IOS 6 Announced

Apple has demonstrated the new iOS 6 today at WWDC (World Wide Developer’s Conference). The guys at apple really spent thier time on this one with over 200 improvements for the next-generation mobile platform.

Facebook integration
the best ever in a mobile device, allowing you to sign in once and post from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps, including Photos, Safari and Maps. Your Facebook friends’ information is kept up to date across all your iOS devices, automatically updating details in Contacts when they change, and scheduling events and birthdays in your Calendar. You can also “Like” content directly from the App Store™ and iTunes® and see what your friends recommend.

Maps App
Apple officially dumped Google Maps in iOS 6. iOS 6 includes an all new Maps app with vector-based map elements that make graphics and text smooth, and panning, tilting and zooming incredibly fluid. New turn-by-turn navigation guides you to your destination with spoken directions, and the amazing Flyover feature has photo-realistic interactive 3D views. Real-time traffic information keeps you updated on how long it will take to get to your destination and offers alternate time-saving routes if traffic conditions change significantly. Additionally, local search includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.

FaceTime Over Cellular: Finally. After two years of FaceTime, Apple has finally made it available over 3G cellular connections. Since launch it has only worked over Wi-Fi, which was a serious limitation. Now that it will be available over 3G, you can expect FaceTime’s usage to increase exponentially. FaceTime will also combine a user’s phone number and Apple ID, allowing them to answer either their phone or their FaceTime app on their phone or Mac.

Siri
now available for the new iPad as well as iPhone 4S, includes language support for English, French, German and Japanese, and adds support for Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese. Siri is optimized for use in 15 countries and helps you get even more done with just your voice, whether it’s finding the latest sports scores or making restaurant reservations. You also can ask Siri to update your status on Facebook, post to Twitter or launch an app. Additionally, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further with a new Eyes Free mode, enabling you to interact with your iPhone using nothing more than your voice.

Eyes Free
An interesting feature added to iOS is Eyes Free. Together with a dozen auto manufacturers, Apple is looking to add a dedicated “Siri” button in cars. This will let iOS device owners access Siri and their iPhone when driving without taking their eyes off the road. Worried about Microsoft’s Sync much, Apple?

Shared Photo Streams
With more than 125 million users already enjoying iCloud, iOS 6 introduces new ways to share photos with friends and family using Shared Photo Streams. Simply select the photos you want to share, pick which friends you want to receive the album, and the Shared Photo Stream album is instantly available on their iOS devices, iPhoto® and Aperture® on their Mac®, via the web or even through Apple TV®. You and your friends can leave comments on or “Like” any photo in a shared album.

Email
Apple didn’t spend too much time on the new email for iOS application, but showed off two much-needed improvements. First, iOS device users will be able to designate VIP email senders. In other words, if you want to prioritize emails from your boss on your iPhone, you’ll be able to. Much more important, however, is the ability to add pictures and videos to emails directly from the email application. In previous versions of iOS, if you wanted to add a photo, video, or other file, you had to do so directly from the photo application. This is a major headache that should have been cleared up a long time ago.
Passbook App

Passbook
the simplest way to get all your passes in one place, such as boarding passes and baseball tickets. Passbook lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into your hotel. Passbook automatically displays your passes on your Lock Screen based on a specific time or location, so when you walk into your favorite coffee shop your loyalty card appears and you can scan it to buy a coffee or check your balance. Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport.

Guided Access
Building on Apple’s commitment to provide innovative solutions for education and accessibility, iOS 6 introduces Guided Access. This new feature allows a parent, teacher or administrator to disable hardware buttons to lock an iOS device into a single app, especially useful for test taking or helping someone with a disability stay focused on learning. Guided Access also includes the ability to confine touch input to certain parts of the screen.