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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 5 November 2012

Parallels Desktop 8.0.18314 — Improving support for Windows 8, Parallels Desktop has been updated to version 8.0.18314 with full-speed support for USB 3.0 devices, easier access to Mac OS X applications from the Windows 8 Start Screen, the capability to launch Windows 8 applications from the shared applications folder in the Dock, and support for the Windows 8 single-finger swipe gesture to display the application menu, list of running applications, and Charm Bar. The update also adds download access to Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 from within Parallels Desktop and improves the visual process of switching
Windows to Coherence. Additionally, you can now assign up to 16 GB of memory to a single virtual machine and support has been added for Windows Server 2012. ($79.99 new, $49.99 upgrade, free update, 343 MB, release notes)

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ScreenFlow 4.0.1 — Telestream has released ScreenFlow 4.0 with a profusion of new organization and workflow features added to its popular screencast recording app. Among the new features, the release adds the capability to merge multiple elements into a single nested clip on the timeline (as well as apply filters and video actions to nested clips), plus new organization tools to search for specific clips and arrange them by name, duration, or type. It also adds support for closed captioning, support for the x264 codec to export higher quality MPEG-4 files, a recording timer, and a variety of video effects
(including advanced color adjustments, distortion effects, blurring, alpha mask, color effects, and more). ScreenFlow 4.0 also enables dynamic updating and reloading of imported assets directly into the library, timeline, and canvas — however, this feature is not available in the Mac App Store version. For a complete rundown of the new features, download the PDF release notes from Telestream’s support page.

Shortly after the initial release, Telestream issued a version 4.0.1 update with fixes for an issue with keystrokes displaying, a bug that caused error message and sound problems when Remove Background Noise was checked, a recording problem caused by disabled color correction on Radeon X1xxx hardware, and an issue with performance regression created by decoding video on a separate queue from audio.

Owners of previous versions can upgrade to ScreenFlow 4.0.1 for $29 (without a new serial number, saved projects will contain a watermark), and those who purchased ScreenFlow 3.x between 1 October 2012 and 25 October 2012 are eligible for a free upgrade to version 4.0.1. Note that ScreenFlow hasn’t yet been updated to version 4.0.1 in the Mac App Store as of this writing. ($99 new from Telestream, $29 upgrade from 3.x, 2.x, or 1.x, 26.5 MB)

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Sandvox 2.7 — Updating its Web publishing tool to make it compatible with a variety of features in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Karelia has released Sandvox 2.7 with support for Notifications and Sharing. Additionally, the update saves documents more quickly when the Versions feature is enabled, and it has been optimized for Retina displays. A Google +1 sharing option has also been added to enable site visitors to share content by clicking on a Google +1 button and logging in directly, and this feature offers several configuration options for displaying the number of Google+ shares. Other changes include support for custom
private SSH keys and a revamped Host Setup Assistant that simplifies entry of hosting details and enables live testing and diagnostics. ($79.99 new from Karelia or the Mac App Store, free update, 31.1 MB)

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Safari 6.0.2 — Apple fixed a couple of WebKit security vulnerabilities with the release of Safari 6.0.2. Specifically, the update patches two problems that could lead to application termination or arbitrary code execution — one due to the handling of JavaScript arrays that was addressed with additional validation (CVE-2012-3748) and another due to the implementation of scalable vector graphic (SVG) images that was addressed through improved memory handling (CVE-2012-5112). There are no new features or other bug fixes. The update is available for OS X 10.8.2 Mountain Lion via the App Store app and for 10.7.5 Lion via
Software Update. (Free, 44.8 MB)

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iPhoto 9.4.2 — Apple has updated iPhoto to version 9.4.2, adding several improvements to how Photo works with iCloud’s Photo Stream feature. You can now add photos to either My Photo Stream or a shared stream by dragging them to Photo Stream in the source list, and you can add all photos contained within a shared photo stream to your iPhoto library using a new Import command in the contextual menu. The update also enables you to paste multiple email addresses into the “Shared with” field for shared streams, and it ensures that names are correctly displayed should more than five subscribers “like” a photo in a
shared stream. Additionally, iPhoto 9.4.2 improves reliability of shared photo streams when switching to Aperture with the same library, fixes an issue with Microsoft Outlook that prevented it from being used to email photos, and updates national holidays for use in printed photo calendars. ($14.99 new from the Mac App Store, free update through the Mac App Store or Software Update, 758.58 MB direct download via Apple’s support page)

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Aperture 3.4.2 — Apple has also released Aperture 3.4.2 with a number of improvements to how the professional photo organizer works with iCloud’s Photo Stream feature. Like the recently released iPhoto 9.4.2, the update enables you to paste multiple email addresses into the “Shared with” field for shared streams, ensures that names are correctly displayed should more than five subscribers “like” a photo in a shared stream, and improves reliability of shared photo streams when switching to iPhoto with the same library. Aperture 3.4.2 also enables you to add photos
from My Photo Stream or a shared stream to other shared streams, and it improves face detection after importing photos into a library from a shared stream. The toolstrip’s status line now displays the number of new photos added to a shared stream, adjusted photos are published to shared streams with EXIF metadata preserved, and a shared stream’s Info panel now includes an Unsubscribe button.

Beyond Photo Stream-related additions, the update ensures that custom keyboard shortcuts are preserved when upgrading from earlier versions of Aperture, fixes a bug where duplicate detection failed when the Auto-Split Projects option was enabled, addresses an issue where the correct color might not display after applying Auto White Balance and Auto Enhance, and improves stability when working with AVCHD video files (be sure to check the release notes for the full rundown of changes). ($79.99 new from the Mac App Store, free update through the Mac App Store or Software Update, 550.73 MB direct download via Apple’s
support page)

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PDFpen and PDFpenPro 5.9 — Smile has updated both PDFpen and PDFpenPro to version 5.9, which improves overall performance by reducing memory usage and adds the OAuth secure authorization method for those using PDFpen’s Save to Evernote capability. Additionally, both editions now use Apple’s sandboxing for improved security and compatibility with the Mac App Store, though neither PDFpen nor PDFpenPro has been updated to version 5.9 in the Mac App Store as of this writing. ($59.95/$99.95 new with a 20-percent discount for TidBITS members, free update, 47.4/48.4 MB)

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