At long last, Apple finally got around to providing the iPhone faithful with the next firmware update, bringing new functionality to the device. Was it worth the long wait?

Well, considering some of these "new" functions have been supported by other devices for years, let's say Apple is sort of playing catch up. Let's take a look at each feature.

First and foremost are the improvements to Google Maps. Similar to the My Location feature Google added to the BlackBerry version of Maps back in November, you can now use cell tower and Wi-Fi location information to find your approximate location. When I tested it out, it pegged me to within two blocks of my house. Not bad for a device with no actual GPS built in. The user interface has been slightly updated. Now there is a little "eye" that lets you switch between map, satellite and hybrid views. When you press that button, the bottom of the page lifts itself up like a piece of paper, revealing the actual menu selections. Very elegant GUI. So I switched to the hybrid view and though it took a second to load over EDGE, the result is fantastic. I was able to zoom in and see my house, as well as get a nice overlay of the major arteries that run through my town. I was also able to drop a pin where I live and label it and use it as home base for creating driving directions. These are some great improvements to the usability of Google Maps on the iPhone. It may not be actual GPS, but it is the next best thing.

SMS. This has been one feature long missing from the iPhone. After installing the firmware update, you are finally able to send text messages to more than one person at a time. This is one of those "playing catch up" features that puts the iPhone on par with many regular handsets that can do the same thing. This is a vital feature for me, and I am thankful that it is finally available. I just wish it had been installed from the get go. Using it is natural. Once you've begun composing an SMS message, simply keep clicking the "+" sign to add more names. Easy breezy.

Home screen switcheroo. Some smartphones, such as those based on Nokia's S60 platform, allow you to rearrange the icons on the home screen or in the menus to suit your own taste. Up until now, the iPhone's home screen was static and unchangeable. That is no longer the case. Not only can you add additional icons to the home screen, such as Safari bookmarks, but you can rearrange all the icons in any order you want. You can also create up to nine home screens and page through them sideways by flicking your fingers. This is great. I instantly created two icons that take me straight to the web sites I use most. Moving the icons around is easy. Just press and hold. After several seconds, all the icons start to jiggle about. When they are in that mode, you can move them at will. Rearrange to your heart's content and when you're done, press the home button and they all settle down. Very nice.

These are the three major innovations of firmware update 1.1.3. But there are also a few other things going on under the hood.

The iPhone and Google are further integrated. With Google's new iPhone apps, including Gmail, there's been one improvement that takes the cake for me. Email messages that you read within the Gmail interface online instantly become read on your iPhone. This saves you from having to scroll through the messages on your iPhone to mark them as read, and lets you know when you actually have new messages. There are also new folders for Gmail in the iPhone's email application that let you better segregate your email messages and file them.

But there are still some major features lacking. The iPhone does not have the ability to send or receive MMS messages. Still no cut-and-paste function. Still no advanced camera controls.

And of course, still no 3G version of the iPhone.