SAN FRANCISCO – You should know by now that an iPhone of the right vintage can be turned into a mobile hotspot—a portable router that pumps out a Wi-Fi signal on one side and talks to a mobile 3G broadband network on the other. We’ve covered the Personal Hotspot feature for both the Verizon iPhone 4 and for the the GSM-based iPhone 4 used by AT&T in the U.S. and other carriers around the globe.

The Personal Hotspot feature also lets iPhones starting with iOS 4.2.6 (Verizon) or 4.3 (GSM model) share the cell data connection via Bluetooth and USB as well. All iPhone 4 flavors can allow up to three Bluetooth devices to connect as part of a total of five connections of any kind (among USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi) at any given time. (The iPhone 3G or 3GS with 4.0 or later installed can accept one connection via Bluetooth.)

What you may not know is that the iOS 4.3 update adds Bluetooth tethering to every iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad capable of running that latest release. This lets any of those devices obtain an Internet connection from an iPhone with its sharing feature enabled. (Yes, you can even connect one iPhone as a client to another acting as a server in this manner.) It should also work with any computer, router, or mobile device that offers this kind of connection sharing over Bluetooth, such as Mac OS X’s Internet Sharing feature. Many other mobile devices can also tether over Bluetooth, as well as Mac OS X and Windows systems.

Why connect with Bluetooth
Bluetooth tethering has a set of advantages that might lead you to select it instead of Wi-Fi for routing your iOS device through an iPhone 4 Personal Hotspot. It also has a few drawbacks that might dissuade you.

For iPhone 3G and 3GS users, this form of tethering also allows other iOS devices to share a connection, which was previously impossible. (If either phone has iOS 4.0 to 4.2 installed, the sharing option appears as Internet Tethering. On an iPhone 3GS with iOS 4.3 installed, it’s labeled Personal Hotspot, though Wi-Fi isn’t available as an option.)

The key advantage of Bluetooth tethering is simplicity, especially with a streamlined pairing process for securely connecting two devices over Bluetooth that Apple added to the iOS with the 4.3 update. You can also likely save battery power on both the iPhone acting as a hotspot and the device or devices you to tether to it: Bluetooth should consume less power than Wi-Fi, even though modern Wi-Fi has a lot of built-in power-conserving features.

What you’ll like best, though, is that using Bluetooth tethering sidesteps a major inconvenience with the Personal Hotspot feature. When you turn on the feature on your iPhone, Wi-Fi sharing is only enabled for 90 seconds unless a device connects via Wi-Fi within that period. After 90 seconds with no connections, your phone’s Wi-Fi radio turns off sharing to reduce battery usage. The same is true if you have Wi-Fi devices connected, and then disconnect or power down all of them: a 90-second countdown ensues.

This adds a step to using Personal Hotspot when you’re using it during a commute, for instance. Instead of just pulling out your iPad, and waiting for it to connect, you have to first extract your iPhone, and navigate to the Personal Hotspot screen. Wi-Fi availability should automatically start up just by visiting that screen, although I found in testing that I sometimes had to tap the Personal Hotspot switch from On to Off and back to On again. Then you put your iPhone away, and your iPad should connect to the iPhone’s mobile hotspot with no prompting.

Bluetooth sharing, in contrast, is always available with Personal Hotspot. In the scenario above, you’d leave your iPhone stowed and simply wake your iPad. The tablet should connect automatically. If it does not, you navigate to Settings, go to General -> Bluetooth, and tap the iPhone hotspot in the list of Bluetooth devices. The iPad then connects.

Bluetooth offers a level of security that’s equivalent to the WPA2 flavor of Wi-Fi encryption required by Apple for the Personal Hotspot feature. However, with Bluetooth, all the security is handled for you automatically. The pairing process confirms that no other party intercepted a key exchange; after that, strong encryption is used automatically with no data entry.

What’s the biggest downside to Bluetooth tethering? Throughput. Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, the flavor built into all iOS devices, has a raw rate of 3 Mbps and a net throughput that’s just a bit over 2 Mbps. That’s fine on Verizon’s 3G network, where average speeds never top 2 Mbps. On AT&T’s network—and many other GSM networks worldwide—the HSPA 7.2 standards allow realistic average speeds of 1 to 4 Mbps. Over Bluetooth, you’ll cap your highest potential, as Wi-Fi can carry more than 30 Mbps between two devices.

The set-up
Now, how would one set this up, I hear you ask? For setting up the Personal Hotspot, please consult our earlier coverage of that feature, which we linked to above. In brief, make sure you’ve signed up for the feature with your carrier. Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless charge $20 per month to use Personal Hotspot, and AT&T requires a certain level of metered service. (Carriers outside the U.S. may include the feature at no charge or require certain service levels or surcharges.) Then launch Settings on your iPhone, tap General -> Network -> Personal Hotspot, and tap the switch to On. (If you’ve already used Personal Hotspot, the menu item appears in the main level of the Settings app at the top.)

On any other iOS device with version 4.3 or later installed, follow these steps to pair and then tether the device:

• • In the Settings app, tap General, then Bluetooth.
  • Select your iPhone from the Devices list. It will appear by whatever name shows up when you sync in iTunes. (You can change that in iTunes by clicking the name, and then typing in a new one. This works even on computers other than the one with which you sync your media and apps.)
  • On both your iPhone and the iOS device which you are pairing, a dialog appears asking you to confirm that a six-digit PIN code appears the same on both devices. If it does, tap Pair on each device. (This security step prevents a third-party from intercepting traffic or pairing without permission. if a third-party were in the middle, the codes won’t match.)

On your paired device, a special chain-link icon appears where a Wi-Fi signal strength meter typically shows up in the status bar at upper left. On both devices, the word Connected appears next to the name in the Bluetooth Devices list.

Your iOS device will remain paired with the iPhone’s mobile hotspot as long as it remains active. If you put it to sleep and wake it, it should reconnect: you’ll see the double-link icon at upper left if it does. Should your device fail to reconnect automatically, launch Settings and tap General -> Bluetooth. If it says Not Connected next to the iPhone’s name in the Devices list, tap the name. This causes the device to reconnect. If that fails, try toggling the Personal Hotspot option on your phone from off to on.

You can make your iOS device stop pairing by tapping the white-in-blue detail arrow next to the iPhone’s name in the Bluetooth screen’s Devices list. Tap Forget This Device, and it has no memory of how to connect. (You can easily repair at will using the instructions above.)

Bluetooth tethering isn’t a replacement for Wi-Fi sharing, but it provides more flexibility in your arsenal, especially if you commute and don’t want to have to fiddle with multiple devices to gain a connection.

(A big tip of the hat to Meek Geek, who alerted me via Twitter to this new feature before I’d even heard of it. Thanks!)

SAN FRANCISCO – Before you can sync an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch running iOS 4.3, you’ll need to update to iTunes 10.2.x on your Mac. After you do, be on the lookout for a few bugs that rode in on the back of the new iTunes.

The most common symptom, as reported by numerous users (and you can include me in this group), occurs when an iOS device’s synchronization reaches its final step (Step 5 if the device was backed up in Step 1). Even though you are almost at the finish line, a message appears that says you are “Preparing to sync.” In a sense, the message is accurate. In terms of the time remaining until the sync is complete, you really are just getting started. Step 5 will likely take longer than the time of the previous four steps combined. It may take so long that you decide to cancel the sync and try again. If so, it will be to no avail. The delay will happen again.
What should you do? There appears to be no single guaranteed fix. However, at least one of the following should do the trick:

• • Let the sync go to completion, no matter how long it seems to be taking. After it is done, the odd behavior in the last step may no longer recur (at least not for that iOS device).
  • Update from iTunes 10.2 to 10.2.1. Many (although not all) users report that the latest update fixes the bug.
  • Download the iTunes installer from Apple’s site, rather than using Software Update. Several users found that, after updating again using the Installer, the symptom vanished.
  • Delete the iPod Photo Cache folder. To locate this folder, select the Show Package Contents contextual menu command for the iPhoto Library file (typically found in the Picture folder of your Home directory). The iPod Photo Cache folder should be in the list of items that appears in the package window. Drag the folder to the Trash.

As the last fix implies, the bug has something to do with syncing/importing photos. This makes sense, as Step 5 where new photos are imported to your iOS device.

Other users have reported a variation of the bug: Photos on your iOS device are cited as deleted, re-optimized and re-synced with each sync. The more photos you have stored on your iOS device, the longer this process takes. The suggested fixes here are the same as the ones I already listed.
If you can’t get anything else to work, there’s one final work-around: Turn off syncing of photos for your iOS device. When asked, select to not remove the photos currently on the device. As long as you don’t need to add any new photos, you can leave things this way. You’ll need to temporarily reverse the change, which will revive the delay, when you want to sync new photos.

SAN FRANCISCO – Reader Philip Henderson is anxious to have the latest iOS update but finds getting it slow going. He writes:
I have an iPhone 4 and a fourth-generation iPod touch. Unfortunately my home Internet connection is slow and the update is big. I have a much faster Internet connection at the office though. Is there any way I can download these updates there and then take them home?

There are a couple of ways to do this. First, you can take your iPhone and iPod touch to the office, jack them into your Mac (you do have a Mac at the office, right?), and then wait for iTunes to tell you that there’s an update available.

In this window you’ll see a Download Only button. Click it and the update will download to the Mac but won’t be installed on the device. (You can find the downloaded file by going to youruserfolder/Library/iTunes/ and then one of the Software Update folders–iPad, iPhone, or iPod Software Updates–depending on which device you’ve downloaded the update for.) Just copy this file to some kind of portable media, take it home, and add it to the same location on your Mac. When you plug your iOS device into your home Mac, you’ll be told that there’s an update available. Click Update to do just that.

Alternatively you can download the update files directly from Apple. You’ll find them here:

• • iPhone 4
  • iPhone 3GS
  • iPad
  • iPad 2
  • 3G iPod touch
  • 4G iPod touch

It’s the same idea. Once you’ve downloaded the files you want, take them home, install them in the correct folder, and update when you jack in your device.

Power Mac Center (PMC), a chain of retail shops and service providers of Apple products and premium accessories in the country, and ACE Insurance Company of North America (ACE Insurance), a member of the ACE Group of Companies, global leaders in insurance and re-insurance, today announced their partnership to launch “Save Mac,” an innovative and exclusive service available only to Power Mac Center customers.

Dealing with the inconvenience of costly repairs or replacing stolen devices are now things of the past. Since February 8, 2011, customers who buy a MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini, iPod shuffle, iPod nano and iPod touch at any PMC store can now choose to protect their devices from accidental damage and theft.

Customers may register and avail themselves the SAVE MAC PLUS (12) MONTHS Accidental Damage & Theft Coverage with a built-in FREE 30-Days Accidental Damage Cover OR the FREE 30-Day Accidental Damage Coverage all under the “Save Mac” program. Coverage starts immediately and enrolment is quick and hassle- free.

The insurance conveniently allows for a quick repair and replacement of Apple products which include Macs and iPods in cases of sudden and unforeseen accidental physical damage & theft during the period of insurance.

Power Mac Center Marketing Manager Joey Alvarez said, “Through “Save Mac”, we are glad to treat our customers with free protection from the risks of their device being damaged. We offer the program in partnership with ACE Insurance, one of the world’s most reliable insurance companies distinguished for its underwriting expertise, superior claims handling and global franchise. It is our way to thank and better serve our loyal customers.”

A pleasant surprise awaits customers who choose to buy the 12-month coverage. The latest device location and recovery software, Covered-IT will be installed on their device, giving them maximum protection and security without any additional cost.

Said Maurice Hilario, ACE Insurance’s Business Development Head for Specialty Personal Lines, “ACE Insurance takes great pride in being able to provide a device protection insurance program for Power Mac Center clients. We are very excited and optimistic that the “Save Mac” program will be a re-sounding success and Power Mac Center clients will now have peace of mind from device worries caused by accidental damage and theft outside of device warranty.”

For more information about this service and other offers by Power Mac Center, visit their stores at Greenbelt 3, The Annex at SM City North EDSA, TriNoma, SM City Marikina, SM Megamall, Power Plant Mall, SM Mall of Asia, and Festival Supermall, or go to their website at www.powermaccenter.com.

LONDON – Sources in Taiwan claim that Apple is working on a new version of the A4 processor for the iPhone 5.

According to a report on the Apple Daily website (translation here) Apple has been in contact with component manufacturers about creating a new A4 chip designed to power the next generation of the iPhone and the iPad.
Apple’s A4 chip made its debut in the iPad back in January 2010, and has since been seen in the iPhone 4, the fourth-generation iPod touch and the second-generation Apple TV.

It also suggests that the new processor will be called the A8, though this could be the result of some confusion – the current Apple A4 chip uses ARM’s Cortex-A8 processing core. None of the details have been confirmed by Apple or any of the component manufacturers in question.