New iOS 5 Features Will Increase Productivity and Savings

COMMENTARY | The new iOS 5 operating system, launching on October 12 for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, promises to be an exciting upgrade for users. To grab iOS 5, all an Apple or PC user needs to do is download the software after connecting a compatible device via USB and follow the prompts to install. From this day forth, our collective iLives should be untethered.

For many of us using Apple products, standard upgrades come and go and are usually nothing to write home about, but iOS 5 has all the hallmarks of being a really big deal. Not only are standard features getting an upgrade, but lots of exciting, new features are launching as well, and there are more than few items I can't wait to tap, pinch, and swipe.

iMessage

There was a day when I lived on AIM, but Facebook chat and cheap text messages stole its thunder. However, I've never really enjoyed the Facebook chat features and even cheap text messages carry a cost. I prefer to use Text Free in my current iOS to avoid the per-text charge associated with not purchasing unlimited texting. The iMessage app built into iOS 5 serves the same purpose as Text Free when communicating with fellow iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone users. I can send unlimited text messages within the app to my friends and family members within the Apple ecosystem with no additional charges. If my mom and brothers would upgrade to a smart phone, my text messaging life would be complete.

The Newsstand

I have always loved the bookshelf design of iBooks, but wished the content it served was a bit more dynamic since I generally read books on my Kindle. The iOS 5 system takes the Newsstand and ups its value! Now magazine subscriptions will appear on the shelf with rotating cover images as new issues roll in every month. Alerts let us know when a new publication is ready to ready. Definite upgrade.

Save for Later

Read It Later ties with Lazarus as my favorite Firefox add-on because of its ability to let me save all my open tabs for later and leave the computer without thinking about power outages, my husband closing my web pages, and so on. The Safari browser is receiving a similar feature in iOS 5. We can now save articles to read later. Since I am typically redirected to Safari while processing emails, I usually want to take a quick glance at something and then follow-up later. The Reading List feature looks to be far handier than bookmarking and is sure to get a workout in my mobile browser.