Now that the hype over Comic-Con is ending we can turn our attentions to other things we also love as much as movies, TV and comics: gadgets and tech. This time around, for you Mac users in the audience, we’re getting word from various sources that the next version of Apple’s OS X (aka Mountain Lion) is going to launch as soon as July 25.

On of the main sources for the this news are the folks over at 9 to 5 Mac who’ve heard that Apple Stores both in the United States and overseas are planning overnights for Tuesday, July 24th. They speculate that with Apple promising Mountain Lion “in July”, it makes sense that said overnights would lead to a launch of the OS on the following day.

We think this is pretty sound speculation too and follows many of Apple’s previously established release patterns for these types of updates. Plus, the Gold Master of Mountain Lion has already been released to developers (we’re running it on some of our Macs in fact), so that means the software is ready to go.

Mountain Lion is a great upgrade and offers a bunch of new features sure to please long time Mac users as well as newcomers. We hope Apple decides to let it into the wild soon.

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be a $19.99 upgrade for all users. For more on Mountain Lion, check out Apple’s website.

If you’re tired of using that old version of Windows like XP or Windows 7, you’re in luck because Microsoft announced on Monday that its next-generation Windows 8 operating system will launch this October. The company confirmed during an event on Monday that the new OS is on track to be released to developers in August with a final release to eager consumers in October.

In addition, Microsoft will also release new devices, including the Surface, to coincide with the OS’ release. The company also promised that users who purchase Windows 7 PCs before the release of the new OS will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro following its release for just $14.99.

Darn nice of them, don’t you think?

With Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference set for next week, anticipation is building as to what the company will announce during its keynote presentation on Monday. We, of course, have our suspicions. . . and don’t mind sharing them.

Here’s what we think will happen:

• iOS 6 – This is pretty much a no-brainer. It’s a developer conference, after all, so an announcement of new software to power the next generation of iPhone and iPad is to be expected. In addition to new notifications and tighter integration with Facebook and Twitter, we’ve got our fingers crossed for Android-like widgets — but that’s probably a longshot. Also expect mention and demos of Mac OS X Mountain Lion too.

• New MacBook Pros — The current lineup of MacBook Pro computers is in dire need of a refresh. What better place to announce thinner, faster pro laptops than at WWDC?

• Apple TV – This is a bit more of a longshot. However, we think Apple wants to get into your living room in a big way, so look for an Apple-branded TV or more powerful/amazing Apple TV black box to be unveiled. We don’t necessarily believe Apple will go all the way and offer an actual TV, but stranger things have happened.

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Even though people still cling to using older versions of Windows like XP and even, in some cases, Windows 2000 or are just getting used to the idea of Windows 7, Microsoft is moving forward with the next version of its desktop OS known as Windows 8. To help get you used to the idea of a new version of Windows, the company has this week unveiled Windows 8 Release Preview.

This version of Windows 8 is a “near-final” version for users to download and try before the OS is sent to Microsoft’s manufacturing partners. The Preview includes Internet Explorer 10, support for Adobe Flash and new Windows 8 apps for connecting to Hotmail, SkyDrive and Messenger.

“Since our first preview release last September, millions of people now use the pre-release product on a daily basis and millions more have been taking it through its paces, totaling hundreds of millions of hours of testing,” the company said on its official blog. “We genuinely appreciate the effort that so many have put into pre-release testing, and of course, we appreciate the feedback too. Direct feedback and feedback through usage contributed to hundreds of visible changes in the product and tens of thousands of under-the-hood changes.”

Nice to hear Microsoft is responding to user requests and addressing their issues. The real question, though, is if those responses and the rest of the work that went into Windows 8 actually pay off in a usable and stable new OS. I guess we’ll find out soon enough as the OS is officially released in October.

As we first told you a few weeks ago, Microsoft has today released the first “Consumer Preview” of the latest version of its Windows software. The new software has been dubbed Windows 8 and is, according to Micsosoft, is “Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability.”

According to the company, here’s what you can expect from the Windows 8 Consumer Preview:

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a prerelease version of Windows 8 that focuses on people and apps and gives you powerful new ways to use social technologies to connect with the people who are important to you. Windows 8 Consumer Preview is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7 and has the security and reliability features you expect from Windows, but we’ve made it even better. It’s fast, and it’s made to work on a variety of form factors—especially the new generation of touch devices.

Well, there you go. You can go to Microsoft’s website and download Windows 8 to try for yourself. Although, unless you have a touch monitor you won’t be able to experience it exactly as it was intended.

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With all the speculation and hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iOS, it’s nice to actually get some concrete details about the company’s next version of the OS that powers its Mac hardware. That’s right, the cat-themed software is back and this time around it’s called “Mountain Lion.”

Apple today released details of the next version of its Mac OS, also known by the more technical name as Mac OS X 10.8, and they are going to be good news for those of you wishing your Mac was more like your iPhone or iPad. Some of the highlight of the new release include the arrival of iMessage on the Mac as well as Notification Center.

Other new features include Game Center integration, AirPlay mirroring, enhanced iCloud support and a number of redesigned apps. A developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be released on Thursday of this week and the updated OS will become available to end users this summer.

For more, check out the full press release from Apple after the break.

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Even though we are mostly Mac and Apple users here at The Flickcast, that doesn’t mean we don’t know or care that another, more popular, company exists that provides software to run computers and the like. That company is, of course, Microsoft.

With Windows 7 being our favorite version of the OS so far, Microsoft is going to have to go a long way to convince us that they have something better up their collective virtual sleeve. That something is, at least according to them, Windows 8.

We will all get a chance to see if they are right come February 29 when the company releases what they are calling a ‘Consumer Preview’ of the new version of Windows. The company will reportedly announce such a preview at a special, invitation-only event in Barcelona.

It’s interesting that they aren’t referring to this release as a “Bata.” I guess that has too much of a stigma of unfinished software or something that still needs a lot of work. The truth is Windows 8 probably still does need a lot of work and a big service pack will follow its final release as it does for most Windows versions. Not that Apple and most other software companies are immune to updates, they aren’t of course.

Still, we do like the looks of Windows on the smartphone so if Windows 8 is anything like that, it might be worth checking out later this month. What do you guys think? Are you going to take the plunge and try out the Windows 8 preview?

Even with all the hype and attention Apple gets for its product launches (yes, we love the iPhone 4S and iOS 5), we can’t forget the other smartphones out there. In fact, one of the most popular “other” operating systems, besides Apple’s iOS, powering some of the most innovative smartphones is, of course, Google’s Android platform.

Now Google has taken the wraps of of its brand new version of Android, known as Android 4.0 or “Ice Cream Sandwich” during a press event in Hong Kong yesterday. The software was revealed next to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone we’re looking forward to checking out.

Android 4.0 combines many of the tablet features already available in Android 3.x (Honeycomb) with the smartphone features available in Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It will power both tablets and smartphones, and it offers several enhancements.

Some of these include the ability to unlock an Ice Cream Sandwich device using face recognition. Android 4.0 also has a new cleaner “Roboto” typeface and an extensive UI makeover.

The lock screen in Android 4.0 can be used to quickly unlock the phone or launch the camera, and users can also access notifications directly. “Back,” “Home” and “Menu” are now part of the Android virtual user interface and hardware buttons are no longer needed.

We could go on about the new OS but instead, we’ve gonna let Google’s own video tell the story. Click through for it after the break.

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