On June 17th Apple will be releasing the iPhone 3.0 software update. I recently obtained a pre-release of the upcoming iPhone 3.0 software update and have been very pleased. This update addresses a number of the key shortcomings in the iPhone that have been frustrating iPhone users for years.
- Search - This is HUGE! In addition to adding search to eMail, they've also added a page that provides a unified search of email, contacts and calendar. From the main screen press the center button and you're ready to search. This is a great way to look up phone numbers.
- Cut & Paste - Apple has finally brought Cut & Paste to the iPhone. They did a nice job of making this intuitive and easy to use.
- Landscape email and text - This makes it easier to read certainly HTML formatted email and also provides a larger keyboard which can help make typing easier as well.
- Turn by Turn navigation - Apple will now allow turn-by-turn navigation on the iPhone. Expect to see some product releases soon after June 17th.
- Meeting invites from Calendar - If you are an Exchange user, you can now create meetings and invite atendees from your phone. I'm often scheduling meetings on the go, and so I'm very excited to see them include this in the new release.
So, while there's nothing flashy here, there are a number of foundational improvements that help transition the iPhone from simply being the coolest phone for business, to being one of the best phones for business.