Well its the morning after the first software update for us Brits here in the UK and upon reflection, I still have mixed emotions about the 1.1.3 update. As we know, all the features from the leaked video a few weeks back where introduced in this update including the ability to create your own icons for web bookmarks, Locate Me on Maps and multiple text messages.
Web Icons:
Yeah, nice feature and does make it quicker to get to some of the sites that I look at every day. I know this feature is only getting us ready for the hugh amount of 3rd Party Apps that will be coming our way after the SDK is launched in late Feb.
Locate Me:
This is interesting from listening to Steve’s Keynote. It seems that Apple have not gone with just the Google Cell Triangulation but with Skyhook - a company that has been driving round the US, mapping all WiFi networks etc. Skyhook have started in the Europe and are moving into Asia in 2008.
I tried this feature this morning traveling in and out of Glasgow. There are numerous WiFi connections (on the cloud and others) throughout Glasgow so I thought it would interesting to see how this works. The results where pretty good when your near a WiFi spot that must be on the Skyhook database. The accuracy is down to maybe 100 yards in places. It gets interesting when your driving on the motorway. Then the area widens and must be taking the information from the cell towers - unless you happen to go past a service station with WiFi. This happened this morning as I was passing Bothwell Services on the M74 just outside Glasgow, which I know to have BT Broadband WiFi! - when passing there, I hit the locate me button and it zoomed in pretty close to my actual position. So my view on this is, yeah it a cool little feature, however if you where expecting a GPS replacement, its far from it.
Multiple Text Messages:
Yeah - about time too. Would have been nice to have it for New Years Eve!!! Still, there is always next year!
iPod Chapter Markers:
Seem like a nice idea. I have a film on my iPhone and it automatically put in the chapter markers - nice!
Firmware 1.1.4 ???
So what do this leave to come in future updates? Well I suppose it depends what you individually want on your iPhone. Like me, I am sure you where disappointed at a Copy & Paste feature not being on this update but I am sure that this will come, eventually. MMS would also be nice but I am quite happy with sending free photo’s via email - so saving some money there!
As for a wish-list of 3rd Party Apps to come out of the SDK - I am pretty confident that the SDK has been released to a few developers and that when it does launch in late Feb, we will have some apps available. Whether these will be charged for through iTunes - well that quite possible, we will have to wait and see.
What would I like (to all those iPhone developers out there…) as a native app?
iChat: I know there’s JiveTalk - but it would be nice to have a native app
RSS reader
iWorks version so I can edit Pages / Keynote / Numbers documents
GPS: even if I have to plug in a GPS receiver in the 30 pin connector!
to name a few!
Hope you enjoy your new features on your iPhones, and we welcome your comments - what do you think of the 1.1.3 update?
Steve