Apple recently announced the iPhone 3.0 software. The software boasts new features such as search, A2DP bluetooth and wireless tethering. A look at iPhone 3.0 Beta 3, unveils what will be seen by the masses when the update is released this summer.
It's not often that a firmware upgrade to a phone get's people excited. If you're an iPhone user, however, it's totally different.
Apple is gearing up to launch a 3.0 firmware upgrade that will make some changes to the popular iPhone. I was granted access to the beta version of the 3.0 update that is not publicly available, and I can confirm there's reason to be excited.
Apple has taken a strong approach to addressing most major issues consumers were having with the phone, and added new functionality to bring the phone in-line with the ongoing storm of "iPhone killing" competitors.
The third Beta for the new software was released to developers on April 16. It includes a lot of great new features and stability has increased significantly.
Here is an overview of what you can expect when Apple publicly launches 3.0:
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Internet Tethering
A function of the new iPhone 3.0 software that was not publicly available in the 3.0 update was internet tethering. The basic code for tethering was included, however the menu to enter the tethering settings was not enabled to developers without a third-party patch that was made available in both the United States (for AT&T tethering) and Canada (for Rogers/Fido tethering). The patch is extremely simple to install onto the phone and is much easier than installing 3.0 itself. Therefore it's a feature that most developers in both Canada and US have activated on their phones.
Once the iPhone 3.0 software goes public, it's very likely that mobile carriers with begin to charge additional fees in order to activate tethering, and this is where the question of value comes into play: The tethering functionality is nice to have as a secondary connection, however if you are doing any bandwidth-intensive work or require a fast connection, then tethering is not for you.
The tethering connection works perfectly in real-world situations like sitting in public transit and using the internet occasionally. Until data speeds are able to serve all areas at a significantly higher speed, most consumers will not find an additional fee for tethering a value. The speeds through tethering are equivalent to that of dial-up at best, however there have been rumours of a speed-bump coming to wireless networks as they improve their network coverage.
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Search
Another feature that is likely going to be very popular is search: You can now search across a number of first-party iPhone applications (including Mail and iPod) and a system search similar to Spotlight on Mac OS X has been included. The new feature allows you to navigate through a majority of the contents of your iPhone (Music, Mail, Contacts) in a centralized place. The search box is in the first pane of the Home menu and can be accessed by double clicking the Home button.
Push Notifications
This feature is presently used by the iPhone's mail application which notifies you when a new email comes in without actually running Mail in the background. However, what's new about it is that it can now be implemented through all applications (first-party and third-party), so newer applications will incorporate the feature to bring you updates instantly without opening the application.
The feature makes instant messaging applications much more useful, as they can now run successfully all the time and it won't kill your battery. The feature is being applauded by iPhone developers because it opens a whole new realm of possibilities.
Apple Inc.
iPhone Copy and Paste
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Cut, Copy, and Paste
A feature that many people have wanted on the iPhone has been the ability to copy and paste. Apple has finally been able to include that functionality through all their applications in the 3.0 upgrade. The code is also available to developers for implementation in applications. The feature works be double tapping the text you want to copy and then double clicking to paste.
Stereo Bluetooth
You now have the ability to listen to music through wireless headphones with AD2P compatible headsets. The functionality is available on all both the iPhone and the iPhone 3G as it runs off the Bluetooth chip.
Stocks
The stocks application on the iPhone has been completely overhauled and now includes a number of features that make it a worthy application; on the bottom tab of the application it now shows basic info (highs, lows, 52h, 52l, p/e, etc), news and the graph. However, the most substantial update is the addition of landscape mode that shows a full graph, or portions of a graph based on your selections.
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The one major issue that remains with the stocks application is the 20-minute delay which limits the true benefit of having a stock app on the phone. If Apple is able to reduce the delay or even offer real-time stock info, the application would be a total package. Another feature that should be added is the ability to track your portfolio as Google Finance offers.
Release
The update offers a slew of new features and Apple has committed to making the update available this summer. There is a strong belief that a new iPhone will be introduced to compliment the software update, however a majority of these features will be available on older iPhones and all of them are available on the iPhone 3G.
