OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 has been released alongside iOS 6. The update provides several new features and increased crossover compatibility with iOS, and also fixes a variety of bugs and complaints about previous versions of OS X 10.8.

New features include Facebook integration, PowerNap support to 2010 MacBook Air models, iMessage improvements, shared Reminder lists, URL shortening from Notification Center, a fix for Save As altering the original file, and more.

There is some speculation that OS X 10.8.2 resolves the battery life issues that many portable MacBook Air and MacBook Pro users have experienced, though this is currently unconfirmed and battery life is not mentioned in the release notes. Likewise, there is no mention of any lingering wi-fi issues, but there is also speculation that 10.8.2 resolves those too.

You can download OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 from the Mac App Store.

Apple has released iOS 6 for all compatible devices, this includes the iPhone 5, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPod touch 4th gen, and iPod touch 5th gen. iOS 6 includes a variety of new features and refinements, makes Sharing possible with Photo Streams, adds Apple’s new Maps app and turn-by-turn directions, and brings Siri to devices like the iPad 3. Upgrading is simple, back up first and then use one of the following three methods to install the update.

Updating to iOS 6

Wait! Back Up First: Before beginning any iOS update, it’s a good idea to back up your device. The easiest way is with iCloud, which can be done through Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Back Up Now, but you can also backup through iTunes.

OTA Update: The best approach for most users is to update to iOS 6 using Over-the-Air, this can be done by opening Settings, tapping General, then tapping “Software Update” and then installing. This is generally the fastest method and it only downloads a delta update, meaning the changes between your current iOS version and iOS 6.

Updating through iTunes: iOS 6 can also be installed directly through iTunes. Be sure to have the latest version of Tunes 10.7 (or later) installed before doing so. Connecting the device to the computer and opening iTunes is generally sufficient.

Updating through IPSW: Considered more advanced, you will need to directly download iOS 6 firmware files from here and use them manually.

If your iPhone 5 pre-ordered through Apple still says “Preparing for Shipment” and it’s making you anxious, worry not, it has probably already shipped but Apple’s Order Status page just hasn’t updated yet. In fact, you can start tracking the iPhone right now even though Apple’s order page doesn’t provide a tracking number yet, here’s how:

• Go to the UPS Tracking webpage and click “Track By Reference”
• Enter the phone number used for ordering the iPhone 5, enter the delivery date range, enter the delivery country (USA), and your delivery zip code, then click “Track”
• Voila, your pre-order tracking number is revealed as is the current location of your iPhone 5

If you’re obsessive like many of us, you’ll probably want to save that tracking number so you can refresh it constantly on the 21st.

For about 85% of pre-orders the iPhone 5’s seem to be sitting at the giant UPS sorting center in Louisville, Kentucky, waiting for the 20th for their overnight shipping to take effect before landing on your doorstep on launch day.
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Teleport is a great free app that lets you share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs, in addition to providing for a single clipboard and even the ability to drag and drop files between different Macs without using traditional file sharing. This is ideal solution for those of us who have a desk with a couple Macs and don’t want to constantly flip between different keyboards, mice, and trackpads, instead you can use a single Macs keyboard and trackpad/mouse and control them all.

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Notification Center in Mac OS X is great but it can act up every once in a while and either stop updating completely, alerts may not comet through, widgets may not load, or the entire thing can freeze up and become inaccessible.

If you encounter any such issue with Notifications in OS X, or modifications were made to Notification Center and just need to reset it so that changes take place, here’s all you need to do to restart the Notification Center process in OS X:

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If you missed out on the initial batch of sold out pre-orders and decided you don’t want to wait a couple weeks for iPhone 5 to be delivered to your door, your next option is to try and get one in a retail store. Sales start on the morning of September 21, if you plan on grabbing one on launch day you’ll probably want to aim for an early arrival and prepare to wait in a line. Below are your options for buying iPhone 5 in the USA.

Stores That Sell iPhone 5

Check the store locators and find which retailer works best for you:

• Apple Retail Stores – Apple Stores are likely to have the most stock, but they’ll also probably have the longest lines. Get there early enough and you’ll almost certainly get one though.
• AT&T Retail Store – All AT&T retail stores should have a decent stock of iPhone 5’s but they’re also likely to sell out quickly. Get there early!
• Verizon Retail Stores – Verizon retail will have iPhone 5 on hand but they may be the fastest to sell out due to the popularity of Verizon’s vast LTE network, as with others expect lines and get there early
• Sprint Stores – Sprint is the only carrier left to offer unlimited data for iPhone 5, making the their LTE network a very attractive offering. That also means they will be selling out quick, so you know what to do. Line up!
• Walmart – Walmart will have iPhone 5 in stock but the quantity will likely very greatly based on location, you’re best off calling the night before and making sure they’ll have some in stock. Ask to transfer to electronics/cell phones and try to speak with someone knowledgable. Walmart is also $10 cheaper than Apple!
• Target – Same story as Walmart, quantity of devices available is going to vary on location. Call ahead of time and speak with the appropriate staff. Not many people know they sell Apple gear, so Target is traditionally a great place to get otherwise sold-out Apple gear on launch days.
• Best Buy – Some people swear by Best Buy for launch day purchases, but the availability of iPhone 5 is going to vary greatly based on store locations just like the other retailers. Get there early and you’ll probably get one.
• Radio Shack – RadioShack is a bit like Target in the sense that not many people know they carry iPhones and iPads, therefore you can often get Apple gear here when everyone else is sold out. Call ahead and make sure your local store will have what you want, then show up and enjoy!

Each store will probably carry a variety of iPhone 5’s right away, and if you’re not picky on the precise model you get you’ll have a better chance of walking away with one sooner than later. We generally recommend buying the base 16GB model because it’s the cheapest at $199 ($189 at Walmart) and holds its resale value incredibly well, but they also tend to be the most popular option and sell out quickest.

Finally, don’t expect the pricey unlocked iPhone 5’s to be available right away at anywhere other than Apple Stores, and because of their ginormous resale value in locations around the globe they tend to get purchased right away by scalpers looking to flip them overseas for healthy profits.

Your Mac can verbally announce the time thanks to a little setting buried in the system preferences.

Though at first glance this may seem unnecessary, or even like pointless flare, it’s actually a great way to help manage your time be it through a variation of the Pomodoro method or just to let you know when durations of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour is up.
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Mac OS X includes a powerful built-in spelling and grammar tool that runs automatically when you type in many apps, but a separate panel can be summoned from just about any text entry point or app that provides additional support for the feature.

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It’s now easier than ever to quickly encrypt external disks and hard drives from Mac OS X, whether they are USB drives, Firewire, flash drives, or even SD cards.

While you can still use the traditional route to encrypt disks through Disk Utility, from modern versions of MacOS and Mac OS X the process is streamlined directly into the Finder and desktop, making it easier and faster.

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We’re all very excited about the iPhone 5 around here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good laugh at the expense of ourselves and the device itself. We already shared a pretty funny video of people who think an old iPhone 4S is an iPhone 5, but here’s a collection of iPhone 5 related humor that’s been circling the web recently. If you follow us on Facebook you’ve probably already seen a few of these, here’s a roundup for those who haven’t:

How Apple Made iPhone 5

Take an iPhone 4… add a popular little blue pill that you see advertised constantly during football games… and you have iPhone 5!

Banned iPhone 5 Promo Video

These are always funny and totally stupid, watch it embedded below for a quick laugh:

Check out a bunch more…
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The first benchmarks for iPhone 5 have appeared and show a processor that is nearly twice as fast in GeekBench scores as it’s predecessor, the iPhone 4S.

In the preliminary GeekBench score found by MacRumors the new iPhone 5 scores a 1601, while the previous model iPhone 4S scored a high of 851. This should translate into a very noticeable speed increase for just about everything, be it launching apps, editing photos and video, or even something as simple as taking a picture. For those who are upgrading from an iPhone 4 to the iPhone 5, they can expect a significant speed boost, as the iPhone 4’s GeekBench score averages around 380. No more deleting pictures to speed up that slow iPhone camera, the new processor and RAM will speed right through any actions.

To put this number into further perspective, a 1601 GeekBench score is about the same as a 6 year old Power Mac G5 tower, except obviously the iPhone 5 fits in the palm of your hand rather than taking up an entire desk.

The GeekBench entry reveals how the speed boosts are possible by giving us the first information about the iPhone 5’s A6 processor, it’s memory, and L2 cache. Apple isn’t one to traditionally boast about specs, but the hardware on the iPhone 5 is impressive:

• Dual-Core 1.02 Ghz ARMv7 Processor (A6)
• 1GB RAM
• 1MB L2 Cache

The iPhone 4S had 512MB RAM and a dual-core 800MHz A5 processor, while the iPhone 4 also had 512MB RAM but only a single core 800MHz A4 CPU.

Want to initiate Text to Speech with a keyboard shortcut on the Mac?

The excellent Mac OS text to speech function can be activated with a simple keystroke, but first you have to enable the feature. This is a great trick because it allows you to quickly speak what is in on the Mac screen like a document, PDF file, ebook, or web page, and all it takes is a keyboard shortcut to speak the text that is selected or in the active document.

This article will show you how to enable the Speak Selected Text keyboard shortcut on the Mac.

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AutoFill is a great feature that saves credentials to Safari to prevent you from having to enter a bunch of login details every time you browse around the web on your favorite sites. If you ever decide you don’t want to have an autofill password saved however, you’ll find that Safari for Mac OS X makes it easier than ever to manage and remove passwords stored for the various websites you visit from the Mac.

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This weeks featured setup is a really great two-for-one arrangement from Tim N., an investigator who was able to replace a bunch of different gadgets and hardware with some killer Apple gear both in the office and on the road.

First up is his office setup, which includes some great Mac gear:

• iMac 27″ (2011)
• 24″ Dell monitor
• Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad
• iPad 3 64GB
• iPhone 4S 64GB
• Creative Labs 2.1 speakers

But now things get even more interesting, because that iPad 3 and iPhone 4S also go on the road into a customized Nissan Titan truck setup to help Tim with his job:

The iPad alone now carries the mobile tech burden and allowed or consolidating a bunch of old separate hardware and gadgets, eliminating clutter and costing less by replacing a Garmin Nuvi GPS unit, ExpressRC XM receiver, Motorola Q, Parrot 6100 Bluetooth, Blackberry, and an iPod Classic for music. So what replaced all those physical gadgets? Apps on the iPad of course! Critical apps include Motion X GPS Drive, Pandora, Spotify, CalenGoo, Skype, and the standard iOS app suite for email and messaging.

How great is it that just an iPad can do all that?

Do you have an interesting Mac/Apple setup you want featured? Send in a list of hardware and what you use it for to osxdailycom@gmail.com

Did you know you can instantly open any file into Quick Look with just a simple gesture?

From the Finder in Mac OS (from OS X Mountain Lion onward), all you need to do is hover the cursor over the file in question, then do a three-fingered single tap on the file to immediately launch the document into Quick Look’s Finder preview.

This tap gesture even works to launch Quick Look from the Open and Save dialogs, just like the traditional spacebar command.

If you want to go further than Quick Look, once the file is previewed just right-click on the “Open With” menu to launch the file into any compatible app.

There are plenty of other great Quick Look tips to browse through too, so enjoy this amazing feature as you learn to master it.

Somehow this new little gesture completely escaped me, so heads up to MacGasm for the simple yet useful tip.

Using the command line softwareupdate tool you can update Mac OS X system software without using the App Store.

This is particularly useful for Mac users running later versions of Mac OS X where the software update system is primarily handled through the Mac App Store, but can occasionally either go awry or be inaccessible in situations of remote administration.

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If you didn’t stay up until midnight (or 3AM for those on the east coast) and pre-order right away, you already missed the opportunity to get an iPhone 5 shipped to you on launch day through Apple. In an impressive display of demand, the iPhone 5 pre-orders sold out in an hour, and by 1AM PST the shipping window was moved back 2 weeks on every model color, size, and provider.

For those who decided a full nights sleep was worth more than getting the iPhone 5 as soon as possible, you may still be able to get the hottest phone directly through the carrier websites listed below:

• AT&T iPhone pre-order page
• Verizon iPhone pre-order page – delivery date of September 26
• Sprint pre-order

Though some of the carrier websites still list September 21 as the ship date, it’s quite possible they haven’t updated yet and your device could arrive later than expected.

Of course, you can always still wait in line at an Apple Store or mobile provider on the morning of September 21 and get your hands on one right away too.

If you need help deciding which iPhone 5 to buy, check out our common sense guide.

Want a contract-free iPhone 5? Buying an unlocked iPhone 5 doesn’t come cheap, but the good news is the price hasn’t gone up and the cost has remained the same as the prior unlocked iPhone 4S model.

Unlocked iPhone 5 Prices

• iPhone 5 16GB – $649
• iPhone 5 32GB – $749
• iPhone 5 64GB – $849

These prices come from directly from Apple’s Online Store. Both black and white colors are the same price, as are the out-of-contract prices on any carrier network.

Obviously with the hefty prices, it’s much more economical to pay the in-contract prices which start at just $199. Whether you’re going contract-free or signing an agreement, we still recommend buying the iPhone 5 16GB for most users,.

One important thing to remember is iPhone 5 uses an all new nano-SIM card, so it won’t be a matter of just cutting an existing sim and popping it in there to work on a different network. Because of the new nano-SIM requirement you’ll need to find a carrier that offers compatible sim cards.

For those who own the older iPhone 4, 4S, 3GS, and 3G models, it will be much more economical to unlock existing iPhones through AT&T by phone or through the web.