Key Improvements From The iPhone 3.0 Software Update

CIO - Just last week, Apple officially announced its latest addition to the iPhone product line, the iPhone 3G S, along with a brand new operating system (OS) software update for older iPhone and iPod touch devices, iPhone 3.0.

The iPhone 3G S won't be available until this Friday, and you'll have to be crafty if you hope to snag one on launch day, but the iPhone and iPod touch software update will be ripe for the picking later today, according to Apple, and there ought to be plenty of OS goodness to go around. iPhone 3.0 is free to iPhone users, but iPod touch owners will have to drop $9.95 for the software.

Here's a break down of the top 10 features and enhancements that iPhone and iPod touch users will see in iPhone 3.0

And for those considering picking up a new iPhone 3G S, you should scan the following slide show before making any decisions:

"Forget iPhone 3G S: Eight Great New iPhone Alternatives."

10) Shake to Shuffle

While listening to iTunes music on your iPhone 3.0-equipped iPhone or iPod touch, you'll be able to simply shake your device lightly to "shuffle" to a different song in your music library.

The feature's clearly nothing revolutionary, but it does mean you don't have to fiddle around with your iPhone or iPod's screen to skip over songs you don't particularly like or to suit your mood.

9) Improved Parental Controls

The current iPhone software build features a number of very basic security features for parents, but iPhone 3.0 will address what content younger or impressionable viewers can access. For example, parents will be able to block R-rated video content, as well as questionable music and applications.

8) Spotlight Search

Macintosh users are likely familiar with the Spotlight Search feature built into the Mac OS X software, which lets you make system-wide searches instead of just search individual applications or services.

iPhone and iPod touch users are about to get a very similar feature. iPhone Spotlight "searches all of your contacts, email, calendars, and notes, as well as everything in your iPod," according to Apple.

7) Stereo Bluetooth

Just last week, I was complaining about the iPhone 3G's lack of stereo Bluetooth, when my iPhone didn't work along with an in-car FM transmitter I was reviewing. (Every other device I employed worked just fine.)

Well, that's about to change. iPhone 3.0 brings new stereo Bluetooth support to the iPhone and iPod touch, so users will be able to, say, listen to their iTunes music collections via wireless Bluetooth headphones and in-car systems.

6) MMS Support...Sort Of

U.S. iPhone users on AT&T will have to wait until "late summer" to access the feature, according to the carrier, but iPhone 3.0 will support MMS messages. That means iPhone owners will now--finally-be able send video, photos, audio, and contact info in SMS-text-like messages.