iOS 8 Review: 5 Best New Features

Sky's the limit for Apple Inc. when it comes to upgrading the operating system for its mobile devices. The giant multinational company recently unveiled iOS 8, the world's most advanced mobile operating system.

In its website (www.apple.com), Apple described iOS 8 as "the foundation of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch." Indeed, iOS 8 is Apple's biggest release since the launch of the App Store.

Alina Lewis , a reviewer at tech.firstpost.com, noted that Apple stuffed the system with so many updates that a user would spend the next weeks just trying to discover the new features after completing the download.

Not all the updates are useful, Lewis said. Some are unnecessary while others are simply difficult to use, she added.

On the plus side, Lewis said important smartphone functions have become more accessible with iOS 8.

"Users no longer had to dig too deep inside menus to turn the Bluetooth on or reduce the screen's brightness," she said. "The Control Center brought together connectivity toggles, playback controls and screen brightness into one place with a swipe, while the Notification Center showed you the latest notifications from apps, emails, calendar updates and phone contacts by swiping down from the top of the screen."

Users can also reply to text messages directly from the notification screen with Apple's introduction of widgets in its Notification Center. Although widgets have long existed on Android, they have just been introduced to iOS devices.

Users can choose from a range of widgets from the App Store, including calculators, language translation widgets, Dropbox and some games, which appear on the Notification Center.

With iOS 8, Apple users can now send voice clips other than photos and text. However, voice clips can only be sent through iMessages, which means only fellow Apple users can receive them.

The iOS 8 camera is also a wonder to behold with its new fine-tuning options. Users can now adjust the exposure, brightness, contrast, shadows, etc. They can search for photos within albums and use the new Time-lapse mode.

Users can now take a series of selfies since the front-facing camera now has a burst mode. It also has a timer so that users have enough time to make their desired facial expressions before taking the shot or shots.

Overall, Lewis said, the iOS 8 "feels slicker to use and, though not in a big way, it does enhance the way you use your iPhone or iPad."