iPhone OS 3.2 Supports Video call, SMS Features

Last week, Apple did not only launch the iPad but also announced the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK with iPad simulator to build apps. Engadget reported that Apple iPad is capable of video calls, file transfers, SMS and handwriting recognition. Of course these features are visible from the iPad simulator and confirmed by a developer. Amusingly, the simulator always says "iPhone Simulator" on the menu bar so don't get confused.

Obviously, we're talking about a front facing camera possibility in the future iPad models since the SDK already suggests video call support in it. You can now hook to accept or decline a video conference, flip a video feed and run the video call either in full screen mode or custom-window size mode suggest probability of front-facing camera.

File sharing was earlier confirmed by a MacRumors report and now, we have news that iPad's Safari browser will allowdownloading files off the clouds. Apart from that, pointers for SMS through iPad are also found. Looks like WiFi+3G versions may have SMS feature where in the messages would be charged for by the cellular service provider.

Ryan Petrich, iPhone jailbreak developer, stated that the iPad will also offer handwriting recognition with built-in Optical Character Recognition function in the OS.

Here is Petrich's list of features that he uncovered:

• CoreGraphics to PDF API for sure, printer API is being prototyped
• Spell checker in text fields and web views using AppleSpell
• Multiple languages
• Grammar checking (English-only so far)
• Address book integration
• User added words
• SDK access
• Included dictionaries: Apple Dictionary, New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Shogakukan Daijisen, Shogakukan Progressive English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary, and Shogakukan Ruigo Reikai Jiten (may also be used for a Dictionary app perhaps?)
• USB Host support or expanded Bluetooth support
• PTP support for transferring images
• MobileStorageMounter (perhaps used for PTP; perhaps used to mount external USB storage?)
• Hardware keyboard: USBKeyboardLayouts.plist
• Much richer text API including low-level access to font data and highlevel support for drawing formatted text
• Support for querying attached screens and choosing which screen a window draws on (App Store approved?)
• The beginnings of file upload in Safari
• Location-sensitive ads are being prototyped in integrated Maps application (and applications that use the maps framework)
• Ability for applications to modify the standard cut/copy/paste menu
• "Handwriting keyboard" is being prototyped

Notice that "Location-sensitive ads" is prototyped in integrated Maps? So, Google has finally started targeting mobile platform with location sensitive advertisements and we believe it will be limited to select devices for certain countries only.

Apple has always kept the features locked in its SDK and taken its own sweet time to release them even though they're heavily in demand and fundamental in nature.