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Picture Messaging Could Be Coming To The iPhone

One of the many features currently not supported by the iPhone is picture messaging, or MMS. Considering the device's other capabilities, this is a glaring omission (and one that happens to vex me grievously). According to a spied internal AT&T memo, the 3G iPhone may support MMS after all.

Right now, if someone sends a picture message to an iPhone, the iPhone receives an SMS stating that a multimedia messages has been "received". To view it, you have to go to a Web site, and type in a user name and password, which are included in the text message. Since you can't cut and paste the user name/password, this could not be more of a hassle. I often save up multimedia messages and sit down at a computer and view a handful of them all at once. This negates the entire purpose of sending picture messages, if you ask me.

Apple (and AT&T) have to know that iPhone users want to be able to send/receive picture messages. Yet it was not among the improvements announced by Steve Jobs earlier this month. This may be about to change.

iPhone Atlas uncovered an internal AT&T memo that notes the iPhone can transmit text, pictures, and possibly video to other MMS-capable phones. Gizmodo found a screen shot that shows MMS functions on the iPhone, but who knows if it is real.

For the moment, neither AT&T nor Apple have officially said anything about the iPhone supporting MMS. The accuracy track record for these "internal memos" that are leaked every now and then is surprisingly good, though, so I'd lean toward believing that this is probable.

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