Apple Holding Special Event To Preview iPhone OS 4 This Thursday [iPhone]

Apple has just sent out invites to press inviting them to a special event where they’ll “Get a sneak peek into the future of iPhone OS”.

The event, which obviously comes just after the launch of the iPad, will showcase the new features coming with the latest release of the iPhone/iPad operating system, giving developers time to plan for and integrate the new features into their apps. There have been rumors for months that this new update will include the ability for certain third party apps to run in the background.

Apple has been holding these developer preview events since before the App Store launched — there was one in March 2008 where the iPhone SDK was announced. And last March

Apple gave a preview of the iPhone 3.0 software update. Historically (by which I mean, the last two years) these updates have been released alongside new iPhones in the summer (the iPhone 3G came out July 11 2008; the 3GS was released June 19 2009).
[TechCrunch]

TechTracker Scans Your Computer for Outdated Software [Downloads]

Windows: There's no reason to rely on individual applications to tell you when they need an update, when you've got a handy tool like TechTracker.
You'll need to create a free account or use Facebook connect to login to CNet and download the TechTracker application. Once downloaded and installed finding the out of date applications on your system is as simple as running the application. TechTracker compares the software versions of your applications to the vast database of applications at Download.com and shows you a list of which applications need to be updated and a link to Download.com or the publisher's site where you can download the update.
You can also tell TechTracker to email you when a new version of an application you have comes out, so you'll get an email update before the next scan even takes place. TechTracker is freeware and works wherever Windows does.

TechTracker [LifeHacker via Digital Inspiration]

Gizmodo's Essential iPhone Apps: Fall 2009 [IPhone Apps]

More than a year after launch, there are 74,031 apps in the iPhone App store. Most of them are crap. Some of them aren't. Here are the 50 iPhone apps you actually need, all in one place.
Well, OK, if you count the overlapping apps—paid and free Twitter clients, neck-and-neck navigation apps, the jailbreakers—it's more like 56, but that's not the point, people: The point is, since the last time we corralled all the best of the best (barring our weekly roundups, of course), the iPhone and App Store have changed immeasurably. In the last nine months we saw the release of the 3GS and iPhone OS 3.0, Apple loosening its grip on what kinds of apps people are allowed to create, and hundreds of fresh developers making genuinely new, genuinely impressive stuff. It was time for an update, and a big one.

So, hit the 'iPhone Apps' link on the left sidebar, just above Bestmodo, or just click here. We've got the best games, messaging apps, eBook readers, dictionaries, productivity software and timewasters. We've got apps to keep you up on current events, to keep your daily music intake interesting, to keep you entertained on the train, and to keep you on the right interstate. These are the essential iPhone apps—a list that'll transform that shiny, boring brick you just bought into the device that everyone's always raving about. (Note: It's split into two pages, so make sure to click through)
What counts as an essential iPhone app changes all the time, and so should our guide: If we've missed anything huge, or you've got a much better suggestion for a particular type of app, let us know, or say so in the comments. We'll be updating this thing pretty frequently, and a million Gizmodo readers can do a better job at sorting through the app mess than a single Gizmodo editor. Enjoy! [Gizmodo's Essential iPhone Apps]

Rumor: Tegra-based devices running Chrome OS this month?

Here’s a nice, juicy rumor to start the day off on the right (or wrong) foot. After those recent supposed screenshots of Google’s upcoming Chrome OS, Taiwan’s Shanzai.com is now reporting the following:

“According to our reliable sources on the Mainland, both Lenovo and Acer are planing to launch Tegra-based devices running Google’s Chrome OS, and the word on the streets is that it could even happen sometime later this month.”

If true, that would be pretty wild. It’d also serve to steal a bit of thunder from a certain company based in Cupertino, California that’ll be announcing new products on September 9th. I’ve no doubt that Tegra+Chrome OS smartbooks (or MIDs or netbooks or whatever) will eventually make it to market, but to see one or more of them this month would be a bit surprising considering we’ve been hearing mid-2010 for just about everything else.
As always, take this news with a grain of salt until it can be officially substantiated.
Exclusive: Lenovo and Acer to launch Tegra devices with Google’s Chrome OS [Shanzai]

Opera 10 Final Available for Download [Downloads]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Opera 10, which we've had in beta and release candidate forms already, officially hit the net today, bringing its Turbo compression, new interface, and visual tab bar to the browser feature battle.
There's also a host of bug fixes and minor menu tweaks, of course, along with changes to Speed Dial, the much-acclaimed Mail client, and your freedom to place the new resizable tab bar with thumbnail previews anywhere you want on the screen—top, bottom, left or right.
Opera 10 is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems only. Tell us how you think Opera 10 stacks up against the competition in the comments.

Opera 10