This edited article is by Cory Bohon of the Mac|Life web site.

Mountain Lion strolled onto the scene earlier this year, with a lot of interest but no showy unveiling. Apple gave the world a better glimpse at its newest big cat at the World Wide Developers Conference, reserving a good chunk of the June 10 keynote for more details about the next iteration of OS X, which dropped in July in the Mac App Store for just $19.99, the lowest price yet for an OS X upgrade.

Here’s 10 of the 80 Tips & Tricks:

1. App Store: Software Updates
   The Mac App Store in Mountain Lion is now the one-stop shop for getting and updating applications, including OS X updates that Apple previously pushed out using Software Update. Now, choosing Software Update from the Apple menu opens the Mac App Store’s Updates tab. New updates are downloaded automatically, and you’ll be notified via the Notification Center when they’re ready to be installed.
2. App Store: Auto-Download Purchases
   Just like in iOS, the App Store in OS X can now automatically download purchases made from other Macs. Just check the “Automatically download apps purchased on other Macs” option from System Preferences > Software Update.
3. Calendar: Mini Calendars Are Back
   When Lion introduced the new stripped-down version of iCal, many users didn’t like the changes, especially the removal of the mini calendars from the sidebar. Luckily, they’re back. Simply click the Calendars button in the toolbar to show not only a list of calendars, but also the two-month mini calendars, which you can resize by dragging up and down.
4. Calendar: Notification Center Alerts
   Calendar in Mountain Lion supports the new Notification Center, allowing you to set alerts for events and birthdays, and turn off shared calendar notifications or invitation notifications. These changes can be made on a per-account basis by navigating to Calendars > Preferences > Alerts.
5. Calendar: New Date Picker
   The new date picker is available when editing an event in the inspector. Simply click the date to show a mini calendar that makes selecting a new date even easier than before.
6. Calendar: Improved Searching
   When you begin typing a search term into the Calendar app, you’ll instantly get suggestions based on the location, title, and notes of the event. You will also see a new bar to the side that displays all of your results.
7. Contacts: Contact Photos
   Apple has streamlined the interface for picking photos of your contacts to be used across OS X. You can choose from default images, recently used images, Faces from iPhoto or Aperture, or use the built-in FaceTime/iSight camera. You can also use the standard drag-and-drop method for setting a custom image.
8. Contacts: Sending a Message
   Clicking on an email address or phone number in the Contacts application will now give you the option to send an iMessage. A popup dialog will open, allowing you to type your message and include an emoticon.
9. Contacts: Sharing Contacts
   Lion only allowed you to share a contact vCard through email, but Mountain Lion will also let you send it via AirDrop or iMessage.
10. Share Files With Airdrop
    AirDrop is a peer-to-peer wireless network used by applications to send small files—sending vCards in Address Book, for example. When someone on the network has AirDrop open in the Finder, you’ll be able to specify that person as a recipient of the file.

For the other 70 Mountain Lion Tips & Tricks visit the article by Cory Bohn.

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