iOS 4.3

Need a ringtone on the fly? If you don't mind spending money for a 30-second ringtone, Apple has you covered in iTunes. The latest iOS 4.3 release is the gold master and this firmware brings ringtone purchasing to the foreground. The update will be available to AT&T iPhone users starting on March 11, 2011.

Currently if you're interested in buying a ringtone from Apple, you have to find the ringtone collection within the iTunes app. To navigate there now and preview ringtones you must open the iTunes app, select More from the bottom menu and choose Ringtones. Not difficult, however many iPhone users forget the feature is even an option.

Just in case you haven't heard, Apple announced a little product called the iPad 2 earlier today. Also discussed in the talk was a listing of the new features and software coming to iOS devices with firmware version 4.3. This operating system will be released on the iPad 2 shipping date, currently scheduled for Friday March 11, 2011.

So what comes with the iOS 4.3 update for iPhone owners? Mostly improvements to current features, such as a speed boost for the Safari web browser. Apple has implemented the Nitro JavaScript engine, which should make Safari twice as fast as the current iOS 4.2 browser.

Some AT&T iPhone customers were shocked to see that the Verizon iPhone includes a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices. Now that Apple has released the latest developer beta of iOS 4.3, it looks like all iPhones will be getting the feature. According to a report in BGR, Personal Hotspot is listed right under Wi-Fi under the Settings menu.

AT&T has not stated whether or not they plan to support the feature. For its part, Verizon hasn't mentioned data plan pricing yet, or whether or not tethering will cost extra. The app featured on the Verizon iPhone is actually native to iOS 4.2.5, the firmware running on the Verizon iPhone.