Those wishing for cut-and-paste functionality for the iPhone were satisfied yesterday because it was one of the 100-plus new tweaks name-checked by Apple representatives as they spoke about the next generation of the iconic smart phone’s operating system (OS).
In addition to cut-and-paste functionality, the iPhone OS 3.0 will also have MMS (multimedia messaging), landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes, stereo Bluetooth and syncing Notes to a Mac or PC.
There will also be shake to shuffle like the latest iPod nano, and parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store, as well as automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots.
Search functionality will be expanded on the iPhone OS 3.0, with the Mac OS X’s Spotlight search now coming to the iPhone and iPod touch.
The Stock app, which has been on the iPhone from the beginning, gets a refresh with the new ability to show recent company news and current trading information such as opening or average price. There will also be an option of landscape view to see stock charts in full-screen.
“The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
“It will keep us years ahead of the competition.”
Developers were also in for a surprise. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK (software developers kit) includes over 1,000 new APIs. Geo-location was also emphasised with added Google Mobile Maps abilities, opening up a plethora of geo-coded possibilities for iPhone apps developers.
Apple’s Push Notification service has also been expanded to allow developers to incorporate alerts into their apps using sound, text or a ‘badge’ to notify updates.
By Marie Boran
