iOS 5.1 released
iOS 5.1 Apple

The iOS 5.1 update has finally arrived. However, it is to be remembered that the list of new features are not extensive and largely consists of bug fixes and interface tweaks. Nonetheless, there are some important additions to it as well.

Here are seven features that might or might not be a secret to you.

The Camera Button Trick: With iOS 5.1, the camera button is now directly on the standard lock screen. This eliminates the need for a double-tap of the home button to access it instead. Users can now slide the camera button upward to move the lock screen out of the way and display the camera. Users can also return from the camera by sliding the lock screen back down from the top of the screen, or even tap the home button to go directly to the home screen from here.

Previously, iOS 5.0 added a button hidden on the lock screen for the iPhone and iPod touch that could be used to quickly access the camera and take pictures without unlocking the device. But for many users, double-tapping the home button was not much different from unlocking the device.

However, it is important to note that users who have protected their device with a passcode will be limited to accessing only photos taken in the current session.

Podcast Controls: iOS 5.1 now enables you to control the playback speeds for a podcast on the iPad and also skip-back controls. These features, however, were already available in the iPhone and iPod Touch since the dawn of iOS 3.0.

The Battery Life Saga: Apple reportedly has promised that any kind of issues with the battery life will be solved with the coming of iOS 5.1. However, it is still to be found out as to how much the new operating system will help in saving the battery life.

Face Detection: The new Face Detection feature that is presented with the new iOS 5.1 will now help highlight all the detected faces via the camera of the iDevice.

iTunes Improvement: Several important and hugely-needed improvements have been integrated into the iTunes Match via iOS 5.1. The reliability and the performance quotient of iTunes has been looked into and improved with the new version of the OS.

Now Genius Playlists and Genius Mixes are available via iTunes Match. Previously, the Genius options would disappear entirely after enabling iTunes Match and thereby replacing the locally-synced library. Genius helps you get an access to your entire iTunes library via iCloud, allowing a larger selection when creating Genius Playlists.

The feature works in the exact same way that it does for a locally synced music library, and draws songs from iCloud instead. Genius Mixes not only stream by default but also provide an additional button in the top-left corner of the screen that can be used to download the entire thing for offline listening.

Here it is important to note that it may be necessary to disable and re-enable iTunes Match on the iOS device to refresh the local library.

Deleting Photos from Stream: The iOS 5.1 update now allows photos to be deleted directly from the Photo Stream on any iDevice running the new update. Corresponding updates have also been released to enable this feature for the Apple TV, iPhoto and the iCloud Control Panel for Windows.

Previously, you had to reset the entire Photo Stream and then toggle it off and again back on to get unwanted photos out of the photo stream.

4G Indicator: A new 4G indicator can now be found with the arrival of iOS 5.1. Most probably, AT&T customers have already noticed the new indicator as of now. It seems likely that this is being used to indicate the presence of an HSPA+ network, but the indicator is exclusive to AT&T. iPhone users in other parts of the world will see the standard 3G indicator on HSPA+ networks.

(Information from iLounge.com)

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