iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 2 Build 7A259g – More Changes Reported

As recently reported by developers enrolled in Apple's iPhone Developer (Standard or Enterprise) Program, a new version of the iPhone OS 3.0 Beta is now available, accompanied by a fresh beta of the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK).

A few changes were initially reported, including the new software's ability to display 11 pages of apps, instead of 9 (a jump from 148 apps to a total of 180 program icons being displayed across 11 pages). Numerous bug fixes and improvements were also confirmed as making their way into the fresh beta releases, with no additional details.

Now, several sources can confirm that said improvements have made the new OS much more stable, and substantially faster. Reportedly, a fresh menu item in the system preferences, labeled "Store" that contains no data, has been added, according to iLounge. Others could also confirm support for push notifications through Apple’s servers, as well as support for CALdev and subscribed calendars. “The build runs much faster than beta 1 and includes substantial stability improvements,” say the people at iLounge. “In addition to enabling developers to connect to Apple servers for tests of push notification services, iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 2 added support for 'Subscribed Calendars', the ability to synchronize calendar information from sources other than iTunes and MobileMe.”

The site goes to document the findings adding imagery, while pointing out to other new features not shown in the screenshots (pictured left). According to the report, a considerable number of additional features cannot be depicted in screenshots due to either their status as “features offered to developers to include in their apps,” or “features that will be supported in as-yet-unreleased third-party hardware.”

As revealed yesterday, the newly released Skype client for iPhone and iPod touch reportedly works on AT&T's 3G connection for placing and receiving free calls. Courageous (update-itchy) folks posting their comments over at 9to5mac say that calls via Skype are still a go after installing 3.0 Beta 2. One user even claims Skype works in Germany (T-Mobile) over both EDGE and 3G, while MMS and Tethering still works on the operator's network.