The recent launch of the iPhone 3.0 OS was the smoothest of all of the major updates that I’ve had (read about those adventures here and here).  When I saw the prompt below, an enormous sense of dread swept over me.

I had no problems this time.  So, I figured I’d highlight some of the things that I find interesting.

Voice Memos

Apple added the ability to record voice memos.  I was a little bit peeved that they forced it on to the main screen, however, as they kicked one of my applications off to do it.

 

Searching

One of the long-awaited features is the ability to search the iPhone.

 

Text Messaging

Apple made one minor improvement in text messaging.  They changed the progress bar from an overlay that covered the entire screen to a little bar in the top of the screen.  This has the effect of allowing you to continue with composing your next message while one is sending.  That is particularly useful when you are trying to have a quick-witted conversation.

As an added bonus, you can now turn your iPhone sideways to send test messages.

I’m not sure how useful of a feature that actually as you don’t really get to see much of the conversation.  Of course, the text bubble could have all been placed on one line.  The keys are bigger, so it may help those who have difficulty hitting the correct one.