Apple has released iTunes 8.2, an update that “now supports iPhone or iPod touch with the iPhone 3.0 Software Update.” The extremely brief release note also indicates that iTunes 8.2 includes many unspecified accessibility improvements and bug fixes; a security vulnerability involving itms: URLs has also been addressed. It’s available via Software Update or as a standalone 77.3 MB download.
Disable bouncing Dock behavior
Are you annoyed by bouncing icons in the Dock—and I’m not talking about the bounce when you open an application, but when a program wants to get your attention. Like when iChat has a video chat request, or System Preferences wants your OK to install a new panel, or Software Update found an update to install. The main problem I have with the bouncing icons is that they’re never-ending; once they start, they won’t stop until you switch to the application to end the bounce.
ComboFix (Windows)
ComboFix is just as spartan as the screenshot here makes it look. You download ComboFix, run it, and it takes care of the rest. The basic ComboFix process looks like this: It backs up your registry, checks to see if you have Windows Recovery Console installed, and then it goes to town on your system scanning away through 40+ stages. When it’s done, ComboFix spits out a log file and lists all the malware it found, which ones it was able to remove, and which ones you’ll have to use your Google-fu to look up how to remove manually. It isn’t fancy, but it gets the job done and gives you a detailed report at the end to take to security forums for help if you need it.
Panda Cloud Antivirus is a Lightweight, Always-Updated Virus Killer
Windows only: Panda Cloud Antivirus uses the power of cloud computing to scan and eliminate viruses from your PC that can identify new malware in almost real time.
Traditional anti-virus applications simply download an update from the servers on a periodic basis to keep your virus definitions scanning for the latest viruses—Cloud Antivirus uses their cloud system to do the work of classifying and scanning for new viruses, and is constantly updated with the latest virus information based on information from every other PC running the software.
The client is lightweight, taking a mere 16mb of RAM on our test system—and while it caches a copy of the definitions for offline use, it doesn’t seem to take much drive space either. We’ve not had a chance to test the software against real malware—in our testing it quickly found and eliminated a bunch of spy cookies, but it’s refreshing to see new innovation in the boring world of virus killing.
Panda Cloud Antivirus is a free download for 32-bit Windows only, and according to CNET will stay free for personal use even after it is released from beta. For more, check out the five best malware removal tools, and the five best antivirus applications.
Things 1.1/Things Touch 1.3.5
Things Touch 1.3.5 has been released along with Things 1.1 and, among a heap of bug fixes and UI improvements, you’ll find a new feature for syncing Areas of Responsibility from your Mac to your iPhone (it’s not yet possible to create Areas in Things Touch). The feature requires Things 1.1 on the Mac side, which was officially released today, but has actually been available (sans release notes) for about a week (assumedly waiting for Things Touch to make it through App Store approval).
Another new addition (which is more exciting, to me) is full AppleScript support in Things on the Mac. I haven’t had a chance to dive into it yet, but it’s a topic I discussed with Cultured Code at the last Macworld Expo and I’m excited to see it come to fruition. People using Things in any kind of group setting will appreciate the reconsidered approach to task delegation, as well.
Prism single-site browser goes 1.0 beta
The concept of a single-site browser or site-specific browser (SSB, either way) is simple: give me a window with one website in it, preferably a desktop application replacement like Gmail, RTM, Basecamp or Zoho, and let that window behave like a regular application with its own Dock icon, notifications, etc. If you’re spending a lot of your time on a particular site, this can simplify your life quite a bit; if you’re mixing up GTD with ADD (as so many of us seem to be), an SSB can help limit your distraction horizon while you’re trying to maintain focus and flow.
Vonage Companion now for Mac
Vonage, the international VoIP provider, has just released its Vonage Companion software for OS X. Vonage Companion is available to users who subscribe the the Vonage Pro plan and it basically allows users to use their laptops or desktops to make or receive phone calls. Think of it as Skype but for your Vonage account.
Apple Updates iTunes – 8.1
iTunes 8.1 is now faster and more responsive. You will enjoy noticeable improvements when working with large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, preparing to sync with iPod or iPhone, and optimizing photos for syncing.
In addition, iTunes 8.1 provides many other improvements and bug fixes, including:
• Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
• Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
• Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
• Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
• Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
• Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus.
• Includes many accessibility improvements.
• Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
AirPort Utility Software Update 2009-001
This update includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility and AirPort Base Station Agent, including AirPort Disk Utility for Tiger.
Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.5
This update extends RAW file compatibility for Aperture 2, iPhoto ’08, and iPhoto ’09 for the following cameras:
Nikon D3X
Epson R-D1x
It also addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability.
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