As comprehensive as Apple’s two-hour keynote presentation was, yes there were still some details regarding the new iPhone 3G S that fell through the cracks. In the past two days I’ve been given the opportunity to meet with Apple’s iPhone specialists and check out the smartphone in-person and so can offer up some extra details on its remote data wipe, spotlight search, environmental packaging, tethering, screen, and MMS capabilities.

 

Fingerprint-Resistant Screen (3G S) – The new iPhone 3G S comes with a new “oil-phobic” coating that creates a more slippery surface that allows it to resist collecting greasy smudges and fingerprints from the oil in your fingertips.

Spotlight Search (3G/3G S) – To access Spotlight you begin at the main screen. Instead of flicking the screen to the right, as you do to access your expanded library of apps, you flick instead to the left to access an additional screen with a spotlight search bar at the top. This searches the entire phone, and not just the data on the phone, but also the messages you may have stored on the server. Your phone only stores a limited quantity of messages at any time. Spotlight lets you reach back for that contact or message from months ago.

Basic search has also been expanded. You’ll find search bars at the top of specific applications such as Mail, iPod, and Notes that will let you search through specific areas of your iPhone. You simply touch the very top of the screen and drag it down to reveal the hidden search bar.

Tethering (3G/3G S) – To make tethering easy, the needed software is built right into the latest version of iTunes. Simply connect your iPhone to a laptop with iTunes installed and it will automatically appear among your network connections list. Simply select the iPhone from the list to use it as a modem and connect away. This feature works on both PC and Macs and is not specific to the computer you use for syncing your iPhone or one that is authorized for your iTunes account. Any laptop will do. Plus, you have the option of tethering your iPhone using either a USB cable or wirelessly using Bluetooth, meaning you can store the iPhone in a pocket and still surf away. The USB solution is the faster one, however.

MMS messages (3G/3G S)– This is a feature that allows you to send an image, video clip, audio clip, Vcard data, or GPS location data in the same way as you would a standard text message. Just like the current text messages, they appear as little bubbles. A MMS with a video attachment becomes a square bubble with a thumbnail of the video and a play button on it (yes you can preview the clip in the Messages app before sending it). Sending attachments through MMS works the same as in e-Mail, there’s a little icon at the bottom with a camera symbol on it that you tap to bring up an attachment menu.

Mobile Me Find My iPhone(3G/ 3G S) – This is a new feature being added to Apple’s Mobile Me, a subscription-based service that allows you to seamlessly sync your data between your iPhone, home computer, and online services. “Find My iPhone” is a tracking service. Should you lose your phone you can have MobileMe find it using GPS and display it on a map. You can also send it a command to sound an alarm and then have it display a text message so you can send instructions to whomever is fortunate to find it for you. Finally, you can send it a remote wipe command and have it erase everything on the phone instantly, in case you know you can never get it back.

Just as with similar services we’ve seen for other smartphones (Blackberry, Treo, etc.) you are required to signify permission to track before it can locate your iPhone. This means it only works if you’ve signed up before losing your phone, not after. Your phone has to have two settings turned on. First, there’s a “Find My iPhone” setting in the General Settings menu, and second you need to have Push Notifications enabled.

When you lose your phone you can simply log into your MobileMe account from any internet-enabled computer using a web browser. There’s an extra “Find My iPhone” tab that will be added that will give you a control screen where you can activate the search and see if displayed on a map (similar to finding your location using Maps on the iPhone). A blue circle appears around the location where the phone is and, depending on line-of-sight for satellite and Wi-Fi data in the area, will pinpoint the phone’s location as best as it can. Should be within one hundred feet.

Remote Wipe (3G/3G S) – If you locate the phone and it’s in an area where you won’t be able to retrieve it, you can send a remote wipe command that will remove all of the phone’s data. This includes network and carrier data. Anyone who finds the phone will be unable to access any of your services, including your phone line. It won’t stop someone who finds it from inserting a new SIM card and using the phone for themselves.

Hardware Encryption (3G S) – Remote Wipe is slightly different on the iPhone 3G S as it includes hardware-based encryption to secure your data, both on the phone and data backed up onto your computer. Thanks to this encryption, the wipe process is instantaneous. Instead of having to overwrite each bit of data which can take a long time, the signal simply removes the encryption key, rendering all of the data useless instantly.

Reset (3G/3G S) –For those who are looking to sell or recycle their iPhones they can simply access the General Settings menu and activate the “Reset” feature which can wipe clean either all content and settings, or even specific areas of phone data such as network settings, locations warnings, keyboard dictionary, etc.

Should you wipe your phone by accident, or manage to recover it later when you thought you never would, simply connect it back to iTunes to have it completely restored back to where it was before.

Reduced Packaging (3G/3G S) – Apple’s iPhone will now be shipping in smaller boxes than before, reducing both the environmental impact of the packaging materials, but also increasing the number of iPhones that can be packed onto a skid for shipping, reducing costs there.

Accessibility (3G/3GS) – Long overdue, Apple has finally responded to complaints from users with disabilities and included new features to make iPhones more accessible. VoiceOver uses the same technology from the new Voice Control feature to allow the iPhone to read off the entire user interface, every icon that appears on the screen. The great part is that users with poor vision or who are blind can use their fingers and the touchscreen to explore and interact with the iPhone’s menu options by sound. Users simply tap on an area of the screen to have the phone speak as to what they’ve tapped on and then double-tap to activate that particular icon. Other features include mono-audio which mixes all of the sound into one single earbud for those who are deaf in one ear, universal zoom which magnifies items on the screen 500x (yes, 500x), and “White On Black” which reverses the screens colour scheme for a higher contrast, making it easier for low vision users.