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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 16 April 2012

Adobe Acrobat X Pro and Reader X 10.1.3 — Adobe has updated Acrobat X Pro and Adobe Reader X to version 10.1.3, which resolves their associated PDF browser plug-in’s incompatibility with Safari 5.1 (when running in 64-bit mode). The plug-in now also supports Firefox in 32-bit mode. Additionally, Adobe’s EchoSign electronic signature service is further integrated into the two apps with the addition of new electronic signature types and the capability to send documents through EchoSign. The update also fixes a number of bugs from the previous release’s
known issues, including print preferences defaulting to printing on both sides of the paper and crashes when trying to print in Protected Mode. For a complete rundown of all improvements and fixes in 10.1.3, download the PDF release notes from Adobe’s support page. ($449 new purchase of Acrobat X Pro with free update, free Adobe Reader X, 137.4 MB and 69.6 MB respectively)

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Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.0 — Microsoft has updated Office for Mac 2011 to version 14.2.0 (also labeled as Service Pack 2) with improvements for connecting to Microsoft’s SharePoint collaboration service as well as a variety of tweaks and fixes for Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. For the entire Office for Mac 2011 suite, the update enables Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users to drag and drop files in the Document Connection app (for uploading files to SharePoint sites) and it provides access to documents stored at the root level of a SkyDrive folder. Additionally, Italian and German grammar checkers
have been improved. In Outlook, the release fixes issues that could cause database corruption, improves IMAP email syncing with Gmail, and brings a new sync model for Exchange where email messages are downloaded in parts. (But make sure to back up your Outlook data first; some users are reporting problems with the update!) PowerPoint now supports Lion’s full-screen mode and adds the capability to paste special hyperlinks into the app. For Word, the update improves printing PDF faxes and fixes an issue where user information wasn’t saved into a Word template. For a complete list of changes, read the Microsoft support page. (Free update as a download or through Microsoft AutoUpdate,
110 MB)

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Final Cut Pro X 10.0.4 — Apple has released Final Cut Pro X 10.0.4, a minor update to the professional video editor with a grab bag of tweaks and fixes. The release improves both responsiveness and quality of broadcast monitoring when using compatible third-party PCIe and Thunderbolt I/O devices as well as multicam syncing and editing. Fixes include a problem with superimposing a video over a background with an alpha channel that would render differently before and after in the Viewer, plus an issue with re-rendering titles after application launch. The update also adds a sharing option for 1080p video on compatible iOS
devices, includes multicam metadata in XML project export, and assigns stereo as the default audio channel setting for new projects. ($299.99 new in the Mac App Store, free update, 1.38 GB, release notes)

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KeyCue 6.1 — Ergonis has released KeyCue 6.1, which improves support for Keyboard Maestro by displaying items with string triggers. The keyboard shortcut reminder utility also adds the option for checking for new beta versions of the software, fixes a memory issue when checking version numbers of active applications, and correctly displays the date and time of the current time zone (instead of GMT). It also includes a signed developer ID for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion’s Gatekeeper security feature. (€19.99 new, free update, 2.1 MB, release notes)

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TextWrangler 4.0 — Bare Bones Software has released version 4.0 of TextWrangler, a major update of the free general-purpose text editor sibling to the company’s flagship text and HTML editor BBEdit. The release brings TextWrangler up to speed with many elements from BBEdit 10.1, including the adoption of its editing window interface (with Currently Open Documents and Recent Documents panes) plus the capability of restoring previously open documents (even if unsaved) when relaunching. TextWrangler now requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later, and it’s compatible with 10.7 Lion’s full-screen mode. Other changes
include improved handling of scripts (whether they be AppleScript scripts, Automator actions, or Unix scripts), the addition of live searching within the app plus searching text inside Zip archives, and a “modernized” Find Differences dialog box. For a complete rundown of the voluminous additions and tweaks to this version, be sure to read the lengthy release notes. (Free from Bare Bones Software and the Mac App Store, 5.2 MB)

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