mac

Why does PDF support in Office for Mac 2008 stink so much?

Sometimes an "upgrade" is anything but. Take Mac for Office 2008. While it did introduce a number of improvements over its Office 2004 cousin, it has broken one of the most important functions that I regularly use on my Mac:

The ability to save a document/spreadsheet/etc. into a PDF.

This has long been a staple of the Mac experience. Whatever you are writing can easily be converted into a PDF. Office for Mac 2008 breaks this compact, however, by mindlessly crashing most times that I try to convert a document into PDF.

A colleague tells me … Read more

Apple patches 25 flaws with latest update

On Monday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.5.4. In addition to enhancements to existing features, Apple bundled in 13 specific security updates, including one for Safari 3.1.2. The security update APPLE-SA-2008-004 and Mac OS X 10.5.4 can be downloaded and installed from Apple Downloads.

Alias Manager This patch only affects users of Mac OS X v10.4.11 and Mac OS X Server v10.4.11. The update addresses an alias manager vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2308. According to Apple, a "memory corruption issue exists in the handling of AFP volume mount information in … Read more

Apple updates Leopard to 10.5.4

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.4, the fourth update to Leopard since it was released last October.

The new version contains the usual mix of bug fixes and security updates, with iCal getting the most attention. iCal won't delete events without telling you as a result of the latest update, for example, and Apple said the update "improves overall iCal reliability." Airport and Spaces & Expose also received some updates.

MacRumors.com notes that the update paves the way for Apple to release the MobileMe service, the successor to .Mac unveiled by Apple at … Read more

Some .Mac users already getting @Me.com e-mail forwarding

While Apple's upcoming MobileMe service has yet to hit retail shelves and overtake the existing .Mac offering, it looks like some users are already getting early benefits of the updated platform including proper e-mail forwarding with the @Me.com alias. MacRumors is reporting that the transition has already begun to take place for some, but not all current .Mac subscribers, meaning if you've got a Yourname@mac.com and somebody sends an e-mail to Yourname@me.com it'll still end up in the right place.

Other MobileMe services still have yet to catch up, including the improved … Read more

David Sedaris: I'm a Mac

SAN FRANCISCO--The staff of Beyond Binary has been working hard, so I decided to take the whole crew on a field trip Thursday night to hear our favorite author--David Sedaris.

Sedaris was at a local bookstore to read from his latest tome, When You are Engulfed in Flames. There wasn't time before his reading for in-depth questions, but I did manage to get in a short one while he signed a book for a co-worker.

I went for the obvious one--Mac or PC?

"Mac," he told me.

In the audience question and answer session, he went into … Read more

Facebook in threat to national security

When power is given to those who routinely post online pictures of themselves wearing nothing but a garland of ivy and a beer stain, bad things must follow.

I am moved to the point of jiggery by a report authored by the esteemed Sir Edmund Bunton (in the UK, only Sirs or Ladys can author reports).

Sir Edward, no relation, as far as I can tell, to Emma 'Baby Spice' Bunton, is the Chairman of the Information Advisory Council. And his problem is that he fears he has hired a bunch of Facebook-forward netwackos into the UK's Ministry of … Read more

Will Intel's snub of Vista be the first of many?

Whatever happened to that chummy Wintel alliance? You know, the Microsoft Windows/Intel chip cartel that has long helped to cement Microsoft's hold on the industry?

In a significant snub, Intel has decided not to upgrade its 80,000 desktops from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

As an inside source put it:

This isn't a matter of dissing Microsoft, but Intel information technology staff just found no compelling case for adopting Vista.

Is Intel a sign of things to come for Microsoft? Will the rest of corporate America discover that Microsoft essentially stopped innovating long ago and has … Read more

Orbino design captures Air once again

Orbino is single-handedly trying to prove that there are better ways to design a MacBook Air case than the much-copied inter-office envelope look. Only a few months ago the Italian designer came out with its "Arista" series of bags for Apple's runway-model-thin laptop, and now it's introducing yet another case.

The "Aria" seeks to complement its beauty with brawn, made from both premium leather and "sculpted anodized aluminum frame." (There's apparently something about aircraft-grade aluminum that goes hand in hand with luxury products.)

It's a form-fitting case that hugs the … Read more

Linksys courts Mac users with a OS X version of its popular setup wizard

Linksys today announced its one-step-further support for Mac by releasing its OS X version of the Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA) setup wizard. LELA is a desktop application that helps take away the hassle and complexity of setting up a router by using easy-to-understand terminology and illustrations to guide consumers through the process.

This is great news for Mac users, especially those who are used to setting up routers using a desktop application rather than the Web-interface. I personally have met a lot of Mac users who somehow believe that Mac computers only work (well) with Apple's AirPort products because … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 753: RIAA killed the radio star

OK, now this is weird: the music industry is trying to undermine the way the music industry distributes and promotes music and has always distributed and promoted music. They're calling radio piracy. What has the world come to? Also, RIM totally biffs it with the BlackBerry Bold; hackers crack the London Tube and ride around for free; and Microsoft sets a date for Windows 7. Somebody reserve the church. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 753

Internet provider halts plan to track, sell users’ surfing data http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401033.html… Read more