iOS 5 release date confirmed as October 12th at iPhone launch

At the eagerly awaited iPhone launch event Apple has confirmed the recently unveiled iOS 5 mobile operating system will be rolled out to iPhone users next week kicking off on October 12thApple has put an end to continued speculation confirming that the recently unveiled iOS 5 mobile operating system will be rolled out to iPhone users from October 12th.

Hitting iPhone handsets, iPad tablets and the more recent iPod Touch devices next week iOS 5 will land ahead of the company’s next-generation smartphone.

iOS 5 Features

A dramatic overhaul of the iOS system iOS 5 will bring a number of key features to Apple’s mobile device users with twitter integration to land alongside improvements the service’s mail functionality and bringing new tools, such as rule of third grid lines, to devices’ cameras.

A selection of iOS 5 features include:

iMessage:
A new messaging service that lets you easily send text messages, photos and videos between all iOS devices. Built right into the Messages app, iMessage allows you to send text messages, photos, videos or contact information to a person or a group on other iOS 5 devices over Wi-Fi or 3G. iMessage also features delivery and read receipts, typing indication and secure end-to-end encryption.
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Notification Centre:
A way to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption. Notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen without interrupting what you’re doing. With one swipe you can see all your notifications, and a simple tap will take you right to its app for more detail. Notifications also appear on the lock screen, with the ability to be taken to the notifying app with just one swipe.

Camera
Improving things on the snapping front, iOS 5 notably adds the ability to use grid lines for rule of thirds composition,  use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in and out,  single-tap focus. Users will also be able to download photos to other iOS devices using Photo Stream via iCloud. Crucially you’ll also be able to get to the camera from the lock screen.

Reminders
The to-do list feature with support for Outlook and iCloud, iOS 5 will now help to organize your life making sure you are fully stocked up in the freezer with location based integration letting you know about your shopping list when you pull into the supermarket. When you make a change to your to-do list your iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone will be updated automatically.

Mail
A whole host of features will improve dealing with your email correspondence which include dragging email addresses between fields, flagging important messages, notifications when you’ve forgotten to add a subject line in an email, Hotmail integration and rich text editing support.

[Source : T3]