Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2007.05.04
Rejoice, Mac users, we now have Google Desktop for the Mac as
well as an official Slingbox client. And Star Wars™ fans
might find the new Star Wars flash drives an intriguing choice.
Intel's new V8 motherboard seems to nearly clone the Mac Pro
motherboard, FastMac is shipping a sub-$500 Blu-ray drive, Hitachi
has the first terabyte hard drive, and BootPicker (free) lets you
choose which OS to boot your Intel Mac into if you have Boot Camp
installed.
PowerBook, iBook, MacBook, and other portable computing is
covered in The 'Book Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Apple Updates
Products
iPod Accessories
Software
News & Opinion
Intel V8 Motherboard 'Sister' to Mac Pro
Hardmac's Lionel reports:
"Both The Inquirer and HotHardware published a short test of
Intel V8, the prototype of a new motherboard. When looking at the
specification, the dual socket supports Quad Core Xeon 5365
(Clovertown), the 1333 MHz Greencreek FSB chipset and 8 FB-DIMM
memory slots.
"In other words, this motherboard looks almost like the one
found in current Mac Pro models. We will list below the small
modifications brought by Apple:
- For improving cooling, Apple installed FB-DIMM modules on
daughter cards
- Among 6 SATA ports, 4 are being used for the specific HD
enclosure via a proprietary connector
- Apple did not keep the 2 PCI-X slots found on the V8 kit
- location of the Airport and BT modules"
Link: Intel to Sell Mac
Pro Motherboard?
New Parallels Technology Network
PR: Parallels, Inc., maker of award-winning desktop
virtualization solutions for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, announced
today the Parallels Technology Network (PTN) - an online community
for users, as well as developers using Parallels
virtualization
technology to deliver their software in self-contained virtual
appliances.
Via the PTN, which is available online, users and developers
will have access to a wealth of information related to Parallels
virtualization technology. In addition, developers can make their
software available to Parallels users as virtual appliances.
"We're taking ease of use to another level by facilitating the
availability and adoption of virtual appliances that run on a PC or
Mac regardless of the operating system," said Benjamin Rudolph,
Director of Corporate Communications, Parallels. "Parallels Virtual
Appliances are the ultimate in hassle-free technology, as they give
our users access to preconfigured applications running
self-contained in prebuilt Parallels virtual machines."
Virtual appliances (VA) are self-contained software modules,
usually built using Linux open source software, that perform
specific functions. VAs are an excellent, low cost way to ensure
that every computer user has access to critical software,
regardless of which operating system they choose to run on their
host computer. Because VAs are isolated from the host machine, they
are a very secure way to run software, and because they are
self-contained, they can be easily backed up, restored, or deleted
without compromising the host system.
"Virtual appliances are the easiest way to consume software,"
said Brett Adam, VP of Product Development, rPath. "For software
providers, rPath's platform for quickly building and easily
maintaining Parallels Virtual Appliances and the new Parallels
Technology Network delivery model enable entry to markets that will
not tolerate complex application setup and maintenance
procedures."
An example of one virtual appliance available from the Parallels
Technology Network is an OpenOffice VA running the popular
open-source software suite with Microsoft Office-like word
processing, spreadsheet and presentation functions. Users can
simply download the VA and run it, without any manual configuration
or setup, on any Mac or PC powered by Parallels virtualization.
"The Parallels Technology Network presents us the opportunity to
deliver our software to millions of Parallels users worldwide in a
way that wasn't economically feasible in the past," said Kimbro
Staken, chief technology officer, JumpBox in Tempe, Arizona.
"JumpBox applications are preconfigured and can be deployed without
modification to a PC or Mac."
"Working with Parallels to provide Freespire and Linspire
virtual appliances through their Parallels Technology Network
affords millions the benefit of a tested, secure, easily managed
virtual appliance for Freespire or Linspire." said Kevin Carmony,
CEO of Linspire. "We're delighted to be working with them on this
great solution, as well as responding to our customers' demand for
having Parallels available through CNR technology in the near
future."
Part Research Lab, Part Community Forum
The Parallels Technology Network is a combination research
library, development lab and community forum that is divided in the
following sections.
Knowledge Base - This area contains a wealth of information
related to Parallels virtualization software, including product
guides, white papers, datasheets, Parallels Virtual Appliance
documentation, product FAQs, as well as product trial
downloads.
Virtual Appliance Directory - All independently developed
virtual appliance software running on Parallels is listed and
organized by category.
Community Forums - This includes two separate areas. The first,
"About Parallels Virtual Appliances," corresponds to the Virtual
Appliance Directory and facilitates discussion about individual
appliances and their users. The second, the "Parallels Technology
Network Discussion Forum," is an open venue where any registered
user can post messages about Parallels virtualization software.
Joining the Parallels Technology Network Available to any
computer user or software company, the PTN offers various levels of
participation, all of which are completely free:
Public Level - Users may participate in forum discussions at
this level, as well as submit virtual appliances to the Parallels
Lab for review.
VA Partner Level - This level allows developers to not only post
their logo and URL to the directory to establish a greater
community presence, but also enables them to work with the
Parallels marketing and business development teams to create
mutually beneficial opportunities.
Technology Partner Level - This is the deepest level of
involvement with Parallels. Virtual appliances submitted by
Technology Partners are certified to be of extremely high quality,
stability and functionality. Vendors also work closely with
Parallels on marketing, business development, and product
development, and play an integral role in fostering the adoption of
virtualization in the broader computing market.
Link: Parallels Technology
Network
Apple Updates
OS X 10.4.9 Security Update 2007-004 v1.1
(Universal)
Security Update 2007-004 is recommended for all users and
improves the security of the following components:
- AFP Client
- AirPort
- CarbonCore
- diskdev_cmds
- fetchmail
- ftpd
- gnutar
- Help Viewer
- HID Family
- Installer
- Kerberos
- Libinfo
- Login Window
- network_cmds
- SMB
- System Configuration
- URLMount
- Video Conference
- WebDAV
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.4.9 (Intel)
- Mac OS X Server 10.4.9 (Universal)
System support: PPC/Intel
Products
Star Wars Designer USB Flash Drives
PR: mimoco, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.,
proudly presents Star Wars™ mimobot Series 1 Designer USB
Flash Drives.
Two of your favorite galaxies have collided to create four
awesome Star Wars mimobot crossover characters. Each are available
in 1, 2, & 4 GB capacities and will come preloaded with
bonus removable Star Wars mimobot content like trailers,
soundbites, avatars, and wallpapers.
Series 1 of this limited edition mimobot collection includes
Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtrooper, and R2-D2! Quantities are
limited, order yours today.
Star
Wars mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives
- 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB
- Hi-speed USB 2.0
- Mac/Windows
Prices range from $69.95 to $149.95
Link: Mimoco Star
Wars mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives
FastMac Ships 1st Sub-$500 Blu-ray Drive for
Mac Pro, Power Mac G5
PR: FastMac has announced the
first & only sub-$500 Blu-ray drive burner for Apple's Mac Pro
& PowerMac G5 computers. The new 5.25", tray loading drive uses
one of the fastest & most compatible Blu-ray mechanisms to
provide up to 50 GB of storage on 1 disk, without sacrificing
compatibility with standard DVD & CD recordable media. The
drive is available now for order from FastMac for a special
introductory price of $499.95. Each drive carries a 1-year warranty
and a 30-day money back guarantee.
FastMac's new Blu-ray drive has been tested and certified
compatible with Adobe's forthcoming Premiere Pro CS3 video
production software that includes Adobe Encore CS3 and is part of
the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium Collection. Adobe
Encore CS3 integrates with Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Premiere to
provide a rich set of creative tools for the production and output
of full-featured, menu-driven DVD and Blu-ray Discs. It is the only
video production and editing software available for the Mac OS that
supports built-in Blu-ray Disc authoring for playback on
stand-alone Blu-ray DVD players & the Sony PlayStation 3.
FastMac's line of Blu-ray recordable drives give photographers,
videographers & musicians the ability to save large amounts of
data in a compact and portable form factor, ideal for separating
production files by clients and/ or project. System and database
administrators can archive and retrieve large amounts of data on 1
convenient disk. And consumers can now watch today's latest HD
content in true high definition with surround sound. Recently
released data (based on unit sales of players & movie titles)
& ongoing industry research clearly shows Blu-ray winning the
high definition format war with HD-DVD.
About Blu-ray
Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disk (BD), is the name of a next
generation optical disk format developed by a consortium of
electronics and computer manufacturers including Apple, Dell, HP,
JVC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony
& TDK. The format was designed to enable the recording and
playback of High Definition (HD) content and to allow storage of
large amounts (up to 200 GB) of data. While current optical drive
technologies rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new
format uses a blue-violet laser (hence the name, Blu-ray). The
blue-violet laser has a 38% shorter wavelength (405nm) than a red
laser (650nm), allowing the drive's optical pickup unit to focus
more precisely than ever before. Data can then be packed more
densely on standard sized disks. Despite using a new type of laser,
Blu-ray drives are compatible with standard DVD and CD media
through the use of a combined red, blue & violet optical reader
and writer.
In addition to broad support from the electronics, music,
computer & video game industry, 7 out of 8 of the major
Hollywood film studios support Blu-ray media and 5 out of those 7
(Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM & Sony) have decided to release
their movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. Ninety percent of
the Top 20 selling DVDs of 2006 were released by studios that are
publishing their movies on Blu-ray Disc. According to Home Media
Research, Blu-ray is the 1st high definition format to sell more
than 1 million discs, a milestone that was achieved in less than 1
year. An overwhelming majority (3 out of every 4) of high
definition movies sold in March 2007 were on Blu-ray disc,
including 8 of the Top 10 sellers. With its forward and backward
integration with new and old media, Blu-ray is destined to become
the successor to today's DVD format.
Specifications
FastMac's tray loading Blu-ray optical drive supports reading,
writing and rewriting to single and dual layer Blu-ray media at 2x
speeds. The drive is also compatible with standard DVD and CD media
and can write to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 8x speed in single layer
and 4x speed in dual/ double layer mode. It can rewrite to DVD-R
and DVD+R media at 6x speeds. The drive also supports DVD-RAM
reading and writing at up to 5x speeds and standard CD-R and CD-RW
burning at up to 24x speeds.
Compatibility
FastMac's tray loading Blu-ray optical drive requires Mac OS X
10.2.8 or higher and is compatible with the following Apple
computers:
- eMac
- iMac G4
- Mac Pro
- PowerMac G3
- PowerMac G4
- PowerMac G5
Blu-ray burning requires Blu-ray media (sold separately) &
3rd party software such as Adobe Premiere CS3 or Roxio's Toast 8
Titanium, which enables Blu-ray disk support in the Mac OS Finder.
Native support for Blu-ray burning within iLife & iTunes is
expected in the future via Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, but cannot
be guaranteed at this time.
Link: Blu-ray
Drives
Connect Multiple Drives to Any Computer via
eSATA Port or USB 2.0 Port
PR: Addonics Technologies has announced a 5x1 eSATA
Hardware Port Multiplier (HPM), which allows up to five drives to
be connected to any computer via a standard eSATA port for expanded
storage and high speed 3 GB/sec. throughput for a wide range of
applications.
The new Addonics HPM is compatible with any SATA controller,
RAID or non RAID. Once the RAID configuration is set up, the entire
RAID set can be moved to any computer that has an eSATA port. In
addition, with the Addonics optional eSATA - USB adapter, the same
RAID setup can be attached to any computer via a USB 2.0 port,
making this HPM an ideal solution for adding an external RAID
solution to any system.
Addonics has designed its 5x1 HPM to fit perfectly into the
Addonics family of Storage Towers as well as many standard 2-bay or
larger SCSI enclosures.
The five hard drives can be set up as individual drives, as RAID
0/1/10 or as JBOD (just a bunch of discs) to become one large hard
drive. The Addonics 5x1 HPM can be configured via a connection to a
SATA controller with PM support or via a USB 2.0 port. When
multiple HPMs are combined, users can attach up to 20 SATA external
hard drives to their computer.
The solution is well suited for a variety of storage
applications, including video editing, server and workstation
storage, data backup, JBOD or RAID storage arrays, storage for
digital content and high-definition video.
All devices connected to the Addonics 5x1 HPM are hot swappable.
The solution is also operating system independent with support for
Microsoft Windows (including Vista), Mac OS X and above, Linux
kernel 2.4 and above, and Solaris 10 and above.
List price of the Addonics 5x1 Hardware Port Multiplier
(AD5SAHPM-E) is $119. Storage Tower and Mini Storage Tower
integrated with the HPM is listed for $239.95 and $229.95
respectively.
The products will be available through the company online store,
major catalog companies, resellers, VARs and distributors,
including Amazon.com, PC
Connection, CDW,
Buy.com, Provantage.com,
Insight, and Ingram Micro.
Addonics Technologies Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a
broad line of external and mobile storage products. Addonics is
headquartered at 2466 Kruse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131, Phone:
408-433-3899.
Link: 5x1
eSATA Hardware Port Multiplier
First PCIe Combo eSATA Host Adapter with
External & Internal Ports
PR: NitroAV 'SATAStar Series' again delivers the
latest 3G/sec SATA II performance with the most versatile
combinations of external/internal ports. The 3-Port PCIe SATAStar
is based on Silicon Images (SiI) 3132 chipset with drivers
available for the Apple Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Linux and
Novell Netware operating systems. This PCIe host adapter is
designed for optimum performance with multiple commands for each
port which are loaded into on-chip memory eliminating the need for
host CPU intervention and minimizing PCI bus usage. Command
execution engines dramatically reduce latency between commands,
ensuring that drives stay fully loaded with queued commands.
Regardless
if you are just using this card for hard drive storage or serious
digital audio, video or graphics this card is the perfect solution.
The 3-Port PCIe SATAStar host adapter offers incredible bandwidth
in a cost effective - low profile solution. Two ports can be
configured as individual ports, or as RAID 1, 0, 0+1, RAID 5 or
JBOD and Port multiplier compatible.
Product Features
- Use as a non-RAID or RAID controller. [Create RAID 0 or 1 using
the Mac OS X Disk Utility as well as Windows XP, Windows XP
Pro, Windows Server, etc.]
- Install into both standard height or low profile system.
- PCI-Express BUS (1x Single lane)
- 48-bit LBA support for drive sizes larger than 137GB Data
protection
- Supports Mac OS X RAID, S.M.A.R.T.
- Fully compliant with SATA II and SATA 1.0 standard
- Maximum 3 Gbits/sec per port
- Support NCQ commands
- Compatibility with Port Multiplier
- Utilizes SiliconImage SiI3132 chipset and drivers
- Compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.x, Windows 2000, Windows XP,
Windows 2003 Server, Linux
- Upgradeable firmware
- Hot swap support - drive can be removed and added without
system shut down or restart
- eSATA connector for more secure connection, reliability and
supports up to 2 meters cable length
- 2 Active Ports - mix and use as needed (Note: Chipset only
supports 2 active ports but our card offers options of using
internal or externally)
The 3-Port NitroAV PCIe 'SATAStar' SATA II 3 GB/s Professional
Host Adapter is available for $59.95 All NitroAV products are sold
through Partners, Resellers or through the online website:
Link: 3-Port
NitroAV SATAStar PCI-Express SATA II 3 GB/s Professional Host
Adapter
Hitachi Ships First One Terabyte Hard
Drive
PR: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi) has
announced that it has met its commitment to begin shipping the
world's first one-terabyte hard drive (HDD) to retail customers
within the first quarter of 2007. The Deskstar 7K1000 began
shipping to retailers and e-tailers in March 2007 with inventories
reaching critical mass in April 2007. CDW is among the first organizations to
make the terabyte hard drive available to customers.
Announced at CES 2007, the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 hard drive
delivers superior performance and reliability, as well as
leadership capacity, to meet the needs of consumers who want to
create, share and store their digital information in ever
increasing volume. At a suggested retail price of $399, colossal
storage capacity is more affordable than ever before.
"Many small and mid-sized businesses are consolidating their
storage environments to improve manageability and accelerate data
backup and recovery," said Tom Cahill, director of product
management at CDW Corporation, a leading provider of technology
products and services to businesses, government and education.
"Hitachi's terabyte-capacity drive offers organizations an
affordable new option to accomplish these goals while helping them
to respond to increasing data management requirements."
The Deskstar 7K1000 hard drive delivers ultrahigh capacity,
which is well-suited for high-performance, gaming and media center
PCs and external storage devices. It is built on the industry's
most reliable perpendicular magnetic recording technology, allowing
Hitachi to extend capacity beyond that available in current
products. The hard drive features a 3.0 Gb/s Serial-ATA (SATA)
interface and large 32 MB data buffer to provide the performance
required for high-end PC applications.
"Delivering the one-terabyte hard drive this year is a
monumental achievement not only for Hitachi and the hard drive
industry, but also for the end user. Consumers' desire to create
and share digital entertainment is the primary accelerator for
capacity and performance increases in desktop PC hard drives. We
are proud of the strength of the Deskstar 7K1000 as it is designed
to meet the requirements of PC enthusiasts," said Shinjiro Iwata,
chief marketing officer, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.
Leveraging a track record for reliability from
previous-generation products, the Deskstar 7K1000 hard drive is
built using a 5-platter design with relaxed areal density for
greater reliability. To further ensure data integrity, the hard
drive features a ramp load/unload design to increase shock
protection and Thermal Fly-height Control (TFC) to maintain a
consistent fly-height during the read/write process.
Technical Specifications: Deskstar 7K1000
- 1000/750 GB - SATA (GB = 1 billion bytes, accessible capacity
may be less)
- 148 billion bits per square inch maximum areal density
- 1070 Mb/s max. media data rate
- 8.5 ms average seek time (excludes command overhead)
- 7,200 RPM, 4.17 ms average latency
- Serial-ATA 3.0 Gb/s
- 32 MB data buffer
- 26.1 mm in height (max)
- 700g in weight (max)
- 5/4 platters, 10/8 recording heads
- 300 G/1 ms pulse nonoperating shock
- 9.0 (5 disk)/8.1 (4 disk) watt idle power
- 2.9 Bels typical idle acoustics
- 5-60 degrees C operating temperature
Link: Hitachi Global
Storage Technologies
OWC Announces First & Only 1 TB Quad
Interface Single Drive Solution
PR: Other World Computing (OWC), a leading Mac and
PC technology company, announced today the availability of the
first and only 1.0 TB Quad Interface single drive solution on the
market, the new OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro "Quad Interface" 1.0 TB
External Drive Solution. The drive solution is a high-speed maximum
performance system with a wide selection of connectivity options
for FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA ports.
Accessibility to the data is completely transparent to which port
interface is used, so the user can take the drive to virtually any
computer and use whichever interface is the best available on that
computer.
Available immediately for $599 SRP, the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro
"Quad Interface" 1.0 TB External Solution is geared to those that
want the convenience of a single drive-based, compact solution with
a selection of interface options. The drive solution is ideally
designed for audio, video, digital photography, professional music,
graphics, and general data. EMC® Retrospect® Backup
Certified, it is also perfect for back-up applications. The 1.0 TB
drive solution is compatible with all Apple® OS Versions 8.5
through 9.2.x; Apple OS X 10.0.3 and higher (including OS X "Tiger"
10.4.x), Microsoft® Windows® ME, 2000, XP, Vista; and any
OS or device with standard FireWire®, USB, or eSATA.
Mercury Elite-AL Pro "Quad Interface" 1.0 TB External Drive
Solution Features:
- High Performance: Employs the next-generation high-speed Oxford
924 chipset combined with the fastest drive mechanisms available
for the fastest single drive transfer rates possible, exceeding an
amazing 80 Megabytes per second via FireWire; up to 150 MB/s via
eSATA.
- High Reliability: A topnotch design and high-quality components
ensure it is built to last.
- High Portability: Designed for eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire
400 and USB 2.0+1.1 for easy Plug ŒN Play on virtually ANY
system!
- Style: Designed to compliment any user's system. A blue
activity LED behind the front grille shows when your drive is being
accessed. Created with the Power Macintosh G5 system in mind.
- Compact Shock Resistant Design.
- Warranty: Includes two year warranty.
- Super Quiet Operation.
- Cables: All cables are included
The Mercury Elite-AL Pro "Quad Interface" 1.0 TB External Drive
Solution comes complete with utility and backup software, including
Intech® Hard Disk SpeedTools Utilities for Mac OS 8.6-X,
ProSoft Engineering® Data Backup for Mac OS X v10.2.8 or
later and NovaStor NovaBACKUP® for Windows 2000 or later. It
also includes all the cables for FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB
2.0, and eSATA interfaces.
Link:
Mercury Elite-AL Pro "Quad Interface"
Software
Google Desktop for Mac
PR: Google Desktop is a desktop search application that
gives you easy access to information on your Mac and from the web.
Desktop makes searching your own email, files, music, photos, and
more as easy as searching the web with Google.
- Fast and easy search for your computer like Google.com for the
web
- Launch applications and files with just a few keystrokes
Quick Search Box
The Quick Search Box is your fastest way to do web and desktop
searches and launch applications. You can call it up by pressing
the ⌘ (cmd) key twice, and hide it by pressing ⌘ twice
again. Type a few letters or words into the search box and your top
results pop up instantly, including applications. For example, you
can launch iTunes simply by typing "itu" into the Quick Search Box
and pressing Return when iTunes appears as the first result.
Search Your Gmail and Web History
Not everything you're looking for lives on your Mac. Whether
you're searching your computer or the web, Desktop helps you find
it by searching your Gmail and web history along with your hard
drive. Also because your index is stored locally on your own
computer, you can even access your Gmail and web history while
you're offline.
Many File Types
Google Desktop automatically indexes and allows you to search
the full text of virtually all your files, including the following
types:
- Gmail
- text files (.txt)
- PDF
- HTML
- email from Apple Mail and Microsoft Entourage
- iChat transcripts
- Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- music and video files, including artist and song names
- Address Book contacts
- system preference panes
- file and folder names
Google Desktop also searches file types that have a Spotlight
importer.
Familiar Results
When you do a Desktop search, you'll see a list of search
results. Each result, just like Google web search results, includes
the file name and a brief snippet with your search terms
highlighted. You can also filter for a particular type of item -
only emails, for instance - by using the links at the top of your
Desktop search results page.
Smart Indexing
After you install Google Desktop, it starts indexing the files
that are already on your Mac. This one-time indexing is designed to
peacefully coexist with your normal work, so you can continue
working while indexing takes place. Depending on how many files and
other items you have on your computer, this process can take up to
several hours. Once it's done, Desktop makes sure your index stays
up to date by adding new email as you receive it, files as you
update them, and web pages as you view them.
Google Integration
What if you already have the information you're looking for but
don't realize it? When there are useful results on your Mac related
to your Google web search, Google Desktop will include these files
with your search results. There's also a simple command center for
searching your computer, which you can access by clicking "Desktop"
above the search box on Google.com.
File Versioning
Google Desktop creates cached copies (snapshots) of your files
and other items each time you view them, and stores these copies on
your Mac's hard drive. As a result, you can often use Desktop to
find previous versions of your files or ones you've accidentally
deleted.
New in version 1.0.1.216:
The new version, a one megabyte download, offers the following
fixes and changes:
Feature Improvements
We've improved the following features:
- Speed of re-crawl (after restart) by about 20%
- Memory use when quickly indexing a lot of data by compressing
it until we can process it
- Handling of UTF8 in Gmail
- Support for datefrom: and dateto: query restricts
- Display of search results when a document has been moved or
renamed
- Performance when indexing has been turned off in
preferences
- Detection of command-command key to reduce chances of
activating it by accident
- Thumbnails for image files in the Web UI
Installation issues
- During initial indexing, Google Desktop may have a noticeable
impact on your computer, especially if your hard drive is highly
fragmented or low on disk space. We've designed Google Desktop to
be usable (if a bit sluggish) during this period. Once indexing is
complete, your computer should return to its normal, speedy
self.
Mail and Browser Issues
- Indexing Gmail may take a long time because emails are
downloaded in batches; each 'batch' is separated by two hours, and
there's no progress meter.
- If you use MailTags, you need to delete the existing MailTags
Spotlight importer from /Library/Spotlight or ~/Library/Spotlight
and reinstall version 2.0b9 or later. Earlier versions cause
crashes during indexing.
Privacy Settings
- If you have a file or folder that has been moved in and out of
the privacy list, Google Desktop search will show only those
revisions that were made when the file was outside of the privacy
list.
Other Issues
- We have received reports of some CVS (Concurrent Versioning
System) updates failing with i/o errors. The workaround is to
disable indexing during update and re-enable after indexing is
complete.
Bug Fixes
We've fixed bugs where the following actions occurred:
- Duplicate and spam email messages were re-crawled.
- Spotlight Privacy settings on external volumes, FileVault, and
~/Library/Mail were not respected.
- Real-time events on external volumes were ignored.
- Certain large fonts (e.g., Devangari) would cause alignment
issues when displaying results.
- Quick Search box could be hidden behind the menu bar and where
it would fade in after the helper window on first launch.
- Web history in Firefox and Camino would crash when the display
was set to anything other than 32-bit color.
- "Alive/Update" ping was not always sent; Now it is sent per the
Privacy Policy.
Additional Fixes
- Fixed several activation and IME bugs with the Google Desktop
search box.
- Fixed scripting support of Google Desktop app.
- More robust loading of data from corrupt indexes which would
result in rolling crashes in GoogleDesktopDaemon.
Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
- System Support: PPC/Intel
Free
Link: Google Desktop for
Mac
Bombich Software's BootPicker 1.1
PR: With the advent of Boot Camp comes the
possibility of deploying multi-boot Macs and permitting your end
users to choose whichever platform will work best for whatever
they'd like to do at the moment. But how do you manage the
presentation of this choice? There are a couple concerns to keep in
mind:
- Setting the boot device is an activity restricted to
administrative users.
- Allowing non-administrative users access to this functionality
potentially allows them to set the boot device to some external
media that they provide (then they can really tamper with the
system).
- Leaving the machine at the EFI boot picker (hold down the
option key at startup), while possible, leaves the previous options
open and also leaves the machine in a state in which it cannot be
managed or accessed via the network. rEFIt allows you to lock down
the boot options at startup, however you're still unable to
actually manage the machine in this state.
Before developing BootPicker, I came up with a list of
requirements that I would insist upon were I to manage a lab of
dual-boot Macs:
- Must work when a firmware password is applied to the
machine
- The boot picker cannot interfere with remote administration
(e.g. via ARD)
- The boot picker must allow the administrator to specify
explicitly which drives are permitted as boot devices
- The administrator can disable (remotely) the boot picker at any
time
- When the machine is rebooted, it will always boot to Mac OS X
by default and present the boot picker
- Optionally, the boot picker preferences can be managed via
directory services (permits management at a large scale)
- Optionally, the boot picker should allow the administrator to
provide some guidance to the end user about why they should choose
one OS over another
BootPicker satisfies all of these requirements. BootPicker runs
on startup immediately prior to LoginWindow. Based upon your
configuration, it presents an option to the end user to choose an
operating system. Upon choosing that OS, the machine either
continues to Mac OS X or reboots to the specified OS. The next time
the computer is rebooted, it automatically returns to Mac OS X and
the boot picker. Finally, for environments that require management
at a large scale, or management while the machines are turned off
or booted to a different OS, BootPicker can be managed via a Mac OS
X Server Open Directory Master. Got AD? That's OK, you can leverage
that as well. You can even run BootPicker from a logout script to
give every new visitor to your lab machines the opportunity to
choose their OS without rebooting.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 or later, Intel Mac.
System Support: Intel
Free
Link: BootPicker
SlingPlayer Now Available for Mac
PR: Sling Media, a digital lifestyle products company,
today announced the availability of SlingPlayer™ for Mac, a
software client for Slingbox™ customers who want to view
their home TV or Apple TV on their Apple Macintosh desktop or
laptop computer. SlingPlayer for Mac, Version 1.0, includes
photorealistic remote controls as well as the ability to program
favorite channels with a full range of viewing modes all leveraging
the iconic Mac OS look and feel. Available in the US and Canada,
the SlingPlayer for Mac supports all Slingbox hardware and can be
downloaded free of charge directly from Sling Media.
With this software release, Slingbox owners can now view their
television directly on their Macintosh computer screen. With full
remote control, they can watch content from their home
entertainment system whether from cable, DVR, DVD and even a full
range of Apple entertainment products including: Apple TV, Front
Row, iPod in Apple's Universal Dock or iPod in an iPod Hi-Fi.
"We have long admired the elegance, simplicity and visual appeal
of the Mac OS and Apple's innovation in general," said Blake
Krikorian, Sling Media CEO, Chairman & Cofounder. "It was
important for us to capture that overall appeal and familiarity
with SlingPlayer for Mac. In fact, we turned to the Mac community,
through our private and public betas, where we received
overwhelming feedback from these passionate users. It was this
feedback that was instrumental in being able to present the Mac
community with a quality television experience on their platform of
choice. Being able to bring the SlingPlayer to the Mac is a real
milestone towards delivering television on all available platforms
and displays."
SlingPlayer for Mac v. 1.0 is an Aqua application and adheres to
Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. SlingPlayer for Mac supports
both PowerPC and Intel platforms running OS X 10.3.9 and
later. The Slingbox already placeshifts over 5,000 audiovisual
devices, and SlingPlayer for Mac adds support for the latest living
room technology including Apple TV, AT&T U-verse, and TiVo
Series3.
About the Slingbox
The Emmy award-winning Slingbox was first introduced in July
2005 and has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. Providing the
consumer another way to extend their television viewing whether
away from the home or in another room, the Slingbox allows the
ability to watch and control home analog or digital cable,
satellite TV or even fully control a digital video recorder (DVR)
or DVD player from anywhere in the world.
Sling Media, Inc. is the world's leading digital lifestyle
company offering consumer services and products that are a natural
extension of today's digital way of life. Sling Media's product
family includes the internationally acclaimed Slingbox that allows
consumers to watch and control their living room television shows
at any time, from any location, using PCs, Macs, PDAs and
smartphones.
Link: Sling Media
Desktop Mac
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