A recent iPhone firmware beta was sent to developers with a few hidden features: Google streetview, Japanese Emoji icons and the option to turn off the iPhone.Google Streetview mirrors the desktop version of Google Maps. The feature allows you to see destinations from a street view. Google first introduced the mobile version of the feature in its Android mobile operating system, available on the T-Mobile G1 phone in October.
Japanese Emoji icons are emoticons for text messaging. The addition of the icons to the firmware suggest the lack of the icons were slowing down adoption in Japan markets.
The ability to turn off the iPhone’s auto-correction feature will satisfy iPhone users with precise thumbs. The feature would automatically correct what it perceived of as misspellings and improper usage. The feature takes a while to get used to and has a tendency to overcorrect sometimes with improper suggestions. Correcting the iPhone’s mistakes becomes a time consuming task, particularly when ur txting w kewl shorthand.
Respecting Streetview functionality, the new version of Google Maps for mobile has the same street-level imagery available on desktop. You can launch Street View from any address where Google has photography, or simply by clicking on the map and selecting "Street View". You can browse Street View overlaid on the map or in full screen, rotate your view to see more of your surroundings, and move along the street.
There are other features to help you search for and get to businesses and locations. You can now read business reviews, so you'll know if it's actually worth driving across town to that store. And once you decide where to go, you can get there on foot using the same walking directions (beta) we recently launched on desktop. Finally, you'll notice significant improvements in search speed with this version, as well as better location accuracy in all versions thanks to this week's My Location update.
The newest Google Maps for mobile is available now for BlackBerry and many Java-enabled phones. To download it to your phone, visit google.com/gmm from your phone's web browser or on the desktop.
