In case you didn't hear, Apple has unveiled its new version of iOS - iOS5.  Apple boast that the new operating system for its iDevices has over 200 new features, one of which is allowing quick access to the camera from the lock screen.

Now this is a great idea, as it allows for faster capturing of that all important Kodak moment, however, I think there is a bit if a flaw in the UI execution.

According to feature overview, and as demonsrated in the overview video (3:10), one simple tap from the lock screen, then happy snap away.  Here's the catch in my opinion.  If I accidently tap that button in my pocket, then my camera is going to be on, and before I know it, I will be out of battery.  Anyone that owns an iPhone will know how power hungry these devices are.

Instead, why not simply slide to unlock (right to left) to get into the camera?  It's a convention that users are used to from the lock screen, plus also removes the chance of accidental activation, leading to poor battery performance.

Just a thought.

When I first saw Minority Report, I was wowed by the space-aged interface that a certain glove wearing Tom Cruise was interacting with. Yesterday, TED published a talk by John Underkoffler which was filmed earlier this year.  John was a consultant on the film, and has now actually built the interface.

As good as the iPhone is, there are still a few features missing.  One being the ability to multi-task between the plethora of apps you have installed. This video by Ocean Observation shows how they would tackle the multitasking problem, and while their solution occupies too much home screen real estate for my liking (it could hide away and only appear when user taps the home key twice),  it is definitely a feature I would use. Wonder if the folk at Apple are pondering such things?

Brand Republic today reported that TravelTainment have created a travel mash-up for MS Surface. The application plots photos of resorts on a Google map, and TravelTainment are hoping that the this interactive brochure will help transform the way holiday makers approach booking holidays. Although it's not clear from the video, it would be good if features such as retrieving user reviews from sites like tripadvisor, or location specifc information from wikitravel were also included. Interesting that the mapping technology of choice is Google maps, and not Microsoft's Bing Maps.