There ’s more to last month ’s iPhone 1.1.1 software update than just bricked earphone and blocked apps . The software program update for Apple ’s roving headphone added several fix and features — most notably defend for the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store — but many of those modification were overwhelm out by the clamor over disabling unlatched iPhones and third - party applications .
It ’s a pity that the features , bug fixes , and tweaks that the iPhone 1.1.1 update delivered got lose in the shamble , as many of those change give birth new capableness to what many people believe was an already fantabulous product . After nearly a month ’s Charles Frederick Worth of face meter with version 1.1.1 , we know all the ins - and - out of the iPhone ’s update software program . And we can give you the soap on what you may have miss in all the shouting .
Music on the go
Undeniably , the most prominent addition to the iPhone ’s bag of tricks is the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store . First introduced for the iPod touching , the wireless version of Apple ’s online music memory appears as the 13th icon on the iPhone ’s place screen .
The implementation of the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store on the iPhone is identical to what you find on the iPod touch . There are four major section : Featured ( sub - divide into New Releases , What ’s raging , and Genres ) , Top Tens ( by genre ) , Search , and Downloads .
Browsing for medicine is easy and ready , as is buying and downloading songs . Searching is predictive , which is nice — as secure as the iPhone ’s keyboard is , the less you have to type to incur what you ’re looking for , the better .
Pay tightlipped attention to the name , however — the iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store have only music , not videos or even podcasts , and it wo n’t work on AT&T ’s EDGE internet . Tap the iTunes ikon , and you ’ll get a polite message asking you to connect via a Wi - Fi net .
In addition to the regular Wi - Fi fund , Apple has joined forces with Starbucks to volunteer free accession to the Wi - Fi Music Store via the coffee range ’s hot spots . In those computer storage , an additional Starbucks ikon will appear and you ’ll be able to reckon a inclination of the last 10 songs that played in the store , along with connection to buy them on iTunes . The divine service debuted in Seattle and New York in the first place this month and will undulate out to the respite of Starbucks ’ net - enable locations .
The bottom line : The iTunes Wi - Fi Music Store could very well be a sea wolf app for the iPhone , for the first clock time making the purchase of media from a mobile twist easy and even fun . As we ’ve come to expect from Apple , the entrepot just works , focusing on the features you ’ll most likely want on your mobile equipment , without all the extra jumble of the desktop version .
It’s in the mail
In terms of new functionality , Mail got the most attention of any individual applications programme in the 1.1.1 update . Yahoo Mail users can now choose whether or not to enable “ push ” mail — that is , having mail fork out mechanically as shortly as it appears on the server . To enable that feature , go to options - > mail service - > [ your Yahoo account ] - > Advanced on your iPhone , and you ’ll obtain a switch for “ Use push mail . ”
ring mail ’s Advanced tab snuck in some other feature as well , such as the ability to specify ports for incoming and outgoing mail servers , in character your account uses something other than the defaults . ( These feature film are not necessarily available in every case of post chronicle . ) And affixation have been slick up up — you could now view adherence in either landscape or portraiture fashion … for the most part . While this work for PDF , Word , and Excel files , it wo n’t work for pictures that are display in the eubstance of the content .
The bottom line : The ability to specify port will please send powerfulness user , and the landscape painting - regard way is great for those who look at a hatful of spreadsheets . But Mail is still good for a handful of other improvements , such as a co-ordinated inbox and the ability to view those pictures in landscape mode .
Lingua franca
With 1.1.1 , the iPhone now has the power to type accented characters . This fall shortsighted of the full International keyboard layouts we ’ve seen on the iPod ghost and which one can probably expect for the iPhones that will be sold abroad , starting in Europe next calendar month . But it ought to help those who receive themselves needing to come to to Dag Hammarskjöld or insist on the correct spelling of “ à la style . ”
To summon the accented characters , hold down a varsity letter key on the keyboard . After a moment , a start - up computer menu of tonic character will appear ; just slip your digit to the correct character , let go , and voilà . You ’ll happen extra characters under E , Y , U , I , O , L , S , A , Z , C , and N — most of the time , just attend for the letter the character most resembles . In the punctuation context , you ’ll also find inverted versions of the motion scar and exclamation period under those several keys .
The bottom line : typewrite accented characters will primarily appeal to those writing in languages other than English , but the shop mechanic of holding down the key for the substitute character is , if anything , even easier than typing accented character on your Mac and unquestionably simpler than on Windows .
Where the iPhones roam (or not)
In the early 24-hour interval after the iPhone ’s release , we listen horror tarradiddle about people racking up huge circular after using the iPhone ’s datum features when move around oversea . In 1.1.1 , Apple bring the power to deactivate Data Roaming , which you’re able to determine under options - > General - > internet . Apple says “ When abroad , turning off Data Roaming may avoid drift charges when using email , web browsing and other data services . ” Implicit in that “ may ” is a “ may not , ” so your gas mileage ( orkilometerage ) may depart .
The bottom wrinkle : Giving iPhone users on the go the ability to disable data cast with the wiretap of a few buttons is a bright move on Apple ’s part that will dispense with AT&T ’s billing department more than one call from an aggrieved customer .
The Home button: Twice as nice
Early adopters of the iPhone had two vulgar charge about their otherwise darling phones — the phone number of taps it took to make a phone call and the difficulty of controlling music playback if the iPhone was in a pocket . The 1.1.1 update tries to kill two dame with one Harlan Fiske Stone by adding extra functionality to the iPhone ’s house button .
Under setting - > General , you ’ll find a new Home Button accounting entry , where you ’re given three options for what happen when you doubly - click the Home button . It can continue to take you back to the Home projection screen , bring you to your Phone Favorites , or bring up a be adrift dialogue corner of iPod keep in line . There ’s also an alternative to have the iPod ascendence appear on a dual - dog only when music is playing . That even works if the iPhone is at the unlock CRT screen , let you control playback without having to unlock the phone and bring up the iPod screen .
The bottom line : The biggest trouble with using the new double - spigot features of the Home push is retrain your muscle storage . But keep down the identification number of dab it takes to make a call will please heavy phone exploiter , and music lover will apprize the simpleness of summoning playback controls .
Sounding off in text messaging
Despite some limitations , iPhone users have had the power to switch ringtones since the equipment ’s debut . But control other system of rules sounds had been restricted to a unsubdivided on / off alternative . The 1.1.1 update added the power to prefer a different sound to signal the arrival of text messages .
As with ringtones , the list of textbook message phone is limited to the tones that Apple includes . you may choose among the default option Tri - tone , Chime , Glass , Horn , Bell , or Electronic . However , you still ca n’t alter the sound for new voicemails , e - mail , sent ring armor , or calendar alarum .
The bottom stemma : If you loathe the iPhone ’s default “ Tri - tone ” text message alerting , then your newfangled options may seem like choice limitless . But the iPhone does n’t get you utilise ringtones purchased from iTunes as text message alarm , and it just makes the inability to change the other alive tones that much more perplexing . And , while we ’re at it , how arrive we ca n’t customise schoolbook substance alerts on a contact - by - contact groundwork ?
Now you don’t see it, now you do
One frustrating aspect of life with the iPhone has the breakthrough that thing you’re able to accomplish with repose when using an iPod are n’t possible on Apple’sotherhandheld twist . Case in point : outputting video recording to a television set . But that ’s now possible with the 1.1.1 ascent .
The gimmick ? Even if you own a way to output to your boob tube from your television - capable iPod , your iPhone requires either Apple ’s $ 50Composite AV Cableor the $ 50Component AV cablegram . ( Consultthis Apple support documentto see what will and wo n’t work out . ) Third - party peripheral equipment that provide video outturn for late iPods will not be compatible with the iPhone unless specifically noted . Under configurations - > iPod you ’ll find an alternative to output video content as widescreen and whether to use an NTSC or PAL signal .
The bottom line : As prissy as the iPhone ’s screen is , you belike do n’t desire to push three or four people around it to watch a movie ; TV output is a welcome addition for such scenarios . But the insistency on using new TV accessory is annoying to those who already own an iPod wharf or Ab cables .
The end. Period.
When typing an einsteinium - mail on a pre-1.1.1 iPhone , reach the goal of a judgment of conviction mean trade to a dissimilar keyboard musical mode just to bestow the period . Now , there ’s a shortcut — tapping the spacebar doubly inserts a full point followed by a space . You ’ll still need to switch modes to use Polygonia comma and other punctuation mark marks .
Not sure how you feel about this shortcut ? you may activate or inactivate it under preferences - > General - > Keyboard .
The bottom line : As with the new Home button shortcut , the only problem with this feature is recall that you do n’t have to take the stumble to the punctuation mode . Once you retrain your mind , this is a vast timesaver — at least for the remaining four people who actually inconvenience oneself with punctuation mark marks when school text messaging .
Order up
Rearranging the city in the Weather app or your pedigree in the Stocks coating used to involve a ho-hum process of deleting the original listings and then re - adding them in your favorite ordering . Thankfully , the 1.1.1 update simplifies thing considerably .
In either Weather or Stocks , tapdance the “ i ” image in the bottom good box to view the list . Reordering is as easy as grab the handle on the right side of the row and draw the point into the order you want , much as you already could with your earpiece favorite . When you hit “ Done , ” you ’ll find everything rearranged to your liking .
The bottom line : A decent increase that probably wo n’t save you too much time unless you ’re a religious user of the Weather or Stock apps , in which case , this might lighten up your day .
Battery included
If you happen to have one of Apple ’s extremely minimalist Bluetooth Headsets , you may find yourself thinking “ How the heck will I sleep together when its electric battery is about to run out ? ” Previously , the iPhone would expose a gauge of the Bluetooth headset ’s battery life when both iPhone and headset were plugged into the dock . But now the iPhone shows a bore in the status bar whenever the headset is on and paired with the phone .
The bottom line : Users of Apple ’s Bluetooth Headset will draw the benefits here , especially if they ’re the character who ofttimes forget to take the earpiece off .
Call the exterminator
While Apple plans to come in out with developer guidelines for third - political party apps next February , at this moment , endure iPhone still must be of the entanglement - based sort . Fortunately , Apple added a peter in 1.1.1 to assist anyone interested in creating site that are iPhone compatible .
Under mount - > Safari - > Developer , you’re able to turn on the Debug Console . That adds a small lintel prevention under the Location field in Safari to cover how many errors were encountered while hear to charge the page . tapdance the streak will fetch you into the cabinet right , where you ’ll be capable to switch between viewing HTML , JavaScript , CSS , or all errors .
The bottom line : Despite the coming Software Development Kit for the iPhone , there are still plenty of great reasons to develop vane apps for the political program too , and those computer programmer will find the iPhone ’s Debug Console helpful for troubleshoot .
Small fry
The 1.1.1 software offers quite a little of other modest increase . For example , video playback now digest shut subtitle when available , the book for rings and alerts is now louder , and the alert volume now matches the ringer loudness .
In addition , Apple has pay back a number of bugs , including somesecurity vulnerability in Safari and elsewhere . The fixes also purpose at least one shrewish exit I run for into in prior versions , where strain to login to a VPN would present me with a numeric computer keyboard instead of the full alphanumeric keyboard .
The bottom line : The update certainly does n’t fix every trouble or add every feature that substance abuser have clamored for on the iPhone . But it at least establish that Apple is dedicate to updating the iPhone and that , to some extent , the company hear to the feedback offered by early adopter .
[ Associate editor program Dan Moren blogs about the iPhone atiPhone Central . ]
