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Features galore are included in Apple's new 2.2 software update for the iPhone, which became available a day earlier than expected. Apple released the new software one day before Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm hit store shelves, but analysts say it was just a coincidence.

One of the major features of Apple's iPhone update includes the ability to download the millions of free podcasts available on the iTunes Store over both a Wi-Fi connection and a cellular network connection, according to Apple.

The 2.2 update also includes enhancements to the Maps and Mail apps, and improvements to the performance of Safari and visual voice mail. It also rids the iPhone of problems with dropped calls and failing call setup. iPhone owners can now press the Home button from any Home screen and be greeted with the first Home screen. iPhone users can also now turn off the auto-correction feature on the virtual keyboard.

Enhancements to Maps include the Google Street View feature, which takes the user on a virtual walking tour while navigating street-level photos of places the user has located in Maps. Also included in the Maps update is walking directions, public-transit schedules, and information on fares and travel times. And if an iPhone user is meeting someone who cannot quite find the meeting place, there is a Share Location feature that sends an e-mail to the person with a Google Maps URL.

Apple also thought of those iPhoners who have been lagging behind on updates. By implementing the 2.2 update, iPhone owners also get all the features that were available in the 2.1 and 2.0 updates.

Conspiracy Theory

Lately, every move by Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple is being analyzed under a microscope and turned into a conspiracy theory, and the 2.2 upgrade didn't escape the scrutiny.

"When it comes to Apple, it...

Google has added SearchWiki tools that will enable Web surfers to create customized search results by adding, deleting, re-sorting or commenting on query results. The program's development team said SearchWiki is a good example of how search is becoming increasingly dynamic.

"We have been testing bits and pieces of SearchWiki for some time through live experiments, and we incorporated much of our learnings into this release," said Product Manager Cedric Dupont and software engineer Corin Anderson in a blog. "We are constantly striving to improve our users' search experience, and this is yet another step along the way."

Personalized Search

Search aficionados can now add, remove and rearrange results as well as comment on individual listings, noted the program's lead engineer, identified only as Amay.

"Every time you do that search while logged in to your Goggle account, you'll see your custom-tailored search results," Amay explained. If the user is unsure about being signed in, he or she can check by noting if the appropriate user name appears in the upper right-hand area of the page, he said.

Click on the up or down arrows that appear next to individual search results to move a listing to the top or bottom of the page. The arrows for moved individual entries are subsequently displayed in green.

Listings that do not specifically pertain to the user's search requirements can be removed by clicking on the delete box located to the right of the entry. The deleted listings, which the user can hide by clicking on the tab provided, will be displayed at the bottom of the list.

To make a favorite site always show up for a particular search term, the user can enter its URL in the "add a result" box at the very bottom of the page. To see all the changes that have been...

Microsoft has announced that its final update of the current beta Internet Explorer 8 browser will be released in next year's first quarter -- after which it will launch the final release. Some observers had been expecting the final update to be released this year.

After one more update of beta IE8 early in 2009, the next public release is "typically called a 'release candidate,'" Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch explained earlier this week on a company blog. The release candidate, he noted, indicates the end of the beta period.

'Complete and Done'

"We want the technical community of people and organizations interested in Web browsers to take this update as a strong signal that IE8 is effectively complete and done," he added. "They should expect the final product to behave as this update does."

Practically speaking, he noted, this means testers should feel comfortable testing sites and services with the early 2009 beta release, he said, making changes if needed for customer experience and reporting any critical issues back to Microsoft. The final release, Hachamovitch said, will be delivered after the company responds to any feedback on critical issues.

He added that "we will be very selective about what changes we make between the next update and final release."

However, a posting by a Microsoft technical manager earlier this year noted that IE 8 will be more favorably disposed to Internet standards, rather than proprietary Microsoft standards, as in the past. So browsing with the default settings could cause problems for pages and services designed for earlier IE versions.

The default mode will include greater compatibility with W3C Internet guidelines, CSS 2.1, and HTML 5, as well as improved support for AJAX techniques. An upcoming add-in from Microsoft can be used by developers so their pages are displayed according to IE7.

New Privacy Features

Hachamovitch reported that...