OS X Yosemite Apple's new operating system will be out in its final form for free this fall. But early adopters will be able to get a look at all the new features through a public beta this summer. NOTIFICATIONS AND WIDGETS Yosemite gives the Notification Center sidebar introduced in Mountain Lion an even more dramatic visual makeover, turning the background translucent and expanding the features to make it look and function more like it does in iOS. A "Today" view has been added to the new Notification Center, letting you see your upcoming calendar events, reminders, and the weather forecast. Finally, you can now customize the Notification Center by adding third-party widgets and apps from the Mac App Store. A SPOTLIGHT REFRESH Spotlight gets its first big update in years with a brand-new Alfred-esque launcher and a search field that appears in the middle of the screen. You can quickly launch apps by typing just the first few letters, browse local documents (complete with in-line preview), and search everything from Wikipedia and Apple Maps to contacts and events, all from within the new tool. SAFARI Apple has given its Safari web browser some radical visual and functional tweaks, first and foremost shortening the address bar at the top of the browser window and centering it. The address bar has also gotten smarter and can suggest relevant Wikipedia articles based on what you type in. Apple has given Safari a "share" button identical to that found in iOS, along with a menu that displays recent recipients. Apple is also attempting to mitigate one of its browser's most annoying features — multiple tabs that extend beyond the browser window and out of view — by letting you scroll through them horizontally. But the most dramatic new feature is Tab View, a button that provides you a "bird's eye" view of all the open tabs, which closely resembles the multi-tab view in mobile Safari. SMS AND PHONE CALLS ON ALL YOUR DEVICES Yosemite enhances iMessage to include SMS messages as well as the texts sent through Apple's proprietary service. You can also now send and receive phone calls from your Mac. A STRONGER SPOTLIGHT Spotlight's search powers have been drastically expanded beyond the apps and contacts you already have on your iOS device. It will now show you everything from movies and songs available on iTunes (with corresponding ratings), to movie showtimes at nearby theaters, to Wikipedia articles and Maps entries. HEALTHKIT CENTRALIZES YOUR HEALTH INFO iOS 8 includes HealthKit, an app for tracking personal health and fitness data. HealthKit provides an easy-to-access hub where iPhone owners can monitor important health metrics on a daily basis, and also step back to examine their fitness trends over a longer period of time. HealthKit will integrate with third-party apps and institutions including Nike and the Mayo Clinic. SIRI IS NOW HANDS-FREE iOS 8 also taught Siri some new tricks. Shazam integration will let Siri ID any song in earshot, and it can dim your lights or turn up your thermostat through the new smart home framework. There are backend changes too, like streaming voice recognition and improved language support, but the big news is that you'll be able to call up the program without even touching your phone. Just say the words "Hey, Siri" and it'll appear automatically, similar to "OK, Google" in Chrome.

• published: 03 Jun 2014
• views: 605