Today Apple previewed the new iPhone OS 3.0 which brings with it many new features for the iPhone and iPod touch.


Push Notifications
Apple has push notifications ready to go for 3.0 and they say it preserves battery life, maintains performance, and is optimized for mobile networks. Background processes are a no go because of the serious drain on the battery.

Copy and Paste
Copy and paste has finally come to none jailbroken iPhones. If you double tap on text it is automatically selected. Grab points are then put at the end of the selection and a cut/copy/paste bubble appears above it. A long press will select a block of text in Safari and shaking the iPhone will undo a paste. Also you can now select multiple pictures, copy them, then paste them into a mail message.

Landscape Keyboard
Apple has now included the landscape keyboard in all native apps including Mail and SMS.

MMS (Messages App)
The new Messages app now can forward and delete individual or multiple messages. It supports MMS. You can also send and receive photos, contacts (using vCard standard), audio files, and locations.
MMS is not supported by the first generation iPhone.

CalDAV
CalDAV, is a standard allowing a client to access scheduling information on a remote server. The iPhone will now has .ics subscription support and allows for sharing across services such as Google and Yahoo.

Stocks
The Stocks application now has added support for news stories at the bottom, details right in the app and landscape view.

Extended Search
Search functionality has now been added in all key applications including Calendar, iPod, Notes and Mail.

Spotlight
From the home screen you can flick to the left, and it brings up a search field. If you do a search it looks across the phone for results. First is Contacts then Applications, iPod Library, Notes, Emails, and Calendar.

Bluetooth A2DP
Stereo Bluetooth A2DP support is now included. (NOTE*: It won't be available for the first generation iPhone).

Voice Memos
An application that can use the built-in microphone or an external microphone to record memos. You can edit the memo by trimming it and share it via email or MMS.

In-App Purchases
In-App purchases allow developers to charge customers for updates to their applications from inside the program. ie. purchase an additional level or a different feature pack

Peer to Peer Connectivity
Using Bonjour technology the iPhone can now connect to other touches or iPhones which are in the same app. An IP connection is formed wirelessly over Bluetooth and the devices can interact together.

Maps
Google Maps can now be embedded into your application. Core location can be used for turn by turn directions; however, you must supply your own maps.

Accessory Connectivity
With 3.0, accessory developers can now build custom apps that talk directly to that hardware.


EVEN MORE FEATURES
- Notes Sync
- Audio/Video tags
- Live Streaming (Updated media player adjusts streaming video quality according to current bandwidth)
- Shake to Shuffle
- Wi-Fi Auto Login
- LDAP
- iTunes Account Creation
- YouTube ratings, subscriptions, accounts and encrypted profiles.
- Anti-Philshing
- Call Log
- Parental Controls
- Media Scrubber
- OTA profiles
- VPN on demand
- Languages
- Auto-fills


The new iPhone OS will be available to developers starting today and the general public this summer. The firmware is free for iPhone owners and $9.95 for the iPod touch.

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