TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 29 November 2010

BusyCal 1.5 — The new MobileMe Calendar acts as a CalDAV server for sharing calendars with CalDAV clients like iCal and the iOS Calendar app. Great, but many of us who have needed real calendar sharing before the new MobileMe Calendar have long been using BusyMac’s BusyCal. With the release of version 1.5, BusyCal can now sync with the new MobileMe Calendar as well, if you wish, although there’s no need to switch to the new MobileMe Calendar if everything is working well now. (It can also sync with other CalDAV
servers, should you need that capability as well.) If you do wish to switch to the new MobileMe Calendar with BusyCal, be sure to read BusyMac’s “Overview of the new MobileMe Calendar” and “Upgrading to the new MobileMe Calendar” support articles first, since the process is non-trivial.

Put bluntly, we’re not switching to the new MobileMe Calendar at the moment, since the only notable advantages in our workflow would be sharing of events between our MacBooks while we were on the road and an alternative to Google Calendar for sharing of calendars across the Internet. Otherwise, BusyCal’s LAN-based event sharing meets all our needs, and we simply don’t wish to spend the time and effort associated with switching to the new MobileMe Calendar for the minimal gain in capabilities.

Users of BusyMac’s earlier calendar sharing solution, BusySync (which enables calendar sharing for calendars that you work with in iCal), should note that BusySync can only read calendars hosted on the new MobileMe Calendar; they can’t be written to or shared elsewhere. If you really need BusySync’s capabilities in addition to read-write support for the new MobileMe Calendar, the only option at the moment is to upgrade to BusyCal, which is in essence a melding of BusySync and iCal, with notable improvements to iCal’s interface. ($49 single user/$79 family pack new, $20 upgrade from BusySync, free update, 6.6 MB)

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GraphicConverter 7.0.2 — Lemkesoft is giving image conversion fans one more reason to be thankful this time of year with the release of GraphicConverter 7.0.2. The update includes a big list of fixes and improvements; among the new features are support for importing Office Document Imaging greyscale TIFFs, PDF import with alpha channel, and more IPTC options. Updated features include more settings for slideshows, support for float TIFFs with alpha channels, Unicode support, and support for WMFs with transparent backgrounds. Zooming with a trackpad is much
improved, and you can now use the Delete key to remove selections. ($39.95 new, free update, 100 MB)

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EagleFiler 1.5 — C-Command Software has released EagleFiler 1.5, a significant update to the company’s tool for organizing, archiving, and searching your email, files, saved Web pages, and other bits of information. The update introduces a new Quick Entry hotkey that lets you create a new text file from within any application. Also included is much-improved tag searching, better previews for iWork documents, support for indexing and searching email attachments, faster smart folders, and plenty
more. ($40 new, free update, 11.2 MB)

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Adobe Reader/Acrobat Pro 9.4.1 — Adobe has updated Adobe Reader and Acrobat Pro to version 9.4.1, a release focused on patching multiple critical security vulnerabilities in the PDF programs. The patched security flaws could cause crashes or potentially allow a remote attacker to take control of your Mac. Adobe recommends all users of Acrobat and Reader 9.4 update immediately, either from within the software, or via the Adobe Product Updates page.
(Free updates, 6.09 MB for Reader, 11.1 MB for Acrobat Pro)

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Safari 5.0.3 and Safari 4.1.3 — Apple has released Safari 5.0.3 with, in addition to the requisite slew of security fixes, improvements to the Top Hit results that appear as you type in the address bar, more-accurate Top Sites, and more-reliable pop-up blocking. Also included are fixes for an issue with Flash 10.0, behavior when typing in search boxes on Facebook and Netflix, and improved stability for JavaScript-intensive extensions and VoiceOver integration. Apple also released Safari 4.1.3 for Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger with
roughly the same fixes. (Free, 37.58 MB for Snow Leopard, 46.74 for Leopard, 29.46 MB for Tiger)

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Boot Camp Software Update 3.2 for Windows — If you’re going to suffer through Windows, you should at least run it via your Mac. And if you use Boot Camp for that purpose, you’ll want to look into Apple’s Boot Camp Software Update 3.2, available in both 32-bit and 64-bit permutations. In addition to what Apple calls “critical bug fixes,” the update adds support for the ATI-Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, Apple’s USB Ethernet Adapter, and the MacBook Air SuperDrive. The update requires a copy of Windows and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. (Free, 280.28 MB for 32-bit,
121.25 MB for 64-bit)

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MacBook/MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.0 — Apple has released EFI Firmware Update 2.0 for both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The updates are for the mid-2010 models of the MacBook and the mid-2010 models of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and address an issue where external monitors connected to the laptop may exhibit an undesired purple coloration. Your laptop must be plugged in to install the firmware update, which will take several minutes, and Apple recommends that you not cut power to the computer during the installation. If you’re not sure if your laptop needs the update,
use Software Update, which will present it as an option only if it’s appropriate. (Free, 1.98 MB)

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QuarkXPress 8.5 — Quark has released QuarkXPress 8.5, a free update that the company says improves the publishing package’s stability. The update also introduces support for importing and exporting with Microsoft Word’s .docx format, and adds a self-contained Auto Updater so that next time you’ll know about these updates even before we report on them. In addition, five Pantone libraries have been added or updated. ($799 new, free update, 751 MB)

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Typinator 4.2 — Ergonis continues in its quest to save your overworked fingers with the release of Typinator 4.2, the latest update to its popular typing automator. The update corrects a problem with Mac OS X 10.6.5 where certain characters would prevent abbreviations from expanding properly. It also fixes issues with expansion in iTunes 10, Outlook 2011, and 4D Client; works around an issue with Safari suggestions in the address field; and corrects a problem where Typinator would stop working when more than 100 sets were installed. Full release
notes are available on Ergonis’s Web site. (Free update, €19.99, 3.1 MB)

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PDFpen/PDFpen Pro 5.0.3 — PDFpen and PDFpenPro, Smile’s software for creating and editing PDF documents, have each been updated to version 5.0.3. In addition to a new Welcome window, issues with saving in both applications and problems with naming form buttons in PDFpenPro have been fixed. Current owners can see the list of changes and upgrade by choosing PDFpen (or PDFpenPro) > Check for Updates. ($59.95/$99.95 new, free update, 41 MB)

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DEVONthink and DEVONnote 2.0.6 — DEVONtechnologies, purveyors of fine software and mixed-case names, has released minor updates for all editions of DEVONthink and DEVONnote. The updates to DEVONthink and DEVONnote address syncing issues with the recently released DEVONthink To Go iOS app, make Quick Look text selectable, improve Spotlight integration, and make it possible to import Yahoo Messenger chat logs and Google Chrome Web addresses. For more on DEVONthink
To Go, see “Taking DEVONthink To Go for a Spin” (23 November 2010). (DEVONthink Pro Office, $149.95 new, free update, 23.6 MB; DEVONthink Professional, $79.95 new, free update, 18.6 MB; DEVONthink Personal, $49.95 new, free update, 13.2 MB; DEVONnote, $24.95, free update, 11.6 MB)

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Yojimbo 3.0.1 — Bare Bones Software’s Yojimbo is an information organizer that stores text, images, PDFs, Web pages, serial numbers, and anything else you think to throw into it. The new maintenance release of Yojimbo 3.0.1 contains just one bug fix, but it’s a must-have for folks who use Yojimbo in conjunction with Missing Sync for Windows/Android/Blackberry. The fix works around a data corruption issue that Bare Bones says Missing Sync could cause, leading in turn to Yojimbo for iPad sync sessions hanging forever. ($39 new, free update, 7.6 MB)

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