One of the most noticeable changes is a complete revamp of the notifications system. Currently, when you receive a notification, like an incoming text, you’re presented with a popup that interrupts whatever you’re doing at that moment. The new notification instead appears at the top of the screen and disappears a few seconds later. Lock screen notifications have also been rethought and now neatly stack instead of showing only the most recent. Users can also swipe across a specific notification to be taken directly to the relevant app. Plus, there is a new Notifications Center, which stores all of your most recent notifications, and can be accessed with a simple swipe down of the finger from the top of the screen. Stocks and weather are also displayed in this area.

Apple

So, what else does Apple have in store?

Camera:
Cell phone cameras continue to be the most popular way to take pictures. iOS 5 adds support for quickly launching the Camera app by adding a button to the lock screen. When using the Camera app the “volume up” button on the iPhone 4 can now act as a shutter button for a more natural picture-taking feel. Some basic photo editing tools have also been built-in, such as cropping and red-eye reduction.

Mail:
The Mail app has also seen several improvements, including an easier-to-use interface, rich text editing (bold, italic, underline), and a split keyboard. The split keyboard is intended to position more of the letters directly under the user’s thumbs when using larger devices such as the iPad.

Newsstand:
One of the new apps that Apple is adding to their lineup is Newsstand. Essentially an “iBooks” for subscription-based publications, this may prove to be exactly what the newspaper and magazine industries need to stay relevant in this digital age.

Reminders:
Reminders will also be making its debut as a new Apple app with the release of iOS 5. While there is nothing new about being able to set up reminders for yourself using an iPhone app, there is a cool “geo-aware” feature. Essentially you are able to specify a location-based reminder that can remind you of something as you either arrive or leave a location. For example, you could have your phone remind you to call your wife when you leave the office. The Reminders app is also able to sync with both iCal and Outlook.

Safari:
Aside from Twitter integration, Safari has also received some updates. Tabbed browsing is a welcome addition, which will make it much easier to switch windows on devices such as the iPad. There is also a new feature called “Reader” which lets the user view website content without all of the surrounding clutter with the push of a button. If you find an article you’d like to come back to later you can now add it to your “reading list.”

Twitter:
It seems like everything has some form of Twitter integration these days. Recognizing this, Apple has added Twitter support as part of the OS. Apps will still need to request access to your Twitter account, but now you never have to enter your username and password again. The ability to tweet has also been added to many of Apple’s native applications, including Safari and Photos.

We’re sure there are many more updates includes in iOS 5, but hopefully some of the ones above have piqued your interest, as Apple continues to be a driving force in the mobile industry.

Now in the App Store!

As one of the largest urban parks in the U.S., it only seemed fitting for Forest Park to have its own app devoted to its rich history, cultural significance, and beautifully natural surroundings.

Forest Park attracts nearly 12 million visitors each year, with its many roads and trails, an estimated 18,000 trees and numerous cultural institutions. This convenient and well-designed app makes spending a day in Forest Park, a literal walk in the park.  The interactive Forest Park map is a great guide for new and old visitors to:

• Locate and learn about park attractions.
• Navigate your way via streets, walkways and bike paths.
• Find the nearest public restroom, restaurant or information center.

Plus, 20% of app sale proceeds will be generously donated to Forest Park Forever, the organization leading the mission to “restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park.”

For the love of the Park, we encourage you to buy the app and help support Forest Park!

Follow Forest Park on Twitter

Join in the conversation on Facebook.

With the recent announcement of the iPhone 4 release this Friday, iPhone apps are continuing to grow in popularity. Our latest app, Saturate, was recently approved for distribution in the iTunes App store.

This free app is a color picker placing the world of color in your hands. Saturate opens the door to infinite color possibilities for everyone.

How exactly does it work?

• Use the sliders to pinpoint exact color values.
• Convert colors from RGB to CMYK to Hex color modes.
• Manage and organize your color palette with ease.
• Shake Saturate to create random color fun.

How will you use it?

• Choosing invitations, decorations, flowers, etc. for your next theme or holiday event.
• Finding the perfect hue to complement your rug while at the paint store.
• Trying to find an exact color match for an outfit.
• Creating business collateral for your friend’s side business.

However you choose to color your world with Saturate, this is the one color swatch you’ll never lose and it’s always readily available.

And best of all – it’s available in the iTunes App Store for free. Download it today!

By 2020, the mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world.(1)   Therefore, it is our job to ask… Are you ready?

Ebay, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook are.  These brands, among others, have gone mobile, providing scaled-back, quickly loading versions of their web sites ideal for access on handheld devices and mobile phones. These web sites are smaller, single-screen and stripped of unnecessary graphics and other site elements (javascript, cookies), built with the functionality to accommodate the site visitor on the go.  Whether in the car, airport parking lot, produce department or on the beach, people are seeking and expecting… thoughtfully designed MOBILE SITES.

Mobile sites are becoming more and more difficult to live without, as more and more people are accessing the Internet from their mobile devices.  In the mobile world, you must be present, be brief and be easy-to-use, or you will miss out on visitors that are on foot, motivated and plentiful.  Without a mobile site, the world can’t easily reach you outside their home or office.  In a highly mobile and interactive world, is that the inconvenient message you want to send?

Newer mobile phones and mobile providers have also grown smarter, and able to overcome many of the restrictions that initially came with the mobile territory: small screen size, absence of mouse-like cursor, slow speed and connectivity problems, etc.  Many of these phones have also become cheaper (BOOYAH! The iPhone is now $99), making them more accessible to a larger group of people that will be browsing the mobile world in no time.

So why go mobile?

1.    Provide access
2.    Demonstrate personal connectedness
3.    Endorse innovation
4.    Spend minimal marketing dollars
5.    Benefit from the web’s organic nature
6.    Calling 411 is so ten years ago

You don’t have to be Facebook or Orbitz to need a mobile site either.  For example, if a client is in route to your office and needs the address and directions, how will they find them?  If a prospect needs to access your contact info as they step off a plane to call you, how will they find your number?  Or if a customer needs to do a quick price check on an item as they stand in another store, how will they do so?

The answer is through a MOBILE SITE.  Whether you are Google or Joe’s Hardware, the future of the web is proving: the more (mobile), the merrier.

(1)Pew Internet & American Life Project