All Articles Tagged 2.2

Daring Fireball links to a translation of a Swedish MacWorld rumor (Google translation) that quotes Telia as saying as MMS app would soon be available for the iPhone. Phew! Broken telephone much? Tries to clarify Gruber:

Not sure if this means Telia is writing their own MMS iPhone app, or if they’re suggesting that Apple is adding MMS support to the system software. I haven’t seen any reports of MMS support in the iPhone OS 2.2 betas.

Could this be a surprise feature? Personally, I never use it. I prefer device independent protocols like email and IM to handle my communications, but I know many of my fellow TiPbsters are still dying to get their multi-touch on this baby, so what do you think?

Apple bringing it? Telia? And if so, would other carriers like AT&T follow suit with MMS apps of their own? Do we want that kind of fragmentation, after it’s taken so long to get even the little interoperability that currently exists?

iPhonehellas.gr (via Macrumors) is claiming their sources are claiming that iPhone OS 2.2 is a mere 10 days away, set to drop on November 21st. Nobody outside a very few at Apple — and maybe the carriers — know for certain, however, so take this news with a Jobsian-sized grain of salt.

To round up the 2.2 beta features so far (which may or may not make it into the final release, along with whatever secret surprises Apple may have in store):

• Direct OTA Podcast Downloads and App Store UI tweaks
• App Store ratings upon deletion
• Google Transit, Walking directions, Street-view, and Share Location
• Line-in Audio access for the SDK

Still no word on Push Notification Services (which were dropped from 2.1 and are reportedly still not ready for prime-time), cut and paste, video, turn-by-turn GPS, MMS, Flash, or any of the other hundred or so things people are desperate to see added. Seems Apple is still focusing on what others can add (i.e. Google), and what they can get the most out of in the shortest release cycles. (Joz’s famous “priorities”).

Think this info is legit? Are we getting 2.2 in 10 days? Any secret features we don’t know about yet? What do you think?

We’ve heard about podcast downloads being added to iPhone OS 2.2 before, but now Macrumors (via Shimanke.com — check out their screenshots) has more details how the process will work. In response to Chad’s fears of overwhelming AT&T’s fragile 3G network (aka “rabbit ears”), it looks like cell downloads will be limited to podcasts under 10MB, the same limitation currently imposed on App Store purchases over 3G. Both audio and video podcasts will be available for download, however, and on WiFi there’s no limitation.

Could TV Shows and even Movies be next? And with Exchange, MobileMe, and other sync services storming the “clouds”, what does this mean for the days of USB tethering to your Mac or PC?

Meanwhile, the App Store looks to have a cosmetic makeover, with categories now sporting the icons of some of their most popular Apps (i.e., Social Networking shows the Facebook icon).

Lastly, still no sign of Push Notification, which Macrumors hears via the whisper-net is still having “major issues”. After the disastrous MobileMe rollout, could Apple be waiting to get it right the first time?

But hey, at least we’re still getting all those Google Maps improvements!

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iPhone OS 2.2, Turn-by-Turn GPS Navigation, Google hearts the iPhone, and more. Listen in!

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(Image via TUAW)

Hot on the heels of all the iPhone 2.2 firmware Beta 2 goodness from Google, which included Street-View, Transit and Walking Directions, and Location Sharing, comes word on a couple more features for us to rumor over. TUAW says:

A tipster shared with us some screenshots of the new firmware, including what appears to be the ability to download podcasts directly to your iPhone (and presumably your iPod touch)

TUAW says this could explain Apple’s rejection of PodCaster, but an explanation still does not a justification make. Still, this would be awesome functionality for those who don’t always have a chance to tether and sync for their podcasts. We’re guessing it will still be limited to WiFi only, however, like the iTunes store, to limit carrier data load for 50MB+ sound files — and even them will the (typically much larger) video podcasts be enabled?

MacRumors (via iPhoneHellas), meanwhile, shows off a new alert box that asks users deleting an application to rate it prior to deletion. Valuable metrics, or Just Another Annoying Pop-up?

Dieter’s been saying for a long time that Google hearts the iPhone — and why wouldn’t it, it delivers an incredible amount of mobile eyeballs for advertising. We’ve also said that the ultimate edge the iPhone enjoys over Android is that while Google produces great service for both Android and the iPhone, Apple only produces for the iPhone. The iPhone gets the best of both worlds. Latest case in point, iPhoneYap (via Apple Insider) has posted extensive screenshots of the new Google Maps 2.2, and it looks like we’re getting:

• Public transit directions (including schedule info)
• Walking directions
• Street view
• Location Sharing

Since Google pimped out Street View for Android already, it’s no big surprise that the iPhone (and other mobile platforms) are getting it as well. Same thing happened with cell tower location services last year. Still, we’re hoping Apple’s usual UI expertise will make this a particularly good implementation. No word yet, however, if we’ll be getting Android-style real-time rotation…

Sampling of images after the jump, see the full gallery at iPhoneYap

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MacRumor’d yesterday and confirmed today, Apple has indeed released iPhone firmware 2.2, beta 2 to “select developers”.

Google Street View, previously reported, is now enabled, and new finds seem to include SDK support for line-in audio accessories.

Anything else? We’ll know when the coders get through digging!

Back when Apple dropped the [redacted] NDA on Oct. 1, a newer, freer version was promised in its place. Now, some three weeks later, Apple makes good on that promise according to MacRumors:

You agree that any Apple pre-release software (including related documentation and materials) and any information disclosed by Apple to you in connection with Apple Events or Paid Content (defined below) will be considered and referred to as “Apple Confidential Information”.

MacRumors also suggests some developers may already be getting Beta 2 of iPhone firmware 2.2. This triple-two’d code follows on the Beta 1 release from Oct. 6, which featured Google Street View, the Setting to disable Auto-Correct, as well as Japanese Emoji icons — but no Push Notification Service, which was removed from a previous 2.1 Beta so Apple could “get it right”.

With RIM promising the same feature this week, will Apple sacrifice on quality for speed-to-market? Should they? And what else might appear in 2.2?

Hopefully hip developers will scour the code and let us know!

Developers are continuing to dig away at iPhone Firmware 2.2 Beta 1, and Macrumors brings word of a few more juicy finds:

First up is Google Street View for Maps, which Android wowed the crowds with at its recent unveiling. Just like location services, however, it looks like Apple and Google will be rolling it in for iPhone users soon enough.

Next is a Settings control to enable or disable the auto-correction feature of the keyboard. Many of our own readers have been asking for this, likely to get their SMS <3, 133t, can has lolcatz, or, you know… other languages on.

Lastly, Japanese Emoji icons seem to have finally found their place in the iPhone-verse.

Still no word, however, on the delayed Push Notification Server support or many of the other most griped about, still curiously omitted features like… oh, we don’t know… cut and goram paste?!

So, are these enough new features to wet your 2.2. appetite? Want more? And how important is it to you that Apple balance the amount of new features with the risk of instability a la 2.0?

(Macrumors screenshots after the jump…)

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TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Brandon:

I think it was universally acknowledged that September was when Apple promised is background notifications for the iPhone 2.x. September has come and gone and I don’t know about you guys but I still don’t have background notifications on my iPhone. Would be nice if you guys posted something busting apple’s 3@!!$ for missing the date and hoping we wouldn’t notice. I think alot of people like myself bought iPhones with the promise of these notifications in mind.

TiPb answers, after the jump!

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