Mac OSX Mountain Lion: Making Mac OS more like iOS

Apple, the creator of both the Macintosh OS, running on all Mac computers, as well as the more popular iOS, that runs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, has announced yet another update to the Mac OS that will bring both of those platforms closer together.

Until July 2011, the Mac and iOS platforms were completely separate. They had no similar user interface features, the underlying operating system was completely different, and the Apple-made apps were different from Mac to iOS. In July 2011, the next version of Mac OSX, the operating system Mac computers run, called Lion, was released. Lion brought some of the best features from the iPhone to the Mac. These weren't so blatantly iOS features, but more like an iOS-like experience coming to the Mac. After that point, the two platforms became more and more alike, with some of the major Mac apps coming to iOS, and more.

Recently, Apple announced the newest version of Mac OS, Mac OSX Mountain Lion, which will be coming this summer. The main idea of Mountain Lion is that Apple is bringing the best features in iOS to the Mac, and this time they're doing it straight out. As the Apple press release says, "OS X Mountain Lion... brings popular apps and features from the iPad to the Mac..."

Officially, Mountain Lion brings over 100 new features to Mac OS X, but many of those will go completely unnoticed. Any iOS user will probably recognize most of the main features in Mountain Lion.

Firstly, iChat has been replaced with an application Apple calls Messages. Messages allows you to use AIM, Jabber, Yahoo! Messenger, and Google Talk, as well as iMessage, the free Apple service originally introduced on iOS that allows users to send and receive text messages without using SMS. Mac users and iOS users both text each other, making iMessage a fluid messaging experience. The beta version of iMessage is available as a free download from the Apple.com website.

Reminders, an app also introduced on the iOS platform is becoming a Mac feature. It allows users to create simple lists with tasks to do, as well as set a time for the app to remind you to do that tasks. A user can create custom lists, and fill them with tasks, as well as set a priority, repeat date, and add notes. With iCloud, all Reminders data is synced from the Mac the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and vice versa. Reminders had been integrated into iCal, but is now a separate and more simple app.

Notes is an app that has been on the iPhone since the very beginning, but is coming to the Mac as its own app for the first time. In addition to the simple note-taking abilities found in iOS, Notes for the Mac also allows you to add photos, videos, links, rich text, and bullet-points to make a more-robust note-taking platform. In Notes for the Mac, a user can also drag a note and pin in to the desktop.

Notification Center is another feature taken straight from iOS, and it looks almost exactly like the iOS version. Notification Center allows one to see and keep track of everything happening on the Mac. Any new emails, messages, calendar events, reminders, system updates, and even notifications from third-party apps will pop up non-intrusively at the top of the screen, and to see all of them in one glance, one can just swipe left from the right side of the track-pad, to view the Notification Center. Clicking on a notification will bring you directly to the proper place in the app.

One of iOS's least noticed feature is the ability to share photos, links, and more to various places with a tap. Mountain Lion brings this same feature to the Mac, called Share Sheets. Mountain Lion apps that integrate this feature will have the familiar share button, that, when clicked, will drop down a list of sharing options specific to that app.

Game Center, Apple's social gaming network launched originally for iOS is now coming to the Mac. Game Center allows players to play multiplayer games from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and now a Mac. Game Center also shows what games your friends are playing, and recommends new games a user might like. Game Center allows you to challenge friends in games, check out leader-boards, and earn achievements.

AirPlay mirroring, a feature found in the iPad that allows a user to hook up his device to any AirPlay supported device (such as an Apple TV), and mirror exactly whats happening on the screen, and put it on the big-screen, is now coming to the Mac in Mac OS X Mountain Lion. This can be used to play games, watch movies, or give conference presentations, all from the Mac.

A new feature that is specific to the Mac is called Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper is a security program for the Mac. Security is something that many think is not a problem on the Mac. For many years, due to the Mac's smaller market share, hackers and virus-authors kept away from the Mac, because Windows had a much bigger audience. However, with the Mac's market share slowly rising, bad guys see more potential in writing viruses for the Mac, and therefore viruses are becoming more common. Also, since there is this idea that the Mac is secure, users don't have software to protect themselves, and therefore are more likely to fall for a virus. Windows users, on the other hand, know of these insecurities, and are more likely to protect themselves. Gatekeeper is a really important feature that will help protect Mac users as malware becomes more common.

Mountain Lion is available now to registered Apple developers, and will be coming out for the public sometime this summer, but, like Apple did last time with their FaceTime app, a beta Messages app is available as a free download from the Apple website. Like Lion previously, Mountain Lion will probably be available as an upgrade for a relatively low price.

This is a major step forward in the evolution of the Mac OS X platform. Apple seems to be very set on slowly bringing Mac OS and iOS closer together. High-end users may feel that their desktop experience is dying, but all of the features found in the previous versions of Mac OS X are still there. Making Mac OS more like iOS is not taking away from the experience of a high-end user.

The iPhone and iPad seem to be very easy-to-learn platforms. Many people who could never operate a desktop computer can work an iPad fine, because of its intuitive user interface. Making Mac more like iOS can also be a great business move for Apple, because users who may never have touched a computer, but are familiar with iOS, will be more likely to get how to use a desktop computer, because of its similarities to the iPad.

This announcement not only lets us see what the next version of Mac OS X will look like, it lets us see Apple's strategy for the Mac, one that we will see in versions of Mac OS X for years to come.

 

Philips HMP2000 brings Netflix to your dumb TV

It may look like a door-wedge but the Philips HMP2000 has the skills to make even the oldest TV smart. Well, the oldest TV packing a HDMI port at least....

Taking the Apple route of going diddy for a streaming solution, the HMP2000 measures just 90 x 50 x 100mm but trumps the Cupertino company's effort on the high-definition front by offering Full HD 1080p output as opposed to the 720p you'll get on Apple's hobby box.

It has built in Wi-Fi for wireless picture and video streaming from your home network and there's a USB port on board too, which is handy if you've got a hard-drive full of media just waiting to plug and play.

Coming amidst the thick of a UK Netflix boom, the HMP2000's timing couldn't be better and the remote has its own button dedicated to the Lovefilm rival. There's also a button on the remote for instant YouTube access as well.

At £49.99 it's definitely a cheap option for anyone looking to add some features to their telly box without forking out for a Smart Blu-ray player.

Whether it lives up to its billing remains to be seen though; Pocket-lint has one in hand (literally, as you can see in the picture) and we'll be giving you a comprehensive opinion once we've had time to play with it.

Via:Pocket-lint

Bing Vision lands on UK Windows Phone 7 smartphones

Announced at the end of January, Microsoft's Bing Vision service for Windows Phone has now arrived on UK handsets.

A Google Goggles rival, Bing Vision was built-in to the Windows Phone 7 Mango update and lets Lumia (other WP7 handsets are available) users scan a variety of products using the camera functionality to find information, reviews and prices online.

So, for example, point it at a DVD cover (using the barcode is easier) when you're on the High Street and you'll see if you can get it cheaper online and if reviewers think it's any good.

The results come courtesy of Ciao, the e-commerce platform for which Microsoft paid more than £300 million in 2008. There's also a text translation tool on board, although this seemed patchy when we tested it.

Microsoft has also announced that Bing Image Matching for Newspapers will hit the platform in March. This service will make it easier to find the digital version of a print magazine or newspaper article quickly by taking a photo of the article and scanning for it online. It offers access to more than 3,000 publications worldwide.

To get Bing Visioning on your handset, simply tap the Bing Search button and then the new eye icon.

Via:Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Samsung now has two small form factor tablets in its lineup, both packing dual-core processors. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the slightly superior of the two, featuring a few tech treats which justify its extra cost over theGalaxy Tab 2. But just how much better is it?

We have pitted the pair of 7-inchers against each other in a tech face-off to try to figure which is the best overall. We aren’t concerned just about specs either, its all about value for money and if the extra price justifies the Tab 7.7 purchase. Or is the recently announced Galaxy Tab 2 the tablet to go for?

Form Factor

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

196 x 133 x 7.89 mm, 335g

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

193 x 122 x 10 mm, 344g

For a tablet to have us tempted, it has to be thin and the more weight Samsung takes off something, the bigger our smiles get. It's impressive enough that both the 7.7 and Tab 2 keep their mass below 350g. Still, that extra 9g shaved off the 7.7 isn't going to be enough for you to notice it. If you want the lightest slate possible sitting in your bag, though, it's Samsung’s premium offering that has it.

What really counts for the form factor round this time is that the 7.7 is more than 2 mm thinner, which might not seem much, but is enough to make the tablet feel slim. The Galaxy Tab 2 is just that tad more hefty.

Display

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

7.7", 1280x800, Super AMOLED Plus, 196 ppi

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

7", 1024x600, PLS TFT, 170 ppi

Samsung is proving to be a bit of a master of the display at the moment. The Super AMOLED Plus tech in the Galaxy S II has now found its way into tablets. This is definitely a good thing. The screen in the 7.7 is absolutely stunning. Its 1280x800 resolution means it's sharp and the AMOLED Plus keeps video and images looking incredibly vivid and rich while leaving power consumption low.

The Tab 2 isn’t quite as exciting. Don’t expect the same levels of saturation from its PLS TFT screen. It definitely looks good, but suffers a bit of a resolution drop, resulting in loss of sharpness and pixel density. Ultimately, if a top-end display is what you are looking for, then the 7.7 is going to be the tablet for you.

Engine Room

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

1.4 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9, Mali-400MP, 1GB RAM

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

1GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM, GPU not announced

It’s level pegging on the RAM front between both tablets, which with 1GB each should mean quite a lot of breathing room for multiple apps to be running. Sadly we don’t have a GPU listed yet for the Tab 2 but the Mali-400MP in the 7.7 is a bit of a beast and, coupled with a dual-core 1.4GHz processor, will allow for even the most intense Android gaming apps to run speedily.

A drop down to 1GHz with the Tab 2 means it doesn’t win this one, simply on pure power terms. Do remember though that both are going to be fast enough for top-end Android operations not to seem problematic.

Software

WINNER: SAMTAB 2

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) + TouchWiz UX

LOSER: SAMTAB 7.7

Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) + TouchWiz UX

If you are all about having the latest and greatest, its the Tab 2 that takes the win here. ICS is a more refined tablet experience and introduces a lot more cross-platform phone and slate functions than the already very good Honeycomb platform. As for the UI, each features Samsung’s TouchWiz UX which adds a lot of nice social media tweaks to Android.

Imaging

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

3MP AF LED rear facing, 2MP AF front facing

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

VGA front facing, 3MP rear facing

The tablet is not the most traditional of photographic devices. Most feature little more than a 3-megapixel camera on the rear and something of a decent resolution on the front for video calling; 1080p recording is a given on both Samsung tablets.

The major differences between the pair in the photographic department is with their front-facing cameras and the fact that one has a flash and not the other. The 7.7 ups it to a 2-megapixel resolution unit, compared to the Tab 2’s "VGA quality". This will make quite a difference to video calling and you will likely notice a significant quality change between the two.

We have given the win here to the 7.7 out of sheer megapixel numbers and the inclusion of LED. However, until we see test snaps from the pair of tablets against each other, it's impossible to know which truly is best. It may be that better colour saturation or sharper images come from the Tab 2. We just couldn’t say.

Storage

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

16/32/64GB + microSD

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

8/16/32GB + microSD

The facts are fairly clear on this one. You can stuff more onto the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 than you can the Galaxy Tab 2. The first gives you a total possible of a hefty 64GB but the latter a whopping 96GB.

Now, while we're giving the win to the 7.7, it's worth remembering that there's something to be gained from the fact that you can get an 8GB version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. Storage can be quite an expense when it comes to tablets and it'll push the price up more than an equivalent amount if microSD space might cost you. So, actually, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 doesn't bring the largest amount of space, it offer a more economical way of making your choice.

Price

WINNER: SAMTAB 2

Cheaper

LOSER: SAMTAB 7.7

More expensive

Irritatingly, we don’t have a definite price for the Tab 2 or the 7.7. Speaking to Samsung, however, and from the specs above, we can pretty much expect without doubt that the Tab 2 will be cheaper. Placed as a more mid-range device, this is really an area where the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is set to appeal.

Battery

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

5,100mAh

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

4,000mAh

Quantifying how much power the 7.7 and Tab 2 will suck from their battery packs is difficult. They both have dual-cores system, which is a bit more of a drain on power, so it's probably their differing displays and clock speeds that will have the biggest effects.

On the one hand, an AMOLED screen is more power-efficient but, on the other, there are more pixels to push on the 7.7. As it stands, the 7.7 is quoted at 1200 hours of standby time and 20 hours of 3G use. As yet, there are no such specs for the Galaxy Tab 2 but, at a guess, which such a large difference in battery capacity, one would expect the 7.7 to last a little longer.

We'll have to await the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 review for the full answer to that one but if you want another way of looking at it, the iPhone 4S uses a 1432mAh battery. So, effectively, the 7.7 has nearly a 4S’s worth of extra power to play with - quite a bit when you think about it.

Connectivity

TIE: SAMTAB 7.7

Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct

TIE: SAMTAB 2

Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct

An orgy of connectivity options is available to both the Tab 2 and 7.7. The major punchlines are things like Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi Direct. Both take full advantage of them. The real treat is the last of these, Wi-Fi Direct, which allows devices to sync between each other without the need to go via a conventional home network. It means you can send information with other Wi-Fi Direct compatible devices anywhere. 

In the end though, both are evenly matched in the connectivity department and provide more than enough orifices in which to plug gadgetry.

Conclusion

WINNER: SAMTAB 7.7

LOSER: SAMTAB 2

The boxes have all been ticked and the votes are in. From a raw stats point of view, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes out on top, mostly because of its screen, battery and better processor clock speed. These are, after all, the fundamentals of tablet use.

However, depending on the price premium placed on the new Samsung tablet, up against the Tab 2, it may be that the extra beef simply isn’t worth the cost. If you want the best of the best, the 7.7 is clearly Samsung’s flagship mini tablet. It packs a massive amount of power and is one of the most potent pieces of hardware, alongside the Galaxy Note, that you can buy today but, as a mid-range piece of kit, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 looks like it'll do just fine.

Which tablet would you go for you? Let us know in the comments below ...

Via:Pocket-lint

After Beta, Messages Will Be Exclusive to OS X Mountain Lion

Consomac has discovered that the OS X Lion Messages Beta that was released yesterday will not be a permanent feature for Lion users. Messages is the new iMessage-compatible version of iChat that will be included in OS X Mountain Lion. Apple also released a public beta version for OS X Lion users to try the app in the meanwhile. 

Based on the text strings found in the App's resources, it has been revealed that Messages will no longer be available for Lion users once the beta expires. Instead, Apple tells users to visit the App Store to purchase OS X Mountain Lion to continue to use Messages:

Thank you for participating in the Messages Beta program. With the inclusion of Messages in OS X Mountain Lion, the Messages Beta program has ended. 

To continue using Messages, please visit the Mac App Store and purchase OS X Mountain Lion.

OS X Mountain Lion will be a paid update and is expected to be released in late summer.

Via:Macrumors

Sony Ericsson officially no-more as buyout finalised

We knew the marriage couldn't last much longer. Sony first announced that it planned to buy out the Ericsson half of the partnership back in October and now the £871 million deal is complete.

"Sony Corporation today announced that the transaction to acquire Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson’s 50 per cent stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB has been completed as of February 15, 2012 (Central European time)," read a company statement.

"This marks the completion of the transaction jointly announced by Sony and Ericsson on October 27, 2011, and makes Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony."

The move also sees the birth of Sony Mobile Communications; a new banner for Sony products to sit under. Like Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, which runs the gaming arm of the Japanese company's empire, we don't expect to see this new moniker appearing on products though. Like the Sony Xperia Ion that was unleashed at CES, a simple Sony logo will seemingly suffice.

Sony has also stated that the new division will see further integration in "the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony’s lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs."

Hopefully this means plenty more connected Sony tech coming in the near future. And who knows, perhaps even a genuine PlayStation phone and not just an Android device with PS buttons stuck on?

Via: bgr.com

Facebook hits African 2G phones thanks to Orange

Orange is bringing Facebook to a potential African mobile phone audience of 70 million people, even for people only sporting a 2G handset.

Using unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology, the move will mean people can access a scaled-down, text version of Facebook even on the dumbest featurephone.

There's no need to even have a data plan in place, the platform is simply activated by typing codes into the handset and a PIN system for security. African Facebookers will be able to search for their buddies; make, allow or deny friend requests, update their status and comment on or like status updates from their friends.

Orange VP of Strategic Partnerships Xavier Perret said: "Social networks such as Facebook have completely changed how people stay in contact with their family and friends, and it’s important that our customers, regardless of the phone they have, are able to access and participate in these services.

"We feel that it is our role to help our customers enjoy a digitally rich, connected life, and services such as Facebook via USSD make that possible for even more of our customers."

The service will be offered on four pricing options: per session (10 to 20 minutes), daily, weekly, and monthly. The Facebook service is already available in Egypt on the Mobinil network and the Orange service will launch later this month in the Côte d'Ivoire.

Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that operates Wikipedia,recently joined forces to offer free learning to mobile browsers in Africa and the Middle East (AMEA).

Via: allfacebook.com