After a week off, we have oodles of Mac- and iPhone-related content for you. Rich Mogull leads off with an explanation of how to protect yourself from a five-month-old Java vulnerability, and Jeff Carlson suggests that the just-released iTunes 8.2 may mean that we’ll see an iPhone 3.0 Software release at WWDC. Matt Neuburg waxes poetic about how ClickToFlash speeds up Safari, Adam explains how to expand password-protected Zip archives and passes on news of a straightforward Mac software bundle, and Glenn walks through AT&T’s roadmap for faster cellular data connectivity. We were busy with ebooks during our TidBITS hiatus, so if you haven’t already seen them, check out Adam’s new “iPhoto ’09: Visual QuickStart Guide,” along with Joe Kissell’s “Take Control of Maintaining Your Mac, Second Edition” and “Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac” version 1.1 update. Notable software releases since our last issue include iWork ’09 9.0.2, MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3, MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.1, HoudahSpot 2.5, Cover Stream 2.6, Little Snitch 2.1.3, BusySync 2.2, Checkup 2.2, TextExpander 2.6.2, Adium 1.3.4, and Dialectic 1.4.1.
Macs are vulnerable to a five-month-old vulnerability in Java that is being actively exploited on the Internet. Here's how to protect yourself.
Could the release of iTunes 8.2, with support for iPhone 3.0 Software Update, herald the release of the new iPhone operating system at next week's WWDC? Apple also squashes some security issues with QuickTime 7.6.2.
There's no lack of advice available for how to run your Mac efficiently and solve pesky problems, but it's scattered all over the Internet. Our latest Take Control ebooks, both by Joe Kissell, provide a well-organized, go-to source for a comprehensive Mac maintenance plan and effective advice for handling any problems that might arise.
For complete documentation of iPhoto '09, you can now turn to Adam's latest book: "iPhoto '09: Visual QuickStart Guide," available in both ebook and print forms. It has full coverage of all of iPhoto's features, both the new (Faces, Places, slideshows, Web publishing) and the old (importing, editing, printing).
Need to expand a password-protected Zip archive? Mac OS X's built-in Archive Utility won't do it, but several free utilities will.
A free Safari plug-in makes pages load faster by turning Flash content into Flash-on-demand.
The amazingly inexpensive bundles of Macintosh software that have been marketed over the last few years have been popular with users, but less so with the developer community. A new site - TheMacBundles.com - aims to provide great software bundles that benefit both customers and developers.
The U.S. telephone giant AT&T is upgrading its wireless network in many different ways to ensure that smartphones - mostly the iPhone - don't swamp the network. The company is planning for faster 3G phones and its future 4G network, too.
Notable software releases since our last issue include iWork '09 9.0.2, MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3, MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.1, HoudahSpot 2.5, Cover Stream 2.6, Little Snitch 2.1.3, BusySync 2.2, Checkup 2.2, TextExpander 2.6.2, Adium 1.3.4, and Dialectic 1.4.1.
Read on for a collection of links to the most interesting articles and resources that the TidBITS staff discovered on the Web during the two weeks since our last issue.
This week brings another wide variety of topics to TidBITS Talk. Readers are grappling with iChat, phishing attempts from me.com, Wi-Fi in the iPod touch, faxing within Mac OS X, formatting hard drives and USB memory drives, and more.