OS 3.0 hints and new iPhone hardware, tricks

Apple OS 3 for iPhone is in the latter stages of development and not only promises a lot, it hints at future Apple hardware plans, as vague and mysterious as these hints always are.

I've had a look at developer betas 1 and 2 of OS 3.0. The best thing about iPhone (and iPod touch) OS 3 is that it has search, plus cut and paste and, I'm please to report, both of these work well.

The first developer beta was laggy but the second is much faster, although I noticed in a couple of search apps (like Inquisitor) you had to wait seconds after typing each letter before you could type another.

It seemed to be polling ahead to fill in search strings for you. I abandoned it - who has seconds these days? But hopefully issues like that will be fixed before the full release in a month or two.

The other welcome feature is the ability to get a bigger keypad just by turning the iPhone on its side.

However, more astute eyes than mine have discovered a lot more in the latest developer build of OS 3. For one thing, 'tethering.' When, about six years ago, I got a fairly sophisticated Ericsson cell phone, one of its standout features was Bluetooth. Apart for being able to sync easily with my Mac (allowing me to get contacts and reminders synched up between them wirelessly), I could 'tether' the phone to my Mac laptop and use it as a modem, giving me internet access over the cell network. I only did this a couple of times but boy, was it handy for those occasions!

Now, of course, a whole industry has sprung a up around this, plus our newer 3G networks are both faster and more robust. You can buy a Vodem USB modem from Vodafone on a Mobile Broadband plan or a T-Stick USB Modem from Telecom. They just plug into laptops (including Mac laptops) and give you access to the 'net. These are great services if you need them, and can afford the pkans. If not, the ability to tether your iPhone to your Mac (or PC) and use it as a modem occasionally will be a great thing. If it happens.

All in all, Bluetooth in iPhone OS 3 definitely shows more capabilities. 'Tipsters' who contacted 9to5 Mac claimed they were able to do Skype on a stereo Bluetooth headset while on 3G, with an iPhone running OS 3.0 beta 2 tethered to a laptop.

iLounge reports (following information posted by TUAW) that a driver in the new beta release suggests the next-generation of iPhone and iPod touch hardware could not only offer low-power 802.11n support, but also possibly FM reception and transmission. That's because Broadcom's BCM4329 chip is listed in the beta OS along with specifications, including 802.11 a/b/g/n support, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR - and FM radio reception and transmission.

The presence of these features doesn't guarantee Apple will actually support them in final iPhone OS software. The iPod touch 2G used Broadcom's earlier BCM4325 chip, which also offered FM reception hardware capabilities, but this was neither disclosed nor enabled in Apple's software.

But OS 3 has been showing hints of potential hardware changes in the pipeline, too. How about a new iPhone with a vidcam instead of the little lo-res still camera it currently sports?

Support has been discovered that pointed at video publishing capabilities and, even, video editing. Published screenshots reveal things like MobileMe 'Publish Video' screens, says Ars Technica. German site Benm.at highlights a number of video editing UI elements such as buttons and scrubbers.

Of course, there could be many ways to get video files onto an iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0. Video in MMS messages has already been reported. But the German site found control grab points to let users define starts and ends of clips, plus repeating, tile graphics and references to an 'edit bar.'

Video editing would require faster hardware than the current iPhone sports - which adds to the anticipation that a new, faster iPhone platform is in the offing, as suggested by other rumours.

Indeed, analysts at Barclay's Capitol claim their contacts in the Far East tell them Apple has doubled iPhone production for the current quarter, suggesting the company has high expectations for the launch of new models apparently due in June.

June, of course, is the month of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Analyst Ben Reitzes wrote that Apple is readying a new iPhone with an upgraded camera with both still and video capabilities 'with possibly another camera on the front for video chat.' This was mentioned recently by AppleInsider.

Of course, many cell phones already have much better cameras than the iPhone.

But with an iPhone (and to a lesser extent, an iPod touch), Mac users have an extension of their Apple systems in their pockets. They (and I) already love them for this reason and it makes any other lacks easy to forgive. Lack of a video camera is hardly going to deter a Mac user from getting an iPhone, but if a later model was to have one ... well, great.

(Note that Stanford University in the US has been releasing iPhone OS development tutorials free in iTunes U, the academic source for educational podcasts. Just do a search in the iTunes Store after clicking the iTunes U tab at upper left. You can get PDFs from the Stanford site.)

 

- Mark Webster mac.nz