Apple and AT&T have been making preparations for the launch of iPhone firmware 3.0. Here is a list of the changes and preparations that have been noted:

• The new MobileMe Find My iPhone feature has been live this past week.
• Push Notification support is beginning to appear in the App Store. Tap Tap Revenge [App Store] specifically has been updated to provide push notifications.
• The iPhone 3G S Firmware 3.0 has already appeared on Apple’s servers. This firmware is specifically for the new iPhone 3G S (iPhone2,1) so is not recommended to be installed on older iPhones.
• AT&T has posted a FAQ (PDF) about the iPhone 3G S and comments on MMS and tethering:

Later this summer, as part of the 3.0 software, AT&T will make multimedia messaging (MMS) available at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle. And, in the future, AT&T will offer tethering capability for iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G.

• The iPhone 3.0 re-download charing message has been removed and was a bug according to AppAdvice. Re-downloading apps in 3.0 should be the same as the current firmware ( which means free).

In addition, there have been a couple of YouTube videos have appeared walking through the features of the new iPhone 3.0 operating system. Video 1 , Video 2

The firmware will be officially released June 17th

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.

iPhone 3.0 Betas and iTunes 8.2 Pre-Releases are pouring out of Apple like pancakes from IHOP on a Sunday morning. Apple today released iPhone 3.0 Beta 5 (Build 7A312g) and a new iTunes 8.2 pre-release to developers. Only 8 days after beta 4 being released this release was a surprise.

At this time, there’s no word on any new features on beta 5 but there’s surely some big bug or security fixes that made Apple release this new beta just 8 days after releasing beta 4. Like the previous beta, iTunes 8.2 pre-release is required to install beta 5.

With only a month to go until Apple’s sold out Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco where the iPhone OS 3.0 is certain to be a featured topic of discussion, Apple may be increasing the pace of developer releases to begin polishing things for the public showing.

A Russian iPhone site have found out that iPhone 3.0 firmware might help improve iPhone Photography.

iPhones.ru took side by side photos with new iPhone firmware and old iPhone firmware. That lead comparison photo is not the result of a single snapshot, but 30 that produced similar results: Firmware 2.2.1 blurred the cat, then 3.0 blurred the cat ever so slightly less.

A second set also shows similar results: (Left = iPhone 3.0 – Right = iPhone 2.2.1)

This is great news, no more crappy iPhone pictures! Now we just need a 5+ megapixel image sensor on the iPhone and all will be cool!

- source: macrumors.com

Hey guys and gals, Just in case you hadn’t noticed, Apple has made the iPhone 3.0 highlight event online for all of you to watch and enjoy and wish you had that iPhone 3.0 firmware update already!

You can watch the live event at apple.com

Enjoy! and remember to follow us on twitter! We’re @iphonedashhacks

Apple highlighted the iPhone and the upcoming iPhone 3.0 firmware update today in a live event in the Apple campus in Cupertino, CA. Some of these features are freaking awesome!

• In-App Purchasing: Allows developers to sell additional content from within applications. Highlighted uses include magazine subscriptions, eBooks, additional levels and items for games.
• Peer-to-Peer Connectivity: Find other devices running the app via Bonjour over Wi-Fi of Bluetooth. Good for gaming, but also other applications for sharing data.
• Third-Party Accessory Apps: Allowing accessory manufacturers to create applications to interface with their hardware accessories.
• Push Notification: Rather than using background processes that hamper battery life, utilize third-party server to push badge, text, and audio alerts from applications.
• Turn by Turn: Apple will allow developers to use CoreLocation for turn-by-turn GPS directions.
• Cut, Copy and Paste: Available across all apps. Shake to undo or redo.
• Landscape keyboard: Available in all key applications, including Mail.
• MMS: Picture messaging now available.
• Voice Memos: Record notes, lectures, interviews, etc.
• Spotlight Search: Available across all applications. Systemwide search available from main home screen by flicking to the left.
• A2DP Bluetooth: Support for stereo bluetooth headsets.

You might notice that tethering is no where to be found in that list, it was addressed in the Q&A section of the event. Apple is building the client side of tethering into OS 3.0, but cooperation from carriers is also required in order for it to be offered.

The iPhone 3.0 update is available to all registered iPhone Developers as a free beta today and it will be fully released this summer. Shame that Apple dropped the details on this amazing update and are making us wait a couple of months before it releases! This update will be free to all iPhone users and as always, it will be $9.95USD for iPod Touch users.
Some of the above features will sadly not make it to the first generation iPhone (iPhone EDGE/2G) because of hardware limitations. The features that wont make it include, MMS and stereo bluetooth. So if you got an iPhone 2G go upgrade! Apple also revealed that bluetooth support can be activated for the second generation iPod Touch.

Apple has posted an iPhone OS 3.0 Preview page listing a few of the highlights. A video of today’s media event will also be posted to the page later today.

- sources:
macrumors.com
apple.com

Digg.com’s Kevin Rose has a great track record on being right about rumors, including Apple iPhone rumors . During a live taping of Diggnation, Kevin Rose revealed details about the expected “Copy and Paste” functionality in the upcoming iPhone 3.0.

From MacRumors:

According to Rose, to invoke Copy and Paste, you simply double tap on the word, and a magnifier bubble will appear with two quotes that you can drag around your selection. Once you make your selection, you can copy, paste or cut. Rose has been accurate in the past with details about upcoming Apple product revisions. As well, we have also heard that Copy and Paste will be arriving in 3.0 alongside a much improved homepage/springboard with the ability to organize in categories.

While BoyGeniusReports claims that the upcoming highly anticipated iPhone firmware 3.0 will have features everyone has been craving for since the launch of the iPhone, yeah, you know what I’m talking about right? Right, MMS, Tethering via USB and Bluetooth, and copy/paste — No mention of A2DP or Flash

MMS will allow users to send photos not only via email but via SMS which would be awesome, while tethering will allow you to share your iPhone’s internet connection (3G or EDGE) with your Mac or PC.

Thirdly, Macworld’s John Gruber gives us an interesting report which is labeled his iPhone 3.0 “wish list”

First, a new home screen app (a.k.a. SpringBoard), designed from the ground up for a system where users have a few dozen or more extra apps installed. Managing dozens of apps on the iPhone today is simply a pain in the ass. Second, maybe an answer to the question of where the background notification API is you know, the one we were told at WWDC to expect a few months ago, but which we haven’t heard a word about since. And maybe pretty please, Mr. Forstall, with sugar on top copy and paste.

We have good reason to believe that we may see some of those features in the new iPhone firmware. A revised Springboard (Home screen) could allow us heavy iPhone users to have more applications and have them better organized, and that would be awesome! The push notification solution would be helpful if you use instant messaging a lot.

Apple will reveal what’s really in the iPhone 3.0 software update tomorrow at 10AM Pacific. Stay tuned!

Engadget is reporting that Apple will be hosting a media event on Tuesday, March 17th to demonstrate iPhone OS 3.0, the next major upgrade to the iPhone OS (firmware). Apple will also provide details on the new SDK (Software Development Kit) to help developers in creating applications for the new operating system.

Apple’s calling this an “advance preview of what we’re building,” so we’re not expecting anything ready to go as of the 17th, but hopefully this will allow developers to start building toward future functionality (hey, how about some push notifications?), and presumably users won’t have too many months to wait after that for the real deal.

Apple previously hosted a media event for iPhone’s “roadmap” and it appears this upcoming event will follow the same theme. The event is scheduled for 10 AM Pacific in the Town Hall auditorium on the company’s campus in Cupertino, CA.

- source: engadget.com