Bavaria in August 1987 – we were wearing jackets!
The big news on the tech scene this week is the release of Mac’s OSX 10.8 – also known as Mountain Lion. This version of Mac’s operating system brings a lot of popular iOS features to the desktop – Messages, Reminders, Notes and Notifications for example. One of the more interesting features is Dictation which puts the voice-recognition capabilities of Siri to use on the desktop. Is this a replacement for apps like Mac Speech or Scribe? No, but it is a great way to generate “text” in messages, notes, reminders and emails. Mac|Life has published a very nice article on how to use Dictation and the commands available in the app.
How to use Dictation in Mountain Lion. (What? I said, How to use Dictation in Mountain Lion.) ow.ly/cwRdv
— MacLife (@MacLife) July 26, 2012
A game called Dragon Box [iOS & Android - $5.99] has been getting rave reviews. It seems this game teaches children math – including algebra – as they enjoy a fun game. I’ve sent a copy to our grandkids.
The Kindle Touch got a security update. Andrys Basten has details.
#Kindle Touch software update v5.1.2, a security update with info on the reasons for it. Main US & UK pages. bit.ly/kwsw512
— Andrys Basten (@kindleworld) July 25, 2012
Facebook’s not doing to well in the financial world as this article from ReadWriteWeb details.
Facebook’s Stock Has Never Been Lower: Here’s Why – Despite meeting analysts’ operating earnings estimates of 12 cen… ow.ly/1lF0S1
— ReadWrite (@RWW) July 26, 2012
Mountain Lion also brings iCloud to the desktop. You’ll notice Apple also released updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote this week. These apps now connect with iCloud allowing you to easily work from your desktop or your iPad. Lifehacker has a great article discussing how to put iCloud to work.
How to get the most out of iCloud: lifehac.kr/bPh6
— Lifehacker (@lifehacker) July 26, 2012
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR iWork USERS: You have until Tuesday to download your files. iWork.com shuts down on July 31st.
Diigo is listed as on of the 100 best tools for teachers. Don’t know why I’m surprised to hear this.
The 100 Best Twitter Tools For Teachers (2012 Edition) | Edudemic bit.ly/LOMJWd #diigo
— Diigo Hot (@diigohot) July 26, 2012
I’ll be spending the weekend under the A/C vent working on some family history projects. At least July is almost over, but there’s still August yet to go. Hope you find an interesting way to stay cool.
