iOS 4.2 Released for Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

iOS 4.2 was just released by Apple so I thought I would highlight a few of the interesting features that came along with the upgrade. This is the first time that Apple's main wireless devices will share the same operating system. The iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPod can all be upgraded to iOS 4.2. Just plug in your iPod, iPod Touch or iPad into your PC or Mac and off you go. This is the only way to upgrade.

Find My iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch

Prior to this release, the only way you could find your Apple mobile device phone was to subscribe to the MobileMe service. Unfortunately, this feature is only available to iPhone 4, iPad and iPod Touch 4th Generation users only. With this service, the theory is if you lose your iPhone, for example, you can locate it and even completely wipe the device. There have been some complaints that it doesn't always work so make sure you set everything up correctly and know what to do if it happens to you.

Multi-tasking and Folders on the iPad

iPad users have been clamoring for these 2 features and now they have them. You can all rest easy tonight.

AirPrint and AirPlay

I really want to test these features for myself. AirPrint allows you to print directly to a compatible printer and AirPlay allows you to stream audio and video to something like an AppleTV or stereo.

This functionality appears to work very similar to Wi-Fi Direct. I wrote an article about Wi-Fi Direct so give it a read. Apple filed no less than 11 patents around the technology for AirPrint and AirPlay.

Best of the Rest

• You can now keep notes in different fonts.
• Improved dictionary and 30 new international keyboards.
• Text tones can indicate who is texting you without looking.
• Enhanced calendar with reply to invitations.
• Improvements in enterprise support like device management and integration.

Give iOS a try and let me know what you think.

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