The newest OS for your iDevice is dropping March 11, 2011. While there is nothing earth-shattering to report, there are a few sweet upgrades with the new OS. I figured that I should probably run through a few since many readers here are iPhone and iPad users, not the least of whom, me. Even my blog theme is iPhone-Like, right?

Anyway, if you take the time to upgrade your iTunes (currently available when you check for upgrades within iTunes) and take the time to upgrade your iDevice’s OS this Friday, you will be rewarded (hopefully) with the following features (quotes from the Apple iOS 4.3 Splash Page):

More Flexibility with AirPlay

Get even more play out of AirPlay — the wireless technology that lets you stream content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your HDTV via Apple TV.^{(and only via AppleTV)} In addition to music, movies, and photos, AirPlay now streams video from your Photos app. So you can shoot a home video and instantly share it with everyone in the room. Even AirPlay-enabled apps and websites get the big-screen treatment with iOS 4.3. And if your photos are the feature presentation, you can play a slideshow with all the stunning themes available on Apple TV.

Enhanced Java-Script Performance in Safari:

As you surf the web, your fingers will love the responsiveness of the new Nitro JavaScript engine powering Safari. It runs JavaScript up to twice as fast as in iOS 4.2.² Which means you get more speed behind each page load. And sites with lots of interactive features can appear on your screen even faster.

A baby-step towards Over-The-Air iTunes, dubbed “Home Sharing”:

Now you can play your entire iTunes library from anywhere in the house. If it’s on your Mac or PC, you can play it on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch over a shared Wi-Fi network.³ And not just music. Watch a movie or TV show. Play a podcast. Or listen to an audiobook. On whichever device you want — without having to download or sync.

A Personal HotSpot with your iPhone 4 (VERY COOL  – WOOT!):

On the road, in an airport, at the park — now you can bring Wi-Fi with you wherever you go. Download iOS 4.3 on your iPhone 4, and the next time you find yourself without access to Wi-Fi but in 3G territory, enable Personal Hotspot and share your cellular data connection with your Mac, PC, iPad, or other Wi-Fi-capable device. You can share your connection with up to five devices at once over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB — with up to three of those connections using Wi-Fi. ^{(with tethering plan)}  Every connection is password protected and secure. And it’s power friendly, too. iPhone detects when your Personal Hotspot is no longer in use and turns it off to save battery life.

A Switch-able Switch on the iPad (for those, me included, who lamented the loss of the physical orientation lock):

Customize the switch on the side of your iPad to lock the screen rotation or mute the volume. So you can lock your iPad display in landscape or portrait. Or quickly go from volume on to volume off. Just configure the side switch in Settings to toggle between your options.

Guess I’ll upgrade, and the new toys should keep me happy until the next tidbit from Apple, likely the iPhone 5.