iPhone Software

Apple plans to add more functionality to the stock Camera app in iOS 5. One of the features will allow the volume buttons on the side of the iPhone to snap a picture, making it unnecessary to touch the screen. This is much easier and lets the iOS device act more like a standard point-and-shoot camera.

Luckily for those who have jailbroken their iPhones this functionality can be installed right away. A tweak called CameraButtons provides this feature and much more for only 99 cents. To find the app open Cydia and navigate to Sections -> Tweaks -> CameraButtons or find the package using Search.

The latest round of updates and changes to Apple's mobile operating system hit developer's iPhones yesterday, and with it a new expiration date that could indicate the final release date for iOS 5. Not only this, but Apple's next generation iPhone 5 hardware is expected to launch simultaneously and ship with iOS 5 installed.

Developers with iOS 5 beta 3 or later can install the beta 6 update over-the-air (OTA) via a 144 MB download. According to developer @iH8sn0w, the expiration date for iOS 5 beta 6 is Thursday September 29, 2011. The million dollar question is will this be the last beta version of iOS 5 or not?

Two patents submitted by Apple point to major feature enhancements under development that would dramatically change the iOS Maps app on iPhones and other mobile devices. Both patents were discovered in the past two weeks by AppleInsider. The patent diagram below shows Apple's take on augmented reality.

Several apps have tried to implement augmented reality by overlaying graphics on top of live video from the iPhone camera. In one example, Yelp included a feature that showed nearby businesses directly on live video of the area. The app made waves two years ago as the first iOS augmented reality application, combining data from the camera, GPS and compass.

Some registered Apple developers are finding email warnings from Apple in their inboxes as the company cracks down on unauthorized distribution of iOS 5 beta. Reports from users who have paid developers to activate their UDID (unique device identifiers) indicate that Apple could even be deactivating devices running beta versions of the firmware and suspending developer accounts.

The timing of the reports coincide with Apple's routine deactivation of iOS 5 beta 1 and 2, which could explain some of the deactivations. Version 5 was recently seeded to developers and Apple is expected to release a final iOS 5 firmware to consumers this fall. As usually happens, some developers violate their agreement with Apple and sell device slots to users who can't wait to get their hands on the latest iPhone operating system.

The party is officially over. iPhone owners who are using their devices as a cellular modem without permission from AT&T are about to see a change in their monthly bill. The wireless provider is about to act on the warnings it sent to users in violation of its terms of service earlier this year.

AT&T currently requires a $20 tethering plan to allow the iPhone to share its cellular data connection with other devices. The tethering plan provides 2 GB of data on top of the 2 GB Data Pro plan costing $25 monthly. Here's the catch: those subscribed to the $30 unlimited data plan aren't allowed to sign up for tethering at all.