One of the biggest features Lion introduces is the addition of several multi-touch gestures that will allow Mac users to control their applications and software in a more intuitive way. For individuals who already use Apple iOS devices, such as the iPad and the iPhone, many of the new gestures will likely seem like second nature. Just like the mobile devices, Lion will allow computer users to pinch to zoom and swipe to navigate through pages. Additional gestures include tap to zoom, a feature that quickly zooms in on whatever you are viewing with the simple tap of your fingers.

Another exciting innovation Lion will be incorporating is full-screen applications. This allows users to easily use every single pixel on their screens, without wasting a single centimeter of screen space on cumbersome menus or icons. Multi-touch gestures will allow you to easily switch from full-screen mode to standard mode, making it simple to change applications.

Mission Control is perhaps one of the most exciting features of the new operating system. By swiping three fingers down on your keypad, you will be given a bird’s eye view of your entire system. All of your open windows and applications will be visible in this space, and specially designed spaces at the top of the control center allow you to place shortcuts to frequently used programs and applications. Accessing any part of your system requires nothing more than a click of your keypad.

Beyond Mission Control, Apple is also introducing a new feature known as Launchpad. This screen will display all of your computer’s applications, all of which can be arranged as you see fit. Furthermore, new applications will automatically appear in this area of your computer, making it easy to keep track of everything on your system.

Resume is another incredible feature Lion is bringing to the Mac. This great option allows you to easily jump back into your work after restarting your computer. Furthermore, applications open to whatever you were working on previously. Auto Save and Versions further solidify the new concept of continuing wherever you last left off without an user input required.

In addition to all of the great features available in the latest release of the Mac OS, Apple has changed the delivery method for users who choose to upgrade to Lion. Instead of the traditional CDs that contain the necessary data for your computer, Lion can be downloaded through the Mac App Store. As soon as it becomes available, existing Mac users can download Lion immediately and begin experiencing all of these great features for themselves.

This is interesting news since it seemed to be perhaps the most criticized release of Mac OS precisely because of early claims that it contained little or no new features. However, Apple played it’s marketing very well and made it incredibly easy for users to upgrade. That was the tipping point. At the same time, Apple users expected a simple upgrade procedure chiefly because of the service-pack perception surrounding this new version of Mac OS.

There is little doubt that Snow Leopard sales will continue to increase as the fall selling season is just a pounce away. New Macs, rumoured to be arriving soon, would also send OS X sales numbers soaring. On the other side of the fence, Windows 7 will be released in October. Can this potentially have an impact on new Mac users who were already planing on switching to Mac this Christmas? Please, share your thoughts.

My one year manufacturer warranty nearly up, I recently realized that I wasn’t ready to let my MacBook Pro go naked for the next 2 years. I take it everywhere and since AppleCare had served me so well on my previous PowerBook G4, I knew wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I sat idly as my warranty expiration date slipped by. Until I saw the price, 350€ (about $500 USD)! *Gulp* I knew it would be expensive but it seemed as though I had paid a lot less for it the last time. Unfortunately for me, that’s because I bought my previous Mac when I was a student, a title I no longer carried.

About two days before game-over, I was talking to a colleague and fellow Mac user about what I would inevitably have to do. That’s when he tells me: “Dude, just get it on eBay. You’ll get it for like half the price.” He then went on to tell me that he had bought his AC from eBay for his MBP, speaking about it as if it was as easy as pie. “You buy it and they send you the AppleCare number by email. All you have to do after that is go to the Apple site and register it to your product. Piece of cake.”

I didn’t quite believe it at first thinking he may have been exaggerating but quite to the contrary, and my surprise, you can buy AppleCare on eBay for about 50% less of the Apple Store retail price! I looked and hesitated for a while but found one Power Seller with 100% feedback. Since I had already spoke with Apple on the phone, I knew I only had only 48 hours left to purchase and register my warranty. I sent a message to ameenterprises asking if I would receive the AppleCare reference number in time. In about 30 minutes I had a reply from a gentleman named Adam telling me to email him directly when I bought it and he would make sure I get it before the of my warranty.

So with much hesitation, I clicked the Buy Now button and paid $166 USD for my AppleCare. Within a day, Adam had emailed me back with my registration number and the steps needed to link the service plan to my MacBook, which took about 5 minutes! Within 10 minutes, I had a email from Apple confirming my MacBook Pro would be covered for an additional two years!

So if you’re hesitating about buying Apple Care on eBay, don’t. It’s simple, it’s quick and you’ll save a bunch of money. But don’t get it from anyone. Adam from AME Enterprises is your man. Check out his listings, I’m sure you’ll find what your looking for. And tell him I sent ya.

Snow Leopard Session Highlights Include:

• Upgrading to Snow Leopard details the installation process itself and how users can prepare to upgrade, avoid installation problems and proactively troubleshoot.
• Working with Services in Snow Leopard focuses on the services that Snow Leopard makes downright convenient to use, including managing the Services menu, adding and removing services, identifying cool things you can do with services and situations where services don’t work.
• Text Magic in Snow Leopard highlights all the new text magic tools, including bidirectional language support, a revamped user interface for the Keyboard Viewer and Character Palette, on-the-fly text substitutions, and interesting new capabilities in TextEdit.
• Finder Power User Techniques (“Don’t Enter Data Twice!”) emphasizes how to speed up workflow in the Finder by customizing windows and using Smart folders and Spotlight to quickly find information, as well as how to use tagging to better organize your data.
• Working Between Multiple Apps shows users how to better exchange information among the various applications on their Mac, as some of the Apple apps are very well integrated, but the ways in which they can interact is not always obvious to the user.
• Video with Snow Leopard: Putting QuickTime X to Work demonstrates how to navigate the new user interface; use the features of the new QuickTime to capture audio and video; prepare media for use with your iPhone, iPod or Apple TV; push video to You Tube and Mobile Me; and use H.264, AAC, streaming and performance technologies to improve your media experience.
• Taking Accessibility to the Next Level in Snow Leopard teaches users with disabilities how to increase and enhance their accessibility with new and innovative technologies designed to get the most out of their Mac.

For more information, visit www.macworldexpo.com.

[Via www.macworldexpo.com]

Apple has given the go-ahead on an iPhone App for Spotify, a free music streaming service currently in invitation beta and available in a select few European countries. This news is a great shock as the service directly competes with the functionality and business model of iTunes.

Spotify’s business model is ad based but they also offer a premium version for 10 Euros per month (about $13 US) with no ads and exclusive content.

In recent months, many have been calling for iTunes to adapt a similar subscription model. Can we expect Apple to buy Spotify in the coming months?

Spotify has made huge strides in Europe since it was launched in October 2007 and has over 2 million users in the UK alone. They hope to have their service available in the US by the end of 2009.

Perhaps the greatest feature about this app (as demonstrated in the video) is that it will allow users to store playlists for offline listening, a feature previously not available on the desktop version. Look out for Spotify in the App Store soon.

What are your thoughts on this? React by leaving a comment.

To makes things more transparent, Apple published a list of printers and scanners known to work in Snow Leopard. It’s very comprehensive. And if your printer isn’t listed, Apple invites you to “contact the manufaturer” to find out if it’s compatible. If it isn’t, harassment authorised.

Source : iJustine.com

For those of you who don’t know, Dailybooth is the newest form on online narcissism where the aim is to post pictures of yourself everyday.

The new feature utilizes the Mac’s built-in networking hardware to find its location using IP data and is most likely based on the same Geolocation technology added in the latest version of Mozilla Firefox.

iPhoto 09’s Places feature has utilized GPS meta data to catalog photos by the location in which they where shot but this is the first time an Apple product other than the iPhone has been able to determine it’s own location without GPS support.

Snow Leopard uses CoreLocation to determine the computer’s current time zone. It will be interesting to see how developers uses this feature to enhance their own applications.

Mac OS Snow Leopard utilizes the Core Location Framework to find it's current location. Here we see how it can be used to determine the computer's current time zone.

The installation process has never been simpler on any version of Mac OS. Simply insert the DVD and in less that 15 minutes, Mac has had a full makeover. The migration from 10.5 (Leopard) is completely seamless. You even get a free gift, 6GB of extra storage on your hard drive! Is it safe to say this is a first?

And for $29 who wouldn’t want to upgrade. Apple has released the new version of its operating system at the lowest price ever for a new OS version. Five-computer family packs are only $49. Like I said, life couldn’t be any sweeter.