Apple's iOS 5 hitting iPhones and iPads on October 12th

Apple's long-awaited iOS 5 software update will be available to download from October 12th, and will come packing over 200 new features for your shiny smartphone.

You can read our iOS 5 hands-on here.

The major additions include a brand-new notification system, a BlackBerry Messenger-esque service called iMessage, and Newsstand, a hub for all of your magazine subscriptions.

The update will bake Twitter directly into the OS, meaning you can tweet your favourite snaps straight from your iPhone's Photo app, among other handy extras.

Apple's social gaming network Game Center will also receive a much needed lick of paint, with profile photos, achievement points, and friend recommendations all joining the party.

We aren't going to list all 200 of the new features, because we'd be all day, but you'll be able to check them out for yourself from the 12th.