Apple iOS 4.3 for iPhone 4 review

The updated version of Apple's iOS 4.3 is now available for iPhone 4 and we just spent some time to learn more about this new OS to see what all improvements it has to offer to the Apple iPhone users.

Installation
Installing the update onto the iPhone was seamless. In fact, more so than any other iPhone update we've done so far. The process took just six minutes, including the upgrade download onto our computer.

Well done Apple, you've finally perfected the update process using a computer. How about giving us over-the-air firmware updates next?

iTunes Home Sharing
iTunes Home Sharing is one of the most exciting updates on the iPhone 4, allowing you to share the tunes from your PC with your iPhone 4.

Although you could previously do this between computers on a network, it's now been extended to include the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

We found setting Home Sharing up simple. You just need to head to the settings and then iPod settings. Enter your username and password and head to the iPhone's iPod app. If you're on the same network as your computer, you can select Shared, choose your computer's name and he presto, you'll see all your computer's music or videos on your iPhone.

Music streamed perfectly in our test (using an un littered private Wi-Fi network with 5Mb speeds), although good quality video did struggle a little.

iTunes Home Sharing is a great addition to the iPhone 4 as a music device and when it's that easy to set up, it's definitely worth a punt.

The one annoyance with this service though, it that as you can only authorise your iTunes account with five devices, you'll only be able to share with a limited number of devices. Unless you de-authorise computers and devices, you won't be able to connect with just anyone.

AirPlay
With the introduction of iOS 4.3 comes enhanced AirPlay functionality. You can now stream a whole load of different content to your Apple TV including photos from iPhoto, Safari and third-party apps.

We found streaming videos and photos using the iPhoto app smooth, although video sometimes did stumble.

Playing videos from Safari is an excellent touch. When a video shows up in a Safari page, you can just tap the AirPlay icon next to the timeline and choose to send it to your Apple TV. This does again depend on your internet connection, but we found it to be pretty good most of the time.

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