[9/30] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.8 for Client and Server

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update for client and Server editions, for PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs and as delta and combo updaters. The appropriate delta or combo updater should appear in Software Update and there are stand-alone updaters available for download from this Apple Web page. Generally, we recommend that people download the stand-alone combo updater and use it to update to Mac OS X 10.4.8, particularly if one has not been judicious in keeping Mac OS X up to date or is having problems. For others, the shorter route is using Software Update--we did. But we also downloaded the combo updater to keep in case of future problems.

Mac OS X 10.4.8 is a significant update with new versions of applications and utilities: Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iChat, DVD Player, Keynote, Mail, Preview, Safari, Stickies, Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, and Software Update.

Here the details of the major client changes (PowerPC and Intel):

The 10.4.8 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

- sharing using AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS and FTP file sharing protocols
- reliable access to Open Directory, LDAP and Active Directory services
- login and authentication in a variety of network environments
- file access and byte range locking with AFP file sharing
- network access when using proxy server automatic configuration files
- connecting to Cisco VPN servers using IP/Sec and NAT
- AirPort including connectivity to EAP-FAST networks
- Bluetooth wireless connectivity
- RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- usability of Dashboard and widgets
- searching iWork ‘06 and Microsoft Office documents with Spotlight
- saving Word documents automatically when using a network home directory
- viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
- audio playback in QuickTime, iTunes, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack applications
- ensuring icons are spaced correctly when viewed on desktop
- determining the space required to burn folders
- synchronizing contacts, bookmarks, and calendars to .Mac and mobile phones
- mounting and unmounting iDisk volumes
- time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
- using OpenType fonts in Microsoft Word
- Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iChat, DVD Player, Keynote, Mail, Preview, Safari, and Stickies
- Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, and Software Update
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous Mac OS X updates and standalone security updates

Here are the details of the PowerPC-based Server changes:

- avoiding AFP server deadlocks and thread starvation
- membership and permissions issues when Windows users are in more than 16 groups
- synchronizing Open Directory password information between Master and Replicas
- changing and saving Open Directory password policy security settings
- directory service usage affecting Mail server performance
- streaming movies to localized versions of the QuickTime Player
- handling TCP Selective Acknowledgments in congested networks
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous standalone security updates

Here are the Intel-based Server details:

- avoiding AFP server deadlocks and thread starvation
- streaming movies to localized versions of the QuickTime Player
- preventing panics when operating with Xsan and other memory intensive kernel extensions
- vnode allocation on systems with at least 2GB of RAM
- handling TCP Selective Acknowledgments in congested networks
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous standalone security updates

Here are the details of the twelve security updates included with Mac OS X 10.4.8:

CFNetwork--CVE-2006-4390--CFNetwork clients such as Safari may allow unauthenticated SSL sites to appear as authenticated. This update addresses the issue by disallowing anonymous SSL connections by default. Credit to Adam Bryzak of Queensland University of Technology for reporting this issue.

Flash Player--CVE-2006-3311, CVE-2006-3587, CVE-2006-3588, CVE-2006-4640--Playing Flash content may lead to arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issues by incorporating Flash Player version 9.0.16.0 on Mac OS X v10.3.9 and Flash Player version 9.0.20.0 on Mac OS X v10.4.

ImageIO--CVE-2006-4391--Viewing a maliciously-crafted JPEG2000 image may lead to an application crash or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the image by performing additional validation of JPEG2000 images. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4. Credit to Tom Saxton of Idle Loop Software Design for reporting this issue.

Kernel--CVE-2006-4392--Local users may be able to run arbitrary code with raised privileges. This update addresses the issue by restricting access to Mach exception ports for privileged programs. Credit to Dino Dai Zovi of Matasano Security for reporting this issue.

LoginWindow--CVE-2006-4397--fter an unsuccessful attempt to log in to a network account, Kerberos tickets may be accessible to other local users. This update addresses the issue by clearing the credentials cache after failed logins. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4. Credit to Patrick Gallagher of Digital Peaks Corporation for reporting this issue.

LoginWindow--CVE-2006-4393--Kerberos tickets may be accessible to other local users if Fast User Switching is enabled. Fast User Switching has been updated toprevent this situation. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4. Credit to Ragnar Sundblad of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden for reporting this issue.

LoginWindow--CVE-2006-4394--Network accounts may be able to bypass loginwindow service access controls. This issue only affects systems that have been configured to use service access controls for loginwindow and to allow network accounts to authenticate users without a GUID. The issue has been resolved by properly handling service access controls in loginwindow. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

Preferences--CVE-2006-4387--After removing an account's Admin privileges, the account may still manage WebObjects applications. This update addresses the issue by ensuring the account is removed from the appropriate groups. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4. Credit to Phillip Tejada of Fruit Bat Software for reporting this issue.

QuickDraw Manager--CVE-2006-4395--Opening a malicious PICT image with certain applications may lead to an application crash or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue by preventing the unsupported operation.

SASL--CVE-2006-1721--Remote attackers may be able to cause an IMAP server denial of service. This update addresses the issue through improved handling of realm heders in authentication attempts.

WebCore--CVE-2006-3946--Viewing a maliciously-crafted web page may lead to arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue by preventing the condition causing the overflow. Credit to Jens Kutilek of Netzallee for reporting this issue.

Workgroup Manager--CVE-2006-4399--Accounts in a NetInfo parent that appear to use ShadowHash passwords may still use crypt. This update addresses the issue by disallowing administrators from selecting ShadowHash passwords for accounts in a NetInfo parent. Credit to Chris Pepper of The Rockefeller University for reporting this issue.

We downloaded and installed Mac OS X 10.4.8 client and Server on a number of Macs, mostly using Software Update: Mac mini Core Duo, iMac Core Duo, iMac Core 2 Duo, 15" MacBook Pro, PowerBook G4 and Power Mac G4 Cube. It took quite awhile for the Macs to restart following installation. In addition, a very long time was spent at the gray screen after the restart and most, if not all, Macs restarted again before proceeding to the desktop. We experienced no problems with installation on any Mac.

Afterward, several hours of use of many of the updated Macs, Power PC and Intel, revealed no problems. The Apple Mail application that had slowed down considerably after being installed with 10.4.7 was much faster at accessing the mailboxes after the 10.4.8 update. [Bill Fox and Dana Baggett].

[9/30] Apple released Security Update 2006-006 for Mac OS X 10.3.9

Security Update 2006-006 for Mac OS X 10.3.9, client and server editions, is available via Software Update if running Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther or as stand-alone updaters from this Apple Web page. It contains five of the twelve security fixes also contained in Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update. [Bill Fox]

[9/30] Apple released Aperture 1.5 Update

As we noted earlier this week, Apple released Aperture 1.5 Update on Friday. The stand-alone updater is available from this Apple Web page. According to the ReadMe file,

Aperture 1.5 delivers more than 20 new and enhanced features that improve file management, metadata handling, and image adjustment. This update also addresses numerous issues related to overall reliability, performance, and compatibility.

[Bill Fox]

[9/29] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple updated iLife '06 and iWork '06

The updates mostly enable Aperture 1.5 interoperability. They are available for download via Software Update if iLife '06 and iWork '06 are installed or as stand-alone updaters from the links below.

iWeb Update 1.1.2 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in iWeb.

iPhoto Update 6.0.5 -- This update to iPhoto contains new calendar, greeting card, and postcard themes for use with Apple print services, including a variety of holiday card designs. It also addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in iPhoto.

iMovie Update HD 6.0.3 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in iMovie HD. It also improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues.

iDVD Update 6.0.3 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in iDVD.

GarageBand Update 3.0.4 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in GarageBand.

Keynote Update 3.0.2 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in Keynote.

Pages Update 2.0.2 -- This update addresses compatibility for accessing Aperture 1.5 content in Pages.

We downloaded and installed the many updates on Intel-based iMacs and Mac mini, a MacBook Pro and a 12" PowerBook G4 with no problems. We opened and tried out each application on our MacBook Pro without any issues.

Unfortunately, the iMovie HD Update 6.0.3 did not fix the slow down in exporting a Full Quality DV QuickTime compressed file between versions 6 and 5 of iMovie HD. [Bill Fox and Dana Baggett]

[9/29] Brief Hands-On Report--Parallels Desktop for Mac RC2 is Out

Parallels released Release Candidate 2 of their Desktop for Mac v2.2. According to Parallels,

The Update RC2 includes the great improvement on support for the recently released quad-processor Mac Pro towers and 64-bit iMacs.

Now you need:

• No RAM limitations
  
• No hardware reconfigurations
  

while using Windows and it's critical applications on new 64-bit Mac Pro towers and iMacs.

We downloaded RC2 and the updated guides and installed it over RC1 (Build 1898) on our MacBook Pro--the new RC2 build is 1920. Our virtual machine of Windows XP SP2 launched and ran fine so we updated the Parallels Tools installation with the new build. During nearly an hour of general use, i.e. updating Windows XP, surfing and checking email, we ran into no problems. [Bill Fox]

[9/29] Arnie Keller's Take Control of Getting Started with Dreamweaver Published

Dreamweaver is the Web design software of choice for many pros, but those new to the program can become overwhelmed by its complex interface and find it difficult to work creatively and intelligently in the program. Help is now at hand - Arnie Keller's Take Control of Getting Started with Dreamweaver explains what readers really need to know in order to make a modern, professional Web site. It covers Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), the must-use method of styling type and other page elements; it looks at using layers to position items on a page; and it talks about templates, the smart way to develop a multi-page site.

The 88-page ebook, published September 27, 2006, by TidBITS Electronic Publishing in PDF, may be purchased for $10 from this Take Control Books Web page. A 21-page sample copy is also available. [Bill Fox]

[9/29] Divine Fiat released Perfect Pitch Theme Set for Apple Keynote

Divine Fiat released their Perfect Pitch theme set for Keynote. Perfect Pitch is a combination of their classic Title Card and best selling Take Two themes. At $44.85 directly from Divine Fiat, this bundle costs 25% less than purchasing each theme individually.

While ideal for a wide variety of presentations, according to Divine Fiat, the Perfect Pitch themes were designed with film, tv and video professionals in mind. The 4:3 and 16:9 photo cutouts are perfect for introducing employers, clients or potential investors to one's next project. Perfect Pitch is also ideal for students or professors at film school.

Each theme in the set includes fifty-five text and photo layout masters. Because Keynote will only allow one title text box and one body text box per master slide, an extras file is included with each theme that provides a variety of text box layouts for each photo cutout master. [Bill Fox]

[9/29] Registration Now Open for Macworld 2007

IDG announced that registration is now open for Macworld 2007 to be held January 8-12, 2007, at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

Here are some deadlines:

Attendees of Past 3 Years--Before October 30, 2006 - Register for your complimentary Exhibit Hall registration. Use Priority Code: E-SFVA

Register by December 11, 2006 with Priority Code: E-SFVA for the Platinum Pass and receive $3,995 worth of training, for only $1,495.

Register before December 11, 2006 – Register for your Conference of choice at Early Bird pricing. Use Priority Code: E-SFVA

There's a new event at Macworld called the Macworld Blast! that's on Tuesday, January 9 – Doors open at 8:00 PM--Buy your ticket during registration for the Macworld Blast, Mix and mingle with fellow Macworld attendees, speakers, and staff as you enjoy food, live entertainment, and the opportunity to win great prizes. [Bill Fox]

[9/28] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple released iTunes 7.0.1

iTunes 7.0.1 is available for download via the Software Update application or as a stand-alone file from this Apple Web page. According to the ReadMe file,

iTunes 7.0.1 addresses stability and performance issues with Cover Flow, CD importing, iPod syncing, and more.

We downloaded, installed and used iTunes 7.0.1, mostly with no problems. We are not sure if it is iTunes 7.0.1 or something else but when we try to "purchase" the free weekly song, we get an error message saying our credit balance is out of date (and it is at $0.03--should be zero) and to click OK to refresh it. When we click the OK button, the balance is not refreshed and we get the same message again in an endless loop. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[9/28] Apple updated Logic Pro and Logic Express to 7.2.3

Logic Pro Update 7.2.3--Logic Pro 7.2.3 addresses performance issues when Logic Pro 7 is used on Mac Pro and G5 Quad computers. Logic Pro 7.2.3 is recommended for all Mac Pro and G5 Quad users. An existing Logic Pro 7.2.1 or Logic Pro 7.2.2 installation is required for this update.

Note: Logic Pro 7.2.3 is optimized for PowerPC G4, G5 and Intel based Macs with up to 2 dual-core processors.

Logic Express Update 7.2.3--Logic Express 7.2.3 addresses performance issues when Logic Express 7 is used on Mac Pro and G5 Quad computers. Logic Express 7.2.3 is recommended for all Mac Pro and G5 Quad users. An existing Logic Express 7.2.1 or Logic Express 7.2.2 installation is required for this update.

Note: Logic Express 7.2.3 is optimized for PowerPC G4, G5 and Intel based Macs with up to 2 dual-core processors.

[Bill Fox]

[9/28] SystemShootouts.org updated for Recent iMacs and Mac minis

From Charles Gaba,FYI, I've updated the site with the following:

• Updated: Complete Apple Desktop Lineup (new Mac minis, new iMacs, new Mac Pro)
• $600 Mini Desktop Shootout (Apple Mac mini vs. Shuttle XPC G2100h)
• $1,100 Slimline Desktop Shootout (Apple 17” iMac vs. Dell XPS 210 w/17” LCD)
• $1,500 Slimline Desktop Shootout (Apple 20” iMac vs. Dell XPS 210 w/20” LCD)
• $2,000 Slimline Desktop Shootout (Apple 24” iMac vs. Dell XPS 210 w/24” LCD)

Check out these and other excellent comparos at SystemShootouts.org. [Bill Fox]

[9/28] Cool Mac Software--WeatherPop 2.5 (Free) and WeatherPop Advance 2.5 ($8) are Out

Glucose updated our favorite weather application, WeatherPop to v2.5. WeatherPop is free and WeatherPop Advance is a mere $8. Among fixes, v2.5 adds a doppler radar image popup for the selected city.

We downloaded, installed and used the update to WeatherPop Advance 2.5 with no problems. [Bill Fox]

[9/28] David Pogue Emcees Discovery Museum's Second Annual Consumer Tech Fest This Weekend

New York Times columnist and Mac expert David Pogue will be the host and emcee of the Discovery Museum's 2nd annual Consumer Tech Fest in Bridgeport, CT, this weekend. Tech equipment will be on display from a number of companies including Apple, Best Buy, Bose, Canon, Dell, EdgeLab, JVC, Lamar, Lego, Nikon, Panasonic, Pentax, Plantronics, Nuance, Sonos, TiVo, XM Satellite Radio and iRobot. Also included are presentations, seminars and demonstrations.

The Consumer Tech Fest is designed to raise funds for the Discovery Museum. It is open 10-6 on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday. [Dana Baggett]

[9/28] Intel's Roadmap to Performance, Stronger Security, Lower Costs Revealed

Intel issued a press release from the Intel Developer Forum which states in part:

During his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum, Pat Gelsinger, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group, outlined the next stage of the company’s multi-core product roadmap and new industry initiatives that offer developers a design platform for innovation and new capabilities for businesses.

Demonstrating how the company capitalizes on Moore’s Law, Intel previewed its forthcoming Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series – products with four processors inside – for workstations and servers, and the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor for the enthusiast market segment. Available this year, the products are based on the revolutionary Intel Core microarchitecture and deliver socket compatibility with existing Intel platforms.

The chips will extend technology and performance leadership by delivering up to 50 percent more performance within the same power envelope than today’s dual-core generation, already well recognized as the world’s highest performing processors. Gelsinger also reiterated that Intel will deliver a power-thrifty 50 watt quad-core server processor next year.

Intel also revealed plans for more than 50 new SSE4 instructions, extending the Intel 64 instruction set architecture to better take advantage of Intel’s next-generation 45 nanometer (nm) silicon manufacturing process and expand the performance and capabilities of Intel Architecture. New products based on the Intel 64 instruction set architecture will first appear next year and benefit a variety of applications, including those involving graphics, video encoding and processing, 3D imaging, gaming, web servers and application servers.

The company also highlighted several new industry standards initiatives. Intel and IBM have co-developed a specification for a new PCI Express technology, codenamed "Geneseo," that would extend the standard to include co-located hardware on the bus. The goal is to make such tasks as visualization and media processing, math intensive data crunching and content processing faster and more efficient than existing add-in cards or software approaches.

Intel and IBM plan to further collaborate with the PCI-SIG, one of the oldest and most respected open industry standards organizations and the group that maintains PCI and PCI Express specifications. As further example of its support for industry innovation, Intel has announced that it will license its front-side bus technology to select vendors.

Gelsinger highlighted how the company has refreshed its entire line-up of dual-core products, including more than 30 new enterprise-class processors for both business PCs and servers, all launched in less than 100 days. Among these is a new family of dual-core Intel Itanium processors designed for the high-end, reduced instruction set computing (RISC)-dominated space. Intel’s Itanium processor family continues to gain momentum; worldwide system revenue in the first half of this year grew by nearly 40 percent compared to the same period last year, according to analyst reports.

Intel also has extended the Intel Xeon processor line, targeting lower-end, single-processor servers typically used for home offices and small businesses with the introduction of the Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 3000 series, dramatically improving server performance and power efficiency. Intel also launched the latest ultra-dense Dual Core Intel Xeon Processor 5148 that features a low thermal design point of only 40 watts.

For business PCs, Gelsinger disclosed details on the company’s next-generation Intel vPro technology that will extend the platform’s manageability and security capabilities. Available next year, the platform will include the third generation of Intel Active Management technology, adding support for the new Web Services Management (WS-MAN) standard and new "system defense" features that can slow or stop the spread of viruses and worms. Further bolstering PC security, this next-generation technology will also include for the first time Intel Trusted Execution Technology, formerly codenamed "LaGrande Technology."

Lastly, Gelsinger discussed a proposed method for measuring energy-efficient performance (energy efficiency at a given performance level) on the client and encouraged the industry to move toward standardization of methodologies that deliver meaningful results to end users.

[Bill Fox]

[9/27] Intel Offers $1 Million to Design a...er...um a Mac?

According to their press release, the Intel Corporation is challenging the designers and manufacturers of PCs to think sexy, stylish and small when they design the next generation of home PCs optimized for multimedia entertainment and powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

Looking to evolve the "big, beige box" and help bring to market more stylish, small, quiet and cool-running PCs perfect for any room in the home, Intel announced the Intel® Core™ Processor Challenge. The contest will award up to $1 million in prizes to the PC designer and manufacturer that designs and builds the smallest and most stylish home PCs powered by Intel® Viiv™ technology, Intel's premium brand for in-home, media-optimized PCs featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Systems will be evaluated on attributes of style, acoustics, functionality and features.

"Our intent with the Intel Core Processor Challenge is to think outside of the box – think sexy, small and sleek PCs optimized for multimedia entertainment – and we’re putting our money where our mouth is," said Eric Kim, vice president and general manager, Intel’s Digital Home Group.

In our opinion, game over...Apple has already won. [Bill Fox]

[9/27] SanDisk Announced the Highest Capacity 12- and 16-GB CompactFlash Cards at Photokina

At Photokina, SanDisk Corporation introduced the 12- and 16-GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards to its award-winning Extreme III performance line, making these the highest capacity cards in the world. The new high-performance, large-capacity cards are ideal for professional photographers who shoot RAW or high-resolution JPG files and need the performance, reliability and capacity to capture these large files. The 12GB model will sell for $779.99 and the 16GB model will sell for $1,049.99.

SanDisk also has a USB 2.0 reader for the Extreme cards that sells for $24.99. All three will be available by December. [Bill Fox]

[9/27] Brief Hands-On Report--Mozilla Released Firefox 2 RC1 (Universal)

The first release candidate of Firefox 2 is available for download and testing from this Mozilla Web page. The release notes are on this Mozilla Web page. The are a large number of improvements from the last beta version.

Mozilla expects to release a second candidate in the first week of October and the final version before November.

We downloaded and installed Firefox 2 RC1 on our MacBook Pro with no problems and trashed our copy of Beta 2. Our favorite theme, Nautipolis was incompatible but Firefox 2 RC1 found a new version 1.6.4 that is compatible. We surfed to a number of Web sites, tried our bank's Web site and one of our Web payment sites without any problems. It seems that Firefox 2 RC1 is safe enough to try out. [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]

[9/27] It's Pro Time--Apple Updated Its Pro Applications 2006-02, Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, Cinema Tools 3.1.2 and CHUD 4.4.3

Pro Applications Update 2006-02--This update addresses several issues with underlying frameworks and shared components for Apple’s professional applications and is strongly recommended for all users of:

Final Cut Studio 5.1
Final Cut Pro 5.1
Motion 2.1
Soundtrack Pro 1.1
DVD Studio Pro 4.1
LiveType 2.1
Compressor 2.1
Apple Qmaster 2.1
Final Cut Express HD 3.5

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2--Final Cut Pro Update 5.1.2 provides important bug fixes and compatibility updates for certain Canon, Sony, JVC and Panasonic devices. This update is recommended for all Final Cut Pro 5.1 and Final Cut Pro 5.1.1 customers.

Apple Cinema Tools Updater 3.1.2 [MacUpdate.com]--Apple Cinema Tools 3.1.2 addresses inter-application compatibility and fixes some potential issues with reverse telecine when using files larger than 9GB.

Apple CHUD Tools 4.4.3 [MacUpdate.com]--The Computer Hardware Understanding Developer Tools (CHUD Tools) are designed to help hardware and software developers measure and optimize the performance of PowerPC Macintosh systems running their products under Mac OS X.

[Bill Fox]

[9/26] 2G iPod nano Cases Arrive from Dr. Bott and Marware

Marware announced the imminent availability of iPod nano 2G versions of two of its best-selling cases, the Sportsuit Basic and Sport Grip.

The Sportsuit Basic for $19.95 is designed with durable 2mm neoprene outer construction, a soft-lined interior and a play-thru vinyl screen and Click Wheel protector. A bottom flap and customer Hold Button opening provides complete protection with easy access to all ports. Sportsuit Basic includes a low profile, interchangeable clip that is part of Marware's patented Multidapt system, offering a wide variety of carrying and attachment options.

The Sport Grip for $9.95 consists of one clear and 4 translucent colors, coordinated to match the new iPod nano 2G. A grippy, specially treated exterior helps to prevent dust collection and provides an incredibly silky texture. Easy access to the Hold Button and all ports, as well as a tapered edge for the Click Wheel provides maximum convenience and comfort.

They are can be ordered from Dr. Bott. [Bill Fox]

[9/26] Moixa Energy to Present USBCELL at DEMOfall 2006 Today

Moixa Energy will present their new battery technology, USBCELL, and renewable energy vision at DEMOfall 2006 in San Diego today. Last Tuesday, Moixa Energy launched its first product, USBCELL – a range of high quality rechargeable batteries, starting with the AA Cell which can charge from any USB port without the need for any recharging devices or cables.

These batteries seem pretty handy for Bluetooth and other wireless devices and digital cameras carried by road warriors. [Bill Fox]

[9/26] Eddie Tapp and Monte Zucker--Digital Photography On the Road

O'Reilly author Eddie Tapp is taking his digital photography know-how on the road, stopping at 18 cities across the county starting early next month. Well-known portrait and wedding photographer Monte Zucker will join him on this educational journey. The seminars will give serious students, enthusiasts, and professionals an opportunity to learn from the experts who have influenced successful photographers for over five decades.

Tapp, a popular lecturer on digital imaging and 2006 Photoshop Hall of Famer, is widely admired for his knack for making the photo editing process easier and more transparent. His newly released Photoshop Workflow Setups (O'Reilly, ISBN: 0-596-10168-6, 197 pages, $29.99)--the first in a five-book series--shows users how to organize an efficient and user-friendly workspace.

The second book, Practical Color Management (O'Reilly, ISBN: 0-596-52768-3, 168 pages, $29.99)--available for preorder now--hits bookstores in late October. This new book covers the three stages of color-managed workflow--choosing a color space, calibrating your devices, and applying appropriate profiles. [Bill Fox]

[9/26] Apple Released Aperture 1.5 Update--Download It Later This Week

Apple released Aperture 1.5, a major update to Apple's all-in-one post production tool for photographers that delivers enhancements across each phase of the entire workflow. Aperture 1.5 delivers a powerful new open library, seamless iLife '06 and iWork '06 integration, XMP metadata support, powerful new adjustment tools and an export API that makes it easy to extend the Aperture workflow to third party applications and services. Aperture 1.5 is now supported across Apple's full line of Macs, from the Mac mini to the Mac Pro.

It is free for registered owners of v1.0 and $299 otherwise. The free download will be available later this week from this Apple Web page. [Bill Fox]

[9/25] Hands-On Review--Apple's New Fabulous 24" iMac Core 2 Duo, How Fast Is It?

Nearly three weeks ago Apple refreshed it's iMac line with second generation dual core CPUs from Intel, the Core 2 Duo (code-named Merom), and added an iMac with a beautiful 24" flat panel display to the line. We ordered one to replace our "aging" 20" iMac G5 when we saw that we could get a faster CPU and faster graphics card than the low-end Mac Pro and a larger 24" display.

We ordered our 24" iMac from the Apple Store with the fastest CPU (2.33GHz) for $250 extra and fastest graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT) for $150 but otherwise stock. The CPU upgrade is probably an extravagance because it is only 8 percent faster than the stock 2.16GHz CPU. But we wanted to see if the 24" iMac would be a good enough game machine to keep us from ultimately replacing our now-sold Power Mac G5 Quad with a new Mac Pro. We thought about upgrading the RAM from 1GB to 2GB but since we won't use many non-Universal applications on the iMac we decided not to upgrade the RAM.

Our upgraded 24" iMac arrived a week ago directly from Shanghai just 5 business days after we ordered it. The first thing one notices is how much larger the 24" iMac is compared with the former largest 20" iMac (see image below).

Despite its much larger size, the 24" iMac is only slightly heavier than the 20" iMac (24.7lbs vs 22lbs). The other major external differences are the built-in iSight, the ports in the back are arranged horizontally on the lower right instead of vertically, one FireWire 400 port is now a FireWire 800 port and the power button is on the lower left back rather than the right.

Internally, there is a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU vs a 2GHz G5, 1GB RAM vs 512MB, an Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT graphics card with 256MB video RAM vs an ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB video RAM, an 8x double-layer SuperDrive vs a single-layer SuperDrive and a 250GB SATA hard drive vs a 250GB parallel ATA hard drive. The 24" iMac has a new 24-watt digital amplifier for better audio-out than any other iMac past or present.

While there are many gains, there are also a couple of small hardware loses--one less FireWire 400 port (displaced by a FireWire 800 port) and no modem. More importantly to some, the software suite loses AppleWorks and Quicken so there is no "business" software at all except trial versions of iWork '06 and Microsoft Office 2004.

Out of the box, we were up and running quickly. It took a little over 30 minutes to transfer the user folder from our 20" iMac G5 to our 24" iMac Core 2 Duo using a FireWire cable and Mac OS X's excellent Migration Assistant application. We had no problems connecting up with our AirPort Extreme network after adding the 24" iMac's AirPort ID to each AirPort Base Station.

Right off the 24" iMac seemed clearly faster than any other Mac we've ever used, including our ex-PowerMac G5 Quad and our 2.16 GHz 15" MacBook Pro. Could that be so? We ran our suite of speed tests on the 24" iMac. The tests consist of four benchmarking applications, five "real world" operation tests and five 3D video games. For comparison, we also ran the speed tests on the retiring 2GHz 20" iMac G5 and our 2.16GHz 15" MacBook Pro. The results for our ex-Power Mac 2.5GHz G5 Quad are included for informational purposes but they are not strictly comparable because it ran Mac OS X 10.4.6 and since April Xbench was updated and changed from v1.2 to v1.3. And, of course, the Mac Pro's with two dual core CPUs up to 3GHz and an optional ATI Radeon X1900 graphics card replaced the Power Mac G5's in August.

Here are the results:

2.33GHz 24" iMac Speed Tests (average* scores or secs).

Test	Mac
	24" iMac Core 2 Duo	20" iMac G5	15" MacBook Pro	Power Mac G5 Quad
Benchmarks:	2.33 GHz	2.0GHz	2.16GHz	2.5GHz
Altivec Fractal+ (GFLOPS)	8.7	5.1	4.1	25.3
Cinebench 2003 (9.5.1)-Rendering (2X)	724	272	628	1194
- OpenGL Hardware Lighting	4418	1182	2888	2219
Let1kWindowsBloom 1.0 (sec)	7	9	15	6
Xbench 1.3 - CPU	120	93	83	124
- Threading	234	60	210	243
- Memory	130	64	118	132
- Quartz Graphics	166	106	113	149
- OpenGL Graphics	144	123	157	136
- User Interface Graphics	472	66	246	236
"Real World" Tests:
Startup (sec)	18	40	28	41
Shutdown (sec)	7	8	10	12
Dup. 500 MB Folder of Files (sec)	25	65	33	34
Scroll Adobe 7.0.8+ Reader File (sec)	42	47	68	32
Export QT FQDV in iMovie HD (sec)	38	-	47	44
Games
Quake 3 Arena Intel/PPC+(frames/sec)	835/200	-/141	426/135	-/417
Halo 2.0/1.5.2+ (frames/sec)	91/-	-/20	40/25	-/31
Call of Duty 1.5+ (frames/sec)	58	57	35	84
Doom 3 1.3A (frames/sec)	128	32	62	53
Quake 4 (frames/sec)	95	29	66	-

*Average of 3 runs. ⁺Rosetta application. - not run. Red is faster among the iMacs and MacBook Pro.

The rash of red in the first column says it all--the 24" iMac with a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo CPU and Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT graphics is one fast machine. It beats the pants off the 2GHz iMac G5 and handily crushes the 15" 2.16GHz MacBook Pro also with one exception--the latter difference in Xbench OpenGL Graphics is less than 10 percent so probably is not significant. On other graphics tests involving OpenGL the 24" iMac is much faster than the 15" MacBook Pro--Cinebench 2003 and the 3D games. The 24" iMac really blows away the others on the Xbench User Interface test, confirming its very fast impression using the Finder.

The 24" iMac is the startup king. We've never measured a faster startup time from chime to complete desktop than 18 seconds. It's also the fastest among the iMac G5 and MacBook Pro in shutting down, duplicating a 500MB folder with and scrolling in Adobe Reader. It beats the MacBook Pro in exporting a full quality digital video movie in iMovie HD. The iMac G5 has iLife '05 installed and iMovie HD 5.0.x is not comparable with v6.0.2--the latter is much slower for some reason.

As expected, the 24" iMac really shines with 3D games. It even gets a very playable 58 fps in Call of Duty running in Rosetta emulation whereas the MacBook Pro's score of 35 fps is marginal and an incredible 835 fps in the Universal version of Quake III Arena. The speed of newer games with Universal binaries--Halo, Doom3 and Quake 4--is excellent with fps of 91, 128 and 95 respectively at our test settings.

The 24" iMac generally holds its own or bests scores of the Power Mac G5 Quad in the benchmark tests, the notable scores highly favorable to the iMac are Cinebench's OpenGL Hardware Lighting and Xbench's User Interface tests. The 24" iMac beat the G5 Quad in four of five tests in the real world category and three of four 3D game tests.

Since the 3D game scores are so good at our settings, i.e. the ones we normally play at, it is possible to increase the resolution or increase the video quality settings and still get an acceptable frame rate of around 60 fps. For example, here are the results of doing so with Doom3:

1. Standard Video with Better Resolution Settings: 120 fps

• High Video Quality
• Resolution: 1024x768
• Shadows: Off
• Antialiasing: Off

2. Best Video Settings: 98 fps

• Ultra Video Quality
• Resolution: 1024x768
• Shadows: On
• Antialiasing: Off

3. Best Video and Resolution Settings: 57 fps

• Ultra Video Quality
• Resolution: 1600x1200
• Shadows: On
• Antialiasing: Off

4. Best Video and Resolution plus Antialiasing: 19 fps

Ultra Video Quality
Resolution: 1600x1200
Shadows: On
Antialiasing: 2x

[9/22] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple Released Airport Update 2006-001 and Security Update 2009-005

The Airport Update 2006-001 is available for download from Software Update or as a stand-alone file from this Apple Web page. This update is for Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X 10.4.7 Build 8J2135 or 8J2135a. Other Macs should download Security Update 2006-005 from Software Update or for the appropriate system from this Apple Web page.

Both updates do the same thing. According to the ReadMe files,

The AirPort Update 2006-001 improves AirPort reliability on Macintosh computers.

or

Security Update 2006-005 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following component. Airport

They fix three security issues:

CVE-2006-3507 for: Mac OS X v10.3.9, Mac OS X Server v10.3.9, Mac OS X v10.4.7, Mac OS X Server v10.4.7--Attackers on the wireless network may cause arbitrary code execution. This issue affects Power Mac, PowerBook, iMac, Mac Pro, Xserve, and PowerPC-based Mac mini computers equipped with wireless. Intel-based Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro computers are not affected. This update addresses the issues by performing additional validation of wireless frames.

CVE-2006-3508 for: Mac OS X v10.4.7, Mac OS X Server v10.4.7--Attackers on the wireless network may cause system crashes, privilege elevation, or arbitrary code execution. This issue affects Intel-based Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro computers equipped with wireless. Power Mac, PowerBook, iMac, Mac Pro, Xserve, and PowerPC-based Mac mini computers are not affected. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of wireless frames. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

CVE-2006-3509 for: Mac OS X v10.4.7, Mac OS X Server v10.4.7--Depending upon third-party wireless software in use, attackers on the wireless network may cause crashes or arbitrary code execution. This issue affects Intel-based Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro computers equipped with wireless. Power Mac, PowerBook, iMac, Mac Pro, Xserve, and PowerPC-based Mac mini computers are not affected. This update addresses the issues by performing additional validation of wireless frames. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

There are no know exploits for any of these issues.

We downloaded and installed Airport Update 2006-001 in a Mac mini Core Duo, iMac Core Duo and 15" MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 8J2135a with no problems. We also downloaded and installed Security Update 2006-005 in a Power Mac G4 Cube, PowerBook G4s, iMac G5 and iMac Core 2 Duo with no problems. Then we used each Mac on our wireless networks and found no problems. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[9/22] Brief Hands-On Report--Smith Micro Released StuffIt Expander, Standard and Deluxe v11.0

The new version of this free file decoder (StuffIt Expander) and not free file encoder (StuffIt Standard/Deluxe) is available via MacUpdate.com. What's new in Expander is:

Version 11.0 allows you to open Zip archives encrypted using the 256bit AES method

We downloaded and installed StuffIt Expander v11.0 by launching the application. We unchecked "Allow Version Checking" under the Expander menu because this function has been problematic in the past. Then we decoded several .sit and .zip files with no problems. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]

[9/22] Practicing Law on a Mac--It just works

Ed Siebel, an attorney in private practice for 33 years in Newport Beach, CA, uses a Mac in his law practice because "...they just work." According to Mr. Siebel in his Law.com article,

Since 1988, I've been using Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers. I've stayed with Macs for a single reason -- they just work. Simply, consistently and at a high quality. They help me work solo or in a small office without worrying about my computer, essentially without the need for tech support. By and large, my Macintosh, like my telephone or desk lamp, is a reliable and unremarkable working tool. It's just there and does its job.

More... [Dana Baggett]

[9/22] Apple Revised the Offerings from a Hot Deals Retailer:

Sweetwater Sound has Hot Deals on a variety of Mac compatible hardware and software products including: Audio-Technica Pro 24 condenser microphone for only $89.97!; M-Audio Pro Tools MobilePre Academic Kit allows educational facilities to avoid any hassles associated with copy protection and authorization asset management - only $249.00!; Advanced Pro Tools DVD Vol. III from Secrets of the Pros for only $24.95!; Stereo VideoMic - a stereo shotgun mic for use with video cameras from Rode for only $249.97!; Finale PrintMusic w/QuickStart video tips from Make Music for only $79.97; EZ Drummer from Toontracker - intuitive drum software for music production for only $161.97; and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[9/20] Brief Hands-On Report--Parallels Posted New Release Candidate for its Desktop for Mac v2.2

Parallels posted a new release candidate (RC) Build 1898 of its Desktop for Mac v2.2 and it is available for download from this Parallels Web page. It has lots of improvements, according to MacUpdate.com:

• Video output improvement and acceleration
  
• Added multi interfaces USB devices support (including Windows Mobile 2005 devices)
  
• Added isochronous USB devices support (including WebCam devices)
  
• Minor USB fixes
  
• Keyboard support improvement: Eject CD key support, left/right
• Shift/Ctrl/Alt (Option)/Windows keys difference support
  
• Added virtual disk cache policy option: Mac OS X performance optimized or guest OS performance optimized
  
• Image Tool fixes
  
• Optimized disk cache policy for Suspend/Resume feature
  
• Windows ME Suspend/Resume fix
  
• Shared Folders first time access acceleration
  
• Clipboard synchronization tool fixes (unreadable symbols sometimes added during copy and paste)
  
• Sound playback improvement
  
• Sound recording improvement
  
• Minor Full Screen mode fixes
  
• "Unable to allocate virtual memory" during virtual machine power on fix
  
• Solaris doesn't work with more than one virtual disk fix
  
• Minor GUI fixes and improvements

We downloaded Build 1898 and installed it over our copy of Build 1862.2 with no problems. This was not the case of the previously released Build 1894, as we noted, that would not install over our copy of Build 1862.2. Our Windows XP virtual machine launched and ran fine. We updated it with the latest Microsoft security updates, updated Firefox and Thunderbird to v1.5.0.7, did some Web browsing and checked email, all without running into any problems. [Bill Fox]

[9/20] Apple Released Two Mac Pro Firmware Updates

Mac Pro SMC Firmware Update--The SMC Firmware Update adjusts fan behavior in the Mac Pro. After this update has completed successfully, the SMC Version will be: 1.7f8.

Mac Pro (mid 2006) EFI Firmware Update 1.0--This EFI Firmware Update fixes several Boot Camp and start up issues on Mac Pro computers. After this update has completed successfully, your Boot ROM Version will be: MP11.005C.B01.

Unfortunately, we do not have a Mac Pro to test these firmware updates for you but all Mac mini Core Duo, iMac Core Duo and MacBook Pro firmware updates have been problem free for us. [Bill Fox]

[9/20] Brief Hands-On Report--Apple Released Firmware Restoration CD 1.1

According to Apple,

This update can be used to restore the firmware of an Intel-based iMac (early & mid 2006), Mac mini (early 2006), MacBook Pro (early 2006), Mac Book (early 2006), or Mac Pro (mid 2006) to original factory condition. It can only be used to restore the Firmware after an interrupted or failed update.

It is very important to download this disk image file and burn it to a blank CD as a critical safety measure. While we have not had a problem with a firmware update, it is not possible to predict a sudden unexpected power outage or surge that could interrupt the firmware update process, causing a dead Mac. This CD and the proper procedure of powering on by holding the power button until the Mac's LED shows a successive series of blinks (3 quick, 3 slow, 3 quick), releasing the power button and inserting the CD allows one to reinstall the factory firmware so the Mac will run again.

We downloaded the Firmware Restoration CD 1.1 file and burned it to a CD with no problem. It's now ready in case disaster were to strike during a firmware update. [Bill Fox]

[9/20] Adobe Released Camera Raw 3.5 and DNG Converter (Universal)

Camera Raw 3.5, a free Adobe Photoshop CS2 plug-in adds support for an additional five cameras. Adobe's DNG converter, a free application for converting Photoshop-supported raw images to the open standards .DNG format is now available as a Universal Binary, allowing it to perform natively on Macintosh Intel-based computers. The universal .DNG file format, gives photographers a single unified file format for archiving raw files. [Bill Fox]

[9/20] Cool Mac Software--rooSwitch Lite 1.0 (Universal)

If you use multiple application profiles, check this out. roobasoft released rooSwitch Lite 1.0, a free version of its profile switching application allowing users to switch a handful of applications at no cost. rooSwitch Lite allows you to manage multiple profiles for Address Book, iPhoto, iTunes, Mail, Safari and Stickies. Simply choose the application from the list presented in rooSwitch Lite and you're ready to start managing multiple profiles. Once you've chosen the application you can create a new profile by duplicating an existing profile or starting from scratch with a new one. Duplicating profiles is also convenient for creating frequent backups of your preferences and data.

The lite version was created to show users what rooSwitch can do by freely giving away it's features for a limited selection of applications. The full version of rooSwitch allows almost any application to be switched and has support for AppleScript and an Automator action to switch profiles.

rooSwitch Lite 1.0 requires a Mac with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and is available as a Universal Binary. It is free and can be downloaded from his roobasoft Web page. A four-minute QuickTime 7 Web video is also available for viewing at this roobasoft Web page. [Bill Fox]

[9/20] Apple Revised the Offerings from Three Hot Deals Retailers

Apple Store Special Deals has exclusive deals on a variety of Apple Certified Refurbished products including: Apple Certified Refurbished 17" iMac 1.83Ghz Intel Core Duo w/SuperDrive & iSight for only $949.00!; 17" PowerBook G4 1.67GHz PowerPC w/SuperDrive for only $1899.00!; and much more.

MacGameStore has Hot Deals exclusive pricing (5% discount at check out!) on a wide variety Mac compatible games including: Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects from Big Fish Games (digital download only) for only $19.95; Trivia Machine from Red Marble Games (digital download only) for only $19.95!; Europa Universalis II from Virtual Programming (digital download only) for only $19.95!; Vegas Jackpot Gold from BeachWare (digital download only) for only $24.95!; Project Nomads from Virtual Programming (digital download only) for only $19.95!; Shell Whirl from BeachWare (digital download only) for only $19.95!; The Time Portal from Zhang Games (digital download only) for only $19.95!; and much more.

Ramjet has Hot Deals exclusive pricing on Mac compatible RAM upgrades including: 2GB FB-DIMM Kit (2x 1GB modules) for the Mac Pro for only $474.00; 1GB RAM module for the MacBook Pro for only $138.00!; 1GB module for the iMac w/Intel Core Duo for only $138.00!; 1GB (2x 512MB modules) for PowerMac G4 DDR (Mirror Drive Doors) for only $141.00!; 2GB RAM Upgrade Kit (2x 1GB modules) for Dual Core PowerMac G5 for only $283.00!; and much more.

[Bill Fox]

[9/19] Surf the Web from Your Boat--Marine Wireless Networking from QuickerTek

QuickerTek has devised a wireless network specifically for marine and RV applications. More than simple wireless cards and antennas, the QuickerTek Marine System (QMS) is a complete solution that allows boaters to use the internet at any marina with any number of onboard computers. The greater distances found at most marinas require as much as 48 times the RF power needed at many offices and the QMS delivers that level of performance.

To make a complete wireless marine solution, QuickerTek builds a LAN on the boat for all of the onboard computers, which then communicates over a wireless connection to the marina wireless 802.11b and/or 802.11g access point or Apple Base Station. There are no wired connections to the computers to degrade wireless performance and make installation tedious--who wants a whole bunch of wires running around your boat for a "wireless" network? A universal repeater supplies the RF signal boost to allow both Macs and Windows computers to converse over the same wireless network connection--something previously not available in most longer distance wireless network designs. Check it out on this QuickerTek Web page. [Bill Fox]

[9/19] Turboflix to be Compatible with Mac OS X Sometime in 2007

In response to yesterday's note that Mac-compatible Photoleap will be discontinued and replaced with Windows-only Turboflix, there is a promise to make a Mac compatible version of Turboflix in 2007. Here's an excerpt from the Photoleap response:

On October 8th, when we discontinue Photoleap, we will no longer be supporting the Macintosh. This is not permanent, as we plan on releasing a Macintosh version of Turboflix sometime in 2007. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to our Mac users. If you are an active paid Photoleap Plus customer, you will receive a prorated refund for the remaining time left on your account.

Note that Photoleap subscribers can get a prorated refund. [Bill Fox]

[9/19] Adobe to Ship Creative Suite 2.3 in Q4 of 2006

Sometime in the October-December time frame of 2006, Adobe will ship a v2.3 of its Adobe Creative Suite Premium. It will be Mac compatible but it still won't be a Universal Application--that will have to wait for the Spring of 2007 according to previous Adobe announcements.

Creative Suite 2.3 will include the new Acrobat Professional 8.0 and Dreamweaver 8.0. Adobe will be replacing GoLive with Dreamweaver in CS3.0 and GoLive may live on as a stand-alone product. The upgrade from CS 2.0 Premium to CS 2.3