The iPhone OS 3.0 will breathe new life into Apple’s mobile. New programming tools mean we’re about to see a wave of all-new iPhone apps performing fancy tricks and offering up genuinely useful extras.
So what should the world’s iPhone developers be working on now? We think we’ve got a list of dream iPhone apps right here.
1. Satnav with a difference
The new iPhone OS 3.0 will allow turn by turn navigation, so it stands to reason we’ll see a flood of satnav iPhone apps appear just after it’s released. That’s not good enough for us though – we want next-gen iPhone satnav. Why not combine the iPhone’s Google Street View abilities with a GPS signal to provide a real-world view of the road ahead, with arrows overlaid. That way, you’d see that it’s not the next left you need, but the one after the butchers…. or maybe it’s the first right after Dave Gorman.
2. Proper in-car integration
By opening up the iPhone’s Bluetooth and dock connector with iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has paved the way for proper in-car integration. Mark our words, it won’t be long before cars start accepting the iPhone as the main control for in-car entertainment (accessing its music library is also a feature of iPhone OS 3.0) as well as other skills. We’ve already seen a Land Rover concept that uses an iPhone as its ignition switch, while the Rinspeed iChange concept car goes one better, controlling the ignition and convertible roof.
3. A helping hand for other gadgets
The iPhone’s new skills won’t just be pounced upon by hardware makers and iPhone App developers. Developers for other platforms should see it as a blessing too. Gadgets such as Sony’s GPS adapter for CyberShot phones could be easily replaced by an iPhone app. Got a digital camera? Then you could easily get your photos geotagged by carrying an iPhone running a special app to log your position and mark it with the time of day. Sync it with your PC or Mac and it could tally those times to the photos taken on a separate camera. Hey-presto geotagged pictures from a camera without GPS!
4. File sharing
We know lots of developers are looking at using the peer to peer skills of iPhone OS 3.0 to fuel multiplayer games, but where’s the file sharing love? We want to fling photos and documents around like a demented office assistants. Since the iPhone has kept its contents pretty securely locked down until now, we think it’s time the iPhone OS 3.0 set it free!
5. More codecs
We’re doubtful this can be done, but if anyone can make it happen it’s the iPhone’s legion of developers. We’d love to see increased codec support on the iPhone, letting us chomp through DivX and XviD movies on the go. Even if it means running a separate app to decode them, can’t someone make it happen, please?
