iPhone 3.0 Conference, Summary and Thoughts

Features:

1. Applications : Subscriptions, sell new levels within app, new content

2.P2P Gaming/Applications (Peer to Peer) - Automatic Discovery, Bluetooth, Devices are not paired, use of the Bonjour technology, used for applications too.

3. Custom Apps will now be able to interact with 3rd party hardware. EG. FM transmitter.- Dock Connector, Bluetooth functionality.

4. Google Maps can now be used within applications (Not just the Maps app!) = Now with TURN BY TURN DIRECTIONS!

5. Push Notification - but NO background processing. :(

6. The Sims, Meebo to come to the iPhone... Also fitness apps and hardware accessories for the diabetics! Also TouchPets (a bit like the Sims...) and LiveFire, a FPS (with wifi, global play). Dr Wang of Smule unveil 'Leaf Trombone', a multiplayer music app.

7. Cut, Copy and Paste. (finally...) With Undo support, and works across apps!

8. Landscape mode in Notes, Mail and SMS...

9. SMS has forwarding and deleting texts! (yay!)

10. MMS support.

11. Contacts with photos/audio alerts per contact (pretty cool...)

12. Voice Memos.

13. Overhaul of that crap Stocks app - now with news stories and details...

14. Search/Spotlight capability in all applications.

15. Notes Sync too!



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Details:

16. OS 3.0 will be free, backwards compatible to 1st Gen iPhone, and at a cost of $9.95 for iPod Touch....

17. Q&A - Copy and Paste took long because of security issues, Flash not yet announced (but HDTV streams now possible).
Peer to Peer is Bonjour only.
Tethering support is being built in, but not yet in as a function.
Can't move files over Bluetooth, but the Q&A guys were a bit stumped!

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My thoughts?

Nothing on possible skinning the phone screen, background and such.
No news on editing the sounds for texts/alert sounds.
Can't manage screens on the iPhone via iTunes?
Tethering and Flash not there yet.....
Can't record video (only with a 3rd party app)
People are still going to jailbreak for reasons I've just mentioned (and probably more, but I'm not the best informed)....

Looking forward to the next iPhone model to be announced!

See the conference in all its glory - here. - No Steve Jobs though....