Apple on Tuesday evening provided iPhone developers with a second beta of iPhone 3.1, the first update to its third-generation mobile operating system, while Mac developers saw a new incremental build of Snow Leopard.
iPhone Software 3.1 beta 2
Beta 2 is only accessible to those with an existing developer account. Released to developers Tuesday evening, the latest beta provides a number of fixes and features, including the ability to connect to and work with a system wirelessly, without the tether of a USB cable.
Developers who spoke with ArsTechnica confirmed the new WiFi connection feature, with one unnamed developer calling the addition “huge.â€
No official information is available regarding the upcoming iPhone OS 3.1 as developers are currently under a non-disclosure agreement. The second beta is available at the iPhone Dev Center Web site.
Though the new feature does free up a USB port and allows more flexibility for developers, Apple has reportedly warned that physically tethering is still the preferred method, as it is faster and consumes less power.
As revealed with the first release, 3.1 also adds Bluetooth and video features. Users can now invoke Voice Control using a Bluetooth headset rather than a wired headset or the built-in microphone. When editing video clips, users can save a copy of the trimmed video instead of permanently losing the discarded ends.
ArsTechnica reports that developers cannot install applications from Xcode or debug them via WiFi.
Further additions appear to improve battery life, greater access to video recording features for developers, and possible preparation for adding MMS support for AT&T subscribers.
First seeded to developers at the end of June, the first beta and SDK reportedly included roughly a dozen new extensions for the OpenGL ES graphics library, allowing developers to improve graphics on the iPhone 3GS. Beta 2 reportedly includes fixes for the OS Xcode, as well as other facets of the software.
Mac OS X 10.6 build 10A411
Separately, developers testing Snow Leopard received build 10A411 of the operating system over the next-gen system's Software Update mechanism.
"This Snow Leopard Developer Preview Update is recommended for all users running the Snow Leopard Developer Preview Build 10A402 or later," Apple reportedly told developers. "This update includes general operating system fixes for stability, compatibility, and security."
The latest update weighs in at roughly 730 MB, about half the size of build 10A402a distributed last week.