Steve Jobs today at Macworld announced some impressive new iPhone features, all of which are now available on iTunes via iPhone firmware update 1.1.3.

Among the upgrades: pseudo-GPS, the ability to send one text message to multiple recipients, movable icons on the iPhone home screen, and a feature that lets you place “web clips” of your favorite sites on the home screen for easy access.

Continue reading for details on all the new features.

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It’s a shame that the iPhone, which Apple pitches as the innovative and intuitive “revolutionary mobile device” of tomorrow, is actually one of the least environmentally-friendly handsets on the mobile phone market.

A Greenpeace report released yesterday pointed to Apple’s use of toxic chemicals in the iPhone, including brominated flame retardants and PVCs, which are so harmful to the environment that even other cell phone companies have abandoned them.

“Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola have removed some of the worst chemicals from their phones and identified extra toxic chemicals they intend to remove in the future — even beyond the minimal legal requirements,” Greenpeace said on its website.

So what is Apple waiting for? I think their progressive reputation would benefit from a campaign to make the iPhone more environmentally friendly. I’m proposing three things Apple should do to make the iPhone less harmful to the environment:

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Apple issued the first iPhone software update today via iTunes. iTunes should automatically alert you of the update, but if it doesn’t, simply click your iPhone in the Devices menu and then click the “Check for Update” button.

The update is primarily a security fix that patches up recently-exposed vulnerabilities in iPhone’s Safari browser. As much as I wish it were so, no new features or widgets have been added to the iPhone at this time.

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Apple said it will be able to add features to iPhones after they have been purchased, says the New York Times.

“The company’s executives say that the capability to upgrade the iPhone in the field will give it a significant advantage over other cellphones, which are usually replaced frequently.”

This is great news. Now you won’t have to wait to buy iPhone 2.0 to enjoy new features like (hopefully) 3G, GPS and a video camera.

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