Ask Andru: How do I prepare my Mac for Mountain Lion?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, PC / Laptop, Software,

Apple is set to release it's next major operating system update, known os OS X Mountain Lion, later this month. In this edition of Ask Andru, Tracy writes in and asks if there is anything she should do to prepare her Mac computers for the Mountain Lion installation. I share some tips on what we can all do to ensure a smooth upgrade experience to Mac OS 10.8.

Question: I hear that Apple will be releasing a new version of OS X shortly. Is there anything I need to do in order to prepare for it to ensure that I can run it? Will it be expensive?

You're correct! Apple announced OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion just five months ago, and it will be available in under two weeks. Mountain Lion will sell exclusively on the Mac App Store for $19.99 (so, not expensive at all!) and will include some nice features, including AirPlay Mirroring from your Mac, tighter iCloud integration, Twitter and Facebook built-in at the system level, Reminders, Notes, Game Center, a new Messages app that will let you send and receive iMessages from the Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. In total, there are over 200 new features that Apple is introducing in Mountain Lion.

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THQ announces WWE ‘13 Austin 3:16 Collector’s Edition

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fighting, Hot Deals, PlayStation 3, THQ, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360,

THQ has announced WWE '13 "Austin 3:16" Collector's Edition. Set to launch alongside the standard WWE '13 title, the limited set includes some extras that you won't find in the version that has C.M. Punk gracing its cover. The Austin 3:16 edition will feature a foil-embossed skull cover, bonus DVD with a bunch of Attitude Era Steve Austin content, exclusive in-game content (like Austin's ATV,) Mike Tyson as a playable character, and a hand-signed photograph from Stone Cold himself. Check out the full trailer after the break.

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Xbox 360 Halo 4 Limited Edition console bundle now available for pre-order

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Culture, First Person Shooters, Hardware, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

Remember that Halo 4 Limited Edition Xbox 360 console we told you about the other day? Yep, it's real, and it's now availabe for pre-order. The console will sell for $399.99, and will be released on November 6, 2012. You get the Xbox 360 console that decked out in Halo 4 artwork, along with two wireless controllers with artwork as well. The green LEDs are swapped out for blue, and the console has custom sounds from the Halo world. The actual Halo 4 game is also included. Pre-order it now at Amazon.

Sprint LTE network is now live in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Smartphones, Wireless / WiFi,

Sprint has officially announced that the first 15 cities to be lit up with its LTE service are now live. Unfortunately, it's a slow start, but at least it's something. If you are in select areas of Georgia, Texas, or Missouri, then you're in luck if you've also got a Sprint LTE device. The full list of cities:

Atlanta, GA; Athens, GA; Calhoun, GA; Carrollton, GA; Newnan, GA: Rome, GA; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Granbury-Hood County, TX; Houston, TX; Huntsville, TX; San Antonio, TX; Waco, TX; Kansas City, MO-KA; St. Joseph, MO

Let us know how it's working for you!

Read More | Sprint

Nokia slashes price of Lumia 900 to $49

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Hot Deals, Microsoft,

Nokia has just cut the price of the best Windows Phone in the US market by 50%. Yep--the Nokia Lumia 900 is now just $49 with two-year contract on AT&T. Sure, you won't be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, but Windows Phone 7.8 will bring most of the visual updates like the redesigned home screen to the Lumia 900. Seriously, for the money, you'll wanna give this one a look if you're in the market for a new smartphone. Check out our Nokia Lumia 900 review.

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iOS 6 beta 3 OTA update failing for some users

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

As we reported earlier, Apple has released iOS 6 beta 3 to developers. However, as with any beta, there are still some bugs to be ironed out. Reports are coming in that the over-the-air update is failing for some users, with an error message that states "Software Update Failed: An error occurred downloading iOS 6 beta 3.". To initiate an OTA update, you go into the Updates section of the settings app, and tap on Download and Install. The failure occurs almost immediately after doing this. Mutiple hard reboots don't seem to fix the issue. It seems that users that are caught in the OTA fail loop will need to wait until the iOS 6 beta 3 10a5355d images become available on the Apple dev portal, using iTunes to manually update their devices.

iOS 6 beta 3 now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

Apple has just released iOS 6 beta 3 as an over-the-air download a few minutes ago, in line with what we reported earlier today. This release comes a little over a month after the initial iOS 6 beta that was released during WWDC 2012, and just over two weeks since iOS beta 2 was made available. If you're on an iPhone 4S the download 347 MB in size, a little larger than the 332 MB that iOS 6 beta 2 was. The beta 3 update on the new iPad weighs in at 424 MB, a substantial decrease from the 527 MB that beta 2 saw. Check Software Update in your settings app to grab it now!

iOS 6 beta 3 to be released today?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors, Software,

If the image above is correct, it looks like Apple is set to release iOS 6 beta 3 to developers any minute now. It usually takes a while to propagate to all the servers across the world, but if you're an iOS dev, chances are that you'll likely be seeing an over-the-air update pushed to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices that are running the current beta. Once we see it on our end, we'll let you know.

Google Nexus 7 Jelly Bean tablet now shipping

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Google, Handhelds,

Google has confirmed that it has begun shipping pre-ordered Nexus 7 tablets today. The announcement was made on the Google Play Google+ account, stating "locked and loaded, ready to play: we've started shipping Nexus 7 pre-orders today!"

The Nexus 7 tablet was announced at Google I/O 2012, and is the first device to ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. At a price of just $199, it's also easy on the wallet as well, and has received mostly high praise.

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Halo 4 limited edition console bundle leaks

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Culture, First Person Shooters, Hardware, Microsoft, Special Editions, Xbox 360,

Microsoft is set to release an exclusive Halo 4 console bundle alongside the release of the next major Halo title.

• Exclusive design: Limited-edition, one-of-a-kind console was custom designed by the Halo 4 developer, 343 Industries, and Xbox 360.
• Two custom Halo 4 wireless controllers: With rotating D-pad and blue LED lights.
• Halo 4 Standard Edition game
• Exclusive sounds: Hear actual Halo 4 in-game sound effects when console is turned on and when the eject button is pushed.
• 320 GB hard drive
• Custom downloadable content: Unique armor skin, unique weapon skin, unique emblem, matching avatar armor, and unique avatar prop.
• Black Xbox 360 headset

Details of the console were accidentally posted on the Microsoft Store, and have since been pulled, but not before the details above, along with images, were saved. We assume this one will sell for $399 this fall. We've got an image of the controller after the break.

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Read More | Xbox Forums