Unless you're living under a rock you know Apple released iPhone/iPod Touch Firmware version 2.2 on Friday. The update brings enhancements to:

Google Maps

• Google Street View.
• Public Transit and Walking Directions.
• Share Location Via Email.

Mail

• Resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email.
• Improved formatting of wide HTML email.

Safari

• Improved stability and performance.
• Rearranged menu bar to included both the Google Search box and the URL address.

Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages.
Pressing the Home button from any Home screen takes you to the first Home screen.
Preferences to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard settings.
Direct downloading of Podcasts from the iTunes Music Store.

For all the details and a list of undocumented 2.2 features and enhancements read the MacRumors article.

Our favorite feature is the enhancement to the Home button. When you have app spread like we do this is a welcomed addition indeed. Below you find a few screen shots of the various enhancements, and if you haven't already done so, get to downloading version 2.2. We've experienced no downside to the update.

Tags:update, firmware, safari, mail, googlemaps

Its been a week since Apple released iPhone firmware update 2.1 and I have to tell you, it's been a wonderful week. Remember the problems I was having with 2.0.2? They're gone! Absolutely every last one of them. My I no longer dread plugging my iPhone into my Mac for a sync as backups usually only take around a minute. That's amazing to me as they used to take 4 and 5 hours. The phone is also more stable and I rarely have experience app crashes anymore. Apple seems to have fixed the volume level bug as well.

When Apple claimed that the update would "significantly improve battery life" I was skeptically hopeful. After a weeks worth of testing I think Apple should retract that claim. Instead of "significantly" they should say "dramatically". It's amazing that a simple (it was simple for me anyway) firmware update could have that much of an effect on battery life. If I had to guess I'd say it that since the update my useful battery life has almost double. No kidding!

I also haven't suffered anymore GAD's. I still have every appropriate appendage crossed but so far so good. I'm even thinking I might try updating an app or two from my iPhone and then try a sync. Prior to 2.1 that was pretty much guaranteed to produce a GAD.

I can't say one way or the other if GPS performance has been improved nor can I comment on improvements with dropped calls. I never experienced any of the dropped calls and since I hadn't had any GPS for over a week prior to the update any GPS is good GPS.

So, yes I'm a happy man! The only thing that really bugs me is that if they could fix all these problems with a simple firmware update, why did it take so long? Hopefully some of the hair I pulled out of my head will grow back. On second thought, maybe there's a class action suit here?

Tags:update, firmware

On Tuesday Uncle Steve introduced us to the goodness that is the new iPod Nano and Touch (watch the QuickTime stream here). iTunes got a little smarter and Apple announced a new premium set of ear buds. The big news for me, however, was Steve's announcement that on Friday, Apple will release iPhone Firmware 2.1 which he says will squash most of the bug us lucky "few percentage of customers" are experiencing. The dropped calls thing hasn't been an issue for me and I don't get and never will get 3G service where I live so that's no big deal for me. I have been afflicted with most of the other bugs you've been hearing about here and there on the internet so I've compiled a list of what I'm hoping to see get fixed with Firmware 2.1. Once again, I'm keeping any and all appropriate appendages crossed. Without further adieu heres my list:

1. God-awful long backups and syncs. Almost since day one this one has been bad. Instead of syncing and backing up daily like I should be, I've avoided this and will only sync overnight once or twice a week. The reason? 4 and 5 hour long backup/syncs. I kid you not. The iPhone can only hold 16 GBs why in the hell does it take 4+ hours to back up? The other day I kind of forgot that backup/syncs take this long and at about 3 p.m. I plugged my 3G into my iMac to do a "quick" app update. Big mistake! I had to be to work (my real, bill paying job) at 6 p.m. and by 5:15 it was readily apparent that there was no way I was going to make it. In frustration I ripped the cord out of the back of my iMac with the backup/sync having completed about half of what it probably should have. Boy was I surprised to see that my iPhone booted up and worked normally for the rest of the day. I figured I'd bricked it for sure at least until I could do a restore.
2. Dodgy GPS. This one hasn't been a big issue for me and the GPS works pretty well most of the time. The last couple of days, however, non of the GPS using apps on my phone can get a signal. Perhaps I shouldn't have jerked the USB cord out of my iMac during a backup/sync? Nah that can't be it. Anyway, I'm afraid to reboot the phone because I'm fairly certain it won't reboot and get stuck at the Gray Apple logo screen requiring a restore. That's never a good thing so I've just avoided powering down and rebooting. Hopefully, after tomorrow I'll have my GPS back.
3. Lose of volume. This one hasn't been a huge deal for me either as generally a reboot will fix it. See number 2 for why I can't/won't reboot.
4. General app crashiness. This one hasn't been a huge deal either except when it happens (duh, makes sense you nimrod). Sometimes when it does, though, I have to reboot which has led to some hair
   
   pulling when it reboots into the GAD (gray Apple of Death) or SAD (silver Apple of Death) as some call it. SAD makes me sad as well as frustrated as you then have to do a restore. In my experiences Restores can go one of three ways: 1. Restored back to new and then iTunes only gives you the option of setting up the phone as a new phone. 2. Restored back to new and when you try to restore from your last backup iTunes tells you it is corrupt and, well, you're screwed. 3. Restored back to new and the restore from your last backup went without a hitch, although it took a week to finish. The last one is a most elusive creature but when it happens revel in the goodness of what Apple, iTunes and the 3G can bring to your life. You'll have plenty of time to "revel" as the whole process will take at least 4 hours.
5. Restores that are required for one reason or another (generally App crashiness) and that result in one of the first two scenarios listed in number 4 above.
6. Abysmal battery life. Seriously abysmal. Yesterday my fully charged 3G lasted all of 8 hour before I got the 20% battery life warning, and its not as if I had lots of background stuff going on. I turn off Wi Fi as I live in the sticks and we ain't not got no fancy shmancy Wi Fi round these here parts. I really hadn't used my phone all that much either. I made a few calls, played some music and a podcast (Car Talk) and played a game of Wurdle or three.

Well that's just about it. I'm sure I could think of a few more but if firmware 2.1 fixed those 6 favorites, I'd be a happy man.

Oh and here's a fun little interview with Steve Jobs conducted by CNBC's Jim Goldman. It strikes me that Goldman seems to really be sucking up to Uncle Steve and going out of his way to not piss him off. What do you think? It was nice of Jobs not to bust out laughing when Goldman asked him about the new Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates commercial. The look on his face, though, was pretty telling.

Joe Henry

Tags:update, firmware

Jim Dalrymple writing for MacWorld is reporting the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware update was targeting communication problems with 3G iPhones. There has been quite a surge in the number of people claiming to experience dropped calls, spotty service and constant switching back and fourth between the 3G and Edge networks.

According to the AP Apple Spokesperson Jennifer Bowcock confirmed that the update “Improved communication with 3G networks”. Bowcock gave little else in terms of details.

We’ve been watching the wire here a AYAAW and haven’t seen or heard anything that might indicate that the update did in fact fix some of these issues.

In other iPhone related news, and in response to iPhone users experiencing problems with apps freezing their phones, halting the boot process and failing to start altogether, Uncle Steve, in a briefly worded response to a customer email, stated that “This is a known bug that is being fixed in the next software update in September”. Perhaps there will be a little more 3G goodness included in this package as well.

Stay tuned kiddies.

Joe Henry

Tags:firmware, update

As the title says, so far so good. I haven’t had a whole lot of time yet to put it through its paces but I’ve also not run into any issues either. I take that back, I am having weird backup behavior. First a little background.:

Since buying my new iPhone in July and loading it up with lots of apps, I’ve suffered through incredibly long backups. You know, when you plug your iPhone into your Mac for a sync, iTunes will automatically start backing the contents up. My first gen iPhone’s backups were a scant 1 to 2 minutes. With my new phone and firmware 2.0 backups have been multi hour affairs. It’s gotten to the point where I just plug it in and leave it overnight. Its so annoying that I even posted to the Apple Support Forums hoping there was a fix. Not!

So I was eagerly awaiting an update to the iPhones firmware even secretly hoping that last nights 2.0.2 update would help. Well, it sort of has: now iTunes doesn’t back it up at all. Before updating to 2.0.2 I plugged my iPhone in and manually had iTunes do a backup. It only took an hour or two and I confirmed that it had in fact backed my iPhone up by checking for the backup in Preferences>Syncing. Sure enough there was a backup for yesterday at 10:54pm. I then proceeded with the update.

Since last night I’ve manually backed up my phone twice and neither are showing up in the Syncing preference window. What’s up with that? iTunes does say that its backing my phone up and it does go a lot faster. Too bad it isn’t acually doing anything. I don’t know what to think now. I’m probably in danger of losing all my app data because I’m not backed up and it seems I’m always this close (imagine me holding my thumb and index finger about a half an inch apart) away from the dreaded “My iPhone froze at the gray Apple Logo screen and now I have to restore it from a backup” crash and burn.

I don’t know. I just don’t know. ):

Joe Henry

Tags:troubleshooting, firmware, update