Tips to get Apple OS features on Windows PC

Apple's latest desktop operating system has already topped 3 million downloads & includes over 200 new features. ET guides you through some of the additions and shows you how to get similar features on a Windows PC

5 hot new features in Mountain Lion... & how you can get the same feature in Windows.

1 Notification Center

Mountain Lion features a Notification Center just like iOS. It displays alerts for Mail, Calendar, updates , Game Center, Twitter and can also be used to send a tweet. It can be accessed by clicking the icon in the top right corner or by swiping the trackpad from right to left.

Growl

This popular notification app for OS X is also available for Windows. Although it will not give you a notification bar per se, it shows alerts and custom notifications for various supported applications. www.growlforwindows.com

2 iCloud with Documents

Before Mountain Lion, iCloud simply stored important files using the 5GB free storage and kept apps synced across iOS devices. Now, iCloud also supports document editing in the cloud - work on any document stored in iCloud, on any device, and the changes will automatically be reflected on all the other synced devices.

Google Drive

Google Drive gives you 5GB free storage for uploading files and automatically syncs files on connected devices. It even has integrated document editing, to edit & save a document within the browser, which will then be synced across all other devices. http:// drive.google.com

3 Notes & Reminders

Mountain Lion has two new applications - Reminders and Notes. Both have an interface similar to their iOS counterparts and both use iCloud to sync updates between Macs and iOS devices. You can compose a Note and instantly email or message it. Reminders shows alerts in the notification bar for quick access.

EverNote

You get similar features with EverNote, available for PC and across multiple mobile operating systems for free. You can sync files between desktop and mobile on the go. Plus, you can save text, images or audio notes and collaborate with friends. www.evernote.com

4 Messages

Messages replaces the iChat application and works as an IM aggregator that supports Google Talk, Yahoo, AIM and Jabber. It's also the desktop client for Apple's own messenger service called iMessage, which is already available for iOS. iMessage now works over the cloud to keep conversations synced across Macs and mobile devices.

Nimbuzz

This free IM aggregator can be used for voice calls, has apps for all kinds of devices and even works inside a web browser. You can add Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN or simply use it to chat/share multimedia with Nimbuzz buddies using Wi-Fi or 3G. www.nimbuzz.com

5 AirPlay

AirPlay is another iOS feature that has been ported over to Mountain Lion. With AirPlay, your Mac can be mirrored on an HDTV in full HD, over Wi-Fi , using a connected Apple TV. This is useful for multimedia , gaming or presentations. AirPlay will also work for audio on any Mac with Mountain Lion music can be streamed wirelessly and in high quality to AirPlay-enabled speakers or docks.