14 DAY TRIAL // On the iPhone section of its website, Apple encourages iPhone fans to download iPhone OS 3.0 once it becomes available on June 17. The enhanced software delivers features that have been missing from the operating system right from the get-go, such as Cut, Copy & Paste and MMS, but also brand new additions, such as Spotlight search, Internet Tethering, a Find My iPhone feature and Parental Controls.
iPhone OS 3.0 is said to deliver more than 100 new features, including the above-mentioned Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS (but only later on this summer), Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod, landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari, expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store, and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. The ability to wirelessly download movies, TV and audio programs will also be included with iPhone OS 3.0 and the enhanced version of iTunes. Students will be able to download learning materials on the go, using iTunes U.
Additionally, iPhone 3.0 software will offer a new Find My iPhone feature that integrates with MobileMe to help the user find his / her phone, in case they've lost it. The feature can show them their phone on a map, send a message that appears on the phone's screen, or play a sound to help them find it even in their own house. Additionally, in case of theft, for example, the user can choose to remotely "wipe" all data on the device. To use the Find My iPhone feature, iPhone owners will also have to be MobileMe customers.
iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers, and as a paid upgrade (US $9.95) for iPod touch owners. Two days later, on June 19, Apple will debut iPhone 3G S, an enhanced version of the current iPhone 3G, which adds a built-in digital compass, longer battery life, a high-quality 3-megapixel autofocus camera, and more.