• Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos
• Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
• Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
• Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
• Option to “Save as new clip” when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode using MobileMe
• Use iPhone 3GS Voice Control with Bluetooth headsets
• Paste phone numbers into the keypad
• Anti-phishing features in Safari
• Fixes issues that caused some app icons to display incorrectly

Buy ringtones directly from iTunes, on your iPhone

iPhone OS 3.1 is available now and is a free download for iPhone customers and iPod touch users already running iPhone OS 3.0.

Expect a review from us in the very near future, where we will cover all the new features as well as the competitors to Spotify.

Now, if you access http://mobile.bitcolumns.com on a mobile phone (apart from an iPhone, which will access our normal site) you will be sent to our new text-based mobile phone site. Although not quite so pretty, it will bring you all the same information in a faster loading format.

The reason is this, tomorrow sees the beginning of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, or WWDC (Don’t ask us where the extra W came from). This conference brings some of the top developers in the world, as well as those just starting out, into one place for a few days of workshops, seminars, lunches, and I assume parties. But of recent years it has become a very important event for all Apple fans over the world. As the keynote that it opens with, normally pesented by Steve Jobs but opened this year by Phil Schiller, is the couple of hours where we get a first look at the ew Mac OS and… the brand new iPhone.

Now unless you have been hidden under a rock, inside a faraday cage, in the amazon rainforst; you will have probably heard one or two or 20 rumours about what people are expecting in the new iPhone. Video recording, front facing camera, magnometer (compass), repositioned speaker and headphone socket, camera button, video calling, matte/rubberised back, no more chrome frame, and coffee dispenser (I admit I made that one up myself); are all just a taster of what rumours are flying round the internet at this moment in time. There is even a rumoured name floating around: the iPhone Video.

As an iPhone fan, and owner, I am currently counting the hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds until the keynote starts (6pm GMT, Monday 8th June) so I can watch it online and drool over the iPhone if it is announced.

Now some of you are problably thinking “How can you be sure there will even be a new announcement?”, well there are a few clues:

1. Apple are very predictable when it comes to when they announce product refreshes, with Phil Schiller himself saying at Macworld in January that the iPhone’s refresh cycle is June/July each year
2. O2 has started to withdraw current iPhone 3G avertising here in the UK. Stores are replacing iPhone POS with adverts for the new O2 Joggler, where iPhone adverts have been for almost a year, national newspapers are no longer carrying the iPhone 3G ‘There’s an app for that’ advertising on the backs of some of their supplements, again replaced with the O2 Joggler.

This second point is the biggest hint. O2 have actively advertised the iPhone 3G since before it’s July 11th launch last year. With adverts in stores, newspapers, television, the internet. For them to start to retract some of these means that something must be happening in the world of the iPhone.

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There were four main complaints against the original iPhone. These were:

• No 3G
• No GPS
• No MMS
• No Copy and Paste

With the iPhone 3G, Apple have remedied two of these problems. The most obvious of these is the inclusion of 3G and HSDPA (High Speed Data Packet Access – lets just say its mega fast, allowing up to 7.2Mb mobile broadband). These technologies allow the iPhone to browse the internet at blistering speeds, and even download videos such as the now famous, 6-minute-long ‘Evolution of Dance’ from Youtube in under 20 seconds!

The second new inclusion is that of GPS. The location information from this can be used in many ways. The first is with Google Maps, which can now ‘lock-on’ to your current position, and then tell you how close you are to your search. Futhermore, the camera application can now geo-tag pictures – telling you exactly where you were when you took the picture. Other uses include social networking applications, which show you how close your friends are, and how close you are to their homes, etc.

Apple made another major change this time round, the price. In a massive drop from the £269 price of the original 8GB phone, the most you will now pay for an iPhone is £159 (excluding contract) – and thats for a 16GB device.

So, what exactly do you get for this new, lower price? Surprisingly, quite a lot:

• 3.5″ Touchscreen
• 8 or 16GB of Memory
• GPRS, 3G, Wi-Fi connectivity
• GPS
• Bluetooth (Voice only)
• Loudspeaker
• iPod
• 2 megapixel camera
• iTunes, App Store
• e-mail, internet browsing

and much more…

One new feature we have yet to mention is the App Store. This has been introduced in the iPhone 2.0 software and allows you to purchase and download applications for the iPhone wirelessly. The best bit is, if the App is less than 10 Megabytes in size, you can download it whilst on the move, even without a Wi-fi connection. Popular apps include:

• iPint (FREE!)
• Facebook (FREE!)
• WordPress (FREE!)
• Palringo (Instant Messaging Software. Includes: Aim, Yahoo!, MSN) (FREE!)
• Phit (Game produced by Armor Games) (£1.59)

Many more are available, from games to learning aids, and music to utilities.

So the pros include a clear, responsive screen; quick and easy 3G connection; GPS; good sound quality when making calls; and a brilliant spellcheck on the software keyboard.

But as with all phones, there are the downsides.

The phone only houses a 2.0 Megapixel camera, which produces pictures which, while they are of a good quality when viewed on the iPhone screen, will degrade quickly if enlarged. And with no MMS or Bluetooth File Transfer, you can only really share the pictures via e-mail or facebook.

Furthermore, some apps are US only. This is no more noticeable than with the eBay application. Although advertised throughout the UK site as a Top App for some time, it transpires that the App is only availabe in the USA, which has lead to some major dissappointment.

The extreme shine on the back, as well as looking brilliant, does a lot to attract scratches and marks. Within weeks of owning the phone, we have noticed an accummulation of small scratches. Though they do not affect the functionality of the phone, it can be a frustration on such an asthetically pleasing device.

One major reported problem seems to be with the 3G reception of the phone. Although we have not experienced any difficulties that match the description, it is reported that the phone can drop out of 3G signal with no warning, and will say there is no 3G signal where other phones are fast to connect. We are unsure if this is a problem only in other countires, or if many are finding this true in the UK as well. (If you experience this, please let us know).

Overall the iPhone 3G continues Apple’s tradition of bringing a different and refreshing approach to a standard product, but with the bugs that are currently present only time can tell if the iPhone will prove itself. Apple hopes that all major bugs will be removed with the release of iPhone 2.1 software in September. We will keep you posted on any changes or improvements as the iPhone evolves.

Score: 4/5