iOS 4.3 beta is now available for download to developers. As of iOS 4.3, Apple has discontinued firmware updates for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G. iOS 4.3 also brings a lot of exciting new features fr iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Apple TV 2G.
Detailed iOS 4.3 features list after the jump…
iOS 4.3 Features List
Personal Hotspot
iOS 4.3 brings the recently rumored Personal Hotspot for GSM iPhones which turns your iPhone into a Wi-Fi router. It works over AT&T but you need to sign up for the tethering plan. [BGR]
New Multi-touch Gestures to iPad
iOS 4.3 beta 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
- Swipe left or right to switch between apps.
Update: iOS 4.3 won’t come with these gestures. These gesture would remain in dev-testing phase for now.
[Gizmodo]
AirPlay for third-party apps, Web apps
The first beta of iOS 4.3 significantly expands AirPlay functionality for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. In 4.3 beta 1, developers of third-party native iOS apps and third-party Web apps can now utilize AirPlay functionality. Before this, only native Apple applications can make use of AirPlay, which allows multimedia content to be streamed wirelessly from iOS devices and Mac computers to compatible hardware.
Safari Performance
Surf at the speed of fast. As you surf the web, your fingers will love the responsiveness of the new Nitro JavaScript engine powering Safari. It runs JavaScript up to twice as fast as in iOS 4.2.2 Which means you get more speed behind each page load. And sites with lots of interactive features can appear on your screen even faster.
iTunes Home Sharing
Share over the air. Now you can play your entire iTunes library from anywhere in the house. If it’s on your Mac or PC, you can play it on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over a shared Wi-Fi network.3 And not just music. Watch a movie or TV show. Play a podcast. Or listen to an audiobook. On whichever device you want — without having to download or sync.
New FaceTime icon
iOS 4.3 brings a redesigned FaceTime icon for iPod Touch 4G. [9to5mac]
Full Screen iAds
First beta od iOS 4.3 also brings full screen iAds banners on the iPad. “iAd full screen banners grab the attention of the user by taking advantage of the larger screen of iPad to launch an immersive interactive iAd experience. This new banner format is easy to implement.”
Configurable slide switch for iPad
iOS 4.3 lets users decide whether the hardware switch above the volume buttons on the iPad controls mute or rotation lock in Settings. [Macstories]
New Camera Effects
iSpazio found an info.plist in updated SDK that hints at some Photo Booth like new camera effects. These are the effects found in the updated SDK which could be implemented in Camera app:
- Thermal Camera
- X-ray
- Kaleidoscope
- Normal
- Tunnel of Light
- Collapse
- Turbine
- Enlarge
New Message alert settings
iOS 4.3 comes with the ability to choose how often repeat the alert (from one to 10 times).
New Keyboard Layout
iOS 4.3 includes a new, semi-transparent keyboard layout, which turns out to be even semi-transparent. The keyboard is even more responsive now.
New look for App Store Updates
iOS 4.3 also brings a new look for App Store Updates screen.
New Font
“Noteworthy”, a new font added to iPad.
HTTP Live Streaming Statistics
Added new API for AVFoundation which allows you to obtain detailed statistics on how many people are watching your videos, how long they are watching them, and performance metrics like observed bitrate and number of dropped frames.
We’ll update this post as soon as we know more. Stay Tuned!
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