Announced during Gamescom and highlighted at the PlayStation blog, firmware 3.0 doesn't revolutionalize the way we navigate the PlayStation 3, but it does bring some welcome changes. The most prevalent of the changes is a status bar in the top right of the screen, which shows your avatar, your user icon, what you are up to, and a mail icon, in case you have messages waiting.

Changes will make the friends list more friendly, with messages from your friends now appearing in their respective profiles.

The games and video categories of the cross media bar will now feature shortcuts to the PlayStation Store, reflecting downloadable content and related items available.

Premium themes, as seen in the video below, are animated themes that make your PS3 a bit more lively.

The most puzzling update, for me at least, is the new free and premium avatars, which will be showing up in your status bar. What other uses will they have?

Update: Firmware 3.0 will be released on September 1st, according to Sony's PS3 Slim press release.

For a full list of updates, check out the PlayStation Blog, and watch the video below to see some of the new features coming in firmware 3.0.

PlayStation 3 Firmware (v3.00) Update [PlayStation Blog]

The ability to download and purchase Apps from the App Store can now be limited by rating. The ratings are based on for what age the games are appropriate: No Apps, 4+, 9+, 12+, 17+ and all Apps.

The device also allows people to disable the ability to make in-App purchases. It also allows similar policing of movies, music and TV shows.

Both the ESA and the ESRB have called for the ratings of games on the Apple devices, suggesting that the ESRB could handle the work.

Ngmoco's Neil Young says he doesn't think the ratings board is set up to handle the massive in-flux of games. Under the Apple system game developers and publishers have to police their own games by turning in a form with about ten criteria on it. Apple then uses that to assign an age rating.

"I would rarther that system than the ESRB," Young said. "Going through the ESRB would slow down and cripple the growth of the App Store. Right now Apple has a very light weight system for approving games, it really helps the time to market for a game.

"I think the current system will serve both customers and developers."

Now seems like as good a time as any for us to ask you:

Is Gameloft right, are the iPhone and iPod Touch gaming platforms?