Apple has reportedly seeded an early beta of firmware 2.1 (5f90) and a new and improved SDK to developers. Among the changes, CoreLocation (which covers GPS and other location-aware services) gains direction and speed tracking abilities (leading to a fresh round of turn-by-turn speculation, ‘natch), and API’s for the Notification Server that, come September, will be used in-lieu of background multitasking to push alert badges and sounds to Apps (like Instant Messages, Tweets, etc.). Given how MobileMe is doing with Push, that one may prove interesting…

On the negative side, 2.1 is one way street. Developers using 2.1 can not create binaries compatible with the current 2.0-centric App Store, so they either have to maintain two independant development environments (Update: possibly 3 environments and up to 6 devices, 2.0 and 2.1 for iPhone 3G (with mandatory carrier plans), iPhone 2G, and iPod Touch — expensive much?), or wait for App Store 2.1 to launch (in September along with Notification Server?)

Of course, before 2.1 we’ll likely see the already being tested 2.0.1, which will hopefully fix many of the bugs plaguing upgraders and new adopters both. Like, really soon, right Apple?

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iPhone 2.1 Beta 1: GPS Boost + Notification Server APIs

Beta release 8 is compatible with the final iPhone OS 2.0 release and must be used to build and sign any iPhone OS application to be submitted to the App Store. As a reminder, you must be a member of the iPhone Developer Program to submit apps.

So quoth Apple’s developer site, continuing its relentless schedule leading up to a rumored Friday Gold Master, and a necessary July 11th iPhone 3G launch.

The latest beta weighs in at 1.25 GB and is identified as 5a345.

What’s new this time around? Aside from stability, new certificates replaced the previous, just-expired certificates. Only time and the usually bit-by-bit code inspection will tell what else may lurk in the strings (like MMS and Secure Erase?).

However the SDK beta does require the also available-to-developers beta of iTunes 7.7, with a new, fresh tab to handle App Store apps the same way its previously handled Music, Video, and the rest of your iPhone content.

We’re through the looking glass, folks.

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iPhone 2.0 SDK Beta 8 + iTunes 7.7 Beta