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The new Handoff feature in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite in action

video handoff safari in action

One of the underlying themes of this year's WWDC keynote was continuity, an overarching set of features that effectively blurs the lines between the Mac and iOS as separate devices. One of the more intriguing continuity features is something Apple calls Handoff. With Handoff, iPhone users running OS X Yosemite can seamlessly transition between workflows on their iOS 8 device and Mac without missing a beat.

Apple describes the feature thusly:

Now you can start writing an email on your iPhone and pick up where you left off when you sit down at your Mac. Or browse the web on your Mac and continue from the same link on your iPad. It all happens automatically when your devices are signed in to the same iCloud account. Use Handoff with favorite apps like Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. And developers can build Handoff into their apps now, too.

Handoff promises to be one of the more exciting new features in OS X Yosemite and Cult of Mac recently posted a video of the feature in action. The video also shows how phone calls forwarded from an iPhone to a Mac will run, another nifty addition to the continuity feature set.