Wow, that was quite fast! Apple, yesterday, released iPhone OS 3.1 Beta and SDK to developers for testing. This firmware will pack quite a hand full of new features that people have been asking for since the release of the iPhone OS 3.0 firmware.

Features found so far:

• Trimming video clips on the iPhone 3GS now offers the ability to save the edited version as a copy rather than simply overwriting the original file.
• Voice Control over Bluetooth is now available, allowing users to Initiate calls and control music playback via Bluetooth headsets.
• MMS is now enabled by default, but still not supported by AT&T.
• iPhone vibrates when rearranging Home screen icons.
• A “Fraud Protection” toggle is now available in Safari settings.
• iPhone startup and shutdown and app launching times have improved.
• New APIs allow developers of third-party application to access and edit videos.
• OpenGL and Quartz have seen improvements.

Just like other beta firmwares, this requires you to have a developer account with Apple.

- source: macrumors.com

Apple has posted up an Online iPhone 3GS availability database for people to see if the iPhone 3GS is available at their local retail store. This comes extremely handy if you’ve been visiting the Apple store day after day trying to get your hands on an iPhone 3G S but it always seems to be sold out, this will put an end to that.

Now, you don’t need to waste precious petrol to an Apple store and come back home empty handed. Visit the source link to get to the database.

- source: apple.com

Apple announced that they sold over 1 million iPhone 3G S models over this past weekend.The press release includes a quote from the one and only, Steve Jobs:

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

In addition, Apple also reports that six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software which works on the existing 40 million iPhone and iPod touch models.

- source: apple.com

Apple released the long awaited iPhone OS 3.0 firmware (Build 7A341) for both iPhone and iPod touch via iTunes. This software update is a major update and adds over 100 new features. If you would like to quickly upgrade to 3.0, connect your device to iTunes via USB and click on Check for Updates and the iPhone OS 3.0 will start downloading and it will update your iPhone.

Features:

• Copy and Paste: Quickly and easily cut, copy, and paste text from application to application. Select entire blocks of web text with a tap. Copy and paste images from the web, too.
• Landscape Keyboard: Want more room to type? Rotate iPhone to landscape to use a larger keyboard in Mail, Messages, Notes, and Safari.
• Spotlight Search: Find what you’re looking for across your iPhone, all from one place. Spotlight searches all of your contacts, email, calendars, and notes, as well as everything in your iPod.
• Safari: Enjoy faster performance, autofill user names and passwords, and more.
• Auto Wi-Fi login: Log in to a Wi-Fi hotspot and iPhone automatically logs you in when you connect again
• Find My iPhone: Find your iPhone if you lose it and protect your privacy with Remote Wipe.
• Shake to Shuffle: Give iPhone a shake and it shuffles to a different song in your music library.

That’s just a few of the features iPhone OS 3.0 will offer, for the full list of features click here.

iPhone OS 3.0 IPSW Downloads:
iPhone 2G EDGE 3.0 ipsw Download
iPhone 3G 3.0 ipsw Download
iPhone 3G S 3.0 ipsw Download

iPod touch users can go to iTunes and buy the firmware update for $9.95USD - here {iTunes link)

The folks over at macrumors.com are reporting that Apple and AT&T have begun updating order statuses and providing UPS tracking numbers to the customers for their iPhone 3G S orders. If ordered from Apple, shipments are being sent from Shenzhen, China and are due for delivery on Friday, the official launch date for the iPhone 3G S. If ordered from AT&T, the order status appears as “in progress” and have been assigned tracking numbers, however, the shipments do not appear to have yet been picked up by UPS.

Visible signs of AT&T’s and Apple’s preparations for the launch of the new iPhone, as well as the corresponding release of iPhone OS 3.0 for older devices this Wednesday, have begun appearing in the days leading up to the new releases. Over the weekend, AT&T also sold out of its initial iPhone 3G S pre-order allotment, meaning that those who wish to obtain an iPhone 3G S from AT&T on launch day will have to do so in-person at an AT&T retail store.

Today at WWDC, Apple announced that the long awaited iPhone OS 3.0 will be available June 17th. iPhone OS 3.0 brings in over 100 new features.

A few of the mentioned features include:

• MMS: While the inclusion of multimedia messaging in iPhone OS 3.0 was discussed at Apple’s previous media event, Apple today revealed the MMS will not be available for AT&T customers until “late summer”, as much as several months after the launch of the new operating system. A number of other wireless carriers throughout the world will be supporting MMS at launch.
• Internet Tethering: At its previous media event, Apple chose not to focus on tethering, addressing it only in a Q&A period by saying that while the functionality is being built into the iPhone OS 3.0, cooperation from carriers would be needed in order to enable it. During today’s keynote, Apple announced that tethering via USB and Bluetooth will be offered on a number of carriers at launch, although AT&T will not be supporting it for the time being.
• “Find My iPhone”: A newly-advertised feature only for MobileMe subscribers allows customers to track the location of their lost iPhone, send alerts to the device, and perform remote wipes for data security. If later found, wiped iPhones can then be restored by syncing with iTunes.

This major update to the iPhone OS will be available for free to all existing iPhone users and will be $9.95USD to iPod Touch users.

Update: If you currently have an iPhone on a contract then you will not be eligible for a standard iPhone upgrade - bummer. You will, however, be eligible for a full retail price upgrade (Prices below).

• $499.00USD — 8GB iPhone 3G (black)
• $599.00USD — 16GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)
• $699.00USD — 32GB iPhone 3G S (black or white)

WWDC was awesome this year ’round. Apple has announced a new iPhone. Say hello to the iPhone 3GS! The fastest and most powerful iPhone yet.

As you can see, the iPhone 3GS looks exactly the same as the current shipping iPhone 3G, the rumored iPhone 3GS leaked pictures were completely fake. The iPhone 3GS will come in 2 models - 16GB and 32GB.

What about features?

• 3 megapixel Camera - Autofocus - Tap to focus -Video recording
• Improved performance
• Built-in video camera with editing
• Voice Control - Voice Dial and Control the iPod
• Compass - you can tap to go right into Maps, and if you tap a second time it will orient the map to where you’re facing
• Cut, Copy, and Paste - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
• MMS - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
• Spotlight Search - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0
• Voice Memos - Comes with iPhone OS 3.0

Battery life:

• Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G - Up to 12 hours on 2G
• Standby time: Up to 300 hours
• Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
• Audio playback: Up to 30 hours on audio
• Video playback: Up to 10 hours of video

Apple is being very aggressive with pricing, the iPhone 3G will stay and will sell for $99USD for 8GB model and the new iPhone 3GS will sell for an amazing $199USD for the 16GB model and $299USD for the 32GB model. And it will be available to buy June 19th! So get ready to go stay in line.

- source: store.apple.com

NoWhereElse.fr originally posted these questionable pre-WWDC photo of what could be the iPhone announced on Monday. The photos appear it will have a front-facing camera, which will fulfill many iPhone user’s wishlist.

With all the reports about the iPhone pushing video as a killer feature, it’s very likely Apple could introduce video-chat to the iPhone. But, before you start screaming out with joy, keep in mind that apparently no semi-credible source has suggested the new iPhone will pack a front-facing camera. It’s mostly been a common theme among these widely-circulated mockups. Some have even mocked up what a making a video phone call might look like. Imagine how high Apple will set the bar if such a feature would be introduced on Monday, June 8th?

WWDC will be launching June 8th in San Fransisco and we’ll know exactly what will be in the new iPhone then. Meanwhile, cross your fingers and pray to the Tech Gods that Apple will have something extremely exciting planned for us. Stay tuned!

- source: nowhereelse.fr

Financial Times reports that Apple is planning on launching a “cut-price” version of the iPhone on Monday.

Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the company’s share of the market for web-surfing devices, people familiar with the initiative said on Thursday.

Analysts predict the cut would be either $50 or $100. If correct, the drop would drastically stimulate sales of the iPhone. Past rumors speculate that Apple will bring four iPhone models (4GB, 8GB, 16Gb and 32GB) if true, the 4GB model will most likely be the sub-$100 iPhone.

Financial Times has been reasonably accurate in the past, though most of their past information has been about Apple’s negotiations with record labels.

- source: ft.com

The latest of these images come from italian site SpazioCellulare, and they look very convincing. The images appear to reflect many circulating rumors but as such it maybe a very good mockup.

There appears to be an extra button on the lower-side of the case, perhaps a camera button and shutter button? The headphone jack for the iPhone appears to have moved down to the bottom of the unit. It also doesn’t seem to have the roundness that the iPhone 3G has. With any rumor, we aren’t confident that these images are 100% legit but they serve as interesting speculation.

There’s only about 3 days till WWDC on June 8th, stay tuned!