os 3.0

iPhone OS 3.0: What else is new?

When Apple first announced the iPhone OS 3.0 in March, it promised that the update would bring 100 new features. We heard the same thing last week at the WWDC 2009 keynote, but Scott Forstall, Apple's head of iPhone software development, only demonstrated a handful of the most notable improvements. Sure, we know about stereo Bluetooth, the Spotlight features, and cut, copy, and paste--and we've analyzed them in our iPhone 3G S review---but we want a full list of all 100 features. Since then, we've asked for the details, but Apple has yet to cough … Read more

Apple: iPhone OS 3.0 plugs 46 security bugs

Apple has issued an advisory regarding security enhancements included in the iPhone OS 3.0 release Wednesday.

Here is a synopsis of the 46 iPhone security vulnerabilities addressed by the latest operating-system update for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As may be expected, many of these security patches focus on the Web-browsing framework WebKit.

CoreGraphics Changes to CoreGraphics prevent maliciously crafted image and PDF files from causing unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution; vulnerabilities causing the same problems in FreeType v2.3.8 were also patched.

Exchange Changes were made to prevent a user from connecting to a malicious … Read more

Apps get age-restriction alerts in iPhone OS 3.0

When I tried to update to the latest Shazam for iPhone after I installed iPhone OS 3.0, I saw this age warning pop-up window when the phone attempted to install the update:

I found this curious, because:

I had already downloaded the application; this was just an update--if I was OK with the original application, shouldn't the update be kosher as well? Shazam is perhaps no more "objectionable" than just turning on the radio; it's just telling you the song it thinks the source is playing.

Moral questions aside, it seems the addition of this … Read more

Latest Shazam lets you track musical journey in iPhone OS 3.0

Shazam has fast become one of those must-have apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Not only can you use it for song identification, you can then recommend that song to a friend via e-mail, or watch a related music video on YouTube, or purchase the song via iTunes. You can also add a photo to the music tag for a visual reminder of where you first heard the song.

Well, along with the iPhone OS 3.0 firmware update, Shazam also released version 1.7, which has a number of added features. It now integrates with the GPS function … Read more

iPhone OS 3.0 hamstrings popular iPhone syncing app

Registered users of Mark/Space's The Missing Sync for iPhone, a popular phone-syncing utility, received the following e-mail today regarding incompatibility issues with iPhone OS 3.0.

According to the e-mail, the software currently does not support the syncing of any new notes, text messages, or call history, because none of these can be imported into SMS Log, Call Log, or Mark/Space Notebook.

Mark/Space is working on a compatibility update that will be available free of charge by the end of June. A beta version will be available for testing some time on June 17 and available … Read more

Scattered reports of iPhone OS 3.0 update problems

Updated at 12:15 p.m. PDT

While the majority of commenters on CNET and around the Web are reporting success in downloading iPhone OS 3.0 Wednesday, there were scattered reports of problems.

My colleague Stephen Shankland, a CNET News reporter, tried several times to download the OS update around 12 p.m. Pacific to his iPhone and received the same error message, pictured above, each time.

A handful of CNET commenters reported problems accessing iTunes. "I see that the upgrade is now available, but four times the message I get after a couple of minutes is that … Read more

iPhone 3G S full review: Mostly, it delivers

If you can't bear the thought of waiting another two days for Apple's iPhone 3G S, CNET can offer a look ahead in our full iPhone 3G S review. The iPhone 3G S promises faster processing and network speeds, extended battery life, more memory, the OS 3.0 update (available today), and additional features.

In many ways, the iPhone 3G S delivers on its promises. It did run faster, the video recording is a treat, and the battery lasted longer. Yet we still have concerns about call reception and we're still waiting for a few features. The … Read more

iPhone OS 3.0 due at 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT

Today's the day that iPhone OS 3.0 arrives (a free upgrade for iPhone owners, $9.95 for the iPod Touch crowd). So where is it? If you've been feverishly clicking the Check for Update button, take a break.

According to gadget blog Engadget, citing some text messages received in Hong Kong, Apple will push out the OS 3.0 update starting at 1 p.m. ET.

That sounds reasonable, especially considering that as of 11 a.m., iTunes is still telling me that OS 2.2.1 is still "the current version."

When the clock … Read more

How to activate tethering on any iPhone without jailbreaking

During the WWDC keynote, AT&T was strangely absent from Apple's list of carriers that will support tethering in iPhone OS 3.0. AT&T has since explained that it will support tethering later this summer, but many iPhone users are champing at the bit for the added functionality. If you're one of the eager masses, use this how-to to enable tethering on any iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0--without jailbreaking--on a Mac. (Other blogs have reported Windows tethering steps; please see our links at the end of this piece.)

Difficulty level: Medium

What you need: &… Read more

Updated: iPhone OS 3.0 now available

Updated at 10:20 a.m. PDT June 17: The software update is now available.

Many of the iPhone's long-awaited features will finally become reality Wednesday when Apple rolls out iPhone OS 3.0.

Current iPhone owners can download the software from iTunes for free, and iPod Touch users can get it as well, but for a fee of $9.95, just like the last OS update. What time exactly, we don't know yet. Apple will only say iPhone OS 3.0 will come out sometime Wednesday.

The update includes many functions other phones have had for a … Read more