Having gone live on October 12, 2011, the brand new iOS5 has proceeded to define a proper mobile operating system in a lot of ways. Apple claims the OS has a sleuth of new features among 200 others. The iOS5 powers the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPads 1 and 2 and the 3rd and 4th generation iTouch models. However, Siri, the voice assistant app is an exclusive feature for iPhone 4S only. Users of the iOS5 are in for a treat when they upgrade their respective phones to include the new iOS5. Features include the iCloud service, Wi-Fi Sync, the new Game Stand, all new iMessage service, newer camera options, faster Safari browser, and a smarter way to organize your everyday life.
Below, we discuss seven of the most basic yet smart features of the iOS5.
Custom Vibrations for STEALTH Alerts:
One of the first features to look strikingly cool is the ability to create custom vibrations to keep the owner posted about any important call or message he/she wouldnât want to miss; and that too without disturbing the people around! Simply choose a contact and hit the edit button. Navigate to Vibration and then create new vibration and follow the process. And, you are ready to think of yourself as the all new Sherlock Holmes!
2. New User Defined Key board shortcuts:
Now, the users of the iOS5 can pre-define short cuts for frequently used words. Even though it wasnât a major feature in the previous iOS, it was about time the engineers at Apple included this feature.
3. LED Flashes for Alerts:
Weird but true. iOS5 gives you the power to customize your alerts in a novel way. You can pre-define the cameraâs LED flash in case some notification pops up at the helm of the screen. Apart from this, the iOS has cleaned up its age-old pop up system of notifications which was much criticized for interrupting any usage of the phone. Now, the notifications pop up in the notification bar at the top of the screen.
4. Instant Dictionary, anyone?
Formatting options on the iOS5 has been overhauled. Now, you can select a word or a sentence and change it using the various options available. Thereâs a Suggest function which allows you to write the words in your own preferred way. Moreover, the new iOS includes a fairly up-to-date dictionary which gives the precise definitions and meanings of words.
5. All new Privacy Options:
The Safari browser has been given a revamped look and the overall speed has also been increased. Now, contents seem to appear at a much faster rate than in the previous versions. Most importantly, a few more security features have been added to the Safari browser. Now, you can start a private browsing session which would enable you not to record any browsing history and save the same.
6. Track whoâs been Draining your phone of juice:
Navigating to Settings>General>Usage would bring up all the apps on the phone along with the information of the amount of data, space and power used by each one. One click on the app would bring up the buttons to remove the app permanently from the phone.
7. Not this Route? Take Another One!
Showing alternate routes on the maps was only available on the desktops. Now, we have it on the iOS5! The maps app in the phone tracks down all possible routes from one position to a particular destination and then gives you the choice of picking a route for a ride.
All the above features that have been discussed here have one thing in common: Most of them seem to be a basic need in our everyday life, like the Stealth Vibration option. Features on the new iOS are numerous. To include a few more in this post would include the redefined iMessage service which would remind us of the Blackberry messaging service, new twitter integration, new reminder apps, and the autonomous feature of the iOS5 (which means it doesnât need iTunes to function anymore! OTA are now available directly to the phone). But, the most intelligent and talked about feature would be SIRI, the voice assistant software on the iOS5. Not only does it help you in using the features of the phone, it also searches stuff for you and can virtually find you anything. Restrictions abound, the new iOS does pack in a new era of communication techniques with the iOS5. Now, you have to just wait and watch what else does Apple have in store for the users in the next iOS update.
