iPhone Developer News

The Internet is abuzz with some recent product leaks concerning the latest Apple iPhone 3.0 beta software. Though the new software is currently being tested by developers using Apple iPhone 3G hardware, some tweaks to the way the system interprets configuration files has revealed a few new interface screens, and perhaps some new capabilities. While some of these upgraded features may be available for current Apple iPhone 3G users, it’s clear that Apple will need to release a new device to be able to support some of the new hardware capabilities.A much better camera

First of all, it seems Apple will finally be taking the camera on the Apple iPhone a bit more seriously. Early screen shots seem to point to a video capture mode. Video recording has been one of the most widely requested features for the Apple iPhone system, and has only been available until now as a sort of hack on so-called jailbroken iPhones.

Even more interesting, perhaps, is the rumored inclusion of an auto focus feature. This would almost surely require a hardware update. If nothing else, we hope Apple would include a two-stage shutter button, like you’ll find on modern cameras and cameraphones, such as the T-Mobile G1.

Some surprising extras

Speaking of the T-Mobile G1, another hardware feature has come to light that reminds us of the Google Android device. The new Apple iPhone 3.0 software apparently makes mention of a magnetometer, or a digital compass. The T-Mobile G1 uses a compass to interesting effect in the Google Maps app. First of all, the compass is great for turn-by-turn navigation, as it can help users figure out where to go from the first step. But as a secondary bonus, the T-Mobile G1 uses the compass and onboard accelerometer to create a sort of virtual space using Google’s Street View in Google Maps. You move the phone side to side and up and down and the street view map will move in turn. We think there’s a lot of potential for compass equipment on cell phones, and we predict we’ll be seeing more phones with a magnetometer built in.

Some necessities

In some of the screen shots of the settings menus that we’ve seen, Apple seems to be including voice control options. Speaker independent voice dialing is one of our favorite calling features. As driving commuters, we use voice dialing often to keep our hands on the wheel. It’s something we look for in every phone, and we were disappointed that the iPhone lacked a good voice dialing setup that intergrated neatly with the contact list. Hopefully, this is what Apple has planned for Apple iPhone 3.0.

In addition, we’re seeing a few other bonuses. The battery apparently gets a percentage meter, similar to the battery clock on our MacBook Pro laptops. If it’s accurate, that should be a nice, if simple, bonus.

Apple has also included a menu option for “Accessibility.” We can guess what this means, but in Apple’s desktop version of Mac OS X, this usually points to helpful access for people with physical disabilities. On the desktop, this can include voice over for text-to-speech, changing the resolution size or contrast levels to make a display easier to read, or making the mouse easier to use for folks with fine motor control issues. We imagine the same will be true for the iPhone, and we’re curious about how Apple will make its touchscreen phone easier to use.