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Apple’s Mountain Lion Is Available, With 200+ New Things

By TechTaffy Desk

[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

The OS X Mountain Lion, Apple’s ninth major release of its desktop operating system, is available now. This latest operating system from the Apple stable (Apple names its operating systems after creatures of the feline kind) comes with more than 200 new features, says the company, including Facebook Integration, which will be available soon.

Mountain Lion has revamped some of its existing features like Messages and borrows features like Game Center from the iOS. Enhancements exclusive to this edition of OS X include Gatekeeper, which makes downloading software from the Internet safer; Power Nap, which automatically updates your apps and system while your Mac is asleep; and a faster Safari browser.

Lets take a quick look at some Mountain Lion features now:

  • iCloud integration, which syncs Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Reminders and Notes. It keeps everything, including iWork documents, up to date across all your devices;
  • A revamped Messages app, which replaces iChat and brings iMessage to the Mac. This lets you send messages to anyone with an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or another Mac;
  • System-wide Sharing, which lets you share links, photos, videos and other files without having to switch to another app. You just need to sign in once to use third-party services like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo;
  • Facebook integration, so you can post photos, links and comments with locations right from your apps, automatically add your Facebook friends to your Contacts, and even update your Facebook status from within Notification Center;
  • Dictation, which allows you to dictate text anywhere you can type, whether you’re using an app from Apple or a third party developer;
  • AirPlay Mirroring, which lets you wirelessly send an up-to-1080p secure stream of what’s on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV, or send audio to a receiver or speakers that use AirPlay; and
  • Game Center, which brings the social gaming network from iOS to the Mac as well. You can enjoy live, multiplayer games with friends whether they’re on a Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

OS X Mountain Lion is available from the Mac App Store for $19.99 . Mountain Lion requires Lion or Snow Leopard (OS X v10.6.8 or later), 2GB of memory and 8GB of available space.

[Image Courtesy: Apple]

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