With iOS 8, Apple has added a number of new features to its mobile operating system. Recently, we listed out the best iOS 8 features and today, we’ll be detailing the various additions and enhancements that have been made to the photos and camera apps.

Though not huge, but numerous tiny tweaks and utilities have been added in iOS 8 to improve the photography experience for users.

New Camera Features in iOS 8

Time-lapse mode

A new camera mode called Time-lapse lets you capture long sequence of video like sunset, a busy city street or a person eating food. To use it, swipe the camera app screen and navigate to the Time-lapse mode. Simply press the red button and the camera will start recording the scene. Once you’re done, stop the recording and the camera app will present to you a Time-lapse video. For easy access to your recorded Time-lapses, they are stored in an album called Time-lapse.

Separate Focus & Exposure Controls

Until now, tapping an object on the screen allowed ios users to set both the focus and exposure for that particular shot, but in no way was It possible to adjust these two aspects separately. With iOS 8, Apple has added the ability to individually tweak these two settings.

To set the focus, tap on an object like usual. Once the focus is set, you’ll notice a brightness scale near the focus square. Sliding it will adjust the exposure.

Selfie Timer

For all us selfie addicts, iOS 8 camera app brings a pretty sweet feature – a selfie timer. You can set a 3 or 10 second timer by tapping on the clock icon in the camera app. Additionally, if you’re an iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus user, selfie timer will make the camera click a 10-image burst shot, letting you choose the perfect selfie.

New Photo Editing Features in iOS 8

Filters & Extensions

The filters in the photos app are now not just limited to the ones provided by Apple. Using extensions, you can use the filters available in your favourite photo editing apps right within the photos app. Apps like VSCO Cam and Aviary can lend their filters to the photos app, so that you can edit your photos without having to specially open up these apps.

Smart Adjustments

The default photo editor in iOS 8 is much more powerful now and lets you tweak three aspects of a photograph: Light, Colour & B&W. Just move the “smart slider” to alter the image and the system in the background will automatically adjust value like brightness, shadows, highlights, exposure and contrast. You can even manually edit these settings. Besides this, you can also straighten horizon and adjust angles.

Hide Images and Videos From Photos App

You can now hide your nasty photos and videos from the photos app by simply tapping and holding onto them and selecting ‘hide’. Though the photo will be hidden, but beware that it will still be visible in an album called ‘hidden’.

Recover Deleted Photos

When you delete a photo or video in iOS 8, an album called “Recently Deleted” is created. Under this album, each item has a badge which displays the number of days after which it will be permanently deleted. You can recover your accidentally deleted photos from here or delete the images and videos, if not needed.

Photo Search

A search button has been added to the photos app that allows you to find photos based on time, date, location or album name. The app also presents you with suggestions while you type and even displays your recent searches, making the whole search process quicker.

Last year Apple made huge changes to the iOS interface when it brought out iOS 7. Replacing the traditional skeuomorphism design that users had been accustomed to since the inception of iOS, Apple made way for a flatter, brighter interface. Since design was the focus point last year, this year’s iOS update, the iOS 8, is more about features and enhancements and under the hood changes.

At the first glance, iOS 8 looks exactly similar to the last year’s mobile software update, making users wonder – what’s new in iOS 8? Actually, it’s only when you delve deeper into the software that you start noticing the enhancements Apple has made to the software. Among a number of tweaks added to iOS 8, we pick the best 5 of the lot.

A quick look at the 5 Best Features of Apple iOS 8

1. Interactive Notifications

2. Custom Keyboards

3. Battery Monitoring for Apps

4. Smarter Spotlight

5. Extensions

Now let’s get to know more about these features:

Interactive Notifications

In the previous version of iOS, there was only one way to interact with a notification: tap on it and it’ll open up the respective app. With iOS 8, notifications are way more than just pop-up banners. Pulling down a notification pop-up allows you to interact with it, without opening the app and leaving what you’re doing. Say for instance, dragging down a text message notification lets you quick reply to a message right from there. In the same way, you can also respond to Emails, calendar invitations, reminders, Facebook and Twitter notifications and much more.

Install Custom Keyboards

This is one feature which people have been desperately waiting for. With iOS 8, you’re longer restricted to the default Apple keyboard and can instead install a variety of third party keyboards available on the App store. Popular keyboards like Swype and SwiftKey provide users with a new typing experience and let them swipe their fingers across the keyboard to input text. In case you do not wish to install a custom keyboard, Apple has improved the existing built-in keyboard by adding predictive text, which offers word suggestions as you start typing.

Battery Monitoring for Apps

Battery has always been a concern for Apple users, especially for power users. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could know how much battery each of your installed apps consume? iOS does exactly that and provides users with a percentage breakdown of the battery sucked by their apps. You can access this information by going to General > Usage > Battery Usage. This tiny utility can help you identify your battery hogging apps and allow you to restrict their use and also delete the unwanted ones.

Smarter Spotlight

Swipe down the home screen and up comes Spotlight, Apple’s search tool. With iOS 8, Spotlight’s capabilities have been significantly upgraded, making it much smarter. Apart from searching your device, Spotlight can now pull information from Wikipedia, show you nearby restaurants, knows what topics are trending online and even tells you movie showtimes.

Extensions

Extensions allow an iOS app to lend its functionality to some other app or to the iOS operation system. For instance, an extension can enable you to translate the language of a web page right inside Safari, or you can use the filters of a photo editing app in the photos app itself, without having to open up the main app. Extensions are a great way to share functionality and allow users ease of access.

So you liked the Jellybean lockscreen on your friend’s Android device but you own an iPhone? Doesn’t matter! You can get the Jellybean lockscreen on your iPhone as well. All you need is a jailbroken iPhone and the rest of the process is just a breeze. If your iPhone is not jailbroken, you can follow this guide on how to jailbreak your iPhone.

This Cydia tweak, which goes by the name Jellylock, attempts to replicate the Android Jellybean lockscreen experience on the iPhone. It gives your lockscreen a pretty slick look and is a nice change from the default iPhone lockscreen (YawN!). Just like the Android version, Jellylock allows you to place app shorcuts on the lockscreen. You have the option to place upto 6 app shortcuts, which can be chosen from the Jellylock settings menu.

Apart from the app shorcuts, there’s another handy feature to this lockscreen. With Jellylock, you can invoke your personal assistant from the lockscreen as well and it doesn’t necessarily have to be Siri, you can choose Google Now too. Concerned about someone misusing it? Don’t worry, the control to bring up the assistant is hidden. Right beneath the normal lock, an invisible lock is placed, which reveals the ability to launch an assistant. Tap below the normal lock and drag it to Siri/Google Now button and your assistant will come up.

You can download Jellylock from the Cydia store for free.

Finally! After such a long wait, a group of hackers who go by the name Evad3rs, have released the first usable, untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini. With iOS 6, Apple greatly enhanced the security of the new OS and hence made jailbreaking a pain in the A. Hackers have been working really hard during the past few months, trying to figure out ways to jailbreak the new iPhone and iOS 6. Now the wait has finally ended and what we have before us is a fully working iOS 6.1 untethered jailbreak. And as always, it’s absolutely free.

The jailbreaking software, named Evasi0n, allows you to jailbreak any iOS device running iOS 6 – iOS 6.1, with the exception of Apple TV (3rd generation). Evasi0n is available for download on all the platforms, ie. Windows, Mac and Linux. The following is a list of devices supported by Evasi0n:

iPhone 5

iPhone 4S

iPhone 4

iPhone 3GS

iPad 4

iPad 3

iPad 2

iPad mini

iPod touch 5

iPod touch 4

Apple TV 2

Before you begin, make sure that your iDevice is atleast running iOS 6. It’s better that you update to iOS 6.1 because the new update brings certain enhancements and bug fixes. You can also update your iDevice Over-The-Air (OTA) and then jailbreak it. I just updated my iPad 3 OTA to iOS 6.1 and jailbroke it using Evasi0n. I personally didn’t experience any complications during the process. But if you go by Planetbeing, a member of the Evad3rs group, a clean restore should be made, if possible.

The best way to prepare and perform the iOS 6 jailbreak is as follows:

1. Make sure you’ve backed up your iDevice using iTunes. This is a must to avoid any data loss.

2. Do a Restore using iTunes. Don’t Update, go for the Restore.

3. Once iTunes is done restoring your Apple device, the setup screen will appear on YOUR DEVICE. From there, select “Set up as new device”. DO NOT select “Set up as new iPhone/iPad” or “Restore from backup” on iTunes yet. Quit iTunes.

4. Now download the Evasi0n jailbreak tool.

5. Extract it and run it. As you can see above, your iDevice must not have a passcode as it can cause complications during the jailbreak process, hence you need to remove it before you begin. Click on the ‘Jailbreak’ button and the process should begin. It’s a no hassles thing, no putting your device into DFU, it’s simple and clean. Just follow the instructions on the screen and you should have your iDevice jailbroken within 5 minutes.

6. Once it’s done, your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch will have Cydia installed. Open it up and allow it to “prepare the filesystem” and then wait for it to respring your iDevice.

7. Start iTunes again and select “Restore from backup” option so as to get all your stuff back.

Following these steps will ensure that you’re able to jailbreak smoothly and without any errors.

The members of the Evad3rs group have worked really hard to bring out the Evasi0n iPhone 5 and iOS 6.1 untethered jailbreak. If you wish, you can donate to these genious minds through your Paypal account, details of which can be seen at their official website.

So it had only been a week since I had got myself a shiny new iPhone 5, and to my horror, I accidentally dropped it. The result – I managed to crack 3 corners of my new phone. It’s the worst feeling when you damage a new gadget. The  first thing to do after purchasing a new gizmo should be to get a protective casing/cover. Though I got a lil late in getting one, I finally treated my iPhone 5 to the Spigen SGP Neo Hybrid EX case.

The Spigen SGP Neo Hybrid EX for the iPhone 5 is basically a bumper case. What this means is that even with this case on, you’re still able to view the gorgeous back of the iPhone 5. The Spigen Neo offers good protection and has an anti-shock layer as well. The case snugs to the phone nicely and doesn’t put on too much weight. Though it does add some width, holding the phone doesn’t seem uncomfortable.

The case is well built for the iPhone 5. You’ll experience no problem pressing the power or the volume  buttons. The only issue is that though you’re able to plug-in the headphone jack easily, the same is not possible for an aux cable. The hole in the casing is too small to plug-in an aux cable. That being said, there’s no other design problem as such.

This Spigen iPhone 5 case comes in 2 colours – White and Yellow/Black. I got the white one for my white iPhone 5. It’s a simple white bumper case, nothing flashy or trendy, just something decent and sober. On the other hand, the yellow/black one looks a little trendier, but will suit the black version of the phone.

Also included in the bundle is an ultra clear screen protector and a 3 piece back protective film. There are also three different home button protectors: white, black and orange, to allow for customization. So it’s a complete protection package.

Available for $30.99, this bumper case is a little pricey for sure, but if you’re someone who doesn’t mind spending a few extra bucks, or if you want the Spigen quality and brand name and the bundled protectors, this is the thing for you.

Get this iPhone 5 case and more such accessories at MobileFun.com.

If you’re an iOS 6 user, here’s a big reason to cheer – Google Maps are back! Google just released the Google Maps app on the Apple App Store, giving iPhone users their favourite navigation service back. With iOS 6, Apple ditched Google Maps in favour of it’s own mapping system. While the maps gave users turn-by-turn navigation, the half-baked offering left users frustrated. The availability of Google Maps for iOS will also come as a surpise to many as there were reports of Google denying the development of the maps app for iOS.

The Google Maps app for iOS has all the features you’d expect – turn-by-turn navigation, Street View service, public transit directions. The major addition this time is the voice-based, turn-by-turn navigation, which Google has never provided on the iOS. Now you will also be able to access live traffic information from across the world.

With this update, Google has also released its own Maps SDK. This is a very interesting development since it will allow iOS developers to feature Google Maps in their apps instead of the default Apple maps. Developers can also link their apps to the Google Maps iOS app.

I used the maps briefly and they sure look pretty. With voice guided navigation, Street View and most importantly, the Google Maps precision, a lot of iOS 6 users would be happy to switch over from the crappy Apple maps, unless Apple quickly addresses the issues present in its own service.

The new Google Maps app is now available on the App Store for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd 4th and 5th generation) and iPad.

Excited much? Download the Google Maps app now.

Here’s what Google has to say about the Maps app –

Navigate your world with Google Maps, now available for iPhone. Get comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps with built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, Street View and more. Use Google Maps to discover great places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and reviews from people you trust. Sign in to save your favorite places and quickly access all your past searches and directions from your computer, right on your phone.

Search

* Find addresses, places and businesses around the world with Google local search.

* Discover places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and local reviews.

* Sign in to sync your searches, directions, and favorite places between your computer and your phone.

Directions

* Get voice guided, turn-by-turn driving directions.

* Find your way by train, bus, subway or walking directions.

* Access live traffic information in cities across the world.

Street View and imagery

* View 360-degree panoramas of places around the globe with Street View.

* See inside more than 100,000 businesses worldwide.

* View high resolution satellite imagery of locations around the world.

Simple and easy to use

* An entirely new Google Maps experience on your iPhone.

* Newly designed and streamlined interface for even easier navigation of your world.

* Use gestures to explore the map and browse results.

This October,  Apple unveiled the smartphone we all had been waiting for – The iPhone 5. With a larger screen and a modified design, the iPhone 5 is Apple’s answer to Google’s ever growing Android army. I couldn’t resist the new Apple device and got myself a shiny new 32GB white iPhone 5. It’s been over a month using the latest iPhone and I feel it’s time for a review.

Design

The first thing you notice when you hold the device is that how lightweight it is. Weighing at 112 grams, the iPhone 5 is 28 grams lighter than its predecessor, the iPhone 4S (140 grams). Kudos to Apple for such a substantial reduction in the weight. Apart from being lighter, the phone looks classy and feels solid in the hand, thanks to its aluminium build.  It looks sleeker and thinner as well. The front side of the device looks more or less the same, it’s the backside that has been modified. The iPhone 5’s back is multi-shaded, ie. it has been divided into 3 parts. The top and bottom parts have the same colour (white or black) and the middle part has a different shade (light grey or dark grey). Personally I love this combination. It looks very stylish and attractive.

Screen

Hardware and Performance

Camera

Our favourite VOIP service just got a new update. Microsoft’s Skype just released an update to its iOS app fixing a number of bugs along with adding some new features. The refreshed version called Skype 4.2 lets iPad and iPhone users merge their Microsoft accounts with the voice calling service, allowing instant messaging and calls with Hotmail, Outlook.com and Messenger contacts directly through Skype. This makes it very convenient for a user who has contacts spread across these services. Though this feature is already available in the Desktop and Android flavours of the app, it is only now that is has been added in the iOS version of Skype as well.

Apart from this, the update also brings IM editing via tapping and holding on text. Animated smileys with support for Retina displays have also been added, so you can show your happiness to all your merged contacts. In short the update has made the Skype experience on iOS even better.

In short, new features in Skype 4.2:

• Chat with Hotmail, Outlook.com and Messenger contacts.
• Edit instant messages by tapping and holding them.
• Animated Emoticons with Retina support.
• Edit saved phone numbers from the dial pad itself.

Download the Skype app from the Apple App Store.

This year, Apple launched the 7th Generation Colorful iPod Nano for all the music lovers. Actually this latest iDevice has not only incorporated all the features of its predecessors, but has also added many new features. Let me tell you what is different in the latest version of iPod Nano.

• Bigger Display: It’s time to smile as Apple has stretched the display to give a larger view to the users. Now watching the videos would be an

ultimate fun for you.

• Physical Buttons: Whenever I use my fifth generation Apple iPod Nano, I wish I could have some physical music control buttons. Thanks to Apple, now this latest colorful model of iPod Nano is designed with three control button, namely volume up button, volume down button and recessed playback-control button. These buttons are different from the traditional volume buttons and certainly enhance the experience. Another noteworthy addition is the home button which many users have been longing for.

• Improved Multi-touch: Though previous generation had the multi-touch feature yet it was not as smooth and enjoyable as the one in the latest 7th Generation iPod Nano. The bigger screen just adds to the experience and makes the multi-touch much more usable.

• Video is Back: Apple understands the demands of its customers and therefore, it has equipped this new version again with the video feature. Play the latest  Hollywood movies of your choice or stream YouTube videos, your iPod Nano won’t say no to you.

• Bluetooth: Every tech lover wants to go wireless and therefore, Apple has

combined this latest iPod Nano with Bluetooth technology. Now you can listen

to music through your Bluetooth enabled earphones.

The 7th Generation iPod Nano is available in six fabulous colors. It is priced at $149.

Hot Deal: Get iPod Nano 7th Generation at a great price.

Finally it’s official! After months of speculation, Apple has finally unveiled the latest iPhone – the iPhone 5. The main noticeable thing is the bigger screen – the new iPhone boasts of a 4 inch screen. iPhone 5 is made entirely of glass and aluminum. According to Apple, it is the world’s thinnest smartphone. It is 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S and 20% lighter too. The 4 inch screen on the iPhone 5 has a 1136 x 640 screen resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and a 326 PPI Retina display. The display is not just good on paper, it actually looks better and has 44% more colour saturation and better shades and reflections. Since the new iPhone has a bigger and longer display, it has 5 rows of icons instead of 4. Apple has updated all their apps for the new display. A 3rd party app that has not been updated, will be displayed with borders on each side, thus retaining it’s graphics.

Talking about the processor, the iPhone 5 will come with an Apple A6 chip which will be 2 times faster than the A5 chip. That means 2X faster CPU and 2X faster graphics. As regards to the wireless connectivity, there’s LTE on board now. Apple has also added HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. There is now a single chip for voice and data.

The iPhone 5 has an 8 megapixel camera with the ability to capture at 3264X2448. There is a dynamic low light mode, precision lens alignment and a new Sapphire crystal lens.The camera captures photographs 40% faster! Apple has also added a Panorama mode which lets you create seamless transitions between photos. There’s 1080p video capture now, plus the FaceTime camera is HD as well (720p).

The audio system has also been enhanced. Now there are 3 microphones – bottom, front, and back. The speaker design has also been improved and is now 20% smaller. Noise cancellation is also pretty effective.

The 30 pin connector that’s been there for such a long time has finally been replaced with a new connector, called Lightning. It has an all- digital, 8 signal design. What makes it better is that it’s reversible and easier to use and is 80% smaller. Worried about all your accessories going waste? Don’t worry as Apple has an adapter for you that’ll let you connect all your old accessories to the Lighning port.

With all these improvements, Apple claims that the battery life is even better than the iPhone 4S. At the software end, iPhone 5 will obviously come with iOS 6. One of the main attractions is the new map service. It has turn by turn navigation, there’s a cinematic camera angle to fly you around. There’s a very impressive 3D mode as well. Another enhancement in iOS 6 is that you can tap in the notification center to tweet or post to FaceBook. Safari will come with a full screen mode in iOS 6. Getting to Siri, it now possess knowledge about movies too. So you can ask Siri to recommend you a movie. You can find restaurants with the help of Siri and even post to your FaceBook wall.

The iPhone 5 will come in both black and white. Incredibly, the price for the iPhone 5 is the same as that for the iPhone 4S – $199 $299, $399 (on contract). Preorders start September 14th and shipment starts September 21st. Ships to more contries on the 28th. iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, and iPad 2 owners will be able to upgrade to iOS 6 on September 19th.

Apple has proved it yet again – the iPhone 5 is a marvellous piece of engineering. Apple has beefed up the specs and has still somehow managed to reduce the thickness and has made it lighter. I don’t think there’s any doubt as to why they say that – “If you don’t have an iPhone, you don’t have an iPhone”.