MacMike’s News

• Safari 3.1.2 for Tiger from Apple “includes stability improvements and the latest security updates.” In particular, that means that Apple fixed a vulnerability in the WebKit framework upon which Safari relies that could enable an exploit if you visited a Web site that used maliciously crafted JavaScript. The Leopard version of Safari was updated by either the Mac OS X 10.5.4 Update, or by Security Update 2008-004. Software Update should provide the download for those who need it, or you can download directly from Apple’s Web site. (Free, 49.2 MB)
• 1Password 2.6.5 from Agile Web Solutions updates the form-filling and password management utility with improved support for Firefox 3, support for the Safari 4 Developer Preview, DEVONagent, the OmniWeb Sneaky Peek releases, and Flock 2. Localizations were removed for smaller download sizes, credit card filling was improved on a number of sites, and a variety of small cosmetic changes were made. The new version also provides some stability fixes. ($34.95 new, free upgrade, 14 MB)

Copyright © 2008 TidBITS Staff. TidBITS is copyright © 2008 TidBITS Publishing Inc. If you’re reading this article on a Web site other than TidBITS.com, please let us know, because if it was republished without attribution, by a commercial site, or in modified form, it violates our Creative Commons License.

MARK/SPACE, INC: Take it with you! The Missing Sync makes
it easy to synchronize contacts, calendars, notes, photos
and more from your Mac to your BlackBerry, Palm OS, or
Windows Mobile phone. <http://www.markspace.com/bits>

Original post by editors@tidbits.com (TidBITS Staff) and software by Elliott Back

Apple Expo ‘08 ñ Europe’s major Apple conference, akin to Macworld in the US ñ is set to occur from September 17th to the 20th in Paris, France, and the organization has detailed several of the planned events. The Unofficial Apple Weblog details that the conference will see two iPhone events among the 30 other currently planned occasions. Access to…

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

Laredo, Texas (Agencies) - Surprising everyone but industry guru Gene Munster, Dell has announced a partnership with Apple Inc. that will see the former licensing the latter’s exclusive Manila Case…

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

Adobe released Flash Player 10 beta 2 via its Adobe Labs website this week. According to one of its developers, the new mac version promises to bring up to 3 times the performance for certain operations.

If you have followed GUIMark …

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

The new iPhones may be on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about the “old” ones. We take a look at two cases, one from Incase, the other from Uniea.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

The new iPhones may be on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about the “old” ones. We take a look at two cases, one from Incase, the other from Uniea.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Earbuds or headphones? Full-size or miniature? No matter what kind of listening hardware you like to plug into your iPod (or iPhone), Dan Frakes has some advice and recommendations for finding the perfect pair.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Stuart Morgan of Google has released a free Mac OS X preference pane called Precipitate that enables Spotlight and Google Desktop to search documents stored in your Google Docs account, along with your Google Bookmarks.

We’ve been using Google Docs an increasing amount, and Precipitate worked fine in my initial Spotlight search tests for finding documents that exist only online. Clicking a found Google Docs document in the Spotlight search results opened it in my default browser, just as you’d expect. If you use either Google Docs or Google Bookmarks and Spotlight or Google Desktop, give Precipitate a try.

Future updates of Precipitate will likely support multiple Google accounts and some sort of automatic update functionality (so in the meantime, you’ll need to check for updates manually at the Precipitate page). It’s a 904K download and works in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard; I haven’t yet confirmed Tiger compatibility.

Copyright © 2008 Adam C. Engst. TidBITS is copyright © 2008 TidBITS Publishing Inc. If you’re reading this article on a Web site other than TidBITS.com, please let us know, because if it was republished without attribution, by a commercial site, or in modified form, it violates our Creative Commons License.

VMware Fusion. The most seamless way to run Windows on your Mac.

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Try VMware Fusion today for free, or order online for only $79.

Visit: <http://www.tidbits.com/about/support/vmware-fusion.html>

Original post by ace@tidbits.com (Adam C. Engst) and software by Elliott Back

Chronos’s SOHO Organizer 7.0.2 suite provides a feature-rich alternative to Apple’s built-in that will appeal to business and power users

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Retailer spills beans to PC Advisor reader A PC Advisor reader has revealed the secret plans for the UK launch of the Apple 3G iPhone. These include VIP passes for people who pre-order the phone online.

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

For the price, and for most users, there is no better calendar application and calendaring system for the Mac OS. It’s a bit weak in the task-management department, but even business users may now find that iCal can manage everybody’s calendars easily, effectively, and economically.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Espy is an address book that uses an iPhoto-inspired interface for sifting through your contacts.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Itâ??s no secret that GarageBand is entry-level music editing software. But at the same time, GarageBand can perform feats that arenâ??t immediately obvious. In this excerpt from Take Control of Recording with GarageBand, Jeff Tolbert shares some tips and tricks for the music-creation software.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Apple Inc., maker of Mac computers, iPods and iPhones, is hiring people to work in Modesto, fueling rumors that the company will open a retail store here.

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

Apple sliced $500, or 16 percent, off the price of its most expensive MacBook Air model, the ultra-thin notebook computer introduced by chief executive Steve Jobs, right, in January. The costliest version, with a 64-gigabyte solid-state hard drive and an Intel Core 2 Duo chip running at 1.8 gigahertz, now sells for $2,598, spokesman Bill Evans said. The starting price for the Air with a 1.6-GHz …

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

Everyone knows that Mac Pros get the job one but hat happens when you want to upgrade? Well, everyone also knows that you have to sell off your kidney to upgrade anything. Apple computers are some of the most expensive (if not the most) to upgrade, often costing over 100% more to upgrade than a similar non Apple system. Computer enthusiasts often overclock their systems to gain more …

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

InformationWeek - The price reduction appears to be the result of a drop in the price of the 1.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a reduction in the price of the 64-GB solid-state drive.

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

AT&T revealed this week that the iPhone 3G, announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference last month, will go on sale at Apple and AT&T retail stores in the United States at 8am local time on Friday, 11-Jul-08. This is a change from last summer’s original iPhone roll-out, for which stores closed early and then reopened at 6pm.

We suspect the early morning start time is a realistic nod to the likelihood that most transactions this time around won’t be quite as quick as last year’s iPhone sales. Since customers will need to activate each iPhone in the store, rather than taking the box home to activate the phone in iTunes, we’re sure the process will take more than a couple of minutes per person.

As Glenn reported (see “Current iPhones Keep Cheaper Plan on Reactivation,” 2008-07-01), existing iPhone users, new AT&T customers, and other existing AT&T customers eligible for an upgrade will be able to buy an iPhone 3G at the $199 and $299 subsidized prices. Existing AT&T customers in the middle of an existing contract on a different phone, and AT&T customers whose accounts aren’t current or who have a past history of payment delinquency, won’t be able to upgrade at the subsidized price. (We hear users in the middle of a contract may be able to buy an iPhone 3G for $200 more than the subsidized price.) AT&T has provided a Web site to check upgrade eligibility.

We’ve also heard of people purchasing used iPhones without realizing they’re essentially stolen, and subsequently being billed by AT&T for the iPhone. This can occur if someone buys an iPhone at a retail store, resells the phone to an unsuspecting buyer, then disputes the credit card charge. Credit card companies will often reverse legitimate charges with very little documentation, just on an unscrupulous consumer’s say-so, and AT&T reclaims the “chargeback” by applying the purchase price of the iPhone to the current account on which that iPhone is active. The moral of the story? Don’t buy a used iPhone from someone you don’t know and trust!

There’s also been some confusion over news this week that AT&T will be offering the iPhone at a higher price for those who’d like to buy it without a two-year contract. The company has said they will offer the 8 GB and 16 GB models for $599 and $699, respectively, some time after the 11-Jul launch date for the iPhone 3G. Some early coverage has implied, incorrectly, that the non-subsidized phones will be “unlocked” to work on any carrier’s GSM network. In fact, these phones will still work only with AT&T service, but customers will be able to select month-to-month plans and cancel without penalty. (I’d rather pay the $175 early cancellation fee than the $400 surcharge!)

Copyright © 2008 Mark H. Anbinder. TidBITS is copyright © 2008 TidBITS Publishing Inc. If you’re reading this article on a Web site other than TidBITS.com, please let us know, because if it was republished without attribution, by a commercial site, or in modified form, it violates our Creative Commons License.

WebCrossing Neighbors Creates Private Social Networks
Create a complete social network with your company or group’s
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Take a guided tour today <http://www.webcrossing.com/tour>

Original post by mha@tidbits.com (Mark H. Anbinder) and software by Elliott Back

If you use Mozilla’s Thunderbird e-mail client, or if you need to access a calendar on a server from different computers running different operating systems, or if you need a bit more help than iCal provides for managing your tasks, Sunbird is definitely worth a look. And Sunbird is free.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Apple has reduced the Solid State Drive (SSD) option on the MacBook Air from US$999 to US$599 just in time for holiday shopping

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back

Before you dash off to that barbeque, take the time to get a free album from the newly opened Rhapsody MP3 Store.

Original post by CmdrTaco and software by Elliott Back

Apple has filed a patent for a “Multi-touch Gesture Dictionary.” The patent introduces the notion of chords. The patent suggests that Apple’s customers may be learning a full-fledged gesture language in the future compared to the limited gestures available now on the iPhone

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for apple computer and software by Elliott Back