iOS 5

Available this fall (a full season away!), the free iOS 6 upgrade promises to shift the landscape for mobile devices. With all-new apps and enhanced features, the operating system offers a range of new possibilities for users. Wondering what all the fuss is about? Here's why iOS 6 will change your mobile experience:

• Maps, Maps, Maps — Replacing Google Maps, the new Apple-designed app is vector-based, which translates to more detailed graphics and text. The Flyover function allows for 3D views of major metro areas, and users will get visual and spoken navigation, plus real-time traffic updates.
• Siri advancements — In iOS 6, Siri understands more languages, works in more countries, and can be used with the iPad 2 and newest iPad. As for social networking, Siri can also tweet and post Facebook updates.
• FaceTime capabilities — No more hunting for WiFi! With the new operating system, FaceTime works over cellular networks, too, so that users can make calls from anywhere.
• Do Not Disturb — All-new iPhone features allow you to instantly reply with a text or set a callback reminder whenever you decline an incoming call. Even cooler? You can turn on Do Not Disturb so that only approved contacts can appear on your phone for a set period of time.
• Passbook — This is the go-to app for boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, and loyalty cards. By scanning your device, you can check into a flight, get into a movie, or redeem your coupon. A fun feature: if you've already checked into your flight and the gate changes, then Passbook will alert you.
• Facebook integration — With iOS 6, you'll be able to share photos on Facebook directly from Camera or Photos. Not only will Facebook events be integrated into Calendar, but you'll also stay totally up to date on all your Facebook friends' information: when a friend updates their profile information, the new number or email will automatically update in Contacts.

Apple confirmed some users are experiencing "lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices" yesterday, and promised that a software update can be expected in the next few weeks, which should wipe the problem clean. Can't wait that long cause your battery drains too fast? Below, a few tips to save your battery life until the problem is resolved.

• Lower your screen brightness — Just like on your laptop, you can lower the screen brightness on your iPhone to increase battery life. Just head to Settings > Brightness to adjust.
• Use WiFi where you can — Instead of downloading apps, making Google Voice calls, or browsing the web over your cellular or 3G connection, find a WiFi hot spot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down and will improve battery life since your phone won't be searching for a data signal.
• Block GPS tracking in apps — If you're using lots of apps that include automatic GPS location and tagging (à la Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), your phone is working overtime to locate you. If you don't need to geotag your posts and updates, keep the GPS off.
• Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off — I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but bad for your data and battery. To turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.
• Shut down apps often — Do you shut down your apps after you're done using them? If not, you're using up lots of battery by allowing those apps to run. To shut down apps after use, double tap on the home button to get to your app drawer. To close open apps, just hold down on one until you see the wiggle, then click on the "X" to shut down.

Friday marks the day for the iPhone 4S, but you can download the latest operating system, iOS 5, today! First, download iTunes 10.5 to get your system ready for update. Be sure to back up all your iPhone data — contacts, apps, and music — while you're at it. Once iOS 5 goes live, sync your phone and away you go!

Wondering what all the fuss is about? ICYMI, here are some of the awesome features coming with iOS 5:

1. iMessage — Integration of a messaging service in iOS 5 gives all users text message capabilities via WiFi or 3G. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can now send unlimited text messages to other devices using iOS 5. It includes group messaging and automated syncing across all your iOS devices. Hopefully this will be the end of pricey texting plans.
2. Notification Center — Android users are already familiar with a similar Notification Center feature, which sends all push notifications into one central location on your device. Any new notification appears as an animation at the top of the screen and can be swiped down for more details. Notification Center even shows up on the lock screen so you're always in the know.

Four more cool features of iOS 5 after the break.

Alongside Apple's Tuesday unveiling of the iPhone 4S, the new mobile operating system iOS 5 was revealed, which adds 200 new features to compatible Apple devices. Many of the new additions will look familiar to Android users (like the Notification center) or could have been a download from the App Store. Apple's inclusion of the embedded features creates what it considers to be the "world's most advanced mobile operating system." The iOS 5 software will be available on Oct. 12 as a free software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

What's so great about this new operating system? Here are six cool features that will make the upgrade worth your while.

1. iMessage — Integration of a messaging service in iOS 5 gives all users text message capabilities via WiFi or 3G. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you can now send unlimited text messages to other devices using iOS 5. It includes group messaging and automated synching across all your iOS devices. Hopefully this will be the end of pricey texting plans.
2. Notification Center — Android users are already familiar with a similar Notification Center feature, which sends all push notifications into one central location on your device. Any new notification appears as an animation at the top of the screen and can be swiped down for more details. Notification Center even shows up on the lock screen so you're always in the know.

Four more cool features of iOS 5 after the break.

In addition to some of the already-known iOS 5 features, citizens of Japan will get a potentially life-saving inclusion: earthquake warnings. Apple has included a built-in feature that connects Japanese iPhones to the national earthquake warning system and will allow users to opt in to push notifications that alert them of an upcoming earthquake within minutes or seconds before it hits.

Since Japan sits on three different tectonic plates, it sees an average of 1,500 earthquakes annually. And as we saw earlier this year, Japan's warning system can help save lives.

Need to catch up on the other features coming with iOS 5? Check them out after the break.

Though we have to wait until this Fall to update our iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads to iOS 5, there are plenty of reasons to get excited now. Announced earlier this week at Apple's developers conference, the next mobile operating system could save you time, money, and frustration with its over 200 new features. I've rounded up the top six reasons I'm excited for the update — find out more about each of them below!

• No more annoying pop-up notifications — How awesome will it be to not have any pop-up notifications interrupting you while watching a video, playing a heated round of Angry Birds, or sending a message? With the Message Center, you'll get all your notifications — from text messages, friend requests, @ replies, and push notifications — at the top of your phone instead of in disruptive pop-up boxes in the middle of your screen. If you've been an Android user in the past, this will look very familiar, and could be a big relief for seasoned iPhone users.
• Kiss SMS goodbye — This is big: Apple introduced iMessage, which is basically BBM for iPhones and eliminates the need to SMS text other iPhone users altogether. Working over WiFi or a 3G connection, you can send an unlimited amount of text, photo, video, contact, and location messages from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, get delivery and read confirmations, and actually see when someone else is typing you back. It's all secure over encryption, and it's all free. Data use will apply when sent over 3G, though, so try to use WiFi when available.
• Twitter integration — Your favorite microblogging service gets deep integration into iOS 5, and will allow you to tweet photos right from your camera app, webpages in Safari, videos from YouTube, map locations, and from some of your apps. Your friends' Twitter handles will be stored in Contacts, so if you want to draft a tweet, just start typing their names.

See the rest of the list when you read more.

Steve Jobs and Co. announced a few new features coming with iOS 5 yesterday, but they obviously didn't show us all the updates we have to look forward to. Check out the video from this lucky guy, who got an "exclusive preview" of iOS 5. It's magic.