A video purportedly showing the iPhone 4S in action reveals a new "Raise to Speak" feature for Siri, letting users bring the iPhone up to their ear instead of holding down the home button in order to active the feature. The video also reveals benchmarks showing the iPhone 4S to be about twice as powerful as the iPhone 4.

Early Sunspider marks show a total score of 2222.1ms and a BrowserMark score of 89567. For comparison, it appears that the BrowserMark score for an iPhone 4 running iOS 5 is44856, so the new iPhone 4S benches twice as fast in the browser.

Additional features found in the video show more options for Siri, including language selection settings, voice feedback, user information and the ability to turn off the service system-wide.

These benchmarks are in-line with Apple's suggestion of the iPhone 4S being roughly twice as powerful as the iPhone 4 with its new A5 SoC powering the device.

Source: AppVV via MacRumors

Still have a working original iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G (or an iPod touch 1 or 2) and wondering how to get iOS4 features like Multitasking, Folders or Tethering? If you're willing to Jailbreak with WhiteD00r, you can enable most of these new features with a simple install. We'll show you how after the break!

Steps

1. Head over to whited00r.com and select your device from the “firmware download” page.

2. Extract the .zip file (make sure that your unarchiver/unzip utility doesn’t extract the contents of the .ipsw as well!)

3. Plug your iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, or iPod touch 1 or 2 into iTunes

4. Once detected, hold down the ALT (Mac OS X) or SHIFT (Windows) key, and then browse to unzipped .ipsw on your computer.

5. Be patient! It can take between 10 and 15 minutes for your iPhone or iPod to to activate.

6. That's it! You'll now be able to enjoy such features as Multitasking, Folders, custom wallpapers and more.

Additionally, your phone is now jailbroken, so you can install the vast library of Jailbreak apps.

Unfortunately, there are some things missing in WhiteD00r, like access to Game Center, the auto naming of Folders, your video camera comes in a separate app, and doesn’t save to the camera roll without some minor post-installation tweaks. However, for a unofficial hack, it works very well.

It certainly gave my old iPhone a new lease of life, and if you have any additional suggestions for getting more out of your old devices, let us know!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

A Chinese newspaper is claiming, based on "industry sources", that five new features will be coming with the next generation iPad 2, including video phone, new display technology, 3-axis gyroscope, "better mobility", and USB.

We have previously told you that sources claimed the iPad 2 is rumored to be coming equipped with two cameras for FaceTime and this list seems to repeat that rumor.

The new display technology is said to "enhance image and color output performance" so could this mean iPad 2 will be getting its own version of the Retina Display featured on the iPhone 4.

The 3-axis gyroscope would also make perfect sense to keep it on the same level as the iPhone 4 game wise. This has been a great feature of the iPhone 4 allowing for game players to utilize full motion in playing of games to help make them more realistic and bring gaming to a whole new level.

Better mobility could indicate that Apple will be utilizing a design similar to their unibody MacBook lineup. We told you about this when we posted Apple's supposed plan to create a world iPad utilizing a CDMA/GSM chipset. This would be a great reason to make the iPad 2 even more portable than the iPad is in its current state.

Probably one of the most welcomed new features would be the addition of a micro-USB port vice the standard Apple 30-pin dock connector. Europe is working on making the USB standard a legal requirement so that could be a motivator.

Most of these rumors aren't surprising and seem like the logical improvements Apple makes from one generation product to the next. Hopefully processor (Cortex A9-based?) and RAM (512 or better yet 1GB) are on the agenda as well. Are there any other features you would like to see in the next generation iPad? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

[ ComputerWorld]

The iOS 4.2 GM build seems to missing something -- AirPlay support for iPhone 3G. As we all know, iPhone 3G is already missing several iOS 4 features, and wasn't scheduled to get AirPrint either. Apple has said in the past 2008 hardware just wasn't able to keep up. However, AirPlay was alive and well on iPhone 3G throughout iOS 4.2 betas and Apple's very own website claimed that AirPlay would work for every iOS 4 device, which would include the iPhone 3G.

Obviously we will have to wait until iOS 4.2 goes public to see if Apple will indeed include AirPlay support for iPhone 3G, but as of now it looks like iPhone 3G owners have another reason to be disappointed in their device.

If you are still rocking an iPhone 3G, how do you feel about the possibility of once again being left out in the cold?

[ 9 to 5 Mac ]

iOS 4.1 is now available from Apple for iPhone and iPod touch. A relative small update to iOS 4 that fixes some important bugs, adds a few new features, and powers the all new iPod touch 4.

Steve Jobs announced the headlines during Apple's 2010 special music event and they include Game Center social gaming network, TV rentals, iTunes Ping social music network, HDR photography, and HD video uploads. (Yes, Apple is introducing not one but two new social networks.)

More importantly for some, proximity sensor misfires, Bluetooth woes, and the abysmal performance on iPhone 3G appear to be fixed.

We'll be covering all of that and more below. For anything and everything that hasn't changed, check out our massive iOS 4 walkthrough because we won't be repeating all that here

Note: this walkthrough is based on the GM (gold master) version of iOS 4.1. We'll continue to add to and improve it as needed, and update once iOS 4.1 release version hits, probably on Wednesday September 8.

If you don’t have time (yet) to read this iOS 4.1 walkthrough and are eager to get the basics down now, here’s a quick 5 minute video guide to get your started.

We’re showing it off on an iPhone 4, which should be similar to how it will work on an iPod touch 4.

What hasn't changed

Most things haven't changed with iOS 4.1, so again, check out our iOS 4 walkthrough to get up to speed on the far more numerous changes last summer's update brought.

System-wide changes

AVRCP Audio/Video Remote Control Protocol for stereo Bluetooth

Yes, you can finally -- finally -- control volume, skip tracks, and do pretty much anything your stereo Bluetooth headset allows. Unfortunately, at least in my tests, volume changes on the headset don't show up on the iPhone's volume slider -- but they do work in both iTunes Store streaming and iPod apps.

FaceTime app

iPod touch 4 gets a brand new, top left icon on the home screen just for FaceTime. (Which makes sense since there's no Phone app from which to initiate a FaceTime call. There's also no phone number associated with iPod touch so Apple/iTunes IDs will be used instead. (That means, if you want to call someone with an iPhone 4, they have to have updated to iOS 4.1).

Once it's set up it works the same -- that is, simply and elegantly.

Calendar - Now in pastel

Calendar app appears to be functionally identical to iOS 4.0 but for the color scheme. The shades are all pastel. Full on Miami Vice light purples and greens and peaches and tones only Prismacolor has names for. No idea what this change was about.

Photos - HD YouTube uploads

iPhone 4, and now iPod touch 4, can record 720p HD video but in iOS 4 those videos would be compressed down to SD when uploaded to YouTube. 4.1 fixes that. Just tap the action button at the bottom right and share HD straight up to YouTube.

Note: HD uploads require a Wi-Fi connection.

Camera -- HDR photography

iOS 4.1 adds HDR photo capability to the iPhone 4 -- but not iPod touch 4 -- Camera app. HDR stands for high dynamic range and usually involves a photo with one or more identical photos that are over- and underexposed and then combined together so that far more light and shadow information is available than a single exposure would allow. These high dynamic range images can then be tone mapped to provide a far greater amount of detail, far more like what the human eye can see. So basically, you can see detail in the sky and in the shadow under the tree, rather than having one blown out or the other lost to black. (That's my lay person, non-photo geek understanding of it anyway).

To enable HDR you simply tap the HDR button, much like the LED Flash button under iOS 4.

Note: HDR photography doesn't seem to work on earlier iPhone models like iPhone 3GS.

Then, when you take the picture, iOS takes not only the regular shot but one overexposed and one underexposed. Shooting the picture seems to take roughly the same amount of time, but saving it takes noticeably longer.

So far, based on the results I've seen here and online, iOS HDR does a good job pulling color and detail back into what were previously blown out skies, but an only okay job revealing detail in shadowy areas.

For non photo geeks, however, all they'll notice is better pictures with bluer skies and brighter people, which is probably why Apple added the feature in the first place.

Apple has also made the camera controls easier to use in landscape mode, rotating them along with the UI.

iTunes Store - Ping and TV rentals

The iTunes Store was originally introduced in iOS 1.2 (iPhone 1.2) as the iTunes Wi-Fi music store and that we're about to talk about features accessible over 3G and involving video shows desktop iTunes isn't the only version growing beyond it's original moniker and focus. With iOS 4.1, new features include the social music network Ping and $0.99 TV show rentals.

Ping

Ping isn't exclusive to iOS 4.1 -- it's already available to iOS 4.0.x users -- but Apple is touting it as a new feature and it's being launched at roughly the same time, so it makes some amount of sense to fold it in here for easy reference.

A social music network, Ping debut with iTunes 10 but is also accessible on the iPhone and iPod touch via the double talk bubbles tab, bottom middle. If you haven't yet signed up in iTunes 10, you'll get a Ping splash screen telling you to do so.

Once you've signed on, the Ping tab will come up with the Activities view. Activities show what's going on with the people you've followed -- status, pictures, and videos from recording artists like Lady GaGa, and comments, likes, and shared music from friends. It gives you the ability to like or comment on any of those things and, of course, instant access to preview and purchase the music being liked or commented on in iTunes. That also means there's currently no way to share or discuss music that's not in iTunes, specifically in your local country's iTunes store, which can be frustration for Beatles fans in the US, and fans of far, far more artists internationally.

Actions are fairly simple. To like or add a comment to an activity, tap the appropriate button. To preview or purchase a song that was posted, tap anywhere on the song widget, from album art to title. To be taken to the song's album, double tap on the title.

The People tab gives you a list of people you follow and people who follow you, as well as a featured button for a list of recording artists.

Tapping on a person gives you profile page with recent activity and an easy follow/stop following toggle. You can also switch to an info view that contains a short bio and buttons to see the person follows and who follows them. Similar to Twitter, people can either let anyone follow them or decide to approve followers on a person to person basis.

The My Profile view, as the name suggests, shows you your own recent activity and, at the bottom, has a button for My Info that shows you your own profile. You can't (yet?) edit this info on iOS, however, and will need to go back to iTunes 10 on Mac/Windows for that.

I'm not sure if it's the blank loading screen, but iTunes Store has never felt like the snappiest app on iOS and including Ping inside it likewise makes it feel less snappy than Twitter or Facebook. It also doesn't seem to save state of, or cache, the tabs - perhaps because they're web pages being re-loaded each time - which makes the experience of moving between apps seem sluggish. There's also no refresh feature, you need to switch between tabs to check for new data, and sit through more reload screens...

TV show rentals

The other addition is TV show rentals. They're only available from ABC (whose parent company, Disney, counts Steve Jobs as its biggest share holder), and FOX (whose owner, Rupert Murdoch, sees mobile devices as a way to save old media), and cost $0.99 per episode. You have 30 days to start watching and 48hrs. to finish once you start.

To access them, tap the videos tab at the bottom, then the TV Shows tap center top. Tap on a show and you'll get the info screen with full season purchase price. If you want to rent a single episode, double tap the title and you'll get the single episode info screen with rental option.

Double tapping is usually reserved in iOS for zoom, so it's not the most elegant or intuitive way to get at rentals.

A discounted season rental price would be nice, but this is Hollywood, so baby steps. Tiny, tiny baby steps.

Note: if you rent on iPhone, only the SD version will be downloaded. If you rent on Apple TV, you'll get the HD version. Given iPhone's 3.5" screen, SD is probably a better option to save on file size.

Settings

Add new features and you've got to add new settings for those features. Or, as is often the case, you've got to add new settings for features you added in previous versions of iOS. Sill, Settings didn't get as big a bump in 4.1 as it has in the past.

General: Restrictions

You can lockout Game Center multiplayer games if you don't want your kids social gaming with the unwashed denizens of the internet. Which you probably shouldn't.

General: Keyboard

iOS 4 spell check causing more problems for you than it's fixing? No problem, you can now turn it off. [9to5Mac]

Photos

With HDR photos, you can choose whether to save both the original and HDR version to the camera roll, or just the processed HDR image.

Game Center

Game Center, Apple's social gaming network went live with iOS 4.1 and games continue to be updated to support it. (As of this writing, Apple has a Game Center section set up in the App Store to help you find them). To start off, you can create an account, update your status, and add friends.

You can also see a list of your games that support Game Center. Tapping on one gives you general info and the ability to hit Play and go straight to the game. Tapping on Leaderboards lets you see top scores for Today, This Week, and All Time.

Achievements shows everything you can earn for playing the game.

Games that support Game Center show a brief drop-down when they start.

Phone

New to the Phone app, if you choose to add a number to Favorites, and that number is mobile, and is an iPhone 4, you'll be given a choice of adding the phone number proper, or adding it as a FaceTime connection.

Field test mode, missing from iOS 4.0, makes its triumphant return in iOS 4.1. If you’re not familiar with it, field test mode is a diagnostic mode that shows cell reception as actual, meaningful numbers as opposed to nebulous Apple and carrier rendered bars. [Gizmodo]

To enter field test mode, dial:

*3001#12345#*

To exit field test mode, click the home button.

Nike+

The Nike+ app update that was included in iOS 4 beta but missing from the public release returns in iOS 4.1 and looks like it's here to stay this time. It allows you to sync data with the Nike+ servers directly from the iPhone rather than having to sync through an intermediary computer. About time.

[WhenWillApple]

iOS 4.1 pricing and compatibility

iOS 4.1 is a free update for iPhone users and for iPod touch users.

Compatibility should be the same as with iOS 4.

• iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4 (2010): All features
• iPad (2010): Coming this fall with iOS 4.2
• iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3 (2009): No features requiring iPhone 4 or iPod touch 4-type hardware (i.e. FaceTime)
• iPhone 3G and iPod touch G2 (2008): No multitasking, custom wallpaper, and Bluetooth keyboard support.
• iPhone 2G and iPod touch G1 (2007): not compatible/no update

Conclusion

iOS x.1 point updates are relatively minor compared to the full version releases but this fixes some major bugs, adds a few great new features for iPhone users, and powers a whole new level of experience for iPod touch 4 owners.

Did we really need two separate new social networks in Ping and Game Center, or would a unified iOS/Apple social network have been better? Only time will tell.

If you were waiting on a new notification UI or widgets, well that's not the point of the point release, but iOS 5 is only 6 months from beta so keep the dreams alive.

iOS 4.2, with wireless printing and AirPlay is scheduled for November, however, so there will be more to come for iPhone, iPod touch, and finally iPad users this year as well.

[Thanks to everyone who contributed screenshots and descriptions for this walkthrough. If you noticed we missed anything or got anything plain wrong, drop us a note in the comments and we'll update as needed.]

The brand new Apple iPad is running iPhone 3.2 and has several features we've wanted on, you know, the actual iPhone device for a while now. Never mind that the iPhone 3.2 SDK is iPad-only, just like the features. And never mind that the iPad might still be waiting for iPhone 4.0 to get it's full functionality in place. TiPb wants an iPhone (and iPod touch) version of iPhone 3.2 while we're waiting, and we wants us some of those features!

Our list after the break!

Home Screen Wall Paper

We noticed it the moment Steve Jobs pulled out the iPad. It had wallpaper behind the Home Screen app grid. And he said users could customize it. Sure, the iPhone has a denser grid (the icons are closer together and would blot out more of the background), but it would be nice to have a background we could blot out. Also, we couldn't help but see that the iPad could go landscape with the homes screen. Flipping back and forth would probably annoy us too much to want that, however, at least for the current 3.x home screen...

iBooks App/Store

Is it strange that iTunes Store and iPod are separate apps, but the iPad iBooks app spins around from reader to buy'er? Maybe, but since we already have iTunes Store, App Store, and iPod on our iPhones, we'd like iBooks as well. As with many of the other items to follow, the UI will obviously need tweaking (as apps taken from the iPhone for the iPad have already been tweaked) but we want it and Apple is going to want the whole platform to have it. Oh, and something akin to Kindle-like "WhisperSync" would be nifty for all our media, so where we finish reading, listening, or viewing on the iPad is where we pick up on the iPhone (or iTunes, or Apple TV, get the idea?)

Calendar Week View

The lack of a week view on the iPhone calendar is something we've complained about since the original iPhone 2G launched in 2007. And now the iPad gets it? Fine. Whatever. We're just happy it's finally here and we'd like it on our iPhone now-ish as well. And landscape mode to make it more useful. Please.

Enhanced Photo App

The new scrubbers shown off on the iPad are hawt. iPhone iPod app lets us scrub quickly through audio and video, and while the thumbnail line probably wouldn't fit on the smaller screen, just the ability to quickly fly through photos with a standard scrubber would be great. One. By. One. Flicking. Can. Get. Tedious. After. All. Syncing Faces, Places, and Events from iPhoto is also want-worthy, as are the new slide transitions.

Drop-down/Pop-up Menus

Probably the biggest system-wide eye opener for iPhone 3.2 on the iPad was the use of drop down and/or pop up menus. The way they're implemented on the iPad wouldn't work on the smaller iPhone screen, but the idea behind them -- to allow quick access without moving up or down a set of screens -- would. Let us tap the top corners to get quick access to radio settings, for example. It may sound all Android/Windows Mobile, but Apple could make it work. SBSettings already does...

Mechanical Keyboard Support

iPad gets both dock-connected and Bluetooth keyboard support at launch. We'll forgive not getting it in three versions if you give it to us in an iPhone 3.2 update post haste. Many people might never use it, or want to, but for some road warriors it would be just what their productivity ordered.

Mobile iWork

3rd party apps shows it's possible to do office suites on the iPhone and iPod touch. You're Apple and you figured it out iWork for the iPad. You could figure it out for the iPhone too.

What Else?

That was just TiPb's quick take, did you see any other iPhone 3.2 features on the iPad that you want for your own, more mobile, device?

Welcome to From the Forums. If you are curious as to what all of the hot topics are on the TiPb forums, this is the place to be. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the following threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now.

The first thread comes to us from jaguar11 and he wants to know how many push applications do you currently have on your iPhone? Sure the availability of push notification enabled applications was pretty slow at first but a lot of developers are finally coming around. Hopefully that is a good sign of things to come.

Next up we have a great poll thread from toomanyphones - what iPhone GPS application are you using? It seems like the GPS application market has exploded the past few months as so many developers took advantage of TomTom getting to the party late. So what is your GPS app of choice?

This thread was started by yours truly - what native iPhone application or feature do you use the least? Is copy and paste all it was cracked up to be? How about the landscape keyboard? The possibilities are endless, let us know what you are thinking...

Last but not least, smileyboy started a poll thread that poses the question, what's your monthly data usage? Are you someone who barely uses data with your iPhone or are you making sure you get your money's worth for the high prices the carriers are charging?

See you on the forums!

Apple's Knowledge Base once again steps up in the handy-dandy reference chart department with a feature check-list showing highlighting some major features supported by all iPhone models, by the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S, and by the new iPhone 3G S alone.

There are some caveats, however:

1. Peer-to-peer connectivity requires compatible applications, which can be downloaded from the App Store when available.
2. The original iPhone does not support using Bluetooth for peer-to-peer connectivity. It can use Wi-Fi and cellular data networks for peer-to-peer connectivity.
3. MMS is not available in all areas; fees may apply. See your carrier for availability.
4. Internet tethering is not currently offered in the United States and some other countries. See your carrier for availability.

[via Daring Fireball]

Now that the dust has settled and we now know what to expect "this summer" from iPhone 3.0, it's only natural to include some more iPhone 3.0 madness in the forums.

Our first thread comes to us from Casper TFG, now that landscape in all apps has been announced will you actually use it? I have tried using the landscape keyboard with email and SMS and I've gotten so used to portrait mode that it will take some time, for me personally, to get used to landscape. It's almost easier to simply use portrait at this point. Nonetheless, it's a nice feature that many of you will enjoy.

Next up we have a thread that was started by yours truly and it is pretty straight forward, what is your favorite iPhone 3.0 feature? With over a 100 new features added, some more obvious than others, you can only choose one, so choose wisely. MMS? Cut/Copy/Paste perhaps? Let us know what you think!

This next thread was started by Rene and shockingly it is not 3.0 related! You all have a chance to win 1 of 2 free promo codes for a great piece of software, Beejive IM. If you want your chance to grab one, simply reply in the thread. Tomorrow, Monday March 23rd, we'll pick two lucky winners randomly! Good luck!

Finally, I'd like to mention our iPhone Developer Forum. This is a great place for anyone developing for the iPhone or running iPhone 3.0 software. Come in and compare notes, share interesting features you may or may not have found, share the bugs you have come across, etc... This is not the place to ask for activation codes or for the actual firmware file so please don't ask.

If you want to get in on the conversation be sure to register first. It's a quick and painless process so what are you waiting for!?

See you on the forums!

Today Apple previewed over 100 new features for iPhone 3.0 -- coming sometime this summer -- along with over 1000 new API's for developers, and enough new features to answer the fevered dreams of 17,000,000,000 fanboys.

We'll be back with more feature-by-feature coverage in a bit, but here are the highlights.

New iPhone 3.0 Features

• System-wide Copy and Paste (text and photos)
• MMS for photos, vcards, audio
• SMS forwarding
• Landscape keyboard in major apps
• System-wide Spotlight Search
• App Store subscriptions (i.e. subscribe to magazine apps)
• In App purchases (i.e. buy a weapon in a FPS)
• Turn-by-Turn GPS Navigation in App Store (bring your own maps!)
• Push Notification Service for badges, alerts messages, sounds
• Peer-2-peer service using Bonjour and Bluetooth for interaction and data exchange
• Access to Dock port for Apps to work with accessories
• Voice memos
• Audio/Video tags
• Live streaming
• CalDAV Calendars
• Calendar subscriptions
• Improved Stocks widget, landscape mode for details
• Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
• YouTube Account login
• YouTube Subscriptions
• YouTube Ratings
• iTunes login
• iTunes account creation
• Encrypted profiles
• WiFi Auto Login
• Call log
• LDAP (directory services)
• Shake to shuffle music (like iPod nano)
• VPN on-demand
• EAP SIM
• Proxy Support
• OTA Profiles
• Revoke Certificates
• Exchange ActiveSync Policies
• Notes sync
• Media Scruber
• Parental controls for TV, Movies, Apps
• Languages: More languages, better keyboards
• Anti-Phishing in Safari

What Didn't We Get? (Yet!)

• Push Gmail
• Mobile iChat
• Tasks and task sync
• Contact convergence (like Pre)
• Improved notification system (like Android and Pre)
• Background multitasking (like every other smartphone)
• Unified messengering app (like Pre)
• Unified inbox (like BlackBerry)
• Video recording
• Theming

We have a few good topics being discussed on the forums today, so lets get right to it.

First up, What is the most over-rated missing iPhone feature? MMS? Copy and Paste perhaps? Something else? Check that thread out and cast your vote!

Back in December we told you that AT&T started selling refurbished iPhones. Well that brings us to our next thread, started by Madscotsman. He is wondering about the quality of the refurbished iPhones that AT&T is currently selling. If you have bought one, how is it holding up? Is everything grand or have you had issues?

This next thread was started by xintelinsanex, it's all about the new iPhone. What do you expect from Apple? Better camera, more storage, how about a higher resolution screen? Describe what your ideal next generation iPhone should be!

New to iPhone and need some protection to make sure it stays in perfect condition? Well you are going to need a case and what a better thread to see what other forum members are using than the iPhone 3G Case Options thread. If you bought a case that you loved or hated... be sure to give your opinion!

Before posting in our forums be sure to be a registered member, it's free and will only take a minute or two of you time. Registration can be done right here.

See you on the forums!

Ok, well you really can't control Iron Man, but the lucky French can use their iPhone to control their soon to be released Iron Man Blu-Ray disc. This title will be the first to utilize NetBlender's BD Touch technology that allows your Blu-ray movie to interact with your iPhone and iPod Touch.

The application, called "Remote Haxey", will allow viewers to "download trailers, play a game that's integrated into the movie, and use your iPhone as a remote control, among other as-yet-unrevealed "features". Unfortunately for those of us in the USA, this will not a be a feature of our version of the Iron Man Blu-Ray disc.

(Via Blu-Ray.com)

Roughly half a second after Apple began seeding Beta 1 of Firmware 2.2 to select developers, we began wondering: what we gonna get?! Firmware 2.1 handled the stability. Now we want some new features!

The usual suspects sound like a (still) broken record: cut/copy/paste, turn-by-turn GPS, video recording, Flash support, and MMS.

The recently "pushed" back include: Notification Server support to simulate multitasking for App Store apps (like instant messenger).

For us: unified inbox, email aliases, some Squirelfish-boosted Safari browsing, App Store refunds for duds, and pervasive landscape mode would be nice.

What about you? What features do you most want to see Apple implement in iPhone (and iPod Touch) firmware 2.2? Take part in the pole over on our forums!

Running 2.1 (5F136) now, and here's what we're noticing: WiFi works fine (tried on Apple and Linksys routers). New icons for connection type (3G/Edge) in the top bar. New blue filled and half-filled dots to describe state of video and podcasts (watched/listened to). Genius Playlists don't seem to work as well as iTunes 8, at least for me, with lots of songs coming back as "not related".

We'll update this post as we discover more (sadly, doesn't look like cut/copy/paste to turn-by-turn this go around!). What have you found so far? Any surprises?

Screen cap gallery after the break!