Apple iOS 5 review: First look

Safari and Safari Reader

Apple has updated the Safari browser too, both the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad's. It promises better performance but we can’t judge this by this beta release.

There are a few new handy features - Tabbed Browsing for the iPad, a Private Browsing option for all iOS devices and the Reader mode.

The iPads are finally getting tabs in the browser. It was a long awaited feature that took Apple three iterations of iOS to implement. Still, better late than never, we guess. It works as it's supposed to and you no longer need to go through the Pages View to jump on another already opened page.

All iGadgets have a Private Browsing option in the Safari settings (Settings->Safari). If you turn it on, nothing you do on the bowser will leave a trail in your phone - no browsing history, no search history, no usernames or passwords, etc. The only thing nicer than the Private Browsing itself would have been if this was implemented as a dedicated key within the Safari's UI, instead of a lonely toggle in the Settings menu.

Turning the Private Browsing on/off

And now let's talk about the best part so far - the integrated Reader. If a page is compatible with the Reader (most of the article pages out there are) you get the new Reader button right into the address bar as soon as the page loads. If you activate it, you'll get a clean view of the article you are reading - only text and the article-related pictures. There are no ads, no navigation controls, nothing beyond the important stuff. And best of all, getting from one page to the next is automatic as soon as you get to the end of the first one.

Launching the Reader in the Safar • The Safari reader • adjusting the font size

You can set the font size via two font controls at the top. You can also select a word and choose Define - the iOS 5 integrated Dictionary will open with the meaning of the word.

The Dictionary

If you open a multi-page article (like this preview) the Reader will detect it and will load the next page when you reach the bottom of the current.

Loading another page in the Reader

You can also make bookmarks of Reader pages - they are added into the Reader List for later reading. Note that the page is not saved for offline access, it's just a bookmark.

Add to Reading List • The Reading List

Here is a demo video for you to enjoy:

Storage management and App Store purchase list

The next two features became favorites of those of you who use 16GB iPhones - Storage management and Purchased list within the App Store.

You can find the Purchased list in App Store's section Updates. It has two tabs - All and Not On This iPhone. It's the easiest way to download again an app you've purchased before and later deleted it.

The Purchased list in the App Store

Note that this list became available on the iOS 4 a few minutes after the iOS 5 announcement was over.

Now let's talk about the Storage Management. You can find it in Settings->General->Usage menu. Here you now have storage information too, before the Battery Percentage toggle and the statistics.

The Storage part begins with Free and Used space info and then you have a list with your ten biggest apps and their memory footprint - usually the Music and some heavy games such as Infinity Blade. You can access all of yours installed app via the dedicated button at the end of the top 10 list.

The Storage settings • managing an application

If you tap on an app from this list you will be able to delete its data (saves, etc.) or uninstall the whole app. Here you can see what the memory footprint of the app is and its internal data size created after the installation.

For those of you which are always troubled by low memory storage, those options should be quite helpful.