Macworld 08: iPhone Update With Multi-Recipient SMS, Improved Maps And More

A software update for the iPhone, announced at Macworld, will add a mixture of new functionality and what many consider to have been oddly missing from the handset all along, including the ability to send SMS text messages to multiple recipients.  Jobs also announced the ability to configure up to nine custom home-screens, including adding WebClips bookmark links to the Springboard which act as shortcuts to that website, and the Springboard icons themselves are easily rearranged.  The iPhone's music app gets the addition of lyrics-support (that are superimposed semi-transparent over the album art), while video footage can be organised into chapters and now supports subtitles.

Google Maps on the iPhone has also been improved, with SkyHook Wireless supplying real-world physical location data that enables the cellphone to pinpoint your location, similar to Google's Find Me service, and then offer directions.  Introducing saved locations is as straightforward as dropping a pin onto the map.

The update – free, of course – is released today.