The iPhone 2.0 OS update finally arrived for all users at the end of last week, and it's got lots of minor updates included. Overall, the 2.0 update isn't massive, but it's certainly worth installing. Below, see some random notes I wrote in my first few days using the phone.
• First up, installing software is obviously a big change. With third party software, your iPhone can do many things that simply weren't possible previously, and that's great. This alone is easily worth the update.
• Apple's free Remote application is very cool, enabling you to control iTunes from your iPhone. I am hoping they'll add support for Party Shuffle, among other things, in the future, but this is already a great app.
• There appear to be crashing bugs with both many third party applications themselves, as well as the OS itself. Prior to updating to 2.0, I can't recall the last time my iPhone reset. I've seen it a half dozen times already so far, however.
• iCal now shows distinct colors for each calendar. The problem is that these colors do not match the colors used in iCal. This is, frankly, beyond brain dead, and I imagine it'll be rectified shortly.
• The keyboard still doesn't work in landscape mode for most apps, including Mail.
• Searching in Contacts is nice. However, I find I still generally just scroll for the contact, and the search doesn't look inside each contact, just at the name.
• The Contacts application really seems like wasted space, as it simply leads to a portion of the Phone app.
• Mail.app now enables you to adjust the sending account for a message, which I find very useful. Moving or deleting multiple messages at once is also good.
Those are some of the noteworthy things I've seen thus far. What have you seen?
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What about Copy and Paste? That's STILL missing.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2325536,00.asp
The iCal calendar colors do match up if you sync using MobileMe. Subscription calendars, however, don't sync at all...
Joba: That's a fine point - I wonder when they'll find the time.
Brad Hebert: I've heard that (and Tweeted it here: http://twitter.com/PBones/statuses/856758000). But I've also heard that's not the case, as seen here: http://twitter.com/jeffcarlson/statuses/856759018
Either way, it's brain-dead.
The Contact App actually lets you add new contacts if you're in a phone call, something that wasn't possible before.
Guess it really was BS Jobs said about why we need an Apple approved store and not open development: that users won't like apps that mess up their phone and restart them. Way to go Apple. Just open the phone up and do away with the stupid restrictions about what I can do with my phone.
I downloaded and installed the update myself and had a lot of problems with it.
I just did a full restore to the new OS and my stability is much back to being good.
I noticed you could always see the last character you typed in a password, now. Small detail, but very useful.
Anauel: Ah, that's an interesting point. I've never had to do that - I can see the value, but a whole app for it seems like an awful waste.
Matt: I'd agree that that's what should happen - of course, I've been carrying that banner since day one 8).
owen-b: That's a good one, that is useful. I first saw that in a couple third party apps, and thought they'd implemented it on their own, before I figured out it was the OS.
I like being able to save web images to my photo collection. And the screen capture is kinda cool.
I think the fact that the map app asks you if you'd allow Maps to add/save your current wifi location to it's triangulation DB to improve accuracy is slick. (I'm on an orig iPhone). And the fact the 'locate me' button can now track movement after you've initially been located (and the accuracy of the locating seems improved).
Lastly the scientific calculator is a nice enhancement. The second line additions in calendar listing views is also great. And the geotagging of camera pics seems like a god addition.
Thanks for posting these problems. I have the same issues and it is making my new 3G iPhone very unreliable. I was thinking of calling .Mac support but now I see they are common meaning a fix will likely come soon.
I would like to know from other 3G + MobleMe users if their smartmailboxes are showing up on their iPhone. Mine are not which means all my Alias accounts are all jumbled in my main Inbox.
Tom: Saving to photos hasn't been too useful for me, but Screen Capture is definitely a useful thing that I left out (hold down the Home button, then press the On/Off switch. The screen will flash white, and you'll have a sshot in your Photo library).
I haven't noticed any differences in terms of location accuracy - I'm not sure why we would, with first-gen iPhones. Perhaps your specific area was improved in Skyhook's database?
The scientific calculator is good, though I doubt I'll use it much.
Calendar overall seems slightly improved, though as I noted, the coloring is braindead.
Geotagging photos is something I've never had much use for, though the idea in general is certainly a cool one, which I've little doubt will take on more importance over time.
Brau: I think we'll see an update soon as well, to fix lots of little niggles.
Paul: Everyone should be seeing improvements with Skyhooks DB upgrade. Even 3G users are getting Assisted GPS via the Skyhook enhancements (where's the Skyhook info is used in combo with the GPS to deal with tunnels and other blocking). And Skyhook is now enabling iPhone 2.0 usesr to add to it's DB, increasing accuracy by asking them if they'll let Map store their location whenever the user in on a WiFi connection and uses the Map application. There's some good technical discussion on the improved algorithm's Skyhook is now using too in their next gen system.
I've been using the new Map application location tracking feature as well over the last week. It basically works like this. Open Map, locate yourself, ten sleep the phone with Map still on the screen. Then travel, then unsleep the Phone, and you'll notice your location on the map has changed - it's tracked your movement while sleeping! (even the size of the location circle changes.) Only works if the Map is up when slept - must be related to the new capability for apps to receive updates even while phone is in sleep mode.
I've been using both the iPhone screen grab and the Saari image save to add stuff to my Photoalbum that I can sync to my mac at home, and to mail info to others on, or post to my blog. Didn't have such flexibility to note things you've seen on your phone before...
Great article. Personally I've been using Noter the last 6 months.
If you want to have all of your notes to be stored across multiple systems don't look further than Noter. dbelement put together one hell of an app, and it works completely offline on the iPhone.
Syncs up with windows/mac, as well as multiple iPhone/iPod touch systems. It's easy and just fantastic.
http://dbelement.com
or directly http://noter.dbelement.com