If you have been following along with WWDC 2011 and all of the iOS 5 news, you already know that apple’s newest release of iOS is currently in beta form. Steven Chi, a reviewer from the member of the Redmond Pie family, got his hands on iOS 5 and put together a video showcasing iMessage, one of the major new features in iOS 5, which overall went pretty smooth. The video might show you a few things you might not yet know; for example, iMessage is actually integrated into the iOS messages app, meaning it will automatically switch to SMS mode, which looks and feels identically if the recipient doesn’t have iMessage active. Once you are chatting with your iMessage friends, you can send them text, pictures, and even videos on the fly, even if you are in a group conversation. There is also a FaceTime tab if you want to switch to video chat. As expected, the iMessage client is now the gold-standard instant messaging client for iOS, with integration with the Address Book and the new notifications system. Multi-person chats also work extremely smooth considering that this is the first beta. Those who have used other messaging apps in the past, such as IM+, will notice many similarities as well, such as the way different conversations are listed and easily accessible: Since iMessage is integrated into the Messages app, configuring it is just as simple as heading to System Preferences and choosing “Messages.” From there, it is easy to assign different caller ID’s and e-mail addresses to iMessage – a one step process. People are wondering if it should replace your current messaging client on iOS? If you have friends on other services such as WhatsApp, AIM, or Windows Lives; chances are it shouldn’t. Similar to BBM, this is meant for conversations between iOS users only and while it is easy, it’s not going to give you access to anyone outside the iOS umbrella. Unless you manage to get everyone you know to switch to iOS, this is not a practical solution. Other companies have tried a similar approach to instant messaging. RIM, the markers of the once-exciting BlackBerry phones, has BBM, which allows for communications between BlackBerry users.  iOS 5 was introduced on Monday at WWDC 2011, on the same day the first beta version was issues to registered Apple developers. The final version is said to be coming out this fall. Stay tuned for more news and info on this topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. Authors: