The trouble with releasing a device with a different resolution or aspect ratio than currently available, is that all apps created up until that point need to be updated to support the new display. The MacBook Pro with Retina display arrived in the summer, and the 13-inch edition joined last month, and while plenty of apps have been adjusted to look good on the super-sharp display, many are still awaiting an update. Among them is the official Twitter app for Mac, but for those that do not wish to wait any longer, one third-party developer has taken it upon himself to make some adjustments.
Mozilla's popular Firefox brings a new release almost every month, and following the October release of Firefox 16 and the subsequent Firefox 17 beta, the latest version has crept out of beta stage and is ready to rock. Available on the official download page, those keen to get the update as soon as possible can grab it right now via 17 Mozilla’s FTP servers - download details at the bottom of the page.
Back in August, Parallels Desktop 8 was released, and many vented their frustration at the company's decision to only offer support the Retina display to those who'd bought the previous version of Parallels after Apple released Mountain Lion OS X. Today, Parallel's 8 has been updated once again, and steering clear of controversy, actually brings a bunch of useful new features.
When Clear for iOS was released earlier this year, it not only managed to bring about a wave of clones, but it totally changed the way that developers and users thought about user-interfaces and interacting with on-screen elements. The extremely clean and clinical interface required the user to navigate through it using swipes, pinches and various other gestures that revealed differing menu structures. The developers behind that extremely popular app have fulfilled their promise of platform expansion by releasing Clear for Mac OS X.
Apps on mobile platforms like iOS and Android that allow users to save content for viewing offline have proven to be extremely popular over the last few years, none more so than the fantastic Pocket app that started out life known as Read It Later. Pocket is an extremely well used and loved app for mobile devices, but things have been taken a step further with the introduction of the official Pocket app on the Mac App Store.
Privacy and security is one of the main concerns of most people browsing the web on a regular basis, and if it isn't to you, well, it really ought to be. E-mailing is something we all wind up doing at one point or another, and although our e-mail accounts can be protected by a password, that doesn't mean to say our privacy is at its optimal level. Many main e-mail providers ensure one types in a substantial secret character collective when choosing a password - with most asking for a letter, number, and and special symbol - but more can certainly be done in order to keep e-mails as private as intended.
When it comes to personalization of a user-interface, our first thoughts are usually directed to our mobile devices. Because they are in fact so personal, we - almost subconsciously - arrange every little segment exactly as we wish, tailoring the experience, and to a lesser degree, the same process is followed at desktop level.
Although Twitter is one of the most popular social networks out there, it, like Facebook, has struggled to make its native mobile app worth downloading. While Facebook seems to finally have sorted itself out on the mobile front, the official Twitter app is, by all accounts, pretty poor, and as such, rivaling offerings from third parties continue to thrive.
Day-to-day computer usage is definitely better when it is organized and all happenings and notifications are reliably fed back to the user to keep them in the loop with what is going on, which is probably one of the reasons why the Growl Mac app is so popular with OS X users. If you aren't familiar with the existence of Growl, then the developers proudly refer to it as the ultimate notification system for the Mac.
If you can recall, a few months back we brought you information about a rather impressive little piece of software, which allowed any compatible iOS device to be mirrored to your Mac or PC’s display for the ultimate gaming experience. The aforementioned app, AirServer, can be thought of in the same way as using an Apple TV to display or stream content from an iPhone, iPad or Mountain Lion powered Mac to a TV or monitor.
