Apple lived up to one of the rampant internet rumors at WWDC: iOS 6 is coming and soon. Declaring the OS has over 200 new additions, the company continued to pimp out Siri first and foremost. The virtual assistant will soon be able to deliver all sorts of new bits of info just for the asking. Sports buffs can get player stats, league info and scores out the wazoo! Besides finding restaurants, Siri is now partnering with Yelp and OpenTable to tell whether that ramen shop is any good and if so, you can make yourself and BFF a reservation.

Siri will have better functionality for the movie going crowd as well – show times, movie previews, actor info and reviews will make any late night cinema run easy as pie. Siri will also launch apps, becoming more like a real assistant with every tweak. Apple is crafting a new feature dubbed “Eyes Free”, a feature that will allow car builders to fashion a handy button on the steering wheel to access Siri instantly. iPad users will finally get Siri with iOS 6, something the tablet crowd has been crying over.

Other enhancements to the OS include a redesigned Facebook integration. Users can respond directly through the Notification Center now or fire up chatterbox Siri. Facebook has its tendrils wrapped around some apps as well, particularly iTunes and the APP Store; publishing “Likes”, shares etc. to the social network right inside the app. Events, birthdays, and calendars from Zuck’s site will latch on to the device’s calendar in iOS 6.

What else? Hit the break all….

FaceTime can now operate over cellular networks as well as WiFi, making the feature a more “mobile” experience. Plus the calls made through FaceTime can be answered on an iPad or an iMac. Whoop! The Phone app gets a few updates as well. Users ducking calls can now instantly reply to calls or set reminders – all without going into the app. “Do Not Disturb” will quiet calls and notifications at designated times and will be able to allow certain contacts to buzz through.

How about Mobile Safari? It now plays nice with iCloud tabs and lists, will sync across all iOS and OS X 10.8+ devices. Photostream will now allow peeps to share all those pics from their Napa Valley vacation with friends in just two easy steps. Mail gets classy with a VIP feature, contacts on the list will have special notifications and their own snazzy mailbox.

Apple dropped a new app for the masses to gobble up – Passbook. The app will hold all all manner of tickets, passes and store loyalty cards. Give it all the necessary info and you can kiss all those plastic keychain cards goodbye! The app will even know when you’re at these places, pull up the relevant card and put it up over the lock screen.

iOS 6 sees Apple kicking Google Maps to the curb for their own app. The “Mapple” app will be everything users are used to with the addition of Siri to bark at. The app will also have a 3D mapping feature, using tons of Apple captured images from planes, trains and automobiles. Okay actually just cars and helicopters but you never know in the future.

Developers will be able to get their hands on the iOS 6 beta next week with a fall release scheduled for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches in a tiered release. What say you  geeks? Win or Fail? Comment, comment, comment!

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• Apple WWDC Live Blog: iOS 6 And More – InformationWeek(informationweek.com)

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