The long-awaited iOS software update that brings the iPhone's multitasking capabilities to the iPad was slated to arrive Monday, along with a bonus: free use of Apple's gadget-tracking "Find my iPhone" feature.
iOS 4.2 finally brings the iPad up to par with the iPhone and iPod Touch, which both got the ability to switch between third-party applications this past summer.
The update also adds application folders, a unified email inbox, threaded messaging, and TV rentals from iTunes to the iPad's litany of features, along with support for Game Center, Apple's social-gaming platform.
The iPhone and iPod Touch already got Game Center support, TV rentals, HDR photography (for the iPhone 4) and the ability to upload HD video to YouTube and MobileMe in the iOS 4.1 update back in September, while multitasking, folders, and the unified inbox arrived in iOS 4.0.
The iPad had been left behind with iOS 3.2.2 ? until now, at least. After the iOS 4.2 update, the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch will be on a level playing field, Apple promises.
In addition to bringing the iPad up to speed with Apple's other iOS devices, the new software update adds several new features ? most notably AirPlay, which lets you stream videos, music, and photos to the new Apple TV, or stream audio to AirPort Express-connected speakers or third-party systems with AirPlay support, and AirPrint for wireless printing.
Besides the release of iOS 4.2 (which is reportedly set to go live on Apple's servers at 10 a.m. PT), Apple also announced that Find My iPhone ? a key feature of the $99-a-year MobileMe service ? will now be free for any iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad running on iOS 4.2.
Find My iPhone lets you track a lost iOS device using the Find My iPhone app or on the MobileMe website. A map shows you the approximate location of your wayward gadget, and you can also sound an alarm, send a message (like "Lost!" and your phone number) to the screen, or even remotely lock or wipe your missing device. (My wife and I recently used Find My iPhone after she lost her iPhone 3GS in a cab ? and yes, she got it back.)
In the fine print of its iOS 4.2 webpage, Apple says that you must first activate Find My iPhone on an iPhone 4, iPad, or fourth-generation iPod Touch to get free access to the service. Once that's done, you can use your ID and password to enable Find My iPhone on older-generation iPhones and iPod Touches that support iOS 4.2.
To get the iOS 4.2 update, connect your iPhone, iPad, or Touch to your system, fire up iTunes, select your device in the iTunes interface, and click the Check for Update button; a pop-up should appear prompting you to install the update. (If it doesn't, try again later in the day.)
? Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.
miranda lambert if i were a boy cma awards 2010 carrie underwood wedding
No comments:
Post a Comment