Takeaway: The fifth generation iOS, the engine that powers Apple’s popular iPhone and iPad devices (among others), introduces several important changes and refinements.

Apple’s iOS, though only four years old, has changed the way users connect, purchase and maintain applications, collaborate, and more. The fifth generation iOS, the engine that powers Apple’s popular iPhone and iPad devices (among others), introduces several important changes and refinements. Here are the top 10 things you should know about Apple’s new iOS 5.

1: Requirements

The fall 2011-release iOS 5 upgrade works with a variety of current and legacy handsets, tablets, and devices. iOS 5 is compatible with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. iOS 5 is also supported on the 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch as well as the original iPad and iPad 2. There is no cost for the upgrade.

2: PC Free

One common complaint prior to iOS 5 has been that a computer was required to fully utilize and back up new iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices. No more. iOS 5 severs the tether and makes it possible to activate and configure new devices without having to tie them to a computer. Further, with iCloud support, iOS 5 devices can be backed up automatically without having to use a computer.

3: Mail improvements

iOS 5 also introduces overdue Mail improvements. The new iOS provides indentation support, enables rich text (bold, italic, and underline) formatting, and can even flag messages. iCloud, meanwhile, helps ensure email accounts stay synchronized across multiple devices. As email’s importance continues to grow, such refinements on the iPhone and iPad platforms are a necessity.

4: Tabbed browsing

A seemingly minor innovation when originally introduced on computers, tabbed browsing enables users to maintain multiple active Web pages within a single browser instance. The feature has proven popular, especially as users have become more dependent upon Web-based applications and Web-based email. iOS 5 updates the Safari browser to bring tabbed browsing to compatible iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. This enables multiple concurrent Web page sessions and considerably simplifies the process of switching between open pages,.

5: Reminders

A cottage industry of iOS to-do and task list application providers has arisen over the past few years. That’s because Apple’s iOS didn’t previously do a very good job natively managing or synchronizing organizational tasks. Reminders is a new iOS 5 feature that addresses that shortcoming. With iCal, Outlook, and iCloud integration, changes automatically synchronize across multiple devices. Better yet, users can associate due dates and locations with the tasks they set. Productivity and efficiency result, while dependency upon a third-party application decreases or is eliminated altogether.

6: iCloud support

iCloud support within iOS 5 means applications, photos, music, settings, and other data isn’t lost if a compatible Apple device goes missing. Because iCloud stores data on the Web, files, configuration information, and even applications previously purchased on one device can be pushed to a replacement or other authorized device wirelessly. Calendars, contacts, and mail benefit from iCloud, which powers wireless synchronization between devices, too. iCloud even enables synchronizing iOS data with a PC, so Windows users benefit from iCloud/iOS 5 integration. And 5GB of free storage means the price is right.

7: iMessage

The simplicity and immediacy of text messaging has fueled its meteoric popularity. One can hardly even visit a neighborhood grocery or airport without hearing others’ text alert beeps. Built into the Messages app, iOS 5’s new iMessage feature enhances traditional messaging by adding support for sending photos, videos, locations, and contacts for iPad and iPod Touch users. iMessaging includes group messaging support, too, which better enables team collaboration and communication. iMessage also synchronizes iMessage conversations across multiple devices.

8: Notification Center

As iPhone and iPad use has grown within businesses and as users have loaded a veritable cornucopia of applications on those devices, mobile users sometimes feel assaulted by the number of updates, new email alerts, unread text messages, and other notifications.

Prior to iOS 5, all these different updates lived in different locations and sometimes proved distracting. iOS 5 users can take advantage of the new Notification Center to select which notifications they receive. And copping a popular feature I associate as being introduced with Microsoft Outlook 2003, new notifications appear briefly (in this case at the top center of the screen) before fading out of view. The Notification Center presentation of these messages is less distracting and doesn’t require switching applications, yet it still communicates the same information quickly.

9: AirPlay

Many users will find iOS 5’s new AirPlay innovation a critical component of the new OS. Others may never use it. But those who do will find the video mirroring feature an intriguing and convenient improvement in the mobile OS.

AirPlay enables presenters to wirelessly stream their iPad 2 display information to an HDTV via an Apple TV device. Attendees see exactly what’s on the presenter’s iPad, meaning iPads can fully replace desktop or laptop presentation systems in boardrooms, classrooms, conference rooms, and other presentation areas.

10: Calendar improvements

Calendar operations receive a needed boost within iOS 5, too. iOS 5-powered Calendars now synchronize across multiple devices leveraging Apple’s iCloud technology. Further, iPad users can display year views of their Calendar, while iPhone and iPod Touch users can display a weekly view of their calendar — previously unavailable options. Individual calendars can now be added and edited directly from iOS 5-powered iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. Possibly most important, though, is the fact that Calendar attachments are now viewable on compatible iOS 5 devices without having to switch applications.

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Takeaway: With the rise of Android, the reboot of BlackBerry, and the redesigned iPhone, 2010 can rightly be called the year of the smartphone. Here are the best devices of the year.

10. BlackBerry Torch

BlackBerry came under intense pressure in 2010 from the rapid growth of iPhone and Android. The smartphone incumbent fired back with the release of the BlackBerry 6 OS and a new form factor with a slide-down keyboard in the BlackBerry Torch. The device is a bit underpowered, the OS isn’t a huge step forward, and overall it hasn’t been enough to stem the losses to Apple and Google. But, there are still a lot of BlackBerry fans out there — not to mention all of the enterprises locked into BlackBerry — and for them, the Torch is now the pre-eminent device on the market.

9. Motorola Droid 2

This shows how much progress the smartphone market has made in one year. Last year, I would have ranked the original Motorola Droid and the Apple iPhone 3GS as the two best smartphones on the market. This year, the Droid got a very nice upgrade but still struggled to make the top 10. Still, due to its increased specs, solid build quality, and very usable form factor, the Droid 2 belongs on this list. Also, don’t miss its cousins, the Droid Pro and the Droid 2 Global.

8. HTC Incredible

With much the same innards as the Google Nexus One (although not nearly as strong of a build quality), the HTC Incredible was a consolation prize for those who had been salivating for the Nexus One on Verizon. Unfortunately, Google and Verizon pulled the plug on those plans and instead HTC offered the Incredible through Verizon with the traditional two-year contract. The Incredible did get one thing that the Nexus One didn’t have: HTC’s Sense UI. Some viewed that as a bonus over the stock Android OS on the Nexus One, while others saw it as a detractor.

7. Samsung Focus

Microsoft finally got itself back in the smartphone game in 2010 with the launch of Windows Phone 7, and the first widely-available WP7 device was the Samsung Focus, which didn’t disappoint. The Focus sported nice hardware specs in an attractive, futuristic form factor (albeit with a lot of plastic, similar to the Galaxy S). And, Windows Phone 7 offered a new take on smartphone UI that is a little but more polished and fluid than Android or BlackBerry, although not quite as finished as the iPhone.

6. Motorola Droid X

Verizon Wireless went all-in on Android in 2010, launching a steady stream of new Android-powered devices throughout the year and replacing BlackBerry with Android as its primary smartphone platform. The Droid X served as Verizon’s flagship Android phone, with its huge screen, 8MP camera, enterprise-class hardware, and extensive list of high-end features.

5. HTC Desire

While the HTC Incredible had the same guts as the Nexus One but a much different outer shell, the HTC Desire had similar internals and an outer shell that closely resembled the high quality metal casing on the Nexus One. The Desire quickly became one of the most popular smartphones in Europe and Australia by mid-2010 and has spread to other carriers through the globe since then. Along with the Nexus One and the iPhone 4, the Desire feels like the most substantial and high quality smartphone on the market. You should also keep an eye on the HTC Desire HD and the HTC Desire Z.

4. Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung joined the Android movement with all guns blazing in the middle of 2010 by releasing its line of Galaxy S smartphones in a variety of different form factors (and a confusing array of product names) on all four US wireless carriers and a fleet of international carriers. In the US, the Samsung Vibrant and the Samsung Epic 4G were the most impressive of the Galaxy S phones, but all of the models across the globe have same technology base and generally provide a very good Android experience.

3. Google Nexus One

The first big smartphone of 2010 was the Google Nexus One, launched just after the new year and right before CES 2010. As a product, the long-rumored “Google Phone” wasn’t a disappointment. It had excellent build quality (developed by HTC) and ran the stock Android OS, which got all of the latest Android updates directly from Google. However, the phone failed in its larger mission of moving the US telecom market toward the European model of being able to buy phones and wireless service separately. The Nexus One was sold as an unlocked device at full price ($500) through Google’s online store. Google was not well prepared to handle customer service and didn’t give US consumers enough time to warm up to the idea of buying a full price device. It also never released the promised CDMA version of the Nexus One. Eventually, Google abandoned the product altogether and replaced it in December with the Nexus S, built by Samsung and available under traditional contract with T-Mobile.

2. HTC EVO 4G

The premier Android device of 2010 was the HTC EVO 4G. It was the first major smartphone to break the 4-inch screen barrier. It was the first 4G smartphone in the US. It was the first major smartphone with an 8.0 megapixel camera. It was the first major smartphone to feature a kickstand (for video viewing). I pejoratively called it the “Hummer of smartphones” because of its massive size and the fact that it’s such as battery hog, but there’s no arguing that the EVO 4G stretched the boundaries of what was possible in a smartphone and forced all of its competitors to play catch-up.

1. Apple iPhone 4

With all of the momentum that was gathering around Android during the first half of 2010, Apple’s iPhone 3GS was starting to look pretty stale by mid-year — especially since it was only a slight upgrade over the iPhone 3G from 2008. Then, Apple unveiled iOS4 and the iPhone 4 and launched itself back to the head of the class with top-quality hardware and a software experience that still outpaces all of its rivals in terms of ease of use, responsiveness, polish, and third-party software. The iPhone 4 antenna problem, which was more severe than Apple acknowledged but a lot less severe than the tech press portrayed it, was a wart for the iPhone 4. It also still lacks the widget capability of Android (and now Windows Phone 7). But, overall, the iPhone 4 remains the gold standard of the smartphone market.

Honorable mentions

• Motorola Droid Pro
• HTC HD7
• Dell Venue Pro
• T-Mobile G2
• BlackBerry Bold 9780
• HTC Aria