Mountain Lion Review
Upgrade to Mountain Lion has been easy, smooth and without issues.
New developer version is rumored to be a small update.
Highlights
• Working great on iMac and MacBook Pro
• there is a list of system requirements…need a model newer than a specific date. MacBook Air must be late 2008 or later. A lot has to do with the graphics card. Works on fewer machines than Lion.
There is a lot of convergence with iPhone and iPad IOS with Mountain Lion…example, Mail program.
There are 200 new features…maybe 30-40 major ones.
iMessages replaces iChat. Same concept…you are now able to use the iMessages using their Apple email address and chat directly with a phone. You can text to someone’s iPhone with iMessage.
AirPlay can re-route the video from your computer to your TV.
iCloud –
Can store Apple documents in the Cloud….and they are instantly available on all other devices. Pages, Numbers, Keynote
When you open Pages you have a choice to save to iCloud or to your Mac. iCloud is the default.
Notification Center
• Mail
• Calendar
• Messages
When an action occurs, you get a message in the Notification Center (as they have already had on the iPhone). And you can see a history of the notifications which have come up.
Dictation
You can dictate and have it translated….Fn key – press twice…it turns the microphone on. You have to have an internet connection. It only translates very short segments (20 seconds) ..and it is trained to your voice. Fn, Fn stops the recording and transcription.
Sharing icon (at top of Safari)
• Add to reading list
• Email this page
• Add bookmark
• Tweet this
• Can send to Flickr
• Facebook (coming soon) (best to create groups/lists on Facebook)
• ++
Can tweet from many applications now.
Address Book is now called Contacts
• Now have the 3 panes back as we had in Snow Leopard
• To duplicate a contact card (to add a new contact at the same company)….drag the card to the desktop…and then change the name on the card in Address Book ad then import the original card back into Address book.
Power Nap
Only works with new SSD models…Put it in sleep and it will do software updates while it sleeps. Gets mail, does Time Machine back-up. Must have an WiFi connection. Will only do this while it is plugged in. Software updates download automatically. Will only tell you they are available when they are completely downloaded. And it will do “Find My Mac”.
Only works on MacBook Air (3rd Generation)
Airplay Mirroring
If you are on a WiFi network with an Apple TV on it, you get this icon on your laptop, and then you just click it and choose the Apple TV device, and it sends the entire Mac screen to the TV wirelessly. Can teach a class that way.
Suggestions for a Remote Control over Powerpoint presentations
Kensington Remote – can control Powerpoint presentations – get it on Amazon
Apple Remote Application for Keynote – allows you to see your notes on the iPhone – and the you can see what slide is coming
Mobile Mouse – app for IOS that works with Powerpoint.
Presentation app:
IdeaFlight = application is free for all the passengers, but the pilot does an in-app purchase (7.99)….the slides appear on everyone’s iPad controlled by the teacher’s iPad. Can leave everyone with an pdf copy of your presentation right on their iPads.
Game Center – new version on Mountain Lion
Calendar sidebar is back in.
They added a lot of features for the Chinese market.
Can only buy Mountain Lion on the App store….on computers that will run it. Costs $19.99 and you can install in it on multiple computer. Installer is 4.3 gigabytes.
Install Instructions
If you do purchase ..quit installer immediately…and then look for it in the Applications folder, it will say Install Mountain Lion, then copy it somewhere else…and then use it to install on the second computer. But your Apple ID is embedded in it, so don’t give it to anyone else.
• Can call Apple to get a “Maintenance” version for $25.99 which covers all your OS upgrades for 3 years. It’s really designed for businesses rather than individual users.
Triangle to the right on the file name at the top when the file is open has great new options. And you can hold down the option key while clicking on the triangle which allows you to “save as”.
Steps before Upgrading to Mountain Lion
Update all your apps
Roaringapps.com will tell you what apps will work with Mountain Lion.
When ready to purchase Mountain Lion
Command R – you boot from your Recovery Partition
Run Disk Utility
Then Reboot your computer
Then purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store and follow install instructions
If you do purchase ..quit installer immediately before it installs…and then look for it in the Applications folder, it will say Install Mountain Lion, then copy it somewhere else…and then use it to install on the second computer. But your Apple ID is embedded in it, so don’t give it to anyone else.
Important Commands
Command Tab
Shows you all running application…
Command H = hides an application
Command Q = quits the application
Other Mountain Lion Features
Notification Center – to bring it up with gesture…with 2 fingers swipe from right to left with your fingers starting off the track pad.
If you have Dock problems>Activity Monitor>Look for Dock (if not behaving – Stop process (Red icon at the top of the menu)…then the Dock should come back by itself…
Applications>Notes>can have your notes either on your Mac or in iCloud.
Time Machine feature:
System Preferences>Time Machine> (made for people who don’t have an off-site back-up) (plug in a hard drive and make it your Time Machine back-up) and then do it to multiple hard drives and it will alternate the Time Machine back-ups to the different machines.
Mail 6.0
VIPs …you can specify a specific person as a VIP…notification center sends you a notification that you have an email from the VIP. To make someone a VIP…to the left of her name, click the star and she is a VIP. And it is retroactive for all their mails.
Smart Folders (also works in Lion)
Mailbox>New SmartMailbox> Today>Show me all mail I received today.
These are just “saved searchs”…there really isn’t anything in that mailbox
Can create a “smart folder” for unread messages
Can drag a folder to the top of the screen ( as it stays on the side as well) …Could have unread message smart folder at the top
Safari
• Sharing>Can send as pdf, as link or as whole article (only available in Mountain Lion)
Contacts
Smart Groups works again in Mountain Lion
Can figure out who is not in a group
File>New Smart Group> Called it “Ungrouped”….Smart Group is just a saved search…Card is not a member of an group,,,show it to me…
Making folder font size bigger in Mail
System Preferences>change the font size in the Finder and it will also change in Mail. The font sizes do not change independently.
Calendar
To automatically make the time correct for the event. Make the date part of the entry of the name of the event….Lunch with Ben 2pm-3pm and it automatically puts the correct time in the event. Can also do it at the top of the screen…”quick add”.
Mountain Lion Feature
To encrypt drive when mounted on desktop:
Control or right click on the drive when mounted….and it will encrypt the disk while mounted without destroying the data. It can only be mounted and read on a computer with Lion or Mountain Lion. If you forget your password, you are hosed, the data cannot be recovered even by Apple.
GateKeeper
Will prevent from applications not from the Mac App store from running..
System Preferences>Security> Allow applications downloaded from:
• Mac App Store
• Mac App Store and identified developers
• Anywhere
The point is to protect us from malware.
New Sony Cyber-shot Camera RX100 = highly recommended (better than the Canon S100)
Flickr.com/benlevy to see samples of work created with this camera
Shoots full HD video with audio….total capacity is 29 minutes of video.
$650
Can attach a tripod to it.