TidBITS#980/01-Jun-09
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/980>
After a week off, we have oodles of Mac- and iPhone-related content
for you. Rich Mogull leads off with an explanation of how to protect
yourself from a five-month-old Java vulnerability, and Jeff Carlson
suggests that the just-released iTunes 8.2 may mean that we'll see
an iPhone 3.0 Software release at WWDC. Matt Neuburg waxes poetic
about how ClickToFlash speeds up Safari, Adam explains how to expand
password-protected Zip archives and passes on news of a
straightforward Mac software bundle, and Glenn walks through AT&T's
roadmap for faster cellular data connectivity. We were busy with
ebooks during our TidBITS hiatus, so if you haven't already seen
them, check out Adam's new "iPhoto '09: Visual QuickStart Guide,"
along with Joe Kissell's "Take Control of Maintaining Your Mac,
Second Edition" and "Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac"
version 1.1 update. Notable software releases since our last issue
include iWork '09 9.0.2, MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3,
MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.1, HoudahSpot 2.5, Cover Stream 2.6, Little
Snitch 2.1.3, BusySync 2.2, Checkup 2.2, TextExpander 2.6.2, Adium
1.3.4, and Dialectic 1.4.1.
Articles
Protect Yourself from the Mac OS X Java Vulnerability
iTunes 8.2 Ships, Hints at iPhone 3.0 at WWDC?
Two New Ebooks on Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Mac
New Ebook Offers Complete iPhoto Documentation
Expanding Password-Protected Archives
ClickToFlash Spiffs the Safari Experience
TheMacBundles.com Offers Alternative Approach to Bundle Deals
AT&T Plans for Mobile Data Onslaught
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 01-Jun-09
ExtraBITS for 01-Jun-09
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 01-Jun-09
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* Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.2 -- A burly upgrade with new
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* THE MISSING SYNC: Take it with you! The Missing Sync makes
it easy to synchronize contacts, calendars, notes, photos
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Protect Yourself from the Mac OS X Java Vulnerability
-----------------------------------------------------
by Rich Mogull <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10292>
One of the great things about Macs is how Apple has included a
wealth of free and open-source tools in Mac OS X. This collection
includes both major portions of the operating system (much of Mac OS
X's Unix core), and numerous additional applications and components.
Windows file sharing, printing, and even Safari are all based on
open-source tools also used on other platforms. While this provides
us with immeasurable benefits, it does present some potential
liabilities on the security front. Like all software, these open
source components occasionally suffer from security vulnerabilities,
but since Apple doesn't control them, Apple can't necessarily make
code fixes quickly, if at all.
This disconnect can result in a major security issue for Macs (and
iPhones) when the vulnerability is patched for other platforms, but
Apple fails to provide a fix. Apple has an unfortunate history of
leaving some of these vulnerabilities unpatched for months, as is
the case with a five-month-old vulnerability in Java.
As reported by researcher Landon Fuller, Mac OS X is vulnerable to a
Java flaw that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code
under the logged-in user's account. While perhaps not as bad as full
administrative access, it still allows an attacker plenty of
latitude to perform all sorts of nefarious activity on your system.
<http://landonf.bikemonkey.org/code/macosx/CVE-2008-5353.20090519.html>
While an attacker could technically trick you into downloading and
running a malicious program written in Java, it's far easier for
them to trick you into visiting a malicious Web site and take over
your system when your browser automatically runs their "bad" Java
applet. Attackers have developed ways to sneak these onto even
trusted Web sites, so merely sticking with known safe sites isn't
sufficient to stay secure. Landon includes a demonstration exploit
on his site, which clearly shows how an attacker could take over
your system.
The best way to protect yourself is to turn off Java in your Web
browser. This will break some Web sites, but until Apple provides a
fix it's the only way to protect yourself.
To disable Java in Safari, go into Preferences and disable "Open
safe files after downloading." Then click the Security tab, and
uncheck "Enable Java."
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-05/Safari-java-disabled.png>
To disable Java in Firefox, select Preferences and then the Content
tab. As with Safari, uncheck "Enable Java."
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-05/Firefox-java-disabled.png>
Hopefully Apple will fix this soon, and stop leaving Mac users
vulnerable to security flaws already fixed on other platforms.
iTunes 8.2 Ships, Hints at iPhone 3.0 at WWDC?
----------------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10315>
Apple has released iTunes 8.2, an update that "now supports iPhone
or iPod touch with the iPhone 3.0 Software Update." The extremely
brief release note also indicates that iTunes 8.2 includes many
unspecified accessibility improvements and bug fixes; a security
vulnerability involving itms: URLs has also been addressed. It's
available via Software Update or as a standalone 77.3 MB download.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3592>
<http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/>
What's interesting about this update is the timing, coming one week
before Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The iPhone 3.0
software will be the star attraction, and developers have been
working with betas for a couple of months. Could Apple be planning
to release the final version of the iPhone 3.0 software to coincide
with the event, ahead of a rumored iPhone hardware update? When the
iPhone 2.0 software was released on the same day as the iPhone 3G
(which was also the day Apple switched .Mac to MobileMe), Apple's
servers crumbled under the load of activations (see "iPhone 3G: On
the Line in Seattle," 2008-07-13). So I can see the case in
separating the software and hardware releases, even if it means
owners of the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G get to install the
new operating system before new units running it appear.
<http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/>
<http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9691>
More likely, I think, is that Apple released iPhone 3.0
compatibility so developers can test live interactions between
iTunes and the new software before iPhone 3.0 ships. With a larger
share of the market, tens of thousands of developers, and more
competition (such as from the Palm Pre, which is due to ship two
days before WWDC), Apple doesn't want the same type of fiasco as
last year's MobileMe release (see "Apple Claims MobileMe Mail Fully
Restored," 2008-07-30).
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9715>
Also released today was QuickTime 7.6.2, which provides support for
iTunes 8.2 and fixes a number of security vulnerabilities related to
viewing malformed media types. It's also available via Software
Update or as standalone downloads for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (57 MB),
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (48 MB) or Windows (20.9 MB).
<http://support.apple.com/downloads/QuickTime_7_6_2_for_Mac>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3591>
<http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download>
<http://support.apple.com/downloads/QuickTime_7_6_2_for_Windows>
Two New Ebooks on Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Mac
----------------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10294>
We've just released a pair of ebooks, both by Joe Kissell, that help
you keep your Mac running well. The first, "Take Control of
Maintaining Your Mac, Second Edition" looks at how to start on the
right foot with keeping your Mac running smoothly, and then it
explains weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks that anyone can perform
easily to enjoy peak performance and avoid pesky problems. Along
with telling you what to do, it includes a section about what not to
do, explaining several time-consuming tasks that don't provide any
real benefits.
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/maintaining-mac?pt=TB980>
The second ebook, "Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac,"
version 1.1, goes beyond maintenance to teach you how to solve any
problems that might pop up. In particular, you'll learn how to
perform 17 specific problem-solving tasks (including clearing
caches, running disk-repair utilities, and checking your RAM), how
to solve 9 common problems (including printer problems, mouse
problems, and Mac-won't-turn-on problems), and how to proceed if you
encounter a novel problem.
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/troubleshooting-mac?pt=TB980>
In both cases, Joe has updated the ebooks for the latest versions of
Mac OS X, and for the latest versions of various utilities that play
a role in Mac maintenance and troubleshooting.
You can buy either ebook separately for $10, or (at the links above)
look for "Special Discount" options that let you save 20 percent if
you buy both ebooks together.
Those who own the first edition of "Take Control of Maintaining Your
Mac" can upgrade for half off (or free if you purchased in 2009),
and those who already own "Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac"
get a free update. We've sent all sorts of email about the updates;
if you didn't receive an email message about upgrading, open your
PDF and click Check for Updates on the cover (page 1) for update
details.
New Ebook Offers Complete iPhoto Documentation
----------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10306>
Every year or so, Apple releases a new version of iPhoto, and I
squeeze in the workload of researching and writing my "iPhoto Visual
QuickStart Guide" for Peachpit Press. (I'm not sure where the time
comes from, but Tonya and Tristan get major credit for taking up the
slack.) But the work is done, Peachpit has printed the 240-page
"iPhoto '09: Visual QuickStart Guide" and distributed it to
bookstores, and I've converted it into a true ebook, with a fully
hotlinked table of contents and index, hotlinks for internal page
references, bookmarks to every page, and live Web links. I also
increased the page size (and thus the font size) to make it easier
to read onscreen on modern displays.
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/iphoto09-vqs?pt=TB980>
So if you're looking for complete documentation about iPhoto '09,
with coverage of new features such as Faces and Places; publishing
of photos to Facebook, Flickr, and MobileMe; themed slideshows;
enhanced editing capabilities; and more, you can now get it in ebook
form for only $15. If you'd prefer a full-color print copy, that's
available too from Amazon; click the Buy Print Book button on the
page linked above.
As with previous editions, "iPhoto '09: Visual QuickStart Guide"
uses step-by-step instructions paired with screenshots to illustrate
all of iPhoto's capabilities. Chapters cover:
* Importing photos and managing multiple iPhoto libraries
* Organizing photos with albums, smart albums, and keywords
* Automatic identification of people in your photos via Faces
* Marking where your photos were taken for use in Places
* Editing photos with iPhoto '09's improved tools
* Making themed slideshows with still images and movies
* Publishing photos to many different Web sites
* Sharing photos via email and on CD
* Printing photos, and making cards, books, and calendars
* Troubleshooting and solving common problems
If you bought an ebook version of a previous edition from the Take
Control cart, you can upgrade for 20 percent off - open the PDF of
your existing ebook to the first page and click Check for Updates.
Expanding Password-Protected Archives
-------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10296>
My aunt recently purchased a book on how to learn Spanish that came
with a bunch of downloadable audio files. However, the files were
compressed in Zip archives that used a simple password from the book
itself. She knew the password, but when she downloaded the files
using Safari, Mac OS X's Archive Utility sprang into action, tried
to expand the Zip archives, and promptly threw a completely
meaningless error dialog.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2009-05/Archive-Utility-error-dialog.png>
Stumped by the error dialog, my aunt asked me what to do. For
someone like me who has been using the Mac for years, the solution
was obvious: use a free copy of Smith Micro's StuffIt Expander to
expand the file, since StuffIt Expander is perfectly capable of
expanding password-protected archives. When I thought about it from
her point of view, however, I could see how the problem would seem
daunting, especially since the Web page that provided the downloads
hadn't offered any suggestions for utilities to use.
<http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/stuffit/expander.html>
Curious if there were other programs that would meet my aunt's needs
as well, I poked around a bit and came across The Unarchiver,
another free program that claims to expand many more formats than
Mac OS X's built-in Archive Utility. When I tested it with a
password-protected Zip archive, it too performed admirably.
<http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html>
I'm sure there are other options out there too, but how many free
utilities do you need for the same simple task? Perhaps Snow Leopard
will feature a more-capable Archive Utility that can handle more
formats and password-protected archives, putting this minor
confusion to rest once and for all.
ClickToFlash Spiffs the Safari Experience
-----------------------------------------
by Matt Neuburg <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10303>
Why didn't someone tell me about this sooner? ClickToFlash is a free
WebKit plug-in that does one thing and does it extremely well: it
blocks Flash content from loading in your Safari Web pages. This
causes Safari to render Web pages much faster.
Other Web browsers already have ways to achieve something similar
(in Camino you can check "Block Flash animations" and "Block web
advertising", and of course Firefox's vast repertory of plug-ins
form a universe unto themselves), but this is the first time I've
seen something that works so well for Safari. It also works in any
other browsers that use WebKit, such as OmniWeb. Note that
ClickToFlash doesn't just suppress the _drawing_ (rendering) of
Flash content; it suppresses its _loading_ altogether. That's why
pages are rendered faster: there is actually less material to
download from the Internet.
The really elegant thing about ClickToFlash is that it doesn't block
Flash indiscriminately or permanently. In place of the Flash
content, a nice gray-gradient rectangle saying "Flash" appears; when
you Control-click that rectangle (or click a gear icon in the
upper-left corner), you get a contextual menu that lets you load
that one piece of Flash content or all the Flash content on the
page, or add the source URL to a whitelist so that its content
always loads. There is even a Preferences dialog where you can
perform more advanced settings.
ClickToFlash was originally written anonymously and maintained at
Google Code. It was taken down, but the code was open source, and it
had been picked up by occasional TidBITS contributor Jonathan "Wolf"
Rentzsch. The code remains open source, and Rentzsch is hosting it
through GitHub, an open multi-node version control system; this
means that anyone can fork the code, contributing changes on one
branch that are not present on another. In short, there are various
versions of ClickToFlash floating around. But Rentzsch maintains a
kind of mastery and routinely incorporates improvements contributed
by others.
<http://code.google.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/author/Jonathan%20Rentzsch>
<http://github.com/>
To install ClickToFlash, go to Rentzsch's GitHub page, scroll down
to where it says "Download ClickToFlash 1.4.2 here" (or whatever the
current version is), and click those words. (That's because you
probably want an installer, not a copy of the source code; of course
you can download the source code too if you like.) Double-click the
downloaded .zip file to unzip it; double-click the resulting .pkg
file to run the installer. The result is a .webplugin bundle in your
~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder; so to uninstall ClickToFlash,
just remove that bundle.
<http://github.com/rentzsch/clicktoflash/tree/master>
ClickToFlash is not a haxie, since the .webplugin mechanism is
perfectly standard (look in the top-level /Library/Internet Plug-Ins
folder and you'll see a bunch of them). However, it is a little
tricky, because it must not only detect Flash content in advance and
interfere with its loading, but must also enable Flash content on
demand. To do this (and I am now just reproducing Peter Hosey's
explanation), it declares itself as a handler of the
"application/x-shockwave-flash" MIME type, blocking that kind of
embedded object, but when you ask to view the content, it changes
the Web page so that object is now declared as belonging to the
"application/futuresplash" MIME type. When that content loads, it is
handled and rendered by the Adobe Flash Player plug-in. The trick
here is that Flash Player declares itself as a handler of both MIME
types, but all Flash content is declared as
"application/x-shockwave-flash" - so that "application/futuresplash"
is effectively unused, except by ClickToFlash. As long as that
situation continues, ClickToFlash will keep working (though I
suspect that some Web pages will present unusual challenges that
must be worked around individually).
<http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2009-01-29/how-clicktoflash-works>
It turns out that a _lot_ of stuff out there, even static content
that appears to be just a drawing, is actually Flash. And all that
Flash content has been causing my Web browsing to sag rather
drastically. But not any more! My browser is now lean and mean,
thanks to ClickToFlash.
ClickToFlash currently requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, but I suspect
that compatibility with 10.4 Tiger may be coming soon.
TheMacBundles.com Offers Alternative Approach to Bundle Deals
-------------------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10311>
Over the last few years, several groups, most notably MacHeist and
MacUpdate, have taken to offering bundles of Mac software for what
seems like insanely low prices. But while these bundles have proven
popular with Mac users, they've also generated controversy among the
developer community. In an attempt to address these concerns,
shareware developer Steve Becker, working with long-time ecommerce
site Kagi, has launched an alternative site - TheMacBundles.com.
<http://themacbundles.com/>
The MacHeist and MacUpdate bundles have been undeniably popular with
Mac users, who see them as a way to buy a couple of great
applications at a discount, with the rest of the programs thrown in
as a possible bonus. (The bundles usually contain a few marquee
applications, a number of pieces of software that you might have
heard of before, and several apps that are entirely unknown.) On the
downside, the licenses that users receive aren't always eligible for
discounted upgrades. Since the developers don't earn much on each
bundle sale, it makes sense to charge full price for upgrades (and
to have an upgrade come out not long after the bundle promotion
ends).
Among the Macintosh developer community, the bundles were initially
controversial, since with the first MacHeist bundle, the
participating developers reportedly earned only a flat fee.
Subsequent MacHeist and the MacUpdate bundles involved small
percentages to developers, so although the earnings per sale were
still very low, developers could share in the success of the
promotion. That said, even with percentage deals, at least some
developers had to agree to caps that limited their earnings, with
much of the profit going to the middleman.
Other criticisms included the concern that the practice of
"unlocking" key applications only when enough copies of the bundle
had been sold felt shady (because early buyers were purchasing on
the assumption they would receive everything in the bundle), that
some of the marketing practices were troubling (like MacHeist
encouraging users to post advertising messages on Twitter), and that
discounting the prices of items in the bundle by so much devalued
software in general.
Despite these criticisms, plenty of developers have been interested
in participating, because the bundles provide significant exposure
to new customers, generating some income and making it easier to
market updates and new products to those people in the future.
With TheMacBundles.com, Steve Becker has attempted to address the
various concerns surrounding previous bundle promotions in a number
of ways, most notably:
* All the products included are the latest versions of well-known,
high-quality applications. The programs included in the first bundle
meet this criteria: GraphicConverter, DragThing, Default Folder X,
Spell Catcher X, HoudahSpot, Mariner Write, Cover Stream, and
Becker's own iPrint (all for $49.95).
* Apart from small order processing and administrative costs
(transaction fees, bandwidth, and so on), all the proceeds from
bundle sales are split among the developers, so the developers earn
a lot more per bundle and there's no middleman earning a profit.
* Bundle customers are entitled to reduced price upgrades and the same
level of support as those buying the software for full price.
* There are no games with unlocking desirable applications after a
certain sales volume has been reached; the closest that
TheMacBundles.com gets to generating hype is offering Baseline as a
bonus only to the first 2,000 customers and running the promotion
only for a limited time (two weeks, in this case).
The only criticism that still applies to TheMacBundles.com is that
such inexpensive bundles devalue Macintosh software in general,
which could in turn lead to sufficiently reduced profits that
developers would abandon the platform. I don't agree with that
concern - there are few enough bundles and so much Mac software that
I can't see anyone delaying the purchase of a desired application on
the off chance that it might appear in a bundle in the future. I
worry more about marketplaces like Apple's App Store, where
head-to-head competition among relatively similar apps has caused
prices to drop to unprecedented levels - a bundle of 10 popular
iPhone apps wouldn't even approach the price of a single Mac
program.
While Steve Becker is attempting to set TheMacBundles.com apart from
the other bundle promotions available, the reality is that the
competition is only for the dollar of the Macintosh consumer, since
the bundled software varies widely.
For instance, the current MacUpdate Promo Spring Bundle includes 11
applications for $49.99, including Circus Ponies NoteBook, TechTool
Pro, and Parallels Desktop. If you want those applications, great,
but there's nothing stopping you from buying the TheMacBundles.com
bundle for GraphicConverter, DragThing, Default Folder X, and Spell
Catcher X as well.
<http://www.mupromo.com/deal/852/5801/bundle>
AT&T Plans for Mobile Data Onslaught
------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10305>
On 27-May-09, AT&T announced a slew of wireless network upgrades,
all designed to make its 3G networks perform better, while laying
the groundwork for its future 4G (fourth-generation) data service
due in a couple of years. The iPhone 3G - and a near-term update to
that model - is clearly the driving factor.
<http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=26835>
All reports indicate that iPhone users consume a ton more bandwidth
than other smartphone users, likely because the iPhone from its
start had many more network-intensive features that work better than
competitors' (such as the Safari browser versus RIM's BlackBerry
browser). One report said that 2G EDGE traffic skyrocketed in San
Francisco following the mid-2007 original iPhone launch.
Given that tethering - using a phone like a broadband modem to
provide Internet connectivity to a laptop - will also be part of
iPhone 3.0 software (for older and newer devices alike), more
capacity is needed for that bump in usage, too.
In the United States, iPhone 3G uses AT&T's HSPA (High Speed Packet
Access) network, which supports raw data rates up to 3.6 Mbps and
effective rates as fast as 1.7 Mbps to phones and laptops. With
millions of U.S. iPhone 3G users, AT&T's network has in places and
at times become stressed out.
Add to that AT&T's plan to start rolling out later this year the 7.2
Mbps flavor of HSPA - requiring new phones and laptop cards - and
you can see why the company needs to elaborate on how its data
network will continue to improve.
The announcement has a ton of technical detail in it, rare for
corporate communications, but it can be distilled into a few salient
changes.
**Cellular Expansion** -- Cellular networks are deployed in, well,
_cells_: a honeycomb of overlapping base stations. Each cell has
some kind of backhaul that carries voice and network bits back to a
central network, and radio gear that operates in various licensed
frequencies.
AT&T's plan chips away at all the pieces that overwhelm cells with
traffic:
* Better indoor coverage. AT&T has licensed spectrum in two major
bands: around 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. Lower frequencies travel farther
than higher frequencies when using the same transmitter power, and
850 MHz penetrates into homes and buildings far better than 1900
MHz. AT&T said it already uses 850 MHz for 3G service across half
its coverage area, and will be adding it to more markets. (The 850
MHz frequencies were tied up with analog and early digital services
until a year ago.)
* More cellular bandwidth for 3G. By adding 850 MHz transmitters, AT&T
is also adding more available frequencies in those markets. That
means fewer phones, laptops, and other devices use each channel,
making more capacity available for each user and allowing more users
overall. (This is actually quite similar to adding Wi-Fi base
stations to reduce overloading of Wi-Fi, just with many more
channels and much more complexity.)
* More backhaul. AT&T will add more capacity to its cells, bringing in
more fiber-optic cabling and other forms of bandwidth. Clusters of
cellular base stations on a tower might once have had a T-1 line
(1.544 Mbps) of backhaul back when GPRS (about 50 Kbps) or EDGE
(about 200 Kbps) were the fastest rates. Now, a cell could have 10
Mbps or more of capacity, and be constrained entirely by backhaul.
AT&T needs more backhaul also for its 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution)
service which it will start testing in 2010, and offer commercially
in some areas in 2011. LTE can have raw data rates from 20 Mbps to
100 Mbps, depending on a lot of factors; individual users could see
4 to 8 Mbps downstream. (LTE will use a new set of frequencies and
new licenses for those.)
* More cell towers. The company plans to add 2,100 more sites. In
remote areas, more sites mean more coverage at fastest rates. In
dense cities, more towers mean that each base station can reduce its
power and make smaller cells, which means fewer users on each base
station.
* Tiny base stations called _femtocells_. AT&T hasn't kept it much of
a secret that it has a femtocell in testing, which is a base station
designed to work in a home or small business, and which plugs into a
subscriber's own bandwidth. Femtocells have tiny coverage areas, but
improve indoor coverage and don't consume AT&T's bandwidth. AT&T's
3G MicroCell (pricing not announced) will handle 3G voice and data.
If it follows Sprint's lead, the femtocell will come with an
unlimited voice plan for calls made or received via the base
station. Sprint's plan is $100 for the femtocell with a 2-year
contract, $5 per month for service, and $10 or $20 (individual or
family) for unlimited U.S. calling.
These changes should dramatically boost 3G coverage, quality, and
availability, all complaints that have been leveled against AT&T's
network. On the flip side, the company's recent earnings
announcement showed it has the lowest churn (new customer to lost
customer ratio) in the industry. The network has already improved,
but it must improve further.
**Wi-Fi Fills in Network Gaps, Boosts Bandwidth** -- AT&T is also no
stranger to Wi-Fi, and at the Wall Street Journal's All Things D
conference, the company's CEO, Randall Stephenson, spoke rather
strongly about how Wi-Fi is a way to bridge customers' expectations
for true broadband when they go mobile before future 4G networks are
in place to meet those expectations.
<http://d7.allthingsd.com/20090527/randall-stephenson/>
The advantage of Wi-Fi for AT&T is clear when you combine a
perceived disadvantage with a known advantage. Wi-Fi typically
operates over very small areas: tens of thousands of square feet. A
cell base station can cover over hundreds of thousands of square
feet. But the current HSPA speed is limited to 3.6 Mbps raw or 1.7
Mbps effective, whereas 802.11g Wi-Fi (found in smartphones) tops
out at a raw rate of 54 Mbps or roughly 20 Mbps effective. (Cellular
carriers use shorter-range base stations called _microcells_ and
_picocells_ to cover dead areas and inside buildings, too, but the
main network is built of cells that cover large areas.)
Last year, AT&T purchased Wayport, a firm that AT&T used as a
contractor to run Wi-Fi hotspots that AT&T had signed up. Wayport
had its own contract with McDonald's, where it has built out nearly
10,000 locations in the United States. In February 2008, AT&T also
acquired the contract for Starbucks, which covers about 7,000 U.S.
outlets.
In all, AT&T now says it has 20,000 hotspots in its domestic
network, all of which are available at no cost to any AT&T DSL or
fiber subscriber via a laptop or other device, as well as any 3G
LaptopConnect mobile broadband subscriber. The hotspots are also
included in iPhone and some BlackBerry (with Wi-Fi) service plans as
well.
AT&T's current system of gaining access at a hotspot from a
smartphone requires using a gateway page, entering your phone
number, waiting for a (free) SMS message, and then following a link.
The company promises seamless roaming in the future, though, which
might be integrated into the upcoming iPhone 3.0 software. (For now,
I recommend the $1 Devicescape software for iPhone, Easy Wi-Fi for
AT&T, which automates the login process to a single click.)
<http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=296273148&mt=8>
Note, too, that while AT&T is giving away access to its hotspot
network to its existing subscribers, and conserving cash by moving
bandwidth use onto that network, it also sells hotspot access to
non-network subscribers ($20 per month) and day trippers ($4 per
day). AT&T also works with roaming partners like T-Mobile, with some
fee settlement involved for each session. (The $20-per-month plan
includes 20,000 domestic and 50,000 non-U.S. hotspots.)
<http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=5949>
The press release has a fascinating side note that AT&T is serious
about using Wi-Fi, because the company said it "can create permanent
or temporary extended Wi-Fi zones in areas with high 3G network use,
like a grouping of hotels or a festival."
This again demonstrates the benefit of throwing Wi-Fi into the mix.
At a fixed location, availability everywhere in the country isn't
important, just at the venue. With Wi-Fi's short range, AT&T could
install 50 Wi-Fi access points covering several city blocks or a
large park with 20 Mbps per point - that adds up to 1 Gbps across
the network.
A cell base station, by contrast, would cover the entire area, and
have just a few Mbps available. (Cell carriers do send out portable
cell base stations, too: COLTs - "cellular on light trucks" - and
COWs - "cellular on wheels.")
<http://www.corp.att.com/ndr/exercises_2007q4_photos.html>
**Signaling the Next iPhone** -- Without reading too many tea leaves
or following too many rumors, AT&T's announcement signals a few
likely developments for the next iPhone 3G.
The next model, which may be announced at WWDC and released shortly
afterwards, will almost certainly have a 7.2 Mbps HSPA chip. Such
technology is widely available, and I can't see Apple releasing a
new iPhone without it, given AT&T's upgrade plan.
The iPhone could also have an 802.11n chip in it - not the
full-blown radio found in a Mac, but a simpler version called
_single-stream N_, in which speed is boosted as much as 50 to 100
percent, and which has dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz) support. This would
help iPhones perform better on 802.11n networks, and would probably
be paired with AT&T upgrading its hotspot network to 802.11n as
well. (See my Wi-Fi Networking News article, "Does the iPhone Need
802.11n?" for the technical details.)
<http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2009/03/iphone_80211n_necessity.html>
If the iPhone has an improved camera and allows video recording
(according to rumors), that's more data to be transferred, and
boosting both Wi-Fi and 3G speeds, as well as 3G network capacity,
makes a ton of sense as well.
At the very least, AT&T has laid the foundation for a much more
robust and higher-capacity network. Its smartphone contracts don't
specify a maximum limit of monthly 3G usage, and that means the sky
- or its capacity - is literally the limit.
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 01-Jun-09
---------------------------------------------------------
by Doug McLean <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10290>
iWork '09 9.0.2 from Apple is a maintenance update that "improves
reliability when saving some iWork documents and when playing some
presentations more than once per Keynote session." ($79 new, free
update, 42.75 MB)
<http://support.apple.com/downloads/iWork_09_9_0_2>
MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.3 from Apple is designed to adjust
the fan behavior of 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro laptops when
"running under high workload conditions." Apple doesn't specify
which specific MacBook Pro models are affected, and also notes on
its "EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Macs" Web page
that Software Update may not be displayed automatically. If you own
a MacBook Pro, you should download and run the installer, which
reports whether your machine is affected. (Free, 833 KB)
<http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacBook_Pro_SMC_Firmware_Update_1_3>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237>
MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.1 from MacSpeech is a minor maintenance update
for the recently upgraded speech recognition utility. Several
crashing bugs have been fixed, including one that occurred when
editing words with hyphens, one resulting from creating a profile
when focus was last in TextEdit, one resulting from creating a
localized UK profile, and one that was caused by altering certain
kinds of documents, including Excel files. Also, to reduce customer
confusion, older licenses are now identified as such in the License
dialog text. ($199 new, free update)
<http://www.macspeech.com/>
HoudahSpot 2.5 from Houdah Software is a significant update to the
file search tool that provides an alternate front end to Spotlight.
This version adds a new "any text" search criterion that is also
available from the BlitzSearch feature, the capability to view
results as a grid of icons in Grid View or using CoverFlow in
CoverFlow view, and the capability to listen to audio files with
Leopard's Quick Look. Also, two bugs have been fixed: one that
prevented never-opened files from being found and another that
sometimes caused criteria changes made via drag-and-drop to be
ignored. ($25 new, free update, 3 MB)
<http://www.houdah.com/houdahSpot/>
Cover Stream 2.6 from Snarb.tk is the latest version of the iTunes
controller for Mac OS X. The update adds a pop-up control panel,
improved podcast support, a Feedback Reporter for reporting of
troubleshooting issues, an enhanced launch utility, the capability
to shuffle when in Jukebox mode, and a handful of minor bug fixes.
(14.95 euros, free update, 2.4 MB)
<http://www.coverstream.net/>
Little Snitch 2.1.3 from Objective Development is an update to the
network-data security tool. Changes include added support for
network user accounts and enhanced functionality for Back Up Rules.
Also, several bugs have been fixed, including one that caused system
freezes when logging into a network user account, one that caused an
influx of mDNSResponder connection alerts, and one that caused a
crashing issue with the application's installer. ($29.95, free
update, 2.3 MB)
<http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/>
BusySync 2.2 from BusyMac is a maintenance update to the iCal
synchronization software. Changes include faster syncing with iCal,
compatibility with the forthcoming BusyCal, and a handful of fixes
for unspecified Google-syncing bugs. ($25, free update, 2.6 MB)
<http://www.busymac.com/>
CheckUp 2.2 from App4mac is a maintenance update to the multipurpose
maintenance utility. Changes include added support for the most
recently released Macs, an added oscilloscope graph for network and
processors, and information on FireWire, USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and
Bluetooth. Also, the latest version has been tested for
compatibility with current betas of Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard, and has received a handful of unspecified bug fixes. (19
euros, free update, 17.8 MB)
<http://www.app4mac.com/store/index.php?target=products&product_id=7>
TextExpander 2.6.2 from SmileOnMyMac is a maintenance update to the
typing shortcut utility. Changes include enhanced menu performance,
reduced memory usage in Mac OS X 10.5, improved rich text imports,
added Internet Productivity snippets, and the capability via new
shortcuts to create a Digg toolbar link and to validate a URL copied
to the clipboard. ($29.95 new, free update, 3.6 MB)
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/TextExpander/>
Adium 1.3.4 is the latest version of the open-source instant
messaging client that supports multiple protocols. Changes include
an updated libpurple (the core for several messaging clients), and
an updated Facebook chat plug-in that fixes an issue wherein
Facebook would utilize too much bandwidth when connecting to a
server. The Adium team also announced the release of Adium 1.4 beta
which, among other improvements, adds support for IRC and Twitter.
Adium 1.4 beta is available only for users of Mac OS X 10.5 or
later. (Free, 21.2 MB)
<http://adium.im/>
<http://beta.adium.im/>
Dialectic 1.4.1 from JNSoftware is a minor maintenance update to the
phone dialing utility. Changes include new AppleScript commands for
pausing and restoring incoming call detection, a fix for a bug that
caused incorrect dialing strings to be sent to the user's iPhone
when using a comma pause, and a fix for a bug that prevented
multiple windows from tiling correctly. ($25, free update, 6.2 MB)
<http://www.jonn8.com/dialectic/>
ExtraBITS for 01-Jun-09
-----------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10309>
**Hulu Comes to a Desktop Near You** -- Macworld reports that Hulu,
the streaming media giant sponsored by NBC and FOX, has released a
new desktop client for both Mac and Windows. The software,
compatible with the Apple Remote, has received favorable reviews
thus far for its design and functionality. With no browser needed,
Hulu Desktop can be more easily integrated into a home entertainment
setup, and offers an enticing substitute for traditional cable TV.
(Posted 2009-06-01)
<http://www.macworld.com/article/140839/2009/05/hulu_releases_desktop_client_for_mac_and_pc.html>
**The Macalope Disembowels ComputerWorld Security Article** -- By day,
TidBITS Security Editor Rich Mogull runs the Securosis site, which
is hosting an article by the pseudonymous Macalope that dissects
ComputerWorld's recent troll bait article about Mac security. Read
it, it's funny. (Posted 2009-05-28)
<http://securosis.com/blog/the-government-must-save-our-children-from-apple/>
**Jeff Carlson Discusses Apple Genius on Your Mac Life** -- What makes
Apple a "genius" company: software, hardware, marketing? Jeff
Carlson plays Pick Your Topic with Shawn King on Your Mac Life.
(Posted 2009-05-27)
<http://yourmaclifeshow.com/inthenews/2009/05/26/worldwide-photo-walking-and-pick-your-topic>
**Apple Spiffs Up White MacBook's Specs** -- Demonstrating a continued
commitment to the low end of its notebook ladder, Apple has again
quietly bumped the specs for the $999 white polycarbonate MacBook.
Changes include a 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up from 2.0
GHz), 2 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up from 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM), and
a 160 GB hard drive (up from 120 GB). (Posted 2009-05-27)
<http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/specs.html>
**Free iPod with Apple's Back to School Promotion** -- From 27-May-09
through 08-Sep-09, any Mac purchased with an education discount
comes with a rebate for up to $229 - the cost of an 8 GB iPod touch.
If eligible customers want an iPod nano, classic, or shuffle
instead, they will be granted a rebate for the corresponding
purchase price. (Posted 2009-05-27)
<http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/back_to_school>
**Mac Clone Maker Psystar Files for Bankruptcy** -- Psystar, the
company that has been selling Mac OS-based computers, has filed for
bankruptcy protection, citing the economic climate and increased
component costs. Apple's lawsuit over copyright against the
resilient company is put on hold during the bankruptcy proceedings.
(Posted 2009-05-26)
<http://www.macworld.com/article/140785/2009/05/psystar_bankruptcy.html?lsrc=rss_weblogs_macuser>
**New Yorker Cover Drawn With iPhone** -- Artist Jorge Colombo
designed the cover for this week's New Yorker magazine using nothing
but his iPhone and the painting app Brushes. Thanks to the help of
Brushes Viewer, an app that captures and replays each mark made in
Brushes, you can watch the cover image being drawn, step by step.
(Posted 2009-05-26)
<http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2009/05/jorge-colombo-iphone-cover.html>
**Adam Discusses GPS Accuracy Issues on Your Mac Life** -- Shawn King
was curious about our coverage of the possible GPS accuracy
problems, so Adam joined him on the Your Mac Life radio show to talk
about how the problem came about and how it might be solved. Toward
the end, the conversation turned slightly into issues of privacy,
due to the mistaken impression some people have that they can be
tracked by GPS satellites. (Posted 2009-05-21)
<http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com/archives/2009/05/19/gps-failure-david-and-goliath-and-freeway>
**Palm Pre to Arrive 06-Jun-09 for $299** -- The Palm Pre, potentially
the only serious competitor to Apple's iPhone, will be available
06-Jun-09 for $299. (Palm and Sprint are advertising the price as
"starting at $199," but that price includes a $100 mail-in rebate.
Buyers must pay $299 to get the phone and sign up for a two-year
service plan, which must include an unlimited data option.) Sprint
is the exclusive carrier in the United States, the Pre's only market
at launch. Will people line up for the Pre as they did for the
iPhone? Coming two days before WWDC, all eyes will be on Palm and
Apple. (Posted 2009-05-19)
<http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/>
**Beware MobileMe Phishing Scam** -- TUAW is reporting on a phishing
scam disguised as a renewal notification from MobileMe. The scam
comes in the form of an email message claiming that the user's
account's credit card information is incorrect and must be updated
before renewal. Moral of the story? Never, ever, click a link or
button in an email message asking for financial or personal
information. (Posted 2009-05-19)
<http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/18/beware-of-mobileme-phishing-scam/>
**The Low-Down on WolframAlpha** -- Been hearing about the new
computational search engine WolframAlpha, but aren't exactly sure
what it's all about? Peter Cohen at Macworld has the skinny on the
latest development in the world of search. (Posted 2009-05-19)
<http://www.macworld.com/article/140668/2009/05/alpha.html>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk for 01-Jun-09
----------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[email protected]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10312>
**Anyone else out there having problems with AIM on iChat?** Could
iChat problems stem from the latest Mac OS X update, or is the
problem with AIM? Also, readers comment on video chat quality
between iChat and Skype. (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2657>
**Heads Up - Phishing attempt** -- Learn what to do when you suspect
an email is a phishing attempt in Apple Mail. (3 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2658>
**Creating table of contents of HTML document** -- It's possible to
make a table of content from HTML, but not trivial. (11 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2659>
**Preserving old Eudora messages in a new mail system** -- Eudora
stores its messages in text-only mailbox files, so getting to the
content later is easy. (1 message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2661>
**2G iPod Touch and Wi-Fi** -- An iPod touch stops connecting to any
Wi-Fi networks, leading some to suspect it's a bad unit. (4
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2662>
**Apple USB external modem/fax & 10.5.7** -- Faxing problems cropped
up after installing Mac OS X 10.5.7, though the issues may have been
present earlier. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2663>
**Multi hard disk enclosure** -- A reader is looking for
recommendations for moving four internal hard disks into a single
external enclosure. (11 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2664>
**USB 8 GB memory stick not being recognized** -- What can you do to
force a Mac to read a recalcitrant USB memory drive? (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2667>
**Connecting an Apple Universal Dock: I am baffled!** The latest
version of Apple's dock for connecting an iPod or iPhone is
confusing, and lacking ports offered by earlier models. (8 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2668>
**Wireless Hub Query** -- Readers share their experiences with
wireless USB hubs. (3 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2670>
**Wishlist for Finder Searches** -- There are several ways to find
files in the Finder, but the interface makes it a slow endeavor. (13
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2671>
**How does a MacBook handle heat at high processor loads** -- Newer
MacBooks and MacBook Pros seem to run cooler. Keeping them on a flat
surface with airflow definitely helps. (8 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2673>
**MacBook pricing** -- Prompted by Microsoft's latest ad campaign,
readers discuss the price and features of the MacBook versus
Windows-based laptops. (12 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2675>
**USB flash drive woes** -- The way a USB drive is formatted can
greatly affect its performance. (3 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2679>
**Nationwide Insurance iPhone App** -- This software helps you record
the details of an auto accident at the scene; is it actually
helpful? (4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2681>
**How to Reformat a New External Hard Disk** -- Readers discuss issues
related to formatting boot disks for the Mac. (9 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2682>
$$
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