Recap of the Apple Event: What’s New for iPhone OS 3.0

Apple hosted their iPhone OS 3.0 announcement event today and they had a lot to go over. A LOT. While we never did hear anything about netbooks and tablets, they sure had a lot of improvements to name in the new 3.0 version of the iPhone OS. We've got details below.



From the much anticipated MMS and cut, copy and paste functions to new integration with Bluetooth, the iPhone OS is getting a makeover.

• Yes, there is cut, copy and paste! (two versions late, but we'll take it)


• Adding support for MMS, you can send and receive data right over the network. Photos, contacts, audio files or location (finally, picture messaging)


• iPhone 3.0 brings 1000 new APIs


• Search in Mail, iPod, Contacts and Notes


• Apple also has landscape mode so you can enter text in wide-keyboard mode. So landscape can be used in all key applications including mail.


• Google map controls will now be integrated into the iPhone.


• One of the bigger announcements about iPhone 3.0 is the new business model for some of the apps. You have the option now of purchasing more within an app. So you can purchase more subscriptions to magazines or new levels on a game. eBook apps also can sell eBooks through the applications.


• Peer to Peer integration with Bluetooth. Works for games, any p2p application, send business information to a client/colleague and Bluetooth can also help the iPhone interact with accessories, which is the next new announcement.


• Accessory developers can build apps that can interact directly with the accessory. Some examples they showed was an equalizer application that can control the equalizer on the speaker when the iPhone is docked.


• There is a lot of in-app commerce, buy anything. In a lot of the app demos (there was at least a thousand ... at least, that's what it felt like) most of the apps in 3.0 feature options to buy within the apps. You can buy clothes for a dog in one, there is a new FPS where you can buy guns and ammo.


• It was disappointing that they don't have background processing. Instead Apple introduced push notifications. Apple says it is less drain on the battery and will work better for the customers. We think that trying to save us from the horrors of low batteries is a poor excuse for not integrating background processing.


• Miscellaneous new features: audio/video tags, live streaming, Notes Sync, Wi-Fi auto login, shake to shuffle, Stereo Bluetooth, iTunes account creation, shake to shuffle, YouTube ratings, Anti-Phishing, Call Log, Parental Controls, Media Scrubber, OTA profiles, VPN on demand, Languages, YouTube subscriptions, YouTube accounts, auto-fill and Encrypted profiles.

Most of these new features will be integrated into a new type of home screen, called Spotlight. Spotlight will let you access these features and perform searches just by swiping your finger from the home screen. It will even let you find apps without scrolling through all the app screens.

The Spotlight screen does help the iPhone compete more with the new functionality that we've seen demoed on the Palm Pre, and all the new features like MMS and cut/paste will help it compete too. However, despite how much Apple downplayed background processing, we still think that's a major advantage for the Pre.

Now for the crucial details: The 3.0 will be available "this summer" for free to all iPhone users. iPod Touch owners will have to pay about $9.95 for the update. Really. The new OS will work on the original iPhone, however they won't get the MMS or Stereo Bluetooth, and maybe a few other small features.

For more information on the iPhone 3G, see the smartphone review site. For more tech news, check out the TTR Tech News Blog:

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