iOS 4.3 Preview

iOS 4.3 beta has been released to developers.  iOS 4.3 will be available for the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch and the Apple TV.  Sorry, iPhone 3G users.  So what can we look ahead to?

1. New Multi-Touch Gestures For The iPad - A four or five finger pinch will take you back to the Home Screen, a swipe up will reveal the multitasking bar, and a swipe left or right to switch between apps.  I love it.  Especially the swipe up.  I had that idea when multitasking first came out on the iPad back in November.  I use the multitasking bar so much I feel like the Home button is getting a lot of unnecessary pushes.  I also like the swiping for fast app switching.
2. AirPlay Video Streaming from Safari and Third-Party Apps - I love AirPlay.  But I hate that the video streaming is extremely limited.  Right now, you can only stream video to the Apple TV that has been downloaded from the iTunes store.  As soon as browsers, third-party apps and user-created videos can stream to Apple TV, AirPlay will simply be awesome.  I doubt that games will be played wirelessly anytime soon. There is a slight lag when streaming wirelessly.  Hopefully a nice, long HDMI to the Apple dock connector will give iOS users a console-like experience on your HDTV.  Playing Rage HD on my 42" HDTV via the Apple Component AV Cable is pretty awesome.  The only thing is the cable is short.
3. Software Option For Orientation Lock/Mute Button On iPad - Although Steve Jobs said the orientation lock/mute button on the iPad wouldn't be configurable, it appears to be in the beta version of iOS 4.3.  Apple must have gotten an earful about this one.  Although I'd rather go with the mute button, I can see why some people would rather use it as the orientation lock.
4. Personal Hotspot For GSM iPhones - This will be left up to AT&T, so I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.  But, Big Blue may be forced to compete since Verizon iPhones will be getting that sweet deal on the hotspot.

Since the iOS beta was only released today, there are probably more features that people haven't yet gotten to.  So, I'll update this article as the new features come in.  It is estimated that iOS 4.2 will see the light of day in March.