Apple has released the latest firmware update for its iOS mobile operating system, version 4.1. The new firmware fixes the performance issues for the iPhone 3G as well as adding new features for the iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 4.

Besides fixing the 3G performance issues, the biggest reason to update is to check out Apple’s all new Game Center. The new gaming service allows users to send and receive friend requests, play online multiplayer with your friends and other Game Center users, and the ability to view Leaderboards and Achievements among some other cool features.

Game Center is currently only available for the iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 4.

Other performance upgrades and bug fixes include: Nike+iPhone performance issues, improvements for better BlueTooth compatibility, and performance boosts for the iPhone 4′s proximity sensor. Apple also updated its security for FaceTime, ImageIO, and WebKit.

Remember, if your device is jailbroken and you update to 4.1, your device will no longer be jailbroken.

It’s no secret that iOS 4 sucks on the iPhone 3G; the performance of the operating system on the phone makes the device almost nonoperational. Apple had confirmed the issues and said that it was “looking into” user reports of the issues.

Apple has now confirmed that a software update that will fix the 3G performance issues is imminent. The confirmation comes in the form of an email response from Jobs; he was replying to a frustrated customer of the performance of the device. The customer called the phone “dog slow” and mentioned the horrible lag that sometimes happens during scrolling, typing, and zooming.

Jobs’ response was short:

Software update coming soon.

Sent from my iPhone

The email obviously didn’t specify when the update would be coming or what update would address the issues, but Jobs was more-than-likely referring to the current firmware in testing, 4.1. Reports have shown that 4.1 does improve 3G performance.

Until then, we wait anxiously.

When Windows Live Essentials 2011 beta 2 released yesterday, many users were disappointed at the bloated and complex nature of some of the programs — most notably, Windows Live Messenger.

While the program is definitely bloated, Messenger shows that Redmond can still come up with nifty new ideas to innovate and keep its Messenger client relevant. Third-party instant messaging clients are already mimicking the integration into social media.

Look at the new beta for Trillian 5 for example.

Even though at first I didn’t like the change, I’m already used to using WLM to browse my Facebook stuff. I don’t even need to query the Facebook website if I already have WLM open and chatting with my friends.

Just think about how great it would be to view Windows Live Essentials 2011 on your Microsoft-branded tablet. The tablet is supposed to be running a variant of Windows 7, so a similar app for the tablet could possibly be developed with all the social interactions intact.

The ability to chat with your Windows Live Messenger friends list, browse Facebook, and even chat with your Facebook friends are all features would come in handy in one app. There is already a similar app for the iPad called “Flipboard”, but the app isn’t developed by Apple — it’s a third-party.

Microsoft is coming into the tablet business with a huge advantage: a lot of the problems Apple faced have been fixed, and Microsoft knows how to avoid those mistakes. And just like it always is, Apple will innovate and stun the market while Microsoft is late to the party. Once things die down or Apple has a huge problem, Microsoft comes in with its solutions and pushes Apple to the side.

Amidst antenna issues and battery problems, it looks like Microsoft is making its way to the table with the tablet and its Windows Phone 7 devices.

I just hope the tablet’s name is catchier than “BlackPad“.

Sources from within Apple have stated that the Mark Papermaster, the man who just resigned from his position as head of the iPhone and iPod divisions, had a “falling out” with CEO Steve Jobs. The Wall Street Journal reports that Jobs had lost confidence in Papermaster “months ago”, and that Papermaster could not handle the normal “office politics” that comes with being in the chain of command.

Sources say that Papermaster “didn’t appear to have the type of creative thinking expected at Apple and wasn’t used to Apple’s corporate structure, where even senior executives are expected to keep on top the smallest details of their areas of responsibility and often have to handle many tasks directly, as opposed to delegating them.”

Papermaster took the place of Tony Fadell when he left Apple in 2007. Prior to that, Papermaster had worked at IBM for 26 years. Papermaster worked his way up to Vice President of the Blade Development Unit, which he remained until 2006. He will be replaced at Apple by Bob Mansfield, who was the hardware engineering lead for Mac.

Mark Papermaster, the head of Apple’s iPhone and iPod divisions, has stepped down from the company. It is still unclear whether or not his departure stems from “Antennagate”. Either way, the hardware engineering lead for Mac, Bob Mansfield, will be taking over from where Papermaster left off.

There was a ton of negative media attention covering the issues Apple was having with its iPhone 4 antenna. If held incorrectly, which is also the most popular ways to hold the device, the phone will lose its network connection.

The reign of Papermaster was short, as he had been with Apple for only two years. His former employer, IBM, took Apple to court over its worries that Papermaster would leak its intellectual secrets to his new company.

In 2008, it was shown through internal documents that Papermaster was chosen from a list of eight candidates that would fit Apple’s managerial profile, as the company could not find a suitable replacement for the position left vacant by original iPod chief Tony Fadell.

iTunes and the iTunes Store has revolutionized how we use and update our mobile phones, and Microsoft is following in Apple’s footsteps with its upcoming Windows Phone 7 and Zune marketplace.

Screenshots have surfaced on WMPoweruser.com showing something very similar to that of a Microsoft application store. The website compares the screenshots of the program to the iTunes Store. The website also notes that “on Windows Phone 7, the Zune desktop client will take the same role as iTunes  with the iPhone.  This includes allowing the purchase of applications from the desktop. At the moment, the selection of software is fairly limited, but that should soon change.”

One feature that is planned is the ability to purchase applications from the desktop and have the apps installed to your device over the air, instead of USB syncing like an iPhone.

View: More screenshots

At the Microsoft Global Exchange 2010 conference, the software manufacturer announced that it would be giving all of its employees a Windows 7 phone. The corporation currently has over 90,000 employees around the world.

The move was predictable as Google and Apple, both, gave its employees Nexus Ones and iPhones, respectively. Palm has been the only other major smart-phone manufacturer that has not given its employees phones.

Andy Lees, Microsoft’s Senior VP of Mobile had this to say in an internal email, “With all the buzz, a lot of you are asking how you can get your hands on a phone and get more involved. So, I am thrilled to announce that a new Windows Phone 7 will be made available to every Microsoft employee as we launch in each market around the world. The process will vary based on your market, your carrier, and your launch date so stay tuned for more information closer to launch.”

Source: Gizmodo [via Neowin]