iOS 5.1 Update Adds 4G To AT&T iPhone 4S, Improved Battery & More

Apple has released iOS 5.1 software update today for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The update brings Japanese language support for Siri and one significant change to the iPhone 4S on AT&T. iOS 5.1 has updated AT&T network indicator to show the "4G" status symbol instead of '3G' when ever your iPhone 4S is hooked up to AT&T HSPA+ 4G network. Although you'll likely be seeing that 4G status all the time, you're internet speeds won't actually be any faster then they are now.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including: 

- Japanese language support for Siri (availability may be limited during initial rollout) 
- Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream 
- Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation) 
- Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces 
- Redesigned Camera app for iPad 
- Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers 
- Audio for TV programs and films on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer 
- Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30-second rewind for iPad 
- Addresses bugs affecting battery life 
- Fixes and issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for outgoing calls

Did You Know - Siri Works On All Current iOS 5 Devices

Apple's decision to make Siri an exclusive feature that belongs to the recently released iPhone 4S has been question quite a lot ever since Siri was announced. At first we all thought it had to be the iPhone 4S' better, faster and improved hardware, but as it turns out, people have successfully ported Siri to fully and flawlessly (with some mic hiccups on the iPod's side) work on all current iOS 5 devices including the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and the iPod Touch 4G. Jailbreaking is still required though. Here's a handy guide on how to install Siri on the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch if you're feeling adventurous, or possibly betrayed. Just goes to show you that Apple did everything to entice users to jump ship and get the iPhone 4S with its voice assistant genie. 

iOS 5 Beta 4, iTunes 10.5 Beta 4, Xcode 4.2 Seeds To Developers

Apply has released iOS 5 beta 4, iTunes 10.5 Beta 4, and the fourth preview of Xcode 4.2. iTunes 10.5 beta 4 is required to sync with this beta of iOS 5. We will keep you posted on anything new in this beta.

Apple Releases iOS 5 Beta 2: Wi-fi Syncing Included

Apple released the second beta for iOS 5 to developers recently. Below is a video highlighting the Wi-Fi sync.

Other features included in iOS 5 Beta 2

• When setting up the device, you have the option to backup to iCloud or the computer
• If there are no notifications in Notification Center, the message “No New Notifications” will appear
• By default, the Stocks Notification Center widget will be turned off

iTunes 10.3 Now Out, Re-Download All Your Purchases

Apple has released a beta version of iTunes, iTunes 10.3 featuring iCloud services that have already begun their streaming and syncing wonderness on all iOS devices inside the App Store and even on the iTunes app. iTunes 10.3 enables you to automatically re-download music, app and book purchases to all your iDevices for free. iTunes lets you access your purchase history and lets you chose whether you want to automatically download content you don't yet have on a certain device or individually. 

I was able to re-download a few songs on my MacBook Pro that I've purchased over on my MacBook Air flawlessly. The download cloud icon will appear next to a song, app or book when it isn't found on your device and enables you to re-download it, quickly and easily. To get to the "Purchased" section in order to re-download your purchases on any devices wirelessly, you need to to first download iTunes 10.3 to you Mac or PC. Once you've got it up and running, go to the iTunes Store and on the right hand side of the store you will see the "Purchased" link inside the "Quick Links" menu box.

Officially Take Pictures Using Your iPhone's Volume + Button

Apple has announced many new features today at WWDC for iOS 5, one big new feature utilizes the iPhone's volume + (up) button as a physical camera shutter button to quickly snap shots like a point-n-shot camera. 3rd party camera apps have been known to secretly add such a feature without Apple's approval and were quickly removed. Not long ago we posted about a new accessory for the iPhone 4 called the Red Pop camera grip that adds a big red camera shutter button for those who want a physical button to press. The Red Pop runs for $75 while Apple just offered a simple free software update to do just that. The iPhone's volume button certainly isn't a big juicy red button, but it will do just fine. In addition, iOS 5 will add the ability to directly access the camera app from the lock screen even if you've set a password. iOS 5 will be available this fall.