Chicago (IL) - The first beta of the upcoming 2.2 firmware update for the iPhone/iPod touch has been seeded to developers. But don’t get too excited: There is no sign of Flash support, a background notification feature for applications or copy-and-paste support. Instead, it appears that 2.2 is another maintenance release, although online reports confirm minor changes such as true push email, improved GPS features, a tweaked Safari browser with an overhauled JavaScript engine as well as improvements of the AppStore integration.

The first beta build of what will become the next firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch arrives on the heels of the recently released 2.1 firmware. Online reports indicate that the focus of the update has been put on optimizations and bug fixes, but there are a few minor new feature additions as well. Use this information with a grain of salt, since developers provided with early versions of firmware updates have agreed with non-disclosure agreements, so more (or less) features may actually be showing up in the final release.
 

Real push email

The first beta of the 2.2 firmware reveals that Apple is trying to improve email-syncing to enable true push capability. Some readers may remember Apple had been heavily advertising push email ahead of the 2.0 firmware launch. However, the company had to apologize for this claim and drop the word "push" from all market communication when users discovered email messages are being pushed to the device in set intervals, not in real-time.


Turn-by-turn GPS

The 2.2 firmware also delivers improvements to the CoreLocation API that enable accurate GPS direction and speed reports, for example when driving in a car. Such changes might enable the creation of true turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications. For example, TomTom is believed to have been working on turn-by-turn iPhone navigation software for some time.


Safari UI tweaks and JS improvements

The iPhone Atlas reported subtle changes to the Safari user interface. The refresh button has been moved inside the address bar to save space while the magnifying glass icon for Google Search has been replaced with a dedicated Google search bar positioned next to the address bar. In our opinion, Apple should have allocated twice the space to the address bar, like in Google Chrome, especially if you consider iPhone's limited screen real estate. Recent gains in the WebKit's JavaScript engine, called SquirelFish Extreme, should also trickle into the mobile version of Safari, enabling faster web applications.


App Store changes

The updated App Store brings several tweaks as well. Users who did not download and install an application on their iPhones are no longer allowed to post reviews on the App Store. "In order to write a Custom Review for this item you must have purchased or downloaded it," the new dialog box states. Since each App Store account is associated with valid credit card information, the new policy also enables Apple to track developers who write favorable reviews for their own applications.

An algorithm that determines application positioning is much more balanced in version 2.2. Currently, the App Store exposes applications on the first page in their respective category based on the last update. This allowed developers to play the system by releasing minor updates more often in order to push the application to the top of a category. This will no longer be possible as the App Store will position applications based on the release date of the first version, not the last update. The new policy provides more exposure to new arrivals and prevents updates to the existing applications to push new applications down the list.

The new firmware will deliver visual changes to the application store as well. An overhauled categories section shows a cleaner layout with larger category icons and more spacing between the listed items. The design of a page that provides a description of an application will also change slightly: The new option "Report a Problem" will allow users to send information to Apple about possible problems with applications and "Tell a Friend" has been moved from the top of the page below the reviews at the bottom.

not true.

Sep 30, 2008 13:38     

where do you come up with this list of features in the version 2.2 patch? oh yea...I remember now.. from the 2.1 patch listing that you said would have these features..and so is 2.0.... yep..it's a wish list. end up what we have is a bug fix again most likely instead of new feature. So nice try.
andy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

I hope...

Sep 30, 2008 13:48     

The option to turn off the reminder beep/sound that a text message was sent and you didn't look at it yet is going to be present soon. I don't read my texts right away and it gets annoying at times. Really disliked that addition in 2.1.
Michael Pulst report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

what about "delete all" for emails.

Sep 30, 2008 15:22     

I usually set the email client in iphone to not delete from server.(just in case for backup) but where is the "delete all" in the inbox when you are reading pop3 email? only the trash folder has that option and in inbox I have to pick each to delete...so stupid when you have tons of email.
andy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Do they fix their Bluetooth bugs

Sep 30, 2008 17:07     

The XPERIA X1 is out soon, if the Bluetooth compatibility issues with PIONEER Btxxx and BMW cars is not solved, I ll enjoy a Bluetooth support from the creator of Bluetooth: Ericsson ! Apple has 1 months to fix it, after this ... bye bye
Francois report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

LifeInPocket for iPhone?

Sep 30, 2008 17:33     

That’s why I heard that the popular Java mobile application LifeInPocket which has GPS navigation will support iPhone.
GPS Guru report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

GPS

Oct 02, 2008 01:17     

Well written post.Keep on posting such useful post. Regards Mobile Mapping
GPS Navigation report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Forwarding Text Messages

Oct 11, 2008 11:06     

What about forwarding text messages? for jokes n stuff?
Bob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

MMS

Oct 27, 2008 12:47     

What about MMS capabilities??
Bob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1