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Filed under: Cellphones

So yesterday we posted a link to a version of the 2.0 iPhone firmware which was supposedly the release version of the new system software. After getting weirded out by some buggy behavior, then discovering that there were number differences between our version and the version shipping with new iPhone 3Gs, we got a little suspicious. Today, we noticed that the file which Apple made available for upgraders via iTunes sported a slimmer file size and separate designation (1,1 as opposed to the 1,2 of the previous iteration). The new version (supposedly the “official” version) is now available from Apple’s servers — so if you had any misgivings about that initial update, you can snag this and get a do-over. We’ve updated and restored on our phone, and we’ll be honest — it does seem a little bit snappier. Hit the read link for the file, and let us know if you notice any differences.

[Via MacRumors]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Cellphones

Last week Nokia promised an update was coming to the North American version its venerable N95, the N95-3. But, the company played coy and failed to mention any details other than availability in “early June.” We’re not even out of May yet but the 20.2.011 firmware update is ready and initial reports are good. Boot time has been reduced to 19-seconds from about 30, camera start-up is now a quite snappy two seconds, support for Flash video has been added, and there’s even a suite of new N-Gage game demos included in the deal. That’s the sort of update we can sink our teeth into — even if European N95-1 users have already been chewing it for months.

[Via Part-time phone reviewer; thanks Moses]

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Source: Tim Stevens

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

A leaky update faucet let in-the-know users get in on this one a little early, but HTC’s now ready to trumpet its official Windows Mobile 6.1 update for its TyTN II to the world. Besides 6.1, the new release packs in the “display performance update” promised some time ago to help put a cap on the cursing and fist-shaking being displayed by owners of various HTC devices lately — but as we understand it, this isn’t a true driver, so don’t expect miracles. AT&T Tilt folks who want to play it straight will have to wait some undefined additional period of time for their carrier to get its act together and release the update, but their European comrades can head on over to HTC’s site now and kick off the download.

[Image via MoDaCo]

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Source: Chris Ziegler

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

After some exhaustive research invested by one iSmashPhone, it seems like that now-infamous “Enable 3G” screen shot supposedly lifted from a recent iPhone firmware 2.0 beta was mocked up. The spirit of the shot mercifully lives on, though, seeing how the existence of the underlying preferences to support the enabling of 3G data has been independently verified in the code — we just don’t know exactly what form that preference is going to take in the user interface. Bottom line: fret not, there’s still a 3G iPhone on the way, it’s probably going to be here within mere weeks, and odds are you’ll be able to control whether high speed is enabled, just like virtually every other 3G phone on the market. So if you’re looking for a random reason to crack open a celebratory beer right now, well, there you have it. Drink responsibly.

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Source: Chris Ziegler

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Filed under: Cellphones

It’s been a solid tick since the North American N95, also referred to as the N95-3, received a software update. For those clamoring for a little love from Nokia’s dev team, listen up: an administrator over at the outfit’s forums has admitted that the Software Update crew has a new version in the works. We’re told that they’ve heard the demands for a fresh release, and they’re toiling away in order to bring it to N95-3 owners by early June. Unfortunately, we’re not told what new features we can expect, and even worse, “early June” seems like eons away, doesn’t it?

[Via Symbian-Guru]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

You’ll never believe this, but it looks like Cupertino might be getting ready to drop a bomb this summer — a 3G bomb, in fact! The latest beta release of firmware 2.0 for the iPhone has apparently revealed a preference screen that allows users of the new model to disable the 3G radio and fall back to GPRS / EDGE because the faster service “decreases battery life.” Gotta pay to play, as they say. The ability to disable 3G service in favor of improved standby performance is a pretty common one in modern phones, so we’re not surprised to see it here — just a little disappointed that Apple hasn’t incorporated enough fairy dust to magically make the problem go away.

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Source: Chris Ziegler

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Screen shots posted on Chinese site wretch.cc allege that iPhone firmware 2.0 has added support for Chinese handwriting recognition in addition to a revamped (albeit non-recognition) Japanese interface. While that’s still light years from an Apple admission that not everyone is in love with the on-screen keyboard, it’s one small step toward functionality that seems to make boatloads of sense — in any language — given the phone’s generously proportioned touchscreen and its reluctant but unavoidable nomination as the Newton’s spiritual successor. What isn’t clear is how folks are expected to draw characters, seeing how there’s no provision for an on-board stylus, the entire interface is designed for finger use, and we don’t see many owner rushing out for a Pogo. However Apple intends for this feature to be used, the implementation looks pretty hot, capable of operating in both portrait and landscape modes. Sadly, it seems that Chinese is the one and only language supported at the moment; sure you don’t want to let everyone in on the Graffiti-esque retro fun here, guys?

[Via Mac Rumors]

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Source: Chris Ziegler

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Filed under: Cellphones

Looks like Apple’s been passing around a new working version of the iPhone 2.0 beta firmware — not too many changes since the last release we saw, though. So far, from what we can tell the build is now officially 2.0 (before it was registered as 1.2), the Cisco VPN settings got some tweaks, and the root-level mail / ActiveSync settings have been reshuffled a bit. We’ll let you know if anything else pops up.

Update: Oh hey, Safari apparently has a YouTube plugin now!

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Source: Ryan Block

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Filed under: Cellphones, Features

We know there have been a couple of crappy videos here and there on the web, but we finally got our own grubby paws on the yet-to-be released iPhone 2.0 beta, which isn’t officially due until this June. It isn’t exactly awash with changes, but here’s what you need to know:

• Exchange is so on! Changes are pushed over the network, but over WiFi it does check-ins, so it’s not as instantaneous.
• There’s no contact search that we can see, so far. Maybe that only gets turned on if you have thousands of contacts (which we definitely do not).
• There’s a new button in the calendar, but we don’t know what it is and can’t make it do anything.
• The App Store is there, of course, but doesn’t do anything yet (except error out that it can’t connect).
• Wondering when Apple will make good on its agreement to license Cisco technology? Well, the branded Cisco VPN screen has definitely been added to the VPN settings. We couldn’t really test this one, but assume it works as advertised. We don’t yet know if it supports SecurID or other hardware token authenticators.
• Parental controls most certainly work. Marvel as we turn off YouTube!
• You can now order your preferred WiFi networks.
• In addition to having a new sideways scientific mode(!), the basic calculator now does commas and has new, useful functions for the math nerds; both the calc and the iTunes icons have changed.
• By far our favorite new feature is multi-select in mail, though. Now when you hit edit you can select as many messages as you want and delete or move them as a group. Friggin’ finally. Now where’s that two-pane client?

Definitely encouraging stuff in here. We’ll have some video up of this thing a little later; in the mean time, there anything you want to know? Big ups to our source(s) for hooking us up with this!

Update: Video after the break!

Continue reading iPhone firmware 2.0 hands-on

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Source: Ryan Block

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple’s 1.1.4 firmware update for the iPhone and iPod touch just hit the wires, courtesy of iTunes 7.6.1.9. Nobody knows what exactly is in store (SDK support, perhaps?), so obviously those jailbreakers out there might want to hold off while the braver souls among us give it a shot. For the record, no SDK has hit Apple Developer Connection yet, so take that for what you will. So far those who’ve successfully updated haven’t seen any changes, but we’ll keep you posted. So far the entire official word from Apple on the release seems to be “Bug fixes.” Typical.

Update: So far we’ve tested 1.1.4 on a jailbroken 1.1.3 iPhone and a non-jailbroken 1.1.3 iPhone, and had zero problems with either, including intact music libraries after the procedure — your mileage may vary! We went through all of the system settings and can’t spot anything new. Multiple sources are claiming ZiPhone works, but it’s not fully tested and may be a little wonky at this point, so proceed with caution.

Update 2: Well, ZiPhone claims to have worked, but there aren’t any icons for our installed apps, and we can’t uninstall or reinstall. Also, it’s worth noting that since this is a rather hefty update in terms of file size, and yet added features seem non-existent, our best guess is that this paves the way for an SDK in the coming weeks.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - iPhone update direct link
Read - iPod touch update direct link
Read - TUAW’s live coverage

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Source: Paul Miller

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