Here we are again.. I plug in my iPhone to my computer, and I see a message from Apple: A new version of iPhone software is available, would you like to download it now? Of course! After 8 hours of syncing, my phone is seemingly the same as it was before. However, I had not played with it all. Now that I have had the new software for a week now, I can safely say that I still love my iPhone.
1. iMessage: iPhones still stick to the chat-like messaging from the previous software. However, if someone with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad has the iOS5 software that I do, I can send unlimited free messages to that person! Not only that, but I can see when the message has been delivered and if the person is responding to me (in real-time). It seems iOS5 has adapted some of the stalker-like qualities of Facebook these days, but hey, who’s complaining?
2. Notifications: My hands-down favorite part about the new software is the notification system. In the old system, messages like texts, Facebook notifications, or Words With Friend’s invites would pop in the middle of doing something else, and that was pretty annoying. The new settings in the phone allow me to put notifications across the top and collect them in a pull-down notification bar, much like the Droid platform.
3. The Camera: In my last post about my phone, I talked about how I love the fact that I simply OWN a camera now, due to the fact that I’ve never had a digital one. With this update, not only can I take pictures, but I can auto-enhance, reduce red-eye, and crop them right from within the camera. Also, I can upload pictures right to Twitter, which I love!
4. Twitter: Not only can I tweet pictures from the camera, but I can tweet from safari, photos, maps, and YouTube. Not only is this way more convenient, but this makes Twitter more accessible for all users, even the seasoned ones like me. I have witnessed countless friends tweet from their camera app, which adds to more sharing on Twitter.
5. My iPhone 4: Lastly, another great aspect of this software is that it is available to EVERYONE. My sister, who had a defective iPod Touch, went to the Apple store and exchanged her device for a brand new one with the iOS software already installed. Likewise, I didn’t have to buy an iPhone 4S to get the new software. However, I would like to have my own personal assistant, Siri. Oh well, maybe for Christmas….
Out of the 200 new updates (which I haven’t quite scratched the surface of yet), these are my favorite. I have yet to experiment with custom vibrations, newsstand, or the new lock screen. If you are interested, here are a few links outlining the hidden features.
Apple: http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html
Information Week: http://www.informationweek.com/news/development/mobility/231900674
Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/ios-5-hidden-setting/
Enjoy!
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Abbey Dufoe 