Unified Buddy list and instant messaging

OS X Lion adds Yahoo! Messenger to the iChat party, but buddies who have multiple chat services will only appear once, keeping your buddy list clean. What happens when you want to instant message them? You'll be asked which service you wish to connect through first. You'll also get one unified status update across all of your services as well.

Move instead of copy

We've always been able to move files to different folders by dragging and dropping with the Command key held down, but now keyboard junkies have even more options. Simply use Command+C as always to copy one or more files, then use Option+Command+V when pasting, which will actually move the file from its original location to the new destination.

Keyboard shortcut to Downloads folder

Keyboard shortcut to Downloads folder

Once a file you've downloaded has vanished into Safari 5.1's tiny Downloads window, how can you find it again? There are several ways, but one of our favourites is using the Command+Option+L keyboard shortcut in the Finder. This pops it open - even if you were just browsing another Finder folder.

FaceTime calling

FaceTime calling

OS X Lion also adds a FaceTime link to the Address Book to make it easy to keep up with friends and family. With a contact open, click on any email address, choose FaceTime and enjoy your chat.

Birth date year optional

Birth date year optional

Many of us know the month and day of our family and friends' birthdays, but we might not know the year. Thankfully, Lion's Address Book couldn't care less, allowing you to enter just the month and day, which will carry over to iCal just fine - without displaying their age. Make sure Birthday is selected in Address Book > Preferences > Template > Add field.