iOS 5 hands on (photos)

Swiping down from the top of the screen (much like Android) will open the long-awaited new Notifications Center. You'll see a complete list of your missed calls and messages, app updates, a stock ticker, and the current weather.

Notifications also will show up on the lock screen.

The "PC Free" feature enables wireless device activations and software updates. The updates will serve only the changes, so they'll be shorter.

Thanks to the new iCloud service, you'll also be able to wirelessly sync, back up, and restore your device.

App updates will happen over the air as well. As you might have guessed, the idea is to never have you plug your device into a computer again. Or if you prefer, you won't have to own a computer at all.

iCloud also will deliver a photo stream of stored images to your device.

The iMessage app looks just like the text messaging feature.

iMessage will let you send text and multimedia messages to individuals or groups.

The option to add grid lines now appears above the HDR control, which shows a tweaked design.

After taking a photo, you can crop and rotate your image and access color correction and red-eye reduction controls.

You'll be able to post a photo to Twitter directly from the media gallery app.

And speaking of Twitter, the social network service will get tighter integration with your device. You'll be able to add a location, sync Twitter with your contacts list, and tweet directly from YouTube, Safari, and Maps.

Here's the interface when tweeting. It's user-friendly and the @ symbol is prominently surfaced.

When planning a route in Google Maps, you can select from multiple route options.

The Reader option in the Safari browser will strip down articles into a simple, easy-to-read format.

Also in Safari, you can save bookmarks for later perusal.

With this new app you can save multiple to-do lists with dates for each event and categorize reminders by location.

And once you're finished with a task you can check them off. Reminders can be shared between devices and sync with iCal on the Mac with CalDAV, and on Windows with MS Exchange.

The Newsstand app's design is similar to iBooks. You can add subscriptions from the App Store and new issues will be delivered automatically.

Thanks to the personal dictionary you can avoid future auto-correct mishaps by adding slang, acronyms, and other unrecognized words to your device's dictionary.

Get a definition by tapping unfamiliar words.

You'll then jump directly to the definition.

The Game Center gets new features like profile photos, achievement point comparison, friends of friends, recommended friends and games, and support for turn-based games.

What's more, you can buy apps directly from the app.

iOS 5 also adds new accessibility options including LED flash and custom vibration settings to let you see and feel when someone's calling.