X
Business

Changes in iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 (Updated 5x)

Several new features, tweaks and bug fixes have been discovered in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 (build 7A259g).
Written by Jason D. O'Grady, Contributor

Several new features, tweaks and bug fixes have been discovered in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 (build 7A259g). I've posted several here courtesy of Engadget, MacRumors, Gizmodo, their comments and various Tweets:

  1. B2 killed a lot of the typing lag, and scrolling problems.
  2. Some speed improvements.
  3. Some stereo bluetooth/A2DP controls are working (play and pause). Others (rewind and fast forward) are not.
  4. There's a new Store option under Settings, but it's empty and has no icon. One theory is that it be used to store the iTMS credentials, to avoid typing in your password every time you buy through the iTunes App or in-app purchases.
  5. Apple has given developers the ok to begin testing the new push notification and In App Purchasing APIs.
  6. New icon in the left side of the menu bar to indicate when call forwarding has been enabled.
  7. Despite Apple's warning against MMS and tethering, they can be are enabled in 3.0b2 by without modifying the ipcc file (the carrier settings). They both work (with limitations) in b2 in the U.S. although some countries have trouble getting them to work at the same time, but they work, regardless of the firmware.
  8. Bluetooth Tethering is working for some developers, although not with the unibody MacBook Pro 15, curiously the MBP17/unibody does work.
  9. To enable Bluetooth tethering: Install the latest SDK, go to bluetooth explorer utilities and set Click Utilities -> "Get Local Device Info" in the menu bar. In the Local Bluetooth Device Information window, click "Simple Pairing" In the Simple Paring view, select "Disabled", then click "Set"
  10. Some have reported that photo MMS' send fine (to compatible phones) other have reported that they fail with a red exclamation point icon inline next to the image and "message was not sent" error. Can't send a picture MMS to or receive a picture MMS from a T-Mobile G1.
  11. MMS receipt: The messaging app displays the picture with the message in a separate bubble on top, and a blue arrow next to the picture, and when you tap it, it brings you to a image preview where you can save it.
  12. The ability to send and receive MMS may be related to your iPhone model. 8GB users report that it works, while 16GB users report that it doesn't
  13. MMS may also relate to your SMS plan. People reporting that it works appear to have the unlimited plan.
  14. The Exchange email bug that prevented you from syncing to your corporate email was fixed.
  15. New way to open a new page in Safari: Tap and hold on a link and a menu pops up allowing you to open, open in new page or copy the link (or cancel).
  16. One commenter noted that if you restart after syncing with iTunes, it's almost as stable as 2.x was.
  17. Bluetooth is shut off when the app that uses it quits.
  18. Auto correction in messaging is fixed.
  19. Fast scrolling memory leak is fixed.
  20. Cursor missing on blank fields is fixed.
  21. Un-selectable text fields on web forms is fixed.
  22. Stuttering animations are fixed.
  23. Missing multi-touch events (and more memory leaks) are fixed.
  24. iPhone OS 3.0b2 can have up to 11 pages of apps (180 apps total) as opposed to 9 pages In OS 2.0 (148 apps)
  25. There's a checkbox in iTunes to "encrypt iPhone backup" (this arrived in 3.0b1)
  26. YouTube is broken, it displays a "Cannot Connect to YouTube" error message when trying to connect.
  27. The newer version of Webkit is included in Mobile Safari
  28. Beta 2 adds voice memos to iPod Touch 2G. It wasn't in the beta 1
  29. Some users report a fast blinking/screen strobing effect for 20 seconds just before the final reboot. While a little scary the phone reboot as expected
  30. Some users are reporting that after the final reboot (post update) the "connect to iTunes" screen came up with a purple background.
  31. It's still limited to one Exchange account
  32. When picking a Picture to attach as a MMS, there is no a new screen where you see the picture in fullscreen and can choose Add or Cancel
  33. Beta 2 now does save modifications to the auto-correct dictionary
  34. Camera lag from launch until ready-to-shoot is a full 5+ seconds
  35. Camera lag from shutter release to actually taking the photo is around a 1+ second delay - or just enough to completely miss a moving subject.
  36. Text message preview doesn't show the contents of your text message, it just displays the sender's name and not the actual text of the message. (3.0b1 feature?)
  37. Scrolling left to spotlight is much faster than before (although still a little laggy) and you can now swipe left to go from Spotlight back to the home screen (had to press home button in b1)
  38. Calendar still doesn't work in landscape mode.
  39. Voice Memo app has new sound effects. When you tap the record button it makes the shutter release sound (possibly to prevent surreptitious recording?), when you tap play and it makes a typing sound. Voice Memo SFX are muted when the mute button is enabled.
  40. Settings > General > Home > Search Results allows to you check what areas of the phone are searchable (indexed?). You can also re-arrange the order of search priority here. (3.0b1 feature)
  41. Autobrightness works now.
  42. Pictures are moveable after you zoom into them without a hard tap.
  43. Search results in Mail in landscape has a better layout.
  44. Spotlight now displays a "No Results" message when nothing is found
  45. Safari text fields now show you where your cursor is and you can also copy and paste within them.
  46. Icons dim instantly when you tap them now.
  47. Safari: Landscape bookmarks now appear correctly.
  48. Safari: Doesn't get stuck in portrait mode.
  49. Improved GPS accuracy in Maps.
  50. Improved GSM signal strength.

What else have you noticed?

Editorial standards