iOS 5 is out - Go get it NOW!

Apple has, according to schedule, released the iOS 5 mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

Note of caution: This is a x.0 release, and as such there may be bugs. On top of that, it's unlikely that you'll be able to roll back to an earlier OS, so if bugs are a deal breaker, you might want to wait a few hours/days and see how things go.

WARNING: If the iTunes backup of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is encrypted, you WILL NEED THAT PASSWORD to recover your device after loading iOS 5! Don't carry out the update without ensuring you have that password!

For those of you who like to tinker, here are direct links to the firmware updates:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4 GSM
• iPhone 4 CDMA
• iPhone 3GS
• iPod touch 4th gen
• iPod touch 3rd gen
• iPad 2 Wifi
• iPad 2 GSM
• iPad 2 CDMA
• iPad

Apple has added over 200 new features to iOS 5. Here are just some of the highlights:

Notification Center

One of the most annoying features of iOS so far has been the modal notification system that pops up a single message on your screen that you can't do anything about and that you can never access again. In iOS 5 Apple has finally found a place for all these message, and it's called Notification Center.

The Notification Center is easily accessed with a single swipe from the top of your screen.

iMessage

Send and receive unlimited messages between iOS devices using iMessage without a text plan.

You can send much more than text in an iMessage ... you can also send photos, locations and contacts.

Newsstand

Basically, iBooks but for your magazine and newspaper subscriptions.

Twitter Integration

No need for a third-party Twitter client now that Twitter is integrated directly into iOS.

iCloud

One of the biggest changes in iOS 5 is iCloud integration. With iCloud everyone gets 5GB of storage space for nothing (if you want more storage, you'll have to pay). On top of that 5GB there's also a backup of everything you've bought from iTunes stored safely

WiFi Sync

Sync your iOS 5 device with a PC or Mac over a a WiFi connection every time it connects to a power source.

PC Free

Activate new iOS devices, and download new updates without having to connect to a Mac or PC.

Photo improvements

Added crop and rotate, red-eye removal, one-tap enhance and ability to organize photos in the album.

Lots of other improvements ...

Main improvements, calendar improvements, Game Center improvements ...