As with many Apple tech owners, I was anxiously waiting for the new iOS5 to drop.  I had already review the proposed changes on Apple’s site but had to see it for myself.  While I’m not going to discuss each one in detail, I will review some of the upgrades and offer my feedback as a user.

Notifications
I really like how notifications are more centralized.  Before, you had to set the notification settings for individual apps or pre-installed software on an iPhone.  Now, notifications can come in a banner at the top of your screen rather than little alerts that pop up on your screen.  If you’re old school, you can leave the alerts like this or have a banner on top.

Wi-Fi Sync & Software Updates
Back in the day, the only way to back up your phone or update the software was to use iTunes on a computer.  My wife has a Macbook that I use to back up my phone since iCal, Address Book and other software makes it easy to edit my information.  Now, iOS5 users have to separate options to free themselves up from their USB cable.

When using Wi-Fi and having your phone plugged in, you can back up photos, music, podcasts, iTunesU, apps, etc., through a wireless sync.  You just go through <settings>, <General> and <iTunes Wi-Fi Sync>.  For someone that listens to tons of podcasts and iTunesU, this was something that I thought was great.

The bigger thing is wireless software updates.  My wife just previously rid herself of her Blackberry Curve.  One of the things that I did like about it is that she was able to update her software.  Prior to this iOS update, I had to wait until I had access to her Macbook, so that I could update my software.  In a few days, I’ll be able to try this feature out, though I expect it to go well.

Calendar
As someone that relies heavily on the calendar to stay organized, I like some of the new functionality that makes it even more useful.

I’m not sure why but there’s also the option of adding a URL.  I suppose that, if you have a professional meeting, you could add the person’s website, if they have one.

Also, when you’re on the main calendar screen, you cannot only swipe from top to bottom but also side to side.  This was something that I discovered by accident.  Normally, I view my calendar by day and not list, unless I’m doing paperwork for work.  It’s great for going from day to day.

Another feature is what happens when you’re viewing by day but putting your phone in a landscape position.  This allows you to view your calendar by week.  At a glance, you can see what you have going on from a broader view.

Lastly, since iCloud is now available, you can have an iCloud calendar.  I’ll be honest.  I haven’t used it only because I can’t create new calendars in the same way that I can on the Mac.  Counting a Google calendar that I use for work, I have nine calendars that have their own color.  It’s great to look at my calendar, look at the colors and know what I have going on for the day, week or month.

Music & Video
This one is really cool.  As a power user, I use just about everything on my iPhone.  One of the things that I love is listening to a wide variety of songs, podcasts and iTunesU.  I, also, have a handful of music videos.

With the new update, iOS has separated your audio content into Music, while videos are under Video.  It’s taking a little bit to get used to, though it’s something that I think I will like with time.

The Wrap-Up
Some people might say that some of the iOS updates are long overdue or not even original.  I suppose that they might be right.  However, speaking for myself, these are updates that make it a bigger pleasure (which is saying a lot) to use the iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the update doesn’t apply to all devices, such as the iPhone 3G. Nonetheless, it’s still welcome.

As long as my iPhone 4 holds up, I will continue to enjoy these updates, until I upgrade my phone.  With time, I’m sure that Apple will refine some of these changes and I’ll get the hang of them.

Author: José A. Rodríguez