According to iPhone Hellas, the 2.2 firmware for the iPhone will be released on November 21. It should incorporate the features previously leaked from developers who had access to the first and second beta distributions, including Street View in Google Maps, the ability to turn off auto-correction for text entry, Japanese Emoji, changes to the App Store, and the ability to download podcasts directly in the iPod application.
What still appears to be missing is the push notification feature that was promised for October. There's been no word and few rumors about this feature, but it is still a hotly-anticipated one for many iPhone users. Of course, the iPhone is still missing other highly-desired features like copy and paste and MMS, but we can all hope and dream that Apple will throw something we're not expecting into this release.
According to MacRumors, developers have received the second version of the 2.2 firmware beta. The first 2.2 beta included elements of Google Street View, as we reported then, and this 2nd beta fully enables this feature.
Street View on the iPhone will make its mapping capabilities very similar to those of the new T-Mobile G1. Street View enables a realistic view of your current location in Google Maps, and also includes a compass function that automatically adjusts the view as you move around on the G1. Street view is currently available on Google Maps online (pictured below), and iPhoneYap has pictures of how it will look on the iPhone in the 2.2 firmware.
According to
MacRumors, the 2.2 firmware beta has been seeded to developers for testing. No new features have surfaced yet, though one interface change in Safari has been noticed. In 2.2, the Google search bar is now visible next to the address bar at the top of the screen - see
here for a screen shot.
No reports of the push notification service previously promised have surfaced, though many iPhone users and developers are anxiously awaiting this feature.
LogOnce Password Manager is now available in beta fashion for the iPhone and iPod touch. With LogOnce, you get password completion with a single click, making it easier to visit sites that require a login (like EIC!).
