Friday 21 September 2012

Top 10 Features on New iOS 6


By on Friday, September 21, 2012

So, This Post goes to all the Apple Loyalists out there! Have you upgraded to iOS 6 yet? if not, you should do so quickly. Its really great. Amidst all the talk about new Iphone 5 and what it has ( and what not), the iOS features seems to have been sidelined. If you have an iPhone 3GS, 4 or 4S, a fourth generation iPod touch, or an iPad 2 or the new iPad, you can upgrade to iOS 6. Go to your settings screen, tap General and then Software Update. Keep in mind that some features are limited to the most recent models.After downloading the latest iPhone, iPod touch and iPad operating system, iOS 6, the fun part is excitedly poking around and hunting for what's new. Find subtle design changes, like the phone's key pad, or set up new features, like Facebook integration. You might even use Siri again for the first time in a while to test its improved sports and restaurant knowledge.You might love Passbook and Facetime and dislike absence of google Maps. There are indeed some big changes in iOS 6.
So, I present top 10 New features of iOS 6.

New and Best Features of iOS 6
iOS 6


New iOS 6 Feature # 1 : Passbook

Since iOS 6 Release, Passbook has been one of the most awaited features on iOS 6. The Concept of a digital wallet is interesting to many and Passbook is a step in that direction. Passbook may not be a digital wallet, but it's certainly warming the public up to what could be the next big wave in mobile payments. It allows you to store anything from movie tickets to gift cards and boarding passes for flights. Its direct competition is Google Wallet. However, fundamentally they are different concepts. Google Wallet is designed to let you pay for things with your smartphone, but Apple is taking the digital wallet in another direction - letting you organize all your loyalty cards and gift cards digitally. Use your iPhone to store your bar-code enabled cars, electronic tickets, and boarding passes. The app is conveniently aware of both time and place, so you'll see tickets delivered to your lock screen exactly where and when you need them.  
Digital Wallet in Apple - Apple Passbook feature in iOS 6
iOS 6 Passbook
  
What's even better is an option that senses when you are in the area of the movie theater or airport and reveals your ticket on the lock screen, so you don't even need to open up the app. Starbucks, Walgreens, Fandango and various airlines have already signed on to support Passbook functionality.

New iOS 6 Feature # 2: Maps

No Google Maps on this one! Although the new Maps app doesn't include routing and transit directions -- which is perhaps the biggest overall gripe among iOS 6 users so far -- it still touts some impressive features.
Apple has introduced its new Maps app to replace Google Maps and with it comes turn-by-turn directions by Siri as well as Flyover, which shows you some cities and landmarks in 3D. This 3D aerial view is a kick to tap and swipe around, circling skyscrapers and cruising down streets like a bird. But unless you actually are a bird, the feature won't be of much practical use for navigation. Flyover is only available on the iPhone 4S and later, iPad 2 and later, and the iPod touch. Attention to detail is so spot on that it almost looks like you're flying through streets as though you were in a video game.
iOS 6 Maps Preview and Demo with flyover and Turn by Turn Direction

That's pretty cool, but this app does have some major flaws. First, if you have an iPhone 4, you get neither of these features. Secondly, the Maps app doesn't give you directions for public transportation unless you pay $2.99 for another app. So until Google comes out with a Google Maps app for iOS, you'll have to pay up or look for alternatives.

New iOS 6 Feature # 3 3G FaceTime

FaceTime has long been a great way to video chat with friends and family, but both parties needed to be on a Wi-Fi network in order for it to work. Now, FaceTime works over cellular and you can even take calls on your iPad using your phone number.
New feature on iOS 6 - 3G faetime over Verizon,Sprint and AT&T
3G Face Time on iOS 6

If you have Verizon or Sprint, you'll now be able to use FaceTime over cellular networks. If you're on AT&T, you can also use this feature but only if you have one of the network's new Mobile Share plans.

New iOS 6 Feature # 4 VIP Mail box

Another exciting feature in the new iOS 6. the new designed Mail Box. The iOS Mail app now includes a VIP list that will show e-mail messages from your most important contacts. Are you one of those who are bombarded  by junk email and miss the important ones?
New Feature in iOS 6 from Apple - VIP Mail Box
VIP Mail - iOS 6

Set up a VIP list, so you’ll never miss emails from your boss, best friend or Girl Friend/Wife. The list is iCloud supported so you'll see the same list on all your iOS devices. Apple's also reduced the number of steps needed to insert a photo or video into an e-mail message.

New iOS 6 Feature # 5 Facebook Integration

IOS 6 is also bringing Facebook integration to your mobile Apple devices. Now you can post statuses from the Notification Center and share from various apps including Photos and Safari. Concurrently, Mountain Lion is also getting updated to include Facebook integration. 
Facebook and Apple Partnership - iOS 6

Basically, there's a lot more shortcuts to post your content to Facebook, including options in your Camera or Photos apps, or to share your location from Maps, or show off a high score in Game Center. Your Calendar can now also be updated with Facebook events and your friend's birthdays. Your Contacts will be updated with Facebook profile information.On A lighter Side, finally we would see only " iPhone " and apple logo on any post on our facebook wall, not just "mobile"- Talk About Class! ;) :P

New iOS 6 Feature # 6 Siri Update


Siri has been the maven of answering questions via voice-command for about a year now, but she just got a whole lot smarter. From providing movie and restaurant recommendations and revealing professional sports scores to even sending tweets and Facebook updates, action-commands are much easier with Siri on iOS 6.For example, Using the phrase, “Siri, find me a restaurant in [XYZ town]” will return a list of restaurants in that town. Siri is now integrated with Yelp.
Use Updated Siri in IOS 6 to find out more about Restaurants

Similar is the case with movies. You can simply ask any variation of , “What movies are playing?” or simply engage Siri and say ‘movies’. This will generate a ‘Now Playing’ card that lists movies along with cover art, showtimes, rating and their associated Rotten Tomatoes review. Not only can Siri provide information about current movies, but it now provides information about actresses, actors and award winning movies. Now if you are struggling to remember who won Best Actress in 2009, ask Siri.She will provide you the Answer! You think its great! Well wait! its not over yet! Suppose you want to know about latest 25 movies of Brad Pitt! So, if your Favorite actor is Brad Pitt, Just ask her, what are the movies with Brad Pitt in It. And she returns the list with newest coming first! Cool!

  New iOS 6 Feature # 7 Decline phone calls and Do Not Disturb

Perhaps stealing a page out of Ice Cream Sandwich, iOS 6 will allow users to quickly respond to an incoming phone call with one of several pre-written text messages. If you're too busy to answer the phone, you can just choose "reply with message" and then slect "I'll call you later." or even a custom message that you type out. For example something like - "I'm in a meeting, I'll call you Back. " Another exciting feature is the Do not Disturb feature!
Do Not Disturb Feature in iOS 6 to get calls only from Select Group
 

This new setting allows you to choose "Quiet Hours" when incoming calls are sent to voicemail. But you can still choose to receive calls from your favourite contacts or groups.

New iOS 6 Feature # 8 Supercharged Safari Browser 

The iPhone's Web browser is getting a big boost in iOS 6. Now users can access open tabs from any of their Apple devices using a feature called iCloud Tabs. They can also save articles to read for later with the addition of the Offline Reading List, and users can use Safari in full-screen when they turn their device horizontally into landscape mode.  
iCloud tab syncing allowing you to browse web pages on your iPhone, and pick up on the same page on your iPad or Mac
Enhanced Safari Browser with iCloud Tabs

It tracks which pages you are browsing. "Say, for instance, you're using Safari on an iPhone at work. When you get home, you can pick up your iPad and resume where you left off. Safari in iOS 6 also supports full-screen browsing in landscape mode, and also saves full Web pages to your Reading List.

New iOS 6 Feature # 9 New Camera Features - Panaroma and Shared Stream

The camera is one of the iPhone and iPod touch's killer features (less so on the iPad, if only because holding up a giant rectangle to take a snapshot is cumbersome). New camera features are always one of the more fun updates, and this round has two notable new tools.

First one is Ability to shoot Panaromic Photos. Panoramic photos go up to 280-degrees and the final image can be as large as 28-megapixels. The feature only works on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod touch.

Panaroma feature in Iphone 5


Shared photo streams are the other major new feature. It is almost awesome, but only for friends also in the Apple eco-system. You can now share specific photos -- say only photos of your cat or baby or cat and baby hanging out -- with one or a group of friends.

Select Photos with select audience on iOS 6
Shared Photo Streams


New iOS 6 Feature # 10 : My Friends App


Find My Friends is a great way to share locations with friends and family. Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts — like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.
hare locations with friends and family using My Friends App

About Shaunak

A tech lover who loves writing and sharing with people.

2 comments:

  1. Really nice blog post. iOS 6 Passbook has quite some bugs but doesn't matter because it is an apple product. All I have seen are a simple interface to send it to your phone via iCloud if you receive them in a message. Realy A great App.

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  2. This describes everything very transparently many thanks. Passbook In iOS 6 thoroughly lacks because of its user interface. No one easily find out how it works and how they can use this app. Most of all ios 6 users who rushed to use passbook app were confused.

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