Last month BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM) announced that it will release a multi-platform version of BlackBerry Messenger, adding support for iOS and Android. BBM has been hugely successful messaging service with over 10 billion messages sent per day with 60 million monthly active users.

BBM on iPhone will compete with Apple’s own iMessage and other popular instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The release date for BBM for iPhone hasn’t been announced yet and it’s availability is likely scheduled for later this summer.

BBM set the standard for mobile instant messaging with fast and reliable service and an added layer of engagement with delivered and read statuses. You’ve shared with us your stories about how BBM has kept you connected when it mattered most to you. Upon release of the multi-platform BBM service, you can broaden that real-time connection to friends and colleagues on other supported mobile platforms.

Yesterday, Salshgear was first to spot a tweet from T-Mobile’s twitter account that announced “Great news – BlackBerry Messenger will be available to download on iOS and Android from June 27th!”. That tweet was later deleted and when BlackBerry PR was contacted by Mashable they confirmed that the release date was incorrect.

While there have been reports that BBM will be available to iOS and Android on June 27, this is not accurate,

A multi-platform BBM client on iOS and Android will fuel the growth for the instant chat messaging service. The first version of BBM on iPhone will include the following features:

– The immediacy of BBM chats
– Multi-person chats
– Voice note sharing
– BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

Since, Apple allows messaging services other than iMessage to be available on the App Store, the approval process shouldn’t be an issue for BlackBerry.

Apple is officially making Messages for OS X a Mountain Lion only feature. On Friday, the company sent out emails to its customers that they would be discontinuing the Messages Beta program for Lion on December 14th, 2012. The Messages Beta program allowed users of OS X Lion to download and try out Messages on their Macs, syncing all iMessages on the user’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to their Mac.

Dear [User],

The Messages Beta program for Lion will end on Friday, December 14, 2012. We hope you’ve enjoyed the opportunity to preview Messages.

If you’d like to continue using Messages, upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Messages is one of many great new apps and features built right into OS X Mountain Lion. Learn More.

Thank you for your participation in the Messages Beta program.

The email notes that current users of Mac OS X Lion that are looking to continue using iMessages on their Mac must upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion which is available for $19.99 on the Mac App Store [Direct Link]. It is possible that some users will be unable to upgrade to Mountain Lion because of hardware requirements that the software requires.

Apple launched iMessages earlier this year as a replacement for iChat, which also had the ability to run third party chat clients such as AIM and Google Chat. iMessages after December 14th will be strictly for Mountain Lion and future OS X updates, as well as the for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple announced iOS 6 during the company’s annual WWDC conference, and showcased some of the main features of the new update including a revamped Maps application and Siri improvements. The Cupertino company released an initial beta to developers directly after the conference, allowing developers to test the new features on the their devices and then released iOS 6 beta 2 in late June.

On Monday, Apple released iOS 6 beta 3 to developers, fixing bugs and adding a number of new features. This latest beta comes comes as Build 10A5355d, about three weeks after the last with Build 10A5338d. Some of the features of iOS 6 beta 3 include:

• Roadwork and traffic accidents showing up in Maps app
• Answer and Decline buttons for FaceTime calls have returned
• iMessage on iPad now accepting phone number as valid contact info
• Greater 3D Flyover coverage in Maps
• Glyphs for bookmarks, Reading List, and history in Safari
• Auto-brightness changes gradually

One of the other main features noticed was a change under the Navigation settings, giving users the option to measure distance in kilometers or meters, adjust the volume of the navigation voice, and providing map labels in either normal or large that can display in a local language or strictly English.

Apple’s iOS 6 betas continue to improve with each release and give developers the chance to test each feature and use it with their own apps. Apple is expected to release several more betas before the final public release, which is expected during the September / October timeframe. It is also likely that the public version of iOS 6 will release alongside the next generation iPhone 5 which is also expected during the same timeframe.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: 9to5Mac}

Why Jailbreak? Tweaks and Apps that make jailbreaking your iPhone / iPad worth it.

The jailbreak community has grown extensively over the past couple of weeks thanks to the release of Absinthe which provided an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. It has been a long wait, especially for those of us that have had a jailbreak before on their previous iPhone’s and have been without one ever since.

So for those people who are new to the jailbreaking scene I’ll be covering the what’s new in jailbreaking each week including new apps, tweaks and jailbreaking news.

As this is the first in the series I’m going to cover some of the reasons why I jailbreak, some of these will be tweaks that have been around for a long time while others are new since Absinthe was released.

On Janaury 20th the Chronic Dev Team released GreenPois0n Absinthe and those iPhone 4S and iPad 2 owners could jailbreak their devices and the process, for most people, was relatively painless.

The jailbreak was as simple as connecting your device to your Windows PC or Mac and running the GreenPois0n Absinthe tool. From than on the tool did all the work and unlike previous jailbreaks there isn’t even a need to put your device into DFU mode, a kind of special sleep mode that allows the device OS to be updated.

After just 15 minutes the Jailbreak was complete and I was ready to add the tweaks and apps that turn my iPhone into the device I know and love.

First up was SBSettings and Activator, two tools that allow you to access iPhone settings and actions via gestures on the home screen or by using the physical buttons on the device. If you frequently have to turn on/off wifi or Bluetooth these two tools are awesome and now SBSettings can now be added to your iOS5 Notification Center for even easier access.

Next up is iFile which gives you access to browse the iPhone file directory and IncarcerApp which for those of you with young children is great as it prevents the home button from being used when your children are in certain applications, this means that they can play their favorite games with the risk of them making phone calls, sending text messages or anything else on your iPhone.

The final of the apps that are jailbreak staples for me is BiteSMS which replaces the standard message apps and adds feature upon feature to the default text messaging application. The two that ensures that BiteSMS is one of the first apps installed is the ability to quickly start an SMS via the volume buttons and the ability to reply to an incoming text or iMessage without having to go to the messaging app.

In addition to these established tweaks there have been a number of new tweaks on the block that have added great new functionality to the already great iPhone.

Call Bar – The default action of an incoming call on an iPhone is to take over the whole screen until you’ve decided how you want to handle the call. With Call Bar installed the incoming call now appears at the top of the screen just like notifications do.

From there you can answer or reject the call either via buttons or by swiping it. This give you full access to use the phone as you please while the call sits at the top of the screen. This is one of those tweaks which makes you wonder how it wasn’t included in the iPhone by default.

Zephyr – This is another tweak that makes you wonder why it’s not part of the standard OS as it’s such a simple, yet great tweak. Zephyr adds multitasking gestures to the iPhone 4S which enables you to do 3 things.

• Swipe left and right to switch between apps.
• Swipe up to close open applications
• Smoothly swipe up to access the multitask icons

Not only are these features great if your iPhone is fully functional but if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones who has a broken home buttons then they become life savers!

SiriToggles – 3 out of 3 for tweaks that have no reason not to be in the iOS by default as SiriToggles adds the ability to open apps and activate/deactivate iOS settings via Siri. “Set brightness to 50%”, “Turn off Bluetooth”, “Open Safari” will all now work and makes Siri a little less Beta than it previously was!

These are just a few of the great reasons to jailbreak. If you have questions or comments about anything jailbreak related post in the comments below or tweet me @4forkssake.

Apple introduced a new messaging service for iOS device users called iMessage with iOS 5. The service allows users to send unlimited text, video and photo messages over WiFi or 3G. iMessage was clearly seen as an attempt to compete with BlackBerry’s popular BBM app.

Now, according to a new report published by BGR it has been revealed that Apple may actually be planning to extend its offering on the iOS platform with the introduction of a native IM client that could integrate Apple’s existing services and offer users an all-in-one experience.

John Heaton, iOS developer, recently revealed that he had discovered a string of iOS code that suggests Apple’s interest in bringing iChat to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch as a part of iOS 6, the next major version of iOS.

iChat currently available on Mac OS X allows users to send IM using various messaging clients such as Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo! and more. On the Mac iChat not only allows you to send instant messages but also supports video chats.

On iOS Apple integrated iMessage with the default Messages app to offer a unified experience however, FaceTime continues to be a separate app for video calls on iPad and iPod touch. It’s possible that the Cupertino, California-based company could be looking at introducing iChat that could merge all services in one app and could also allow messaging between Macs and iOS devices.

The existence of references to iChat in iOS code certainly points to the fact that Apple is at least testing or thought about introducing iChat. It will be interesting to see if iOS 6 actually introduces iChat for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

iOS 5 is finally available for download from iTunes, the software update was made available at 10:00 AM PT. In order to update your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch you would first need to have iTunes 10.5. Once you have the latest version of iTunes connect your device and then under “Summary” tab click on “Check for update”.

Apple’s iOS 5 update supports iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, third and fourth gen iPod touch, first and second gen iPad. The update according to Apple brings more than 200 new user features.

Some of the most notable user enhancements include Notification Center which offers non-obstructive notifications and a new way to organize all notifications. iMessage is probably one of the most exciting addition that will allow users to send unlimited text, photo and video messages to other iOS 5 device users.

Apple is taking the subscription based digital magazines business even more seriously with the introduction of Newsstand. It automatically organizes magazines and newspaper subscriptions on your Home Screen.

With iOS 5 you’ll also get Reminders app that offers location-based reminders, built-in Twitter support, camera enhancements, mail improvements and much more. iOS device users will now be able to wirelessly sync their devices and even download OTA (over the air) delta updates for future software versions.

Have you already downloaded iOS 5? Share your thoughts and upgrade experiences in the comments below.

Apple is expected to release iOS 5 later today, October 12th, as planned. iTunes 10.5 was made available for download recently in order to prepare for the upcoming software update for iOS devices.

9to5 Mac recently noted that iOS 5 Beta users have started gaining access to NewsStand features. Any magazines or newspaper applications, running on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch will now automatically show up in the Newsstand folder. Some magazines already available for reading are Wired, GQ, and Popular Science, as well as Golf Digest and Glamour which were updated today for Newsstand.

iOS 5 will bring over 200 new features, including the all-new Notification Center, Reminders, iMessage, and Twitter Integration. Apple is likely going to send out the public release to servers around 1PM ET for download by users.

It’s interesting to note that ‘Siri’ is not a part of iOS 5 update. When Apple unveiled more than 200 new features of the upcoming software update many analysts and news outlets noticed the lack of any voice control features. As it turned out, Apple was indeed working on voice control features and is making it available exclusively for iPhone 4S in the form of Siri.

iPad 2 features tech specs similar to iPhone 4S but, still won’t get Siri anytime soon. Apple is probably looking at marketing the “intelligent personal assistant” as a feature available exclusively on iPhone 4S.

Apple recently posted an update on the iOS developer portal which notes that iCloud backup data will be reset on September 22nd. This has lead many to believe that Apple could be preparing for iOS 5 GM (gold master) release.

We’ve already seen 7 beta versions of iOS 5 that have been released at regular intervals but haven’t seen any new beta in the recent weeks. Usually, Apple aims to offer the gold master seed to developers after seven betas.

iOS 5 is closely tied to iCloud services that allow iOS devices to backup, sync, download content over WiFi or data connection. The update that was posted on the Apple Developer boards alerts the developers to anticipate the iCloud backup reset.

On Thursday, September 22, the iCloud Backup data will be reset. Backing up to iCloud or restoring from an iCloud backup will be unavailable from 9 AM PDT – 5 PM PDT. If you attempt a backup or restore during this time, you will receive an alert that the backup or restore was not successful. After this reset, you will be unable to restore from any backup created prior to September 22. A full backup will happen automatically the next time your device backs up to iCloud.

The Cupertino, California-based company is also rumored to be unveil the iPhone 5 during a special media event expected to be held on October 4th. It’s possible that iOS 5 is available to all users on the same day.

iOS 5 introduces some highly requested features such as Notification Center, iMessage, Twitter integration, new reminders app, camera enhancements, Newsstand and much more.

{via 9to5 Mac}

It’s important to note that many new features introduced in iOS5 are just for iPad. TechZoom did a great job in publishing a complete list of new features in iOS 5 and here’s a run down of all the known features.

1. Notification Center: New Notification System.
2. Improved app notifications at the top
3. Lock screen notifications. Swipe will open related app.
4. Notification options in settings menu to choose for each app.
5. Notification sorting by app, time etc.
6. iMessage: Text messaging between iOS devices over Wi-Fi or 3G
7. Newsstand: Similar to iBooks to store, auto-download magazine subscriptions & new issues.
8. Reminders: A list of reminders with Geo-fence and integrated with Calendar app
9. Twitter Integration: Log in to Twitter from settings once and Tweet anything from Safri, Photos, YouTube etc. Similar to login & sharing used by Mail.app
10. AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2: Duplicate the iPad screen on television wirelessly
11. iCloud integration: A new free service with more than 5GB data to be shared between iOS devices
12. Open Camera.app from lock screen: Double tapping on Home button will open the Camera.app from lock screen
13. Take pictures from lock screen: Volume up button can be used to take pictures
14. Camera Grid: For more precise focus and accurate photography. This feature was available on Camera+ app
15. Camera Zoom: Pinch-to-zoom Gesture like Photos.app on Camera.app
16. One tap Auto Focus and Auto Exposure
17. Lock Auto Exposure & Auto Focus for consistency.
18. Swipe Left to open camera roll
19. Crop Photos: Not available on 3GS
20. Enhance Color tones of photos: Not available on 3GS
21. Rotate Photos
22. Red-eye removal: Remove, correct Red-eye within Photos.app
23. Photo Stream via iCloud over all your iOS devices
24. Organize photos within Camera Roll
25. Tabbed Browsing in Safari: For iPad only
26. Safari Reader
27. Safari Reading List: Save web pages for offline reading
28. Improved Performance: Like it was enhanced in 4.3.3
29. Private Browsing: Similar to Firefox / Incognito on Chrome.
30. Website specific data can be deleted
31. Cut the cord: Activate and setup iOS device without a Mac or PC
32. Over-The-Air (OTA) iOS Software Updates: Again, no need of a computer & cord
33. Delta Software Updates: Upgrade only changed files. No need to download & install entire OS.
34. Wi-Fi Sync: Sync iOS device with PC or Mac over Wi-Fi
35. Backup and Restore from iCloud account
36. Sync Exchange tasks
37. Downloads: See a list of downloaded apps from App Store from any of your iOS device
38. Rich Text Formatting for Composing Mail (Bold, Italics, Underline, etc.)
39. Improved offline support for Mail.app
40. Indentation Control
41. Drag-able email addresses: Drag, arrange email addresses in To, CC, BCC fields
42. Improved mail search: Full content search in Mail
43. Flag Emails
44. S/MIME Security
45. Profile picture for Game Center
46. Friend recommendations for Game Center
47. Games recommendation
48. Friends-of-friends list
49. App Store in Game Center: App store integrated within Game Center to find & buy new Apps / Games
50. New Achievements like Points
51. Play turn-based games within Game Center
52. Swipe-Up with 4-5 fingers for multitasking bar (iPad only)
53. Swipe-Left or Swipe-Right with 4-5 fingers to switch between running apps (iPad only)
54. Pinch with 4-5 fingers for the home screen (iPad only)
55. New Split keyboard: For easier typing on iPad
56. New Keyboard Shortcuts
57. Emoji Emoticons: Emoticons like we see in IMs now for iOS devices. Mostly with iMessage!
58. LED Flash for incoming calls and notifications for better accessibility
59. Custom vibration for incoming calls for better accessibility
60. VoiceOver improvements including custom element labeling
61. Custom tones for Calendars, Mail, and Voicemail (Nothing known for SMS tone)
62. Year view on Calendar: iPad only
63. Week view on Calendar: For iPhone & iPod
64. New Music App: Redesigned only for iPad
65. Music & Video: Two separate apps for iPhone (Instead of Video inside iPod app)
66. Scroll for long song titles
67. Song description: Tap & hold on a song title for description
68. Smart Playlists: Sync smart playlists from iTunes.
69. Weather Forecasts updates hourly
70. On-location Weather: Determines current location. Custom locations can still be added.
71. Alternate routes in Maps
72. Print Maps: Print location, direction maps
73. Twitter Pictures: Use Twitter pictures for contacts with integrated Twitter
74. Auto Download in backgroud: Newstand issues, apps can be downloaded in background once subscribed.
75. Sync in background: Now possible to use iOS device while it is still syncing in background
76. Links in background: Safari links, iTunes links can be opened in background
77. Space usage: Determine space used by each app, supported file types under settings
78. iCloud usage: Determine space used on iCloud under settings
79. Change device name: Change iOS device name on-the-go via settings
80. Some GUI Improvements
81. Personal Dictionary: Create & store own words for re-use
82. Built-in Dictionary: Built-in dictionary app
83. iTunes Tone Store: Choose, Buy, Install custom tones
84. Improved FaceTime video quality
85. VoiceOver Item Chooser
86. Speak Text: Speak text based on selection
87. Delete recent calls: Delete single or one-by-one recent call list
88. Delete app data: Delete saved games, saved data for specific apps / games
89. Time mid-call invitation alerts
90. Download Multiple Apps: Now its possible to download and install multiple apps instead of one-by-one.
91. Delete songs: Check to Delete songs / playlists on iOS device
92. New Keyboard Shortcuts: Type OMG and it will type Oh My God.
93. Custom Text Tones: Custom SMS tones.
94. Auto Sync backup: It takes backup of the file on the device. Hence restoring from scratch is made easy. No need to grab all apps one-by-one. Saves lot of time.
95. ‘Install’ link instead of Price if the app is already bought.
96. Silent Switch: Shows volume level along with the Bell icon while switching back from Silent to Ringer (Currently it shows only the Bell icon)
97. Hotmail accounts have new icons & folders
98. Sync events, contacts, notes with predefined accounts under Mail.app (Like Hotmail, Gmail etc)
99. Marked Apps: All apps that are downloaded on iOS device for your account are marked as FREE (Free to download if they’re & free to download because you’ve already purchased them)
100. Arabic language support for VoiceOver
101. Icon Badges: Option to turn ON or OFF icon badges for apps. (Red circle with update)
102. Accessible input for mobility
103. Assistive Touch Gestures: Allows us to use iPhone with adaptive accessories while controlling touch sensitivity.
104. FaceTime over 3G: Yes, it is now possible. Not yet available for developers though.
105. Unsecured call notifications: Device prompts for confirmation for calls saying network is not encrypted!
106. Mid-call Invitation Alert: If the phone is busy, we can still receive a placed conference call.
107. Free @me.com email address: Yes. With iCloud integration, all iOS 5 users will get @me.com email ID
108. Custom Gestures: Create and save custom gestures. Mainly for motor-disables persons for use with AssistiveTouch accessories
109. Swipe-Left can let you browse through day-view one-by-one in Calendar
110. FaceTime without Sim card: FaceTime can now be activated and used either via a phone number or email address (Apple ID)
111. Unknown Caller details: When you receive a call from number that is not on your contacts – the display also shows city name associated with the area code. Currently it shows in recent calls list only.
112. Vibrate Alert for sent & received emails (What is they come-and-go the same time? Confusing?)
113. Real-Time stock updates
114. Multiple Mark Read: Can now select & mark multiple emails as read.
115. Pause Timer: It’s possible to pause the Timer instead of ‘Cancel’
116. New German Keyboard: Easy access to Germanic umlaut
117. 1080p Playback support for iPad.
118. Social Networking Integration: Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, MySpace along with Twitter (Options under Settings.app but not sure if integrated throughout the OS like Twitter)
119. Headphone Balance: Option to choose Left & Right balance for headphones under Accessibility
120. Cellular Network for App Store: Option to Enable or Disable using Cellular Network (GPRS, 3G) to download apps from the App Store.
121. Disable In-App Purchase: Ability to completely disable In-App purchases
122. iTunes Password Prompt: It is now possible to set frequency for iTunes Password prompt to appear.
123. Storage Usage Clean Up: We can not only see what files have taken up the space but we can empty that space with single wipe like Apps, Game’s saved data, Music, Videos etc.
124. Equalizer Presets
125. Improved Sound Check for music
126. RSA ID is now available when setting up VPN. This is for performing two-factor authentication for a user to a network resource.
127. Folders for Mail: Yes. Possible for any allowed mail account including new Hotmail.
128. Find My iPhone: This is available as a part of iCloud integration with an option to disable it.
129. Scrolling Titles for YouTube videos
130. Double tap the home button on YouTube while watching a video to see who uploadedthat video
131. HD YouTube video if connected to 3G
132. Take pictures using headphone remote: If you have headphone with remote them it is possible to take picture using Volume UP button.
133. Animated GIF image support for iMessage. Does not animate in Photos.app
134. Hold and drag events from within different dates or time
135. Tapping and holding back button in Safari will show-up visited website history (iPad only)
136. Current time on Calendar if in landscape mode
137. New voices for Voice-Over
138. Option to display Stock & Weather widgets in Notification Center
139. Add family relations to contacts.
140. Restrictions with password required for purchases if enabled
141. Enable / Disable option for voice-dial if the phone is set to security with pass-code lock.
142. Purchase history on app store
143. Automatically set time for iPod Touch
144. Auto Correct & Spell Check are independent options.
145. Broadcast song information on devices (like car stereo) when connected over Bluetooth
146. New keyboard with prominent  #(hash-tag) and @ (mention) buttons for Twitter app like we have a prominent ‘.com’ button for Safari address bar.
147. iPod app renamed to Music
148. Enhanced Mail.app even in offline mode and sync back when online.
149. Help center: Learn more about every option under settings app to explore more about it
150. New notification alerts within mail app if you forgot to write a subject line (Similar to Gmail!)

Many developers who installed iOS 5 beta believe that Apple might have not yet added all 200 features in recently released beta. Hence, the list above may not reach the 200 mark.

If you found a feature not listed above then leave a comment below and share it with us.

During Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote event Scott Forstall announced that iOS 5 brings 1500 new APIs for developers and more than 200 new features for users. However, only 10 were highlighted during the keynote presentation. iOS 5 finally brings “notification center” to iOS devices which allows users to manage all notifications by swiping downwards on the status bar.

iMessage, the tenth feature announced during the event turned out to be one of the most exciting features of the iOS. The new messages app supports iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and allows iOS device users to exchange messages using WiFi or 3G connection. iMessage directly competes with BlackBerry’s hugely popular BBM service. Apple’s new messaging app supports text and pictures messages and you can share videos and contacts too.

For iPhone users iMessage cleverly integrates with the existing messages app. When you start typing the recipients name the app contacts Apple’s server to determine if the user has iMessage and if the other device is running iOS 5 then the send button on your device will turn blue which indicates that the message won’t be billed by your carrier. However, if the recipients device does not support iMessage then the send button turns green which indicates that the message will be sent as a normal SMS / MMS and will be billed by the carrier.

iMessage also supports some of the more advanced features like group messages, delivery and read reports and your entire conversation is always in sync across all your iDevices.

If most of your friends or family members use iPhones, iPads or iPod touches then iMessage would certainly become the primary way to text each other. It’s taken Apple five major software releases to finally come up with a universal messaging application for iOS device users. Forstall was confident about the reliability of the company’s new service as it is built on Apple’s existing robust push notification system.

Are you excited about iMessage for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple announced the future of iOS today with iOS 5, introducing the biggest part, a revamped notification system, the biggest change to the OS since iOS 3. The new system is called Notification Center and is accessed similar to Android when swiped down from the top of the screen.

Notification Center aggregates all the notifications in one spot and allows for easy access to all at one time instead of clicking each one individually. This is the first Pull Down menus we have seen in iOS and could be included to a number of features throughout. Notifications are also now on the lock screen, allowing easy access to calendar events as well as missed phone calls. Apple, aside from the major change of notifications has introduced Newsstand which allows newspapers and books to be found in one place. Other features in iOS 5 are:

Twitter Integration

Twitter integrates (as rumored) within iOS which tweets messages and you location through iOS. Integrated with many apps, including Camera and Photos. Just tap the action button, hit “Tweet” and it’s attached. This is done through Single sign-on. Simply, go into Settings, add in your details, and you’re configured for Twitter. These details are saved and can be used with any application.

Safari in iOS 5

Safari now has Reader capability, allowing for newspapers and articles to be read in a clutter free view. Apple also introduced something called Reading List, (basically InstaPaper), which allows articles to be saved for reading later and across devices. Other features include:

• Tabbed browsing
• Twitter integration (as do all other apps)
• Reminders (lists of things, assign a reminder to any dates, and you can even assign a location)

Camera Updates

• Camera button on lock screen for easy access
• Volume up button allows picture taking
• pinch-to-zoom as well as hold and tap exposure
• Photo editing directly on device (You can crop, rotate, reduce red-eye, and you can do a one click enhance)

Mail Updates

• Rich-text formatting, indentation control, draggable addresses (from To: to Cc: or Bcc:), flagging so you can mark them as unread, and now you can search the entire contents of messages.
• S/MIME is being added for added security
• built-in dictionary (also a service across iOS)
• New keyboard (grab it with thumbs and the keyboard splits in two

PC Free

A computer is no longer necessary for syncing the device. It can be set up directly, when turned on, the screen displays a welcome message, allowing setup and activation right on the device.

iMessage

New messaging service for all iOS users, regardless of device and features delivery receipts, read receipts, and real-time typing notification (which is pushed to all of your devices)
– Allows access to photo albums
– Sends notification when message arrives

AirPlay

AirPlay mirroring, letting you mirror your entire iPad right to the TV — wirelessly.

Apple is allowing developers to receive a seed for the SDK, today and briefly talked about device compatibility. Basically, any device from the iPhone 3GS on will work on iOS 5. iOS 5 will be released to users this coming Fall, possibly after the release of new hardware for the iPhone iPod touch and iPad.

{Image: Engadget}

Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote just as expected focussed on software updates and cloud based services. Apple gave us an overview of Mac OS X Lion, announced iOS 5 and finally unveiled the upcoming cloud based service cloud iCloud. You can now stream the video online on Apple’s website (link at the bottom).

Mac OS X Lion will be available for purchase from the Mac App Store for $29.99 in July and iOS 5 is expected to be available this fall. iCloud is closely tied to the new software update and will provide seamless syncing between devices and the content you access most often.

It was widely believed that iOS 5 will introduce revamped notifications and include system wide Twitter integration and that’s exactly what Apple did. In addition to these the Cupertino based company has introduced iMessage (think BBM for iOS devices) which will allow you send text messages, photos videos, contacts and more to your friends and family who own an iOS device.

Apple has greatly improved the camera app and also introduced two new iOS apps called Newsstand and Reminders. One of the best features about iOS 5 is that now you’ll be able to wirelessly sync your devices with Mac or PC so no more using the same old USB cable.

There was no announcement related to new hardware so no iPhone 5 / 4S during this years WWDC keynote event.

Head over to Apple.com to stream the WWDC keynote event and let us know what you think about iOS 5 and iCloud.