7 Best New Features Of iOS 7 - part 4

6. Smart mailboxes

Another welcome Mail enhancement is the addition of predefined smart mailboxes, such as Unread, All Drafts, and Attachments. You can display any or all of these mailboxes, which show aliases to messages that meet their respective criteria, and you can order these mailboxes in the mailbox pane as you see fit. Now you can see in one place just your unread mail or find all the drafts you had saved across your mail accounts.

You can also add mailbox folders to the mailbox list, saving you the step of drilling to the Accounts section, then navigating to those folders each time. It's great for mail folders you use frequently.

7. iCloud Keychain

iCloud Keychain does two things you'll appreciate. One is that it can save credit card information entered on websites, so you don't have to keep reentering that data. (Relax: You still need to enter the CVV code, as iCloud Keychain intentionally does not retain that verification code.)

The other is that your saved passwords and credit cards are synced across your Macs and iOS devices if they're signed into the same iCloud account and have iCloud Keychain enabled. Apple has added extra verification to protect iCloud Keychain data, so another user would need more than your iCloud sign-in information to enable it. Use the Safari controls in the Settings app to manage the saved passwords and credit cards.


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7 Best New Features Of iOS 7 - part 3

4. Driving directions from OS X

OS X Mavericks adopts iOS's Maps app, which can send maps and driving directions from your Mac to your iOS device. They show up in the iOS Maps app, ready for you to follow while driving or walking, and they remain in your bookmarked directions for access later if needed.


5. More email management

The Mail app in iOS 7 has several changes that make for easier use. One is the new set of options that appear when you flick to the left over a message or select messages and tap More for both iPad and iPhone. When you flick, you get the More button in addition to the Trash button, and from More you get the options in the message view's Mark and Move controls. When you select multiple messages, tap Mark to get your options. The Move to Trash option is very handy.

Also handy: When you tap Edit in the message list but select no messages, the Mark button becomes Mark All, to quickly flag or mark as read all of a mailbox's messages.


In part 4, of this 4 four part series, I'll bring you the final two Best New Features.

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7 Best New Features Of iOS 7 - part 2

2. Timer in the lock screen

The timer in the included Clock app is very handy, such as to get alerts about parking meters about to expire. But until iOS 7, if your iPhone was locked, you had to unlock it and go to the app to see how much time you had left. Now, the countdown displays in the lock screen, and you can dismiss the timer alert sound there as well.

(Read about the Control Center Lockscreen Flaw two posts below.)


3. Today view in the Notification Center

The Notification Center has been expanded in iOS 7 to add two panes: Missed, showing only alerts and messages not already seen, and Today, which shows you the weather, a snapshot of your calendar, and optionally, your tracked stocks and a summary of tomorrow's day. It's a very handy way to see what's shaping up right now.


In part 3, of this 4 four part series, I'll bring you two more Best New Features.

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7 Best New Features Of iOS 7 - part 1

Switching to iOS 7 is a shock. It looks really, really different, and some apps -- Photos, especially -- work very differently. It may take you a month to make the mental adjustment to iOS 7, but when you do iOS 6 will feel passé. Once you get past the new UI, you should discover some very useful capabilities. And a few stumbles, like the harder-to-find-and-use local search on Web pages.

There are a couple dozen new features worth your while, including automatic app updates, shared browser links in Safari, and more detailed feedback from Siri (which can now be male or female). Here, I'll display the 7 most compelling ones.

1. Control Center

Android's quick access to commonly used functions through its notifications tray is a boon, especially in Samsung's feature-laden version. Now, iOS 7 makes using common features easy, and it doesn't mix them with notifications. Swipe up from the bottom to open the Control Center to access Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and Rotation Lock or Mute (whichever the physical side switch is not set to). You also control playback of music, videos, and podcasts, as well as manage AirPlay.

There are also quick access buttons to the Camera and Clock apps on all iOS devices, plus the Calculator app and new LED flashlight on iPhones. If you have an iOS device with a Lightning connector, you can set up AirDrop file-sharing feature here.

(Read about the Control Center Lockscreen Flaw in the post below.)


In part 2, of this 4 four part series, I'll bring you two more Best New Features.

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Never Mind The iPhone, Here's iOS 7

The hoopla over the iPhone introductions may have been misplaced -- it's the release of the new Apple mobile operating system that deserves the fanfare.

iOS 7 provides a bigger change to the mobile user experience than a gold-colored shell or a fingerprint-reading Home button ever can. And uptake of the new OS has been fast and furious. In less than 24 hours after release, it already had a higher adoption rate than Google's latest Android "Jelly Bean" OS, which launched in July.

Those who have yet to make the plunge may want to have a look at the handy list of six key things to do before you tap Download (in the post below). And iPhone users who have already upgraded might be surprised by how new their favorite apps look. Galen Gruman warns that "switching to iOS 7 is a shock: It looks really, really different, and some apps -- Photos, especially -- work very differently. ... [But] once you get past the new UI, you should discover some very useful capabilities."

Some analysts have even speculated that iOS 7's new look could act initially to dampen new iPhone sales; people may be tempted to put off a new purchase because the software makes it feel like they already got a new phone. Features like iTunes Radio and enhancements to the Camera and Photos apps will appeal to consumers, but there are major advances for enterprise users as well.

But changes present a big challenge for developers, who have been scrambling to rework their apps for iOS 7. The significantly changed user interface -- in particular the "flatter" design that puts content first -- can make existing apps not specifically designed for iOS 7 look out of place.

"The biggest thing [developers] need to worry about is making sure their apps are targeted for iOS 7," advises Ravi Bhatt, CEO of software developer Branchfire. "iOS 7 is an opportunity to make pretty cool transformative changes." And the worst thing an iOS developer could do is "to just treat [the changes] like eye candy," Bhatt said. Both iOS and the Mac's OS X will eventually feel the same, he points out. "That's the direction we're headed. You can see it."

Take a look at a test-drive of the iOS 7 beta (video below), with its new folder behavior, modified search, Control Center, multitasking, and more. Note: In the final version, wallpaper and ringtone choices have been greatly expanded.

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6 Key Things To Do Before Downloading iOS 7

There are endless blog posts and debates on when and whether and how to update iOS 7. Here are some steps suggested by Mike Reed, a solutions engineer who works with enterprise customers for MobileIron, a mobile device management vendor.

1. Update all your iOS apps first. Even if you don't see a badge on the app store, check it. Some users report seeing a growing flood of app updates starting Tuesday.

2. Back up your device, twice. Through iTunes or to iCloud. "If you have to restore your device, you're going to want to be able to restore the app data, which is part of what's backed up," Reed says. "Without a backup, you can get the apps but any local data is gone." Apple's web page on iOS backup and restore is HERE.

3. List all of your passwords, for apps and services. "You're likely to get prompted for passwords for some apps and services again," says Reed. "Make sure you know them or that you can get to a web site for the app and be able to check your email for confirmation to change them if needed."

4. Have the latest version of iTunes. You should have the newest iTunes software if you plan to back up your iOS device to iTunes or decide to install iOS 7 from iTunes. The latest version is 11.0.5.

5. Be ready to go without your iOS device for a day. If you start the update and it fails, you may get "stuck in a restore and it could take quite a while to resolve," Reed cautions. If you're going to need your iPhone or iPad, hold off on the update for a while.

6. Be ready for a slow download. "Everyone in the world will be hammering Apple's akamized server to get updates," Reed says. "It's likely to be slow going immediately after the release..."

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iOS 7 Available Starting Wednesday, 9-18

On Tuesday, 9-10, Apple® announced that iOS 7, featuring a completely redesigned stunning new user interface, will be available starting Wednesday, September 18 to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users as a free software update.

iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari®, Siri® and introduces iTunes Radio℠, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes®. In addition, iOS 7 has been engineered with deep technical and design integration with both iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

“iOS 7 is completely redesigned with an entirely new user interface and over 200 new features, so it’s like getting a brand new device, but one that will still be instantly familiar to our users,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Next month we’ll be shipping our 700 millionth iOS device, and we’re excited about what our hundreds of thousands of iOS developers are doing to bring great new features to their apps.” Read more HERE.

Apple Unveils iOS 7

Apple® today unveiled iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone®, featuring a stunning new user interface. iOS 7 is completely redesigned with subtle motion, an elegant color palette and distinct, functional layers that make it feel more alive. The typography has been refined for a cleaner, simpler look, and the use of translucency and motion makes even simple tasks more engaging. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari®, Siri® and introduces iTunes Radio™, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes®.

“iOS 7 is the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “To create it, we brought together a team with a broad range of expertise from design to engineering. With what we’ve been able to achieve together, we see iOS 7 as an exciting new beginning.”

“There is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation—it’s about bringing order to complexity,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of Design. “iOS 7 is a clear representation of these goals. It has a whole new structure that is coherent and applied across the entire system.”

iOS 7 is completely redesigned with an entirely new user interface, but will be instantly familiar to the hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad® and iPod touch® users around the world. The new interface actually makes your phone appear bigger because everything is designed to take advantage of the entire screen. The redesigned fonts look amazing on the Retina® display, creating even sharper text.

Read the rest of the story .... HERE
See how iOS 7 looks .... HERE