Scott Forstall introduced some new features coming into iOS 5 this morning in the opening keynote at WWDC. Here’s the breakdown of the features plus a few more that weren’t mentioned.
Notification Center
The biggest complaint with iOS seems to have been addressed with a new, unobtrusive notification system. Any notification you get whether it be text, email, or push notifications will now slide in and disappear after a few moments if not addressed.
The lock screen will now also display the notifications clean and clear rather that stack them and overriding like the current system does. If tapped from the lock screen, the notification will take you directly to the app.
To access the Notification Center simply swipe from the top of the iOS device, down onto the screen (like Android notifications).
iMessage
We mentioned in our ‘This is iCloud’ breakdown that the mail service took a minor jab at Google’s Gmail. Well with iMessage, this is a clear assault on RIM’s BBM platform – but better. iMessage allows iOS devices to communicate to each other via text and can also send photos, videos, contacts and location.
It states when the other has read the message and when they are typing back. You can also start a message on one device then finish on another.
This will work with the iPad and iPod Touch.
Newsstand
With the recent entry of subscription magazines, Newsstand is an easy, organized way to see your subscription in one place. It will automatically download the newest version of the subscription in the background so that you will always stay up to date and not jump in and out of the store.
It’s kind of like having the paper delivered to your front door. Only better.
Reminders
A simple app from Apple but with a unique twist, Reminders does what it says – reminds you of these you need. You can jot down anything you need a good reminding of later on and they can sync with iCal, Outlook and iCloud.
The twist? Location based reminders.
Example:
Say you need to remember to pick up milk during your next grocery trip. Since Reminders can be location based, you’ll get an alert as soon as you pull into the supermarket parking lot.
Awesome.
Twitter is being integrated directly into iOS 5. Sign in to your Twitter account via the Settings app and you’re good to go.
You can tweet from the following apps:
- Safari
- Photos
- Camera
- YouTube
- Maps
You can mention and @reply to your friends in your Contacts if they have Twitter account associated with them. Location based tweets are also built in.
We’ll let you know if developers will have access to this feature. UPDATE: According to the keynote, other apps can ask for permission to access your Twitter credentials so it does seems that devs will have access!
Camera
The camera can now be accessed from the lock screen whether you have a passcode lock or not. Also, taking pictures can now be performed with the ‘Volume Up’ button with the app open.
And yes, they did mention that your files are still safe even if you have a passcode.
They’ve added Gridlines to use the rule of thirds to take photos, pinch-to-zoom to zoom in and AE/AF Lock. AE/AF is Auto Exposure and Auto Focus and Apple has added the ability for one to hold your finger hold on the subject you wish to stay focused and it will lock it no matter where you move the camera cool. Pretty advanced.
Photos
Edit photos directly from the Photos app. Users will now be able to Enhance, Crop, Rotate and remove red-eye with ease.
Safari
Safari on the iPad will now have a tabbed browser so one will not have to jump in and out of windows constantly.
All iOS devices will receive Reader and Reading List capabilities
Reader:
Safari Reader displays web articles sans ads or clutter so you can read without distractions
Reading List:
Reading List lets you save interesting articles to peruse later, while iCloud keeps your list updated across all your devices.
PC Free
No more cables are required to update or sync your iOS device. All future updates will be OTA and activating an iDevice does not require iTunes.
iPad multitask gestures, AirPlay mirroring
The iPad will now support the multi-touch gestures that were previously available to developer only.
Gestures:
Using four or five fingers, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, pinch to return to the Home screen, and swipe left or right to switch between apps.
The iPad 2 will have the capability to mirror its screen to an AirPlay enabled device. Currently, the iPad 2 can only mirror its screen using the Digital AV adaptor. We can’t complain with cutting more cords.
More…
There are new Game Center features that allow purchasing games straight through the app, Rich Text formatting support built into Mail app, split keyboard for the iPad and many more. According to the list above we can expect more improvements than what we saw earlier.
Compatibility
iOS 5 will work with the following devices:
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 3GS
- iPad 1
- iPad 2
- iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generation
iOS is coming in the fall…timed conveniently to a rumor that states the iPhone 5 should be out around that time also.
