TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 23 July 2012

Quicksilver β69 — The open-source keyboard launcher Quicksilver has been updated to version β69, a maintenance update with a plethora of fixes that also adds support for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. The release now enables Quicksilver’s “paste” action and internal shortcuts to work for all keyboard layouts, makes Automator actions universal, and fixes sporadic opening and closing of the Quick Look panel. It also allows the app’s preferences to be localized and adds French localization. (Free, 3.3 MB, release notes)

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GraphicConverter 8.2 — Lemkesoft has released GraphicConverter 8.2 with quite the laundry list of new features. The well-regarded graphic conversion and editing utility adds support for both Flickr and Google+, a local database for thumbnail storage, an option to enable/disable display of current location in the map (as well as disable usage of Google Maps), an option to paste as text, and support for Photoshop-compatible plug-ins. The new version also updates image capture calls for improved downloading from digital cameras and optimizes file access in the browser for faster display. For a complete
rundown of the many new features and bug fixes, be sure to peruse the release notes. Note that while GraphicConverter is available in the Mac App Store, that edition hasn’t yet been updated to version 8.2 as of this writing. ($39.95 new, free update from version 7.x, $29.95 upgrade from versions 1 through 6, 125 MB).

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Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5 — Like many software titles receiving updates in advance of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, version 3.5 of Bombich Software’s Carbon Copy Cloner backup utility adds compliance with the Gatekeeper security feature and includes the capability to create a bootable Mountain Lion installer volume (once you’ve purchased and downloaded Mountain Lion). However, the bigger news is that the app is no longer donationware as Bombich Software transitions to a commercial model to grow its development and support team. Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5 now costs $39.95, but is available at a 25 percent discount ($29.96) through 12 August
2012. If you previously paid for Carbon Copy Cloner and checked the “I paid” button, you won’t be asked to purchase the app again (though if your preferences have been cleared, be sure to read the release notes to learn how to retrieve your registration info).

The new release overhauls its Recovery HD support for instances where you have multiple backup volumes with different operating systems, enabling you to associate a Recovery HD with each one and apply the appropriate operating system to each Recovery HD partition. Carbon Copy Cloner 3.5 now requires 10.6 Snow Leopard or later, but Bombich Software will continue to provide user support and fixes for version 3.4 used on 10.4 Tiger and 10.5 Leopard installations for the near future. The new release also improves performance of deleting scheduled tasks, fixes an issue that occurred when running Mac OS X 10.7.4 with a 64-bit kernel that resulted in external volumes not mounting when booted from a backup volume, and updates the graphics for
displaying on the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. ($39.95 new, free update if you donated previously, 8.6 MB)

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ChronoSync 4.3.4 and ChronoAgent 1.3.4 — Econ Technologies has released ChronoSync 4.3.4 and ChronoAgent 1.3.4, both of which bring compatibility with the forthcoming release of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to the synchronization/backup application and its remote helper app. The two apps feature a new code signature and installer with improved support for Mountain Lion’s Gatekeeper security feature, plus an improved uninstaller that better removes related components. ChronoSync also improves its capability to prevent Mountain
Lion from sleeping during long synchronizations and utilizes newer system APIs when accessing login items. Full release notes for ChronoSync and ChronoAgent are available. ($40 new for ChronoSync, $10 new for ChronoAgent; free updates; 28.9 MB, 8.3 MB)

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SpamSieve 2.9.3 — Getting its ducks in a row before some upcoming OS X updates become available, C-Command Software has released SpamSieve 2.9.3, which adds support for the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.7.5. The latest release of the spam-filtering software fixes a bug that prevented the app from auto-launching on the soon-to-be released 10.8 Mountain Lion, as well as improves recovery from certain “unexpected” system errors. The update also improves instructions for automatically deleting old spam messages, enables use of the system’s integrated GPU to help reduce battery use on the latest MacBook Pro models, and fixes a
layout bug in the German-localized Statistics window. ($30 new, free update, 10 MB, release notes)

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MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 1.0 — Apple has released MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 1.0 for the models introduced in June 2012: both 13- and 15-inch sizes of the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and the 11- and 13-inch versions of the MacBook Air. The minimal release notes say that this release “fixes an issue that can lead to increased CPU power consumption, and it improves compatibility with some USB devices.” Requiring Mac OS X 10.7.4 Lion, the update should appear in Software Update for affected models, or you can download it directly from Apple’s Web site. (Free, 76.64 MB)

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Alfred 1.3 — Running with Crayons has released Alfred 1.3 with a number of improvements to the free keyboard-driven launcher. The update adds the capability to open a Quick Look window for a selected result, a command to quit all running applications, and support for transient data in Clipboard History for improved coexistence with TextExpander. It also improves subtext rendering and enables you to reduce Alfred’s text size to make the app feel more compact. For those who have purchased the feature-enhanced Alfred Powerpack, the update now enables you to pick multiple files
directly from the Finder and add them to the File Buffer. Additionally, it improves integration with 1Password by adding an option to show bookmarks in default results without the “1p” keyword, plus the capability to copy a 1Click URL using Command-C. Note that the Mac App Store version has yet to be updated from version 1.2 as of this writing. (Free, £15 for Powerpack, 2.6 MB, release notes)

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CloudPull 2.1.2 — Golden Hill Software has released CloudPull 2.1.2, which brings the Google-data backup application into compliance with the Gatekeeper security feature in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. This release is available only for the direct download version from the Golden Hill Software Web site, and it is not available from Mac App Store because integration with Gatekeeper isn’t necessary for Mac App Store versions. If you are updating CloudPull from a version prior to 2.1, be sure to click the Always Allow button when prompted for access to the keychain password for each of your Google accounts. ($24.99 new, free
update, 7.7 MB, release notes)

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Mellel 3.0 — Released about three weeks ago, RedleX’s Mellel 3.0 is a major update for the word processing app. Chock-full of new features, Mellel 3.0 introduces a live bibliography that automatically updates, verifies, and formats cited references, and then generates a bibliography each time a citation is added, removed, or changed. Other new features include a full-screen mode available even for users running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, support for Auto Save and Versions in 10.7 Lion and later (though the old auto-save system can still be used), automatic language switching based on the currently used keyboard layout,
fewer but more customizable palettes, enhanced template support and management, and easier access to styles. Updated with these same features, the Mac App Store version also adds iCloud support. ($39 new from RedleX’s Web site or the Mac App Store, $19 upgrade from previous versions via the RedleX Web site, 33.4 MB, release notes)

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SOHO Organizer 9.2.8 — Since Adam Engst’s review of SOHO Organizer (see “SOHO Organizer Syncs Contacts with iCloud in Snow Leopard,” 25 June 2012), Chronos has updated its contact and calendar management suite twice, addressing several bugs identified in the course of writing that review. With the version 9.2.7 update, SOHO Organizer improved support for connecting to CalDAV and CardDAV accounts from different iCloud servers and recovering damaged or unreadable CalDAV and CardDAV databases on startup. It also improved performance of the Attachments
block with large quantities of email, and ensured that accounts are taken online after a network becomes available again. Plus, this maintenance release fixed an auto-refresh problem with calendar subscriptions in iCloud, improved syncing of contacts that included unexpected styles of field labels, and fixed problems with published/subscribed iCloud calendars that generated errors or didn’t refresh.

While version 9.2.7 aimed to remove all references to MobileMe within the app (due to its shuttering), SOHO Organizer 9.2.8 was released a few days later to fix a problem where an obsolete MobileMe panel was still appearing in the Accounts preference pane. ($99.99 new, free update, 77.77 MB, release notes)

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