Another new feature I like is that some of the information about traffic is crowd-sourced from other iPhones in the area. As noted earlier, when there's congestion, Maps can suggest alternate routes if one is available.

Despite these advances, there are some disadvantages to Maps. For one, it requires a network connection. And since Maps doesn't cache data, if you lose your data connection, Maps won't redraw.

As I noted , the addition of Siri-activated voice navigation could spell trouble for GPS makers -- except for those Apple partnered with for this venture, . While Maps isn't perfect, it's pretty good and getting better, and the addition of voice-guided navigation is a real plus for users, if not for the bottom lines of Garmin and other GPS companies.

The best addition to the Photos app is the new feature, Shared Photo Streams, which is really just a quick and easy way to share photos with specified people. Each person is notified when photos are added to the Streams they've subscribed to, and from there they can Like and comment on pictures. Think of it as a super-exclusive photo-based social network that's ideal for sharing photos among friends and family. I'll be using it often.