1. First of all, the WiFi iTunes store is up and running with a pretty purple button on the home screen.
2. Double clicking the home button will take you to phone favorites or music controls like the iPod Touch.
3. Adjustable voice mail alert volume as well as increased receiver speakerphone volume.
4. International keyboard options.
5. Blackberry style inserting of periods by double tapping the space bar.
6. Increased security. Seriously, the new firmware is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

There are some other features, of course, Apple loves to add little unannounced treats in their updates. For those of you with unlocked iPhones you best wait on adding this next update until the geeks have worked a way around it, or at least a way to not destroy your iPhone in the process. The guys and gals over at the iPhone Dev Wiki are busy decrypting 1.1.1 as we speak…er, as I write…as you read? God, that phrase doesn’t really work on blogs.

Anyway, there are tons of articles about the update floating around the internet today. Some of the better ones are on The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Engadget, CrunchGear, and Techmeme.

At first iPhone Knibble only offered 8 games, but the number has since grown to over 10 and includes favorites like Tic-Tac-Toe, Bejeweled, and Sudoku. New games are being added all the time so there’s bound to be something to entertain any iPhone user. The best part of Knibble’s iPhone game portal? It’s free!

There aren’t too terribly many iPhone game portals that offer fun games without signing up for something or paying for it. The design of the portal itself could use some work, though. For example, the game icons don’t stay in the same place between visits or even between page flipping. Still, Knibble has some fun games and it’s good for

I see the announcement as just the opposite. I mean, Apple has already made its neutral position on hackers clear enough. This press release is just Apple’s way of covering its butt because this next update may really break your unlocked iPhone. For some reason a lot of iPhone users seem to think that modding their phones and unlocking them wouldn’t void their warranty; just check out the angry comments on Gizmodo.

In this article by the Associated Press, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller said that this had nothing to do with “proactively disabling a phone that is unlocked or hacked.” Fortunately for those who have hacked and unlocked their iPhones and still want to update their firmware on a regular basis there are a few ways of re-locking the iPhone around.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog’s Erica Sadun, who was quoted in the above Associated Press article, has one re-lock method up and running…sort of. This re-lock method seems to work with some hacks, but not with others, and you still might destroy your phone. Sadun’s article is being continually updated with new re-lock info so keep checking back. If you’re still looking for re-lock code pop by the iPhone Dev Wiki; I’m sure those guys are on it as well.

The discussion continues at Techmeme…

There are a ton of iPhone covers, protective screens, and cases floating around and it can be hard to find one that you really like and protects your iPhone properly. I like the cases that come with a protective screen, because, well, what’s the point otherwise? The Revo iPhone case is quite nice. It’s made of anti-microbial silicone and covers all the important bits of the iPhone (even the screen!)

Another fun case is the Sidewinder from Marware. For those of you who like the superhero look and have your very own utility belt, Sidewinder is perfect for you. This case attaches to your belt and comes with lots of little handy features. You can face your phone inward or outward and use Sidewinder’s side arm to hold your Bluetooth headset or headphone cords. The side arm can also be flipped around and used as a tabletop stand.

Gomadic’s Rapid Car/Auto Travel Charger is just what it sounds like; a car charger for your iPhone. This is a must have for iPhone users on the go, or iPhone owners going on a trip or just want to charge their phone on the way to work. This really is a handy little time-saver (lifesaver?) if you travel a lot and/or don’t always remember to charge your iPhone at home.

Finally, here’s a fun little accessory that’s adorable and fulfills a purpose! Introducing Boxewave’s cute, little Screen Puff. If you’re like me and obsessively wipe the screens of various bits of technology (computers, MP3 players, iPhones) then you definitely need one of these little guys. These puffy, lint-free wipers come in seven colors and a cord so you can easily attach them to your iPhone or mobile device of choice. You can buy just one or get the Happy Pack with all seven colors. Adorable and useful!

He totally did.

The UK iPhone launch date is November 9th on the O2network, one of the largest mobile networks in Europe. Much to many Brit’s chagrin, the iPhone will remain largely unchanged for its UK release. There’s no 3G support, but O2 has cobbled together a deal with Cloud (one of the largest wi-fi providers in the UK) for 7,500 free wi-fi spots around UK as well as growing EDGE support (just 30% right now) to make an acceptable mobile web device.

The price for the iPhone in the UK will be £269 or about $537 including UK’s Value Added Tax. In most places the VAT is about 17.5%, so the untaxed price for UK’s iPhone would be about $443 for the 8GB model. Then you have to sign up for an 18 month contract with O2 for monthly tariffs of £35, £45, or £55 depending on the plan you want.

For minute by minute transcriptions and live blogging of the event check out Engadget or TechCrunch UK’s coverage. Both sources have some great quotes and information on the big announcement as well as pages of comments that are always entertaining and informative.

However, folks may want to hold their horses on buying an iPhone straight out of the gate. According to The Street, Apple is planning to release a 3G iPhone sometime next year; possibly as soon as the first quarter. Along with the much faster 3G capability, the new-and-improved iPhone may include GPS capability. Either way, I’d wait a bit before investing in an iPhone, if you haven’t already, at least wait until MacWorld 2008 to see what the Jobster has up his sleeve.

The minute iPhoneSIMFree started selling their software unlocks I knew the hacker community would be on it like white on rice. I, for one, don’t think it’s right to sell the unlocking software for a fourth of what the device actually costs, if at all. The iPhone should have been born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows in the first place.

Anyway, the unlock is a little tricky at this point and requires jailbreaking the device as well as using some command line finagling. Good news is that the folks at iPhone Dev Wiki haven’t given up and are in the process of developing a one-click GUI version. Right now Gizmodo is hosting mirrors of the software because the Wiki is completely deluged.

Of course this doesn’t mean that the unlock won’t be fixed in Apple’s next firmware update. Even though Apple’s marketing guru Greg Joswiak said that Apple will remain neutral in regards to hacking and native third-party applications, they do not support third party hacks and unlocking efforts. So, as always, hack with caution.

Most people are putting their money on a UK iPhone announcement, either announcing the mobile service carrier or a sales date for Europe. Most likely Apple will be announcing when the iPhone will be on sale in Europe and save other announcements until the Apple Expo in Paris on the 25th.

Of course there are several other possible reasons for this hush-hush invitation only gathering. Some folks think Apple may be announcing BBC show availability on iTunes while others think the Beatles songbook will finally be added to iTunes’ six million song playlist. Still others think Apple may be releasing the iPod Touch to Europe. Of course it could be something completely different!

We’ll just have to wait until Tuesday to find out the news. Until then, mum’s the word!

The numbers as reported by Apple 2.0 back it up, though. Munster estimates that Apple had sold 864,000 iPhones at 9,000 iPhones a day before the price increase. That means Apple would have to sell 136,000 iPhones, or 27,000 a day, to reach the 1 million mark by Sunday. Make sure you read their article to get all the numbers as well as read the rather combative comments it stirred up.

Former Apple employee Steve Chazin has an interesting post on his blog, Marketing Apple, about Apple’s transformation from underdog to big dog…also something about market share and stocks, I dunno. With Apple at the top of the heap in MP3 players and gaining popularity how long will it be before Apple becomes more like Microsoft?

Anyway, back to iPhone’s sales figures, Munster makes the point that this 300% increase is not sustainable. Furthermore, he estimates that sales will stabilize at a 50% increase. Only time will tell if his estimates are correct and how long it will take for Apple to sell its 10 millionth iPhone.

The discussion continues at Techmeme…

TypePad users only need to direct their safari browser to http://www.i.typepad.com/and sign in using their TypePad IDs. The TypePad iPhone interface has a tap-based interface and has been designed with custom integration to the iPhone’s functions. With TypePad’s new app you can create and edit posts as well as manage comments and view your blog right on your iPhone. You can add pictures, but it involves configuring your mobile settings.

Users of MovableType will have to download a special pluginthat offers a customized format for iPhone users. The plugin automatically identifies when the site is being accessed by an iPhone and displays special templates that are used in place of the primary MovableType interface. MovableType’s iPhone interface has been completely designed from the ground up and features all new graphics, layouts, and screens that make the plugin look like a native iPhone app.

Both TypePad and MovableType have details and useful user instruction on their respective blogs; Everything TypePad and the MovableType Community Blog have screenshots and lots of other information so make sure you check them out. There’s also a nice article about the new apps over at iLounge.

Behold, the iPod Touch. It’s like an iPhone, but without the phone part! That’s right, it looks exactly like the iPhone and has iPhone’s neat-o touch interface; it even has Wi-Fi access and a Safari browser. iPod Touch comes in two sizes, 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399) and features a Wi-Fi iTunes music store. Awesome.

For hard-core music hoarders the “iPod Classic” is now available in a thinner, all-metal design that holds up to…wait for it…160GB of data. I wish Wordpress had one of those little “O face” emotes, because that would have been a perfect place for one. Anyway, the 80GB model goes for $249 with the 160GB model selling for $349.

Next up, the brand new iPod Nano! Now the new iPod Nano’s design has been pretty heavily criticized. It’s been called everything from “stubby” to “fat” to “fugly” to “Hobbit-like,” but y’know what? I think they’re adorable. And now they come with video, so there! The 4GB model is $149 and the 8GB (which comes in new, slightly questionable colors) is $199.

Last, but not least (although it is the smallest and the cheapest), the iPod Shuffle has a new palette of, slightly muted, colors. Still just 1GB for $79, the iPod Shuffle is the iPod for bargain seekers with 240 songs.