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Old 03-17-2009, 10:02 PM   #1
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iPhone OS 3.0 first impressions and photos [Updated]

Developers late Tuesday evening are downloading a widely distributed beta of Apple's new iPhone 3.0 software, installing it on their handsets, and weighing in with some first impressions and screen shots, all of which follow. [Updated with video.]

The beta is available in a variety of distributions for the various multi-touch products Apple has released over the past two years, each of which weighs in around 250MB. The updated version of the iPhone SDK is much heftier, at around 2.5GB.

Generally speaking, developers are excited about the release and say the beta is stable enough for them to use as their primary iPhone OS for the time being, though the software is clearly 'not something Apple would ship' at this point.

In particular, Spotlight is said to be very responsive and functions just as you would expect having used the feature previously on a Mac. Copy & paste is also well received, but feels somewhat flaky. Developers have experienced some difficulty making selections in Safari, which may suggest a slight learning curve like that required when exploring the iPhone's touch keyboard for the first time.

Below are a series of screenshots highlighting some of the widely publicized features of iPhone 3.0 and some that have gone unmentioned, like encrypted iPhone backups, background messaging and Camera app tweaks. Two apps that have reportedly seen no changes as of yet are Weather and Clock.

Copy and paste

Copy and paste works across all applications. We've detailed the process for text, web content, and photos in a series of annotated screenshots here. Below are some additional examples, including copy and paste of MMS messages. There's also an interface in Safari for copying URLs.









Messages

One cool feature of Apple's new MMS "Messages" app is the ability to send messages in the background, which lets you type out your second message while you're waiting for the first to send. It's quite helpful when sending very large media messages:



Voice Memo interface

Apple's new Voice Memo application lets you record voice memos for yourself, which can then be trimmed and sent to friends, family, or coworkers via email of MMS.





Spotlight and Mail search

Spotlight search is accessible by flicking the iPhone's home screen to the right (as if there was a home screen to the left). In addition to serving as a global search app, it can also act as a quick application launcher.



Mail, Notes, iPod and Calendar also have their own integrated search interface (seen in the shots below, which are flanking the new home screen). If the mail search doesn't turn up any results from messages stored on your iPhone, it will move on to search messages still located on your mail server.



Key apps getting landscape mode

Among the apps gaining true landscape mode with a landscape keyboard are Mail, Stocks, Notes, and Messages:





Camera and Photos

A new version of Apple's Camera app shows you the last photo you snapped in the lower left-hand corner of the application. Meanwhile, the new Photo album app allows you to copy, delete, or share multiple photos via email.



YouTube and Settings panel

A new version of the YouTube app due in iPhone 3.0 will let you log into your account and see subscriptions, playlists, and history. Below is also a photo of the iPhone's general preference pane thrown in for good measure. There are reportedly few changes in the settings.



Parental controls & contact sharing

Below are some of the new parental controls and the dialog that allows sharing of contact cards (vCard standard) over MMS.



New screenshot interface

The version of the App Store application included with the iPhone 3.0 beta includes a slightly revised and quirky interface for viewing screenshots:



Encrypt iPhone backups and Note syncing

Below are two screenshots from the current version of iTunes showing options to encrypt iPhone backups and sync notes to handsets running iPhone OS 3.0.



Video walkthrough

YouTube user Jon has posted the following nine-minute walkthrough video of iPhone OS 3.0:

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Old 03-17-2009, 10:20 PM   #2
Cubert
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The features highlighted today blew me away!

The ability to create third party apps that can interface with an accessory (via the dock connector or bluetooth) is the future of the platform.
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:26 PM   #3
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The features highlighted today blew me away!

The ability to create third party apps that can interface with an accessory (via the dock connector or bluetooth) is the future of the platform.
Heh, I thought the ability to write third-party apps that could find other nearby apps was the future of the platform... I guess if the platform has multiple futures, though, that's a good thing.
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:26 PM   #4
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Copy Paste in Calendar

Does anyone know if you are able to copy/cut/paste full events in calendar?
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:29 PM   #5
SteveLV702
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MMS Disabled

only thing is MMS Disabled in the Beta cause I can get it to send a normal text message but whenever try to send a message with a picture it fails :'(
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:36 PM   #6
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Sync notes?

Does that mean syncing of notes between Mail.app and iPhone's Notes app? That would be great!
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:41 PM   #7
dagamer34
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Does that mean syncing of notes between Mail.app and iPhone's Notes app? That would be great!
That's exactly what it means! Hopefully Apple will update MobileMe with a Notes tab. Also still missing is ToDo support!

All in all, a good day!
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:42 PM   #8
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only thing is MMS Disabled in the Beta cause I can get it to send a normal text message but whenever try to send a message with a picture it fails :'(
It's working for me.
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:44 PM   #9
theBigD23
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Is To Do the same as notes? I don't see a Note creation in iCal, but there is a differentiation in Entourage between Notes and Tasks (or To Do's.) Thanks!
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:53 PM   #10
evanmixon
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is there gonna be a new way to add people to the sms list thing they used to have... like u would have to find the person. click them. go back to sms. find another person. click them, go back to sms. find another person. click them.. blah blah.. ya know? i might not be making sense, but will there b a way to just check mark the ppl we wanna text, instead of having to go back and forth on the messaging app?
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Old 03-17-2009, 10:59 PM   #11
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Forwarding SMS messages would be nice...but I guess at least now you can copy and paste the contents into a new message.
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:01 PM   #12
ad4m.phillips
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Forwarding SMS messages would be nice...but I guess at least now you can copy and paste the contents into a new message.
That's included. Multiple forwarding and deletion of specified texts
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:02 PM   #13
astrosmash
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Voice Notes?

I'm disappointed they didn't call it Lip Service.
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:02 PM   #14
SteveLV702
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It's working for me.
hmmm interesting wounder why its not working for any of our phones :'(
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:06 PM   #15
scotty321
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Signatures in Mail

Is Mail still limited to ONE unified signature for ALL email accounts?? This would be a real bummer, as we need different signatures for each different email account that we use!
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:08 PM   #16
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Turn On and Off MMS...Tweak SMS

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Originally Posted by SteveLV702 View Post
only thing is MMS Disabled in the Beta cause I can get it to send a normal text message but whenever try to send a message with a picture it fails :'(
I think it's huge that you can turn settings on and off for SMS and MMS....Huge !!!....for me, anyway!
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:10 PM   #17
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Syncing Notes and Email.
No longer do i have to dowload those email again over the STUPIDLY SLOW Wifi and 3G connection
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:12 PM   #18
Postulant
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hmmm interesting wounder why its not working for any of our phones :'(
Interesting. I sent a mms text to my boss earlier... I just tried again just now and it isn't working.
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:21 PM   #19
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Nice overview Kasper. Looking forward to my first iPhone in June-July...


File Encryption Tools Built Into Your Mac
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Old 03-17-2009, 11:26 PM   #20
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This is great. I find that the iPhone already syncs just fine to multiple computers (not the same data types for each). Currently I sync email settings and photos with my laptop, and I sync iTunes and calendar with my desktop. Now I'll sync notes with the laptop as well.

( I just wish backups were optional: I don't feel the need to have BOTH machines make a backup every time I sync. So I click cancel when using the laptop.)


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Old 03-17-2009, 11:58 PM   #21
razorpit
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That's exactly what it means! Hopefully Apple will update MobileMe with a Notes tab. Also still missing is ToDo support!

All in all, a good day!
I'm sorry I don't understand your post completely, but are you running the 3.0 software and confirming no ToDo support? I was eagerly looking for mention of that support in the presentation but didn't see anything.

--Dave
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:17 AM   #22
melgross
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hmmm interesting wounder why its not working for any of our phones :'(
Well, you are in Nevada, so it was always a gamble.

Sorry, I just had to.
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:17 AM   #23
Haggar
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That's exactly what it means! Hopefully Apple will update MobileMe with a Notes tab. Also still missing is ToDo support!
And syncing it all with Exchange server.
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:20 AM   #24
Haggar
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Will the built in Contacts application support Bluetooth connectivity for sending and receiving contacts? Or will people have to use MMS and pay every time they want to send or receive contacts?

Will Contacts also support sending vCards through email?

Can Voice Memos be sent using Bluetooth?

Can Notes be emailed from within the application or sent/received using Bluetooth?


Last edited by Haggar; 03-18-2009 at 12:29 AM..
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:35 AM   #25
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Nice overview and screen shots, thanks. Looking forward to this summer.

I think that we will see lots of amazing "applications" (as in uses) for the iPhone in the near future; the new capabilities really open lots of doors.

I was happy to see voice notes with trimming; now if someone goes a step further...


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Old 03-18-2009, 12:44 AM   #26
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( I just wish backups were optional: I don't feel the need to have BOTH machines make a backup every time I sync. So I click cancel when using the laptop.)
Have you tried:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true

on the laptop? Check disable iPhone backups for more details.
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:48 AM   #27
SteveLV702
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Well, you are in Nevada, so it was always a gamble.

Sorry, I just had to.


boohoo :'(
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:51 AM   #28
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i was hoping that, maybe under the new Spotlight homescreen, there would be a dedicated area to quickly fiddle with general settings. I always try to maximize battery life, and it would save me a lot of time if I could quickly set my Brightness, Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth. I'm no coder, but it seems easy to just tack those on under the search field!

I'm still also wishing that they can improve the at-a-glance screen. (Missed calls, text messages, etc.). Other than that, OS 3.0 seems like a good package. Turn-by-turn instructions will be neat too, I just hope that the map downloads won't be expensive.
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Old 03-18-2009, 12:59 AM   #29
melgross
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Originally Posted by Haggar View Post
Will the built in Contacts application support Bluetooth connectivity for sending and receiving contacts? Or will people have to use MMS and pay every time they want to send or receive contacts?

Will Contacts also support sending vCards through email?

Can Voice Memos be sent using Bluetooth?

Can Notes be emailed from within the application or sent/received using Bluetooth?
All good questions. I hope someone can answer them, but likely NDA will prevent that right now.
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Old 03-18-2009, 01:50 AM   #30
GregAlexander
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Does that mean syncing of notes between Mail.app and iPhone's Notes app? That would be great!
I hope it means iPhone Notes and Mail.app.

However, MobileMe already has an option in Leopard for syncing "Notes" - which synchronises Stickies from your dashboard on one computer to another computer. Perhaps they'll sync dashboard stickies to your iPhone?

Quote:
Originally Posted by acslater017 View Post
I'm still also wishing that they can improve the at-a-glance screen.
I suspect that stuff like this isn't needed by developers. This release is to help developers make new apps. The glance screen, and organisation/grouping of app icons etc could still be changing.
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Old 03-18-2009, 02:11 AM   #31
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Does anyone know if you are able to copy/cut/paste full events in calendar?
What part of "system-wide" don't you understand?
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Old 03-18-2009, 02:13 AM   #32
Matthew Yohe
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Will the built in Contacts application support Bluetooth connectivity for sending and receiving contacts? Or will people have to use MMS and pay every time they want to send or receive contacts?
"Pay every time"? Seriously? If you are sending out contacts enough you can probably afford sending an text messages.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Haggar View Post
Can Voice Memos be sent using Bluetooth?
To what?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Haggar View Post
Can Notes be emailed from within the application or sent/received using Bluetooth?
They already can be emailed from Notes. If you mean "from within the application" to mean something different (like what they will allow for 3rd party apps) this is probably exactly how it will be in those 3rd party apps.
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Old 03-18-2009, 02:17 AM   #33
Haggar
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"Pay every time"? Seriously? If you are sending out contacts enough you can probably afford sending an text messages.
And your answer to the question is what exactly?

Quote:
To what?
Since peer to peer support was one of the highlighted features, it would mean at least to other iPhones.
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Old 03-18-2009, 02:42 AM   #34
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I'm disappointed they didn't call it Lip Service.
Good point, seeing as Lip Service was built-into NEXTSTEP.
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Old 03-18-2009, 03:25 AM   #35
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You missed Safari AutoFill of user contact details, usernames and passwords (in Settings.app -> Safari)

=)
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Old 03-18-2009, 04:21 AM   #36
schmrtzzz
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Unreadable Notes

The font Apple uses in Notes is still unreadable, even in landscape mode. Why not give users a choice which font to use and which corps (yes, I admit, I'm getting old).
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Old 03-18-2009, 04:29 AM   #37
rain
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I just upgraded my hi-fi stereo system with a Marantz cd player, NAD preamp and a huge Rotel amp. Bought 2 insanely sweet tickets to Depeche Mode in San Fran at the Shorline Amphitheatre, and a week of camping at Greenpoint Campground in Tofino, BC.

All this, and more, and all I had to do was not subject myself to some sadistic pleasure of having an iPhone that couldn't even cut and paste.

Who's iMovie do you think Apple would promote?
Dude listening to an insanely awesome stereo, jet-setting around to check out wicked bands, surfing bitch'n waves in the most beautiful environment on the planet...
or
Some dude going "woot, I just touched my screen and zoomed in on a shitty photo while making a phone call".

While I admit that I have some "woot, I just touched my screen and zoomed in on a shitty photo while making a phone call" envy... for what Rogers is asking, my god.

You can't cut and paste life.

Little insight on me guys. I'm pretty hardcore with my tech, but at some point you need to draw a line. As much as I love to use and even sell Apple products on the side, there comes a point where you watch an Apple Keynote, showing off iLife and all the fantastic adventures of the sample photo's and movies... and think... shit... I have no content to even use that software.

I guess thats my next Youtube commercial against Rogers...


Last edited by JeffDM; 03-18-2009 at 09:54 AM.. Reason: The graphic imagery was unnecessary.
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Old 03-18-2009, 04:35 AM   #38
Flash_beezy
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Is there a way to get the beta version? I knoew its a developer exclusize
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Old 03-18-2009, 04:47 AM   #39
rei_vilo
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Question

And still to-do list sync-ed with iCal

Really, I don't understand .

Should we wait the next release 4.0 ?
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Old 03-18-2009, 04:52 AM   #40
rain
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And still to-do list sync-ed with iCal

Really, I don't understand .

Should we wait the next release 4.0 ?
I'm still waiting for iCal to have even half the features that Clarisworks Calendar had back in 1997.
So don't hold your breath.
Apple is is 12 YEARS behind in calendar technology... not good.
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