3 Incredible Ways To Get The Most Out Of Apple iOS 5

iOS 5 is the latest operating system from Apple for the iPod Touch, the iPad and the iPhone. Apple says that this new operating system has over two hundred new features.

Rather than go through all of them like an instruction manual, we’re going to focus on the three most important ways to get the most of iOS 5 when it comes to communication.

Twitter Integration

All versions of the Apple iOS have included some interaction with Twitter, but iOS 5 has fully integrated Twitter in a more natural ways for whatever device you’re using.

Of course, you have to sign in to Twitter, but you can set that up using the Settings app so that you don’t have to sign in every time.

Once you’ve got your Twitter access set up, you’ll be able to sync just about everything you’re running on your device to Twitter:

• Photos
• Links
• Videos
• Maps
• Contacts

You’ll be able to link Twitter to the output from just about any of the iOS apps you’ve installed. Just use the Share button, the one that looks like a rectangle with an arrow pointing outward, and select the Tweet button from the list of options that appear.

Because of the single sign-in functionality set up within the OS, new apps that you want to interact with Twitter will just do so without any need for you to sign-in.

You will also be able to disable Twitter access for any specific app that you no longer want to work with Twitter.

Notification Customization

Because you’re not staring at your device 24×7, you don’t see every reminder, call, text or other notification that comes in when you’re dealing with other aspects of your life.

iOS 5 has added to the notification functionality to make it easier to find what you’ve missed. You can swipe down the screen at any time to see all the latest notifications. A summary of all the notifications you’ve missed also appears on the Lock screen.

Among the items included in this notification category are such things as:

• Calendar Reminders
• Tasks Due
• Latest Weather
• Stock Quotes
• Missed Phone Calls
• Missed Text Messages
• Messages from Running Apps

The Settings app will let you customize the way such notifications appear and act on your device, including such important characteristics as:

• Which Notifications Appear
• Order of Appearance
• Style of Text
• Customized Notification Sounds

iMessage

The new iMessage feature includes newer generation iPods and also iPads, and adds new dimensions to messaging you didn’t think would be possible.

Here are some of the standard improvements:

• Greater Length Allowance
• High Quality for Videos and Pictures
• Group Messaging
• Alert that a Response is Being Typed

Furthermore, special features of iMessage are activated whenever you’re communicating on an iOS 5 device, special features that appear only for iOS 5 users.

Because you are you no matter which device you may be using, iMessage allows you to move your conversation from device to device and pick up wherever you left off.

Of course, this benefit is limited by the type of device being switched to — for example, an iPod or an iPad cannot use a phone number.

What does happen when moving the conversation between different types of devices is that the mode may shift from email on an iPad to text messaging on an iPhone.

You set up your iPhone to take advantage of this iMessage feature within the Settings app by:

• Navigate to “Messages”
• Pick “Receive At”
• Find “Caller ID”
• Select Your Own Email Address

From that point on, all outgoing text messages from that iPhone will appear to be sent from that email address, enabling someone on the receiving end to think they’re taking part in an email exchange, whether you’re texting on the iPhone or emailing from the iPad.

iMessage is unlimited and free, so you may be able to downgrade your text messaging plan by using iMessage instead.

This upgrade of the iOS to version 5 is truly an impressive leap. What we’ve covered has been significant, but it barely scratches the surface of the improvements and adjustments to iOS 5. Take a look for yourself and prepare to be impressed!