[- - e r i k - -]

You heard it here first.

Originally Posted by Apple

The iPhone 2.1 software update contains many bug fixes and improvements. To get it, connect your iPhone to your computer using iTunes 8 and click Check for Update.

Update includes:

Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls
Significantly better battery life for most users
Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
Faster installation of 3rd party applications
Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications
Improved performance in text messaging
Faster loading and searching of contacts
Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
Genius playlist creation

[turtle777]

I'm gonna wait for a week or so.

Let others be the guinea pigs

-t

[- - e r i k - -]

Seriously. Can it get any worse?

[issa]

WIth Mac OS X, I normally wait a while to see what issues arise with third party software I need for work and "heavy lifting". But in this case, I'm more than happy to play guinea pig. Updating this very moment.

[- - e r i k - -]

Mine's finished.

So far backing up was at least cut in half. Installing/updating apps from the computer also seems faster.

[- - e r i k - -]

My 200+ contacts now load close to instantly. Slight lag the first time, but they appear to be cached now. Nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

[- - e r i k - -]

Obviously too early to tell, but everything seems more responsive and I have yet to have it crash. Even on such surefire scenarios as playing the iPod (now with Genius) and loading web pages through NetNewsWire and typing fast

[mitchell_pgh]

I didn't have the 1.x software, and I've been mostly happy with the 2.0.x stuff... so from everyone else out there, it really can't get worse IMHO. Bla... it's Friday and I have a few Genius bars in the neighborhood, so I'm not freaking out.

2.1, here I come!

[- - e r i k - -]

FWIW, I now get full 3G reception from within my apartment (sadly no GPS still ), and speedtest gives me 228 Kb/s down / 200.36 Kb/s up.

[Zeeb]

I also have full 3G reception now in my apartment in Brooklyn--393kps. Wow, an update that has actually *improved* the performance of my phone!

[ccrider]

I guess no copy/paste eh?

Also, I wonder if apple's remote app will be updated to support genius playlist creation, which to me is one of the best surprises to come out of the new itunes. I was fan of MusicIP Mixer, until it corrupted a lot of my music that is... Apple's implementation is much more elegant.

Well, here goes.. I'll be happy not to wait 2 hours for the iphone to backup, that's for sure.

[64stang06]

I was hoping push notification would have made it.

[issa]

Here are my initial observations of the obvious differences in the first few minutes of tinkering.

My iPhone now displays five bars (full 3G reception) at my desk. I previously got *none*. To what degree this represents a truly stronger signal as opposed to "display adjustments" is left to be seen. Then again, I never had problems with dropped calls or reception in the past. (That's here in Tokyo.)

As with - - e r i k - -, my contacts can be accessed much more quickly. (That's about 200 contacts with quite a few data fields filled for each.) There is a slight lag when selecting the app right from the Home screen the first time. But it's quick afterwards, and available right away when I access it from within the phone app.

I find movement around the Home Screen and the launching of apps noticeably lighter and quicker. Hope that lasts.

So far, I've incurred no problems using the slew of installed apps as a result of the upgrade, or with data contained within those third-party apps.

Only two things have caught my eye that I don't quite understand. Neither pose problems, but it would be nice to have reference information to determine why they appear(ed).

The first was a message showing the first time the iPhone rebooted after the update. A translucent blue message box appeared before unlocking (swiping) the phone, such as when an SMS message has been received. It read (in Japanese), "Your iPhone has been activated". Odd, and here I thought it was activated over a month ago... The same message appeared when I reached the Home screen as well.

The second is a small thing that will become clear soon. When I launched the iPod app, it opened to the video tab (screen), just as I had left it. However, there were solid blue dots to the left of a few videos that I've viewed before. I thought the blue dot was for material that hadn't yet been viewed. But what was really new was a few clips with for which a blue and white dot appeared. That's essentially a blue ring half filled in blue, with the other half left white. Not sure what that one means, and hadn't seen it before. A partially viewed video, perhaps? (Note that it now appears on a couple of videos that I know I have watched to the end.)

That's about it. Here's hoping I witness the dramatic increase in battery run-time per charge! (Battery life per charge was maybe the greatest incentive in installing the firmware update right away.)

[- - e r i k - -]

Now to wait for applications to take advantage. Especially Facebook 2.0

[ccrider]

Originally Posted by issa 

The first was a message showing the first time the iPhone rebooted after the update. A translucent blue message box appeared before unlocking (swiping) the phone, such as when an SMS message has been received. It read (in Japanese), "Your iPhone has been activated". Odd, and here I thought it was activated over a month ago... The same message appeared when I reached the Home screen as well.

The second is a small thing that will become clear soon. When I launched the iPod app, it opened to the video tab (screen), just as I had left it. However, there were solid blue dots to the left of a few videos that I've viewed before. I thought the blue dot was for material that hadn't yet been viewed. But what was really new was a few clips with for which a blue and white dot appeared. That's essentially a blue ring half filled in blue, with the other half left white. Not sure what that one means, and hadn't seen it before. A partially viewed video, perhaps? (Note that it now appears on a couple of videos that I know I have watched to the end.))

The activation thing happens every time one updates the iphone, completely normal. The half-dot thing is new and from what I've read, it signal that the video has been partially watched, but not finished. Correct me if I'm wrong someone.

[CorpITGuy]

Seems "snappier".

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

I'm gonna wait for a week or so.

Let others be the guinea pigs

-t

I'm with Turtle. I'm still at 1.1.3 and will be staying there until Apple can convince me that they remember how to write stable code.

[issa]

Originally Posted by ccrider 

The activation thing happens every time one updates the iphone, completely normal.

Thanks. I didn't think it that odd. Still, I don't recall seeing this message when I updated from 2.0 to 2.0.1, or from 2.0.1 to 2.0.2. And I'm pretty sure that I would have noticed had it appeared, so shared the observation. It's true that I started out with 2.0; maybe it was something omitted in those incremental updates?

Originally Posted by ccrider 

The half-dot thing is new and from what I've read, it signal that the video has been partially watched, but not finished. Correct me if I'm wrong someone.

That was my assumption, as I wrote. The oddity I intended to point out is that the half-dot appears beside videos that I have watched through to the end on more than one occasion.

[CorpITGuy]

Wow. This is one of the best updates yet.

For once, "snappier" isn't just a joke....

It makes this thing a lot more usable.... especially the contacts.

[Simon]

I'll also let others be the guinea pigs. At least for as long as I can resist the temptation. Maybe another six to twelve hours.

[QSilver]

@issa
Nice write-up. Thanks for the details. I too saw the Now Activated message when I upgraded a first gen iPhone from 1.1.3 to 2.0.2.

@Wiskedjak
Assuming 2.1 still looks good over the next few days, I would recommend the upgrade from 1.1.3. I was on v1.1.3 until about two weeks ago. Avoided the 2.0 and 2.0.1 upgrades like the plague. I had been waiting patiently for v2 to get better because I really wanted an easy connect to the company's Exchange server. That was a snap to set-up after I upgraded and has worked fine since.

In 2.0.2, I've noticed the lag when accessing Contacts that has been commented on all over the place (only slightly annoying to me). If that's fixed in 2.1, great. The one problem I've had that I have not seen documented is incoming calls getting shuttled automatically to voice-mail when browsing email. I understand the limits of EDGE but it's happened 2-3 times in the last two weeks, which is more frequently than I remember with 1.1.x.

I'll sit back for a day or two and watch the reports roll in. Remember, even with a "good" upgrade, the problems will probably outweigh the kudos.

QS

[edited to add to add a thought I had overlooked.]

[osiris]

I upgraded, and don't notice anything different. I hope battery life is better.
So far though, I still have only Edge in my apartment - it goes to G then back to E. Granted, I live in a steel & concrete building that I couldn't even make calls from using Tmobile.

I have to put it through a better test to see what's improved. The actual updating was a snap and took about 15 minutes.

[vmarks]

I'm going for 2.1 now. I recall how nice 1.1.4 was and honestly, I wouldn't have minded sticking with that, although the applications are a good addition.

Here's hoping 2.1 is as good as the people here lead me to believe.

[CorpITGuy]

Originally Posted by osiris 

I upgraded, and don't notice anything different. I hope battery life is better.
So far though, I still have only Edge in my apartment - it goes to G then back to E. Granted, I live in a steel & concrete building that I couldn't even make calls from using Tmobile.

I have to put it through a better test to see what's improved. The actual updating was a snap and took about 15 minutes.

In many places, 3G is at 1900 MHz, whereas EDGE is @ 850 MHz. This is not the case everywhere, of course, but it makes sense in your case. RF penetrates well at lower frequencies just like sound does. This is why you hear "thump, thump, thump" from your neighbor's stereo but none of the high noises.

[smoak5]

seems like a 2.0.3 update rather than a 2.1...

sure, they fixed a few bugs like delayed text, sluggish contacts, better 3g reception (which should have been there from the start), but where is the cut-paste, GPS improvements, etc. that were rumored about??

[osiris]

Originally Posted by CorpITGuy 

In many places, 3G is at 1900 MHz, whereas EDGE is @ 850 MHz. This is not the case everywhere, of course, but it makes sense in your case. RF penetrates well at lower frequencies just like sound does. This is why you hear "thump, thump, thump" from your neighbor's stereo but none of the high noises.

Interesting assessment. The irony of this is that I receive 3G in my elevator, and lose it once I'm home. Fortunately the neighbor's stereo is silent.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by smoak5 

seems like a 2.0.3 update rather than a 2.1...

sure, they fixed a few bugs like delayed text, sluggish contacts, better 3g reception (which should have been there from the start), but where is the cut-paste, GPS improvements, etc. that were rumored about??

Cut and paste was something I was hoping for. Maybe Christmas?

edit: I mean COPY and paste... it wouldn't do much good to cut and paste, now would it?

[Mac User #001]

No push notification? Okay.....

At least its got a lot of great bug fixes and speed improvements. I have yet to update my touch yet, but I'll get to it tonight.

[solofx7]

does anyone know if the 1st gen iphone will get better reception?

[analogue SPRINKLES]

I don't like the way the new 3G icon looks, looked better in the block.

[mitchell_pgh]

Overall, I'm very happy.

Pros:
- The reception seems to be better at work, can't wait to get home (maybe I'll have 3g in my apt!)
- The battery is noticeably better. Maybe now, I'll get a few days out of it as compared to one full day (granted, I'm NOT a normal user)
- Speed, speed, speed...
- I now consider address book usable. Sure, I COULD use it before, but it was a pain.

Cons:;
- I liked the Edge and 3G icons at the top...
- I'm like most... wanted cut/paste in some basic form... if you text me a piece of information, I should never have to memorize it. That's old world.

[Simon]

So what's the deal with the new badges? Apple's PR image doesn't show any difference. Any screenshots?

[analogue SPRINKLES]

What new badges?

[higuy83]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

What new badges?

I think Simon is talking about the new 3G and EDGE badges in the upper left corner on the iPhone screen. In the press image he attached, the 3G icon appears as it did before the 2.1 update (mine is updating now so I can't see the difference on my own phone).

-Brian

[vmarks]

FWIW in this area, we do not have 850mHz, only 1900. I determined this when testing the Griffin ClearBoost case, which is engineered to boost the 850 frequency, but actually has a negligible-to-diminishing effect on the 1900 band.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by higuy83 

I think Simon is talking about the new 3G and EDGE badges in the upper left corner on the iPhone screen. In the press image he attached, the 3G icon appears as it did before the 2.1 update (mine is updating now so I can't see the difference on my own phone).

-Brian

Looks like the photoshop wiz's forgot about that part.

[krove]

Does the iPhone iPod application record play counts and add them to the iTunes library play count on sync?

I don't think it did this before. It is important for some smart playlists that update based on play count. Since I use my iPhone for music more than itunes, some songs never drop off these playlists because it didn't think they were being played. I think it's also important now for Genius recommendations.

I'll check myself, but I though I would ask in case someone knew.

[Rumor]

My 3G reception at home went from 1 or 2 bars to 5.

[imitchellg5]

Not to be picky, but 2.1 is a software update, not firmware.

[glideslope]

Software, and Firmware. Clearly identified during each part of the upgrade process. Will check 3G -db tomorrow. In my living room on Edge I now show -71db. Used to always be -91db. -110 to -115 is where calls start to drop.

Bars mean nothing. Put your phone in field test mode to check your -db signal. -51 is the best possible.

Love 2.1. Thanks Apple. Now slow down for a while and beta test better.

[Cold Warrior]

from -91 to -71 dB is quite a gain (pun intended). I wonder what under-the-hood changes were made to affect the improvement, as that sort of increase often involves hardware.

[Johnqp]

Just upgraded. First thing I saw was that my address book of more than 2,000 contacts now is very responsive both in opening and in searching.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Not to be picky, but 2.1 is a software update, not firmware.

Good thing you prefaced that with "Not to be picky", because that sure sounded picky to me.

[imitchellg5]

Sorry. I just wanted to point it out for future reference.

[krove]

Yes, iPod app tracks play counts. Not sure if this is new with 2.1 or 2.0, but I know the 1.x series iPhone OS didn't track play counts.

[jorgem4]

Just updated to 2.1 and I see NO genious playlist on my iPod app. I don't see the genious icon on the bar that comes up where the shuffel icon is at !! Am I missing something ?

I was really looking forward to that feature on my iPhone !

[imitchellg5]

It's big and in the middle, has a nucleus symbol.

[jorgem4]

Yeah I know what it should look like but I don't see the symbol or icon ! Anyone else with this issue ?

[imitchellg5]

Well that is very weird. I guess you should restore. That sucks. Are you sure it actually installed? Look under About in Settings. I've heard that a few people have downloaded the update but it didn't actually install 2.1, just the last version of 2.0.

[glideslope]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

from -91 to -71 dB is quite a gain (pun intended). I wonder what under-the-hood changes were made to affect the improvement, as that sort of increase often involves hardware.

Not sure about that. There was some serious Firmware changes coordinated with at&t me thinks. You'll notice there is now a Carrier Version under settings/about. I'm wondering if iPhones may have their own nodes on the towers now? The big test will be the 3G check tomorrow, and a weeks worth of use. Many people report no change in their -db, others an increase.

Most likely serious hardware tweaking with firmware closely coordinated with at&t?

Will report in 1 week.