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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 28 March 2011

LogMeIn Ignition 2.0.264 — We generally restrict the TidBITS Watchlist to Mac software, but the 2.0.264 release of LogMeIn Ignition is worth a shout because of how it integrates with the Mac. This update to the iOS remote screen control app adds remote file browsing to its bag of tricks. LogMeIn requires a free account, and then a free or paid installation of software on the Macs or Windows systems you want to control. Ignition’s update lets you browse through files,
copy them to your device, view them (if in one of iOS’s supported formats), and print them. You can also transfer files between two computers in your LogMeIn account using the app. ($29.95 new, free update, 9.8 MB)

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Things 1.4.5 — The folks at Cultured Code have crossed releasing Things 1.4.5 off their to-do list. New to the task-management utility is support for the Things URI scheme, which was previously offered only in the Things iOS apps. The Task Modification Date is now available by AppleScript. Among the numerous bugs fixed are an issue where items could reorder themselves after syncing, an issue where marking items complete from within search results would bounce you to the Inbox, issues with grouping and sorting of tasks and projects, various issues with recurring tasks, and a crash under Mac OS X 10.4. ($49.95 new, free update,
8.0 MB)

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Skype 5.1.0.914 — Version 5.1.0.914 of the voice-over-IP application Skype restores a feature that had gone missing: highlighting the name of the current speaker in group calls. Also included in this release is the capability to select recently called numbers from the dial pad. Skype also says that several minor bugs are fixed, including a webcam detection issue. (Free, 20.2 MB)

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NoteBook 3.0.9 — Circus Ponies has released NoteBook 3.0.9. The update to the note-taking and text-collection utility fixes many issues, including a crashing bug when saving a notebook with pages open in separate windows, and another crasher related to iCal syncing. Other bugs fixed include issues with text selection, problems with the Spotlight importer, an issue with undoing shape changes, a few small memory leaks, a problem with sticky flags, and a flaw with the Find panel. ($49.95 new, free update, free trial available)

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PDFpen and PDFpenPro 5.2.2 — Smile has released PDFpen and PDFpenPro version 5.2.2, adding the capability to choose the destination for files when you scan them in. Numerous fixes, including one for an OCR-related hang, are also included. There’s now full Japanese help text, too. ($59.95 new, free update, $25 upgrade, 41 MB)

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Aperture 3.1.2 — Photographers thinking about switching from iPhoto to Aperture take note: Apple has released Aperture 3.1.2. In addition to improving the software’s overall stability and performance, the update addresses numerous issues with importing photographs from iPhoto — including at least one that could cause Aperture to crash. Various other importing issues are addressed, too. Also fixed are bugs with reference images, switching between libraries, hangs while using brushes, crashes with Retouch, and compatibility problems with XMP Sidecar files. Mac App Store purchasers should, of course, update the software
via the store. ($79.99 in the Mac App Store, free update; 578 MB from the Mac App Store, 297.63 MB for the standalone updater from Apple’s Web site)

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MarsEdit 3.2 — Red Sweater Software’s blogging tool MarsEdit has reached version 3.2, with several new features to show for it. A running word count now appears in the post status bar, WordPress tags are handled better, and malformed XML and “bad characters” no longer trip up the software. Performance for both the media browser and the autosave feature is improved, too. Numerous bugs are fixed, including issues with Convert Line Breaks, an issue with lost formatting for image attachments, and the reliability of Paste HTML Source. Several crashes have also been eliminated. ($39.95 new, free update, 6.2 MB)

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Firefox 4 — Mozilla has released Firefox 4. The upgrade sports a revamped user interface and runs atop the Gecko 2.0 engine. According to Mozilla, that means it’s up to six times faster at running JavaScript than the previous version of the browser, and now offers vastly improved support for HTML5 and CSS3. Firefox now supports the Do Not Track header, enables Firefox Sync by default, supports Google’s WebM video format, and handles plug-in crashes more gracefully. Lengthy release notes are available at Mozilla’s Web site. (Free, 26.8 MB)

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Sparrow 1.1 — iOS-inspired email software Sparrow has been updated to version 1.1. Starting with this incarnation of the software, Sparrow now supports many more types of email accounts; in addition to Gmail, you can now use the software with MobileMe, Yahoo!, AOL, and any IMAP account. Also new is support for Gmail’s Priority Inbox feature, an Unread View, per-account signatures, and a formatting bar for composing richer messages. Sparrow now offers support for multitouch gestures, contact groups, and Gravatars, too. In addition, close to two dozen bugs have been fixed. ($9.99 via the
Mac App Store, free update, free lite version available, 10.2 MB)

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Skitch 1.0.4 — Screenshot sharers should shout in celebration, though they shouldn’t try saying that three times fast. Skitch has been bumped to version 1.0.4, and its most notable new feature is that it no longer requires that you create a skitch.com account in order to use the software. Other improvements include a simplified Welcome screen, and a fix for a crash affecting some 10.6.6 users. (Free, 6.5 MB)

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