iOS 5 unveiled: here are the new features to be excited about

It's Apple keynote day, so the news has been coming in fast and furious. As to the latest version of iOS on iPhones and iPads, what new features should you be excited about? Here are the big ones:

-Notifications: Finally, notifications are getting an overhaul, with new texts, emails, calendar events and push notifications getting stuck in the new "Notification Center" that can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen. You'll also be able to see all the pertinent info on the home screen without unlocking your phone, which is nice.

-Newsstand: Newsstand will basically be like iBooks, but for newspapers and magazines. It'll let you download issues, subscribe and read anything you've got on board.

-Twitter integration: Twitter is now baked into iOS, allowing you to tweet photos directly from the camera app, links from Safari or locations from Maps.

-Updated Safari: The iOS browser has two major new features. The first is Reader, which lets you pull the raw text from online articles and save them for later reading, much like the popular Instapaper app. The other feature is tabbed browsing, which is a long time coming.

-Updated camera: The camera can now be accessed from the home screen without needing to enter a password or swipe to unlock your phone. You'll also be able to use the volume button as a shutter, which frees you from having to tap the screen to take a photo. Basic photo editing, such as rotating and cropping, is also on the way.

-PC-free operation: A computer will no longer be required to set up or use an iPhone or iPad, with over-the-air syncing and wireless updating cutting the cord that previously forced you to plug in a device to set it up or update it.

Other new features include a new Reminders app, a revamped Mail app, a new version of Game Center, and iMessage, which is essentially BlackBerry's BBM, but for iOS devices. Phew! It's a lot of new stuff, but unfortunately you'll need to wait until this Fall to get it for yourself.

Via Gizmodo
