As an iPhone 5 owner, I really looked forward to the release of Apple's iOS 7. Rumors about some of the new features had really whetted my appetite. After a nearly two-hour process to download and install the new software, I immediately started playing with the new features. My impressions, overall, are mixed. With any major software upgrade, there are usually pros and cons associated with the release. Fortunately, the pros are significant enough to outweigh the cons. So without any further adieu, here are some of the best features that the iOS 7 has to offer. The cons will be discussed in an article early next week.
1. Control Center: Perhaps the best enhancement of the release. A simple swipe upward from the bottom reveals this new and long overdue feature. No longer do you have to endure several taps to access commonly used phone settings like brightness, Bluetooth, and Wi-fi. The time-saving feature also accesses the camera as well as the music player and features a flashlight, timer, and calculator. Pretty sweet.
2. iTunes Radio: A great feature, especially if you're into music-streaming apps like Pandora. This enhancement includes commercials, but if you prefer a commercial-free listening experience, then you'll need to pay $25 a year. Like other music-streaming apps, iTunes Radio offers several genres of music, but if you don't like the selections you can create your own song lineup based upon either songs or multiple artists. The feature even allows you to buy songs that you really like without having to close the app. Nice!
3. AirDrop: A terrific enhancement that allows you to share photos, videos, and contacts without having to send them via text or email. AirDrop uses a hybrid Bluetooth and Wi-fi communications architecture that allows transfer between two devices in proximity to each other. To use this feature you'll need to have a newer device with the requisite chip architecture, either an iPhone 5 or fourth generation iPad. The only real negative with AirDrop is that you can't share music, but this is a minor quibble.
4. Camera app enhancements: The new upgrade offers several enhancements from the main camera view screen, including options to change from HD or SD and different shot types. From the main view you can even select different types of tones and filters. In addition, the enhancement allows you to take burst shots for the first time. The burst shots feature on my iPhone 5 isn't has robust as the one found on the brand new iPhone 5S, but it's still a nice to have.
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5. Text message time stamps: A welcome enhancement that allows you to see the exact time when text messages were sent and received. All you need to do is drag the right-hand side of the screen toward the center to reveal the information.
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App Closing Enhancement: The old way of closing apps was slightly cumbersome. Hitting the home button twice still takes you to the app closeout feature, but now you get a miniature view of the app page as well as an icon. To close out an app all you need to do is swipe the miniature page upward. This enhancement really saves time if you have multiple apps open.
