250 new features of Mac OS X Lion Part.I

Following the opening keynote of WWDC 2011, Apple has posted on its website a long list of 250 new features for the next update of its system. Some innovations were already known thanks to the Developer Preview of the system, some others were not yet known. A Quick overview of all the new features here.


Accessibility
VoiceOver has 23 votes in many languages and we can even download new high-quality voice in the ad hoc panel preference. Leo also supports Braille, you can zoom in on an image only (the rest of the screen remains unchanged), the cursor is defined more and Apple has added a new mode drag and drop where you select the original item and point of destination and the system does the rest.

Accessibility lion voice
Airdrop
To simplify the sharing of documents, airdrop integrates seamlessly Finder Lion. The feature requires no configuration, just click on the icon to see immediately compatible computers on their network and send a file or folder. The transfers are secure (encryption in TLS), a firewall is automatically created and you keep control of operations (confirmation that you accept the file, possible cancellation of the transfer).

Overview
Overview of the many innovations have already been outlined MacGeneration.

AppleScript
The scripting language is not abandon Apple with Leo. The AppleScript editor contains some innovations, such as templates to quickly create a script linked to a rule by example. You can create applets Cocoa (AppleScript Studio to replace what?), Create scripts which focus on an application ...



Auto Save
Auto SaveCette function automatically saves the documents, everything is done transparently and automatically, even if you can duplicate a file or a block from the menu that will appear in the final version in the filename.

Automator

Automator can now change a process to move from one process to service a plug-in printing for example. The application manages versions and Auto Save, new Automator actions appear in Lion, in particular to manage RTF files.


Address Book
Besides a new interface, Address Book Lion improves its synchronization with Yahoo, it offers access to photos in iPhoto to complete the address book, it allows FaceTime to initiate a call or add birthdays without year.



Mac OS X LionDistribution
Mac OS X Lion abandons the physical medium. The next version of Apple's system will only be sold on the Mac App Store for € 23.99. We can install on any Mac with an account authorized iTunes Store.

FaceTime
The video chat application is built into Apple's Mac OS X Lion. Little new from what we already knew, except the addition of an expected full screen.
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Testing the iMac 27 "2.7 GHz Quad Core i5 Part.IV

Other option is the storage media. For 150 € you will grow to 2 TB of hard drive (150 €) or we may prefer only SSD storage with 256 GB (500 €). It is however very little in terms of storage for a high rate, especially if one collects photos and video. The more affluent will have the option to combine a hard disk with a SSD, which will host the system and applications (marriage of storage capacity and speed of execution) but must pay dearly again. Has 600 € to 1 TB + 256 GB SSD or 700 € for 2 TB + 256 GB SSD. These two combinations also currently lead delivery times higher, 4 to 6 weeks.

Finally, the choice is given (without influence on the final price) for a wired keyboard (with numeric keypad) or wireless (without keypad), a wired mouse or touches the Magic Mouse and Bluetooth or the touchpad and wireless Trackpad Magic. If we want both the Magic Mouse and Trackpad Magic, count an additional 69 €.


€ 200 separates this iMac model just below the screen with 21.5 ". On the essential characteristics, they are identical. To work with an iMac 27" (Core i7 Quad) since 2009 it is difficult to find complain about this diagonal screen. Some may find the unnecessary or cumbersome. It is true that this declination iMac does not accommodate a small office and there must be a minimum of recoil. In summary, if your budget allows and that the 27 "does not scare you, no hesitation in having this machine is a small bomb. Otherwise, the 21.5" reconcile more affordable prices (1149 and 1449 €) to possibly inflate the memory or hard drive) with quite satisfactory performance.

Testing the iMac 27 "2.7 GHz Quad Core i5 Part.III

Another point to note with this hard drive and more generally with this iMac, it works quietly. In a quieter environment, we launched a Flash playback 1080p on YouTube, iMovie and encoding a copy of a large folder of files, everything went without one is a particular annoyance came from fans or Disc. While an iMac 27 "Core i7 of 2009 will be much more remarkable for its breakdown.

This iMac also differs from its predecessors by adding a light sensor next to the webcam. It automatically alters the brightness of the screen. She is still alive; some coping with this very well, others will find it too strong to its maximum setting. So there is a new option to automatically adjust in System Preferences.


Another development is the presence of the connection to Thunderbolt. Except that Apple has not provided a connector on the iMac as 21.5 "but two. Sign it considers this series of iMac as suitable for certain professional uses where the Thunderbolt will make his debut, including video. But in the meantime, the two acquisitions have nothing to put in their mouths. We must remember that the use of this iMac as a screen of another Mac (target mode) is possible that using a Mac Thunderbolt too.

Like the 21.5 "color rendering of the webcam seemed more neutral, while newer machines like the last MacBook Pro 15" which in very good conditions of light, the image drew significantly on the magenta. Another detail, the design of the iMac has not changed, housing for SD cards is very near the slot SuperDrive, beware of evil manipulations' ...


At the time of ordering, the customer some options. Like go to 8 GB memory (16 GB max). If one spends most of his time on the Internet, the 4 GB may be enough. It is recommended that in contrast to climb to higher level when working with many applications open. We can happily adjust its configuration in a second time. Of the four memory slots, two are vacant, so we can add strips later, and look for any tariffs more competitive than the Apple Store (200 €). The installation itself of these bars is relatively easy. As long as you have the right screwdriver, simply remove the small grid in the screen and drag strips in their new homes. It's a matter of ten minutes.
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Testing the iMac 27 "2.7 GHz Quad Core i5 Part.II

If one compares the first i5 Quad 2.7 GHz 2.5 GHz to previously tested on the iMac 21.5 ", the gains in performance, predictable, are confirmed in almost all applications. There is no exception with Aperture to export the same time. Elsewhere, the differences are sometimes marked. But with Blender (3D), iPhoto, XLD (audio encoding) or Starcraft at native resolution of the screen, the differences are smaller, if not minimal.

- Handbrake: 17 min 22 sec (2.7 GHz) against 19 min 01 s (2.5 GHz)
- Photoshop CS5 test (DHT): 2 min 45 sec instead of 3 min 04 s
- GarageBand: 1 min 32 sec 1 min 41 s cons
- IMovie: 8 min 59 sec instead of 9 min 15 sec
- Finder: 1 min 28 sec instead of 1 min 34 sec
- Stracraft: 65 fps in 1280x800 cons 50 fps

The finding is more vindictive to the very first iMac 27 "Quad. A high-end model features a 2.8 GHz Core i7 released in fall 2009. Our" small "i5 the distance in all cases Figure (some tests fail, we added some applications since then). Faced with the Mac Pro entry level, a Xeon 2.8 GHz Quad, same thing, this iMac is held upright, into the processor and testing Cinebench OpenGL.

- GarageBand: 1 min 32 sec 2 min 14 sec cons for Core i7 Quad 2009
- IMovie: 8 min 59 sec 9 min 27 s cons
- Photoshop CS5 test (DHT): 2 min 45 sec instead of 3 min 04 s
- Photoshop CS5 test (RAT): 42 s instead of 58 s
- Photoshop CS4 test (DHT): 3 min 55 sec instead of 5 min 19 sec
- Photoshop CS4 test (RAT): 45 seconds instead of 1 min 09 s
- QuickTime X: 42 s instead of 58 s

The hard drive is a Western Digital (WD1001FALS-403AA0) to 1 TB 7200 rpm. QuickBench test with large files to an average of 124 MB / s read / write. It's better than the 500GB model fitted to the 21.5 "which is turned around 112 MB / s. All this confirms, if need be, the idea that this family of iMac is perfectly complete semi-professional tasks like 3D, DTP or video or music. In the latter two areas, however, specialists rather demanding swear by the Mac Pro. But for the general public, the iMac 27 "have all the comforts.

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Testing the iMac 27 "2.7 GHz Quad Core i5 Part.I

The model tested is the entry level of the new iMac 27 "Thunderbolt, with its standard configuration. This machine has sold € 1649 i5 Core 2.7 GHz quad core "Sandy Bridge" (i5-2500S), 4 GB RAM, 1 TB hard drive at 7200 rpm and a new graphics card Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB of RAM. Defining its beautiful screen has not moved with 2560x1440. The working surface is always as comfortable if not impressive for a piece.

The iMac lineup includes, at the base, four models: two 21.5 "(i5 Quad at 2.5 or 2.7 GHz) and two 27" (i5 Quad 2.7 GHz or 3.1 GHz). Performance processor reported here should therefore provide good clues about what we can expect from the 21.5 "high end. Because there are many common points with our machine: processor, memory allocation, hard disk and graphics card. If found the note that 27 "too high or if its dimensions alone are a constraint, we can always turn to the iMac just below. Which may also receive a Core i7 Quad 2.8 GHz if you really want to push performance (allow € 200). Core i7 has this and more on the i5 that supports Hyperthreading (eight cores logic with some applications) in addition to Turbo Boost available to all iMac (able with this machine, on tasks not taking advantage of multicore to push a temporary heart increments, up to 3.7 GHz maximum).

Performance:
In the standard tests, a mixture of consumer applications or not.

- Finder: zip archive of a file of 1.5 GB and 4500 elements.
- GarageBand '11: AAC encoding a 30-minute podcast.
- XLD: converting audio files from FLAC to AAC
- Photoshop CS4 and CS5 two scripts, one mainly composed of filters (DHT), the mixing filters and other common actions (RAT).
- IPhoto '11: export JPEG images.
- Aperture 3: export RAW images to JPEG.
- IMovie '11: 960x540 exports in a HD movie of 10 minutes.
- QuickTime X: export to iPhone format film obtained with iMovie.
- Handbrake: compression format file an iPhone HD 4.7 GB
- Blender 3D rendering of a file.
- Cinebench: measurement of an animation and an OpenGL 3D rendering.
- Starcraft 2: number of frames per second

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iOS 5 Preview

Accessibility side, Apple has added several elements, such as activating the flash of the camera for new notifications on the iPhone 4 or backplane dedicated to accessibility issues. Apple also proposes to change the behavior of the vibrator for calls only. Besides the continuous vibration by default, you can now choose between five vibration proposed by Apple, but also create new ones.

Apple has integrated the system with a vibration pattern generator custom. By tapping the screen, tells iOS when the buzzer is active. We can make a short tap or hold your finger to adjust the duration of vibration, while the intensity depends on the strength of tapping.

Other customization offered by Apple with iOS 5, the creation of custom gestures for use with "adaptive accessories. By default, a horizontal zigzag opens a menu, but the user can register new gestures. A priori, these actions will activate a specific function, but integration does not seem complete: once the action is recorded, IOS does not use it.

Since iOS 4.3, iPad used in development are entitled to a series of additional actions to manage the multitasking. Using four or five fingers can move from one application to another (shift to the left or right), show or hide the recent applications (sliding down or up) or quit an application by squeezing four or more fingers.

In the current beta version of IOS 5, these actions are available to all users and they are enabled by default. We can turn them off in the Settings, under "General", which will be useful for the (few) applications using more than three fingers at once.

MindManager 9 iOS Update in June

MindManager is a tool for creating mind maps. Mindjet, the publisher has scheduled the release of a major update for June 23 next. In this Program, we could find a new presentation mode, an option to quickly add an item, the import and export Office documents and iWork or dynamic content. By purchasing a license of MindManager today, you are eligible for free to version 9. The update will cost $ 129 otherwise.

To accompany this new release, Mindjet propose two applications in the App Store, iPhone (5.49 €) and one for iPad (6.99 €). These applications will be compatible with documents created by the desktop version and incorporates Dropbox for file transfers.

Mac OS X XProtect Update Date Check

The site Macworld gives a tip to force Snow Leopard to check his list of definitions of malware is updated and the check itself. The handling is first to open the Security pane of System Preferences, then in the General tab, uncheck then recheck with the option "Automatically update the list of safe downloads.

As this panel does not indicate the date of last update of this information (associated with this panel does not outright mention this new option). This requires running a command in the Terminal.

Copy and paste this and press the command line:

more / System / Library / CoreServices / CoreTypes.bundle / Contents / Resources / XProtect.meta.plist

In our case, before touching the election, the date returned was that of 26 May, after handling in preferences, the terminal indicates that the last update by Apple file malware of today.


need to check every day what is happening in this file, remember that the malware in question - MAC Defender and its variants - is not a virus, but an application masquerading as something it is not. But until a panel of preference may be more informative, it's always good to take a trick.

Microsoft unveils Windows 8 Part.IV

As for the management of the autonomy of the iPad and responsiveness, precisely because they are unmatched IOS "cut the fat" over "real" multitasking, and a start in record time. What happens when the hard drive goes into tablet mode on Windows 8? What happens to excel, always in the background when you go on reading a magazine? Better yet, what happens if the file open in Excel was stored on the external drive when passing in tablet mode? So many questions that need answers, and we do not know for the time actually little more on this new version of Windows. Microsoft still has time to perfecting his copy and gives all the answers by the system output. However, it seems to introduce here a long transition during which it has perhaps more ways: you cannot take the train when it left the station.

Although the two modes do not live in total isolation: thus it is possible to live a touch application and pre-Windows application 8 to the screen by the method of sharing discussed above. One imagines, too, although Microsoft has not demonstrated that the keyboard can be used with older applications. As such, the touch-sensitive layers of Windows 8 is not a simple overlay, and wait to see the other features that Microsoft will unveil in the future to measure the interpenetration of two worlds. Nevertheless the two approaches, as presented, go together. While it is easy to see that this approach may provide to Microsoft, it is much more difficult to see the benefit to its users. And ultimately, it's still good to them that are: no one will do the update for the sheer joy of giving pleasure to the editor.

As John Gruber points out, this has been the undeniable success of the Apple iPad is well made clean slate. Pages, Numbers and Keynote have been totally redesigned for the touch interface, and this is what works. The simplicity of the iPad also reflects the disappearance of the management of files and their backup. The impossibility of making a direct port of an application for Mac OS X to iOS ensures that third party developers think their application specifically for IOS, which contributes to the strength and consistency of the platform. Microsoft has not had the fortitude to abandon what made his fortune so far, this may well be a shot in the future too heavy to drag.

Microsoft unveils Windows 8 Part.III

After all, the software giant is on familiar ground: Windows itself has not he started his career as a simple wrapper for MS-DOS before finally, after many years, for committing patricide in engulfing its venerable ancestor? The method has already worked once, why would it not therefore possible to repeat the process?

There are still major differences between the transition, and paradigms MS-DOS/Windows windows / touch: in the first case, there were not two very different types of machines that have been associated with each interface. This is the biggest problem for Microsoft: Do we imagine that users of Windows 8 on desktop applications will support the new touch less powerful than those on shelves and x86 bothering with old menus and windows, do if only for the honor and advantage of using Excel to the old one? He should still see the thing for measuring the ineptitude: tap on the title menu, tap on the menu item, draw a line on the screen with your fingertip to move or resize a window, and that 'happens to the "rollover", actions that are initiated by the hovering, when there is no pointing device? The very notion of having an anti-virus running on a shelf today may raise eyebrows more than one user iPad.

However, we can consider Microsoft's proposal as a "best of both worlds," and the idea as such may seem attractive: the same machine could be adapted to your consumption patterns, and move from one mode to other seamlessly. In this case, Microsoft is going even further than what Apple provides with Mac OS X Leo, compared to merely take a few visual and behavioral IOS surface. The Tablet PC would become media when you need it and vice versa. But summarize the experience of a tablet media such as iPad Touch the only interface would be very simplistic. The iPad made changes much more profound in the user interface and operating system: more file management, even more backup while Windows 8 is always the good old records and other DLLs.

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Microsoft unveils Windows 8 Part.II

But precisely on x86, what about the substantial repository of Windows, the very one on which Microsoft built its empire? The answer is given 3 minutes in the video presentation: they have changed nothing. There are the "good old" windows and interface of Windows 7 when it launches a program of the old world.

What promised to be a radical change is a trivial cosmetic addition. In short, Windows 8 is just a wrapper graphic-touch Windows 7. It must be said that Microsoft has tried to square the circle with this process:

- Provide a usable interface on touch pads
- Maintain compatibility with its software library
- Providing an outlet to Windows 7 Phone on the Smartphone market

The first and second point are contradictory, and the third it only makes it harder still. Indeed, by delivering the touch interface with all future PC, Microsoft intends to educate its customers using Windows 7 Phone: being on familiar ground on their PC, they may be more inclined to choose a Smartphone that So they will already be using, and who can share part of the repository of their PCs (the famous touch applications in HTML5 + JavaScript. Incidentally, the next version of Windows Phone, Mango, you can create applications in HTML, and SilverLight). The approach clearly shows how much Microsoft has realized the strategic importance of mobile devices.

For transform its flagship product, the one on which it draws the vast majority of its income, single Trojan for the Smartphone battle is far from trivial. In short, Microsoft has to agree with Steve Jobs noisily about the "post-PC": here tomorrow Nearly Everything will be played.

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Microsoft unveils Windows 8 Part.I

After months of "teasing" unsustainable, Microsoft has finally lifted the veil on Windows 8. The Redmond Company promised a revolution at the interface. And the least we can say is that Microsoft's proposal is not timid: some concepts incorporating Phone Windows 7, Windows 8 offers everything for the first touch, with a presentation by "tiles" in place and place as icons on Windows Phone 7. We also note the presence of a "store" on the home screen, but we had plenty to expect.

A virtual keyboard on the screen, which can veer from each side of the monitor for more comfort on the large slabs, a system of sharing the screen between two applications that come together, all of which Microsoft no bold We were not used so far.


The trend was started with Windows 7 Phone, which inherits many in Windows 8: sweeping away the demons of the past, Microsoft is managed to stand out and offer an interface not only consistent but also original and full of discoveries.

The applications in this mode are based on HTML5, JavaScript, and can therefore run on any hardware platform. However note that Microsoft has changed its tune over Windows 7 Phone, which focuses on the development with Silver Light. Anyway, this choice is important given that Microsoft has promised a version of Windows 8 dedicated to ARM processors. This family of processors with different machine language than x86 processors, there necessarily arise a problem of compatibility for existing software compiled. In such situations, we usually use emulation (this was the choice made by Apple to the passage of 68,040 to PowerPC and the PowerPC to x86), but Microsoft has a problem: the significant difference in capacity between the processor ARM and a tablet core Intel desktop PCs. Emulation has never been possible, when the new processor is more powerful than the old. And indeed, Microsoft said it would not propose emulation for x86 applications on Windows for ARM, thus limiting Repository shelves ARM applications made solely in HTML5 and JavaScript, which they can be shared between two processors without difficulty.

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10.6.8 Leo will be available on the Mac App Store

The notes accompanying the latest beta of Mac OS X 10.6.8 are instructive. They tend to confirm what we imagined for some time before. We already know that Mac OS X Leo will most likely be distributed via the Mac App Store.


Indeed, according to Apple, this update improves the Mac App Store so that your Mac is ready to be updated for Mac OS X Lion. One can also think that 10.6.8 is the latest revision of Snow Leopard.


On the other hand, as we announce to you a few days ago, the third beta is able to detect Mac Defender and its variants. Finally, Mac OS X 10.6.8 improves support for IPv6 and VPNs.

Getting back to Mac OS X Leo, the ability to distribute via its platform download will allow Apple to compress time. For previous versions of Mac OS X, it took about two weeks between the time the system goes golden master and marketing: Time to burn DVDs and send them to its distribution network ...

If this indiscretion therefore predict that lets Mac OS X 10.7 will be available on the Mac App Store, Apple should continue to provide a physical version, not least for those who do not have a broadband connection. Still, the version "virtual" could be sold much cheaper than the box...