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multi-tasking like Palm Pre

Not all apps work the right way, but here is an example:

You download a "notepad" type app, run it, create a new document and type "test". Then you press the home screen, open up handcent sms and start typing a message to a friend, before sending, you press the home screen again, open the app drawer and go back to the notepad program. YOu'll notice that your note with "test" is still open and waiting for you to type more. If you go back to handcent, you'll find your text message sitting there waiting to be finished and sent.

You can do this with as many apps as you want. That is what multitasking is. Again, some apps will automatically go back to their main screen when you open them, but this is the app, not Android.
 
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not really. Sure, the app can revert itself, but not in a true multi-tasking environment. That's a droid limitation.

I take it that android doesn't have any way to truly multitask except for persistent state apps. In my opinion it's good enough.

But I have a question, is there a way to change it from just showing 6 in a block format to maybe some sort of list, with maybe some details shown next to the icon (url opened, text excerpt, etc)?
 
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not really. Sure, the app can revert itself, but not in a true multi-tasking environment. That's a droid limitation

What makes that not a true multi-tasking environment? The apps save there state (such as open documents as in my example before) and can continue processing data in the background (pandora, music player, etc.). What more is required for it to be a "true multi-tasking environment"?
 
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What makes that not a true multi-tasking environment? The apps save there state (such as open documents as in my example before) and can continue processing data in the background (pandora, music player, etc.). What more is required for it to be a "true multi-tasking environment"?

Some in the vein of the WebOS cards system... not required, but god dammit I want it on android.

Seriously, a way to represent what user applications are currently running and quickly tab back n forth between them would be amazing. And persistant notifications isn't the answer.
 
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What makes that not a true multi-tasking environment? The apps save there state (such as open documents as in my example before) and can continue processing data in the background (pandora, music player, etc.). What more is required for it to be a "true multi-tasking environment"?

If it's not running two apps at the same time it's not multi-tasking. What droid does is put one app to sleep, saving the state it was in, and then runs a different one.

It's completely different at least conceptually, if not on a practical level. You use windows on your home pc I assume. If you are watching a youtube vid and open another browser window or a game on top of it, you still hear the youtube vid in the background, and youtube itself doesn't control what happens when it's window isn't in the forefront.
 
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If it's not running two apps at the same time it's not multi-tasking. What droid does is put one app to sleep, saving the state it was in, and then runs a different one..
Droid apps run in the background. You need only run Copilot and receive turn instructions while running some other program (like music) in the foreground to see that your statement about putting apps to sleep is silly. I run into WebOS users all over forums like these that assume the card metaphor Palm designed is what multi-tasking is, when it's simply a clever task switcher (between running apps). Multi-tasking has been in smart phones since the first windows mobile phones back in 2002. Like WM, Android is a multi-tasking OS.
 
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If it's not running two apps at the same time it's not multi-tasking. What droid does is put one app to sleep,

So, why can I have Pandora, the built in music player, and a YouTube video all outputting sound at the same time?

Regardless of what we call it, I get that you want to be able to see what apps are "running" and switch between them. If the standard display of the last 6 apps by holding the home key isn't enough, and the app drawer is too much, perhaps you want one of the numerous taskkiller apps. This will show you what is running, and allow you to switch to it. You of course, don't have to use the actual "task killing" feature.
 
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If it's not running two apps at the same time it's not multi-tasking. What droid does is put one app to sleep, saving the state it was in, and then runs a different one.

If it doesn't have two or more CPUs, it's not running two apps at the same time.

Android's application environment (and that's what it is; it runs atop a very conventional Linux kernel) keeps applications alive as long as it can and shuts them down when memory runs short based on how important (or unimportant) they think they are.

All of this is covered in gory detail in the Application Fundamentals section in the Android documentation. Or, for something with less reading, open a window with a shell in it and run 'ps.'

--Mark
 
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OP fail. The purpose of multi-tasking is allowing:

1) Applications that need to constantly run due to information streams (in or out)
2) Switching between applications to view/copy/edit information

Sounds like you want multiple apps on the screen at once, like a PC. While this is technically possible, it is a poor experience due to screen size.

Also, the number of CPU's is irrelevant. Applications use the CPU via threads. Windows 95 was multi-tasking on single core single processor machines.

Please tell me how this is not multi-tasking......
 
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Also, the poster who said you need 2 CPUs to have 2 apps running at the same time is strictly speaking correct, but the term multitasking is today almost always used to refer to running foreground and background tasks in a single CPU situation.
Single CPUs have been able to multi-task for over 25 years. It's all in the chip and software architecture and how CPU cycles are shared among the various processes.
 
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I absolutely understand what the OP is saying. Its been said already but the Palm Pre does have a very sweet app switch capability that makes doing multiple things very intuitive. Obviously the Droid and other Android phones have this capability, but it requires a bit more manipulation in order to achieve the same thing. I considered the Pre before getting my Droid because of that very slick and easy to use interface but when it comes down to specs and pure possibility there really wasn't any contest. It takes a bit more time to learn, and there is a steeper learning curve in becoming fluent with the Android OS but it is entirely worth the effort for the added benefits.
 
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Is there an app for multi-tasking like Palm Pre for Android? Or, is this being developed; coming in future Android versions?

Not really that good but it was developed for iPhone and it was a great.

So, Android, What do you say?

Just to keep things simple:

- All smartphones multitask. They have to. The phone is managed by an app. If the smartphone didn't multitask it wouldn't ring the phone if you were running another app. Likewise for the calendar, and the clock, and the... you get the point.

- The number of CPUs has nothing whatever to do with multitasking (except if the number is 0 :D). It is possible to write an operating system that runs on 2 or more processors and still doesn't multitask. I have no idea why one would write such a thing, but the point is that multitasking means sharing the CPU(s) among several concurrently running apps. If you want to know more about that, read a good elementary computer science book. The topic is really fascinating.

What I think you might mean, though, is that you admire the style with which WebOS manages the apps that are running. I agree with you there. The "card" metaphor was nothing short of a stroke of genius.

Android took a different approach. Rather than having the user manage the running apps, it attempts to so itself. Whereas WebOS at some point will tell you it can't run any more apps until you shut down one or more of them down, Android will pick a running app and kill it to make room for another one (its a little more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea).

I think you might be suggesting that you like the WebOS approach better. Will Android ever adopt a "card" system like WebOS has? Ask Google. It isn't technically impossible.

In the meantime, enjoy running Pandora, Google maps with turn by turn voice navigation, the phone, and whatever other apps your heart desires. Concurrently. Its a beautiful thing.
 
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Don't get confused now eh? "True multitasking", as in "preemptive multitasking" is supported by Android. But it doesn't stop there. The android development blog recently featured a nice article on task- and process management.

Phones, BTW, by nature can be build without preemptive multitasking. Handling the call, receiving text messages, calendar updates etc. could very well be done on interrupt basis in a single threaded system. It may not be an efficient way of handling things, but is possible!
 
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Now I'm curious about the way the Pre does it - how can switching to a background task be faster than 2 clicks (home, icon for task)?

It isn't that it does it in fewer clicks. For all of Palm's woes their OS is very intuitive and good looking. A simple swipe up the screen shows what is open in a thumbnail view. You can slide across the screen to see thumbnails of all open apps and tap on any app to switch to it. It is smooth and looks and feels good. It is also not limited to the last 6 open apps.

Both OS's multitask very well and I won't go back to my Pre (which is still in a drawer), but WebOS did notifications and multitasking VERY well.

calendar_2009-10-12_2233021.png
6-multitask.png
 
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I'm confused. Yes, the Palm Pre shows you what apps are "open," but why should I care? All I have to do is tap the icon for an app and it will open; if it's already open or if it needs to open, tapping on its icon will open it. Is it really important whether or not it was already open when you launch it? I haven't run into any apps that take a very long time to open like Photoshop on the PC (well, OK, MLB At-Bat is pretty slow, but that's the only one).

The limit of 6 apps for the long-press-home-key screen of recently launched (but not necessarily still open) apps may be a bit tight, but I the apps I tend to use all the time are on my main Home screen, so I'm two taps away from launching them.

.02
 
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