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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 22 August 2011

Firefox 6.0 — That’s right, Mozilla has artificially jacked up Firefox’s version number again, and, with the release of Firefox 6.0, as with the release of Firefox 5.0, not much has changed. Along with some stability- and security-related fixes, Firefox 6.0 sports a slightly sleeker look for the site identity block (to the left of the page URL in the address bar). Plus, in the latest episode of “Bug or Feature?” Firefox 6.0’s address bar now grays out everything but the domain name of the currently loaded page, making it harder to read. Also new is an interactive JavaScript prototyping environment for
developers: choose Tools > Web Developer > Scratchpad (the Web Developer menu item is also new; it collects several development-related commands). Mozilla also claims to have improved the discoverability of Firefox Sync, the usability of the Web Console, and browser startup time when using the tab-grouping feature Panorama. Apart from the silly change to the address bar, there’s nothing really wrong with Firefox 6.0, as long as you think of it as version 4.2. (Free, 28.1 MB, release notes)

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Dropbox 1.1.40 — Online storage service Dropbox has updated its eponymous client software to Dropbox 1.1.40, bringing back to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion status badges on Dropbox-managed files and folders so you can tell whether or not they’re updated. It also fixes a rare problem where certain Mac OS X machines wouldn’t upload files automatically. In theory, Dropbox is supposed to update itself, but it often doesn’t, in our experience, so it’s worth getting this update manually if you’re using Lion. (Free, 17.6 MB)

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GraphicConverter X 7.3.1 — Although Lemkesoft’s GraphicConverter X 7.3.1 received a only minor version bump, the update comes with a large number of enhancements, including new options for manipulating images and previews, improved drawing functions, and the capability to display GPS location data embedded in image files. Support for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion has also been improved with the reintroduction of support for the operating system’s full-screen mode. Several smaller bug fixes and feature tweaks round out the update. ($39.95 new from Lemkesoft or from the Mac App Store, free update, 100 MB, release notes)

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Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.2 — Bombich Software has released Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.2; despite the minor version hop, this release includes dozens of bug fixes that affect several areas of the backup utility’s functionality, including scheduling, the handling of network filesystems, access permission management, and so on. In at least one case, the fixes address issues that could cause a restored volume to be un-bootable under some circumstances. A number of minor feature tweaks round out the update. (Free update, 5.2 MB, release notes)

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ScreenFlow 3.0 — New from Telestream is ScreenFlow 3.0, a major upgrade to the company’s screencast recording app. The new release brings a number of new features, including compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. ScreenFlow now allows users to create freehand callouts and annotations anywhere on a video using a brush or rectangle tool. The app’s timeline has received a facelift that provides additional flexibility in editing operations and is complemented by new audio quality controls and filters. Rounding out the update are new export settings, which now include an iPad preset and an option to publish
to Vimeo. ($99 new, $29 upgrade, 14.5 MB)

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Airfoil 4.5.5 — Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 4.5.5, a minor update to its popular remote audio transmission app. The main focus of the new version is the correction of several issues related to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, one of which is a severe crash. In addition, Airfoil now sports improved compatibility with Google Talk, Muse Controllers, and Radium (although the latter requires an as-yet-unreleased version of the Internet radio player app). ($25 new, free update, 11.3 MB, release notes)

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