Apple has spent some time outlining technology that would add a new level of interaction between iPhone users, such as the ability to share and control playback of digital media files like music tracks and video during a telephone call. 

The concept is outlined in a 19-page patent filing discovered by AppleInsider this week titled “Methods and systems for mixing media with communications” and credited to Apple software engineer Jeffrey Terlizzi. It begins by noting that while media items are becoming increasingly portable for mobile users these days, they’re still not as easily shared with others located remotely in real time. 

“For example, an individual may call his friend to discuss music, but in order for the friend to listen to the music, the individual either may have to send the music to the friend using a device other than his telephone,” according to the filing, “or he may have to end the phone call and use the telephone to send the friend an email with the music attached.” 

Cut-and-dried, Apple’s approach to improving upon this limitation is to include an “Add Media” option to the iPhone’s phone application that would allow users to attach and transmit media items to another iPhone user with whom they’re currently engaged in a phone call. Among the listed types of media suitable for transmission during calls are music files, video, images, voicemails, and podcasts. 

“For example, the user may initiate a telephone call with his friend in order to ask the friend if she is familiar with a particular song,” Apple said. “Once the phone call has been established between the user and his friend, the user may select the song of interest from his communications device, and he may send the song to his friend over the same communication path used by the communications device to establish the communications operation, so that the two may continue their phone conversation while the song plays simultaneously.” 

Alternatively, the filing notes that “the communications device may receive a communications operation in the form of a request for a video conference, and once the conference is established, the user may select a video (e.g., a YouTube.TM. selection) to be sent back to the conference initiator by the communications device over the same communication path.” 

iPhone users would also have full control over playback of media items once they’re shared, according to Apple. For example, they could pause and resume playback of a shared digital music track, skip to the next or previous track in the sender’s music library, or switch to transmitting a different media item entirely.

Throughout the filing, the Cupertino-based company makes numerous references to interactive iPhone video conferences where digital media files are shared, something not possible with today’s iPhone models because they don’t include include a forward-facing video camera. 

“For example, the user may wish to transmit a video media item to the recipient of a communications operation, where the ongoing communications operation is in the form of a video conference,” Apple said. “Thus, there may be two video data streams to transmit to the recipient, one related to the media item and one related to the communications operation.”

“There may also be two audio data streams to transmit. In order to transmit all of the streams over the same communication path, the control circuitry may employ a multiplexer to combine together any video streams, and to combine together any audio streams,” the filing adds. “The multiplexer may then combine into one fixed stream the two combined streams. The control circuitry may signal the communications circuitry to transmit the fixed stream to the recipient of the communications operation using any suitable approach.”

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The number of undocumented new features in iPhone OS 2.2 is small relative to some other releases, which were accompanied by skimpy release notes. Among the few niceties discovered so far:

Mail rendering improvements Several users have reported enhanced readability of HTML messages in Mail.app under the new release. One iPhone Atlas reader writes:

“In the past, many html-formatted messages would have the unpleasant tendency to appear in my iPhone with fonts much too small to be viewable on the iPhone’s screen, requiring irritating horizontal swipes. Since the 2.2 upgrade, however, I’ve noticed that Mail - after briefly showing the original message for a fraction of a second - automatically changes the font size and formatting of those messages, and makes them completely readable. I noticed this in the daily Tech Bulletins I get from IHT.com, for example, among other sites. A very welcome improvement indeed. Kudos, Apple!”

Emebdded YouTube Playability indicator The ability to see graphic indicators of embedded YouTube content in Safari on the iPhone has existed for several OS iterations. These graphics can be clicked, launching the YouTube application. which may or may not playback the video, dependent on whether or not the video has been encoded for the iPhone.

Under OS 2.2, however, the graphic indicates whether or not the YouTube video is playable.

One iPhone Atlas reader writes:

“On web pages that have embedded YouTube videos, the frame now tells you in advance whether the movie is playable on the iPhone’s YouTube app. If it isn’t playable, you’ll see only a gray frame with a play button and a slash through it. If it is, you see the movie and a play button, as normal.

“Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when trying to stream video podcasts. When you try this with an incompatible podcast (like ABC’s Barack Obama videos), you have to connect and start downloading before a message comes up and tells you you can’t play it.”

Slide-deletion for podcasts In addition to podcasts now being available for download in the iTunes application (over Wi-Fi and cellular networks), iPhone OS 2.2 adds the ability to swipe-delete podcasts.

One iPhone Atlas reader writes:

“After updating to FW 2.2 I can now delete audio podcasts by sliding your finger across it and press delete. I believe this was restricted to video podcasts before 2.2, but not 100% sure.”

(via iPhoneAtlas.com)

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New features in 2.5 Beta:
- Ability to insert a contact name & number or email address when composing an SMS just right swipe in the message text box (not supported in landscape mode)
- Ability to insert your current GPS location coordinates when composing an SMS just right swipe
in the message text box (not supported in landscape mode)
- For incoming SMS messages that contain a http url, now allows user to open up Safari, YouTube or Google Maps
- Added Landscape mode when composing an SMS message, and with a larger font as well!! (you need to be in the compose text box before it’ll rotate to landscape)
- Faster navigation from “Text Messages” view to specific message conversation
- Compliance with Cydia Mobile Substrate framework for registering of dylibs (now a Cydia prerequisite)
- Unify status bar color (containing character counter and credit / message indicator)

- Upon pressing “Send…” keyboard reverts to normal mode (if currently in numbers / special symbols mode) as per Apple SMS application If you can’t wait until the 2.5 general release you can beta test biteSMS 2.5 by adding the following repo to your Cydia Installer: http://www.bitesms.com/cydia/beta

[via iClarified]

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MXTube is one of my favorite most used apps created by MxWeas, a young teenager programmer with tonnes of skill and talent. I use this app almost everyday for downloading music, reviews, stand up comedy clips and anything I am in the mood for that day. Read more…

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