Macworld.com.au today reported that an update to the Facbook app for the iPhone has been submitted to Apple. I was wondering how much longer it would be until an update was to be done as there have been quite a number of changes and upgrades to facebook since the last update to the iPhone app.

The update is set to give a number of new features unique to the 3.0 software update, the most notable is the capability for 3GS users to shoot and upload videos directly to your facebook account. There’s added functionality giving you the ability to create photo albums, it will save text that you are typing incase you’re interrupted by a text or phone call. The update also refreshes the design of the app to better reflect the recent changes in facebook’s overall design. It would also seem that there have been upgrades to the overall stability of the app, the developer was quoted to say “Everything that used to scroll slowly now scrolls like butter.”

Overall even though it’s just an update I’m looking forward to the update as it is one of my most frequently used apps on my iPhone.

Well the day has come! I know I have been waiting for quite some time now. The iPhone 3.0 Software is finally out. Do yourself a favor so you can take advantage of the great new features we have all been waiting for:

• MMS – picture and audio
• Cut, Copy & Paste
• Tethering to your laptop – yes your phone is now able to be a mobile broadband dongle
• Landscape keyboard in Apps like Mail, Safari, Notes, SMS
• Spotlight Search
• Faster web browsing in Safari
• Shake to Shuffle
• Voice Memo’s

To get all these great updates and turn your phone into the phone it ought to be, Connect it to your computer with the USB cable. If it doesn’t prompt you with an update message, in iTunes click on your phone in the devices list, and select the option to check for updates. This will download the latest software and install it on your phone. You’re now set to go. Enjoy!!

Yesterday Apple presented their Keynote at the annual World Wide Developers Conference or WWDC for short. With much anticipation leading up to the event, Apple generally pleased by announcing the new iPhone software which will be available June 17, a little more about that in a bit.

A breif overview of how the Keynote went down: First Apple announces that their new operating system ‘Snow Leopard’ will be available in September this year, the best part of their announcement here is that this new release will be priced at an amazing $29 US which is about $36 Aussie dollars for a single installation, or $49 US or about $60 Aussie dollars for a Family pack (up to 5 computers) More info here TechCrunch: Snow Leopard Should Purr Along With a Smaller Footprint. There are a whole host of other things but overall we should see a vast improvement in speed with this installed and the other exciting news is that the installation itself takes up half the space of Leopard so you should find yourself with about 6GB of space that you didn’t have before.

They also announced a refreshed notebook lineup, the basic gist here is that the only model in the Macbook family is the white polycarbonate Macbook, they have promoted the Aluminum Macbook, bumped up a few specs and renamed it a Macbook Pro. So there is now the ability to get a 13, 15, 17″ screens in the power of a Macbook Pro. For full specs visit http://www.apple.com/au/macbookpro/.

And now onto the fun stuff! The new iPhone software. As I mentioned in my video post previously a few things that I was hoping for in the next software update included:

1. Better Battery life
2. Tethering
3. Video & Video Editing

Now as far as the software update increasing battery life…there was no mention…but I am hopeful that it is something that will just come with the update as in the previous ones. Tethering however is now supported!!! Provided that your mobile carrier will support it (Optus in Australia will be supporting from the get go) you will now be able to tether your iPhone to your computer be it Mac or PC, it can be tethered either with the standard USB cable or by bluetooth and no extra software is required. This will be great for people on the go who don’t want the extra expense of a USB wireless broadband modem (myself included here).

A few other features that they mentioned are things that we have known about since the 3.0 software was announced earlier this year. That includes MMS, revised App store and iTunes store, Spotlight search function across the whole phone as well as a whole host of other things.

The one that I was hoping would come via a software update – Video – unfortunately did not arise….however….Apple did release a new iPhone!!! This will be badged the iPhone 3G S, S for speed. With faster internal chips for better graphics and just a faster phone in general. It looks exactly the same and will be available in Black or White like before. The biggest improvement is a 3.0 megapixel camera with Autofocus, designed for better low light performance and the ability to tap to focus on a specific item in the frame. This new camera also supports video, with the function of trimming and editing the footage as well as being able to easily share via Mobile Me, YouTube etc. The iPhone 3g S will be available in either 16GB or 32GB versions which is just huge.

So while I didn’t get all my wishes with the upgraded software, there is a new phone coming out. And the great news is that they are still keeping the 8gb 3g that is available now, but reducing the price! So if your in the market for a new phone or have been hanging out for the price to drop now is your time to buy. The new models remain at the prices that the 3G has been at for the last 12 months. If you would like a good wrap up of what happened at the WWDC keynote yesterday check out this video from Cali Lewis of Geekbrief TV

I don’t know about you, but I would love one of the new handsets. But given that I’m locked into a two year contract on my current iPhone, the new features just aren’t a compelling enough reason to break contract for a new phone? How about you, what are your thoughts about the new phone and software and will you be buying one? Leave a comment below!!

My Wishlist for iPhone 3.0 from Luke Nielsen on Vimeo.