Iphone update available

IT'S TAKEN THREE MAJOR firmware upgrades and a lot of gnashing and wailing but it looks like the Iphone 3G might finally be something close to a complete product.

The 238mb Itunes-only download, which brings the firmware up to version 2.1, promises to fix problems with failed and drop calls, will mean significantly better battery life for most users and dramatically reduces backup times.

We can confirm the latter as our backups, which could take anything up to couple of hours or more, are now down to around 40 seconds.

We've only had a short while to check out the new software, as the Ed. keeps us chained to our desks 23 hours a day, but first impressions are good.

The the much maligned on-screen keyboard appears faster and is more responsive, and shared resources like the contacts database are quicker to load and search.

There are also a bunch of bug fixes and better integration of third party apps.

Looks like Apple have finally given us the product they promised in the first place, and about time too. µ