Apple displayed the v3.0 firmware for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch back in January this year at the Macworld '09. We got a sneak peek at all the features that the firmware upgrade promised, some of which were a long time coming, such as the ability to copy paste text and use stereo Bluetooth headset with the iPhone.
The 3.0 upgrade also unlocked the Bluetooth in the iPod Touch, something that was inaccessible till now. We got another look at the 3.0 two weeks ago at the WWDC '09 with a final date as to when it will be available to users worldwide. That date was June 17, and since we have an iPhone and an iPod Touch with us, we decided to download it and take it for a spin to see what's new and how well it performs.
Do bear in mind that this is one upgrade no iPhone or iPod Touch user should miss out on. Apple has promised over a 100 new features for the users and about 1000 new API for developers to work with. So let us begin this little tour to see first what's in it for the users, starting with the major additions.
First things first
Getting the firmware is as easy as transferring music to your iPhone. Just connect the iPhone to your PC or Mac and start iTunes. Then select the update button and follow the instructions. The download is around 230 MB, so it would take some time for those with slow connections. But trust me, it is worth the wait.
After using the 3.0 for a while, I can say that it has definitely made the iPhone noticeably faster than before. Even though our iPhone 3G was loaded with multiple apps it still felt fairly fast and better than before. I also did not experience any crashes or bugs while using it, which means Apple engineers have spend considerable time fine-tuning it to make sure it works fine. Now let us see what the 3.0 has to offer.
Just because they make good tires, not necessarily mean they will make good Car.
Admitted iPhone/iPod touch has the real "touch" technology...and rest is all crap.
In 21st century they are bringing stone age tech's.
No, you cannot transfer files over Bluetooth. This is one feature, which I'm afraid, will never be a part of any iPhone or iPod Touch. All you can do now is listen to music using wireless headsets and play multiplayer games over Bluetooth.
I'm using the JayBird Bluetooth headphones with my iPhone 3G running OS 3.0 - loving it ... good to loose my wires, not my mind. I was ready to offer burnt offerings of my wired buds.