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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 18 July 2011

Aperture 3.1.3 — Apple has released Aperture 3.1.3, a minor update to its professional image management software. The new release introduces a number of small enhancements, particularly in the handling of accented letters and Korean, Japanese and Chinese scripts. Aperture is now also better at syncing albums to the Web and exporting slideshows, in addition to offering users more flexibility with enabling and disabling gestures. Rounding out the update are several bug fixes, which include correcting an issue that could cause a blank sheet to be displayed when placing a book or print order, addressing an issue that was
preventing metadata presets from being applied correctly to imported audio files, and making the library repair and rebuild functions more reliable. Apple recommends the update for all users of Aperture 3. ($79.99 new from the Mac App Store, free update through Software Update or the Mac App Store, 292.02 MB)

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iDVD 7.1.2 — Remember iDVD? iLife’s DVD authoring software hasn’t seen much action of late, but Apple has now released iDVD 7.1.2. The minor update addresses a number of performance issues and minor bugs, including a problem that could prevent files from relinking and slowdowns when searching for missing files. In addition, the new version of iDVD includes code that improves the reliability of imported iPhone ’11 slideshows. (Free update through Software Update, 36.12 MB)

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iWeb 3.0.4 — Apple’s iWeb may be going the way of the dodo (we’re extrapolating from the fact that it hasn’t seen a major upgrade in years, along with the loss of MobileMe-based hosting; see “Apple Details Transition from MobileMe to iCloud,” 24 June 2011), but likely obsolescence hasn’t stopped the company from posting the occasional update to iLife’s Web publishing tool. Case in point, the fine folks from Cupertino have just released version 3.0.4, which, while not introducing any new features, “improves overall stability and addresses a number of minor
issues.” (Free update through Software Update, 178.57 MB)

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Snapz Pro X 2.3.1 — Ambrosia Software has released Snapz Pro X 2.3.1, an update to the screenshot utility near and dear to the hearts of authors everywhere. Most notably, the update provides necessary compatibility with Mac OS X Lion (earlier versions didn’t work well in Lion), but there are also improvements to H.264 color management and handling of mono audio devices, along with a few other minor bug fixes. ($69 [image + movie] / $29 [image only] new, free update, 8.5 MB, release
notes
)

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DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.2 — DEVONtechnologies has released updates for all editions of its information management applications, DEVONthink and DEVONnote. Version 2.2 of both apps focuses primarily on bringing the software up to date with Mac OS X Lion and adding support for Lion’s new full-screen mode. The software now supports the new Sparrow email client in addition to Apple Mail, and provides improved export-to-HTML features. In other changes, the Dock icon of both apps sport a progress indicator for long tasks, and the handling
of keyboard shortcut keys like Tab, Return, and Enter has been refined. (All updates are free. DEVONthink Pro Office, $149.95 new; DEVONthink Professional, $79.95 new; DEVONthink Personal, $49.95 new, release notes; DEVONnote, $24.95 new, release notes)

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GarageBand ’11 6.0.4 — Apple has pushed out GarageBand 6.0.4, introducing a few minor changes in addition to the usual “overall stability and performance” fixes. Of note, GarageBand’s Lesson Store has been changed to fix an issue that was preventing lesson downloads from completing properly. On a more practical note, the update also addresses a bug that caused some tempo-based effects to fall out of sync with the main song, as well as a problem with Magic GarageBand projects not opening properly in the tracks view. ($14.99 new from the Mac App
Store
, free update through Software Update or the Mac App Store, 53.72 MB)

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iPhoto ’11 9.1.5 — Apple has released iPhoto 9.1.5, a minor update to its consumer photo management software that addresses several issues. These include the way the date range of an event is displayed after the Adjust Time and Date command has been executed; the fact that some Ken Burns Effect transitions may not play in a saved Classic slideshow; and issues with scrolling, deleting, selecting, and cropping pictures. ($14.99 new from the Mac App Store, free update through Software Update or the Mac App Store, 220.83 MB)

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TypeIt4Me 5.2 — Keeping the competition in the text expansion world going, Ettore Software has now released TypeIt4Me 5.2, adding compatibility with Mac OS X Lion. Also new in version 5.2 are the capability to issue a Shift-Tab keystroke combination and a Date/Time Math function that can have a date abbreviation expand to a date or time in the future or past. ($19.99 new, free update for purchases since 1 January 2010, $8.99 upgrade otherwise, release notes)

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Sandvox 2.1 — With Apple’s phaseout of MobileMe driving another nail in iWeb’s coffin, iWeb users might be particularly interested to check out Karelia’s Sandvox 2.1 for creating and maintaining Web sites. Sandvox 2.1 adds compatibility with Mac OS X Lion, a Clear Styles command that makes migrating content from other systems easier, and a Block Quote object. Other changes include performance improvements and bug fixes. Through 31 July 2011, Sandvox is available at 25 percent off for iWeb users with the coupon code “iWeb Graduate” and Karelia also offers a transition
guide
for anyone switching from iWeb to Sandvox. ($77 new, $47 upgrade from Sandvox 1, free update from Sandvox 2.0, 29.2 MB, release notes)

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iBank 4.2.4 — IGG Software has released version 4.2.4 of iBank, its money management software. At a time when many are lamenting the impending loss of Quicken due to the disappearance of Rosetta (see “Rosetta and Lion: Get Over It?,” 23 May 2011), IGG has confirmed that iBank is Lion-ready with this release. With the major iBank 4.0 release and subsequent minor updates, iBank gained the capability to import data directly from Quicken and Microsoft Money, introduced new budgeting and investment tracking tools, and added transaction templates and more reports, in addition to
many bug fixes and performance enhancements. ($59.99 new from IGG Software and the Mac App Store, $29.99 upgrade for iBank 3 users, free update for iBank 4 users, 19.2 MB, release notes)

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Firefox 5.0.1 — The latest Mac-only update to Mozilla’s open-source Web browser, Firefox 5.0.1, brings only two changes, but they’re important. First is a workaround for a crash that could occur in the forthcoming Mac OS X Lion when using downloadable fonts. Since downloadable fonts are quite common on the Web, Firefox 5.0 users would have seen significant numbers of crashes after upgrading to Lion. Second, Apple’s update to Java in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard broke the Java plug-in in Firefox (see “Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 / Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10,” 29 June 2011); version 5.0.1 enables Firefox to load the Java plug-in in Leopard once again. (Free, 27.8 MB, release notes)

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BusyCal 1.5.4 — BusyMac has released BusyCal 1.5.4, an update to its calendaring app. The latest release focuses primarily on compatibility with Apple’s upcoming Mac OS X Lion, including Lion’s full-screen mode, trackpad gestures, new scrollbar schemes, and year-less birthday reminders. In addition, BusyCal now supports interaction with the Fantastical calendaring app, and provides better interaction with Google Calendar and other WebDAV servers. Several fixes and improvements round out the update. ($49.99 new, free update, 6.7 MB, release notes)

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Transmit 4.1.6 — New from Panic is Transmit 4.1.6, a minor update to the company’s popular file-transfer software. The new release improves compatibility with Mac OS X Lion, adds support for Amazon Web Services’s new Tokyo region, and makes importing bookmarks from competing app Cyberduck easier. Panic has also fixed the way the app reads dates from SabreDAV servers and improved Unicode filename support with download syncing. ($34 new, free update, 22 MB, release notes)

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Skype 5.2 — Although the basic interface unfortunately remains the same, Skype has released Skype 5.2. The latest release of the Internet telephony software introduces a new view that enables you to see and control video calls even when you switch away from the Skype app. Skype Premium subscribers can also share screens with a group, rather than just one-to-one. The company has added support for the HD cameras that come built into newer Macs, as well as Logitech’s B910 HD camera. A number of unspecified bug fixes round out the release, although several known issues remain, including a
crash when changing your password, problems starting screen sharing when the remote party does not send video, and no keyboard support for dialing when using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Also, although Skype 5 features automatic updates, for at least one of us, the automatic update failed, forcing a manual download and install. (Free, 20.8 MB, release notes)

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