Apple releases iOS 4.2 with free Find My Phone for some

Apple on Monday said that it plans to release the promised update to iOS 4.2 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The update brings a number of long-awaited iOS 4 features to the iPad and adds the new AirPlay and AirPrint features for all iOS devices. In somewhat of a surprise, owners of the latest iOS devices can now use the Find My iPhone feature for free.

iOS 4.2 brings a slew of new or updated features to the iPad—features that iPhone and iPod touch users have been enjoying since June when iOS 4.0 debuted on the iPhone 4. This includes the iOS version of multitasking and fast app switching, the ability to organize apps into folders, a unified inbox and threaded messaging for Mail, and access to Game Center for keeping track of game achievements, scores, and challenges.

The update also brings other features to the iPad, such as compatibility with iTunes TV show rentals, searching within webpages in Mobile Safari, improved enterprise features, additional accessibility enhancements, and support for 25 additional languages.

iOS 4.2 also brings two important new features to all compatible iOS devices, including iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches: AirPlay and AirPrint. AirPlay is an improvement to Apple's AirTunes technology which enables streaming audio to an AirPort Express from any iOS device. It also will stream audio, video, and photos to an Apple TV (which needs its own software update for compatibility), and audio to AirPlay-compatible speaker systems shipping in the coming months.

AirPrint finally enables native printing support to select WiFi-enabled printers compatible with AirPrint technology. Currently that is limited to a few ePrint series printers from HP, though Apple believes other vendors will be adding support soon. Apple also pulled promised support for shared network printers at the last minute from Mac OS X 10.6.5, but there are command-line hacks and even special apps to reenable that support.

Finally, Apple added a little cherry on top for iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and iPad users: free access to the Find My iPhone feature. This feature lets you track down a missing device via CoreLocation, and even remotely wipe the data. This feature previously required a $99 per year MobileMe subscription; unfortunately, owners of older devices will still have to pay to access the service.

iOS 4.2 is compatible with all iPads; iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4; and second-, third-, and current-generation iPod touches. Apple notes that some features aren't compatible with every device. To get the update, plug your device in, launch iTunes, and click the "Update Software" button in the device setting—the update should be live on Apple's servers by 12pm CST.