The OnStar / Cadillac press conference last night saw some pretty exciting news.  The Cue infotainment center, OnStar open source API and expanding on the Verizon 4G LTE partnership with streaming content, in-vehicle content sharing and Skype video calling.

First of all the new Cadillac Cue infotainment center is state of the with multi-touch gesturing and voice recognition technology.  Cue runs a Linux OS prime for developers to create apps on the newly announced OnStar open source API, sports a 12.3 inch multi-gesture, (tap,flick,swipe and spread) customizable, console display and 8 inch customizable driver display.  The 12.3 inch console display also boast proximity sensing, with magically appearing icons and a users hand approaches the screen and heptic feedback, pulsing the users finger tip enabling the user to know, without looking, the gesture was recognized.  Lastly, working with a company used in the development of SIRI, Cadillac engineers have created a voice recognition function that recognizes natural speech.

Although, Cue is still in beta form, still in need of fine tuning and I couldn’t try out the voice command, I was able to get a “feel” for the finish product on the demo unit.  Cue will initially he offered on the flagship XTS and newly annouced ATS models in the near future.

The announcement of open source API to OnStar’s proprietary, ATOMS cloud, brought excitement.  OnStar is allowing worthy developers to create applications to function on the OnStar network.  The first application, almost ready to release to the public, RelayRides is a car sharing program that works like nontraditional car rental services.  Through the RelayRides program owners will be able to share (rent) their own OnStar equiped vehicles and earn money.  Folks interested in renting a vehicle, through the RelayRides app can locate and buy the rental that is right in their own community.

The expansion of OnStar 4G LTE services include streaming video from YouTube and NetFlix, Web surfing, Skype video calling, vehicle diagnostics, connected home, and more.

Finally, Cadillac showed us the newly announced Cadillac ATS from from Detroit just before the North American International Auto Show, said to be slated to compete head to head with the BMW 3 Series.

The new, official Facebook for iPad app is finally here, in the App Store.  For the iPhone, it’s a new version (4.0, and according to the app description, uninstall the older version before installing 4.0).

Here are some of the Facebook for iPad highlights:

• Share a photo, update your status or send a message without leaving News Feed
• Use Facebook apps and play games in full screen mode
• Flip through animation (like a photo album) for browsing high-res photos
• Check out the Nearby map to see what your friends are up to
• Chat with friends right from your home screen

- via Fonearena.

Windows 8, the successor to the Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft, was recently announced, and it’s getting a warm response from the tech bloggers.  Like Apple’s OS Lion, which tries to integrate some tablet-friendly features to a desktop, Windows 8 takes it a bit further.

Details, as well as a YouTube demo video, after the break:

Some unique aspects of Windows 8 is that it’s ready for touch screens.  The tile start screen design is called the “Metro UI” (User Interface), which contains “Live” tiles (which update, like emails, or facebook statuses) – and it evolved from the Windows Phone 7 design.  Those uninitiated to WP7 (Windows’ smartphone operating system) will probably see this as quite a departure from most desktop designs.  You can still make Windows 8 look and work like Windows 7, but you’ll need to click on it as if it were an independent app.  So it seems you have choices for how your desktop looks and works.

Not only will this be a touch screen tablet operating system, but it will be a mainstream pc operating system as well, which means it’s also mouse and keyboard ready.

Check out the video, and the link to Techland’s article, and leave a comment on what you think about Microsoft’s newest operating system.

-via  Techland.

In addition to reading Kindle books on a Kindle (that statement was genius..), there are the Kindle apps for iPhone, Android, and pcs/macs.  Now there’s a cloud based reading app that is integrated into your browser (Safari, Safari for iPad, and Chrome; I/E and Firefox to be released soon).  Other than PDFs, purchased books will not reside on your local hard disk, but in the CLOUDS (insert heavenly music here).  Check out some screen shots after the break:

For those who use Chrome, here’s what the chrome app will look like, as well as shots of the reader app:

Chrome Apps

Kindle Chrome app 'home'

sample page view, turn page via mouse or arrow keys

Customizable screen fonts, margins and background

via Amazon.com

News Flash!  Skype for iPad is now in the App Store, and it’s free.  iPad users had to settle for the iphone/ipod version, which did not make good use of the larger iPad screen, and one could not instant message during a video call.  Of course, you will not be able to send video with the 1st generation iPad, due to the lack of front facing camera.  You can see the party that is calling you though.  But you knew that already.

Have you tried it?   How do you like it?

Read more about Skype for iPad.

At WWDC 2011 today, Steve Jobs unveiled OS X Lion, which offers over 250 new features.  I’ve taken the liberty to highlight several of the key new features below.

Mission Control (top) centralizes Dashboard, Expose and Spaces under one big umbrella that lets you see and have quick access to everything that’s going on in your Mac.  Just give it a 3-finger swipe up on the trackpad or click the Mission Control icon in the Dock to get there.

Apple is really pushing gestures with its multi-touch trackpads for both desktops and MacBooks.  The multi-touch gestures are a big part of navigating through and between apps in OS X Lion.

Mobile devices and computers are starting to merge and the mouse is starting to die (and maybe shortcut keys as well).

Another big feature found in OS X Lion is systemwide support for full-screen apps.  This allows you to use all of your screen real estate to get into and around your apps.  Combined with gestured-access between open full screen apps and Mission Control access, it should be a breeze to navigate through your apps – all the while enjoying the increased size of your apps’ interface.

As you can see above, Mail is getting a new look – with a lot more features to boot.  The new Mail gives you a compact preview of each message with the first two lines of the email in your inbox list.  Clicking an email will display the message to the right, which looks nice for Macs’ widescreen displays.

AirDrop lets you share files via an ad-hoc wireless network; however, there’s no need to configure anything.  Just launch AirDrop and your Mac will auto-discover other AirDrop users within 30-feet.  Once its open, just drop a file onto the name of the computer you are sharing with and it will transfer to their Downloads folder.  Say goodbye to USB thumb drive transfers.

Resumé, Auto Save and Versions combine to let you keep working in the way you were when you last closed your apps or documents.  With Resume, your apps open up where you left off, while Auto Save lets you stop worrying about clicking the file menu or clicking Command-S to save your work.  Version charts the history of your documents as basically snapshots through your progressive work.  You can review past versions and even copy and past among them.

Launchpad is a full-screen view of all your apps. It lets you group apps together in folders or easily delete unwanted apps.  Whenever you download apps from the Mac App Store, they will automatically appear in your Launchpad.

Apple found just the right cash cow with its App Store for iOS devices and its recently tested the waters with its Mac App Store.  And, its turned out quite well for the Cupertino company – and it looks like Apple may start tightening the reigns on Mac software distribution as well.

Perhaps the biggest news about Lion is how they’re selling – only through the Mac App store.  Available in July for $29.99 for all of your authorized Macs.

Apple iOS 4.2 is up for download and it’s free.  Simply connect your iPad, iPhone, or iPod to your Mac or PC and follow the prompts in iTunes.  Apple says there are over 100 new features brought over to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay, and AirPrint.

The latest PluralEyes update has added support for Sony Vegas Pro 10.  In case you aren’t familiar with this magical audio syncing software, check out our PluralEyes Review for the full rundown.

More details about PluralEyes for Sony Vegas Pro 10 in the press release below.

PluralEyes Press Release

Vancouver, British Columbia – November 16, 2010 – Singular Software™, developer of workflow automation applications for digital media, is pleased to announce that its flagship product PluralEyes® is now available for Sony® Vegas® Pro 10. The recently released Sony Vegas Pro 10 editing suite contains a variety of groundbreaking enhancements including a fully customizable workspace, stereoscopic 3D editing capabilities, updated audio controls, native support for professional camcorder formats, Blu-ray™ disk authoring options, and more. “The Singular Software development team is consistently working to bring PluralEyes users quick compatibility for the newest versions of the industry’s most popular non-linear editing systems,” says Bruce Sharpe, CEO, Singular Software. “The newest Vegas Pro release from Sony is no exception – there are a variety of superior enhancements that are continuing to stir up industry buzz. We want to make sure Version 10 users are able to leverage all of the same synchronization benefits that PluralEyes has to offer.”

The multi award-winning PluralEyes, with added support for Sony Vegas Pro 10, provides users with all of the same unique product features for managing multi-camera, multi-take, and dual-system audio productions. PluralEyes for Sony Vegas Pro 10 feature highlights include several options to sync from scratch or update sync with additional clips. “PluralEyes is well known among Vegas Pro users as the must-have tool for anyone working with dual-system sound and or multiple cameras,” says Dave Chaimson, VP of Worldwide Marketing, Sony. “Vegas Pro 10 has a host of new features, including stereoscopic editing capabilities. We are happy that PluralEyes has extended support for Vegas Pro 10, and are excited that users – whether working with SD, HD, DSLR and even 3D footage – can now all leverage its innovative technology for that perfect sync.”

Philip Bloom put together the above short video that shows off the power of the new rolling shutter (which plagues DSLRs) fix in iMovie ’11. Pretty cool stuff from the Magical Company.

[via Philip Bloom]

Microsoft dropped Office 2011 for Mac today.  The Home and Student edition offers Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while the Home and Business edition adds Outlook to the mix, which should be a boon to all the current Entourage users out there.

Microsoft Office 11 for Mac Press Release

REDMOND, Wash. – Oct. 26, 2010 – Roughly eight miles separate Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., but some might assume the gap is greater. PC is PC, Mac is Mac, and never the twain shall meet, right?

Eric Wilfrid doesn’t buy it.

Wilfrid, general manager of Microsoft’s Office for Mac team, regularly makes that eight-mile drive. It’s not far, and he doesn’t think the metaphorical distance is, either. For 13 years, Wilfrid has helped put Microsoft Office, the world’s most popular productivity software, onto the Mac platform. And while conflict might create a good storyline, in the middle of all that noise are customers.

“As someone who works at Microsoft and deals with Apple often, I acknowledge that our companies compete,” Wilfrid says. “Some people choose Windows, and some people choose Mac. That conflict tends to get a lot of attention, but I deal in the reality that there are customers who love their Macs and also love using Office.”

A lot of customers, in fact. According to Wilfrid, three-quarters of all Mac users have Office installed on their machines. “That’s the vast majority of Mac customers counting on Microsoft for a critical piece of their computing needs,” he says. “Mac users need Office because it helps them work with the Windows world.”

Wilfrid is proud of that statistic, which he says highlights the importance of the relationship between the two companies. Today the relationship takes another step forward as Microsoft releases Office for Mac 2011, the company’s productivity software suite tailored for the Mac operating system. Mac users can now install the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and, for the first time, Outlook. Office 2011 is available in 13 languages around the world, and by November the suite will be available in more than 45 countries.

With the release, the company offers Mac customers many of the cloud-based benefits that Windows customers saw with the recently released Office 2010, Wilfrid says.

“Office isn’t just about what runs on a desktop machine or laptop,” he says. “Office is an experience that shows up across your computer, on the Web browser, and on your mobile device.”

So the new release for Mac is focused on delivering anywhere access, better collaboration, and professional design tools to make it more attractive than previous versions, Wilfrid says. First and foremost, Outlook is now included in Office 2011 for Mac. The new Outlook was built from the ground up and works with both on-premises Exchange and the just-announced Office 365, the new cloud service from Office.

Office 2011 has new built-in integration with Windows Live SkyDrive as well as connections to SharePoint so users can manage files and work from any location, Wilfrid says. With Office Web Apps, Mac consumers can edit Office documents straight from their browser.

The release’s new co-authoring tools let users edit the same Word document or PowerPoint presentation simultaneously with other people in different locations who are using Office 2011 for Mac or Office 2010 for Windows. They can also quickly share presentations with anyone who has browser access through PowerPoint broadcasting.

Finally, the team continued its investment in file format compatibility so users can create the same professional-looking Office documents on a Mac as PC users can with Office for Windows. “That’s been our focus since the first time we made Office for Mac,” Wilfrid says “If you print a Word document out for Mac and another for Windows and hold them up to the light – IT pros do it all the time – they will come out the same.”

In a sense, the release of Office 2011 for Mac isn’t really news, Wilfrid says. Microsoft has made Mac-compatible versions of Word and Excel for 26 years, ever since there was a Mac. And since 1997, Microsoft has had a dedicated team focused on building Office for Mac. The team’s work is a critical part of the company’s long-term commitment to deliver Microsoft software and services across platforms that help people work smarter, faster, and better with greater choice and flexibility, Wilfrid says.

Wilfrid has been a part of the Office for Mac team since day one. He started at Microsoft fresh out of college, when he worked as a developer for PowerPoint. In 1997, he went from being responsible for a small handful of dialogues on the Windows version of Office to owning the user interface on PowerPoint for Mac when the new group formed. He worked on the Silicon Valley Campus until two years ago, when he moved to Redmond to oversee the Office for Mac team, which now has groups in Washington, California, and Beijing.

Over the years, Office for Mac has evolved with Office and the Apple platform. But the focus hasn’t changed. “From day one, we focused on making the user experience be both Mac-like and recognizably Office,” Wilfrid says. “Over many, many years, we’ve figured out different ways to make sure that the end product is something that we as Office and Mac users would want to sit down in front of every day and depend on to do our work.”

Because, of course, that’s exactly what the Office for Mac team does every day. Wilfrid carries a MacBook around the Microsoft campus not because he loves the platform or because Apple wants him to but because he and his team are committed to delivering a quality experience to the Microsoft customers who own Macs.

“The one thing that’s held constant over all that time is that customers need Office, and many of those customers have Macs,” he says. “The Mac versus PC was kind of good entertainment, but it never changed our team’s focus or influenced the way we did our jobs.”