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iOS6Revealed today at WWDC – here are some of my favorite enhancements announced for Apple’s upcoming iOS 6.

Facebook integration

As if I wasn’t already spending too much time checking Facebook updates and posting every random thought that comes to mind – now Apple is making it easier.  Like Twitter in the past, Facebook will have deep integration with the OS and you’ll be able to post from various apps within the OS (like Maps and Photos).  You’ll also be able to “Like” apps that you like (imagine that).  Though I think a better feature may be to DISLIKE the ones you don’t.  There’s plenty of junk out there that I’d like to warn my friends about.  I haven’t seen evidence of Facebook page integration, and will continue to research that functionality.

Siri gets leisurely

With the iOS 6 version of Siri (shouldn’t she have gotten a new name?), you can get your red hot sports scores, and schedules, get stats on players, find some food with YELP and book a table with Open Table.  You can also get Rotten Tomatoes reviews for movies and links to movie trailers. With so many new leisure and entertainment options, how will work get done?

My favorite update to Siri– you can open other apps.  How many times have I said “tweet ‘random stuff’” and Siri has told me she can’t do it?  Well, only twice; once in earnest and once to show someone else but still the point is that this is a very cool new feature.

My least favorite update to Siri -it won’t work on iPad 2.  What?  I paid how much for this thing and you can’t make voice recognition work?

Siri also “Eyes Free”  – With this update Apple is trying to integrate the iOS with vehicles so the driver does not have to take his or her eyes off the road.  Now when you see people driving down the road, yelling at no one in particular, you might be seeing the new features in action.  “Siri, I said ‘MC Donalds’!!!”

Siri is great when she works and I’m hoping that along with these cool new functions we’ll get some better language processing.   It won’t help me if I’m trying to look up information about sports only to get the WRONG information or if it opens the wrong application.

Do not Disturb

My wife may actually just go out and write Apple a check for this one.  Probably one of the biggest pet peeves she has with my phone is the constant notifications coming through.  I test out a lot of games and have alerts set up for twitter.  So, those async games notifications and tweets are constantly coming through even when I’m asleep.  Being able to shut them off at night will be a blessing in our home.  This guy may be the most used right after the Facebook integration and Siri updates.

Passbook

Is it a phone or a wallet?  Now, I’m not so sure.  Since it’s not stuffed with old receipts it appears to still be a phone.  Passbook is app that allows for storage of different types of usable “passes” – passes can be different types of tickets, card balances, apple store balances, etc.  The idea is neat but I’m not sure I need this yet.  I wasn’t originally sure I needed an iPhone either but now it’s stuck to me 24×7.  I’ve already been intrigued with apps like “Pay with Square” but haven’t actually used it.  Maybe this update from Apple will help me cross over in to the eWallet world.

 

Apple Maps

Good bye Google Maps and hello imaginatively titled Apple Maps.  Apple has a new map app with navigation (finally!) for their customer base.  I love Waze but, uh oh, an integrated app with features that may just bump me off the Waze bandwagon is coming.   I like the ability to do point of interest searching and integration with Siri – If you use Waze and Siri together, sometimes Siri get’s confused when Waze reads off an instruction while Siri is ‘listening’.

FaceTime over cellular

Cool!  Now my kids will accidentally send me FaceTime requests when I’m out driving rather than when I’m sitting near them at home.  Actually, this is a much needed feature and I look forward to being able to use it often to call other iPhone users.

 

Other notable features – Email got a boost with the ability to add attachments in the actual email client and to designate certain contacts as VIP.  Safari tabs can be synced with your desktop so you don’t have to remember what you were wasting time on before.  Now, it’s right at your fingertips.  PhotoStream sharing is another feature that might be cool but I’m thinking the photos I want to share are already shared via Facebook. However, a case can be made that for sharing with my immediate family and not the world, something a little more private could be in order.  iOS 6 is compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPad 2 and iPad 3. You read that right, Grandpa 3GS is getting the iOS 6 treatment.  I can’t wait to test that out.

 

Partially sourced from SlashGear, informationweek.com, gigaom.com, engadget.com

 

WWDC – Apple Reveals iOS 6 Features 4

Lance Gilliland

Consumer Electronics. Technology. Media. Comics. Football. Family. Health. Entertainment. Great, now my fingers are tired.

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  • @jameshicks I have a serious dilemma with the new MackBook Pros and maybe you feel me on this.

      • @jameshicks Is $600 worth the Retina Display. That’s the difference between the two top end models with 2.7Ghz Core I7s. #Decisions

        • @darrylcobb the Retina Display model is nice, but at $2100 it’s more than 90% of users need. I’m getting the updated Air myself #WWDC

Lance Gilliland

Consumer Electronics. Technology. Media. Comics. Football. Family. Health. Entertainment. Great, now my fingers are tired.

Follow me on Twitter | Facebook
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