductor factories. Sideco estimates the A4 will cost Apple about $17, only about $2 more than the Samsung chip used in the iPhone 3GS, which cost $14.46.

Of the six iPad models Apple plans to release in March and April, three will have access to 3G wireless data networks and three will work only with Wi-Fi, each with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of memory. The memory chips are the key variable cost across all six models, Sideco says. The price of 16 gigabytes of flash memory is $29.50 while 32 gigabytes cost $59 and 64 gigabytes cost $118.

The most profitable of the six iPads is the 32-gigabyte version with 3G network access, Sideco says. Its combined materials and manufacturing cost of $287.15 amount to 39.4% of the retail price. The least profitable is the 16-gigabyte non-3G version, which sells for $499. Its combined costs amount to $229.35 or 46% of the retail price, leaving the slimmest potential profit margin of the six.

Hesseldahl is a reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek.