As many of you know, Apple had a keynote today to announce iPhone’s next update. The list of new features are pretty impressive… if you have never jailbroken before. A list of new features can be seen at Gizmodo.

Let’s go over each feature and see how you can get it now.

Spotlight

• How to get it now – Quickgold pretty much does the same thing. It allows you to search all your applications, contacts, and bookmarks. It is speedy and easily accessed by pressing the home button once while on the home screen.
• Which will be better? – Spotlight will allow you to search all information in most applications. This includes emails, addresses, and applications. Spotlight will be better in terms of content search, but Quickgold does the job of an app launcher just as well.
• Where do I get it? – Available in Cydia

Copy and Paste

• How to get it now – Clippy and hClipboard both feature copy and paste in most Apple applications
• Which will be better? – Apple’s copy and paste will probably initially better. I believe that later, Clippy or hClipboard will take those new API functions and integrate it with their own and add additional features to what it won’t have (clipboard is a huge example). Right now, Clippy and hClipboard are pretty limited in applications and feature-set.
• Where do I get it? – Clippy and hClipboard are both available in Cydia.

Sending multiple photos in Email

• How to get it now – There are a few apps in the AppStore right now that allow attachments of multiple pictures.
• Which will be better? – A native copy and paste of multiple images in the mail app is no doubt a better implementation.
• Where do I get it? – Appstore links: SendPhotos, Multi-Photo Email

Landscape Keyboard in Mail, SMS, and Notes

• How to get it now – There are a few apps that add landscape function to these apps. BiteSMS (and other variations) for SMS, TouchType for Mail, and Notes+ for Notes.
• Which will be better? – Again, native landscape availability in SMS, Mail, and Notes will be better implemented for ease and usability. Although biteSMS is feature full with things like quick reply, forwarding and deleting single messages (which will be in 3.0).
• Where do I get them? Appstore links: TouchType and Notes+. BiteSMS is available in Cydia.

Multimedia Messaging

• How to get it now – SwirlyMMS has been out for awhile, and works correctly with the right settings and carrier allowance. Uses real MMS protocols.
• Which will be better? – No doubt that integrated MMS in the Texting App will be better for ease and usability. Apple also stated that MMS won’t be available for the iPhone 2G, which I think is bullocks, as SwirlyMMS works fine with the original iPhone.
• Where do I get it? – SwirlyMMS is available in Cydia

Improved Stocks Application

• How to get it now – MadStocks shows you stock changes and related news. There may be other apps that do something similar
• Which will be better? – Personal choice – if you feel that you have to use an Apple created App, then the new stocks app will be for you
• Where do I get it? – Appstore link: MadStocks

Turn-by-Turn GPS applications

• How to get it now – Currently in beta, xGPS is iPhone’s first true turn-by-turn GPS app.
• Which will be better? – GPS giants like TomTom and iGo have stated that they have developed an app already for GPS, but is currently restricted by Apple. TomTom and iGo know what they are doing and will probably deliver a solid GPS app. xGPS, on the otherhand, is community driven. The developers listen to their users and will do the best to please them. In the long run, xGPS could be dominant.
• Where do I get it? xGPS is available in Cydia. Read my review on version 1.2 of xGPS

What you can’t currently get

• Built in search for Mail, iPod, and Calendar
• Support for new calendar types
• Stereo Bluetooth A2DP audio – Unless iBluetooth is updated to support this
• Maps inside other applications – Jailbroken apps can integrate the google maps API, but currently, Appstore apps cannot.
• Push notification – Background jailbroken applications is a similar variation – although uses more battery
• And other small, new features not worth mentioning.

As you can see, a lot of the main features can be done now. It is obvious that an Apple implemented feature will tend to out-do the alternative way due to new API implementations. That isn’t without to say that apps (both jailbroken and Appstore approved) will be released and updated to fill in holes that Apple still overlooks or disallows, which is why most of these current solutions were made in the first place.