Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Latest iPhone 2.0 beta adds geo-tagging to Camera photos

A new beta of Apple's iPhone Software v2.0 Update released privately to a select group of enterprise partners this week adds a few new preferences and the beginnings of geo-tagging support for the handset's Camera app.

People familiar with the release, reportedly labeled build 5A292g, say location-aware services such as "Maps" and "Camera" now ask the user's permission before transmitting data used to identify their current geographical location.

The addition as it applies to the Camera application is interesting in that it suggests Apple is actively working on adding support for geo-tagging photographs, those people say.

Essentially, geo-tagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to media files such as latitude and longitude coordinates — or even names of places — so that those files can later be referenced, searched, and grouped based on their origin.

In addition, Apple is also reported to have added a toggle under the iPhone's general preference pane that will allow users to enable/disable Location Services on a system-wide basis.

Although the new beta prompts users for permission to use Location Services in the Camera application, those people familiar with the software say it appears that location metadata is not yet embedded in new photographs.

iPhone Software 2.0 is due next month alongside the company's much-anticipated next-generation iPhone that will boast support for so-called 3G networks. However, it will also be made available for existing iPhone owners.

One of the most highly anticipated features of the software is the App Store, which will allow users to purchase a wide variety of native third-party applications that are currently under development for both generations of the touch-screen handset.



89 Comments

anantksundaram 19 Years · 20391 comments

1472 songs in an 8GB iPhone?! Wow. No jazz or classical there.......

right_said_fred 18 Years · 806 comments

Interesting that right smack in the middle of Washington DC, the signal strength is not exactly saturating is it?
I know it could be inside a building, but even with the (few) limitations of existing iPhone software - the coverage compared to Verizon is just awful, I don't care that much - but I sometimes still feel guilty about dumping Verizon - each time I feel I'm somewhere in the 'burbs - and get little or no signal

b16a2 17 Years · 2 comments

Maybe I havent seen enough iphone beta test screenshots, but does anyone find it curious as to why the model number on the phone is obscured? Is it possible that its running on a beta 3G iphone, and they dont want to out the model number just yet? It looks kinda like it reads MA748A?

What do you guys think?

ammoniad 17 Years · 7 comments

Anan, keep in mind there are also 1,400 pictures on that iPhone, taking up space...

Seems to me geotagging photos would be pretty useless without GPS...

anantksundaram 19 Years · 20391 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmmoniaD

Anan, keep in mind there are also 1,400 pictures on that iPhone, taking up space....

I.e., the songs must be even shorter, nursery rhyme length....