iOS 5

Ever since Apple introduced the first iPod, the world has never looked at music in the same way. Then, when the iPhone and iPod touch hit the market, touchscreen devices and smartphones made their debut. With the introduction of iOS 4, Apple brought multitasking to their mobile devices, adding more speed and functionality to their already revolutionary products. Now, with iOS 5, the best just got better.

iOS 5 is, as Apple puts it, the most advance mobile operating system on earth. The excellent design of over four years of hard work and experience is now more versatile, intuitive, and capable with Apple's 2011 edition of iOS. The goal in the minds of Apple Inc. when making this mobile OS was to increase the usability and functionality while, at the same time, making the new features and the old more simple and easy to use. And now, the goal I have in mind is to hit the high points of iOS 5, and to show you reason after reason why you should get it, and, if you already have it, how to use it to its fullest ability. After all, if you're going to have such a wonderful operating system, you need to know how to get the most out of it that you possibly can.

Notification Center is arguably the largest part of this update. I know it's definitely one of the many added features that make my life run a little smoother. The way Notification Center works gives you a much better than the old way of receiving and dealing with notifications. If you are notified of something while your device is asleep, all your notifications are displayed on the home screen in a nice, little list. But instead of sliding to unlock and navigating to the particular apps that notified you of something, you can simply swipe to unlock on any certain notification and you will go directly to the app that requests attention. After you deal with that notification, say, a text, you can swipe down from the top of your screen to reveal the Notification Center menu, which allows you to deal with the next item on your waiting list, which, for example, could be a new voicemail. After listening to the message, you decide to play a game. While slinging birds or cutting ropes, someone is thinking of you and sends an email. You are notified of this by 1/3 or 1/2 an inch of the top of you screen folding back and displaying the sender and possibly a few lines of the message, depending on your personal settings. If you're about to win the game, there is no need to pay any attention to the notification or to stop playing at all. The alert doesn't hinder gameplay in any way. However, if you want to read the rest of that email, you can either tap on the notification immediately, or, after it goes away a few seconds later, all you need do is swipe from the top of your screen and select that email, and your device will take you directly to not only that app, but the very email you wish. The Notification Center is convenience redefined.

The Reminders app added in iOS 5 is a better way to organize, or simply remember, things in your life. Basically an extension of the Calendar, Reminders lets you make lists of things to do and check them off as they're completed. This can be helpful for grocery shopping or simply reminding yourself to do things. It will also remind you via notification at certain times and even when you arrive at or leave certain places. It's all up to you.

Newsstand delivers the morning paper to your iDevice, and then lets you update the headlines all through the day. You can organize and read the magazines you're subscribed to while enjoying the advantage of going digital, as you're not only saving paper, but most magazines and newspapers embed videos in the articles, making your reading experience the next best thing to being on the scene live and in person.

iMessage is a dream come true to users who enjoy texting. Allowing you to send text, pictures, and video, and contacts (among other things), iMessage is a cross-platform texting service for iOS 5 users. You can text anyone who has an Apple ID as well as iOS 5. It's time to delete those lame messaging apps that plague the App Store. A really good way to not only free up your device's memory and enjoy texting more, but to be confident that your messaging app actually works.

Some aspects of Mail are changed, and the ability to format text has been added. Now you can add expression to your emails by writing bold, italicized, and underlined text.

Game Center has taken on the ability to display your profile picture as well as for you to see friends of friends, allowing you to expand your list of fellow, friendly gamers. You can now see the amount of points you've made from achievements, and you can now purchase and download apps directly from Game Center.

If your device has a camera (as do all iOS 5 devices except iPod touch 3rd Generation and the original iPad), taking pictures spontaneously has been redefined. Now, instead of waking your device, sliding to unlock, tap the Camera icon, and tapping the on-screen capture button, you can simply double-tap the home button, tap the camera button that appears next to the slide to unlock bar, and not only can you tap the on-screen capture button, but you can snap photos with the volume-up button on the side of your device. Also added are options for editing your photos on the go with cropping, red-eye reduction, and auto-enhancing, giving you the perfection combination of options for taking pictures and uploading them to your favorite social network in seconds. And that, my dear reader, leads to my next topic.

With iOS 5, Twitter is supported and integrated into many aspects of this mobile operating system. You can tweet pictures straight from your Camera Roll and photo albums, webpages right out of Safari, your current location, and much more. Don't have a Twitter account? The Settings in iOS 5 allow you to make your own account without opening a web browser. You can even download the free Twitter app straight from the same menu. 

As for why Facebook isn't integrated as well, I don't really know. Speculation could argue that Twitter may have put up a better bid for such an enormous promotion. For example, I didn't have Twitter and wasn't planning to until iOS 5 came along. But when I saw how easy it is to tweet practically anything I want, I decided to try it out. I'm sure many iOS users have followed my example, which causes Twitter to gain membership and therefore money and therefore a future. Do I wish Facebook was fully integrated as well? Sure I do; I would rather hang out on Facebook any day. But since that hasn't happened yet, I'll see you on Twitter. You can follow me with my username @PianoPlayerTDR.

Safari has been made better with tabbed browsing on the iPad, and Reader install across all the devices. Reader mode moves you into a pristine browsing experience, eliminating all the clutter (such as ads and other unwanted items) from your webpage, allowing you to view only the photos and get you want. This cleans up your screen--and the web.

There are several more subtle features of iOS 5 that may not meet the eye immediately, but when one is as tech-savvy and Apple-happy as I am, one tends to simply know these things. For example, it is a little known fact that, if you have an Apple Wireless (Magic) Keyboard, you can pair it with your iOS 5 device to type wirelessly with your keyboard. This works for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, so you can sell that annoying iPad stand keyboard thing some salesperson talked you into buying. That is, you can sell it if you have an Apple Wireless Keyboard (which happens to come with iMacs).

Auto-correct is nice to have when you misspell a word, but sometimes it can be a headache. iOS 5 introduces a way to conquer and control auto-correct, making it extremely advantageous and time-saving. By going to Settings > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts, you can add in words to your personal dictionary so auto-correct wouldn't despise you anymore. But perhaps the most handy tool is the ability to make shortcuts that turn auto-correct into your personal servant. Let's say for example that I wish I didn't have to type out PianoPlayerTDR each time I wanted to put it in a text area. I follow the above path, tap '+', and insert PianoPlayerTDR in the 'Phrase' section. Then I type my shortcut, for example, pptdr, below it. After I tap 'Save', auto-correct will insert 'PianoPlayerTDR' each time I type 'pptdr' on my device. Another example would be with my name. By using the shortcut, I simply type 'ti' when I want to say 'Timothy', and I save time and energy by using this shortcut. Granted, typing five fewer letters may not seem like a huge time saver, but when you enter a variety of shortcuts, the time you save adds up.

Find My [iPad, iPhone, or iPod (fill in the blank, depending on your device)] can be a handy tool if your device is ever lost or stolen. Not only can you track your device, but you can display an on-screen message, sound an alarm for up to two minutes, put a passcode on your device, and even fully wipe its data. Any educated thief (is there such a thing?) will think twice before stealing your iDevice if iOS 5 is installed.

iCloud. A separate subject entirely, iCloud is a new cloud storage service which allows you to back up up to five gigabytes of data for free. I have my Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Safari Bookmarks, and Mail settings backed up to iCloud, securing me from data loss. iCloud also backs up your Notes, Documents & Data, and distributes your photos to all your devices via Photo Stream. You even get a free email account at Me.com along with your iCloud account.

Tired of constantly having to plug your device into your computer, open iTunes, and wait for it to sync all your awesome but huge files? Then get iOS 5. The iTunes Wi-Fi Sync will automatically being when your device is plugged in to a power source, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as said computer, asleep, and if iTunes is open on said computer. This frees everyone up quite a bit. Another feature that goes hand-in-hand with the Wi-Fi sync is the ability to update your device's software wirelessly. Like syncing, you no longer need to plug your device in a computer to get the latest software update from Apple. Simply go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the on-screen instructions. Together with iCloud, the wireless Software Update allows you to own an iOS 5 (or later) device WITHOUT owning a computer. Your iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches are now free.

The downsides to upgrading to iOS 5 is that it may tend to run slower on older devices, and installing it is a real pain. When it first came out, the masses (including myself) rushed to download it promptly at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. For me, that was 1:00 PM, and I waited in anticipation. Unfortunately, like so many other eager iFans, I received error code 3200, meaning that the servers were bogged down, and to try again later. (This error code should not appear anymore, as the initial rush is over.) After finally downloading the software a day or two later, I realized that it has to take all my apps off to install iOS 5. This might not be a problem from most people, but iTunes stopped working on my Windows laptop (long story), and I don't have an Internet connection on my iMac (another long story), so I currently have 12 applications on my iPod touch, as opposed to the 300+ apps I had before upgrading. But this is actually a good thing. Now that all those apps I never used are off, all I need do is install the ones I really will use. Once you've purchased (getting an app is called purchasing it, even if the app is free) an app, you can download it at any time for free, and, for some reason, downloading an app that was previously installed on my device is MUCH faster than downloading it for the first time. So really, the downsides to iOS 5 very small and insignificant if not blessing in disguise. Sure I have to reinstall or re-sync all my apps, but it helps me clean out all the items I don't use. So really, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by astronomical proportions.

There are many features contained in iOS 5 other than the few I have described here, so the best way to find out what all is included is to see for yourself. If you have an eligible device and haven't downloaded it yet, I suggest you open iTunes as soon as is physically possible and get it. Apple brags 200+ features and I believe them. Though the software will naturally tend to run slower on older devices (such as my 3rd generation iPod touch), it is well worth it when considering the convenience and time-saving additions and tweaks weaved throughout this mobile OS. With all these features I've mentioned together with the many other features included, as Apple says, iOS 5 is truly the most advanced mobile operating system in the world.

OS X Lion

To make a product that is every bit of intuitive, speedy, beautiful, useful, grand, expansive, and sublime is hard, but not too hard for Apple. The latest operating system for Macintosh computers is all that and more. OS X Lion, as this operating system is called, is one of the most useful workspaces, fun gameplaces, and beautiful showcases ever to be introduced to modern technology. When coupled with an iMac [see below post, 'iMac', for more details], you really can't go wrong as far as speed and reliability are concerned. In attempting to summarize OS X Lion, I shall divide it into three categories, Desktop, Programs, and Backstage, and, because I'm a former user of Microsoft Windows, explanations will be from a Windows user's viewpoint.

Desktop

As you would expect, upon startup, your computer displays the desktop, your main work area. At the top of the screen is the navigation bar similar to the bar one finds at the top of every window in Microsoft Windows. This bar contains heading such as 'File' and 'Edit,' as well as the Apple symbol, with which you can shut down or sleep your computer. There is no 'Start Menu'; instead, everything is navigated via in Finder, which is similar to Windows Explorer. There are typically very few 'shortcuts' placed on the desktop, as most important programs and files can be accessed from the Dock at the bottom of the screen, and because the desktop is too beautiful to clutter up with icons. The Dock is similar to the shortcuts placed on a Windows Taskbar, but are larger and have a better design. From the Dock, one can launch frequently used programs, and Stacks can be placed here as well. Stacks are basically folder shortcuts that, when clicked, display a 'stack' of the subfolders and files contained therein, giving quick and easy (as well as beautiful) access to popular folders such as Documents, Downloads, and whatever folders you wish.

When one thinks of a desktop, the normal idea is a picture with a few icons, and perhaps a couple programs you have running. But all that changes with OS X Lion. Now, you aren't limited to one desktop--you can add as many as you want! Each desktop you add starts out empty, but with the same background picture as your original, and you can open programs just as you would on your first desktop. Certain programs compatible with OS X Lion allow you to use them in full-screen mode; that means what it says, and for me it means browsing the Internet with a 27-inch web browser, or watching a 27-inch full-screen video. The double-swipe (with Apple's Magic Mouse) feature allows you to switch between your various desktops and full-screen windows quickly and smoothly. Double-swiping means swiping sideways across your mouse with two fingers, and it redefines multitasking completely.

An extremely useful feature built into OS X Lion that goes along with multiple desktops is Mission Control. This allows you to get an aerial or birds-eye view of everything you have running. And with my iMac, "everything you have running" can literally equal "every program on your computer." To go into Mission Control mode, simply double-tap (not double-click) Apple's Magic Mouse with two fingers or use the shortcut key on the Magic Keyboard. The current program or desktop you are viewing will shrink and spread at its applications, allowing you to simultaneously see all the individual programs it contains. It also displays all the desktops and full-screen programs you have running, and everything is visible at once. This allows you to jump from one virtual side of your computer to another--and all in a second. You can also click and drag programs from one desktop to another, as well as from full-screen to a desktop of your choice. Once, I did a test to see just how well Mission Control (and this computer) works. I opened twelve separate web browsers at once and proceeded to swipe between them rapidly and to switch back and forth with Mission Control and it performed beautifully, all without a moment's hesitation.

From the original desktop, you can double-swipe sideways to view the Dashboard. This is essentially a full-screen widget board. To this screen you may add as many widgets as can fit, which, on my 27-inch iMac, is a lot. These widgets range in a variety of categories from a dictionary to a unit converter to a weather widget to a language translator, as well as many more that are available for download. You can also access Dashboard from your programs list, as well as from Mission Control.

One last feature I consider classifiable under Desktop is Launchpad. This feature unique to OS X Lion displays your applications in a 27-inch, full-screen layout of similar to that of an iPad. Not only can you have multiple home screens and even app folders, but you navigate by swiping through them with the touch-sensitive Magic Mouse, bringing the feel of an iPad or iPhone to the iMac. Launchpad is a very handy way of organizing and accessing applications on OS X Lion. There is even a shortcut key for it on the keyboard.

With full-screen applications, multiple desktops, and Mission Control, my computer workspace has moved from 27 inches to an infinite number of miles. You may doubt that an iMac can run so many programs simultaneously while still maintaining smooth animations and a workable speed, but it can. For your information, Adobe Photoshop fully loads in two seconds. This powerhouse of digital wonder can easily manage even the most tedious programs. And speaking of programs…

Programs

Even with an operating system like OS X Lion, a computer is no good without programs, and the programs that come with Apple computers are among the best. I can't dream of giving you every detail of such an expansive topic, but I plan to hit the highlights of several prominent applications.

Perhaps the most appropriate place to start is the Mac App Store. It comes pre-installed on the Macs, and I deem it as appropriate for first on the list because this is where users obtain most of their programs, and since we are talking about programs, this seems an ideal place to begin. Similar to the App Store for iOS, the Mac App Store lets you browse, search, download, and update your applications. What's so nice about this when compared with buying a disk containing the program is that you don't need a disk anymore, it's simply a digital download. You click, and the program is on its way. The amount and variety of apps available is astounding, and can only be comprehended when browsing for one's self, so I won't go into detail about items available on the Mac App Store, but it is amazing.

Address Book is what it is--an address book. iCal is, simply put, a digital calendar. Inserting contacts and calendar events is relatively easy, but isn't what sets Apple's Address Book and iCal apart. These programs allow those with an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to make a contact on their computer, and when they sync their mobile device, the contact will be on their device also. And it works both ways. For instance, let's say you're shopping and receive a call from a friend inviting you to dinner next Friday. You can simply check you iPhone's calendar to make sure you're free that night, and if you are, you can insert that calendar event. Upon your next sync with your Mac, the scheduled dinner suddenly shows up on your computer as well. And with iOS 5 and iCloud, your contacts and events are wirelessly sync to all your Apple devices instantly--no more typing your friend's new cell phone number into three devices just to have it where you need it. You do it once, and it's done.

Photo Booth can keep people entertained for hours with the numerous effects it adds to your webcam's image. It will warp faces quite hilariously, and can set you in places Paris or the beach by detecting your background and replacing it with video, making it appear as if you're riding a roller coaster.

iPhoto takes organizing your pictures to a whole new level. The normal features such as albums and events are included, but there are a couple of extraordinary twists to this application that you don't find in just any program. Places is one of them that allows you to see a world maps with the locations where you took your photos labeled on the map. Being able to search by location is an option you can disable, but it can be very useful. Faces is perhaps the most advantageous aspect of iPhoto. It is the face-recognition software section of the application. The way it works is it searches each picture you upload for faces. It then gives you these faces to name, and as you put in names, it associates the name with the face and remembers it for later. Then, if it recognizes anyone in the next photo or group of photos you name, it asked you if this is So-and-So. Clicking the check mark names that face and places it in that person's profile for further recognition of later photographs. You can then search you photos by faces via Faces to find all the pictures you have of any certain person. Like I said, I find this to be the most useful feature of iPhoto.

GarageBand is a powerful and diverse music mixing, editing, and creating software, with which you can make virtually any song you desire. It comes with dozens of built-in instruments, loops, and more, and can do about anything you want it to with its user-friendly interface.

All this and more comes with OS X Lion by default, and the App Store contains myriads of additional programs; some are paid and some are free. The potential of OS X Lion when paired with these applications is unlimited, and I plan to continue utilizing this potential to its fullest extent.

Backstage

Aside from the above visible features of OS X Lion, there are several passive qualities of this OS that you don't often see. A couple of them will be mentioned here. There's an auto-save feature built in so that, for instance, when you're working on a document in, say, TextEdit, the computer automatically saves it every few minutes. (There is a way to revert back to a previous version if you don't want to save your progress.) And you no longer have to save this work before exiting the application. After you name it at the initial saving, all you need do is click the exit button and it's safely stored away.

Apple has integrated a bit of code that lets you start an app where you left off and open a window in the same position as last time. OS X Lion will also reopen any windows and programs you had running when you logged out of or shut down your computer last. Is it late at night and you still haven't finished the project you've been working on? Do you have multiple windows open and don't want to have to go through and open them all again? You don't have to, as OS X Lion automatically remembers the windows you have open and will resume them open restart. This also comes in handy in perhaps its most acute form when the power goes out and your computer shuts down unexpectedly. Your work is not lost--the programs and windows resume as soon as you turn the computer on again.

To sum this entire article up into one paragraph, OS X Lion was made for Macs, and some aspects of the newer Macs were made for OS X Lion. The software in not only extremely functional as you have seen, but it is beautiful as well. The animations and graphic design of many of the features in this OS are stunning to say the least. The ability of the software to run smoothly on a Mac and the ability of a Mac to run the software smoothly both work together to make life with a Mac a never-ending awe. And not only do the animations run smoothly, but the programs load almost instantly and perform beautifully, all adding up to make OS X Lion and Macintosh computers ideal for work, recreation, gaming, and, succinctly put, life.

iMac

Since acquiring a 27-inch iMac from Apple (at a hefty price, of course), I realized that there aren't enough people who know the full potential and greatness of this technological marvel. Therefore, I am embarking upon the huge task of trying to convey to you its majesty. Please take note from the start that this is a rather emotional subject with me. To the best of my knowledge, it isn't physically possible to cry on a blog, but if it was possible, I would indeed be tearing up.

To fully discuss all the features of the latest iMac would take a lengthy amount of time and space, so I will break it down into two parts: hardware and software. This article is mainly focusing on the hardware. Simply read my publication entitled 'OS X Lion' for my sentiments on the operating system and its programs.

When you first behold a 27-inch iMac, specific words might pop into your head. Beautiful would definitely be one of them, but words such as epic, immense, monumental, towering, colossal, astronomical, titanic, gargantuan, behemoth, Herculean, and multistory would flood your thoughts as well. The enormous screen size belittles anything of ordinary dimensions, and yet maintains a gorgeous resolution.

Having a big screen is wonderful, but that's not entirely what sets it aside from Windows computers, as some PCs have 27-inch screens or larger. The screen size doesn't make it altogether unique; the difference comes in when you take it from two dimensions to three.

In geometry, we learned all about the x-axis and y-axis, but when studying three dimensions, the z-axis is added in. That z-axis is a significant figure in this equation, because the iMac has no computer tower housing its insides; there is no separate storage area for the hard drive and motherboard and all those little green things that go inside a computer. Everything, yes, everything, is in the monitor. The z-axis in geometry measures from front to back instead of the x-axis measuring side to side. My estimation concerning the z-axis of this all-in-on computer is a maximum of three inches in the middle, all thinning out to approximately one inch at the perimeter. This sleek body rests on a super-thin metal stand that flattens out and almost becomes one with the desk surface.

On the front of the iMac, above the screen, is the HD webcam. This allows you to use FaceTime, iChat, and Photo Booth (among many other programs) to their full potential. [See my next blog post, OS X Lion, for more details on these software applications.] Also at the top of the computer is a built-in microphone which records in high quality audio. Just below the screen is a black Apple symbol, which not only depicts one of the most well-known symbols in modern technology, but it also doubles as an infrared receiver for the Apple Remote, with which one can control the computer from up to thirty feet away. Under the computer/monitor/mammoth wonder we find the speakers. Not visible to the casual observer, these beauties produce extremely high quality sound. No external speakers are necessary unless you're a major computer geek and must have them.

In the back of the iMac are the various ports for USB, Thunderbolt, headphones, networking, etc. These ports are invisible from the front of the computer, making the body appear seamless. On the right side are slots for CDs/DVDs SD cards. Both of these are thin slits in the side, and there is no CD tray that slides out to receive disks. You simply slide the CD or DVD into the slit when you need it and hold down an eject key on Apple's Magic Keyboard when you wish to remove it.

That leads us to the keyboard. Customers have a choice of keyboards when buying from Apple, but I will only talk about my keyboard, the Magic Keyboard, as Apple calls it. This keyboard is approximately one-fifth of an inch thin

(not counting the unsuppressed keys, as, when pressed, the keys are level with the actual keyboard) and rests on a cylinder running the width of the keyboard which houses the batteries. This cylinder slants the keyboard, making typing easier and more efficient. The wireless freedom offered by the Magic Keyboard allows one to sit a distance from the computer, and the large screen supports it as well. As I am typing this portion, I have the keyboard in my lap, and its ultra-light design makes holding it a joyous experience.

Like the keyboard, the Magic Mouse also has a replacement: the Magic Trackpad. But because I have the Magic Mouse, I shall convey to you its greatness. It is, like the Magic Keyboard, wireless, and upon testing them both, I found that they will send wireless commands to the computer from a distance nearly equal to the length of my house. This path includes such things as walls and other obstacles. As for the mouse itself, the surface is all one button; there are no separate left-click and right-click buttons. It detects whether you wish to click the right or left side with its touch-sensitive surface. This unique ability allows you to control some aspects of the iMac similarly to the way you would control an iPad or iPhone--by touch. It isn't touchscreen, but you can control scrolling, sliding between screens, zooming, and the Mission Control feature all through the touch-sensitive mouse. This enables the user to be more efficient as well as awed.

When all these separate descriptions are thrown together into one reality, the true wonder of such a marvelous computer becomes overwhelming. In this article, I have only touched key points of the hardware; the software is much too diverse to be thoroughly discussed together with the hardware. My blog publication should be posted in a week or so, and I hope you'll be back to read about the various programs and features, as they are every bit amazing as the physical body, yet in completely different ways. So be on the lookout for my OS X Lion article, as it should follow this one shortly.

Though this is a relatively brief walkthrough of the hardware of a 27-inch Apple iMac, I hope you are as enthused as I am. When viewed in its full glory, the sheer beauty of this multistory phenomenon is wondrously breathtaking.