USB tethering, Publish Video and Find my iPhone found in OS 3.0

Apple touted quite a few new iPhone features at yesterday's OS 3.0 event, but now that the beta build is trickling out, there's been a bevy of unearthed discoveries to further pique our interests. First up, the gang at Boy Genius Report found an option to enable the "Find My iPhone" service in the MobileMe settings. Unfortunately, that's all we've got, but we wouldn't put it past Cupertino to build some me.com-linked location tracker that'd be the envy of Orwell himself -- hey, that'd be pretty useful if you accidentally left the mobile in a taxi. Also in the MobileMe section, it now says Publish Video when you go to publish an image. It's an odd typo, to be sure, and while video recording has been near the top of our wishlist for some time, we're not about to get our hopes up. Finally, Mac Rumors is reporting that a hacker has dug up and successfully activated the USB tethering capabilities. Apple's Scott Forstall had mentioned the devs were building it in, but were still in talks with the carriers. As to whether any or all of these functions will actually end up in the final OS 3.0 build, your guess is a good as ours. For now, check out more pics of the MobileMe additions after the break.

[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]

Read - Find My iPhone
Read - USB Tethering

[Sir Jake @ Mar 18th 2009 6:08PM]

I bet they are reserving this for the new iPhone that would probably be released when they release the 3.0 software in the summer.

[Samboini @ Mar 18th 2009 6:22PM]

Bingo. Just as my N95 contract expires. Hopefully the new iPhone will be even better; I just hope they don't change to much. The formula they have right now works quite well.

[Juaquin @ Mar 18th 2009 6:43PM]

My bet is that the iPhone 3rd-Gen will have a better image processor (less battery usage) and thus support video. That's the reason Apple doesn't do video now, it eats battery on jailbreak phones.

[nerdtalker @ Mar 18th 2009 8:56PM]

They seriously need more horsepower and a better screen. It's really the screen which is keeping me back. HTC and everyone else is already past even VGA, and the iPhone plays with 320x480?

[Patriks7 @ Mar 18th 2009 6:10PM]

Damn. They are giving me more and more reasons for not to jailbreak. Give me some better app organized, a 5 item dock and let me customize my Springboard (I think it's called?) the way I want and I probably won't have the need to jailbreak.

[Kamil @ Mar 18th 2009 6:13PM]

and stacks. then, Jailbreaking would become obsolete

[r3loaded @ Mar 18th 2009 6:19PM]

I'd still jailbreak, just to have the option of loading alternative apps on.

[matt @ Mar 18th 2009 6:57PM]

4-0

[poisonspider @ Mar 18th 2009 6:11PM]

ENGADGET - I want to know if they are going to be doing a hardware update

[a ham sandwich @ Mar 18th 2009 6:48PM]

POISONSPIDER - yes

[Greg @ Mar 19th 2009 10:47AM]

NO, they still have ~20-30 million devices to sell before they would do a new one, if they wanted to be reasonable -- the 2.5G iPhone was sold out months before the new one came out. What the hell would they put in a new phone anyways? All the existing qualms are with software, not hardware. There's not much to improve on hardware-wise to warrant an update. At MOST, maybe more memory, but that's it.

[Stewart @ Mar 18th 2009 6:11PM]

Wait, you think there's going to be an upgrade from the 3G? Apple would never do that to me.

[Samboini @ Mar 18th 2009 6:23PM]

iPhone Video. You heard it here first!

[Hamidxa @ Mar 18th 2009 6:12PM]

2005 called, they want their features back.

[Lundmark @ Mar 18th 2009 6:21PM]

Die troll, DIE!

[dcoaster @ Mar 18th 2009 6:23PM]

Actually Lundmark, you are dead wrong. My WinMo phone has been able to track its location and does tethering very easily. Oh, and it also does video (and no "software upgrades" were needed).

[Mystic @ Mar 18th 2009 6:30PM]

dcoaster, I've used a WinMo phone and they can have all the features they'd like, but I never use the features because they are such a pain in the ass to use. Features does not equal usability or a better phone. Get over it.

[nohone @ Mar 18th 2009 6:31PM]

@Lundmark

You want trolls to die, and yet you do a bit of trolling yourself - see http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/13/windows-7-bug-fixes-to-include-multitouch-zoom-for-explorer/2#comments.

Will you follow your own advice? Of course not, you are an Apple fanboy, you don't need to follow the rules you set for others.

[Samboini @ Mar 18th 2009 6:35PM]

Lundmark = caught with his trousers down.

[patriotsn1 @ Mar 18th 2009 7:14PM]

*everyone looks at Lundmark with his trousers down... no one is impressed, small asian girl in the corner giggles

[Hamidxa @ Mar 18th 2009 7:18PM]

Mystic.

TF3D + Rhodium Interface = a UI and usability that far exceeds that of the iPhones

[Beanie @ Mar 18th 2009 7:54PM]

What phone from 2005 has a theft recovery feature?

[Hamidxa @ Mar 18th 2009 8:02PM]

Beanie,

nearly every WinMo smartphone.
There have been tracker apps for them that have existed for a long time now.

Whereismyphone, smartphonetracker, GpsGate, Reperion, NavXS, Mologogo, etc.

[maveric101 @ Mar 18th 2009 8:21PM]

mystic: yeah, but there are plenty of skins available to make WinMo pretty nice.

[Lundmark @ Mar 19th 2009 5:21AM]

Oh no. Attacked by 1998's squad of WinMo fanbois!!!!1 /cries

[superhobo @ Mar 19th 2009 6:06AM]

I could do tethering with my Nokia 6610.

Yeah!

[D9 @ Mar 23rd 2009 11:17AM]

Yes, I'd add that iPhone may be adding features long found on other phones, but be sure that is more than making up for all the iPhone features the others are scrambling to add to their phones. I sure don't see where anyone on the net has stories about companies are rushing out to copy the features found on HTC or Nokia phones.

Good heavens, 18 million phones sold...it's gotta suck for those others if Apple can sell that many WITHOUT those 2005 features yet!

[Phoenix @ Mar 18th 2009 6:13PM]

"Sorry, due to hardware issues only the third generation iPhone will be able to record video. Now available for $799 on contract for the 8GB version!"

[Ethan @ Mar 18th 2009 6:46PM]

There were security issues.

[Dale @ Mar 18th 2009 9:36PM]

Thus far, they have charged less for more features. Good guess, though.

[jercb123 @ Mar 18th 2009 9:58PM]

EDIT* The third generation iphone can ONLY record video no pictures

[Levi @ Mar 18th 2009 11:52PM]

Dale: not true. The first iPhone was sold without a carrier discount. The phones started at $500 and $600, with a $200 price drop to follow in just a few months. The 3G iPhone has a carrier discount, which means the phones are only cheaper because the carrier said so. They are going to start offering contractless iPhone 3G's through AT&T for $600 and $700, which is outrageous, considering you can get a refurb for $100 with a contract. You could buy the refurb for $100 and immediately cancel your contract TWICE and still pay less than that.

[SigmaPiShrek @ Mar 19th 2009 10:39AM]

Yea... and not keep the phone...
dumbass

[Phoenix @ Mar 19th 2009 1:04PM]

I'm sorry, but who says you don't keep the phone if you cancel the contract? That's part of the idea behind the ETF...

[vicferrari @ Mar 18th 2009 6:15PM]

well we all know that most of the time when apple does something they like to do it big and do something that has not been done... so lets just hope that for the reason of no video recorder is cause when they do enable it ( i get a jailbreaken phone and love qik on it, so i know it can be done) that it will change the way we all use a video recorder on a cell phone.....

until then i am sticking with my jailbroken phone

[Brad @ Mar 18th 2009 8:35PM]

You mean like copy+paste? Let's be real, they did it the exact same way everyone else did - with a context menu.

They stretched the battery life of the iPhone to the absolute limit, to the point where running the processor and memory at the level necessary to record video was simply not an option.

Look at your unlocked iPhone. Record 10 minutes of video and see how much battery you have left.

[Jon @ Mar 18th 2009 6:29PM]

iPhone AV with video recording, front facing camera for video conferencing, better camera (flash maybe) and Photo Booth.

[Devin Brown @ Mar 18th 2009 6:35PM]

hey, i love that sculpture in your avatar, btw. i miss seattle a lot sometimes.

[Devin Brown @ Mar 18th 2009 6:33PM]

to those asking about a hardware update- yes, apple will be releasing a new 3rd gen iPhone this summer to coincide with the 3.0 OS release. i'm not claiming to have insider info, this is common knowledge and it's a dead certain thing.

i'll be upgrading to the 3rd gen iPhone from my 1st gen this summer for sure. and i can almost guarantee all these people hyped on the Pre are going to be disappointed when it's released, just like all the other wanna-be iphones that have come and gone before it.

[Phoenix @ Mar 18th 2009 6:42PM]

It is by no means definite. it's probable, but you can't say a company will definitely do something. Things like the lack of MMS for the 2G iPhone suggest they're resting on their laurels.

And how do you know the Pre will disappoint? you lose your remaining credibility by calling it a wannabe iPhone (Have you SEEN the innovation in it?), and without using both 3.0 and the Pre, you can't say which will disappoint.

[Sax25 @ Mar 18th 2009 7:06PM]

I too didn't bother upgrading my 2G phone to the 3G one when it came out as I felt that the features weren't justified. I do feel however that this summer's new iPhone will have signifcant hardware upgrades and perhaps be styled differently. Yeah sure it will disappoint and it will lack stuff we expected - but thats usual, I just feel that it will be a version to jump to.

What really upsets me about Apple however is that they have SHAFTED us 1st gen users over MMS. We've been the most vocal about it since day one and they took till v3.0 to add it - but now they give us some absolutely pathetic and bullshit excuse that 1st Gen iPhones won't have MMS because of some radio chip? Pulease.. all those MMS apps available right now must be transmitting via magic then huh Apple? I think they just want to force 1st adopters to upgrade. I know someone will hack the firmware to allow us 1st gen users to get MMS via normal means and that will be a sweet day indeed.

[utahnkid @ Mar 18th 2009 7:29PM]

I'm sorry but with the impending influx of 3rd party accessories with the new access to BT and the dock connector, and how insanely fast app development is maturing to the point of developing truly useful apps and genuinely fun to play games, the iPhone is set to be on a whole new level than the Pre.

I convinced my dad (an E.R. doc, and not easily excited about gadgets) to get an iPhone after showing him Epocrates and a few other medical related apps and he's already got half the hospital totally hooked on them. It's getting to the point where they're genuinely dependent on the added functionality these apps give them and when I showed him the two medical related examples of what access to bluetooth and the dock connector can bring to manufacturers from the 3.0 video, he was seriously giddy just thinking about the potential of having access to those kinds of tools. And this is just ONE field!

The Pre will always be just a phone, and most likely a good one, but the iPhone is already so much more. I honestly don't see how ANY, especially cash strapped Palm, manufacturer could catch up to the level of 3rd party apps/accessories and level of integration the iPhone has already achieved, and this is just the beginning. It's widely accepted that the future of computers is mobile and thanks to the iPhone, no company is better positioned to deliver on that front than Apple.

[Devin Brown @ Mar 18th 2009 8:32PM]

@pheonix - would you care to put money on it? it's a promise from me to you, new iphone this summer. that doesn't mean it'll be revolutionary compared to the 3g, but there will be new hardware and at the very least a slight cosmetic change along with storage capacity bump. also, i am predicting the pre will disappoint most of the people claiming to love it now. i'm not saying it will.

[George @ Mar 18th 2009 8:07PM]

@Sax25.....uh. The 2G iPhone IS the iPhone 3G. It is referring to the 2nd GENERATION iPhone which is the iPhone 3G.

[Hamidxa @ Mar 18th 2009 8:09PM]

Utahkid,

The features that you were touting to your father have been available forever and a day on WinMo smartphones, and plenty more that haven't and likely never will see the light of day on the iPhone, be it for technical limitations or otherwise.

As for Epocrates, heh, WinMo had that 4 years ago.
In other words, you and your father have been missing out for nearly half a decade now, and with the rate at which Apple themselves updates things or adds features, it will likely be another half decade before your precious iPhones receive features that have for some time now been standard on many a smartphone.

Welcome to 2005, see you again in 2010.

[avi @ Mar 18th 2009 8:27PM]

I don't think we are going to see the next gen iPhone anytime soon. Just look at how long it take for them to refresh their macbook lines and iMac's.
The fastest refresh was, the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G. But it was due to user's demand to have 3G connectivity and also a way for apple to reduce it's production cost (with those cheap looking plastic) for mass production.

So why should they introduce a new gen anytime soon. From Apple's point of view, the only thing that was lacking was their software support, which they try to fix with the latest OS.

New gen iPhone? meeh, it's not gonna happen this year

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Mar 18th 2009 9:04PM]

@utahnkid

I have to agree with you. I also have a father in the medical field and he simply loves his iPod Touch for the many things that it can do thanks to apps. He also has Epocrates loaded and some other apps as well. I've tried convincing him to get an iPhone, but I don't think he's ready for something like that yet. The thing is, using an iPod Touch is simply funner for him and everything looks better. He's used Windows Mobile before, but there's nothing worth remembering as far as I can tell. He uses a Palm Zire I believe and, sure, it gets the job done, but it's run its course.

[trackrunner908 @ Mar 18th 2009 9:34PM]

@George.....uh iphone 2g is actually the 1st generation iphone like he said. the 2g stands for the network(edge) and the iphone 3g(which is the 2nd generation iphone) is 3g because thats the network service... the 2g does not stand for the generation.

[Sax25 @ Mar 18th 2009 9:53PM]

@George

iPhone 2G = Original iPhone
iPhone 3G = iPhone 3G

iPhone 2G = 1st gen
iPhone 3G = 2nd gen

The only person confused seems to be you! I was not confused at all when I wrote that comment above. I referred to the iPhones based on their technology - 2G/3G. therefore iPhone 2G = original iPhone. When I am referring to them in terms of generation - I use the word "gen". 2G and 3G are not terms that people use to refer to the phones in terms of generation, but rather the inbuilt technology. The original iPhone is referred to as 2G or 1st gen. Neither Darren nor myself used it in the wrong way you assumed.

Since you have clearly been out the loop - here is a link to help you:

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2008/06/13/original-iphone-2g-pulled-from-att-stores/

[Shan @ Mar 18th 2009 11:23PM]

I find it amusing that some of you believe that Apple will NOT have a new iPhone this summer. Lets do some analyzing to put this into more perspective.

When the first phone launched - we had firmware 1.0. When the 2nd iPhone launched, it launched with firmware 2.0. Now with firmware 3.0 - do you seriously believe this will not launch simultaneously with a new iPhone? DOUBTFUL! Also every iPhone has been released each summer and firmware 3.0 is due summer 2009 - which also coincides nicely with the time of the year that they happen to release iPhones! They also showed us the new features of firmware 3.0 - but rest assured - they probably didn't mention a lot of stuff simply because it is tied into the new phone - which they obviously dont want details leaking about. I'll assume that a lot of new features won't be mentioned until the launch of the new iPhone.

Phones like the Pre and Nokia N97 will be stepping up the game. While the iPhone 3G is good, it certainly cannot go on for another whole year in its current form given the competition. All firmware updates after summer will be point releases so therefore not offer anything significant.

Look at Apples market share - 2 years ago, Apple had 0% of the mobile phone market. Currently they have 8%. That is a huge thing for a company that only 2 years ago did not have a single mobile phone with their name on it.

Look at the demand iPhones create too. Yeah sure its an Apple product and people will always rush out to buy it, but there is always a demand for the phones, because even with the shortcomings - they are actually decent phones and what they do, they do well. Also remember the kind of revenue Apple get - not only from hardware sales but also from revenue streams via each telecoms carrier. This is all serious money nobody can ignore.

The disasterous eceonomic situation worldwide for the last 8 months has companies seriously struggling and they need to do everything they can to generate revenue again. The iPhone is a big golden egg for Apple.

Now putting all this together and some of you seriously think that no new iPhone is coming out this summer? You're in denial then for sure!