The iOS 5 mobile operating system (for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices) is finally here. Apple has, right on time, released the software update that promises 200 added features, some of which we’re going to discuss here. But before we do that, let us tell you that this is an x.0 release meaning there could be bugs in there and unless you’re sure you don’t want to go back (you won’t be able to go back to an earlier OS), we suggest that you wait for a few days and see how things turn out. Another point to keep in mind or rather, to have in mind is your password to iTunes. If the iTunes backup of your device is encrypted, it’s necessary that you have the password to recover your device after loading iOS 5. Well, that’s that.
So, all set to go? Then here we go:
Notification Center: If you’ve used iOS previously (you probably have), you must remember how annoying the modal notification system was. It just popped up a single message on your screen that you couldn’t do anything about and could not access ever again. But it looks like the folks at Apple have been hearing us complain; with iOS 5, you’ll now have a place for all those messages and it’s called Notification Center. Easily accessible with a single swipe from the top of your screen, Notification Center isn’t the only notification-related changes you’ll see in iOS 5. You’ll be able to see new notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen and view notifications from lock screen. You may also slide the notifications app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app.
iMessage: This feature, which works over mobile networks and Wi-Fi, lets you send and receive unlimited text, video and photo messages with other iOS 5 users (without a text plan!). Plus, it tracks messages with delivery and read receipts and also boasts of group messaging and secure encryption.
Newsstand: This one’s just like iBooks but it isn’t your ordinary iBooks. It automatically organizes magazines and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen, displays the cover of the latest issues and has background downloads of new issues.
Twitter integration, iCloud, WiFi Sync, PC Free, Photo Improvements and much more: Forget about a third party Twitter-client, Twitter is now directly integrated into iOS. And then there’s the iCloud integration in iOS 5 too! With iCloud, you get 5GB of storage space for free AND a backup of everything you’ve bought from iTunes store safely.
Plus, you can also sync your iOS 5 device with a PC or Mac over a WiFi connection every time it connects to a power source. And what’s more? With PC Free, you can activate new iOS devices and download new updates without having to connect to a Mac or PC. As if this weren’t enough, there are photo improvements with added crop and rotate, red-eye removal, one-tap enhance and ability to organize photos in the album. There are lots of other improvements like Main improvements, Calendar improvements, Game Center Improvements and much more.
The iOS 5 is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 3rd generation, iPod touch 4th generation, iPad and iPad 2. If you’ve got any of these, go grab the iOS 5 today!
