Apple releases iPhone 2.0.2 update, 3G problems remain

Just two weeks after the initial update to the iPhone's second generation firmware, another has appeared with promises of more "bug fixes."

At a little under 249 MB, the latest iPhone firmware update, version 2.0.2, is about the same size as the previous patch. While many had hoped for fixes to the 3G connectivity issues the device has been experiencing, reports on Apple's support forums seem to indicate there may be no fix in this patch.

Tests by Apple enthusiast site iPhoneBuzz appeared to claim initially that 2.0.2 did improve 3G functionality, however the methods used have since been called into question by some.

Some users on iPhone enthusiast sites have reported seeing differences in reception, however, but there are also quite a few who just were not sure if anything had changed. No new settings have appeared, according to those who have pored through the update, and some report experiencing reduced typing lag. That problem is part of a bigger issue that many are experiencing with the second generation firmware -- general slowness.

Apple has also not yet put the kibosh on the NetShare tethering app, which it pulled from its App Store earlier this month. Tethering is against AT&T's terms of service, and it's not out of the question that Apple could use its recently discovered blacklist to shut users out.

AppleInsider also noted that the transition from the music list to Cover Flow view -- in which the user flips through a stream of album covers -- has changed.