Re: iPhone OS v3.0 - Preview on 17th of March
Apple previews iPhone OS 3.0, adds copy and paste, Spotlight search, plenty more
by Paul Miller, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:53PM
As promised, Apple just debuted its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. Much of the news seemed developer-centric, but there are certainly plenty of consumer implications down the road, along with long-awaited functions like copy and paste, A2DP, MMS and universal Spotlight search. Improvements include:
App and developer functionality (more here)
* Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other info-swapping.
* Paid apps will have the potential to be subscription fee-based, and can include optional paid content that can be bought from right inside the app.
* Developers can now build apps that call out to Google Maps, and can also finally bring Apple-blessed turn-by-turn to the phone.
* Devs can also connect with hardware accessories over in their apps now, such as a blood pressure monitor -- or perhaps a keyboard? Connectivity works through the dock connector or over Bluetooth.
* Long-promised push functionality will at last be included, but apps won't run in the background.
* Developers can add streaming video and audio to their apps, along with in-game voice use.
General functionality
* Cut, copy and paste. At last! You can shake the phone to undo and redo the action, and it works with both text and photos, allowing Mail to send multiple photos at a time. (more here)
* MMS, along with forward and delete for multiple messages. (more here)
* A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
* Unlocked Bluetooth functionality on 2G iPod touch. (more here)
* Spotlight has been added to a new home screen page to the left of existing pages, allowing for universal search on the phone. (more here)
* Tethering is built into 3.0, and Apple will work with carriers on that -- who will have the last say on its implementation, most likely.
* App Store will be available in 77 countries.
Apple apps
* A new app called Voice Memos which lets you record notes and reminders.
* A revised Stocks app, with news stories and a landscape view.
* Landscape keyboard available in all major apps.
* CalDAV support has been added to Calendar, along with subscriptions support in the .ics format.
* Apple's major apps have all been expanded with search functionality.
* Note Sync to sync your notes.
* YouTube account support.
* Form auto-fill.
* Phishing protection.
A developer beta of OS 3.0 is available today, and the 3.0 update will be coming to consumers this summer as a free update to all iPhone 3G customers. It'll also work for 1st gen iPhone owners, though they won't receive A2DP or MMS due to hardware limitations. iPod touch owners will be able to update for $9.95, just like last time.
2G iPod touch to have Bluetooth capability unlocked by iPhone OS 3.0
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 2:57PM
Looks like that Bluetooth chip in the iPod touch 2G we've always thought was for Nike+ suddenly got a lot more useful: Apple's Greg Joswiak said that Bluetooth can be "unlocked" on the device during the iPhone OS 3.0 Q&A session. That's two years of rumors put to rest, right there, and a solid move, seeing as three of the major 3.0 features are A2DP, wireless accessory control and peer-to-peer connections over Bluetooth. Any touch owners feeling more inclined to drop the $9.95 now?
iPhone 3.0 features new homescreen with Spotlight search
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:52PM
Apple's making a big deal out of search on iPhone OS 3.0, and it's all being wrapped up in a new Spotlight search homescreen. A flick to the left from the first screen of apps brings it up, and from there you can search contacts, mail metadata (but not message content), calendars, media, and more. Definitely nice if you've ever struggled to quickly access something on the iPhone in the past, but again, we can't help but wonder why it took so long to get here.
MMS finally comes to Apple's iPhone 3G via OS 3.0
by Darren Murph, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:51PM
Apple's done a decent job of implementing features that we've all been clamoring for into its forthcoming OS 3.0, and aside from copy and paste, there's probably no one single feature add bigger than this. You heard right -- multimedia messaging (MMS) is at long last coming to the iPhone 3G (sorry, first-gen iPhone owners) after years of dealing strictly with SMS. During the keynote, Apple was pretty remarkably short with details, simply noting that MMS "support" would be added. Frankly, we don't expect anything mind-blowing; it'll probably look a lot like the current SMS setup, and it'll definitely make AT&T happy when you start firing away picture messages without first subscribing to an unlimited messaging plan.
Update: Apple's official PR on the subject has given us just a bit more to chew on. We're told that MMS will enable iPhone 3G users to "send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app," hinting that Apple may just smash MMS and SMS together into a single 'Messages' app in OS 3.0. Also of note, owners will also be able to "forward and delete multiple messages."
iPhone finally gets copy and paste!
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:50PM
No surprises here: Apple just announced that iPhone OS 3.0 will support copy and paste. A double-tap auto-selects the text you want with movable "grab points," and a pop-up edit bar display buttons for cut, copy, and paste. Finally! It works in every major app, including SMS and Safari, and what's more, there's also "shake to undo," which is exactly what it sounds like: a quick shake brings up a box that allows you to undo and redo c/p actions. It's a pretty nifty implementation, sure, but it's a little silly we've had to wait this long for it, don't you think?
Apple previews iPhone OS 3.0, adds copy and paste, Spotlight search, plenty more
by Paul Miller, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:53PM
As promised, Apple just debuted its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. Much of the news seemed developer-centric, but there are certainly plenty of consumer implications down the road, along with long-awaited functions like copy and paste, A2DP, MMS and universal Spotlight search. Improvements include:
App and developer functionality (more here)
* Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other info-swapping.
* Paid apps will have the potential to be subscription fee-based, and can include optional paid content that can be bought from right inside the app.
* Developers can now build apps that call out to Google Maps, and can also finally bring Apple-blessed turn-by-turn to the phone.
* Devs can also connect with hardware accessories over in their apps now, such as a blood pressure monitor -- or perhaps a keyboard? Connectivity works through the dock connector or over Bluetooth.
* Long-promised push functionality will at last be included, but apps won't run in the background.
* Developers can add streaming video and audio to their apps, along with in-game voice use.
General functionality
* Cut, copy and paste. At last! You can shake the phone to undo and redo the action, and it works with both text and photos, allowing Mail to send multiple photos at a time. (more here)
* MMS, along with forward and delete for multiple messages. (more here)
* A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
* Unlocked Bluetooth functionality on 2G iPod touch. (more here)
* Spotlight has been added to a new home screen page to the left of existing pages, allowing for universal search on the phone. (more here)
* Tethering is built into 3.0, and Apple will work with carriers on that -- who will have the last say on its implementation, most likely.
* App Store will be available in 77 countries.
Apple apps
* A new app called Voice Memos which lets you record notes and reminders.
* A revised Stocks app, with news stories and a landscape view.
* Landscape keyboard available in all major apps.
* CalDAV support has been added to Calendar, along with subscriptions support in the .ics format.
* Apple's major apps have all been expanded with search functionality.
* Note Sync to sync your notes.
* YouTube account support.
* Form auto-fill.
* Phishing protection.
A developer beta of OS 3.0 is available today, and the 3.0 update will be coming to consumers this summer as a free update to all iPhone 3G customers. It'll also work for 1st gen iPhone owners, though they won't receive A2DP or MMS due to hardware limitations. iPod touch owners will be able to update for $9.95, just like last time.
2G iPod touch to have Bluetooth capability unlocked by iPhone OS 3.0
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 2:57PM
Looks like that Bluetooth chip in the iPod touch 2G we've always thought was for Nike+ suddenly got a lot more useful: Apple's Greg Joswiak said that Bluetooth can be "unlocked" on the device during the iPhone OS 3.0 Q&A session. That's two years of rumors put to rest, right there, and a solid move, seeing as three of the major 3.0 features are A2DP, wireless accessory control and peer-to-peer connections over Bluetooth. Any touch owners feeling more inclined to drop the $9.95 now?
iPhone 3.0 features new homescreen with Spotlight search
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:52PM
Apple's making a big deal out of search on iPhone OS 3.0, and it's all being wrapped up in a new Spotlight search homescreen. A flick to the left from the first screen of apps brings it up, and from there you can search contacts, mail metadata (but not message content), calendars, media, and more. Definitely nice if you've ever struggled to quickly access something on the iPhone in the past, but again, we can't help but wonder why it took so long to get here.
MMS finally comes to Apple's iPhone 3G via OS 3.0
by Darren Murph, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:51PM
Apple's done a decent job of implementing features that we've all been clamoring for into its forthcoming OS 3.0, and aside from copy and paste, there's probably no one single feature add bigger than this. You heard right -- multimedia messaging (MMS) is at long last coming to the iPhone 3G (sorry, first-gen iPhone owners) after years of dealing strictly with SMS. During the keynote, Apple was pretty remarkably short with details, simply noting that MMS "support" would be added. Frankly, we don't expect anything mind-blowing; it'll probably look a lot like the current SMS setup, and it'll definitely make AT&T happy when you start firing away picture messages without first subscribing to an unlimited messaging plan.
Update: Apple's official PR on the subject has given us just a bit more to chew on. We're told that MMS will enable iPhone 3G users to "send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app," hinting that Apple may just smash MMS and SMS together into a single 'Messages' app in OS 3.0. Also of note, owners will also be able to "forward and delete multiple messages."
iPhone finally gets copy and paste!
by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:50PM
No surprises here: Apple just announced that iPhone OS 3.0 will support copy and paste. A double-tap auto-selects the text you want with movable "grab points," and a pop-up edit bar display buttons for cut, copy, and paste. Finally! It works in every major app, including SMS and Safari, and what's more, there's also "shake to undo," which is exactly what it sounds like: a quick shake brings up a box that allows you to undo and redo c/p actions. It's a pretty nifty implementation, sure, but it's a little silly we've had to wait this long for it, don't you think?
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