Cross Platform

Thu - November 29, 2007

DIY Digital Photo Frames

People are putting obsolete notebooks to use by converting them into digital photo frames. Although off-the-shelf frames are now affordable, the cheaper ones generally have very low screen resolutions.

Here's an example project that might inspire you. As much as I like working with Macs, you could probably get a more recent Windows-based model with USB ports (so you can use a thumb drive to transfer photos) for a similar price.

Posted at 03:07 PM Read More

Tue - November 13, 2007

Movie Rentals in iTunes?

Blogger Evan DiBiase notes that iTunes 7.5 incorporates some references to rentals and video on demand.

Interesting... at least in countries where Apple's managed to do a deal with movie studios.

Posted at 12:27 PM Read More

Tue - November 6, 2007

RDC for Mac Beta 2

A second beta of Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.0 has been released.

New features include the ability to start new connections from inside the application, separate preference settings for each connection, and support for Network Level Authentication.

Posted at 06:07 PM Read More

QuickTime, iTunes Update

Mac and Windows versions of QuickTime and iTunes have been updated to versions 7.3 and 7.5 respectively. Mainly bug and security fixes, plus additional iPhone/iPod support.

Available via Software Update (Mac), Apple Software Update (Windows) or Apple Downloads.

Posted at 05:59 PM Read More

Thu - October 25, 2007

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1.1

8.1.1 updates for Adobe Acrobat 8 and Reader 8 include a fix for a vulnerability (Windows XP) that is being exploited, plus stability improvements and fixes for PDF forms related issues.

Posted at 10:46 AM Read More

Firefox 2.0.0.8

Firefox 2.0.0.8 fixes security issues (some critical) and provides Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) compatibility.

Posted at 10:32 AM Read More

Fri - October 19, 2007

Opera 9.24

Opera 9.24 (Windows, Mac, Linux and probably other supported platforms) delivers security fixes for the 'other' cross-platform browser.

Mac-specific fixes bypass a Flash vulnerability and remove "user interfaces glitches in OS X 10.5".

Posted at 03:35 PM Read More

Tue - October 9, 2007

SD Memory Plus Wi-Fi

APC reports on a new SD card from Eye-Fi that combines 1G of memory with an 802.11g interface, allowing "most SD-using cameras" to connect to Wi-Fi networks and to any Wi-Fi-enabled printer.

"Atheros says it has gone to great lengths to design the chip used in the card so that it does not unnecessarily drain the camera's battery."

Sounds useful - but no price is mentioned.

Posted at 03:44 PM Read More

Wed - October 3, 2007

WEP Offers Virtually No Security

Symantec's Security Response Weblog explains why you shouldn't be using WEP on your Wi-Fi network. If you can't be bothered to read the article, it's because the key can be cracked in less than 60 seconds.

Use WPA or WPA2 instead, and use a password comprising a mix of upper and lowercase letter plus numbers, avoiding the use of dictionary words.

Posted at 05:43 PM Read More

Joost 1.0 Beta

Ars Technica reports on a new Joost beta, featuring a revamped user interface, a redesigned channel guide, and better tolerance of bad network connections.

Much of the interesting content is still restricted to US users.

The software works on Windows and Intel-based Macs.

Posted at 05:38 PM Read More

Boot Camp Betas Begin To Expire

iTWire reports that the beta licences for Boot Camp (Apple's software for installing Windows on Macs) are beginning to expire.

Version 1.2 expired on September 30, while 1.3 and 1.4 will expire as soon as Mac OS X 1.5 is released (probably sometime this month).

Unlike virtualisation, Boot Camp is needed only to install Windows, not to run it, so existing installations are unaffected.

Posted at 05:27 PM

Firefox 2.0.0.7

iTWire notes the arrival of Firefox 2.0.0.7, which fixes a critical vulnerability exploitable through QuickTime files.

Posted at 05:06 PM Read More

USB 3.0

iTWire notes support from major vendors for the proposed USB 3.0 standard, which will use optical fibre to give speeds around 5Gbps while retaining backward compatibility with existing devices.

Posted at 05:04 PM Read More

Flash Player 9 Release Candidate

A new version of the Flash Player 9 preview for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris includes H.264 and HE-AAC support, multi-core support, full-screen mode and more

Posted at 04:56 PM Read More

Fri - September 14, 2007

iTunes 7.4.1

iTunes 7.4.1 for Mac and Windows supports the new iPods plus iPhone ringtones.

Apparently it also broke one of the tricks used to put custom ringtones onto the iPhone.

Posted at 05:28 PM Read More

AirPort Extreme Base Station Firmware Update

You Get What You Pay For?

On The Cheap

Parallels Desktop For Mac 3.0 Beta 2