Unbeknownst to me, I’ve been a registered Apple Developer for quite some time now. Apparently, back in the early days of OS X (that’s 10.0 for all interested parties), when you registered on Apple’s site as a user, that also gave you access to all of the neat developer tools they were working on at the time. Having a developer account is useful for gaining earlier access to plenty of fun things that Apple is working on, including the iPhone 3.0 GM that’s slated for release this Wednesday. I took the plunge and got it set up my iPhone 3G. Here’s the score:
It’s the Little Things
The first thing you really notice upon first booting up 3.0 is that it’s very snappy; everything feels just a pinch faster. Additionally, the interface has a new level of polish with some subtle cues that let you know how everything works and where everything is; basically everything you’d expect from Apple and then some. Two great examples of the enhanced polish that I’ve noticed are: Closing apps now provides you with the slightest of fades as the apps vanish into the background. The other is the changing of the cursor color from a very dark blue to the same blue as the text message send button and slightly thickening it, making it easier to track when skimming through lines of text. These are such simple changes, but ones I noticed in an instant.
The new Spotlight feature is one of my favorites: From the home screen, you can either swipe to the right or press the home button and you get a nice little fade of your icons as the Spotlight search bar comes into view. Assuming you don’t have pages upon pages of index-able apps (I have four, but not four completely filled pages), searching works like a charm and you can even control the results order via Settings > Phone > Search Results. You can also swipe down on almost any application window (iPod, Notes, Mail, etc) and search specifically in that area. The attention to detail and intuitiveness of it is nothing short of amazing.
The Phone and Messages icons have received a small design treatment. Not so much that you’d readily notice, but they both have a faint diagonal pinstriping now and the “SMS” text has been removed from the messaging icon. I can only assume this is the case in the 3G and 3GS iPhones, since they’re they only ones which support the new (and still unavailable, thanks AT&T!) MMS feature.
Obviously, the option to go landscape on everything should garner a big “Horrah!” from users. In the Mail app it works great and has been something I’ve personally been hoping for since the 2.0 release. The text messaging area also benefits from the landscape keyboard plus some minor interface tweaks for the better. In the pre-3.0 system, upon sending a text you’d have to wait for it be completely sent before accessing the keyboard or text area again. Such is not the case in 3.0, as the progress indicator has been moved to the title bar, allowing you to navigate freely while the text sends.
Another great thing I’ve noticed is that the call lists (Recents/Voicemail) have been greatly improved, telling you which source has called you (home, mobile, etc) and giving you the appropriate state (based on area code) for numbers not in your phone book. These are both two huge improvements as far as I’m concerned and should be put out there for all to see.
Three Words: Cut, Copy, Paste
I can’t say anything that hasn’t been repeated ad nauseum about the integration of cut/copy/paste into the 3.0 OS. I will say that the execution is very tight and works better than expected. I like the addition of “Select All”, as sometimes I just want to completely highlight all of my text, delete it, and start from scratch. The ability to copy and paste text, images, and links between programs will be huge and I’m already thanking Apple for it.
A Few New Apps
Let’s just cut right to the chase, since I know everyone is excited about it: the new and improved Stocks app ROCKS! Actually, I’m so uninterested in the Stocks app that, in addition to not opening it yet, I’ve banished it to my last page of apps (along with the similarly useless Contacts app). I must confess the Voice Recorder apps is pretty cool and something I can see myself using on a regular basis for quick things. Couple that with it’s ability to sync recordings to iTunes and you have yourself a winning app right there.
MobileMe and the new features therein
I’m reserving my comments about MobileMe for my actual rundown and review of the service as a whole (review forthcoming). I will say, however, that the deal has been greatly sweetened with the addition of Find My iPhone, Remote Wipe, and over-the-air Notes syncing. (Not that my phone actually ever leaves my side, but it’s a nice thing to have).
In Summary
If you didn’t believe the iPhone was the mobile handset for you because it was missing feature X, you’ll have absolutely no reservations about getting one now because with the 3.0 software Apple has covered the spectrum of everything a smart phone should do for a user. Set some time aside on Wednesday to get to know your new iPhone because in addition to all of the things I’ve listed, there are plenty more things to discover and become acquainted with.
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