Apple's new iOS 6 is an exciting new frontier for iPhone owners. No, the company didn't introduce widgets, or a new launcher, or even a new way to multitask. What the company did do, however, is introduce a more capable Siri, FaceTime over 3G, new Maps, better Mail and a host of other, smaller refinements. iOS 6 is without a doubt an evolution, and not a revolution, as has been the case for the past few years. But the experience is still one of the best on the market, even if other competitors are ahead in the mobile game.

Smarter Siri

Siri is now capable of tasks beyond setting alarms and reminders, or texting mom or dad. Finally, Apple's voice assistant can do things like find scores to the baseball game, make restaurant reservations and look up movie times. These are simple tasks for you and I to perform, yes, but having a digital entity do it for you is pretty darn convenient. She acted up a bit in our brief iOS 6 testing, however; when asked about the Thunder vs. Heat game, Siri gave us a week old Celtics score. Twice. Does the Apple camp secretly have a vendetta against the east coast team? Still, she excelled when asking player stats and team schedules. That right there is a dream come true for those who participate in fantasy sports.

Facebook Integration

Ugh, finally. Now the world's biggest social network is deeply integrated into the market's most accessible mobile OS. It was only a matter of time after Twitter was engulfed by the Cupertino machine. Now, just like Twitter, you can directly link your iOS device to your Facebook account — and sync up your contact list — making sharing that much easier. What's really great is that you can do so right from Camera or Photos, and other apps like Maps, Game Center, and Notification Center. If you want even more convenience, you can have Siri update your status for you. "I am using iOS 6."

VIP Email

Who in your life is a VIP? In iOS 6, you can easily set a VIP Mail list so important message aren't missed. Stuff from your boss, husband/wife or best friend studying abroad, and since VIP inbox is iCloud enabled, everything will be in sync across your iOS devices.

We've had a few good days of alone time with Apple's new magnum opus, and we have to say that iOS 6 has thus far been pretty solid — no hiccups or crashes. All of the additions are smart, and definitely makes the experience even easier. We're very interested to see just how useful (new) Siri will be after more extended use along with the company's new Passbook app. Obviously this is just a beta, and we only highlighted a few new features, but so far we really like where Apple is headed.

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