Now that iPhone Firmware 2.2 is out (all 245.7MB of it), what do we all think of it? Initial reactions around the web seem broadly positive, and my own experience so far matches that. In recent weeks I’ve been seeing quite frequent application crashes on my 2nd gen iPhone, so I’ll be interested to see if they happen less often now. On very first impressions, the phone feels faster and snappier in use post-update.
Most of the changes were published in advance, but there are some hidden extras that are new to me.
My favorite is inside the App Store application, which previously only displayed one screenshot for each app you were looking at. This was always a bit limiting; it’s very hard to show an app’s capabilities with a single screenshot. Now the app displays a mini gallery of screenshots, which you can tap to view full size. App description pages have been redesigned slightly, and look a bit crisper and neater now.
Also, there’s a nice change in behavior when navigating through screen loads of apps (something many people have identified as a problem before). Now, clicking the Home button on any screen will teleport you straight back to screen #1, aka the Home Home Screen.
So there’s more reason than ever now to ensure that your most frequently used apps live there. Shame it’s so fiddly to get a newly-installed app from screen 5 or 6 all the way back to screen 1. Also a shame: still no todos. Still no notes sync. Still no copy and paste. Sigh.
Have you upgraded your iPhone yet? What are you liking so far? Or has anything gone wrong?
41 responses to “iPhone 2.2 Hides Some Treats”
Not sure if it’s new, but I was just browsing something in Landscape mode, and recieved an SMS. The notification came up landscape, and also rotated when I went to portrait… AND IT WAS FAST.
Just updated a couple if hours ago, and have not yet done any extensive testing, but one thing I can definitely see myself using a lot is the “by foot” directions in Google maps.
Still looking forward to copy-paste. It’s at the top of my very short list of things that the iPhone is missing.
The interface tweaks are good and some are quite helpful. The only useful new feature for me is Podcasts. I don’t live in an urban area, so I will never use Google Streetview. It’s time for Apple to put out an update that provides useful features for ALL iPhone users: copy/paste and MMS!
here is a quick tip: keep the bottom row on your home screens empty. Stick to just three rows of icons! That way it will be MUCH easier to navigate from screen to screen, icons can be moved easily without moving other icons and, best of all, if you update Apps they stay in the same position!
Little known tip (haven’t heard it anywhere) but very valuable…
anyone know if the Netshare tethering app still works with this?
Yes
Okay update but much ado about little. The podcasts will be nice and the Home Home button is very welcomed but the ongoing major missing features is frustrating as well as the continued flakiness of Mail push, especially w/ MobileMe.
It always seems the iPhone is faster after an update for a couple of weeks. Then it seems to get slower & slower with each passing week. I guess the updates work like the old Mac OS 9 desktop rebuild.
Here’s to hoping iPhone 3.0, with long overdue features, comes at MacWorld!
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d9: it’s faster because an update clears all the stuff cached in memory. a shutdown and restart does the same thing. when mine starts getting apps crashy or slow i restart it and usually it’s all better.
Am downloading it presently. Any new keyboard arrangements? I type in Dvorak and it would be useful to not hunt and peck – as much for letters.
Does anyone know if the “reminder” SMS notification has been killed yet or at least is an option to turn off?
Since the last update, I have HATED having to hear multiple notifications, since I often don’t check the SMS when it first comes in…my iPhone has felt very needy since that point.
Great except my App.Store “updates” has yet to connect to to “store”. Too busy? Corrupted download?
Any ideas?
Been having issues with Updates from AppStore app on iPhone and in iTunes. in iTunes it shows 37 updates available, but none available to download. On the iPhone it gives an error on the updates icon
Okay, AppStore update works now.
YEA WITH THE 2.2 UPDATE I NOW NOTICE WHEN I MAKE CALLS SOME TIMES WHEN I END THE CALL IT GOES BACK TO EITHER THE RECENT CALL LIST OR THE PHONE DIALER AND I CANT GET OUT OF IT USING THE HOME BUTTON I HAVE TO CLICK THE HARD BUTTON UP TOP OF THE PHONE AND THEN HIT THE HOME BUTTON SLIDE MY FINGER TO UNLOCK IT THEN IT WILL WORK THIS A BUG?
Soon after purchasing the iPhone in July 2007, I discovered Toodledo.com to handle my to do lists and notes. This combined with native applications that sync to the Toodledo service—Todo.app and Notebook.app (both by http://www.appigo.com)—and I have never looked back. While there is a little initial investment, they are some of the most used daily apps on my iPhone. While I hope to have native todo lists and notebook syncing provided by Apple on the iPhone, I doubt that it will be enough to make me switch back from my current setup!
ah, ‘snappier’ again. maybe that’s just because of the reboot, or placebo?
I’ve noticed that now when I delete an app, I’m asked (optionally) to rate it. Pretty cool.
I’ve noticed that now when I delete an app, I’m asked (optionally) to rate it. Pretty cool.
When will SMS/text message forwarding and contact/business cards via SMS/text become a reality?
I second that, Gekko. Esp that SMS forwarding function. And a way to jump from current app to previous one and bad again without going thru the Home page. Not too much to ask, right?
I have the iPod Touch and received the notification of the update via iTunes. I updated but do not see Street View or the ability to download podcasts, though I now have the latest update. Were these changes not made for the Touch?