Google has announced that the Google Apps suite - Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs - will finally lose the "beta" designation that had ceased to mean, well, much of anything. (Gmail alone was in beta for 5 years.) Just as Google's "beta" tag had become meaningless, coming out of beta is equally devoid of meaning, with the change happening because Google came to appreciate that large enterprises are uninterested in using software that sounds as though it's still being tested. Users fond of Gmail's beta logo can re-enable it via Gmail Labs.

Macworld is reporting on China's recently passed law requiring all PCs sold in the country to be equipped with the filtering program Green Dam Youth Escort, controversial for its capability to block "sensitive political material." Yet, for the time being, Macs are exempt from the Web filtering as there is no Mac version of the software - an unusual advantage to being a minority platform.

Security researcher Charlie Miller has discovered a way to attack and control an iPhone using only SMS messages. Don't worry, the details aren't public yet, and Apple should have a patch soon.

Ars Technica is reporting on Apple's deal with Maine's Learning Technology Initiative to provide every middle- and high-schooler in the state with a MacBook. The arrangement is rooted in the success of an earlier initiative that gave every 7th and 8th grader in Maine with an iBook. Apple will provide 64,000 MacBooks (adding to the 37,000 already in circulation), educational software, professional development for educators, and tech support for $100 million over four years.

What's a touring band to do when they've got a new song, but nowhere to record it? Use the iPhone! The Loop is reporting on pop band The 88 using an iPhone to record a new track while touring with the B-52s. The 88 mainly relied on Four Track, a $9.99 app that emulates a four track recorder with impressive results. The song, "Love is the Thing," is available on iTunes.

Next time you're about to buy an iTunes gift card on eBay or Craigslist you may want to think twice. There's a chance the card was purchased with a stolen credit card or hacked, and, as Macworld reports, Apple is cracking down on these fraudulent gift cards by permanently disabling user accounts that redeem them.

Jeff Carlson chats with Chuck Joiner on MacVoices about undocumented features in the latest iMovie '09 releases, and unexpectedly delivers a short Video Encoding 101 course when explaining the new Optimize Video feature.

A Lego Brickworld conference attendee writes up his Jack Bauer-like recovery of an iPhone that was nicked at a sketchy bar.

Late on 19-Jun-09, The Wall Street Journal published a surprising article about Steve Jobs having a liver transplant, but even more surprisingly, cited no sources for the information. John Gruber of Daring Fireball follows the threads to suggest that perhaps the source was a member of Apple's Board of Directors.

The new iPhone 3.0 software includes a better way of handling recurring hotspot logins by capturing the gateway login page information that you enter and re-joining the network automatically. This new method also introduced some bugs in existing Wi-Fi connection managers. Glenn Fleishman explains all at Macworld.

Marco Arment is reporting a surprisingly dismissive gesture by Apple at last week's WWDC. After the final developer session about publishing on the App Store, Apple cut, without notice or explanation, the standard Q&A segment that provides developers a crucial opportunity to go beyond the presented content. Apple's refusal to allow questions raises another one: What is Apple afraid of hearing from iPhone developers?

If you just can't get enough WWDC coverage, don't miss Adam's recent podcast appearance on the Tech Night Owl Live to discuss all of Apple's announcements with Gene Steinberg.

According to a TUAW article by Erica Sadun, anyone using AT&T's prepaid GoPhone plan to avoid the 2-year contract will be forced to switch to a normal contract to maintain 3G data access. It's unclear how many iPhone users have jumped through the necessary hoops to use a GoPhone plan, but if you're among that group, you might want to upgrade to an iPhone 3G S just so there's some upside to being forced into a 2-year contract.

In this three-part MacNotables video podcast, Adam and host Chuck Joiner talk with the members of the Cowtown Macintosh User Group in Fort Worth, Texas, about Apple's announcements at the Worldwide Developers Conference. (It's in three parts to make the downloads more manageable.)

Why should I have gone to WWDC when I was able to get all the news from home? To check out Apple's wildly cool App Wall in person! TechCrunch has posted some pictures and video of the pulsating wall of apps - a four-by-five grid of 30-inch Cinema Displays jam-packed with iPhone app icons. Each time an app was purchased in the store, its icon pulsed on the wall.