- Start Sending/Receiving Text Messages Right Away With Messages
- New Apps Built Into OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
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New Apps Built Into OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
Along with the Messages app, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will offer a handful of new apps that are fully integrated with the operating system, joining apps like Address Book, iCal, Safari, FaceTime, Preview and Mail.
Some of the new apps Mac users will soon be able to experience include:
- Reminders — This is a feature-packed to-do list manager that allows a user to maintain one or more separate to-do lists, with each item within a list able to have a separate alarm, deadline and propriety associated with it. The Reminders app running on an iOS device will automatically synchronize with Reminders running on a Mac via iCloud, so if someone updates or adds to a to-do list on their iPhone, for example, within seconds, the changes will be reflected on their Mac, as well as their iPad and/or iPod touch.
- Notes — While Reminders is a to-do list manager, the Notes app is a freeform text editor that allows a user to compose notes (comprised mainly of text), that can be shared with other Macs or iOS devices via iCloud synchronization. The Notes app serves as a digital notepad, but is not as robust as a full-featured word processor, such as Microsoft Word or Pages.
- Notification Center — Just like on an iPhone or iPad, the Notification Center app that's being adapted to the Mac allows a Mac desktop or laptop computer to constantly monitor a handful apps, including Messages, FaceTime, Mail and iCal, for example, and then display any alerts, alarms or notifications generated by those apps on a single screen for easy reference.
Thus, with a quick glance, a Mac user can see what needs their attention, based on new incoming messages, emails or newly generated alarms.
Just like on an iOS device, Notification Center constantly works in the background. The Notification Center window listing alerts, alarms and notifications can be accessed at anytime (regardless of what apps or software is running on a Mac) using a single finger swipe of mouse-movement. - Game Center — Another popular iOS 5.0 feature for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that's making its way to the Mac is Game Center. This app allows users to connect to Apple's free online-based Game Center in order to compete in real-time and turn-based multi-player games with others. An ever growing number of iOS games, and now Mac games, are becoming Game Center compatible, allowing for people to compete against each other from anywhere, as long as an Internet connection is available.
Beyond integrating new apps into OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion for Macs, the operating system will offer a vast selection of new features and functionality, some of which has also been adopted from the iOS operating system for mobile devices. Here's a summary of a few of the new features:
- Share Sheets — From within a large and growing selection of apps and software, users will be able to instantly share data and information via email, Twitter, iMessage and potentially Facebook, simply by clicking on the Share icon that will now be present within many apps running on a Mac.
So, if you're surfing the web and come across a website that you want to share with a friend, without leaving Safari, you can quickly compose and send an email containing the website's URL. Or, if you snap a photo using your Mac's built-in camera, you can quickly share it via Twitter or Flickr, for example, without leaving the app you're in. - Twitter — For those who manage a Twitter account, the ability to send tweets from within apps running on a Mac will now be possible, thanks to comprehensive and seamless Twitter integration with the OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion operating system. When the OS update is launched, full Facebook integration may also be included.
- AirPlay Mirroring — Another feature that's been adopted from the iOS operating system for the iPhone and iPad is AirPlay Mirroring. Using an optional Apple TV device (that connects to an HD television set or monitor), it's now possible to wirelessly display exactly what's on a Mac's screen on an external TV or monitor. This includes digital photos, movies edited using iMovie, and digital slide presentation created using Apple's Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint, for example. The AirPlay Mirroring feature makes it easy to share whatever is displayed on your Mac's screen with an audience.
- GateKeeper — The new Gatekeeper functionality which is being integrated into the OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion operating system not only improves security offered by a Mac, but makes it safer to surf the web and protect personal or confidential data that's stored on the computer. The GateKeeper can also be used to prevent you from downloading and installing software on your Mac that could cause damage, corrupt data, or share private information with unauthorized people.
- Documents & Data Functionality — New functionality will make it even easier to manage, share and sync documents between apps on multiple OS X-based computers and/or iOS mobile devices. All compatible documents and files will automatically be backed up and synchronized via iCloud. Thus, a Word or Pages-compatible document, for example, that's created on a Mac could almost instantly be accessed from an iPad or iPhone, and all recent edits and changes will be reflected in almost real-time.
This iCloud functionality is in addition to a Mac automatically backing up all documents and files using the Time Machine app (which saves backups to an external hard drive that's connected to a Mac).
When OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is released this summer, access the Mac App Store to purchase, download and install the upgrade using your Apple ID account. Those who will benefit the most from this operating system update are iPhone and iPad users who want to enhance the wireless file and data synchronization capabilities between their Mac and iOS mobile devices.
However, MacBook and MacBook Air users, as well as iMac users with the optional Apple Magic Trackpad ($69.00, http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC380LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg), will also benefit from and appreciate the enhanced control over their computer that's possible using figure gestures, such as swipes and taps, which replace traditional mouse interaction.
The operating system update will also further utilize Apple's iCloud, plus streamline functions for managing, syncing, sharing, backing up and securing files and data. To see a preview of the new features being added to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, visit Apple's website (http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion), or to immediately download, install and begin using the free Massages app with a Mac running OS X 10.7 Lion, visit http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/messages-beta.