iTunes 8.2 brings more than OS 3.0 support for iPhone
iTunes 8.2 was recently released publicly from beta and initially appeared to only support OS 3.0. Now, adventurous users have found some hidden features.
AppleInsider recently published a story about discoveries found in iTunes 8.2, released last week, uncovering strings of code that revealed support for more than iPhone OS 3.0.
This version of iTunes suggests radio tagging capabilities that would assist you in buying tagged songs in iTunes on the desktop. Some speculate that this might be a sign that FM radio capabilities might be supported in a future version of the iPhone, but it just might only be for iTunes, since it already streams radio from the Internet.
The strings contain text that indicated a way of determining a stations name and radio frequency. This could point to digital radio support or FM radio with Radio Data System(RDS) capability. One Apple product, iPod Radio Remote, currently supports the reception of RDS signals - used to display artist and title info. However, it is only compatible currently with the iPod nano, Classic and Touch. Apple could be announcing iPhone support at WWDC next week.
Additionally, strings were found in the iTunes 8.2 code that confirm support for the Nike+ Sport Kit and the Nike+ app will apparently be allowed to run in the background without being interrupted by incoming calls. This might seem like a problem considering Nike+ is a third-party application, but AppleInsider "has been told that Apple actually handles a large portion of Nike+ application development for its multi-touch products, making these tweaks possible."
Finally, support for Voice Memos has come to iTunes 8.2 including managing these memos on the iPhone as a data storage device.
Apple has indicated in the past that it would look to expand support for third-party accessories with the iPhone OS 3.0 software and all of this would be a good start. It remains to be seen how this will be accomplished, but many believe it will be by direct communication between the accessories and the iPhone allowing the phone to make adjustments to an FM tuner or access to RDS information.