New Notifications System On The iPhhone 4S

The launch of the new iPhone 4S has been timed to coincide with the release of Apples latest version of their operating system. The new iOS5 platform was launched two days prior to the new phone and offers a host of improvements to both the functionality and the operation of this exciting device. We have had two days to play with this new platform and here is our first opinion on this exciting update.

At a first glance it looks as though nothing has changed with iOS5. When you start to dig a little deeper however a host of subtle changes become apparent that are really beneficial to the handset. Starting with the lockscreen the first big change is when you double tap the home key. When you perform this action a camera icon appears besides the normal unlock bar. By pressing this icon you can immediately launch the phones camera application which can save invaluable time if you need to capture the moment. From the phones settings you can now also select a number of different notifications that can be displayed on the lockscreen. When one of these appears unlocking your handset will automatically launch you into the corresponding application. You can also assign different vibrating patterns to specific notifications as well as opt whether you want the LED flash to illuminate as well. Previously only an audible tone and a standard vibration could be selected. A quick word of warning though, its not a good idea to ask for notifications from sites such as Facebook to have the LED flash or audible tone unless you want to be woken up constantly throughout the night.

Looking at the homescreen on the iPhone 4Sand this looks very much like previous offering except that a new notifications centre is incorporated. To access this feature simply swipe your finger from the top of the screen downwards. This then lists a host of alerts from various sources which you can predetermine in the phones settings. This method is a much easier way of dealing with multiple notifications but does sem a little pointless if you only have a single alert. We found it came in handy if you had been away from your handset for a while. You can also change how you recieve a notification. The previous iPhone displayed a blue box centrally on the screen which could be quite obtrusive if you were performing a task at th time. You have the option for the alert to be displayed at the top of the screen in a small bar on this new platform. This seems a much easier method and enables you to continue the task you are performing without interruption.

We have known what features iOS5 on the iPhone 4S would incorporate for some time now but this is the first opportunity to actually get hands on with the platform. The changes that have been made really do make using the phone much easier and could easily make this handset the most user friendly device currently available.

The iPhone 4S and the White Samsung Galaxy S2 are available now.