iPhone 3.1 code goes beta
Video boost, pointless buzzing
iPhone Software 3.0 shipped a mere two weeks ago today, but version 3.1 is already in the hands of developers in beta form.
According to reports from PC World and AppleInsider, as well as on forums and blogs, version 3.1 was distributed to developers on Tuesday.
Included in the beta are not only the bug fixes that dot-X updates inevitably include, but also enhancements to Voice Control, video editing, vibration feedback, and the dialer interface.
According to reports, the 3.1 beta includes:
- Added support for Voice Control over Bluetooth headsets, a function missing in 3.0.
- Video editing - trimming, actually - with an added option to allow you to save an untrimmed version of the clip you're slimming down.
- Pressing and holding a home-screen icon to allow for wiggling-icon rearrangement will be accompanied by vibration feedback - an odd addition that will do little more than reduce battery life, in our opinion.
- Dialer-interface improvements will add the ability to paste in phone numbers and the conversion of alphanumeric phone "numbers" into actual dial-able numeric strings.
Developers also note that 3.1 adds "under-the-hood" improvements as well, including better support for OpenCL and Quartz graphics, plus a new API that will allow third-party apps to access the iPhone's video-editing interface.
Also, MMS is enabled by default in the beta - although there has been no announcement by AT&T when that functionality will be enabled for US iPhoners.
There's also no word on whether iPhone Software 3.1 will address the overheating issues reported by some iPhone 3GS users - a problem, we hasten to add, that we haven't experienced with our personal 3GS. ®
COMMENTS
@UkForest
The alarm on my iPhone has woken me up at 7:30 every weekday morning for the past year without fail. I've set other alarms too and have never had an issue. There is no alarm bug that I'm aware of.
@M7S: err, Oh No They Don't. As Simon Banyard already pointed out, if you already have 3.0 on your iPod Touch then you won't get charged for upgrading to 3.1. Obviously if you're still on 2.x then you'll have to pay for the upgrade.
Voice Control :(
It's nice that you'll have voice control via bluetooth, but it really bothers me that this is only available via the 3GS. They ungimped the stereo bluetooth with a software update; why isn't voice control available simply through the 3.0 update for everyone? What kind of special hardware could you possibly need to make this work?
The last time I looked, voice control on anything is just a piece of software and the only hardware requirement is a microphone. HEY APPLE, my iPhone 3G has a microphone on it; where's my voice control? Please make this available ASAP... KTHXBYE
This will sound mad...
But, as much as I love my iPhone, why not fix the bug in the Clock App that means the alarm doesn't always go off!?
Sounds daft, but setting your alarm doesn't mean it'll wake you up in time for work!!!
@ Levente Szileszky
As well as FOTW I think El Reg should have ICOTW (Idiotic Comment of the Week). This has to be a contender. Made my day. Thank you.
@AC 08:37
"Well, none of the phones I have ever owned or used have had this. They certainly can't turn something like 0141-999-9999 into a dialable number either (because of the - chars)."
Works OK on a WinMo6.1 HTC Touch Pro. Doesn't translate text into numbers though, so on that point iPhone3.1 is ahead (though as someone else pointed out above, on this side of the puddle it's not all that often you'd need to be able to do this...).
