OS X Mountain Lion Features: Messages

By far one of the coolest new features in OS X 10.8 aka Mountain Lion, Messages is the iChat replacement that allows users to exchange free texts between Macs and iOS devices, complete with photos and videos. The app boasts standard IM-features as well, like the ability to see when your friends are typing a reply. After seeding a developer preview version of Mountain Lion to Mac developers this week, Apple revealed that Messages was a huge new addition to the OS. According to the Cupertino giant, Messages does everything iChat does, and then some. It has integrated support for iMessage, the free text messaging standard introduced by Apple in iOS 5. Anyone with an iOS 5 device can now send a receive these types of text messages to and from...

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OS X Mountain Lion Will Not Ship on USB Keys, Apple Confirms

Apple has confirmed that OS X version 10.8, dubbed Mountain Lion, will not be available on any form of physical media when the software is released this summer. The operating system will be exclusively available for download from the Mac App Store. In a statement provided to Pocket-Lint, the Cupertino, California-based electronics giant has confirmed that the next major version of its Mac operating system, Mountain Lion, will be available from the Mac App Store exclusively. Apple justified its move telling the site that, "It was an interesting test, but it turns out the App Store was just fine for getting the new OS." While the move will undoubtedly spur some criticism from conservative users, it’s worth pointing out that Mac owners will...

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Mouse Computer MDV Advance PC Released for Graphics Pros

Mouse Computer has a company name that would make one think about PC peripherals, but the IT player is definitely fully immersed in the PC business, having even developed a series for graphics professionals. There are two new monitors that Mouse Computer has made available for its customers from the Japanese market. Dubbed MDV-ASQ8310B-WS-P27LP and MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP, they make up the MDV Advance series. Both of them are alike in their use of NVIDIA Quadro graphics, but the actual Quadro cards are different. The same goes for the central processing unit: One uses Sandy Bridge and the other boasts Sandy Bridge-E. The MDV-ASG9300B-WS-P27LP is the stronger and, consequently, more expensive of the duo, at 239,820 JPY, which translates into...

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Windows 8 Developer Preview Expiration Date Gets Postponed

Users who are currently running the Windows 8 Developer Preview that was made available for download in September last year can now prolong the life of their OS until January 15th, 2013. On February 16th, Microsoft issued an update for the platform, meant to postpone the expiration date for the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Windows 8 Server Developer Preview to the next year.  Initially, Windows 8 Developer Preview was meant to expire on March 11th, 2012, while the Windows 8 Server Developer Preview had its expiration date set for April 8th, 2012.  As soon as the expiration date is reached, systems running under these platforms will periodically restart. To continue using the platforms, users will need to install the recently...

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X11 No Longer Included with OS X Mountain Lion

Developers testing Apple’s newest cat have confirmed that X11, the X window system that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and rich input device capability for networked computers, is no longer included with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Development on the Mac for the X Window System, or X11 as it is commonly referred to, is done under the XQuartz project, which generally outpaces X11 development. Which is why the current version of X11 is 2.6.3, while XQuartz stands tall at version 2.7.0. Apple seems fed up with this inconsistency, therefore is doing away with X11 in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Users will be prompted to download the open source XQuartz, if the should ever require it...

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HTC Confirms Android 4.0 for Thunderbolt, Rhyme, Rezound, Raider and DROID Incredible 2

HTC, once again, narrows the list of devices that will receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but this time it's all about North America. In an attempt to make the waiting bearable, HTC came forward with a short statement on its official Facebook account and confirmed plans to deliver the long-awaited Android 4.0 upgrade to several carrier-bounded smartphones. Among them, HTC included Verizon's Thunderbolt, which comes as a surprise. The handset was missing from the initial list, so this is an interesting turn of events. According to HTC, the following smartphones available in the United States through Verizon Wireless will receive an Ice Cream Sandwich update in the coming weeks: HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Rhyme, HTC Rezound and DROID Incredible...

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Samsung Galaxy S II 4G Photographed En-Route to Telstra

Australian wireless carrier Telstra is gearing up for the release of two new Android-based LTE-capable smartphones from Samsung, namely the Galaxy S II 4G and Galaxy Note.  Both of them are expected to get launched as soon as February 28th, and will be accompanied by another 4G device from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab 8.9. This is not the first time when Galaxy S II 4G emerges online, but it is the first time when a photo with it does so.  Gizmodo Australia published such an image, and those who have been wondering just how the device looks like can now satisfy their curiosity. The news site also notes that Telstra is getting ready to launch the Nokia Lumia 800 and a new 4G Prepaid USB modem on February 28th. Nothing has been officially...

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LG Changes Optimus Series Logo Ahead of MWC 2012

The wind of change blows from South Korean shores, as LG Electronics announces it will drop the current logo of the Optimus series. This is the first important change since the launch of the company first smartphone in this line LG Optimus Q, two years ago. According to LG, the reason behind its decision to refresh its mobile phone brand is to reflect the company's “reinforced design leadership.” These are pretty big words coming from company that had the most disappointed customers of all the major handset manufacturers. Part of these customers were left to wait for an Android 2.3 Gingerbread update that they've lost all trust in this brand and decided to turn their heads to LG's competition. Anyway, it appears that LG needs a fresh start...

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iOS 5.1 Release "Around" March 9th - Report

A reputable source of Apple rumors, BGR has revealed that the public release of iOS 5.1 should occur “on or around March 9th”, supposedly two days after unveils its third generation tablet computer - the iPad 3. The well-connected BGR has obtained a Golden Master version of the iOS 5.1 software update currently in testing at Apple, with claims that the new iOS version “will be released to the public on or around March 9th.” The blog also confirms a couple of previously-reported new features in the iOS 5.1 GM, namely the altered Camera button on the iOS lock screen, and the Japanese-speaking Siri. Apple is rumored to be holding an iPad 3 event on March 7, which falls on a Wednesday...

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This Is Some Real Tech Art Right Here

Some people thought that mashing PC parts together and molding them into a stool was a cool idea, but they've got nothing on this guy.  Sean Avery has taken the idea of sculpting seriously, but the resources he chose for his works are different from those of others.  While some would select clay or stone, or wood, he gathers old compact disks, used motherboards and all other types of PC parts and turns them into works of art.  The man actually put together everything from inanimate rodents to functional robotic squids.  There are even birds carefully assembled from CD bits and pieces. Just look at the color play and lack of rough edges, that takes some serious care and dedication.  Check out the full gallery here...

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Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Gets HUD Interface

With today's updates, the upcoming Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) operating system received many new features and improvements, including the Privacy Settings, Video Lens for Unity and the HUD (Head-Up Display) system described in this article.  Originally introduced by Mark Shuttleworth last month, the Head-Up Display, or HUD for short, is some sort of add-on for the Unity interface allowing users to interact with application's menus by pressing the ALT key. At the moment, HUD was introduced alongside the current menus placed on the Unity Panel, but in the end, the Head-Up Display system will entirely replace menus in Unity applications. However, this will most probably happen in Ubuntu 12.10. HUD was developed by Canonical in-house...

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Intel-Based Orange London Android Phone Coming Soon in the UK

Surprise, surprise. Intel is about to enter the UK smartphone market with an interesting devices dubbed Orange London. Obviously, the smartphone will be available via Orange UK, but what's interesting about this device is that it is equipped with an Intel chipset inside. The folks over at CoolSmartphone have been tipped on Orange London by a certain individual who goes by the name of Simon Hardy. This guy completed a survey and was presented with some info on the unannounced Orange London device.  Hardy was kind enough to explain how he got the information: “As an Orange customer, I was signed up to a marketing scheme of theirs called Better Together. This basically involves being asked to complete various surveys related to phones...

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iPad 3 Retina Display Confirmed, Put Under Microscope

A rumor blog reporting exclusively on Apple has obtained an iPad 3 display and, after putting it under a microscope, has confirmed that it yields a 2,048-by-1,536 pixel resolution. In other words, the next Apple tablet will have the much-rumored Retina display. MacRumors claims that the purported iPad 3 display is identical to the panels used in the current-generation of iPads, in terms of width and length, with a 9.7-inch diagonal. While it looks almost identical to the iPad 2 screen, they made a very interesting discovery while taking a glance under the glass using a microscope. “…when comparing the iPad 3 display to one from an iPad 2 under a microscope, the difference in resolutions becomes readily apparent, with the iPad 3 display’s...

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Samsung GT-i9300 Spotted in UAProf

In the coming months, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil to the world the successor of Galaxy S II, and some more info on what might become this device has just emerged.  We’re referring here to the Samsung GT-i9300, a smartphone that was just spotted in a UAProf entry, and which is suggested to be on its way to the market as the Galaxy S III.  Upon a closer inspection, the said UAProf shows that Samsung GT-i9300 sports a display capable of delivering only a 1024 x 600 resolution, which raises concerns on whether this would indeed become the next Android flagship device from Samsung.  Galaxy S III was long rumored to arrive on shelves with a screen capable of a 720 HD resolution, and...

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Nokia Lumia 805 Specs and Render Revealed, Credibility Uncertain

With almost a week left until Mobile World Congress 2012 kicks off, new rumors and leaks are pouring everyday. There's no telling how many of these are accurate and exactly which devices will actually see the light of day in Barcelona, at the end of this month. Shortly after Nokia's roadmap for this year's MWC trade fair leaked a new render of an unheard of Nokia smartphone has just been spotted at Chinese forum Baidu. The folks at Pocketnow who took notice of this render are wondering if this is indeed the real thing or is just a fake meant to rise the hype over Nokia's launch events at MWC. Obviously, we should take this with a grain of salt either way, as the picture comes from an unreliable source, but the fact that the Lumia 805 strongly...

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Nokia Drop Receives Nokia Belle Support

Nokia has just announced the release of version 1.4 of their Nokia Drop application for devices powered by the Symbian operating system. The new application iteration arrives on devices with great enhancements included into the mix, such as support for automatic updates, or silent installation features.  At the same time, it arrives with support for the latest Symbian flavor out there, the Nokia Belle OS that started to arrive on Nokia devices a few weeks ago.  Users will also benefit from a new first-time-use tutorial when installing the new application release, as well as from Store & Forward capabilities.  “With automatic update you will have always the latest client available. We will send you normal drop message (will...

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Sound Blaster Cards Make a Comeback Thanks to ASRock and Creative

Creative used to be very protective of the “Sound Blaster” brand, but it eventually began to allow certain third parties to use it, provided they had what it took to attain a certain quality. ASRock has turned out to be one of the IT companies allowed to adopt the name. The PC component maker has launched the Game Blaster sound card, which utilizes the "Sound Core3D quad-core audio and voice processor." In addition to this chip, the newcomer boasts the Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet LAN technology as well, for Full-Duplex 2Gbps i.e. "teaming." Teaming two LAN ports will not increase the speed of any of the connections, but the potential aggregate throughput is higher.  Besides this, ASRock incorporated the CrystalVoice filtering technology,...

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The Windows 8 Logo Is Here

Windows 8, the next-generation desktop client from Microsoft, is gearing up to reach the Consumer Preview milestone, after being released as a Developer Preview in September last year.  With the new platform, Microsoft announced a new approach to the computer market, through offering touch enhancements and a brand new user interface, called Metro.  In line with all these changes, the company decided to make some changes to the Windows logo as well, so as to show that Windows 8 is indeed a complete reimagination of the Windows operating system.  “Nothing has been left unexplored, including the Windows logo, to evaluate how it held up to modern PC sensibilities,” Sam Moreau, principal director of User Experience for Windows,...

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