1 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Notifications
Swiping down from the top of the screen (much like Android) will open the long-awaited new Notifications Center. You'll see a complete list of your missed calls and messages, app updates, a stock ticker, and the current weather.
2 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Lock screen
Notifications also will show up on the lock screen.
3 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Over-the-air updates
The "PC Free" feature enables wireless device activations and software updates. The updates will serve only the changes, so they'll be shorter.
4 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Wireless syncing
Thanks to the new iCloud service, you'll also be able to wirelessly sync, back up, and restore your device.
5 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
App updates
App updates will happen over the air as well. As you might have guessed, the idea is to never have you plug your device into a computer again. Or if you prefer, you won't have to own a computer at all.
6 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Photo stream
iCloud also will deliver a photo stream of stored images to your device.
7 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
iMessage
The iMessage app looks just like the text messaging feature.
8 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
iMessage settings
iMessage will let you send text and multimedia messages to individuals or groups.
9 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Camera
The option to add grid lines now appears above the HDR control, which shows a tweaked design.
10 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
More camera
After taking a photo, you can crop and rotate your image and access color correction and red-eye reduction controls.
11 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Tweet a photo
You'll be able to post a photo to Twitter directly from the media gallery app.
12 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Twitter integration
And speaking of Twitter, the social network service will get tighter integration with your device. You'll be able to add a location, sync Twitter with your contacts list, and tweet directly from YouTube, Safari, and Maps.
13 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Tweet time
Here's the interface when tweeting. It's user-friendly and the @ symbol is prominently surfaced.
14 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Mapping
When planning a route in Google Maps, you can select from multiple route options.
15 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Safari Reader
The Reader option in the Safari browser will strip down articles into a simple, easy-to-read format.
16 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Reading List
Also in Safari, you can save bookmarks for later perusal.
17 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Reminders
With this new app you can save multiple to-do lists with dates for each event and categorize reminders by location.
18 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
To-do list
And once you're finished with a task you can check them off. Reminders can be shared between devices and sync with iCal on the Mac with CalDAV, and on Windows with MS Exchange.
19 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Newsstand
The Newsstand app's design is similar to iBooks. You can add subscriptions from the App Store and new issues will be delivered automatically.
20 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Personal dictionary
Thanks to the personal dictionary you can avoid future auto-correct mishaps by adding slang, acronyms, and other unrecognized words to your device's dictionary.
21 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Define this
Get a definition by tapping unfamiliar words.
22 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Dictionary
You'll then jump directly to the definition.
23 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Game Center
The Game Center gets new features like profile photos, achievement point comparison, friends of friends, recommended friends and games, and support for turn-based games.
24 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Purchase games
What's more, you can buy apps directly from the app.
25 of 25 Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET
Accessibility
iOS 5 also adds new accessibility options including LED flash and custom vibration settings to let you see and feel when someone's calling.