iOS 5

I updated my iPhone 4 to iOS 5 a few days ago. The update was around 700MB, so downloading it + full backup of my phone + restoring phone to factory settings + installation + restoring data to phone took me almost two hours.

Some observations that are significant to me:

1) The notifications are now consolidated into one location, called Notifications Centre. It is much more convenient, and can be accessed just by swiping down from the top of your screen. 

2) My home button has been pretty screwed for some time already - I need to press it with a lot of force before it works. Now, with AssistiveTouch, I can actually avoid using it entirely. To activate it, go to Settings --> General --> Accessibility --> AssistiveTouch. A new translucent button will now appear on your screen along the perimeter which you can move to a different location (still along the perimeter) if it happens to block anything. 

3) Words with Friends now lags like crazy on iOS5 to the point of being frustrating. I hope they release an update soon; it's driving me nuts.

4) iMessages is a godsend that saves me from Whatsapp. I hate using Whatsapp. It is common for users to get stuck at "Connecting..." as the app tries to connect to the server -  even if my telco or wifi connection is perfect. And sometimes, push notifications come late (it has ranged from several minutes to an hour to me) - or they don't come at all. Now that iMessages is up, I will be using it as long as the recipient is on iOS 5 as well. (It's a relief that my gf uses iOS 5.)

5) The camera can now be accessed even without unlocking your phone. Just press the home button twice and a camera button will appear. Touching it will lead you directly to the camera app, and the volume up button can now be used to snap a picture.

6) It is now possible to sync my phone wirelessly, as long as it is plugged to a charger and connected to wifi.

7) iCloud ensures that my calendar and contacts are backed up almost anytime, and across my Apple devices.