Steve Jobs gave all of Apple this week off in recognition of shipping the iPhone and Leopard this year, which meant that last week produced a flurry of updates and releases across many of Apple’s software product lines. They include Mac OS X 10.5.1, Mac OS X 10.4.11, Safari 3, iPhoto 7.1.1, iPhone 1.1.2, Final Cut Express 4, and all the applications in Final Cut Studio 2. Other companies were busy too, with Fetch 5.3 appearing and FileMaker Inc. releasing a preview of its new Bento database; consultant Jeff Porten has some opinions about how well Bento achieves its goals. Plus, Amazon shipped its Kindle ebook reader, which Glenn Fleishman compares to the iPhone and the Sony Reader. Like Apple, we’re taking our next issue off, but we’ll be busy processing your holiday gift ideas in TidBITS Talk in preparation for the TidBITS Gift Guide in December. Bonus stories this week look at WireTap Studio, the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, a service for eliminating unwanted catalogs, and more.
As is our custom this time of year, we won't be publishing next week's emailed issue of TidBITS on 26-Nov-07 due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. But new content will still appear on our Web site, though.
We're gearing up to produce the TidBITS Gift Guide for 2007, and we need your suggestions for the gifts that you plan to give or want to receive this year.
Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.1, the first update to Leopard, and fixes problems with Back to My Mac, Mail, and Finder data loss when moving files among partitions and networked volumes. It also makes one cosmetic change to the application firewall while fixing a problem that bit Skype users and adding more security.
The question of whether Safari 3 would be released for Tiger is answered: yes. Apple pushed out Mac OS X 10.4.11, which fixes a huge list of bugs and security flaws along with the enhanced Web browser.
Apple has released iPhoto 7.1.1, promising improved support for Leopard and fixes for lots of bugs, albeit without any details whatsoever. Be glad you're worthy to receive the update at all.
Fetch Softworks has released Fetch 5.3 with lots of Leopard-specific features along with the capability to use Copy and Paste to upload files and move files between servers.
Apple releases the 1.1.2 software update for the iPhone and iPod touch to patch a serious flaw that also enabled third-party software installation. But software developers were primed: a "jailbreak" for 1.1.2 is already available.
Apple has released Final Cut Express 4, the latest version of its intermediate video editing software, adding support for AVCHD footage, an open format timeline for mixing DV and HD clips within the same project, a bunch of new FxPlug filters, and the capability to import iMovie '08 projects.
Apple updated its Final Cut Studio 2 suite of applications, bringing Leopard compatibility and specific fixes to the set of video and audio editing tools: Final Cut Pro 6.0.2, Soundtrack Pro 2.0.2, DVD Studio Pro 4.2.1, Motion 3.0.2, Color 1.0.2, Cinema Tools 4.0.1, Compressor 3.0.2, and Pro Applications Update 2007-002.
With PGP installed, upgrading to Leopard can produce hard-to-pinpoint slowdowns, as I saw with a beta of email program Mailsmith. But uninstalling the software or upgrading to a Leopard-compatible beta solves the problem.
FileMaker Inc. has released Bento, claiming it's "the personal database that's as easy to use as the Mac." Database consultant Jeff Porten takes the preview release for a spin and finds Bento conceptually interesting but unwilling to stray far enough from the FileMaker fold.
The new Amazon Kindle could finally bring a portable electronic book reader to the masses because of its ubiquitous network connection along with push subscriptions. At $399, it might still be a hard sell. We compare the Kindle to the Sony Reader and the iPhone, which share characteristics with Kindle.
Bonus stories for this week's email issue include reviews of Wiretap Studio and the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, along with ICANN news, a service for eliminating unwanted paper catalogs, and iPhone and CSS tips.
This week's discussions revolve around Leopard's firewall and other security issues, hosting a Web site on .Mac that doesn't come from iWeb, and reactions to recent TidBITS articles, among other topics.