Top 5 iOS 5 Improvements

So if you are waiting for iOS 5 to make your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to feel like a new gadget again, today is your lucky day.  The iOS 5 software update is a big one with over 200 new features, some of the updates are huge, some are not.  Read on for the top 5 new iOS 5 features.

1. Revamped Safari Browser

Safari has been tuned up with some pretty cool improvements.  You can now reformat a website on the fly, removing advertisements or reformatting text so that it fits better on your iPhone or iPad.

Don't have time to read a website before hopping on a plane, where you won't have a internet connection, no problem, add it to your reading list and you can check it out while offline.  This cool feature will work across all of your iOS devices and Lion OS through the iCloud.

Web pages are faster and the Safari browser now supports tabs.  About time.

2. Notifications

No more annoying pop up notifications that interrupt your gaming, texting, or web surfing.  Now you will use the Notification Center.  The Notification Center app shows you everything from text messages, reminders, email, etc,

The notifications will even show up on the lock screen so you don't need to log-in to your phone to read a quick update.  If you want to dive in to the notification, from the lock screen, simply swipe your finger on the notification.

This is a large improvement over the pop ups of the previous iOS.

3. iMessage

In a clever move that will make it harder to leave the iPhone platform, iOS 5 will have a built in messaging platform.

Why is this a big deal?  One reason is that you will not have to pay for carrier SMS and MMS contracts if you have enough friends on iOS 5. 

Also you will be able to use iMessage across all of your iOS 5 devices, start a conversation on your iPhone, finish it on your iPad.

4. Camera App & Photos

Two of my biggest gripes about the camera on the iPhone are the difficulty getting to the camera when I want to take a quick photo and the lack of a physical camera button.  It just takes to long to navigate to the camera app and then try and push a tiny virtual button on the screen.

Both issues are address in iOS 5, you can now access the camera from the lock screen, you no longer need to unlock the phone and hunt for the camera icon.  Also, you can now use the + volume button as the shutter button for taking pictures.  Another "about time" moment. 

Some basic photo editing is now included with the camera/photo app.  You can sharpen images, correct colors, reduce red eye, crop, etc,  Sorry Camera Plus, your days are numbered.

5. No Computer Necessary

Another great improvement is that you will no longer need a PC with iTunes to use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. 

Over the air updates is huge, not fun having wait until I was in front of my syncing computer to do software updates, etc,

No more PC required, seems obvious but can't wait.