Your morning iPhone news fix: looks like Apple's seeded a beta of firmware 2.1 (not to be confused with the supposed 2.0.1 that will fix the myriad bugs and issues with 2.0), which may have some new GPS features that would imply turn-by-turn directions. No argument from us if Apple really is including new Core Location hooks for tracking your direction and speed, which would both be needed for doing proper GPS navigation.

Another bit which may or may not make it into 2.1 is copy/paste. We're still both hopeful and skeptical, but supposedly in the new version of the WebKit framework exists commands for "plugins," "copy," "paste," "cut," and some others. We can't confirm if these really exist (and if they do, we don't know how they've actually been there, or if they're simply holdovers from the desktop WebKit frameworks), so don't hold your breath. Also supposedly making its first appearance in the 2.1 beta code: Apple's push notification service.

Oh, and by the way, if all this has whet your appetite for the device, sounds like today will be a bad day to try and snag one. Apple's retail site shows absolutely zero iPhone availability in the US, so if you're jonesing then check out eBay or the seedy looking dude on the corner with the overstuffed trenchcoat.

Update: Looks like the stores have been updated in the last hour, many have stock. Game on!

[Thanks to Cameron and everyone who sent these in]

Read - Apple all out of stock
Read - New GPS features seeded?
Read - 2.1 getting background push?

One good update deserves another, apparently, because the European version of the Nokia N78 has just received its second firmware update in just a small handful of weeks. Version 12.046 concentrates the improvements on "softkey selection, Bluetooth stability, video playback, email sending and alarm clock functions," so it seems like a reasonably important update in which to partake -- particularly if it sorts out the blasted right softkey, which has a tendency to get confused with the end key at an alarming frequency. Once again, owners of the North America-friendly N78-3 get left out in the cold, leaving us to ask: what the hell, Nokia?

So yesterday we posted a link to a version of the 2.0 iPhone firmware which was supposedly the release version of the new system software. After getting weirded out by some buggy behavior, then discovering that there were number differences between our version and the version shipping with new iPhone 3Gs, we got a little suspicious. Today, we noticed that the file which Apple made available for upgraders via iTunes sported a slimmer file size and separate designation (1,1 as opposed to the 1,2 of the previous iteration). The new version (supposedly the "official" version) is now available from Apple's servers -- so if you had any misgivings about that initial update, you can snag this and get a do-over. We've updated and restored on our phone, and we'll be honest -- it does seem a little bit snappier. Hit the read link for the file, and let us know if you notice any differences.

[Via MacRumors]

Handhelds (and handsets, in particular) have long since been used as tools for home automation, but the forthcoming App Store is likely to bring a niche concept to the masses... or some of them, at least. Beginning on July 11th (that's the iPhone 3G launch day, you know), a Crestron interface titled iLoveControl will be available for download; during the first 30 days of launch, said app will "offer a one-room Crestron solution free of charge, configured for the control of lights, drapes, HVAC, audio and video." If you're looking to control more than that, it'll cost you $250 per configuration. This is just one example of what's likely to fill the App Store, and quite frankly, we're pretty excited about the possibilities.

So we heard from a very reliable source that mobile user interface guru Matias Duarte -- who you may know as the man behind the Sidekick and Helio UI / user experiences -- actually left Helio late last year to join up with Palm. Although no announcement was made, we hear he and his gang of designers jumped ship (well before Helio completely flooded) to take on the monumental task of designing the UI for Palm's next-gen mobile OS (aka "Palm OS 2.0 or II"). His resume online now lists him as "Senior Director, Human Interface and User Experience" doing "Something new..." since September 2007; we got in touch with Palm, who confirmed that he's now under the company's employ.

Of course, expectations should be pretty high -- Palm's only been promising this supposedly game-changing OS since around 2004, and the company's reputation and pedigree is (or at least it used to be) in groundbreaking mobile UI design. But this news also kind of makes us wonder: if they didn't have a killer UI and user experience team already in place and long-since working their asses off by late 2007, exactly how far along are they on this thing, anyway?

Hey, Vogue users -- jealous of your Mogul toting friends, are you? Put all that angst aside, as an official Sprint firmware update has just been loosed that adds Windows Mobile 6.1 among other things. Not much else to say beyond that, and besides, shouldn't you have that download started already?

[Via phoneArena]

Update: Whoa there, just a word of warning -- Sprint has reached out to us to let us know that this is actually not an official update, and it "does not support unauthorized or beta software updates for its devices." xda-developers often does good work, but just be careful with this one and make sure you understand that Sprint won't be bailing you out if you get yourself up a creek with this one!

Mark/Space's Missing Sync -- an OS X lovers best friend -- has just loosed the Symbian Public Preview for all who dare to download. Currently, the build stands at v1.0.0 (028 Preview), which suggests that there are quite a few bugs just waiting to be discovered. Still, those handling S60 / UIQ-based mobiles can certainly give it a go and see just how effective it is at syncing information between your Mac and that beloved handset. Chime in below with any overly dramatic success / failure stories.

[Via AllAboutSymbian]

It's not very frequently that official availability of anything -- be it hardware or software -- ends up beating the rumors, but that's exactly what has happened here. Hot on the heels of some whispers that a big, fat update for T-Mobile's Sidekick LX would be dropping on June 25, we've gotten word straight from the carrier that the rollout will actually be kicking off some time this week. Video capability, an integrated alarm clock, stereo Bluetooth support, and a host of other goodies make this a worthwhile upgrade, so let us know when it finally hits an LX near you, alright?

If you're apt to believe it, supposedly a regional HTC GM by the name of Kevin Chen flapped his lips about the first Windows Mobile 7 devices launching in Q109 -- so between six and nine months from now. We reached HTC, which had no (further) comment on the matter, but everything we've seen about 7 so far kind of leads us to believe that 7-based devices launching before next year's Mobile World Congress sounds a bit premature, even if that doesn't necessarily jibe with the MWg roadmap (which promised devices possibly even later this year).

[Thanks, Surur]

As if the iPhone 3G launch could really have any more misinformation floating around, we've got yet another tidbit that needs clarification. Shortly after Apple's second iPhone was announced, out flew a report from Reuters suggesting that TomTom already had iPhone navigation software ready to go. French site Mac Generation was able to get ahold of TomTom spokesperson Yann Lafargue, and here's the gist of what he had to say. First off, the aforementioned Reuters statement was said to be inaccurate, though he did affirm that an iPhone version of the software was running in the labs and working "pretty well." Unfortunately, the question of "will you guys ship this for the iPhone?" was answered with a "We don't know" style response, but he did clarify that the questionable SDK verbiage we saw wasn't an obstacle at all. Check out the full interview in the read link below -- hope you're fluent in French and / or machine translation!

It'll be a fabulous day when a cellphone-friendly version of Firefox finally lands, and judging by the video and details in the read link down there, that day is getting ever closer. Granted, this whole thing is being dubbed a "concept" for now, but we're definitely digging where it's headed. We're warning you, there's a boatload of information just one click away, but if you fear your eyes just can't handle it, peep the video after the break.

Have a Palm Treo 755p on Alltel? Check it: your lil' buddy's just received an official update from the mothership. Little is known about what greatness lies within this new 1.03 version of the binary; all Palm's saying on the matter is that it resolves a "reset issue" under "specific and rare conditions." So if you found that your phone was spontaneously rebooting every time you sat in on a crawfish eating competition while wearing sandals, you may have stumbled upon those specific and rare conditions, in which case hearty congratulations are in order. Whatever, just download the update, will ya?

[Via Palm Infocenter]

We had heard that the introduction of the BlackBerry Bold (9000) / Thunder (9500) could usher in the long-awaited BlackBerry OS 4.6, and now we're just about ready to believe it. A new listing over at Horizon Wireless Online details the forthcoming operating system, and notes that it will bring along richer browsing (which entails a whole host of improvements), click zooming with the trackball, Music Sync, an option to select Home screen grid size and support for continuous spell checking (among other things). Hey RIM, can we get that "richer browsing experience" on say, the Curve / Pearl?

[Thanks, Peter]

That sound you hear is the not-yet-released nüvifone trembling in fear, as TomTom has just announced that an iPhone-ready version of its famed navigation software is practically ready to rock 'n roll. More specifically, a TomTom spokesman was quoted as saying that its "navigation system runs on the iPhone already," and he made the statement hot on the heels of the iPhone 3G announcement. Sadly, he wouldn't disclose an estimated release date for the software, but it's safe to say that the TomTom touch could make Apple's darling a formidable nüvifone opponent.

[Via GPSReview]

It seems like just yesterday that Nokia's N800 and N810 internet tablets garnered HAVA support (not to mention those WinMo cellies), and lo and behold, Monsoon Multimedia is now announcing that S60-based handset owners will be able to enjoy the same luxuries. Hailed as a TV place-shifting, video-streaming solution for S60 3rd edition on Symbian OS, the HAVA Mobile Player gives HAVA adopters "the ability to watch and control all of their home television channels and services from anywhere in the world on a mobile device." Unfortunately, the free download (for HAVA owners) won't be available until Q3, but it's being shown off now at the S60 Summit 2008 and in the gallery below. Dig in, won't you?