If you don’t have the means to buy the new iPhone 4S or you have no plans of replacing your iPhone at the moment, Apple users won’t be completely left in the dark as they can upgrade their devices for free with the new iOS 5.  The new iOS is set to be released today, two days ahead of the iPhone 4S.

The new iOS 5 has over 200 new features that Apple users can enjoy.  There’s the new Notification Center where updates, messages and e-mails appear and can be accessed, even if the device is locked.  Also, the notifications appear on a notification bar at the top of the screen (Android style), so it doesn’t cause distractions anymore, and notifications are viewed in just one-swipe.  It will also come with Newsstand, a feature that organizes your reading apps in one place.

Next up is Reminders, a mash-up of your calendar and to-do-lists.  And the iOS 5 is now Twitter integrated for easy content-sharing across your favorite microblog.  The camera upgrade now allows users to access the camera quickly even if the screen is locked, so you won’t miss those picture-perfect moments anymore.  Photo enhancements were also upgraded in the new OS, so photo editing is as quick and easy as taking the photo.  Safari now offers better browsing features with the Safari Reader and Reading List, and because the iOS 5 is cloud-based, you don’t have to connect your device to a computer to upgrade or sync you device.

Of course, we can’t forget the iMessage and iCloud capabilities.  Expectations around these last two features are high, considering Apple’s efforts towards software-enhancement of its devices, and goals for stepping up its game amidst encroaching Android smartphones.

Though the iOS 5 hasn’t officially launched yet, there’s already a program that can jailbreak iPhone 4S and Apple devices that upgraded their OS to iOS 5.  The jailbreak program is dubbed Redsn0w (updated version 0.9.9b2), and makers were able to adopt the cloud integration of the iOS 5, as the program does not require to be connected to a computer to be installed.