So having looked at the hardware for the new iPhones it is time to look at the software. For quite a while now the new iPhone OS 3.0 software has been in Beta and despite NDAs pretty much everything leaked about the functionality that would be included.

A couple of things that didn’t leak (or were not paid any attention) were items like Video, Voice Control, Access to Accessories, Voice memos, and the Nike+ interface.

For me the main features of the new OS3.0 software are:

• Copy and Paste
• Security
• Faster OS
• Video capture and editing
• Access to accessories
• More bluetooth protocols
• Personal Area Networking
• In App Purchase
• Push Notifications
• Access to Maps in the application
• Access to the iPod Library
• Streaming Video
• Compass support

Copy and Paste.
This was a well known feature of OS3.0, but for me it was a crucial part of the User Interface that was missing. The number of times I wish that copy, cut and paste were available just cannot be counted.

Security.
With mobile devices security is always a potential issue. I have only ever lost one phone and that was in the early days when all they contained was a small selection of my phone numbers. Now my iPhone carries my life… Although there is not too much in the way of sensitive data on my iphone it is good to know that I can wipe it remotely. Another good security feature of the new software is the ability to locate the iphone using Mobile Me. It is permission based, but would allow anyone with access to your Mobile Me account to see where you (and your phone) is. This is obviously quite useful if you have left it somewhere or lost it. You can send an alert to the iPhone from Mobile Me which will provide an audible alert irrespective of the mute settings of the ringer.

Faster OS.
Well it goes without saying that a faster OS will make even the existing iPhone 3G faster. I am always a little cynical about speed increase claims as they are often measured in the best light for the system. Time will tell how big a bonus this is.

Video Capture and Editing.
The Video Camera was a much rumoured feature of the new iPhone, but not only have we got a new camera there is also the software to control and edit the video footage. This seems to take it’s design and user interface from the new video features from the OS’s big brother Snow Leopard. This allows the user to trim a video clip then share it via a number of different channels.

Access to Accessories.
Well TomTom showed us what can be done with this. They have developed a cradle for the iPhone to mount on the car windscreen that has an external GPS, speaker and microphone. They have used the accessory interface to develop a full navigation system. Obviously this feature opens a whole new world of possibilities to hardware and software developers.

More Bluetooth Protocols.
In OS2.x we only had the Bluetooth headset protocol, now we also have A2DP for streaming audio and also PAN for creating networks.

Personal Area Networking
Apple have introduced peer to peer networking in OS3.0 this was mainly designed for multi user gaming, but could potentially be used for all sorts of novel applications such as sharing of contacts and data or even localised targeted advertising.

In App Purchase.
One of the issues with the way the app store was set up is that it allows for a single purchase with free lifetime updates. This does not suit a lot of business models so Apple have now integrated a payment process within the application. This was proposed for buying additional levels for a game, but could equally be used for purchasing maps or data or any other services for the application.

Push Notifications.
With push notifications your iPhone can receive network events and respond to them. This could be new email, new SMS, or much more likely for non Apple apps notifications for new service messages such as IM clients. These can be stacked up in an application queue and the user can be alerted to the arrival by an audible alert or a ‘badge’ on the application icon.

Access to Maps in the application.
The Maps application is a great feature of the iPhone, but until now you had to close your application and open the Map App to use it, or use Google Maps over the Internet in a browser window in your app. OS3.0 provides a mechanism to embed a map in your application complete with custom information.

Access to the iPod Library.
This feature allows applications to control the music player in the iPhone. The example shown was in a game setting the car stereo to play some of your own favorite songs during the gameplay.

Streaming Video.
Up to now we have had video in the form of YouTube or video in the iPod Library. With OS3.0 we now have access to streaming video over http (web protocols) all well and good, but we do not have the capability to view Flash Movies on the iPhone yet.

Compass Support.
Adding the magnetometer into the iPhone means that now there is an electronic compass that can be accessed via the location services. This means that applications that use live maps are much more reliable and that it is now feasible to produce a heads up view of your map. This is mainly because the direction information available with GPS becomes unreliable at low speeds such as when you are walking. Often you will see your location spinning round, but this has been overcome with the compass support.