APPLE UNVEILS MONSTER iOS 5 UPDATE

Apple SVP of iOS Scott Forstall showed off Apple’s iOS 5 yesterday, and it’s a serious update. Over 200 new features and 1,500 new APIs, but that’s not the most exciting part. We’re talking about redone notifications with Notification Center, a place to combine all notifications; Newsstand, which will automatically download the latest issues of your favorite subscription newspaper and magazines; deep Twitter integration including a system-level sign-on, Tweeting from Photos app and Safari, Twitter contact syncing; and even tabbed-browsing in Safari.

A new app called Reminders which will issue reminders based on time and date. You can also set up a "geo-fence" to have the app remind you when you get back to a certain location, like walking the dog when you get home.

There’s also a lock screen camera shortcut added. Also, thankfully, you can finally use the volume up button as the shutter button, and Apple added an auto-focus and exposure lock, grid lines in the camera app, and editing features like crop and rotate, red eye reduction, etc.

There is now flagging support in email, rich text support, and even S/MIME support for enterprise customers. There’s a split iPad keyboard for people who like to thumb-type… it lets you place half the keyboard on the left side of the screen and the other half on the right, with an open space in the middle to see the app you’re in.

There is no longer a requirement for a PC to use an iOS device — iCloud, it is. Software updates are over the air, and even the initial device setup is done without the need for a PC.

We’ve been told one of RIM’s biggest fears is Apple launching a BlackBerry Messanger competitor, and the company are doing just that with iMessage. The service includes messages, photos, group chat, 3G and Wi-Fi support — and even compatibility with all iOS 5 devices — you can even pick up your conversation where you left off when moving from one device to another.

Almost every gripe with iOS is being addressed in a major way. Developers get iOS 5 today, customers in the Fall (obviously to time up with a new iPhone).

DEBIAN 6 "SQUEEZE" RELEASED

Debian, after 24 months of development, has released version 6.0 codenamed "Squeeze". Debian 6.0 includes the KDE Plasma Desktop and Applications, the GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE desktop environments as well as all kinds of server applications. It also features compatibility with the FHS v2.3 and software developed for version 3.2 of the LSB.

Debian can be run on nine architectures including Intel 32 and 64 bit PCs, PowerPC and Sun/Oracle SPARC.

Debian is a free operating system, developed by thousands of volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the Internet. To download Debian 6, click here.

INTEL WANTED MICROSOFT TO CREATE A TABLET OS INSTEAD OF WP7

Word out of CES is that Intel execs revealed their true feelings about Windows 7 on tablets at an event last night. Apparently, they lobbied for Microsoft to make a more tablet-friendly OS. Microsoft said no.

In addition to pushing for a new tablet os from the Redmond, Wa company, he also expressed sentiments that Microsoft is taking too long to release a tablet optimized version of Windows. According to Cnet, here's what Tom Kilroy, Senior Vice President of Marketing, had to say:

Hey, we tried to get [Microsoft] to do a tablet OS (operating system) for a long time. Us, and others like Dell," said Tom Kilroy, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group, speaking to CNET at an Intel function last night.

Looks like we're not the only ones who think full-blown Win 7 on a tablet is a bad idea. [CNet]

RUMOR: WINDOWS 8 PEEK AT CES

WinRumors is reporting that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will reveal parts of Windows 8 during tomorrow night's CES keynote, mainly related to future slates they have planned. In addition, there should be new Windows Phone and Xbox announcements.

According to WinRumors, their strategy for revealing Windows 8 will probably be similar to what they did for Windows 7, where they revealed a few UI elements at All Things D, then unveiled everything months later. And further proving that Microsoft is interested in ARM-based processors, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are all on board for Windows 8-optimized products. This also seems to be a concession of sorts by Microsoft: they're admitting that a full-blown, current-generation operating system isn't meant to run on a tablet/slate. Not yet, at least. The ARM-based version of Windows will likely be stripped down to its most elemental functions—whether that be for the living room or touch screen—and will be a very different experience from the desktop iterations. [Gizmodo]