Four overlooked gems in iPhone 3.0

Sure there are the big, huge features in iPhone 3.0—like Copy and Paste—but what about the little stuff that was too trivial for Scott Forstall to do any more than mention? This is usually the stuff that really makes a release. Here are my favorite little things about iPhone 3.0 so far. I’m sure there will be many additions as more information leaks out.

A functional YouTube app
Since the iPhone’s release, the YouTube app has been pretty useless on its own. The only thing it did was allow you to search and add favorites, which were not linked to your YouTube account in any way. With third party apps, it grew a bit more useful, as YouTube links would now open in the YouTube player and embedded YouTube videos would have a button for opening in the YouTube app. In iPhone 3.0, Scott mentioned that you can now log in and subscribe. This seems to indicate that a list of Subscriptions and latest videos would be available too, but I won’t get my hopes up too high just yet.

Apps install on Page 2
A very small addition to be sure, but it is a helpful one nonetheless. Apps no longer install onto the first homescreen, but instead start on the next available space on the second home screen or further. Now my home screen arrangements won’t get messed up every time I download an app. Hopefully, the app rearrangement has gotten a little more intelligent, as well. I’d like it if every time I dragged an app through a full screen it didn’t permanently push the last app off onto the next page.

Magnifying glass is now a bar
It makes much more sense this way, given that text isn’t generally circular, but rectangular. Just a nice functional enhancement.

Shake to Shuffle
We could have figured this one was coming, but it’s still nice, and it’s something I’ve been wanting since it was introduced on the nano.

What little things have you excited? Sound off in the comments below!