MacStories.net reported on Friday that Apple plans to release iOS 4.3, bringing AirPlay functionality to third-party applications and the new Personal Hotspot Wi-Fi tethering feature, in 10 days. Apple usually releases its iOS updates around 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern.

In the past, the website correctly predicted that Mac OS X 10.7 Lion would adopt various features and user interface elements from iOS, which powers the iPad and iPhone. But last November, the site also incorrectly reported that Apple would release iOS 4.3 in December with recurring application subscriptions.

Apple has seeded the first beta version of iOS 4.3 to developers. The iOS 4.3 beta is available in versions for iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch, as well as a separate download for the new Apple TV.

the new version now allows developers to stream video to compatible devices via AirPlay. In addtion, Configuration settings for personal hotspot functionality are indeed present in the iOS 4.3 beta, allowing up to five Wi-Fi devices to share the iPhone’s cellular data connection.

One of the most interesting new features found in the developer release of iOS 4.3 is the introduction of four and five finger gestures for the iPad.

This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad. You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the public to understand how these gestures work with your apps.

- Make Skype to Skype video calls on WiFi and 3G*
- Call Skype desktop users (Mac OS X or Windows) and other iPhone users.
- Two-way video calls supported on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4th gen.
- Receive only video supported on iPad and iPod touch 3rd gen, with no camera.
- Make video calls in portrait and landscape.
- Skype video calling requires iOS 4.0 or above.

The new video conferencing feature works between capable iOS devices as well as desktop machines. Skype is a free download on the App Store

iOS 4.2 is now available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Users should be able update their devices by connecting them to iTunes and clicking the “Check for Update” button.

iOS 4.2 brings a number of new features to Apple’s mobile devices, including AirPrint and AirPlay, as well as multitasking and features for the iPad for the first time.

For more info about iOS 4.2 , head over to Apple’s Site.

With all the hype of news from last night’s keynote, we kind of missed out noting the release of “FaceTime” for the Mac, Apple released a Beta version of the software which enables Mac users to engage FaceTime calls with iPhones, iPod Touches & macs alike over WiFi Only.

For more details on FaceTime for mac, Head over to Apple’s site.

]]> http://q8mug.com/prime/2010/10/21/1261/feed/ 0 http://q8mug.com/prime/2010/09/08/apple-releases-ios-4-1-update/ http://q8mug.com/prime/2010/09/08/apple-releases-ios-4-1-update/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:57:45 +0000 G-Funk http://q8mug.com/prime/?p=1242 Apple has released iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, available for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and second- and third-generation iPod touch models, brings several new features and fixes.

New features to iOS 4.1 include High Dynamic Range photos, HD video upload over Wi-Fi, TV show rentals, and Apple’s Game Center will make its official debut.

iOS 4.1 will be available next week for iPhone and iPod touch and will be a free update.

Jobs also revealed that iOS 4.2 will be released in November, finally bringing iOS 4.x support to the iPad. The free update will include wireless printing as well as a new feature called AirPlay, which replaces AirTunes. AirPlay will offer streaming of video, music, and photos. iOS 4.2 will be compatible with the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone.

Along with announcing iOS 4.1 and the forthcoming iOS 4.2 for the iPad, Apple announced all-new iPod models at today’s keynote event.

The new iPod shuffle will see the return of buttons and will still include the VoiceOver feature that debuted in the last Shuffle model. It also has playlists capability and will take advantage of the Genius Playlists recently introduced. It will have 15 hours of battery life and will come in 5 colors: silver, pink, gold, blue, and green. The 2 GB Shuffle will cost $49.

The iPod nano has also been updated, removing the click wheel and adding a multi-touch interface to reduce the device’s overall size. The new nano is 46% smaller than its predecessor and will have 24-hour battery life.

Finally, the next generation of the iPod touch includes the Retina Display with 324 pixels per inch that made its debut on the iPhone 4. The new iPod touch will also get Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyroscope, a rear-facing camera that can record HD video, and a front-facing camera that will work with Facetime. The iPod touch will have iOS 4.1 with Apple’s Game Center and will offer 40 hours of music playback battery life. The iPod touch will cost $229 for the 8 GB model, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64 GB.

Alongside new iPod models, Apple today introduced a new version of iTunes, dubbed iTunes 10. The new version of the media management application features a streamlined interface and a new networking feature called Ping, along with a new, more modern icon.

Ping is a social network for music that will help users discover new music, allowing users to follow favorite artists and friends. Ping will also create a custom chart showing music selections based on those followed. Users can choose to allow others to follow them automatically or by approval. There are over 160 million iTunes users, all of whom will be able to sign up for the new Ping service immediately.

As hinted early in the keynote with the mention of TV show rentals, Steve Jobs today announced the second generation of Apple TV hardware, a significant redesign for the device. At one-fourth the size of the original Apple TV, the new device features HDMI and digital audio outputs, as well as Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi and will offer only rentals from the iTunes Store.

Unlike the previous Apple TV, the new model will not have any significant internal storage, relying on streaming content only. Additionally, media can no longer be purchased but only rented. First-run HD movies can be rented for $4.99 on the day the DVD is released. Renting HD TV shows will cost $.99. At launch, only ABC and Fox will offer their HD shows for rental at this price.

For more , head over to apple’s site , and watch the entire Keynote Video as well

The reason the largest iPhone (32GB) currently has 1/2 the memory of the largest iPod touch (64GB) is that the iPhone can only house a single NAND flash chip while the iPod touch can accommodate two. The additional space in the iPhone is taken up by its communication hardware. This new advancement should allow for 64GB iPhones and 128GB iPod touches in 2010.

an iPhone radio.app is being developed in-house by Apple for use on the iPhone and iPod touch.  The app will be allowed to operate in the background like iPod.app and will offer the same functionality as the FM radio in the new iPod Nanos.  Sources mentioned that this application could also be incorporated into the iPod.app before release.

Sources : Macrumors, Engadget