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!
Reader comments
iPhone Firmware 2.2 Beta 2: Google Street-View Enabled + Line-in Audio!
Hi, we are looking for a small number of people who could participate in our beta program. After the successful launch of our first iPhone application (Big Canvas PhotoShare), we are now ready to release a series of photo-related applications. I am wondering if you are interested in participating this program. If you are, please send me your device id(s). I will send you pre-release version of our applications. What we are looking for is mostly the usability feedback, but competitive analysis or pricing suggestions are also welcome.
i think basically all iphoners want one thing: push. i really hope apple gets it testing/bugs all stomped out and has push notifications on the way.
what does "line in audio" feature really mean for apps?
I WANT MMS AND CUT AND PASTE!!!! WHY DOES APPLE REFUSE TO GIVE US WHAT WE NEED AND WANT.
Sheesh. I could care less about street view.
I wish they would just get on with providing some of the features we are asking for. MMS, copy/cut and paste, a decent document editing application or at least landscape support for text messaging and email.
Video recording? It's not that far fetched! My samsung u600 shot YouTube quality video. That's 2 years old now!
Are they suddenly going to present us with these premium features as apps, or firmware changes?
Like other posters, I'd rather have copy/paste. As I live in the UK, I assume street view will not be that relevant at the moment as we've only just started seeing the Google cars.
Apple you would sell alot more iPhones if we there were landscape keyboards for your email and text message applications. If you can do it for your browser why not for your other applications?
Line-in Audio is actually really cool due to apps like Recorder. Imagine, all you have to do now is plug in a mic in the headphone jack (or does it need a different type of jack not currently on the iPhone?) and you have your own portable podcast/audio notes/etc recorder--all on your iphone!
This makes the iPhone come one step closer to an all-in-one device for me. I never have to worry about not having the right device with me anymore!
Everyone keeps yelling at Apple for MMS... maybe it is the carriers that want to see it gone? It is a lot easier and simpler for them to manage a data connections and Voice/SMS separately then to support the hack that is MMS.
If all phones standardized on one thing (MMS OR eMail) then everyone's lives are easier from the Carrier and Manufacturer on down. Since eMail extends beyond just mobile devices, it will probably win. I would expect MMS to start disappearing from all phones.
Google Street View is a novelty feature and is, IMO, kind of useless.
What iPhone users want is turn-by-turn voice-directed GPS. THAT is what you call functional an useful.
Other features that are woefully lacking: copy and paste, flash for camera, video record capability, MMS, notes and to-do list apps (AND THAT ACTUALLY SYNC to your desktop), browser sability, etc.
At the very least, I'd have to say that if the 3rd generation iPhone doesn't have copy and paste, I refuse to buy it.
Could Street View possibly be the next step for a real GPS App???
And does no one agree with me that we should get video recording before MMS???
I have a jailbroken iPhone and so I have video recording.
@tunnelrunner: All of the things you mentioned do not necessarily need a new device (except maybe flash for camera). It can all be doneby software update
Here are my thoughts on video recording: I don't want to totally KILL my battery.
That's about it.
we need mms and cut and paste they r must have every phone has mms
we don't need mms, it's an old, dying technology. What we need is for the carriers and Apple to transparently handle all communication types on the backend so end users never have to see how the sausage is made. Email, mms, MobileMe should all be able to push media to the iPhone and to one consistent user interface, and back again. Abstacted and autodetected pipes.
Also, Google is doing Street View already, so that's likely an easier add for Apple. Licensing turn-by-turn is a "bag of hurt" perhaps (see Dieter's article)
Serously, MMS is way overrated. If you wanna send a picture from your phone e-mail it. I know what your thinking "I wanna send it to another cell phone" well guess what, every carrier has email linked to their SMS services. So you can send an email rather than an MMS and save a charge? Wait, apple saving you money is it possibly true??? Try t sometime, I've listed the link to the wikipedia page below that lists them all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMSgateway#Carrier-providedEmailorWebtoSMS_gateways
Really, why put people down for what they want. It's not there, so what's your beef if someone want's it. My question is, are you really looking forward to the new STREET View and Japanese emoji icon and the Line-In capabilities? If so, then your in luck and your all set with your iPhone. However, the rest of us, and there are a lot of us, that want and have been asking for the following since the first gen iPhone, MMS, CUT & PASTE, BLUETOOTH A2DP, BLUETOOTH File Shareing, VIDEO RECORDING, True E-Mail Push just to name a few.
Also, I am so tired of hearing the other way to send pictures to someone from the iphone. What about those people who want to send pictures to my iphone? the AT&T solution sucks at best and 90% of the time doesn't work. MMS is not dead and is NOT dying. If so, why are all the new phones coming out, even today, still offering it. I am sorry, I am not going to go train 100 of my friends how to send me a picture to my e-mail from their phone, that might now even support sending to e-mail.