iOS 5 iPhone First Impressions

Yesterday Apple announced their next major iOS release, iOS5.

I managed to get the beta installed on my iPhone 4, so here are a few of my favorite things so far:

1. Notifications

The overhaul of the notification system in iOS5 is possibly the most overdue feature of iOS. Before, notifications were intrusive, always interrupting my game of Tiny Wings. Today, they’re subtle reminders that my wife would like a coffee on my way home.

2. Twitter Integration

For me, I love to test apps. I especially like to try out Twitter apps. Over time I have managed to accumulate at least 9 apps to do one thing: tweet. With Twitter integration, I can now easily tweet pics, and links on the fly. Wham bam thank you Steve!

3. Camera

The updated camera in iOS 5 is also another feature set that gives you the ability to do basic edits without the need for additional apps. Don’t get me wrong, I think apps like Camera+ are great but crop and red eye are welcome additions to the native iPhone camera.

Plus, I was especially happy to see the camera make it to the lockscreen.

The real kicker with camera is how you can snap pictures with the volume button. I know this is exactly like the Cydia app VolumeSnap so I’m happy to see it here.

Finally, these are what I’ve managed to tool around with so far. Over the next few weeks I expect to have more to say about the update. I’ll devote more time to iCloud as well.

Til next time!