Although the most obvious thing (aside from bricking unlocked iPhones and causing 3rd-party apps to disappear) about firmware update 1.1.1 is the addition of iPod Touch-like access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store—after all, a bright purple iTunes icon is placed on the home screen—it is not the new feature you will likely use the most. That honor will probably go to the expanded responsibilities Apple has given the otherwise underused Home button—the only button on the iPhone.

All the Home did before the upgrade was take you back to the Home screen - the center of the iPhone universe - with a single tap from within any application. While it still does that, the Home button now has a second, context-sensitive purpose to take you to your favorite contacts or bring up iPod music controls.

Here's how it works:

When no music is playing on the iPhone, a double tap of the Home button brings up the Favorites menu within the smartphone’s phone application; all the better to make a quick phone call.


Double Tap for Favorites

However, if you've got music playing, a double tap will bring up translucent iPod playback controls over whatever application you happen to be in. That is from within all except the iPhone's iPod software, which would be kind of redundant, right? From there, you’re taken to the Favorties menu just as the double tap does when no music is playing at all.


Double Tap for Music Controls

The translucent music controls box tells the name of the track playing, the album it comes from, and the artist. You can also pause then restart audio playback, skip to the next or previous song, or bring up the full iPod application. Simply hit the Close button to exit out of the music controls and return to what you were doing before.