Data detection, push settings show in iPhone 3.0
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Fri April 17, 2009
iPhone 3.0 UI tweaks
Minor but significant interface changes have been discovered in the latest builds of the iPhone 3.0 beta, say developers. Among these are new data detectors in several applications, used to automatically convert text into workable links. In Notes for example, text identified as a phone number can now be tapped to dial out. An e-mail address can likewise be tapped to send a message through Mail.
A Push Notification panel has been implemented under Settings, reflecting the newly begun testing of push-enabled apps. The panel lets users selectively toggle sounds, alerts and/or icon badges. A global toggle lets users disable notifications completely.
The mobile Safari web browser has meanwhile been tweaked to let users close all open windows without having to create a blank one first. In previous versions of Safari, the Close button would be absent from the last window left open; under the latest iPhone 3.0 beta, the button is in place and will automatically replace the final window with a blank one.
Apple additionally appears to have seeded the beta with graphics needed to show battery life in terms of percentages, rather than a bar. The 22 unused PNG files are divided into black and red tilesets, the latter likely being meant for critical status warnings. Future versions of the iPhone 3.0 firmware may thus offer the choice of viewing power in two or more formats.
