Apple will release the much-awaited OS 3.0 software for the iPhone and iPod touch this summer with some 100 new features including cut, copy and paste, MMS and search everywhere, the company said today at a press event.

Apple also announced today a much-enhanced 3.0 software developer’s kit, with 1,000 new Application PIrogramming Interfaces that will enable devs to include push notification, peer-to-peer networking and several other features, which we’re covering in a separate story.

First up: Cut, copy and paste that works across all native apps. iPhone and iPod touch users can cut or copy text from Notes and drop it into Mail, for example. Using a pop-up dialog box from one app, users can select a word with a double tap or a customizable amount of text by dragging a bubble, then go to another app and drop the text by double tapping in an empty space. Shaking the device will bring up a dialog box with an undo button.

You can also tap to select a multiple of photos and drop them into a message.

There will be a new built-in Multimedia Messaging Service feature that will enable you to send contacts, audio and location information from a single app.

Search everywhere also is coming to all apps using a new search bar interface from the Home Screen — Apple’s calling it Spotlight just like their powerful desktop search function. Flick a finger to the left of the Home Screen to bring up the Spotlight UI and enter a search term into the bar.

You’ll be able to search on the “From,” “To” and “Subject” lines of emails (but not message content) in your Inbox as well as search Calendar, Notes and your iPod library. Email, calendar, music and apps can all be launched from Spotlight as well.

Other new features include:

• You’ll also be getting a voice memo app that you can use record voice clips, trim them and share. You’ll be able to use the built-in or third-party microphone for your recordings.
• Landcape mode is now supported in all of the iPhone and iPod touch’s native apps such as Mail, Notes and SMS.
• CalDAV, the sharing protocol used by Google Calendar, so you’ll be able to synch and share your Google calendar.
• The Stock app is getting updates so that users can automatically receive stock updates, financial news, stock highs and lows for the day. That too will have landscape mode, which can be used to display the data between two points.
• You’ll able to sync Notes with your desktop using iTunes.
• Safari also gets some new doodads including the ability to recall login credentials, auto-fill and anti-phishing.
• Moms and Dads will see parental controls extended to movies, TV shows and App Store apps.

3.0 will be available this summer as a free update (it also will work on the original iPhones sans MMS and the bluetooth extras) and for $9.95 for iPod touch owners.

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category: Breaking News