Apple announced today the final version of the 3.0 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch with a full feature list, including some much anticipated additions over the 2.0 firmware including Cut, Copy, Paste and Undo support. Apple has also announced the the 3.0 firmware will be released on June 17, and be free for iPhone users and $9.95 for iPod Touch users.
There is also an improvement in the messages including landscape texting support, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) for picture messaging to your friends and family. Apple also includes Tethering in the next firmware to connect to your laptop or PC on the go. Spotlight is another feature that enables you to search your entire iPhone for keywords, including applications.
List of carriers that support MMS:
(image courtesy of: gizmodo.com)
List of carriers that support Tethering:
(image courtesy of: gizmodo.com)
Some more highlights from the event include HTTP audio and video streaming. TV shows, music videos and audio books can all be streamed over the 3G network to your iPhone. Apple also included iTunes movie rental directly to your iPhone with parental controls, so parents are lock their child to only be able to watch G or PG films.
Apple also introduced 'Find my iPhone' which can locate your iPhone anywhere in the world using MobileMe. A message can be displayed on the iPhone with a custom message such as "Help, I have lost my owner, if found, please call (555) 123-4567. The iPhone also comes with a 'kill switch' which allows the user to destroy all the data on their iPhone remotely if not found, cleaning personal data off, which can be restored through the backup on iTunes later.
Some other announcements include auto-fill on forms fields for web sites, which can automatically fill in user data, such as name, address, telephone number and more. A long list of supported languages will also come when the 3.0 firmware launches. Push notifications and application accessories that plug into your iPhone or iPod device were also re-announced.
TomTom GPS was also announced to include it directly onto your iPhone for navigation. No more will consumers need multiple devices in their car, but a charge kit and their iPhone to navigate their home streets. Consumers can also purchase the car dock, with a recharger to mount in their vehicle to hold the iPhone.
TomTom mounting for vehicles:
(image courtesy of: gizmodo.com)
Apple also introduced zipcar, a neat application that shows you a map of available zipcar locations. The application also includes a horn and unlock feature, that actually activate your cars horn and unlocks your doors with a click of your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Zipcar unlocking feature:
(image courtesy of: gizmodo.com)
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