One of the more handy updates I found immediately after installation of OS X 10.5.2 was the addition of Time Machine to the menu bar. Simply click on the time machine logo, and you can administer your Time Machine settings, view when your last backup took place, browse other Time Machine disks and more. A very handy little update indeed. Two thumbs up!

If you haven’t installed 10.5.2 yet, simply run ’software update…’ from the Apple menu to get started.

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: 10.5.2, Menu Bar, OS X, Time Machine

OS X 10.5.2 update is now available and contains plenty of improvements and fixes. When I say plenty, I mean PLENTY! Many other Apple blogs out there are saying that this update ’shows Apple listens to its users’. I have to agree.

Here are some of the more notable updates in 10.5.2:

• Improves connection reliability and stability of Airport and resolves certain kernel panics.
• Updates Stacks with a List view option, a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view.
• Addresses legibility issues with the menu bar with an option to turn off transparency in Desktop & Screen Saver preferences.
• The computer will now shut down if an automatic disk repair does not succeed during startup.
• Adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences).
• Addresses issues in which some external drives are not recognized by Time Machine.

To install, I simply recommend you use Software Update. Click the Apple menu in the top left of your screen and select ‘Software Update’. Easy as pie!

Click here for the complete list of updates found in OS X 10.5.2 from Apple.

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: OS X 10.5.2, OS X Leopard

We’ve heard it all over the web that this update was coming, and today it is finally here. 10.5.1 is here, and it is the first big maintenance and security update. It’s a big one (110MB download). You can download it here.

Here’s a complete list of included updates from Apple: (for more info click here)
AirPort

• Allows password-protected accounts on AirPort Disks to show up on in the Finder’s Shared Sidebar.
• Resolves an issue with saved passwords for wireless networks.

Back to My Mac

• Improves the reliability of Back to My Mac-enabled Macs appearing in the Finder’s Shared Sidebar.
• Improves compatibility with D-Link NAT gateways.

Disk utilities

• Restores the functionality of the progress bar during permission repairs in Disk Utility.
• Addresses an issue that could produce an alert when creating disk images using Disk Utility or Terminal.
• Improves disk partitioning when multiple RAID sets are created on the same disk.

iCal

• iCal alarms are now more reliably delivered via email.
• Resolves an issue when inviting attendees via a CalDAV account.

Mail

• Improves stability when resizing columns in the message viewer or switching between Stationery templates in email messages.
• Addresses an issue in which attachments enclosed inside an HTML link may not be clickable in email messages.
• Fixes an issue with email accounts added using the “Simple Setup” feature in which messages cannot be sent due to an SMTP connection failure.
• Improves Smart Mailboxes compatibility with .Mac Sync, and addresses an issue with To Do’s disappearing when using Smart Mailboxes.
• Resolves an issue with syncing Mail accounts with .Mac in which multiple On My Mac folders appear in the Mailbox pane.

Networking

• Addresses an issue in which Microsoft Windows shared folders may be read-only when connected via SMB.

Printing

• Resolves an issue in which user-selected values on Paper Feed PDE are reset to default while saving a custom preset.

Security, Firewall

• Addresses a code signing issue; third-party applications can now run when included in the Application Firewall or when whitelisted in Parental Controls.
• In Security preferences’ Firewall tab, the “Block All” option is now called “Allow Only essential services”
• Includes recent Apple security updates.

System and Finder

• Addresses a potential data loss issue when moving files across partitions in the Finder.
• Resolves an issue with login after turning off FileVault for a specific user account.
• Improves compatibility with Adobe Flash-based uploaders used by .Mac Web Gallery and certain other websites and applications.
• Resolves a potential text drawing issue with certain Adobe Flash-based websites and applications.

Time Machine

• Addresses formatting issues with certain drives used with Time Machine (specifically, single-partition MBR drives greater than 512 GB in size as well as NTFS drives of any size and partition scheme).
• Resolves an issue in which files restored in Time Machine may be restored to the backup hierarchy rather than the folders to which they belong.

For more info click here, or to download the update, click here.

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: OS X Leopard, Software Updates

Looks like there’s a new version of iPhoto ‘08 ready to download. You can get it here. (9.3MB)

This version supports Leopard, improves stability, and fixes a number of minor issues (according to Apple).

Requirements for this update:

• Mac OS ZX 10.4.9 or later
• iPhoto 7.1
• iLife Support 8.1.1

Happy updating!

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: iLife, iPhoto

The new software update for the iPod Touch includes brand-new calendar functionality.

The update is available via iTunes, but is also available for download here. (158MB)

In an effort to differentiate the iPod Touch from the iPhone, Apple omitted some calendar features. Seems a bit silly to me…Omitting a basic calendar app feature seems trivial to me. There must be hundreds of other ways Apple could have differentiated the iPod Touch from the iPhone. Don’t get me started on that one.

But enough of that…back to the actual update… Once you install it you will find you can now add and edit calendar events. Woohoo!

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: iCal, iPod Touch

This update of Microsoft Office 2004 for the Mac is supposed to fix an issue that causes Word to quit unexpectedly when printing. I must admit that this has happened to me in the past so I will install the update straight away! (even though I’ve been using Pages more and more…)

The update will work for the standard, student & teacher, and professional editions.

It is also available in 8 languages, so no matter where you’re from, there’s probably an update for you.

For more info and to download the update, go here.

written by Mr. Mayor

Available for immediate download are new versions of iTunes and Quicktime.

New features in iTunes:

• Turn songs from iTunes into ringtones for your iPhone
• Music downloads from the new Wi-Fi store direct to your iPhone or iPod Touch
• Like what you’re listening to at Starbucks? Now you can buy the music you hear at the coffee shop over your iPhone or iPod touch

New features in Quicktime:

• Updated support for creating iPhone friendly web content
• Updated JavaScript support in the QuickTime web plugin
• Support for iTunes
• Many bug fixes

Ready to update? You can download them here.

written by Mr. Mayor

We went off daylight savings here in North America this weekend and it went with no problems here in our office. All of the macs automatically updated, and we hardly even noticed the change!If you encountered problems, it might be because your OS needs a bit of an update. All Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later should have been ready for this daylight savings switch. If your OS is older, that could be why it didn’t work.

To check what OS you’re running, click on the ‘Apple’ system menu at the top left of your screen, and select ‘About this Mac’. Your OS build number should appear on this screen.

For more discussion on this topic, check out this article from Apple about time changes in 2007.

written by Mr. Mayor

The Aperture 1.5.6 update is now available, and ensures that your version of Aperture is compatible with Leopard. You can update Aperture by running Software Update or by visiting the Aperture download page here.

Apple tells us that this update addresses performance related issues, improves stability, and of course supports compatibility with Leopad (duh!).

Quick note: Make sure you install this update before you open Aperture from Leopard.

written by Mr. Mayor