With excitement I followed the live text-cast of the iPhone OS 3.0 Preview event.

My favorite highlights are:

  • Native access to Google Maps API and turn by turn directions
  • Push Notifications (but no background apps)
  • Copy&Paste
  • Landscape mode in Mail
  • MMS
  • Web form auto-fill and password manager

They started with a good pace, showing the new feature for the devs, and then they slowed the pace, showing some amazing apps that were not possible before OS 3.0, like a glucose meter that connects to the iPhone (Scott will like that), or match result notifications from ESPN and many other more. But that part was a way "boring”… everybody was waiting for the end-user’s new features. Ok, they have to showcase their partner, but they must find a balance.

And then finished with the consumer features, like the much anticipated copy&paste and many other more. This almost made me forget the boring demos.

Here is a quick recap of the new features:

  • AppStore:
    • there is a subscription model for payments
    • ability to buy new “contents” from inside apps (like new level for games or new contents for magazines or tourist guides)
  • API:
    • 1000 new API
    • Peer to Peer connectivity over network and bluetooth (I’m not a big gamer, so not really excited by this)
    • Communication with accessories
    • Native access to Google Maps API (you can embed maps into your apps instead of just opening the browser) and turn by turn directions (TomTom on the way?)
    • Push Notification… no background applications because they would drain the battery too much (this will enable, to what they say, applications like IM, that are connected to the server when running, and will receive push notifications when they are turned off). Meebo already built a native iPhone app on OS 3.0, that uses the new push server infrastructure (no more using web apps for this).
  • Consumers:
    • Copy/Cut/Paste, even between different app. And shake to undo selection
    • Send more than one picture per email: just copy and paste as many as you want
    • Landscape mode in all Apple’s apps, like Mail, SMS, Calendar and Notes
    • The SMS app becomes “Messages” (because it has MMS now)
    • Voice Memos
    • Search in Mails, Notes, Calendars, iPod… like in Spotlight
    • Note Sync, form’s auto-fill, password manager for Safari Mobile, and much more

The SDK beta is available from today, and available for consumers in a few months, and will be a free upgrade for iPhone users (both the first version and the 3G one).

Technorati Tags: ,,