Reprinted from TidBITS#812/16-Jan-06 with permission. Copyright (C) 2006, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ MailBITS/16-Jan-06 ------------------ **Mac OS X 10.4.4 Released** -- Apple pushed out Mac OS X 10.4.4 last week, adding universal binary (for Intel-processor compatibility) components and resolving a number of problems with Safari, iChat, and other system resources. It also adds four new Dashboard widgets: People (for looking up residential phone numbers), Google search, ESPN sports news, and Ski Report. A detailed listing of changes appears at the first link below, but some highlights include: iPhoto can work with RAW files from some newer cameras; an annoying bug that caused the System Keychain to ask for authorization but then not accept what you typed has been fixed; and various stability fixes and security updates are also included. The update installer is available via Software Update or as separate downloads ranging in size from 55 MB for the update from Mac OS X 10.4.3 to 166 MB for the Mac OS X Server 10.4.4 Combo installer. [JLC] **iTunes 6.0.2 and QuickTime 7.0.4 Released** -- Alongside Mac OS X 10.4.4 last week, Apple also updated iTunes and QuickTime. iTunes 6.0.2 is now a universal binary and adds the capability to broadcast to multiple AirPort Express base stations, stability improvements, and a new MiniStore feature that displays the day's top purchases and specials from the iTunes Music Store in a pane at the bottom of the screen. It also displays suggestions based on what's currently playing. The MiniStore met with immediate criticism from privacy advocates that iTunes was improperly sending personal information to Apple; an unnamed Apple official stated to Macworld magazine that the MiniStore doesn't collect any information from users. A new button in the lower-right corner of the iTunes window can hide the MiniStore, which disables the feature and doesn't transmit any information about what's being played. According to Apple's download page for QuickTime 7.0.4, the update provides bug fixes, support for iLife '06, and H.264 improvements. The update is available via Software Update or as a 49 MB download. However, Apple also posted the QuickTime 7.0.1 Reinstaller for QuickTime 7.0.4 (a 20.4 MB download), which removes the latest version and downgrades to 7.0.1. The reasoning for the latter utility is a bit of a mystery (not helped by Apple's minimal release notes), but some discussions at Apple's support site indicate compatibility problems with DiskWarrior 3.0.3 and a few other issues. So, at this time we can't recommend upgrading to QuickTime 7.0.4 until we know more; hopefully, Apple will shortly offer detailed information or a fix. [JLC] **Adobe Offers Public Beta of Lightroom** -- Adobe Systems, Inc. revealed a public beta of their upcoming professional photography workflow software, Lightroom, just before Macworld Expo. (Adobe recently acquired Macromedia, thus the macromedia.com URL.) The company's digital photo manipulation software, which currently requires a PowerPC G4 or G5 processor and at least 512 MB of RAM, will be available later for Windows and for Mac OS X running on Intel hardware. Lightroom appears to be aimed at the same professional photography market as Apple's $500 Aperture software. Included are tools for accomplishing common tasks such as white balance and color correction; support for such typical photography file formats as TIFF, JPEG, RAW, and Photoshop; and a variety of filters such as grayscale and sepia. Users can save presets for frequently used combinations of steps. The current public beta version expires on 30-Jun-06, but the company says later beta releases, which will be announced in the Adobe Labs RSS feeds, will have later expiration dates. [MHA] **Skype 1.4 Released for Mac** -- Skype decided to release the final Mac version of their flagship voice and instant messaging program just as Macworld Expo started, ensuring that new features such as call forwarding and iTunes pause/resume would be lost in the shuffle. The new forwarding feature means that someone can call your Skype account and you can forward that call off to a real phone number, such as a cell phone. The incoming call can be made either from another copy of Skype to your Skype account name, or, if you have paid separately for this feature, to a SkypeIn number, which maps a real telephone number to your Skype account. Forwarding costs a few cents a minute to most landlines worldwide and to many cell phone systems in the U.S. and abroad. It's not unified messaging, but it's another step in having your calls follow you (when you want them to). Skype's Mac version has lagged the Windows version's feature and releases, and version 1.4 lacks the video conferencing that's available on that other platform, although that video support has been generally criticized as being less than state of the art. [GF] **Pro Video Apps Now Only in Final Cut Studio** -- Apple is no longer offering their pro video applications as stand-alone products. Since the majority of customers are buying the $1,300 Final Cut Studio (which includes Final Cut Pro 5, Motion 2, Soundtrack Pro, and DVD Studio Pro 4), only the suite is now available for purchase; standalone versions will remain available in stores only until supply runs out. One of the announcements at last week's Macworld Expo keynote was that a universal binary version of the Final Cut Studio suite will be available in March 2006, much earlier than expected. Owners of Final Cut Studio will be able to "cross-grade" to the universal binary version for $50 at that time. This is important because current Final Cut Studio apps won't run at all on Intel-based Macs; if you buy an Intel-based iMac today, you're out of luck for working with pro video until March (realistically, you probably won't be buying an iMac to do pro video, but you get the idea). But Apple is offering a great upgrade deal: if you own the stand- alone Final Cut Pro 5, you can buy the entire suite for $100. If you own just one of the other pro applications or Final Cut Pro 4, you can upgrade for just $200. And if you own a version that's two revisions or older, the suite costs $700. [JLC] .