One announcement that Apple didn’t make at WWDC, was that iPhone 4 was compatible with the VGA adapter that Apple currently sells for iPad. With a maximum resolution of 1024×768, you might be asking, what the 720p?

And, it’s a fair question. Stores have pulled the old HD connection cables, and as we reported, iPhone 3GS was capable of playing HD video flawlessly. But, Apple is not out of the HDMI game, and no, they don’t expect you to buy an Apple TV as an apology on behalf of their omission.

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More surprisingly however, Apple issued a security update for the latest Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4) branch of Safari. Version 4.1 is noted with making several security enhancements.

The release of Safari 4.1 is a bit odd, considering Apple’s no-comment stance on Tiger security updates. The last branch of Leopard and Snow Leopard system security updates were not matched on Tiger. This may represent a new position from Apple for Tiger, where Apple is patching only critical and/or widespread security holes in the operating system.

Safari for all three Mac OS X versions, as well as Windows, is available from Apple’s Safari web site.

11:55 And, that’s a wrap. Share your thoughts in the comments!

11:54 Steve is giving thanks to all the key team members and people that made iPhone 4 and iOS 4.

11:50 Yes, there is a Dock as expected, but please disregard what you may have seen on other sites. The iPhone 4 case is called Bumper, not Bunker.

11:46 Wind down video playing, summarizing everything we’ve just told you.

11:45 iOS 4 ships on June 21. And, it’s finally free for all devices supported (no more $9.99 for iPod touch owners).

11:44 iPhone 3GS to live on in 8GB form for $99.

11:43 Available June 24.

11:42 iPhone 4: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. AT&T will let you upgrade early if your contract ends at any time in 2010; up to six months early upgrading for iPhone.

11:40 Steve commits to making FaceTime an open standard, cites that it’s based on open standards as well.

11:38 “Wi-Fi only in 2010… we need to work a bit with the carriers.”

11:36 FaceTime requires both an iPhone 4 and a Wi-Fi connection. Not clear if you initiate a voice call or a separate VoIP call arrangement.

11:32 One more thing. Lights raised on stage. Steve making a video call. Or, as Apple calls it, FaceTime.

11:31 Apple claiming 48% of the projected mobile ad market for the second half of 2010.

11:30 iAd launches July 1. $60 million committed already from advertisers for the second half of this year.

11:28 Steve’s going through the iAd demos, Nissan Leaf, Toy Story 3, etc.

11:25 Apple has automated the process so that apps do not need any significant retooling to integrate into existing apps. Revenue share is handed off through iTunes Connect, and no additional accounting or signups are needed.

11:18 The eighth feature is iAds. Yes folks, a demo of iAds.

11:17 iBooks will sync purchased books across iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, similar to purchased music.

11:15 iOS 4 Golden Master ships to developers today.

11:14 Bing being added alongside Yahoo! and Google as search options for Safari.

11:13 During the demo of iOS 4 (nothing new folks, all this was demoed at the last event), a lot of people on Twitter are noting that iOS is trademarked by Cisco, setting the stage for a repeat of the iPhone trademark debacle.

11:08 And now, a review of iPhone… err… iOS 4.

11:07 Apple is renaming iPhone OS to iOS.

11:06 There are apparently over 500 base stations in the conference hall, due to ad-hoc connections and MiFis. Steve is asking everyone to put their laptops on the floor.

11:04 iMovie for iPhone will cost $4.99 “… if we approve it.”

11:03 Exporting is done completely on the device, with the A4 processor handling the re-encoding to the resolution of your choice. Share right from device.

11:02 Comes with five themes, and transitions dynamically change when themes are changed.

11:00 iMovie for iPhone includes all the same basic features as iMovie for Mac, clip editing and trimming, transitions, titles, Ken Burns effect, etc.

10:59 Since iPhone now records video at the quality of a cheap HD camcorder, Apple is introducing iMovie for iPhone, with Randy Ubillos on the stage to talk about it.

10:58 Demo of photos taken with iPhone 4. 720p HD at 30 frames per second, with tap to focus on video as it records.

10:55 The camera’s image sensor has jumped two megapixels, but without a size reduction in each pixel’s space on the light sensor. Effectively, this means each pixel has more quality in it.

10:54 On to cameras. “A whole new camera system.” In addition to the LED flash, it adds a five megapixel sensor with a “backside-illuminated sensor”.

10:53 Steve is demoing the gyroscope with 3D blocks of wood. Think Jenga.

10:51 iPhone 4 adds a gyroscope. Tied in with accelerometer and compass for six-axis motion sensing.

10:50 Quad-band HSPA data. But, no comment as to which bands… 1700/2100?

10:48 Apple A4, the same processor as inside iPad, is used for iPhone 4. microSIM was used instead of SIM to keep the device smaller. A4 will give iPhone 4 a 40% bump in battery life (3G talk time), also due to a slightly larger battery as well.

10:46 iPhone 4 also uses IPS, which Steve calls better than OLED. iPhone 4 has 78% of the pixels on an iPad. OLED screens can’t support that many pixels currently.

10:45 960×640 resolution on iPhone 4. And yes, the iPhone 4 being demoed is connected to AT&T.

10:43 Now would have been a great time to be able to use internet from USB… Steve is asking people in the audience to get off Wi-Fi because it’s too congested to load the demo.

10:42 Steve is comparing the iPhone 4′s display to iPhone 3GS’s in a side-by-side on various tasks. Photos don’t really show it well in many of these cases, you’re not missing much. But, in real life, the display difference is clearly noticeable.

10:38 Retina display. Over four times the pixel density of previous models. Claims more pixel density than the human eye can interpret when held at normal viewing distance.

10:36 Steve explains that the lines on the outside case of iPhone 4 represent the structural elements of the phone. The bands are part of the antenna, allowing steel around the sides without impacting reception.

10:34 After showing off iPhone 4 “some of you have already seen this”, Steve declares it the thinnest smartphone in the world.

10:31 Introducing iPhone 4. “… over 100 new features, only going to focus on eight of them.”

10:30 Versus Android, iPhone has twice the web browser market share, 58% versus Android’s 22.5%. Of course, this is Q1 data, and Android’s growth rate has outpaced iPhone at times since.

10:29 “Now, I’d like to talk about the iPhone.” iPhone controls 35% of the smartphone market, Windows Mobile has fallen to 28%, as of the first quarter.

10:28 The App Store has celebrated its five billionth app download. Developer revenue shares just crossed the billion dollar mark.

10:27 Steve returns to the stage.

10:25 We’re still here. Zygna was up to show you about farms, and Activision is up now to talk about Guitar Hero. If we thought you cared, we’d be risking a repetitive stress injury to bring you the latest on both.

10:19 Netflix Watch Instantly demoed for iPhone, full functionality coming to iPhone and iPod touch soon.

While they’re showing off apps you either already own, or don’t care, now’s a good time to remind you to sound off in the comments… unlike other sites, they’re open and fully operational!

10:18 App Store third-parties are on-stage. First eBay, now Netflix.

Sorry folks, Verizon’s poor signal ate a few updates here. Bottom line, Steve notes that 5% of apps are rejected each week, and cites poor app quality and use of private APIs as the two main reasons.

10:12 Steve turns his attention to the App Store, and begins with another embrace of HTML5, calling it an open and uncontrolled platform.

10:11 A new bookshelf is also available to store and view PDFs from inside the iBook app, and annotate them similarly. Update will be available later this month.

10:10 Notes and bookmarks will both be added to the app, as well as an area for you to instantly view all notes and bookmarks made for each book.

10:09 iBooks and the iBookstore are going to get an update. But first, a review of iBookstore’s performance (of course). Over five million books downloaded so far, just from iPad owners

10:07 Over 85,000 iPad-enhanced Apps have been released since launch. Over 35 million app downloads on iPads, for about 17 apps per iPad owner.

10:05 Two million iPads sold already, with one being sold every three seconds.

10:04 The reviews of past product launches are under way. Steve is talking about iPad’s success so far.

10:02 Applause as the lights dim and Steve walks on stage.

10:00 The keynote is expected to begin shortly.

The updated version of Adobe Flash is a superset of their ongoing Flash 10.1 Preview Release cycle. Specifically, it adds support for Apple’s new hardware acceleration for non-QuickTime video codecs. This support was added to the operating system, apparently, specifically for Adobe to tap into the GPU inside Mac OS X.

Preview 2 of Gala syncs up with Flash 10.1 Preview Release 5, which was released within the past week. Gala requires Mac OS X 10.6.3, due to the inclusion of specific GPU APIs in the release. It also requires an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GT 320M, or GT 330M graphics chipset.

Gala Preview Release 2
Learn More About Gala

The popular WebKit-based browser has been in final form for Windows since version 5.0, however, the company encourages users to try out newer, beta builds of the version 5.0 branch.

The download is free, and Google continues to offer a beta of 5.0 for Mac as well as Windows, alongside the final versions.

Google Chrome

Inside the kit, you find 11 tools (the kit is bluntly named the 11 Piece Portable Tool Kit, after all). The screwdrivers comprise the standard range of Apple-esque screws. This includes the much-dreaded Torx T6, T8, and T10.

The Toolkit Contains:
Straight Blade 1.8mm
Straight Blade 3.0mm
Phillips #00
Phillips #2
Torx T6
Torx T8
Torx T10
Scissor Clamp
Tweezers
(2) Nylon Pry Tools (aka “Spudgers”)*
Nylon Carrying Case

For most gadgets, specialty screws aside, this is about every screwdriver you could need for opening most consumer electronics.

Turn of the Screws

We tested the screwdrivers, and that’s where we had the biggest letdown unfortunately. The philips head screwdriver couldn’t assist us fully in opening a PlayStation 3 to change its hard drive. We ultimately had to bring in a larger screwdriver to grip the screws, and get the job done.

Packaging, Packaging

Unfortunately, the hemostat in our review copy was defective and would not open. The hemostat is a bit overkill, since few iPod and iPhone repairs really require one.

The only other negative about the NewerTech Kit is that the spudgers do not fit properly in the case. They always fall out and wind up in the middle of the kit upon opening. It’s a bit odd, considering all the other objects are extremely snug, and don’t shake loose. The good news is, if there was something in the kit that was floating around, you’d want it to be those things… they aren’t going to scratch any of the other objects in the kit.

Bottom Line

If you’re a tech that is mobile a lot, this is a great kit to put into your glove box. Compact, portable, and has everything that you need. It’s a good set for cracking open an iPhone or iPod out in the world, but, really… are you going to do that out in the world? Unfortunately, at $18, and not really getting the job done on something as basic as a PS3… we unfortunately have to issue a rare Do Not Buy rating.

Pros: Compact, portable, complete tool set.
Cons: Inefficient philips head screwdriver, poor quality hemostat, spudgers lose placing inside case frequently.
TechNews.biz Recommendation: Do Not Buy

The patents in question relate to technologies for enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices, according to the press release.

Apple has yet to officially respond to Nokia’s claims at this time.

This follows the PR cold war being staged by both companies with both CEOs and Adobe employees being vocal about the issues surrounding the compiler and Flash as a whole on Apple’s device lineup.

Apple rates that all MacBooks with built-in batteries should last 1,000 charge cycles or 5 years (whichever comes first). However, that is not a warranty. That is a statement of what the battery should achieve.

The warranty standard is a bit different.

Year 1 (the 1-year Apple Limited Warranty) – 80% of the capacity at less than 300 charge cycles. If your battery has under 300 charge cycles, and is less than a year old, the battery will be replaced if it is under 80% capacity.

Year 2-3 (only if you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan) – 50% of the capacity at less than 1,000 charge cycles. This warranty only applies if you have the AppleCare Protection Plan purchased.

Year 4-5 – No warranty whatsoever.

Apple does offer a Snow Leopard battery condition indicator. You can hold down the Option key and click on the battery status menu extra, in the top right corner of the screen/menubar.

However, it is important to note that Apple probably has set thresholds to be slightly below this standard. This ensures that uninformed users will not constantly ask for battery replacements, and wait until the battery is fully worn out or totally defective. It also includes diagnostic information from the battery.

Thus, you can have a battery report higher than 80% capacity in an app like coconutBattery, and still have a Service Battery warning, telling you to take it in. This can happen if some cells have failed or the circuitry/diagnostics inside the battery reports a failure of some form (such as being unable to contact/charge an entire battery cell).

In short, keep track of your battery. Use Apple’s option-click battery diagnostics in tandem with a tool like coconutBattery will give you all the info you need to help decide if it’s worth the trip to the Genius Bar.