Use as a hard drive is a great feature unto itself, but on an iPhone it could be even more useful. It would allow you to load documents (PDFs, spreadsheets, word processing documents and so on) on the iPhone for easy viewing rather than having to access them by e-mail. Combined with third-party applications for editing documents, this could make the iPhone pocket-size office for users on the go.

The risk, of course, is that this would open the iPhone's file system to modification and easier installation of third-party applications. As long as Apple maintains the iPhone as a closed platform (officially closed, anyway), there is little hope of Apple fully implementing file access. However, a single well-guarded folder on the iPhone that has no access to any system components should be doable and would allow for use of an iPhone as an external hard drive.

8. Support Bluetooth syncing

The iPhone includes Bluetooth support for hands-free devices only. This is a very limited use for Bluetooth and is surprising given that Mac OS X allows you to sync data with other cell phones and mobile devices using Bluetooth. Bluetooth support for syncing the iPhone seems like a no-brainer.

Bluetooth would make syncing easier and reduce the cables that users need to have on hand (particularly helpful for laptop users). It would probably also encourage users to sync their iPhones on a more regular basis. While it probably is safer to attempt iPhone software updates using a wired connection, that alone isn't reason enough not to offer syncing via Bluetooth.

Since Bluetooth already exists in the iPhone in a limited capacity, there is hope that Bluetooth data syncing might not only exist in future models but could be turned on via an update in existing iPhones as well.

9. Add video capture

Another somewhat surprising omission from the iPhone is support for recording video using the built-in camera. Many phone manufacturers support video as well as still shots. Video would be a very welcome addition to the camera capabilities of the iPhone, and it's another feature that should be possible not only in future iPhone models but also in existing iPhones via an update.

Given the iPhone's existing integration with YouTube (as well as the upload support to YouTube included in the latest versions of Apple's iLife and iWork suites), it isn't a stretch to imagine being able to record a small video segment and upload it directly to YouTube. Likewise, the .Mac Web Gallery support already packaged into the iPhone's camera application could easily be extended to support video.

10. Add a flash

While we're talking about the iPhone's camera, how about a flash? The iPhone's camera does surprisingly well in low-light situations, particularly compared to similar (or even higher-resolution) cameras on other phones. But there is only so much any digital camera can do without adequate lighting.

A flash would significantly improve the indoor and nighttime use of the iPhone's camera. The trade-off, as anyone who's owned a camera phone with a flash knows, is that a flash can significantly drain battery power. As much as I'd like to see a flash on the iPhone, I'll admit that Apple's commitment to a long battery life makes it a bit unlikely.

11. Provide push e-mail

Most smart phone platforms offer an option for push e-mail (e-mail delivered to the phone automatically as it arrives) that can be configured through a service provider or corporate e-mail system. The iPhone offers push e-mail only when you use a Yahoo Mail account. You can configure access to other e-mail accounts, but you will not receive e-mails as they arrive. Instead you need to actively check for new mail using the iPhone's Mail application or set up the auto-check option, which allows automatic checking only at 15-, 30-, or 60-minute intervals.

By default, Yahoo Mail doesn't offer access via a traditional POP/IMAP mail client. If you want to be able to access your e-mail outside Yahoo's Web mail interface, you need to purchase one of Yahoo's upgraded e-mail plans. Although not terribly expensive, Yahoo's upgrades are an extra cost, and they don't offer access to a corporate e-mail account (or for that matter any other existing e-mail accounts you might have).

The other alternative is to forward an existing e-mail account to your Yahoo Mail address. This isn't a perfect solution either, because it requires you to remember to enable and disable forwarding. What's more, any responses you send will come from the Yahoo address unless you then explicitly reply from another account, which means you won't be able to quote back the original e-mail (since there is no mechanism for choosing an account when replying and no copy/paste function on the iPhone). Finally, company privacy policies may prevent you from forwarding your work e-mail through an outside provider like Yahoo.

Apple should produce an add-on component for existing mail servers to offer push e-mail -- or at the very least it should push e-mail through the company's .Mac service. In contrast to Yahoo Mail, .Mac offers both Web mail and POP/IMAP access as part of its package. In fact, it's a little surprising that Apple chose to partner with Yahoo for push e-mail rather than add value to the .Mac package.