iOS 5 Top 10 Minor Features

My Top 10 Minor Features in iOS 5

There are a lot of new features in iOS5, I think Apple says something like 200.  Everybody knows about the iCloud integration, Notification Center, Messages, Photo Stream, Reminders app and Newsstand, but I always think the little things are what really end up making the big difference.  Here is my list of the top 10 minor features in iOS 5.

1. Ringtones - All sound alerts including text messages can now use any ring tone. Settings > Sounds
2. Text Shortcuts - You can now use your own acronyms as shortcuts for expanded text. For example you can add: omw for "On My Way!". If you type omw with the keyboard auto-correct will pop up "On My Way!".  Settings > General > Keyboard
3. Twitter Integration - You can now log in to your Twitter account at the iOS level and Tweet from the Photos and Safari apps.  Plus it does a cool bird tweeting sound when you do Tweet, but this is configurable see item 1.
4. iPod Split - The iPod app is no longer and instead there is now a Music and Videos app.
5. Rich Text Formatting in Mail - Mail now has rich text formatting capabilities like bold, italics, underline and also quoting.
6. Split Keyboard on iPad - The iPad keyboard is can now be dragged into two smaller keyboards.  This makes it much easier to type when holding it up.
7. Multi-Touch Keyboard Gestures on iPad - Using 4 finger gestures you can now switch between apps (4 finger left or right swipe), go to the home screen (4 finger pinch) or bring up the dock (4 finger swipe up)
8. Multiple Routes in Maps Application - Doing a search for directions will now return multiple routes that you can toggle between by selecting the number label on the route.
9. Camera Improvements - In the Camera app you can now use the Volume up button to take photos.  You can also double click the home button on the lock screen to go directly to the camera without unlocking the iPhone.
10. iPad 2 and iPhone 4S AirPlay Mirroring - The output of both devices can be output directly to the TV. Not exactly sure when this is useful, but it could be cool for gaming.