Apple has posted an iPhone OS 2.2 beta for developers. Specific enhancements in this release are not yet available, but we should have more details shortly….

As previously noted, users continue to report poor 3G signal strength under iPhone OS 2.1. To be clear, iPhone OS 2.1 does not purport to actually boost signal strength. Instead, it provides “more accurate” signal strength display, which, in most cases, means more bar bars, but not necessarily better reception or ability to make/receive calls. However, it appears that “more accurate” may mean “unreasonably generous.”

Noted in our previous report, the most reliable indicator of actual signal strength is the iPhones dB meter, which can be accessed in field test mode. Dial *3001#12345#* then press “Call.” A dB reading below 50 generally indicates good strength.

iPhone Atlas reader Michael did some testing, and found that widely varying dB readings resulted in the same five-bar signal indicator on his iPhone. He writes:

“After I upgraded to 2.1, I did indeed notice a consistent indication of ‘5 bars’ of signal strength. Then I learned how to put my iPhone in field test mode so the phone displays an absolute signal strength indication of dBm rather than a relative signal strength indication of ‘bars.’ You can then tap the signal strength to switch between the two. I have done an informal survey and observed the following:

1. -50 dBm = 5 signal bars
2. -75 dBm = 5 signal bars
3. -80 dBm = 5 signal bars
4. -95 dBm = 5 signal bars
5. -113 dBm = 5 signal bars

Michael’s results beg the question — does iPhone OS 2.1 really provide more accurate signal strength indication? Or does it simply inflate the signal strength reading?

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

Many users have reported an issue in which the iPhone’s mail application fails to retrieve messags in the background, no matter what checking interval is set and regardless of whether or not push is enabled. An Apple Discussions thread harbors more than 275 posts on the issue.

iPhone Atlas reader Anil Panigrahi writes:

“After updating to the latest iPhone firmware (2.1), many users, including myself, are finding that there is no email fetching while the phone is in standby mode. This is a major concern to many users, business users in particular.”

An Apple Discussions poster quips:

“This is the new fix Jobs implemented in 2.1 to fix the battery life”

Fix Some users have now reported that downgrading to iPhone OS 2.0.2, setting up email accounts anew, then updating back to iPhone OS 2.1 resolves this issue.

Visual instructions for downgrading can be found in this YouTube video (embedded below)

and links to old OS versions can be found here.

The fourth lawsuit against Apple and AT&T over the iPhone 3G has been filed. Like the others before it, this suit alleges that Apple and AT&T are “deceptive, improper or unlawful conduct in design, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and sale” of the iPhone 3G.

The lawsuit was was filed in the New York Eastern District Court by Jai Sen and is claiming class action status. The complaint itself can be found here.

The complaint details some of what we’ve seen in the past and a little more, including the following issues surrounding the iPhone 3G: hairline cracks in the iPhone case, 3G power demands affecting battery life, AT&T’s struggle to respond to the unusual demands on its infrastructure, and misleading advertising by both parties.

The lawsuit is seeking the usual: restitution, damages, and disclosures and/or disclaimers to be added to packaging and advertisements for the iPhone 3G.

At press time, neither AT&T or Apple were available for comment.

Apple has announced a new buying program for the iPhone 3G, purportedly designed to help quicken purchase of the device in anticipation of the forthcoming holiday season.

The process, outlined at this Apple website, is fairly simple and consists of four steps:

1. First, customers enter their credit card information, billing address, data of birth and social security number for an automated credit check. If you get successful credit approval you will be able to proceed to the next steps.
2. Second, you review your eligibility and pricing.
3. Third, you select your preferred calling plan
4. Finally you review your order. Then you make arrangements regarding your choice of Apple store and date and time you want to pickup your iPhone 3G.

According to the website:

“Once you’re done, choose your closest Apple Retail Store and let us know when you’d like to come in to complete your purchase,” Apple says. “An Apple Specialist will be ready to help you personalize your new iPhone 3G, make calls, browse the web, receive email, and more.”

The iPhone 3G will still require in-store activation according to sources familiar with the program.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

According to a Macworld UK article, AT&T chief technology officer John Donovan last week confirmed the US carrier had been “unprepared for the US success of the iPhone 3G.”

The information was gathered from statements made by Donovan at the Goldman Sachs Technology Conference last week. Donovan reportedly admitted that demand for 3G services in some areas exceeded expectation, causing AT&T to scramble to build up it’s capacity in those areas.

In light of the recent lawsuits filed against the Apple and AT&T these public comments are very interesting indeed. They could help explain common poor 3G reception, poor switching between EDGE and 3G, and frequent dropped calls because the iPhone and/or network is unable to process the handover from 3G to EDGE or visa versa. Complaints continue even after the release of iPhone OS 2.0.2 and 2.1.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

Apple has launched a new free iPhone Developer University Program. The program was created for higher education institutions interested in introducing curriculum for developing iPhone OS applications.

The program will allow instructors and professors to create a development team with up to 200 students. Additionally the site offers a number of development resources, tools for testing and debugging and the ability to share applications within the development team — the same benefits afforded by the general iPhone Developer Program.

Applications created by these institutions can even be submitted to the iTunes App Store for distribution. The program will only be available to accredited higher education institutions within the United States.

What happens to the Apple’s maligned Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in the University Program remains to be seen. The NDA is curbing collaboration by developers, preventing the publication of many books, and now restricting republishing of communication with Apple, but likely won’t find the University setting to be friendly territory.

Apple’s iPhone Configuration Utility 1.0.1, released late last week, isn’t designed as an end-user troubleshooting tool. Instead it’s meant to “create, maintain, and sign configuration profiles, and track and install provisioning profiles and authorized applications” allowing enterprise users to create configuration profiles for device deployment.

The Configuration Utility provides two functions, however, that can be very useful for troubleshooting:

• It can uninstall applications directly from the host computer. This capability can remove stubborn apps that cannot be deleted directly from the iPhone. Some third-party applications can cause systemic issues, which can be resolved through their removal via a host computer.
• It allows easy access to the iPhone’s console log, showing application and general system errors, successful or failed attempts to connect to networks and much more. These logs can prove invaluable for pinpointing otherwise elusive issues.

The iPhone Configuration Utility is currently available only for Mac OS X as a 9.1MB download.

Users continue to report poor 3G signal strength under iPhone OS 2.1. To be clear, iPhone OS 2.1 does not purport to actually boost signal strength. Instead, it provides “more accurate” signal strength display, which, in most cases, means more bar bars, but not necessarily better reception or ability to make/receive cals.

Two sample reports from this Apple Discussion thread:

• “the point is that the 3G did go from zero to all the bars but still dropping the calls!
• “I just bought my iphone yesterday and asoon as i got home the reception was terribal so i updated it to 2.1 and instead of getting no bars i get 1 to 3 bars but it goes off and on and turns 3g off and goes to edge.”

The most reliable indicator of actual signal strength is the iPhones dB meter, which can be accessed in field test mode. Dial *3001#12345#* then press “Call.” A dB reading below 50 generally indicates good strength.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

As widely reported, the iPhone takes a screenshot every time the home button is pressed so that the 3D “zoom” effect can be processed when the application zooms in and out, when suspending and resuming applications. These shots are stored, at least temporarily, on the device, presenting potential privacy issues.

Jonathan Zdziarski, author of the book iPhone Open Application Development and an iPhone Forensics manual, has deviced a way to disable this writing to disk, so that screenshots cannot be recovered.

He writes: “(I) found that the screenshots themselves actually get written to /var/mobile/Library/Caches/Snapshots. If you delete this folder and symlink it to /dev/null, the screenshots don’t get written to disk. The side effect to this is that when resuming an application, you’ll get the default screen in the zoom-in effect. Once the application resumes, however, you’ll have your application screen back. For example, your mail application will always zoom to the front as if you had an empty inbox, but will quickly correct itself once the application resumes. On a jailbroken iPhone, you can disable these screenshots with the following commands:

“To return to the default behavior, just delete the symlink and the directory will get recreated. Mind you, this has no effect on the many other pieces of data stored on the iPhone, and therefore your iPhone will always be at risk for leaking private data, especially to seasoned forensic examiners. Use at your own risk.”

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.