Review: Apple iPhone 5 for AT&T
The iPhone 5 runs iOS 6. For a full run down of all the new features in iOS 6, see Phone Scoop's separate review of iOS here.
iOS 6, on a base level, performs just the same as every other version of iOS since 2007. The home screen holds apps or folders that are arranged in a controlled grid. Aside from rearranging the order of the apps/folders on the home screens, you don't have all that much control.
The notification shade lets you quickly view your missed calls, text messages, emails, Twitter and Facebook notifications, and gobs of other incoming missives. The Notification Center gives users a modicum of control over how alerts are presented on the home screen, how many are queued in the notification shade, as well as alert sounds, whether or not they light up the lock screen, etc.
The only shortcut available on the lock screen is for the camera.
Wallpapers and ringtones, buzzers and alerts can all be configured how you want.
iOS 6 on the iPhone 5 performs like a bat out of hell. It's simply the fastest mobile OS — and fastest phone — there is. It's faster than a speeding Steve McQueen driving a Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco.
Calls and Contacts
The iOS phone app itself has barely changed over the years, and it's the same with the iPhone 5. The look of the dialpad has changed with iOS 6, that's about it.
One of the things that bugs me most is the iOS contact app. It's so visually dull. In Android and Windows Phone, the contact app offers thumbnails of your friends on the main contact screen. It adds some variety and flair. Not so with the iPhone contact app.
The list of favorites is just that, a list. Android offers tons of widgets for contacts, some of which are really useful and interactive. iOS has nothing like that. Windows Phone lets you Pin individual contacts to the home screens. You can't do that in iOS, either.
Messaging
Phone Scoop's review of iOS 6 offers a lot of insight into the new messaging features of the iPhone 5, including iMessage, Email, and Facetime. Beyond those features, the iPhone is a capable device for staying on top of all your communication needs.
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Apple iPhone 5 (Americas GSM)
Apple iPhone 5 (CDMA / global)
