iPhone 4.0 beta 2 interweaves updated APIs, animations
updated 09:40 am EDT, Wed April 21, 2010
APIs address multitasking architecture
Apple has released a second developer beta of iPhone 4.0, building in more of the firmware's eventual features. The update is said to include "significant API additions," mostly in areas related to multitasking and background processes for audio, VoIP, location services and task completion. An app can now, for instance, request as much as 10 minutes to finish a task, rather than just five.
Some other changes are reported to include improvements to GameKit, the foundation of Game Center, and expanded mail support. Developers can now use LLVM-GCC and Clang LLVM as compiler options. As a cosmetic touch, Apple has implemented a swipe animation (see below) for whenever one app is moved out of view during multitasking.
Anecdotes suggest that the new beta may potentially disable camera functions, or even the ability to take screenshots. Accounts of this are not yet widespread however, so the issue may be isolated. One workaround is said to involve taking a picture through messaging, then e-mailing it to the intended device.
