Impending 1.1.3 Firmware Update To Bring New Features?

With macworld closing in, you can almost taste that new iPhone firmware update. Gearlive claims to have gotten their hands on a copy of version 1.1.3. They describe their alleged experience, and also attest to several new features.

According to Andru Edwards, they "were able to get a look at it," although how is a mystery. Among the features they claim are included in 1.1.3 are the ability to receive an SMS message, hybrid view and cell tower triangulation (a substitute for GPS) for Google Maps, dragging and dropping of apps and pagination on the home screen, and the addition of bookmarks to the home screen.

We're not certain if this is completely on the up-and-up, as it were, but some of the features they mention have been mentioned before in previous rumors. For instance, mention of offline storage of web apps were rumored to be in development. It was said that Apple was working on the feature in order to dissuade native app installation.

The dragging and dropping of app icons on the home screen was also mentioned in an Apple patent a while back. The patent was for a touchscreen interface on a mobile device (iPhone) that can be easily reconfigured.

That said, we're still skeptical, (cellular triangulation isn't that accurate, and why is the iTunes icon on the left?) but anything is possible.

[via GearLive]