Very little is known about Apple’s next iPhone, but screens and files hidden in the handset’s latest beta software are providing some major clues.
IPhone 3.0 beta testers are
stumbling upon menus, system preferences and text strings that
Apple tried to keep secret — presumably because they give away features that will appear in the next upgrade to the iPhone hardware, which will probably be released this summer. Highlights include a video recorder, an auto-focus camera and a digital compass. Beta-testing sleuths have also found tantalizing suggestions about the operating system, including an unannounced tethering capability, voice control and a "find my iPhone" feature.
Apple has not released any information on the new iPhone hardware, and neither confirms nor denies any possibilities.
In the spirit of the season, we’re stuffing all the
iPhone 3.0 Easter eggs into one basket. Here’s the list.
Video Recorder and Auto-Focus
Evidence suggests iPhone 3.0 will introduce video
capturing. The image above is a screenshot of the MobileMe app in
iPhone 3.0; the "Publish Video" button indicates video recording is on its way.
Naysayers
speculated that the MobileMe button was a huge typo, but beta testers
hacking around found even stronger proof for a video camera this week.
According to MacRumors,
modifying a configuration file in the latest iPhone 3.0 beta (version
2) opened a secret door to a video recording interface. Interestingly, hackers had to manipulate the iPhone firmware into believing there was video-capturing hardware in order to access this interface. That suggests this feature might only be for owners of the third-generation iPhone hardware.
The video
function was not yet working, but a toggle switch for choosing between
video- and still-capturing appears in the screenshot above. Convinced?
We are.
In the same place they discovered the video camera
interface, developers also unearthed a configuration file alluding to
an auto-focus camera. Not quite as exciting, but that would likely be a hardware feature in the next iPhone as well.
Magnetometer
The hackers who discovered
the video-recording interface also found a file referencing a
"Magnetometer." Unfortunately, no one has
managed to find an interface for the feature, so nothing else is known.
If the text reference proves to be true, it’s a clue that the
magnetometer will likely debut in the next iPhone as a hardware upgrade. A very exciting
addition this would be indeed: A magnetometer operates on three axes to
determine absolute position. So for example, you could point the
iPhone’s camera at a Starbucks location and tap a button to find your
location. Using the compass information, accelerometer and GPS
combined, the iPhone would be able to tell you the exact address of
that Starbucks, then point you in the direction you really want to go.
Voice Control
A configuration file
alludes to a feature called "Voice Control." We’re not as excited about
this, because there are already iPhone apps that enable voice control
for dialing contacts, Google search and looking up directions. However,
we never underestimate Apple, and we’d expect the company to bring
"voice control" to more advanced levels.
Think voice control in
the Camera app to reduce the shakes. Or voice control to choose a song
or movie in the iPod. For voice control, we’d expect Apple to aim at
areas that haven’t been well addressed.
iPhone Locator
Another menu in the MobileMe app reveals a service called "Find My iPhone." Engadget reports
the feature wasn’t yet working, so its function remains unconfirmed.
But a reasonable inference, based on the name, is that the service will
enable you to find your iPhone if it’s been stolen or misplaced.
We’re
betting through any web browser, you can trigger your iPhone to locate
itself using its GPS and send an e-mail containing its coordinates to
your MobileMe account. The magnetometer would make these coordinates even more precise. Then you can drive to the thief’s house, knock
on his door and introduce him to your fist. Or, like Gadget Lab’s Charlie Sorrel, you could offer him €50 to give your phone back. Nifty, huh?
Internet Tethering
When journalists asked Apple about tethering (i.e., a feature that turns the iPhone into a wireless modem),
the company said it was working with carriers to ensure smooth
integration in iPhone 3.0. And it looks like Apple is making good progress, because one developer says he already got tethering to work.
Developer
Steve Troughton Smith said he discovered the option to enable tethering
while "hacking around." (How did he do it? Unfortunately he doesn’t
remember.) The menu (pictured above) suggests tethering will work via
USB or Bluetooth. And he reports success testing USB tethering with his
iPhone on the O2 network.
Now the question remaining is, how
much will tethering cost? AT&T typically charges an additional $15 per month for
tethering plans, so expect to pay about the same for iPhone tethering.
See Also:
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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