Hands-on with Apple MacBook Air, Time Capsule, Apple TV, updated iPod touch & iPhone and iTunes rentals

By Nate Lanxon on 15 January 2008, 8:55pm

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Next up was some iPhone news. New firmware, released free of charge today, will add better functionality for maps, the ability to send multiple text messages at once, plus some very impressive new tools for use with the phone's home screen.

Our favourite was the ability to add 'Web clips' to the main screen of the iPhone. This lets you zoom in on a certain area of a Web site, then bookmark both the page and the level of zoom you've applied. A quick thumbnail is created for that 'clip' and is automatically added to the home screen for easy access in the future. Up to nine such home screens can be created, each accessible with a finger swipe from right to left. Or vice-versa if you're so inclined.

The iPhone will also now show you your current location on the handset's maps. Apple didn't build GPS into its Jesus Phone, so how does it achieve it? Well, Apple has incorporated a system that triangulates your current position based on your proximity to the three closest Wi-Fi signals or phone masts. Our hands-on just now confirmed it works perfectly at the BBC, with the Apple rep saying that it mostly used phone masts in the UK, but a future hands-on will confirm whether this works nationwide.

iPhone videos also now support movies that come with alternate language tracks and/or subtitles. This is very good news, for reasons we'll come to shortly. These iPhone updates are to be available free, via a software update available today.