iPhone 3.0 Features Announced

It has been a long time coming, but Apple today announced the features to be included in the iPhone OS 3.0. The features are impressive. First the to-date statistics:

• iPhone is now in 80 countries; will be adding 15 mor countries to the 62 that already have the iPhone (math is evidently not their strong point)
• Sold 13.7 million iPhones in 2008
• 17 million iPhones sold total so far
• Including the iPod touch, sold over 30 million iPhone OS units to date
• Now over 25,000 apps in the AppStore

The new SDK will open up an additional 1,000 APIs to developers. The same tools are used for Apple internal development. Features of the new SDK and OS 3.0 include:

• Copy-and-Paste capability (at last!). As presented, it works exactly the way Kevin Rose described in Diggnation. Double-tapping a word brings up the copy/paste menu; dragging two icons allows the user to select the amount of material to copy or paste; then tapping a spot brings up the magnifier allowing the user to select the location for pasting. The capability will work across all iPhone applications. A nice touch (no pun intended) is the action can be undone be shaking the iPhone.
• iPhone 3.0 allows multiple photograph emailing. Before, only one photo at a time could be emailed. A photo icon allows the user to bring up a selection screen to select multiple photos to attach.
  
• Introduced a new Messages application that enables MMS for voice, photos, contact cards, location information, etc. The application also allows forwarding messages, and recording and storing voice memos. The application will support both the internal and a plug-in external microphone. It will also allow editing the voice memo, including trimming content. Finally, the memo can be emailed.
• Can now subscribe to additional calendars. In addition, the calendar application adds new support for Microsoft Entourage. Supports all .ics format calendar files.
• iPhone 3.0 has added more search capability by implementing a Spotlight search application for comprehensive search including address book search; email search (by from, to, subject, and headers); calendar search; and notes search (by title and body content). Will allow search across all applications.
  
• Landscape support for both email and notes (again, at last!).
  
• Improved Stocks application with stock news access and more details about stocks.
  
• Notes application sync with the Mac or PC through iTunes.
• Wi-Fi automatic login when a hotspot has been detected.
• Stereo Bluetooth now supported.
  
• Safari has added features including anti-phishing filters, remembers log-in credentials, and has implemented additional parental controls for movies, TV, and applications.
  
• Can now purchase additional content from the AppStore from within an application. It is no longer required to leave the application. This enables an application to sell a basic version and then sell incremental add-on content and capability as the user desires. Examples include purchasing additional "levels" for a game; location-specific content for an application (dining guides, maps, other information); or additional features.
• Peer-to-peer connectivity through bluetooth for gaming and external device control. Bonjour-powered and does not require pairing. This allows multi-user gaming on iPhones without the need for WiFi or 3G. It also allows iPhone users to control everything from equalization on a speaker (that supports such control) to managing medical devices from the phone. Another example is that for an application such as the musical Ocarina, multi-players can now simultaneously play multiple instruments.
• Apple has opened the Maps API to developers, but developers have to bring their own maps. This API allows geolocation, reverse geolocation, cell-tower triangulation, turn-by-turn directions, and similar functions. The reason for the developer needing their own maps is a licensing issue.
• Apple is implementing third-party push notification and background application activity. It will be mediated through Apple servers which will allow it to be more power-efficient than Blackberry or WinMobile (only 23% additional power drain versus 80% power drain with background applications activated). With the push API, developers can push sounds and alerts to the iPhone.
• Other APIs include using proximity sensors for iPod library access; built-in VoIP API; APIs to allow access of a second application's controls from within the first application (for example, a SIMs game character playing music from the iPod library).
• YouTube application has been enhanced to allow account log-in, subscribe to channels, and save videos.
• Features for tethering are included in the 3.0 update, but they are not implementing them at this time. It appears there are still issues with the carriers.
  

The iPhone 3.0 beta is available to developers immediately and will be rolled out to users this summer. It will work on both EDGE and 3G versions of the phone, although some features will not work on the older phones (example given was stereo Bluetooth). The update will be free to iPhone users and will cost $9.95 to iPod Touch users.

With these features, it is evident that Apple is expanding the iPhone's reach both vertically and horizontally. First, the vertical expansion is in the form of reaching further into a business' supply chain. The example given was an Oracle inventory management application on the iPhone that would allow immediate notification of stock-out situations and enable the user to immediately send a notice to a customer. There were numerous examples of business and medical application support demonstrated that provides insight into how Apple sees this platform progressing in the corporation.

Horizontal expansion is in the area of reaching further down the user chain. With the demonstration of networked "pets" and pet social networks, it is obvious that Apple is positioning the iPhone to a younger and younger crowd. This is probably setting the stage to additional iPhone models at the lower end.

With the features introduced in the iPhone 3.0 update, Apple has laid down the gauntlet to other phone makers that it intends to not just become a substitute for their products, but to create a totally new market. This market will be the "broad spectrum" smartphone with capabilities and cost to make it attractive across the entire mobile phone range.

Your additional insights and comments are welcomed.

Bug: Dead Earphone & Microphone

I don't intend this blog to be a list of iPhone bugs, but since the 1.1.1. update, there are a number to report. This one involves the iPhone's built-in earphone and microphone. I noticed it for the first time yesterday, but had continuing problems with it all day. Evidently, it was caused when the external earphones (or in my case, the cable to my car's speaker system) was removed when the phone was playing a podcast.

The result was that when I attempted to place a phone call the built-in earphone and microphone were dead. The called person got the call, but they did not hear anyone on the other end and I could not hear anyone on the iPhone. In addition, the built-in speakers were dead when in the iPod an YouTube applications. Turning the phone off and back on did not help. Indeed, the only way I could get any sound out of the phone was when placing a call, I put the phone in speakerphone mode--the external speakers and the microphone both worked. When the speakerphone button was pressed again, the built-in earphone and microphone were both dead.

I think I have resolved the problem. What I did was to insert the Apple earbuds. When I made a call, both the earbuds and the microphone were live. I then removed the earbuds from the phone while the call was live. Both the built-in earphone and microphone were live. Subsequent calls indicate that the phone is now working correctly.

Has anyone else seen this issue?

iPhone: Two Month Check-up--Part III

iPhone: Two Month Check-up--Part III

In my last post, I finished my impression after two month's use of the iPhone's first row applications, specifically the Photos and Camera applications. This post will look at the first two applications on the second row: YouTube and Stocks.

YouTube: Prior to geing the iPhone, I had only been an occasional user of YouTube, but I will have to admit that I have become a much more regular user since getting the iPhone. Part of the reason is it's blocked at work, so the iPhone has given me access. However, YouTube doesn't work that well on EDGE unless you have a very good signal.

With a summer of reruns and only a few really good cable series worth watching, YouTube has stepped in to fill the entertainment void. "Search" works well enough to usually find what I want. "Featured" is always good for viewing although the selection does not seem to change frequently enough. The same seems true of Most Viewed--update the index more often.

The controls for pausing, starting, sliding fast-forward or backwards, and volume are all easily accessible by tapping the screen while a video is playing. This is a very nice touch and I found the "buttons" large enough to easily manipulate.

If there is one critique of the application itself (rather than YouTube content), allow the landscape image to rotate to the left or right. Currently, the iPhone only allows YouTube viewing rotated to the left. While this might seem like a nit, I often view videos without earphones. Actually, I almost always view videos without earphones. Therefore, placement of the phone's speakers can become critical and the speakers facing to the right is not always optimal.

Stocks: For the most part, the Stocks application is simple, effective, and adequate. If I need more information, I can easily go to Yahoo! Finance. This brings me to my first critique: When I press the "Y!" button in the bottom left of the screen, I would much rather go to Yahoo! Finance than wherever the hell I'm linked now. The current link appears to be a general Yahoo! mobile phone site that has information on the stock I'm seeking and a whole bunch of information on goings on in New York City that I have no interest in. If someone is looking at a stock and they press the "Y!" button, there is a high probability that the individual is seeking detail on that stock symbol period. They are most probably not interested in other general headlines or what's going on in the greater New York area. I personally like Yahoo! Finance better than Google Finance. However, at present it is simpler to launch Safari and enter a ticker symbol to get to Google Finance than it is to use the "Y!" button in stocks and not get the information I'm looking for.

The other critique is it would be nice to be able to reorder the sequence of stocks in the listing. You can do it with Safari bookmarks and the Clocks, so I know the code and capability are there. You will see this critique as a recurring theme in other applications as well.

I will be publishing my thoughts on the remaining two applications in the second row in the near future. In the meantime, if you have comments or suggestions for Apple, please let me know.

Walter W. Casey, Ph.D.
Sent from my iPhone