iOS 5: An In-depth Preview of the New Operating System

By Alistair Charlton: Subscribe to Alistair's RSS feed

October 4, 2011 1:51 PM EDT

The newest operating system update to the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod touch, called iOS 5, will be available to download on Oct. 12. iOS 5 brings an entirely new notifications system, a BlackBerry Messenger-rivalling free messaging app and system-wide Twitter integration.

iOS 5 is a free software update bringing over 200 new features to the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod touch, including a location-aware reminders app, newsstand and wireless syncing.The update aims to separate the iDevice from the personal computer, with what Apple is calling "PC Free," meaning any iOS 5 device can be operated entirely without a computer, finally making the iPad a true netbook competitor.

iOS 5 is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone, iPad, iPad 2, iPod touch 3rd generation and iPod touch 4th generation.

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Notification Centre

Notifications have been pushed to iOS devices for a few years now, but they provided little information, forcing the user to quit what they're doing and go to the relevant app requesting attention. Now, though, all notifications are displayed in a panel that can be accessed by swiping down from the status bar, whether you're at the home screen, or in an app already.

Notification Centre can be customised to show a ticker of your share prices, the local weather and, of course, notifications from the phone, mail, messages, Facebook, Twitter and any other apps that demand your attention. Previews of messages and e-mails are shown, and the notification can be acted upon by tapping it.

Before, notifications always appeared in the same way -- an SMS-style box in the centre of the screen that had to be dismissed before being able to do anything else. Now, though, notifications can be set to appear as a small message at the top of the screen, which doesn't interrupt what you're doing. Games don't pause, for example, and the box disappears after a few seconds.

The lock screen has also been tinkered with, showing a clearer list of any calls, messages, and emails that have been received while the phone has been locked. Swiping over a text or email takes you right to the relevant app.

iMessage

BlackBerry owners are all familiar with BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the free messaging service that lets users sent text messages to each other for free. The service works well and more comprehensively than regular texts because messages are encrypted through the BB servers.