10 features and functions to enjoy on the Apple iPhone 5

LTE ROCKS! One of the primary reasons I traded away my iPhone 4S was the 1 Mbps download speeds I was seeing on Verizon's network. The LTE network is extremely refreshing and as you can see in the screenshot I am seeing speeds faster than my home cable Internet connection.

I used Siri on the iPhone 4S primarily to create reminders, but am already using it quite a bit more on the iPhone 5 for checking sports scores, launching apps, checking movie times, making appointments and reminders, mapping, and more. I still like the way Google Now works proactively to provide your latest information, but Siri is a LOT better than it was in iOS 5.

Reject call with SMS: I know we had this on other platforms before, Symbian a long time ago, but it is still great to see it finally come to the iPhone. I don't mind if Apple copies functions and makes things better so this simple utility is quite handy.

Apple took a page from Android and now offers a much improved share menu where you can quickly share things via mail, message, photo stream, Twitter, or Facebook or decide to save or print the information.

Apple added some features in iOS 6 that demonstrate how these powerful smartphones can be used to make our lives easier and address simple needs. With Do Not Disturb enabled you can set when and what calls and alerts get through while you are sleeping or otherwise preoccupied.

FaceTime over cellular: I paid full price for the iPhone 5 so that I could keep my grandfathered unlimited data plan and with my oldest now at college I like that we can hold video calls on the go. At times like this, it sure is nice to see a face and not just hear a voice.

Custom vibrations: We recently saw this cool fun way of customizing notifications when a person contacts you on the Samsung Galaxy S III. The iPhone 5 supports custom vibrations as well. Within a selected contact go down to where it states "vibration" and then tap the word, scroll down, and tap on Create New Vibration under the Custom subheading. You then simply tap out your custom vibration and save it for this contact.

Apple is good at taking what others have done before and refining it and we see the cool Windows Phone 7 swipe to reveal photo feature. Within the photo app you simply swipe to access your recently captured photos.

Sapphire lens: I thought this was just a marketing gimmick or typical Apple exaggeration, but after reading a bit more on the glass it seems that the hardness of sapphire crystal may just offer better protection than glass. We have also seen reports of purple flare when the camera includes the sun in the background with this effect attributed to the sapphire lens.

You don't need to waste money on hand warmers this winter since all you have to do is play music or turn on a video and place your iPhone 5 into your pocket to heat your hands (when in your pocket) and those areas of your body next to the iPhone in your pocket.