iPhone 1.1.1 Adds Features and Updates Security: "
For our money (and we were two of those early purchasers who bought iPhones before Apple lowered the price $200), one of the best features of the iPhone is its upgradability. Since the Apple phone is running Mac OS X, there's room to add features as well as fix bugs; the latest version does both.
iPhone 1.1.1 is now available via iTunes (it's a 152.3 MB update): the next time you connect an iPhone, click the Check for Updates button if you're not automatically prompted about the update. Note that if you've unlocked your iPhone to use a provider other than AT&T, installing the update may make your phone inoperable.
Glenn had modified his iPhone using Nullriver's AppTapp installer, and as a result, his iPhone wasn't very happy initially about the update. (AppTapp, naturally, isn't yet updated for iPhone 1.1.1.)
He had to force restart his iPhone - holding down both the power and Home button for about 10 seconds - and then choose a full restore. Fortunately, he had settings backed up to his work computer, even though he syncs to his home machine. This enabled the iPhone to be get back its phone number and be generally useful (if out of date) until he returns home tonight for a fresh sync. Clearly, it's a good idea to perform a backup through a sync before trying the update!
This version adds a few niceties introduced with the iPod touch, such as the capability to double-tap the Home button to bring up either the list of favorite contacts or iPod playback controls (avoiding the need to navigate to either from the Home screen), and the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store for purchasing music directly from the phone over a Wi-Fi network (see 'Apple Introduces iPod Touch, Wi-Fi iTunes Store, and New iPods,' 2007-09-07). (Apple has also posted a video demonstrating the new features.)
Other feature changes include the capability to double-tap the spacebar to insert a period and space; turn off EDGE/GPRS when roaming internationally (which caused several people to receive huge bills; see 'iPhone Billing and International Issues,' 2007-09-07); view Mail attachments in portrait or landscape mode; view iPhone video on a television in TV Out mode; and adjust alert volumes. The speakerphone and receiver volumes are also reportedly louder, stocks and cities can be re-ordered in the Stocks and Weather applications, and the Apple Bluetooth Headset's battery status appears in the Status Bar.
A few undocumented features have been uncovered, such as the capability to change your voicemail password from the iPhone, change the alert sound for new text messages, a debug console for Safari, and new video playback options including closed-captioning for movies that support it.
Because Glenn likes to check out the most obscure network features, he uncovered a couple of improvements in virtual private network (VPN) support for those who like to make sure their Wi-Fi data isn't being snooped when using an iPhone on public networks.
Apple fixed a bug that wouldn't allow proper entry of strong passwords for a VPN, once set up. In iPhone firmware 1.0.0 to 1.0.2, you could properly set up the details of a VPN connection in Settings > General > Network > VPN > Settings with the password left blank - the display reads 'Ask Every Time' in gray. But when you went to enter the password to connect using the VPN switch that's added to the main Settings screen, instead of a full keyboard, the iPhone would show just a telephone-style keypad. Thus, alphanumeric passwords couldn't be used. That's fixed.
Apple also added support for RSA SecureID cards, a way of generating a constantly changing unique additional factor for connecting securely using a small keychain-sized fob you carry around. This is usually a two-factor method - password plus this separate token generated by the fob - but in this implementation seems to be set up where you're prompted for the token after the VPN server is contacted.
A number of security updates were rolled into this release, as well, repairing vulnerabilities in Mail, Safari, and Bluetooth.
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