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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 8 March 2010

DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.0 — DEVONtechnologies has released major upgrades of its document and information management programs DEVONnote and DEVONthink (which comes in three flavors: Personal, Professional, and Pro Office). Changes in both programs include a refreshed interface with a new Welcome Assistant, a tagging interface for those who prefer tagging to hierarchical groups, improved annotation capabilities for PDFs, and added support for text substitutions and data detectors under Snow Leopard.

Changes specific to DEVONthink 2.0 include enhanced search capabilities with advanced search operators, the capability to save complex search strings as smart groups, the capability to open multiple databases and documents simultaneously (Pro and Pro Office only), unlimited undos, and synchronization support for a forthcoming iPhone OS app. DEVONnote 2.0 absorbs several features from its more-capable sibling, including expanded support for common file formats, a new Finder-esque sidebar, a full-screen mode, separate document windows, a three-pane view, and smart templates. Full release notes for both DEVONthink and DEVONnote are available on the DEVONtechnologies Web site. (Pricing varies, 17.5/10.6 MB)

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BusyCal 1.2.2 — BusyMac has released its latest version of BusyCal, the desktop calendar application with built-in sharing capabilities, adding a handful of minor bug fixes and performance tweaks. Version 1.2.2 removes the word BusyCal from meeting invitations and responses, alerts you when you are sending an invitation or response without a Me card attached, enables you to remove a single instance of a repeating meeting, enhances compatibility with Outlook .ics/.vcs files, and supports shorter Google alarm times. The update also prevents the info panel from going blank when edits arrive over a LAN, supports ISO-8859-1 and Shift-JIS in .ics files, improves the
visibility of the To Do status in Month view, and fixes a number of unspecified crashing bugs. ($40, free updates, 6.8 MB)

Read/post comments about BusyCal 1.2.2.

Default Folder X 4.3.6 — St. Clair Software has released a maintenance and stability update to the Open/Save dialog enhancement utility Default Folder X. Version 4.3.6 improves the handling of recently used folders in Carbon-based applications such as the Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, and Mozilla Firefox; adds support for Flash- and AJAX-driven file dialogs, such as those triggered by attaching files in Gmail and uploading videos to YouTube; and now utilizes Sparkle for automatic update checks. The update also adds the capability to drag any file onto the program’s Dock icon to get info on it, improves compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4, adds
the option to set a default minimum size for the sidebar, and includes a number of other minor bug fixes and improvements. ($34.95 new, $14.95 upgrade, free update for owners of version 4.x or 3.x owners who purchased their copy after 1 June 2007, 9.7 MB)

Read/post comments about Default Folder X 4.3.6.

Mactracker 5.1 — Ian Page has released the latest version of Mactracker, a freeware utility that provides detailed technical information on Apple hardware. The update includes a new Compare function that enables users to note differences between models easily, an improved engine that searches specification entries, updated support status for vintage and obsolete products, and new listings for the 20-inch mid-2009 iMac and the forthcoming iPad. The latest version also addresses a crashing bug that occurred when running the program under Snow Leopard, an issue that caused incorrect search results when using certain characters, and other unspecified minor
problems. (Free, 25.1 MB)

Read/post comments about Mactracker 5.1.

Mailplane 2.1.5 — Uncomplex has released a minor maintenance update to Mailplane, its WebKit wrapper for Gmail, with a handful of fixes and improvements. The latest version adds highly welcome support for Gmail’s recently enhanced “separate window” feature, which enables users to open multiple Gmail windows for multitasking purposes more quickly. The update also fixes an issue that prevented Growl notifications from opening when the main window was hidden, reinstates the capability to upload attachments when using Flash 10.1b3, addresses a memory leak that occurred when using drag-and-drop, fixes an AppleScript bug, and resolves several other smaller problems. ($24.95 new, free update, 7.6 MB)

Read/post comments about Mailplane 2.1.5.

ProKit 5.1 (Leopard and Snow Leopard) — Apple has released ProKit 5.1 (Leopard and Snow Leopard), an update to system-level components shared by the company’s professional and semi-professional applications (Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Final Cut Express, Soundtrack, Logic Pro, and Logic Express). Apple says that ProKit 5.1 addresses improper scrolling behavior, memory leaks, and the “layout of interface elements in certain application alert windows.” (Free update, 32.39 MB)

Read/post comments about ProKit 5.1 (Leopard and Snow Leopard).

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