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MobileMe syncing improvements and security fixes headline the list of changes unveiled with the release of Apple's Mac OS X 10.5.6 update Monday.

The file should be appearing in the Software Update window at any moment now, depending on how often you've set Software Update to check for new software. The sixth update to Leopard, originally released in October 2007, comes with the usual range of tweaks, bug fixes, and security improvements.

One update of note concerns MobileMe, which is now capable of pushing updates made to calendars or contact information from the Web or an … Read more

Kace Networks on Monday unveiled systems management applications for the iPhone, designed to give the popular smartphone a buttoned-down look for corporate clients.

The iPhone Management Module aims to give corporate customers the ability to centrally deploy, manage, and track their iPhones through a single integrated appliance.

The announcement by Kace, a systems management appliance company, comes as Apple is making a greater push to get its iPhone into the hands of Corporate America, with such companies as Genentech and Walt Disney adopting them for official use.

"As the iPhone continues to be the go-to smartphone for businesses, it'… Read more

Apple's MacBook Air doesn't live up to its wireless promise.

To quote an Apple tagline, "without wires, you're free to go anywhere." But the wireless part of the "air" play on words fails to deliver. (The other half its light-as-air weight: here it does deliver.)

As I've written in the past, I like the Air. I got one in February as soon as it was available at retail and have been pleased with the performance, screen, keyboard, build, and, until recently, the battery life (which has dwindled to under an hour). Of … Read more

A company called EFi-X USA (no, that's not a throwaway droid from Empire Strikes Back) apparently plans to take on Mac clone maker Psystar by bypassing the consumer market and jumping straight to the power user demographic.

The machines it's prepping sound pretty nice, with a 3.8GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 1TB storage on 7200 rpm drives, a 150GB 10k rpm system drive, 4GB of included RAM, and a GeForce 8800 GTS GPU.

What's more, according to AppleInsider, the company is planning to let consumers customize their machines, meaning that if the current crop of … Read more

Apple has recently filed a couple of patents that could shed light on the company's future plans. One addresses the implementation of proximity sensors into its multitouch technology on devices larger than the iPhone. The other suggests a user interface that would present the Mac OS X desktop screen in three dimensions.

Given that patents often portend what's to come, what would you like Apple to take on in its next patent? If none of our answers fit, be sure to suggest your own in the Talkback section.

You don't see many iPod video docks these days--and for good reason. Starting in 2007, Apple locked down video accessory support for the iPod, while simultaneously releasing a product that made such accessories arguably obsolete: the Apple TV.

Even in their heyday, iPod video accessories have always been a tough sell due to the inherent limitations of iPod video resolution. The boom in high-definition TV sales over the past few years hasn't helped the cause either. Upscaled or not, who wants to watch the iPod's default 320x240 video resolution on their 40-inch plasma TV?

DLO's HomeDock HD … Read more

I never thought I'd be writing this, but Dell (yes, Dell), is charging customers a monthly fee to have access to its United States-based customer service representatives.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the PC maker is charging customers with a Dell account $12.95 per month to have access to an American agent or $99 per year for customers who buy a new PC from the company.

Those who don't pay the sum will be contacting center agents in India or the Philippines. But before you start your bellyaching, Dell is sweetening the pot: wait times are guaranteed to be 2 or fewer minutes!

Great. Thanks, Dell.

A Dell representative told the Post that the company has "heard from customers that it's hard to understand a particular accent and that they couldn't understand the instructions they were getting." Because of that, the company has instituted the policy to "illustrate Dell's commitment to customer choice."

This mouthpiece (and Dell, for that matter) is kidding, right? The company is charging us for access to American customer support agents on products we purchased from it that went wrong? What a joke.… Read more

We got the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display in Thursday, and well, it looks nice. No idea how it performs yet, as thanks to Apple's commitment to Mini DisplayPort it's currently only compatible with the new MacBooks that include the connection.

We're hoping to get a MacBook in from Apple on Friday, and then we can test away. In the meantime, check out a few shots we took.

On today's show, we discover that "scareware" is a thing (that never should have been) and that you can tell a bad business idea by the bad name. Also, PlayStation Home comes out (in beta) after a year and a half in development, and it seems kind of lame, and we talk about the few folks making money in TTT (These Troubled Times).

PlayStation Home opens its doors http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7777122.stm http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_SONY_PLAYSTATION_VIRTUAL_WORLD?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-12-11-07-55-27… Read more