Apple announced back in March that iPhone Software 3.0 will include a new API that will allow iPhone apps to talk directly to third party hardware devices. The announcement came during the company's media event previewing the iPhone OS 3.0. With the release of 3.0 Apple molds the iPhone into something far more than a smartphone with fun and game applications. The iPhone is now poised to become your central mobile hub for controlling all sorts of hardware accessories.

During the announcement Apple gave examples of a stereo dock managed by the iPhone, and a radio dongle tuned by the unit. They also demonstrated a Bluetooth-enabled blood sugar monitor and depicted a blood pressure cuff attached to the iPhone.

With these new capabilities, devices won’t need to be designed with a user interface themselves, but instead only need to interface with the iPhone via a USB or Bluetooth connection. Everything from the treadmill at your local gym to the medical devices some are required to wear on a daily basis, they can now all be made “iPhone-ready” by simply developing an iPhone Application and adding it to the iPhone App Store.

These exciting abilities will be part of theiPhone SDK for the iPhone OS 3.0, which is currently in beta and will be released later in 2009. Learn more about this exciting upgrade and watch Apple's presentation here.

What type of external devices would you like to see iPhone connected? Let me hear your ideas, from the wacky off the wall idea to an earth shattering, paradigm shifting, million dollar sure thing. OR if your not interested in sharing your idea with the world in the comments, you can contact us separately.