iPhones and iOS5 Upgrades

This tip is provided by Diane Ebersole with the State Bar of Michigan.

New iPhone – Worth the Investment?
Are you thinking about upgrading to a new iPhone 4S? Check out this post by Jeff Richardson, author of the iPhone J.D. Blog. The post “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” not only provides you with Jeff’s insights, but also provides links to over a dozen additional reviews of the iPhone 4S. A word of caution: Don’t read these reviews if you think you will be dissuaded from ordering the new phone. It is likely that you will be queuing up online or at a store after reading these enthusiastic reviews.
 
Should You Upgrade the Operating System?
If you noticed the buzz about the latest operating system iOS5 for your iPhone 3GS, 4, iPad or iPad 2 and wonder if it is worth the trouble to download and install it, once you read this post “E-mail Improvements in iOS5” you will be sold on the system for the e-mail enhancements alone.
 
Michigan attorney, Scott Bassett, shared a note he wrote on the same subjects which provides some great additional info. Thank you Scott!
 
For those of you who with iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch devices new enough to accept the iOS 5 update (iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2. iPad, iPod Touch 4G, iPod Touch 3G), but have not been able to download the update file using the standard method in iTunes, try doing it outside of iTunes with a direct download. There are instructions and direct download links at the site below:
http://gizmodo.com/5849295/how-to-fix-the-ios-5-update-error-3200-updated

(If following the instructions at the link above, remember that it is Shift>Restore instead of Option>Restore if using a Windows PC.)

Note that the direct download links will only get you the update file more quickly. You will still need to connect to Apple's servers to authenticate the update after it is installed.

Plus, here is a useful update and getting started guide:
http://gizmodo.com/5849160/the-complete-guide-to-updating-to-ios-5

One of the nice new features of iOS 5 is that your device will now be completely independent of your Mac or PC.