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CSSEdit 2.5 brings tabs, X-ray Inspector and more
MacRabbit has released CSSEdit 2.5, a significant update to their fantastic CSS editing and manipulating application. As if CSSEdit 2.0 didn't bring enough cool features, v2.5 is almost like sneaking a peek at your v3.0 birthday presents that are stashed away in your parent's closet the day before your party. There is a list of what's new on the MacRabbit's blog.Quite the update, but a free one for registered owners of v2.x. Users of 1.x can upgrade for $14.95 instead of CSSEdit's regular price of $29.95, and of course a demo is available from MacRabbit.[via Nik Fletcher's Twitter]
Digital NARM to bring about Zune feature updates?
You don't have to look far to see that the Zune rumor mill has been workin' overtime of late, and while the only conclusive pieces we're seen thus far involve various shades of red, Digital NARM could potentially shed some much-needed light on a bevy of questions. According to the docket, Christina Calio is set to speak about "hot new stuff" in regard to Microsoft's Zune for half an hour on May 1st. Interestingly, ClicZune has it that her speech title previously boasted about "exciting updates on developments in Microsoft's new innovative device," but unless our weary eyes have seriously deceived us, that little diddy has since vanished. Still, any latent updates shouldn't come as a surprise considering the position the player is in, but it looks like we're stuck waiting a few more days to find out what Christina's schpeel will reveal.[Via ClicZune]
AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 for Mac
Apple has released a 2007-001 update for the AirPort Base Station for Mac which "includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications": AirPort Utility AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow Base Stations AirPort Disk Utility AirPort Disk Agent While Apple's Support Doc says the update covers a range of AirPort Base Station software, MacUser is reporting that this one apparently only updates the latest 802.11n version (AirPort Utility 5.1, to be exact). Either way, I'm about to install it for my 802.11n-enabled station now, and I'm keeping as many fingers crossed as possible that AirPort Disk begins to actually work.[Update: Apple's support doc is titled "AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 for Mac" (hence my own post's clever title), and I tried specifying that this only updates software in the post, what with the bulleted list that contains nothing but software and the lack of the term 'firmware' anywhere, but to clarify: despite the mention of "AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow Base Stations" in Apple's announcement, this update allegedly only affects current software/utilities (the stuff that gets installed on your Mac) for the latest 802.11n Base Station.]
Crackdown update adds more gang drivers, multiplayer fixes
Those of you giving Crackdown the first spin in a few days will notice an automatic update for the game, if, of course, you're connected to Xbox Live. Here's what it is not: 1.The magical switch to activate the Halo 3 beta.2. The remaining 100 Achievement Points.3. The new multiplayer modes, 'gang reset' option or planes.Here -- according to Xbox Live Director of Programming Major Nelson -- is what the update does do:1. Makes some small technical fixes to "ensure a smoother online gameplay experience."2. Increases the number of gang-controlled vehicles. ("Repo Man" Achievement hunters rejoice!)Sure, you could view this as a disappointment if you were hoping for some of the above Crackdown updates. But we eternal optimists choose to look at is as just more things we still have to look forward to! Huzzah!
AppFresh - software update for the rest of your apps
Apple's Software Update is great and all, but unless you've purchased a membership to MacUpdate or VersionTracker for their software management clients, it might be tough to stay on top of new versions of all your non-Apple software. Sure, more and more developers are building in support for Sparkle, the auto-update framework from Andy Matuschak, but that's on a per-app basis and it simply isn't a development standard yet. Luckily, for the rest of us, there is AppFresh, a new utility that is perhaps best described as 'Software Update for the rest of us.' It can scan your Applications (though, for now, we suspect only apps in your main directory; not any that might be in ~/Applications if you've created it), AppleScripts, widgets and even Preference Panes to see if any updates are available. We don't know how and where AppFresh is checking for new versions, though Apple's own Downloads section and possibly MacUpdate and VersionTracker are the likely candidates.Since AppFresh is truly brand new (only at v0.2 so far), its developers warn that it is certainly a work in progress. Still, this looks like a great tool with a lot of potential. AppFresh actually does seem to use Sparkle to help you stay on top of its own updates, and you can also read up at the development blog for more info on just where AppFresh is headed.Thanks, Nathan
Macworld asks: Do Tiger updates go up to 11?
OS X just hit 10.4.9, the 9th major Tiger update, so what's next? Leopard, right? Philip Michaels of Macworld says hold your horses (or felines, or whatever animal properly applies here). Just because 10.4.9 + 0.0.1 = 10.5 doesn't mean that Apple won't ship 10.4.10 or 10.4.May2007 updates or even that Apple will ship Leopard in a timely manner-- though we all think it probably will. It's already March 2007 and Leopard has generally been thought to ship "in the Spring". So when will Leopard debut? Michaels stands firm by his June 2007 prediction.
iPhoto 6.0.6
OS X 10.4.9 isn't the only new kid on the block, Apple also released iPhoto 6.0.6 today. Sure, this update isn't as much fun as the OS X update is, but if you have been encountering trouble with Photocasting (anyone out there actually doing this?) or EXIF data then this update might solve your issues.The update isn't available for download from Apple's site just yet, but if you fire up Software Update it'll be waiting patiently for you.
iTunes 7.1 first impressions
So I just finished rebooting the computer after loading the new iTunes and QuickTime updates and here's what I found. After launching iTunes and going through the mandatory "click accept" thing (I mean, honestly, does anyone ever read those things? I don't.), I waited for a couple of minutes while iTunes "updated" my library. I've got a very small library compared to most people, so I'm a little wary about how long this might take for other people. The new full-screen Cover Flow (shown here) is nice and easy to use. Click the button at the bottom right of the screen to zoom in and out from full-screen mode. When you control-click (or right-click) items in your library, there's a new "Apply Sort Field" option, where you can pick Same Album, Same Artist, Same Album Artist, Same Composer or Same Show. Select any of these and iTunes will prompt you whether to change the Sort field for all matching tracks. (e.g. If you select Same Album, you affect the Sort Album column, and so forth.) I'm still unclear as to the utility of this new option. Let me know in the comments why this is important. Finally, there's a new AppleTV help option in the Help menu, but the links are still pretty much all bogus. This will probably change as AppleTV actually ships. Check out all the screenshots in our gallery. %Gallery-1902%
DragThing updated to 5.7.2
The venerable (more than 11 years since v1.0!) launch utility DragThing has been revised to version 5.7.2, adding three new dock themes and clipping tools while squashing a few bugs. I've been a DragThing user since v2 and despite the siren call of QuickSilver, DT still holds a place in my heart and on my desktop.DragThing is shareware, with license costs ranging from $29 for a single user to $2000 for a worldwide license (if you plan on running it from orbit, you may want to talk to your lawyer). The update is free for existing users of v5.
Yojimbo 1.4.1
While it isn't a major release that adds big features like tagging or AppleScript support, Yojimbo 1.4.1 does fix a lot of miscellaneous bugs that users have been battling. A full changelog is here, listing fixes for things like crashes when viewing web archives and some scripting operations, as well as an auto-save fix to make sure your most recent un-saved changes don't get tossed out with the bath water when you quit. Yojimbo 1.4.1 can be had from from Bare Bones's Updates page.
TextMate 2's upcoming features
I spoke with the folks at the TextMate booth for a bit about the upcoming version. Yea, it's going to be Leopard-only, and we've been discussing why more and more devs are sticking with Leopard for their apps, but there's some pretty cool stuff on the way for TextMate. Beefing up support for version control software like Subversion, better Xcode integration and support for FTP are all on the way, though we still don't get an ETA since Leopard, strangely, is MIA.
Yojimbo 1.4 released with AppleScript support
Bare Bones Software has released version 1.4 of Yojimbo, their "effortless information organizer" that is oh so popular with the kids these days. To summarize the press release, the main new addition is long-requested "extensive" support for automation via AppleScript and Perl. Also in this release is a new "Untagged Items" factory smart collection to go along with the still somewhat new tagging feature they released with v1.3. Of course, plenty of bug fixes and refinements also made it into this release, all of which you can view in the release notes. You can snag the new version from Bare Bones' updates page.
Gee Three releases Slick plug-in updates
Good news for iMovie 6 users. Gee Three has updated several of their Slick plug-in volumes. These plug-ins add all sorts of visual effects to iMovie for the amateur video enthusiast. Apparently, the reason for the updates is that the iMovie/QuickTime interface wasn't too happy handling flash animations. The Gee Three developers created work-arounds for the affected volumes, namely volumes 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10. If you've bought any of these products, you can download the Slick 2.0.2 updates at the GeeThree site.
Xtorrent Public Beta 2
David Watanabe (of NewsFire fame) has released a second public beta of Xtorrent, his BitTorrent client that first appeared on the scene back in September. The largest change is one of the least visible: a major overhaul under the hood of the downloads pane to pave the way for upcoming integration between the search pane, downloads pane and a future RSS module (oh Dave, you're such a tease). The swarm column was also redesigned to be more forthcoming on seeds and leeches (expand yours if it's too thin), and the main window now allows you to drag-and-drop torrent files, complete with a "slick informational overlay."Xtorrent is free while in beta and is available from Xtorrentp2p.com.Thanks Junior
Digital Camera RAW Support Update 1.0.1
Apple is on an update tear today. Digital Camera Raw Support Update 1.0.1 is now available from Apple's website. What does it do? This is what Apple has to say: 'This update improves RAW file format compatibility for the following digital SLR cameras: Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss X Digital Nikon D80 Pentax *ist DS Other issues addressed: Handling of large Canon RAW files (.CRW) DNG compatibility on Intel-based Macs Lines sometimes appearing in images exported from Aperture' Digital photographers, get to downloading!
Splinter Cell: To 1080p or not to p
Has the 1080p console era arrived sooner than expected, courtesy of Ubisoft? The above pic is screen cap from a debug copy of Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360 showing support for "true HD" (to use Sony's patronizing marketing terminology). GamePro says they received confirmation from Ubisoft that the retail version will indeed support 1080p. Elsewhere, 1up says their contact told them "No, it's 1080i" but admits things are pretty hectic at Ubi right now, so who knows? All acknowledge that 1080p support is useless without the necessary update Microsoft, expected some time in the near future (although GamePro theorizes that it could be included on the Double Agent disc). Even then, without an HDMI solution from MS, the much-hyped resolution would be possible only via the rare 1080p HDTV (Sharp?) that supports 1920x1080 via VGA input. Meanwhile, back in standard-def-trying-in-vain-to-read-that -Dead-Rising-text land, the po' folk are snickering because their snooty 720p neighbors now have to go out and buy a new TV if they want to remain on the bleeding edge of the 360 community.How many lucky bastards already have a 1080p HDTV and are just dying to put it to use? How many don't think they'll get a 1080p set for years?Correction: As several readers have pointed out, only 1080p movies using the HD-DVD drive require HDMI. Games will work over both HDMI or VGA.[Thanks Luke]
Apple emailing .Mac customers about new webmail
Sure, we knew about the upcoming .Mac webmail refresh, but that's because we're nerds for Apple news (yes, you too - don't deny it. You're reading TUAW, after all). To my surprise this morning, I had an email from .Mac, advertising the new webmail and promoting all the new features. While there isn't anything new in the email, I think the significance here is that they're telling their .Mac customers - who aren't typically the cutting edge, AJAX-slinging type - about this fancy upcoming webmail UI change. This could likely mean that it truly is 'coming soon' (as in, not the Microsoft Vista 'coming soon' kind of way), as they would probably need to give their customers at least some kind of a heads up that their webmail is about to facelift its way into looking almost exactly like their desktop email.
Apple releases slew of AirPort security updates
Fire up Software Update, true believers, Apple has some goodies for you. My MacBook Pro is only getting the AirPort Update 2006-001 (version 1.0), which according to Apple this update, 'improves AirPort reliability on Macintosh computers.'However, Apple has also released 3 different flavors of an AirPort security update: Security Update 2006-005 (10.4.7 Universal) Security Update 2006-005 (10.4.7 PPC) Security Update 2006-005 (10.3.9) According to Apple the alleged AirPort hack lead to an internal audit, conducted by Apple, that uncovered flaws not related to the so called MacBook hack. Check out the Macworld story for more tidbits about the updates.
Bug-fixin' iTunes 7 upgrade on the way?
Most of the Apple fan base is busy chatting about the latest iPod releases, the possibility of laptop spec bumps, and the when-the-hell-is-it-coming-already iPhone, but not all is well and good in Macland, as certain folks have been experiencing all sorts of problems with the just-released iTunes 7. Issues range from broken podcasts to unrecognized hardware to crappy-sounding audio, and although some of the bugs have seen successfully troubleshooting from crafty consumers, everyone is still waiting on word from Cupertino as to how it's going to address the multitude of problems. Well for those of you who've been forced to listen to your old transistor radio for the last few days, AppleInsider has some potentially good news, claiming that people with "ties to Apple" say that the company is well aware of the many glitches (as well as the public outcry) and are "toiling feverishly" on an update -- as in, both Mac and Windows users can expect version 7.0.x ASAP. We bring you this news not only to buoy your spirits in these times of despair, but also as a heads up to certain individuals in the programming community; after all, since QTFairUse struck back so quickly at iTunes 7, don't think that Steve and friends aren't spending at least some of their time trying to break that annoying little piracy-enabling patch for good.
Test Drive: Updated (already)
In an era of over due patches (Far Cry, Dead Rising, etc.), credit Atari with responding to their customers in less than a week. Now that's an auto-update.[Thanks srw985]
