Google Street View Comes to the iPhone with 2.2 Software Update

At the same time Apple released a new version of iTunes, 8.0.2.20. It is not necessary to update iTunes in order to update to this version of the iPhone software.

Here are the changes, per Apple. It's pretty much what we were expecting:

This update contains many bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

• Enhancements to Maps
• Google Street View
• public transit and walking directions
• display address of dropped pins
• share location via email
• Enhancements to Mail
  • resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email
  • improved formatting of wide HTML email
• Improved stability and performance of Safari
• Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes application (over Wi-Fi and cellular network)
• Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
• Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages
• Pressing the Home button from any Home screen takes you to the first Home screen
• Preference to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard Settings

Not listed above, but in a separate section are a host of security fixes.

The Home button change seems minor, BTW, but it's a really nice change in terms of convenience if you have tons of apps.

The most highly touted changes come to Google Maps, including the aforementioned Street View. No accelerometer use for Street View navigation, though, so you have to be satisfied with flicking around to navigate. Darn. I know, I know, nit-picky. Maybe in a future update?

Also, Google Maps adds transit and walking directions.

Still missing (heavy sigh), and highly desired (though honestly, none of this was expected, although most were listed on this survey which Apple was sending to iPhone owners):

• Cut & paste (aaagh)
• MMS (aaagh)
• voice dialing (there are fortunately, apps in the App Store, but something built-in would be better --- and let's get Bluetooth support for VD added!)
• Adobe Flash support
• ability to run apps in the background
• push notification system
• landscape mode in email / messaging
• GPS turn-by-turn directions

The update took somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes to apply, sans the 8.0.2.20 iTunes update (so I wasn't paying attention; we have a 10-day-old baby).