SHOWCASE: Apple previewed its iPhone OS 3.0 software today and announced the availability of a beta software release to registered developers. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release includes updates to the Software Development Kit (SDK) with 1000+ new APIs such as In-App Purchases, Peer-to-Peer connections and Push Notifications.

Apple's highly anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 will finally give you cut and paste, and MMS, among others.

The OS 3.0 also includes over 100 features for the iPhone and iPod touch, including:

• Cut, copy and paste features
• MMS
• Landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes
• Stereo Bluetooth support
• Syncing Notes to the Mac and PC
• Shuffle shake feature
• Parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store
• Automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots
• Voice Memo app
• Expanded search for all key iPhone apps
• Spotlight search
• Updated Stock app (shows recent news, opening/average price, landscape view)
• Shared calendar viewing with CalDAV support and syncing with iCal, Yahoo, Google and Oracle

According to Apple, its App Store has more than 25,000 applications available to consumers, and 15 more countries have been added so the App Store, making it accessible in 77 countries and reaching more than 30 million iPhone and iPod touch users around the world. (Editor opinions: 1)

David Chieng, Editor, HWM Singapore

David (HWM SG): There’s no doubting the fact that Apple’s been hard at work by adding a great number of features to their upcoming revision of the iPhone’s operating system, but a major bone of contention is that it took two revisions to bring something as simple as copy and paste to the iPhone.

At least Windows Mobile and other operating systems won’t be able to use that long-running rock to throw at Cupertino. On the other hand, it’s also a (more…)

Windows 7 will probably support Windows Touch, but only if your monitor supports touch-screen capabilities. Whether that would spur new monitor upgrades and convince manufacturers remain to be seen.

T&A: DigiTimes.com published a report where Taiwan-based PC vendors and motherboard manufacturers expressed doubt on whether Microsoft’s Windows 7 would really help stimulate demand for replacement PC parts and upgrades.

As a follow-up to Vista, Windows 7 aims to keep hardware demands low so that adoption rates for the operating system would go up when it is launched (targeted sometime late this year or early next year). This would mean a lesser need for consumers and corporate customers to spend on hardware upgrades, a situation worsened further by the current crisis as customers tighten their belts.

While there is widespread belief that Microsoft might be bringing forward the launch of Windows 7, several key people interviewed by the site believed that the economy needs to recover first with appropriate assimilation of both hardware and software before Windows 7 can jumpstart the much needed PC replacement economy. (Editor opinions: 2)

Navin Danapal, Technical Editor, HWM Malaysia

Navin (HWM MY): If Taiwanese computer hardware makers are hoping Windows 7 will encourage customers to upgrade their PCs and thereby increase product sales, then they’re in for a rough ride. Windows 7 is Microsoft’s attempt to convert older Windows XP users who didn’t upgrade to Windows Vista, positioning it as an optimized ‘Windows Vista’, which in essence, is what Windows 7 really is. (more…)

First launched for Singapore, BuUuk, a free iPhone app, will soon allow iPhone 3G users in Indonesia to collectively rate a restaurant in Jakarta and Bali.

CORP TALK: Looks like all five countries HWM is in (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) will finally see the Apple iPhone 3G officially being launched and made available to all. Indonesia’s Telkomsel will be launching the phone on the same day as Malaysia’s Maxis (as announced a few days ago), completing the much documented and final official push of the iPhone 3G (and its highly attractive App Store) into the region. 

The Indonesian launch will be held at Pacific Place South Pavilion, Jakarta and customers can buy the iPhone 3G during the launch period over three days starting from 10pm on 20 March 2009.

One-year service plans include the cost of the iPhone 3G with the lowest being 2,622K rupiah (US$219) for the 8GB to the highest being 5,912K rupiah (US$493) for the 16GB. Subscription plans, which offer free data capacity of either 500MB or 1GB with different free talktime minutes and SMS, would then cost between 354K rupiah (US$30) and 733K rupiah (US$61) per month. (more…)

T&A: The Strait Times published a report today on how retailers netted a record S$58.5 million (US$38m) in sales from the Singapore IT Show 2009, a gadgets-and-technology consumer bazaar, held at the Singapore Suntec City Convention Centre from 12-15 March. The sale surpassed last year’s takings of S$54.5 million (US$35.4m).

According to the report, an estimated 768,000 visitors thronged the convention centre, causing a jam in most major pedestrian walkways. To meet targets and attract buyers, tech brands cut back on profit margins and offered discounts and value-added freebies. To find out what exactly these discounts and freebies were, check out HardwareZone.com’s showfloor coverage.

While the price plans are up, we're curious as to whether the App Store will be a popular haunt for iPhone 3G users in Malaysia.

CORP TALK: Malaysian telecom company Maxis has joined the ranks of SingTel (Singapore),  Globe (Philippines) and TrueMove (Thailand) to make Malaysia the fourth country to officially bring the Apple iPhone 3G into the ASEAN region. Available for pre-order on their website, the iPhone 3G will launch in Malaysia on 20 March with a price plan dependent on the type of contract a user chooses.

There are three main contract plans: 6-month, 12-month and 24-month, with each plan having four different tiers of free talktime minutes, data usage, additional data usage, SMS and so on. For those who take up the 6-month plan, there are two tiers where voice rate charges differ if a Maxis user calls a non-Maxis user versus a Maxis user.

Anyway, for a 12-month contract, the 8GB iPhone will cost between RM1080 (US$295) and RM1900 (US$519) while the 16GB version will range from RM1470 (US$400) to RM2290 (US$624). That’s just for the phone. For free talktime and data usage rates, plans like i-Value 1 costs RM100 (US$27) monthly and gives users 333 minutes and 500MB of data. The highest plan, i-Value 4 costs RM375 (US$102) monthly and gives users 2500 minutes and 3GB of data. (more…)