Apple has officially released iOS 4.1 to iTunes. iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch owners (second-generation and up) can get the update.
Apple has added a bunch of new features and enhancements to iOS 4.1. In addition to fixing bugs (like the proximity sensor) and speeding up performance on iPhone 3G devices, iOS 4.1 also includes a new HDR photography mode, the ability to upload HD video over Wi-Fi, Game Center and the integration of Ping into the iTunes mobile app.
We took some time to play with iOS 4.1 this afternoon, after already spending some time with the beta releases.
We agree with bloggers Matt Drance and John Gruber that the Ping experience is better on the iPhone than it is in iTunes. The music discovery element is more central, and it feels more natural to “like” and share songs, or to browse through what others like or buy.
Game Center is here, but for now all you can really do is choose your nickname and add friends. We think this has potential, especially as more game developers take advantage of it. Although there are other third-party game networks that developers can use, Game Center has the distinct advantage of being available on virtually every iOS device. That means that tens of millions of users can easily connect and play games, and share information with one another from across the globe.
The HDR photography mode could be seen as a gimmick, but we were actually impressed with the results in our brief tests. We were able to get better definition on objects and better colors from the sky, while shooting outdoors on a slightly overcast day.
That isn’t to say that HDR is perfect. Depending on the lighting and the object, HDR can sometimes just make things look more washed out. This is a great feature to have built into the camera app but it’s not going to put any HDR software for Mac or PC out of business.
On the bug fix side, we took a call immediately after upgrading to iOS 4.1 and didn’t end up accidentally calling someone else while on the phone. (Hooray!)
Check out our gallery to see iOS 4.1 in action.
iOS 4.1 Main Screen

The Game Center icon is new.
Game Center Main Page

This is Game Center.
iTunes in iOS 4.1

Note the addition of the Ping menu.
iTunes in iOS 4.1

The more tab now takes you to these options. Ping replaced Ringtones in the app menu so the more tab now includes it as an option.
Ping Activity

This tab shows you an overview of what your friends are doing on Ping.
Ping People

You can run through the list of people that you follow.
Ping Album Like/Post

You can now "like" albums or post about them to your stream.
Ping Album Like

I like Arcade Fire.
Ping Song Like/Post

You can also like individual songs or post direct links to them in your stream.
Ping Post

The post screen.
Ping Profile

Your profile in Ping. It shows all of your likes, posts and the new people that you follow.
TV Show Rental

In addition to buying an episode of a TV show, you can also rent certain shows for $.99 apiece.
If you do rent a TV show from your iPhone or iPod touch, the SD version will be the only one downloaded to your device. If you buy an episode outright, the SD episode is downloaded and an HD episode (if it's available) will be downloaded to your computer
HDR Camera Option

The camera app now has an HDR button.
Photo Without HDR

Photo without HDR.
Photo With HDR

The same photo with the HDR effects applied.
HDR Up-close

A close-up look at the HDR version of this photo.
Non-HDR Up-close

A close-up look at the non-HDR version of this photo.
Non-HDR v. HDR

The non-HDR photo is on the left, the HDR version is on the right.
Reviews: Ping
More About: apple, apple itunes, hdr, iOS, ios 4.1, iphone, itunes, Ping
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