Everything we know about iOS 5...for now

Apple announced plenty of features in its iOS 5 update for iOS-based devices at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco (WWDC) on Tuesday. The big ones like Notification Center, iMessage and Twitter integration are new to iOS, but Android and BlackBerryusers will smile smugly with the knowledge they already have something similar a long while back.

Then you have apps that have been enhanced with more features--the Photo app now allows you to edit, crop and rotate pictures--but again, we've already seen this before on Android devices. That's not to say iOS doesn't have anything new, but the implementation is really the key to making the OS experience usable for anyone.

What's new

Notifications Center
Notifications in iOS have always been somewhat lacking, and the new Notifications Center hopes to change this. Swipe down from the top and a list will appear with all the notifications. You can also set which notifications you want to see.

Also, instead of popping up and interrupting you while you are using an app, notifications now appear at the top of the screen, and you can tap to respond or ignore. The Lock Screen has also been enhanced: Notifications now appear on the screen, and you can swipe to respond directly.

iMessage
Think BlackBerry Messenger and you just about got this right. iMessage will allow you to send messages to other iOS 5-equipped devices. SMS options are still available, though Apple will allow you to turn it off completely. You may still want to stick to the cross-platform WhatsApp or PingChat! though, as they will let you message non-iOS users if you don't want to use SMS.

PC Free
Apple has made some big changes here. Where previous devices required activation via iTunes, new iOS 5 devices will have over-the-air (OTA) activation and updates.

When there are software updates, don't worry about massive downloads coming your way, as Apple has said that this will be done with delta updates, this means only parts that need changing get downloaded. This should help if you have a slow Internet connection.

Being free of the computer also means that everything will be synced and backed up to iCloud, including system restores. There's also a Wi-Fi Sync where your device will automatically sync wirelessly with iTunes if it's charging. Of course, it's likely that you can still sync your iOS device with your computer via a cable, and you may want to do this if you have lots of large files to transfer.

Twitter
You can now tweet from anywhere on the phone, whether it's to share a picture or a book you just bought. This should be fun for social media junkies, and if you're wondering why the other social media giant is missing, clickhere to read our take on this.

Newsstand
The Newsstand app allows you to view all your magazine and newspaper subscriptions in one convenient location. It also seems that at least one newspaper from Asia will be partnering Apple at launch.

Reminders
Reminders is also a new app and one that lets you create a to-do list, but also with the ability to set a location as a marker instead of a time. Say you set the office as a marker tagged with a reminder. When you reach the office, the reminder will then be triggered to alert you.

What's improved

Photos
The Photos app won't just be a dumb picture viewing gallery anymore. Instead, you will get basic image-editing features like rotating and cropping. There's also an Auto-Enhance feature that tries to fix your picture and another feature that corrects the red eye effect you get when you take pictures with flash.

Camera
The previous Camera app was very basic, meant for just taking pictures. It's now been upgraded with a bunch of functions, including the ability to use the volume up button as a shutter. Find out more here.

Safari
Safari gets tabbed browsing at last, and also gets a feature called Reading List that's similar to Instapaper where you can save pages for reading later. The browser also features a Reader mode that's similar to the desktop version.

Mail
The Mail app receives a much-needed update with the ability to format your emails. You can now bold, italicise or underline your text. You can also set indents and flag important messages. Mail also works with iCloud, so you get a free email account that syncs across your devices.

Calendar
The Calendar app is probably the one smartphone users tend to use regularly, so it's nice to see Apple making some improvements here. You can now see your entire year at a glance on the iPad, while iPhone and iPod touch users get a week view. The app also gets the iCloud treatment, which means your calendar will be synced to all your iOS devices.

Game Center
Lastly, the app that is probably used the least, Game Center, receives a few enhancements to entice you to use the app more.

Profile pictures and achievement points will be implemented, and you will be able to see who your friends are following and even connect with them. There will also be friend recommendations for people who play the same games as you. Lastly, you can now buy games straight from Game Center, instead of having to switch over to the App Store.

Source : cnet asia

By : Aloysius Low