Apple has announced the much anticipated details for the new iOS 5 software for its mobile devices. iOS 5 is a big leap forward in terms of providing new technology to users. Wireless, cross-device syncing is now available along with a new notification center, message service, Newsstand app and Twitter integration. Although the latest version of the iOS platform was made available to developers today, it will not be available to the general public until sometime this fall.
Here’s a rundown of what’s to come in iOS 5:
Notification Center – Get all of your alerts in one place.
Keep track of emails, texts, friend requests, and more in one place. There’s no interruption when you receive a new notification, you’ll just see a brief message at the top of your screen. Swipe down from the top of the screen to see all notifications.
iMessage – Send text messages to all iOS devices.
Whether you’re using Wi-Fi or 3G, you’ll be able to send unlimited text messages between iOS devices. Delivery receipts are available as well as a receipt to let you know if your message has been read. Start a conversation on your iPhone when you’re on the road and finish it up on your iPad when you get home. This new feature also lets you know when the other person starts typing back to you.
Newsstand – A custom newsstand for all your subscriptions.
Newsstand is to newspapers and magazine as iBooks is to books. You can manage your magazine and newspaper subscriptions from one app. After purchasing a subscription, Newsstand automatically updates with new issues as they become available.
Reminders – Remind yourself of events or anything else.
Jot down something you might forget or want to keep track of, set due dates, locations and more with Reminders. Set a location and your reminder notice will alert you when you’ve reached your destination. This app works with iCal, Outlook and iCloud and will update those services with reminders automatically.
Twitter – Integrated into iOS 5.
With iOS 5, you’ll be able to tweet conveniently from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps. Your contacts names are recognized when you start typing them as a reply in your tweet. Twitter is about to get even busier.
Camera – Take pictures quickly.
It’s hard to take a picture quickly with your iPhone or iPad. You have to turn on your device, then open the camera app. iOS 5 allows you to use the camera when your device is locked. Just use the volume up button to take a picture. Other features include grid lines, pinch-to-zoom gestures, and single-tap focus and exposure locks to create an image as needed. Have Photo Stream enabled in iCloud? Your photos will automatically sync to your other iOS devices.
Photos – Enhanced features for your pictures.
New features for your photos include the ability to crop, rotate, enhance, and remove red-eye within the Photos app. Send images effortlessly to all of your iOS devices using iCloud.
Safari – Even better than before.
Using Safari Reader you can remove ads and other clutter to read the content you want without annoying distractions. With Reading List you can save articles to read later or when you’re not connected to the Internet. Enjoy tabbed browsing, finally, on iPad and move between opened web pages easily. Safari’s performance has been enhanced since its last update.
PC Free – No need to connect to your computer anymore.
As Apple innovates, users reap the rewards. With iOS 5 you don’t need to connect your device to a computer in order to update or sync. You can activate a new iOS device right out of the box wirelessly. The future has arrived. We’re still waiting for our hover boards though.
Mail
You can now format text in your email message. Bold, italic, or underlined text and indent as needed. Drag names to rearrange them in the address field. Flag messages and delete mailbox folders with an easy tap. You can also now search within the body of an email message.
Calendar
Yearly views are now enabled on iPad with iOS 5 and you can view weeks on iPhone and iPod Touch. View event attachments inline without leaving the Calendar. When creating a new event, drag to adjust the time and duration. Share calendars with family and friends using iCloud. Add an event to a calendar on your iPhone and view the same event later on your iPad.
Game Center
New features include a profile picture, friend recommendations and viewing new games inside the app. iOS is the most popular gaming platform in the world.
Wi-Fi Sync
Your iOS device is automatically synced when used with a Wi-Fi connection. Data is also backed up to iTunes by way of iCloud. Have access to your movies, TV shows, videos, and pictures from anywhere, on multiple devices.
Multitasking Gestures for iPad
Maneuvering around the iPad has been simplified. Four and five finger swipes shows the multitasking bar. Swipe left or right to switch between apps and pinch to get back to the home screen.
AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2
Using video mirroring, wirelessly stream what’s on your iPad 2 to your HDTV using Apple TV.
Accessibility
Users with mobility, hearing, vision, and cognitive disabilities will appreciate some of the new features of iOS 5. The new software lets your device work with specialized hardware accessories. You can see and feel when you’re getting a call thanks to the LED flash and custom vibration settings. There are also improvements to VoiceOver which includes custom element labeling.
As with the last few updates, iPhone 3G has not been included. Apple is looking to phase out the first-generation, antiquated smart phone. Devices that can take advantage of iOS 5 features are iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generations, iPad, and iPad 2. The new software update will be in a few months. We’ll let you know when it’s about to be released.
Let us know what you think of the new features in the comment section below.
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It is very unsatisfying to go to a web page and not be able to watch a video segment because iPad does not support flash player. I was at the Apple store today in Spokane to get some advice. The tech told me to sell my iPod on line and buy laptop. I tried to get some information about Html5 so I could view some video but received the cold shoulder. As an artist and a potter I need and desire to view the works of my contemporaries. I had a much better experience purchasing the ipad2 than I have trying to get advice or support.
Sincerely,
Raymond Loffredo (unsatisfied costumer)
@Raymond
download i-swifter. it is a browser that supports flash on the ipad.