Reprinted from TidBITS#836/03-Jul-06 with permission. Copyright (C) 2006, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ MailBITS/03-Jul-06 ------------------ **Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.7 Update** -- Apple last week released Mac OS X 10.4.7, a free update to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, with a variety of improvements and bug fixes. Separate installers are available via Software Update or the Apple Software Downloads Web site for the desktop version of Mac OS X on PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs, and for Mac OS X Server, which so far is available only for PowerPC-based Macs. Along with a wide variety of small fixes, some of which address security holes, the 10.4.7 update includes several enhancements to Mail, such as improved reliability retrieving IMAP messages with attachments using an unreliable Internet connection and connecting to mail servers through a SOCKS proxy; improvements for video conferencing and transferring files in iChat; and better iSync support for Motorola cell phones using Bluetooth and .Mac accounts. Apple says the update also resolves an issue on PowerPC-based Macs in which some applications may "silently fail to open," and manually removing fonts is no longer likely to cause the Finder to quit unexpectedly. We also understand that the update makes Apple's spiffy, new two-finger right-click feature (announced last month for the MacBook and updated MacBook Pro models) work on the trackpad of early MacBook Pro models. Stand-alone download versions are available in sizes ranging from 64 MB (for the PowerPC 10.4.6 to 10.4.7 delta version) to 215 MB (for the Intel 10.4 to 10.4.7 Combo version). If you downloaded the delta version for Intel-based Macs before Friday of last week, you should download again, since Apple re-released that installer to include some OpenGL files that were missing in the initial release. Software Update will find the right version for your Mac. [MHA] **PopChar X 3.0 Improves Usability** -- Ergonis Software has released PopChar X 3.0, a notable upgrade to the company's long-standing utility for discovering and inserting the thousands of characters available in modern Unicode fonts. Since PopChar X's basic functionality hasn't needed changing, most of the improvements focus on usability and performance. To that end, PopChar X features a Search field that speeds finding characters, showing either characters that contain the letter entered (so typing an "e" shows all the accented variants of "e") or the characters whose Unicode name matches the string entered (so entering "greek" while looking at the Unicode characters in Lucida Grande shows all the Greek characters). The PopChar character table can now optionally be a movable window that remembers its position, rather than a huge menu, and other preferences cause it to disappear as soon as you insert a character or click outside it. In an attempt to bring order the hundreds of fonts many people have installed, the PopChar font menu now shows only recently used fonts; a new drawer provides a large scrolling list of all available fonts. And lastly, if you find yourself entering the same characters repeatedly, PopChar provides a view showing only the recently used characters. For a full list of current and new features, see Ergonis's Web site. PopChar X 3.0 is now a universal binary for improved performance on Intel-based Macs; it requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and no longer supports Classic applications. It's a 1.6 MB download. Ergonis employs an unusual upgrade system that requires attention; in essence, all upgrades are free within two years of purchase ($30) or renewal ($15), but to use any upgrade after that two year mark, you must renew again. To avoid surprises, look in PopChar's registration dialog to see if you're eligible for a free upgrade before you download and install a new version. [ACE] **iTunes, iPod Firmware, and QuickTime Updated** -- Delivering on a promise made in late May, Apple has updated iTunes and iPod software to work with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a gadget that links an iPod nano with Nike+ shoes to track a runner's performance (see "Grab your iPod and Run"). iTunes 6.0.5 enables synchronization of data to nikeplus.com. The 19.8 MB update, also available via Software Update, additionally patches a security hole that could be exploited by a malicious AAC file. iPod Updater 2006-06-28 updates the software for the iPod, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle to fix bugs, add Nike+iPod support for the iPod nano, and add a maximum volume limit for the iPod shuffle. Because Apple rolls all iPod updates into one installer, this one weighs in at 49 MB and is available as a stand-alone download or via Software Update. Lastly, Apple also released QuickTime 7.1.2, a 49.1 MB download that fixes an issue with previewing iDVD projects. [JLC] **PDFpen 2.4 Adds Comment Support** -- SmileOnMyMac has updated PDFpen (and its form-creating big brother PDFpen Pro) to version 2.4, adding support for PDF comments so users can add editable comments to PDF files. Also new is a drawer that lists all comments, notes, and imprints, making it easy to see what has been added and changed in a file. The comments are true PDF annotations, so they appear properly and are editable in Acrobat; similarly, comments made in Acrobat appear and are editable in PDFpen as well. However, although Apple's Preview can display existing PDF comments, its "Text Annotation" tool does not create true PDF comments, but merely yellow-boxed text objects, and worse, saving a PDF file containing comments from within Preview destroys those comments. Although PDF comments are overly awkward for group collaboration with straight text documents, they work extremely well for creating and sharing comments on heavily designed documents containing both text and graphics. Until now, however, creating and editing comments on the Mac required owning the more-expensive Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional. Version 2.4 of either PDFpen or PDFpen Pro is a free upgrade for registered users and is a 5.9 MB download. New copies of PDFpen cost $50; PDFpen Pro is $95. [ACE] .