iPhone 2.0 institute a lot of nerveless features with it , but it also brought a lot of glitch . Performance was slow , calls dropped often , and the battery life was less than impressive — and that ’s just off the top of my head .
Apple promised on Tuesday that the iPhone 2.1 update , free Friday dawn , would save us all from the iPhone 2.0 ’s sin , but as it turns out , the software bring with it more than just bug mend . Apple also took the fourth dimension to sneak in a few new features along with its extensivemea culpa .
Name that line : The iPhone ’s iPod lotion now displays creative person and album along with the track name .
Name that Tune: The iPhone’s iPod application now displays artists and albums along with the track name.
Music to your ears
The most significant feature changes in iPhone 2.1 come in the gimmick ’s iPod covering . For one thing , in most views when display a list of tracks , the iPod app take over a page from Apple ’s Remote applications programme , bear witness the creative person and record album in smaller text underneath .
When browsing Podcasts or Videos , the iPhone 2.1 software also give you more selective information . Rather than displaying a puritanic dot next to a video or podcast that has n’t been listen to or watched , the software now also show a blue half - moon for video that have been started but not finished . And in the pillowcase of podcasts , it will also tell you how much time remains from the point at which you stop listening . Telling episodes apart is easier too , since the iPhone will also show you when instalment were published , the installment name , and the full runtime .
Real Genius
The biggest addition to the iPod software is , of course , the new Genius feature film that pervade all of the new Cartesian product that Apple inaugurate this week . ( Our iTunes 8 followup explains the Genius in greater depth . ) You ’ll need to synchronize your iPhone to your computer before you get access to Genius , but once it ’s install creating a Genius playlist is easy : When listening to a song , intercept the album artistry to show the scrubber control board . nuzzle in between the shuffle and repetition controller is the Genius ’s “ atom ” icon . tap that will generate a Genius play list based on the performing track .
Once you ’ve created a Genius play list — which , unlike iTunes , is limited to 25 racetrack on the iPhone — you could save it , refresh it with new songs , or create a Genius playlist based on a dissimilar song on your iPhone . bring through the playlist will add it to your existing playlist ; it ’ll be cite after the birdcall on which the playlist was ground and there ’ll be a Genius ikon next to it . There ’s also a “ Genius ” playlist that permanently domicile at the top of the playlist inclination and shows the last playlist you father .
Everything else
Do n’t Shoot : Parental Restrictions now appropriate you to invalid the iPhone ’s Camera .
Outside of the iPod app , there are a few other new features sprinkled around the iPhone OS update . For lesson , the Parental Restrictions setting now allow for you to turn off access to the iPhone ’s television camera , which not only remove the Camera diligence from the Home screen , but also forbid access from third - company applications that implement photographic camera features .
For the certificate conscious , the Passcode Lock division of preferences now tender an option to erase all data on the iPhone after 10 failed endeavour at entering the passcode ( which presumptively works — you’ll pardon me if I did n’t test its effectiveness ) . Apple also made a handful of security updates , including preventing applications from viewing each other ’s data point and closing a loophole with the Emergency Call characteristic of the Passcode Lock .
Don’t Shoot: Parental Restrictions now allows you to disable the iPhone’s Camera.
Those who use the iPhone ’s stock earbuds ( or have a third - party headphone adaptor with a click control ) will also happen that in improver to clicking once to play or pause music and double to skip to the next track , a triple - click will now jump back to the previous data track .
Eraserhead : A new Erase Data lets the security witting protect their selective information with uttermost bias .
In increase , the SMS practical software will now alarm you up to two additional metre if you do n’t acknowledge an incoming schoolbook message . And Apple ’s also deepen the icon in the computer menu for cell net : instead of exhibit blanched text in a blue boxwood , the icon for 3 G , EDGE , and GPRS are now just white text on a black screen background or blue text edition on a gray background , depending on the setting .
Eraserhead: A new Erase Data lets the security conscious protect their information with extreme prejudice.
In terms of germ fixes , Apple look to have pitch a lot of the stability that was escape from the 2.0 iPhone computer software . As promised , iTunes backups take substantially less fourth dimension than they did previously ; installing third - company applications programme is emphatically faster , even over 3 G ; and loading or searching contacts is emphatically snappier .
Other bug fixing are n’t quite as well tested in the short - full term , like better barrage fire life , fewer dropped calls , and fewer hangs and wreck , but you could bet that we ’ll be keep an eye on whether or not they measure up to Apple ’s claims .
[ Associate editor Dan Moren blog about the iPhone for iPhone Central . ]
