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TidBITS#913/04-Feb-08

The big news this week is Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo, so Adam looks at what’s involved and comes away unconvinced that it’s a good idea. Back in the Macintosh world, Apple released updates to iWork and iWeb, but draws ire for remaining almost entirely mum on what changed. Glenn laments the loss of the Crazy Apple Rumors Site, Joe explains how to work around the disconcerting way that video chats make eye contact nearly impossible, Adam weighs in on the Direct Marketing Association’s move against the Catalog Choice service, and Mark relates his woes in dealing with warranty repairs. This issue brings a number of practical tips, such as how to avoid mysterious crashes on launch in Word 2008, ways of working around an infinite Setup Assistant loop at startup, and what to do when your Mac starts typing in the wrong language. We also welcome a new sponsor – CS Odessa, makers of ConceptDraw – and open a DealBITS drawing to give away copies of Sound Studio 3. Lastly, check out our latest Leopard ebooks on backing up, maintaining your Mac, and more!

Adam Engst No comments

iWork and iWeb Updated, Apple Restricts Release Notes

Apple released updates to iWork and iWeb, but described three of the four updates with a mere eight words (and that's counting "Mac OS X" as three words. Read on, not for a useful description of the updates (which isn't possible), but for Adam's rant at Apple for not trusting us with real information.

Joe Kissell No comments

Looking Video Chat Problems in the Eye

Using iChat or Skype for video chats or remote presentations can be awkward in that you can't look into the camera and see the person on the other end at the same time. Until Apple's patented solution to this problem materializes, you can get partway there with a simple gadget called See Eye 2 Eye.

Mark H. Anbinder No comments

When Is a Warranty Not a Warranty?

When you're buying a hardware add-on for your Mac, features and price are key factors, but what about warranty? If your accessory fails, will the manufacturer replace it? We explore what consumers need to know about the differences from one manufacturer's warranty to the next - looking not just at the number of years you're covered, but the number of days, or weeks, you might have to wait for service.

Jeff Carlson No comments

Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/04-Feb-08

This week's discussions cover a wide gamut: migrating contact information and synchronizing to a Palm Treo, comparing Drive Genius to DiskWarrior, Apple's annoying lack of useful release notes, booting from an external hard drive, and more.