iOS 4.3 Extending Capabilities of Your Favorite Devices

iOS 4 can be seen as a long-term investment of sorts. With the original release bringing us the long-awaited multitasking feature, later updates haven't just stuck to fixing bugs. We have steadily received a stream of awesome improvements with each new release.

iOS 4.3 is no exception here. With a few major new features, such as Home Sharing and a Personal Hotspot, 4.3 also includes some under appreciated features.

Personal Hotspot

The Personal Hotspot feature was first available with Verizon's iPhone 4 back in February and is now available for GSM iPhone 4s. This lets you share your 3G data connection through Bluetooth, USB, and Wi-Fi.

The Personal Hotspot is meant to replace the old tethering function, which was limited by its added cost and necessary removal of plan features.

Home Sharing

Home Sharing was first introduced with iTunes 9 as a way for you to play media from one computer on your network on another one. iOS 4.3 offers this feature on iPhone 4s and iPad 2s in a simple and straightforward manner.

Streaming performance is excellent, with videos and music starting almost instantly. Movies require some time to buffer before they begin playing.

Airplay

In iOS 4.3, Airplay lets your stream audio to Airport Express devices and Apple TVs directly from your iPhone 4 or iPad 2. It also gives you the ability to stream from websites, the Photos app, and many third-party apps.

The downside to Airplay is that it doesn't work immediately. Airplay video support has to be included with third-party apps in order for them to work, so expect a bunch of updates in the near future. For websites, they have to both define their videos as compatible with Airplay and format the video to something iOS devices can play.

Miscellaneous Features

Safari gets a speed boost with iOS 4.3 due to the use of the Nitro engine found in the OSX version. According to the SunSpider test, iPads and iPhones running 4.3 show speeds in Safari over twice as much as the same devices running 4.2.

New parental control options are available, such as the ability to lock Location Services, a feature previously only able to be disabled. Other options include disabling iTune's Ping network, and adding a password to purchase apps in the App Store.

There are tons of new features with the iOS 4.3 update, many of which are not listed here. This just goes to show that Apple is serious about their customers and are dedicated to providing functionality and performance in their devices.

Guide buying E-Book Reader

Electronic book, or often called as e-book, is one of the most revolutionary inventions of the last 50 years. The first e-book was made in the 70's and now millions of e-book transfers take place on the internet every day. E-book is cheap, very practical, and it saves space. It is the perfect substitute for printed books. It can be read on any kind of computer, but now there are also many dedicated e-book reading devices available in the market.

Nowadays, e-book readers are also equipped with other interesting features such as internet connectivity and music player. These gadgets are marketed under different brands such as Amazon Kindle, BeBook, Barnes & Noble Nook, jetBook and many others. With many choices available in the market, buying a reader can be confusing. Here is a list of things you need to consider when buying an e-book reader.

1. Size

What size screen do you want? Screen size varies between manufacturers, ranging from 5-inch to 10.2-inch. Each has their own pros and cons. Smaller readers do not take up a lot of space, but bigger ones are easier to read.

2. Wi-fi Connectivity

The internet has become an important part of our daily lives. Some e-book readers are equipped with wi-fi connectivity, allowing you to stay connected to the internet. You can purchase and download e-books online anywhere, as long as there is wi-fi coverage.

3. Availability of Integrated Dictionary

Some e-book readers come with an integrated dictionary feature. Many e-books are sold in English but if your English comprehension is not that good, an integrated dictionary will be of great help for you.

4. Size of internal storage

The average size of an e-book file is 2 MB. If you are an avid book reader, you should get an e-book reader with a big internal storage size. Storage size varies from just 10 MB up to 4 GB. With 4GB storage capacity, you can save hundreds and even thousands of e-book in one gadget.

5. Availability of Card Reader Slot

This feature is especially useful if you want to store more e-books in your reader. With a memory card, you still can save more files when you run out of internal storage.

6. Removable Battery

Reading an e-book often takes hours to finish. If your reader comes with a removable battery pack, you can purchase an additional pack. Therefore, when you run out of power, you can easily change the battery and pick up where you left off.

7. Capability to Support Any Kind of File Formats

E-book comes in many different types of file format. You should get an e-book reader that comes with the ability to support various formats.