Apple has today pushed out updated releases of both the iOS and Mac versions of the popular iWork site of productivity apps. While the release of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is obviously Apple's biggest software push of the day, the Cupertino firm is also unleashing an updated version of its iWork suite of apps across both the Mac and iOS devices.
Apple's Safari browser, native to those running OS X, has just been updated to version 6, bringing with it a whole host of interesting new changes. Atop the menu is the Smart Search Field, which, like the omnibar on Google's popular Chrome browser, allows you to use one bar for typing web addresses and search queries.
For those amongst us are who registered members of the Twitter micro-blogging service and also happen to own an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will know that when it comes to choosing a Twitter app, it is a difficult choice. Out of the multiple Twitter apps available on the App Store, they all pretty much offer the same experience packaged into a different user-interface, that was until Tweetbot came along and raised the bar with an entirely custom UI mixed with great gestures and user interactions.
Of all the features that arrived when iOS 5 reached the end-user back in October of last year, iMessage has been arguably the most significant, and by now allowing messages to be sent and received in a faster, more secure manner across a variety of platforms, it has to go down as one of the best in the business. Granted, it has its occasional downtime, but it's not bad as is, and with the service also arriving to the Mac with OS X Mountain Lion, it will almost certainly become the sole mode of quick communication to many Apple enthusiasts.
Mozilla's Firefox has been around for quite a while now, and despite Google continually pushing updates of its fast-growing Chrome browser, Firefox has continued to remain resilient, altering its own release schedule in a bid to stay relevant. Hence, here we are at Firefox 14, and just six weeks after Firefox 13 was seeded on Mozilla's servers, and the fourteenth iteration still manages to offer a bunch of useful changes.
Twitter is one of the most popular social networking sites on the planet, and although it doesn't yield the same amount of active users as Facebook, it offers a fantastic niche platform from which people can communicate in the here-and-now.
When it comes to deciding which social network to use consistently on a daily basis, I have to say that Twitter annihilates Facebook every day of the week for me. Although I initially jumped on the Facebook bandwagon during the early days and still hold an active account to date, it is something I use sparingly, as day to day activities of people I used to know during my school days quite frankly bores me. Twitter on the other hand allows me to connect with people who have the same interests as me from all over the world, allowing knowledge to be shared and consumed, so anything that can provide quick access to the micro-blogging service can only be a good thing.
A new app, available now in the Mac App Store, brings live wallpapers to Apple's desktop and notebook computers. If you're an Android smartphone user then there is every possibility that you are already very aware of live wallpapers. Standard, static wallpapers are all well and good, but live wallpapers feature moving images, animated to offer something rather different and much more entertaining to look at than a boring photo of a sunset. After all, we spend a lot of our time staring at our smartphones. We also spend an awful amount of time looking at our computer desktops, too, and this new app aims to brighten the experience with a spot of motion.
Here at Redmond Pie, many apps are brought to our attention on a daily basis, and while most are what we'd consider clones of an already established (and often, much better) offering, sometimes a new one arrives with its own unique twist.
If you are like me and make use of a number of different web browsers, then it can become a little confusing to keep up with release schedules and what has actually been included when a company like Mozilla or Google pushes out a new update. For those who use Firefox regularly, you will probably be aware that for one reason or another Mozilla have changed the way they release updates, and whether or not that is to keep in line with competitors is open for discussion.
