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iOS 4 Multitasking and Your Battery Life

xcool — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:59:57 +0000

I read David Pogue‘s latest article in the NYTimes regarding extending your battery life with a lot of interest. There are some mistakes in the article, particularly on how one can actually prevent apps from staying in the background by killing them – Pogue has requested the NYTimes people to amend his article.

What got me more interested was the fact that quite a lot of people don’t really understand how multitasking on iOS 4 works. One of the main reasons was the way Apple (and most likely Steve Jobs) dictated how multitasking should work on their mobile operating system.

Thinking differently, Apple thought that their multitasking implementation would help a lot in saving battery life. To a certain extent, they did.

iOS 4 Multitasking

Multitasking on iOS 4 is a little different compared to what every one of us understands it. The truth is, most apps that are compatible with iOS 4 goes into a suspended mode as soon as you exit the app by pressing the Home button. There are however, some apps that simply gets killed when you exit – really. Developers are given the option whether to enable multitasking for their app or not.

Yoda: there is another.

Yes, there is an additional category of apps that remains running in the background when the users quit. Some example of apps in this category include those that plays music in the background like Pandora, some VoIP-based apps like Skype and apps that require constant usage of the GPS radio. These are apps that will drain your battery, per se.

Obi-Wan: So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.

Certain iOS 4 compatible apps that go into a suspended mode, don’t really get suspended until 10 minutes later. Apple gave developers a grace period of exactly 10 minutes to complete whatever task that the app was actually doing. For instance, let’s say you are downloading a file in GoodReader (boy, I love this app a lot!). While the file downloads, you get an incoming phone call. You decide that the call is important so you picked it up. Moments later, you end the phone call and return to GoodReader. Your file may have been downloaded completely. GoodReader has just spent the 10 minute grace period to complete its task of downloading your file before telling the operating system that it is okay to put it (GoodReader) into suspended mode.

What happens if Good Reader didn’t actually finish downloading the file after the 10 minutes grace period is over? In this case, the app would have to give up the task and inform iOS that it is okay to be suspended. Failing to do so will result in the app getting killed by the iOS watchdog.

AppSwitch - Processes List

Apple did a great job with the way multitasking is handled. The implementation of their “multitasking bar” was a little flawed though. It is basically a list of “recently used apps” instead of “what’s still running” in the background. You don’t actually see what apps are really running in the background unless you dig further into iOS.

That’s where the idea of my recently released app, AppSwitch came about. The app was born out of the need to see what apps runs in the background, versus which doesn’t. Before AppSwitch, there were already a lot of apps that display a list of processes on your device. But I thought I could bring AppSwitch a level further.

A few months later, AppSwitch was born. And while it took a few weeks of “fingers and toe-crossed” moment hoping that it won’t get rejected, the app finally went thru Apple’s strict approval process.

iStat - Processes List

AppSwitch identifies and displays a friendly list of apps that runs in the background. Compare this to the usual processes listing app that simply gives a list of weird Unix-like names. AppSwitch can do this because of its own internal database of identified apps, all thanks to feedback from users and developers alike.

I tend to use AppSwitch to see which app remains running in the background, and decide if I should kill it from the Recently Used List. This has helped me save battery life by allowing only apps that I really need to run in the background and preventing others from running at all once I quit the app.

I’d have to say that we do get a lot of request from users asking to add a “kill” button into AppSwitch. Unfortunately, that will never be allowed by Apple.

You may be asking why would I want an app to see what other apps are running. Well, truth is, AppSwitch has its novelty and it’s other features like the Console can be helpful in troubleshooting an app. You can still kill apps from the Recently Used List.

On another note, you may also want to check out this article that I wrote many moons ago on how I actually maintain the long-life of all my battery-powered devices.

Apple Strikes on Social Media

xcool — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:22:45 +0000

It has begun. Well, since September 16 2009, that is when they first registered the account.

Apple’s @AppStore Twitter account is now finally alive and Verified. What does this mean? Well, that means Steve and Co would like your attention on Twitter – lots of it.

As of this writing, about 114,000 Twitter users are following that account which has so far sent out eleven tweets related to apps that are available on the iTunes Store. Aside to that, take note also that @AppStore follows five other iTunes-related property which are all, yes, Verified too.

If you are on Twitter, give @AppStore a hello and follow them. Oh, while you are there, do follow us @OneMoreTap, eh?

Chillingo’s Vampire Origins Released

xcool — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:38:15 +0000

Chillingo has just sent us news of the release of Vampire Origins by Icehill Entertainment.

After his bride is murdered by a vampire, Vincent, (a dangerous hunter for a secret organization) sets out for revenge against the monster that killed his wife. Poisoned by hatred and driven by rage, Vincent wages war on the plague of vampires that has infested and destroyed all that was good in the world.

Game features:

Take control of Vincent in the most intense survival horror ever to hit the iPhone and iPod touch.
Dark gothic atmosphere with exquisite 3D environments.
Detailed character models and gripping realism.
Four weapons available to fend off the vampiric hordes.
Thrilling boss fights based on actual sword fighting techniques.
Multiple control methods: Dual-stick or touchscreen interface.
Three stages of detailed story-driven gameplay, or try your luck in Survival Mode.
Full Crystal integration including challenges, achievements leaderboards and social networking.

Check out Vampire Origins from the App Store, available now for only $6.99. Here’s a couple of screenshots and a trailer from the game to whet your appetite.

Discounts Galore – Second Annual New Year’s App Blowout!

xcool — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:14:25 +0000

Happy New Year folks! May you have a blessed new year and new decade! Well, what is January 1st without any gifts or celebration?

A group of independent iPhone developers have banded together to bring the world a little bit of holiday cheer. Apps have been heavily discounted as a gift to all iPhone and iPod touch users! These applications will be discounted for at least 48 hours from December 31st 2009 to January 1st 2010.

Here’s the list of apps on sale:

Twilight Golf, $1.99 (was $2.99)
Crayon Ball, $1.99 (was $2.99)
Eyegore’s Eye Blast, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Pinch ‘n Pop!, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Pollywog, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Smiles Zen, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Smiles, $1.99 (was $2.99)
Train Conductor, $1.99 (was $3.99)
iTweetReply, $0.99 (was $1.99)
CatTaTa, $0.99 (was $1.99)
RocketFuse, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Rail Adventures, $0.99 (was $1.99)
SpaceDuel, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Ringo, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Screw the Dealer Pro, $0.99 (was $1.99)
CashMachine, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Outnumbered, FREE (was $0.99)
iHurt, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Dragon Eye, FREE (was $0.99)
iType2Go Pro, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Tap-Fu, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Rogueship, $1.99 (was $2.99)
Hi, How Are You, $0.99 (was $1.99)
3D Wizard Wand, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Sword of Fargoal, $2.99 (was $4.99)
MatchTunes, $0.99 (was $2.99)
Volcano Planet, FREE (was $0.99)
AquaWars, FREE (was $0.99)
Trace It, $0.99 (was $1.99)
Battle for Wesnoth, $1.99 (was $4.99)

Go ahead, launch iTunes on your device or computer and start shopping away! http://www.newyearappblowout.com

iTunes Freebies of the Week – July 14, 2009

xcool — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:28:54 +0000

It’s Tuesday again! Let’s head over to the iTunes Store and see what’s available for download, FREE!

Owl City’s Fireflies is this week’s free Single of the Week download. Owl City is the stage name of Adam Young, a Minnesota native plinking out dreamy tunes that meander down clever lyrical sidestreets. Fireflies melds a partly-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-clearing attitude to a trance-pop beat. The result: an invigorating, feel-good electro-pop experience. Young has a bit of Death Cab for Cutie in his vocal timbre that, when pressed up against a synthesized beat, is so effervescent it could levitate Stonehenge. Fireflies appears on Owl City’s latest album, Ocean Eyes. Make sure to check out this album, available now exclusively on iTunes for the next two weeks for just $7.99, once you sampled the free track.

Jaimee Paul comes next with Cry Me A River, this week’s Discovery Download featurette. Southern Illinois native Jaimee Paul grew up singing in church, where she wowed congregations with her spins on classic hymns. On her newest album, Paul reinterprets jazz standards, including Cry Me a River, originally popularized by Julie London. Close your eyes and listen to Paul’s timeless, smoky vocals mingle with tranquil string orchestration and Beegie Adair’s delicate piano playing. Check out the full album, At Last if you liked this free download.

Next in the line is this week’s Canción de la Semana download, featuring Ella Es Bonita by Natalia LaFourcade. This week, we take our new love a little bit further and spotlight a track from her new album, Hu Hu Hu. Ella Es Bonita is a bright slice of sunshine pop where Miss LaFourcade comes across like a nouveau folk-singer with a penchant for horns and organic disco-pop. In a perfect world, we would spend our weekends in the forest, frolicking to music like this. If you like this track, then check out the full album, Hu Hu Hu.

Lastly, check out this week’s free music video download, a double feature. First, check out Charm City Devils’ Let’s Rock n’ Roll (Endless Road). If you want, download the full song from their full album, Let’s Rock n’ Roll (Endless Road). Next is Brooke White’s Radio Radio. As usual, check out the 30-second previews, hosted by our YouTube Channel below.

Closing notes: As usual, the freebies mentioned here are sourced from the US iTunes Store and may not be available in iTunes Stores of other countries. Our featured article, How To: Create a US iTunes Store Account is available if you wish to know the steps required to setup a US iTunes Store account.

Go ahead and grab these free downloads as soon as you can. They are always free for about a week or so before returning to their usual selling prices. Remember: don’t just add them into your shopping cart. Make sure you check out! Hit this FREE ON iTunes page to check out the other free downloads that are not highlighted here!

One More Tap » iTunes Store

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