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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 02-Feb-09

PersonalBrain 5.0.2 from TheBrain Technologies is the latest update to the visual information manager that comes in Free, Core, and Pro versions. This minor update offers increased speed and improved memory usage. Specific bugs have also been addressed, including one that causes non-responsive bookmark importing, one that causes re-linked thoughts to lose their link labels, and one that prevents a closed brain from opening without a different brain being opened first. (Free/$149.95/$249.95 new, free update, 26 MB)

Typinator 3.4 from Ergonis Software is the latest update to the popular auto-typing and auto-correcting utility. New features include options to suspend Typinator temporarily and maintain the height of the set list when the window size changes, and the capability to expand text in floating windows such as Spotlight’s. The latest version also includes several minor enhancements and bug fixes, such as resolving a bug that caused the software’s memory usage to increase over time. (19.99 euros, free update, 2.7 MB)

iPhone 2.2.1 Software Update from Apple provides bug fixes and specifically addresses two issues with the iPhone’s operating system. Overall stability of Safari has been improved, and an issue where images saved from Mail do not appear correctly in the Camera Roll is fixed. The update is available from within iTunes when the iPhone is connected. (Free update, 245.7 MB)

iDVD 7.0.3 and the iLife Media Browser Update, both from Apple, “improve overall stability and address a number of other minor issues.” Unfortunately, that’s all the concrete information Apple has provided, although we’ve since learned that the iLife Media Browser Update fixes some problems with Spotlight. The iLife Media Browser enables users to access their photos, music, and videos from Aperture, iLife, and iWork and is thus recommended for users of those programs working in Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard or later. The iDVD update is most likely related to the recent QuickTime 7.6 update, as the former
relies heavily on the latter. Both updates are available via Software Update, or from Apple’s Support Downloads page. (Free updates, 27.4/2.6 MB)

HoudahSpot 2.4 from Houdah Software is an update to the file search tool that provides an alternate front end to Spotlight. This version adds a new feature called Text Preview, which provides a dedicated preview feature for text files. Within this preview, search strings are automatically highlighted for more efficient searching. It is also possible to search the text preview itself. ($25 new, free update, 2.6 MB)

SpamSieve 2.7.3 from C-Command Software is a maintenance update to the powerful Bayesian spam filtering software. Changes include a rewritten manual intended to make setup and troubleshooting easier, improved Entourage capacity for handling uncertain mail, refined blocklist rules for enhanced accuracy, and a more robust Apple Mail plug-in installer. The update also fixes several bugs including one that makes parsing multipart messages difficult, one that sorts in rules windows, and one that marks incoming Entourage messages as Junk. ($30 new, free update, 5.7 MB)

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