There is no point in me going into the main features of the software update, TUAW got them covered pretty well here, but just for kicks, the best new features are probably Copy and Paste, MMS, Internet Tethering, Find my iPhone (for MobileMe customers only), Spotlight, Landscape keyboard in other Apple apps, Voice Memos, Bluetooth peer to peer connectivity, push notification, Notes Sync (for Mac users only – HA), OK, I should stop (bolded ones are the ones I really love). Speaking of Find My iPhone, let me point you to this interesting story which is definitely worth a read.
But the focus of this post is actually on the smaller refinements in the iPhone 3.0 that was not mentioned by Apple, but definitely there and welcomed.
Arrangement of App Icons
We might not have gotten what we wanted – a way to arrange our numerous apps on our iPhone through iTunes – but the arrangement of apps on the iPhone OS 3.0 is definitely way better than in 2.0. When you drag an App icon all the way to the left or right extremes of a page, the App actually slides to the next page. This makes it so much easier to rearrange apps than in 2.0, where apps simply refuse to slide to the next page and plant themselves firmly on the page. This may not be an issue for pages that are not full, as you can just “pick” them up again and slide to the next page, but when the page is full, the app on the bottom right is going to get displaced to the next page and so in the end, instead of shifting one app icon, you have to shift multiple apps (just like playing that puzzle game where you have one space and you have to move the tiles around to form a image).
Remembers your App Positions
I am quite sure this is a 3.0 feature. In 2.2.1, after restoring from a previous backup, the phone doesn’t remember the previous positions of the applications. However, in 3.0, it seems that it would actually remember the position of your applications on your home screen. A nice touch for sure.
More detailed Phone records
The call records in the iPhone 3.0 are definitely more detailed. For one, it now shows what number your contact used to call you – whether it’s their work number or their mobile or their home number. When you tap for the detailed call log for those with multiple entries, it actually shows you useful status information, such as whether the call is incoming or outgoing, cancelled or missed, instead of just a row of meaningless time under 2.0. See what I mean in the screenshot below.
Contact Sharing
I don’t think this was implemented in 2.0, but not only can you share contact cards via MMS, you can share them via Email too. This should come as good news to those stuck under carriers that doesn’t support MMS yet. (*cough* AT&T *cough*)
GPS Pinpointing
In 3.0, when the iPhone GPS couldn’t pinpoint exactly where you are, it places a pin at where it thinks you are, with a translucent circle which shows the uncertainty in pinpointing, as compared to the large crosshairs in 2.0 that leaves you guessing where the hell you are. See what I mean below. (Note: the 2.0 screenshot wasn’t taken with my phone, it’s just an example of the crosshairs)
These were the ones that I could find and remember, feel free to share more in the comments.
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