Stan's List

CrossOver, Northstar Run Windows Apps on Macs—without Windows: New programs from CodeWeavers and True North Technology give Mac users access to Windows applications without running the Windows operating system. More …

Apple has issued a recall of 15″ MacBook Pro batteries sold in MBPs from February through May 2006. The affected battery model is A1175 and the serial numbers end with U7SA, U7SB or U7SC. Optional extra batteries purchased during this period may also be affected. The batteries are not a safety hazard, Apple states.

Apple has also issued an on-line form so users can exchange their batteries. Apple states that the swap takes 3 to 5 working days.

According to Apple’s statement, the batteries do not meet Apple’s high battery performance standards.

If you create a new folder in Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.3.9, and then you delete before you rename it, the parent folder may also get moved into the trash. Apple says this happens if the Finder window is in column view, and then you use Command-delete, or Move to Trash. More … Not really.

What you don’t want to do is empty the trash.

MacWorld online’s Mac OS X Hints shows how iMovie HD 6 can create time-lapsed movies. Time-lapse techniques are used to condense very long periods of time into something that will fit into a typical movie. More …

AppleInsider: Intel Corp. on Thursday said notebook computer systems based on its new Core 2 Duo mobile processors, previously code-named Merom, should begin hitting the market by the end of August. More …

Thunderbird 1.5.0.5 –The Mozilla Foundation email client.

* Improvements to product stability.
* Eleven security fixes.

Writing for eWeek, David Morgenstern compares Apple’s Intel transition with previous momentous shifts for the Mac community, including the demise of NuBus and the introduction of the PowerPC G3. “This coming Intel transition may prove to be a triple high biorhythm for the Mac. Along with the new Intel models, the Mac market will be bolstered early in 2007 by the arrival of Mac OS X ‘Leopard’ (v10.5) and later in the spring with Intel-compatible versions of major Mac software platforms, such as the Adobe Creative Suite 3 products.” More …

CNET has run a comparison between the 1997 Apple Newton and a modern Windows ultra mobile PC, the Samsung Q1. Remarkably, the Newton comes off as the winner. From the article: ‘An operating system designed for a desktop computer will rarely shoehorn well into a portable device, yet that is exactly what Samsung has tried to do with the Q1. Very little consideration has been given to the differing priorities of desktop and small-form computer users. Windows is a one-size-fits-all solution, whereas the Newton OS is very specifically built for the efficient use of a small screen and stylus. More …

Flip4Mac has announced the release of Flip4Mac WMV version 2.1. Release highlights are said to include universal support for Macintel kit and and significantly faster Windows Media encoding.

“We are pleased to offer Intel support for the large base of Mac users who have been eager to receive this release since our announcement in April,” said Barbara DeHart, vice president. “Considerable buzz has been generated throughout the Mac community as is evidenced by the immense number of users who offered to participate in our beta testing process.”

Flip4Mac WMV is a collection of QuickTime components that enables Mac users to play, import and export Windows Media files using QuickTime-based applications. In addition to universal support for Mactel hardware, v2.1 includes significantly faster export optimizations for PPC users—four to six-times faster than earlier versions.
Note: the download site is being hosted by MS

A press release from ABI Research speculates that Apple’s iTunes service has the potential to outstrip its formidable iPod business and may allow it to enter the home audio and video markets ahead of its competitors. “With over a billion files downloaded from iTunes so far, computers all over the world are brimming with music, speech and video, often organized by iTunes client software into playlists and catalogues. Leveraging all that content, which users have already paid for and want to hear on a good home audio system or watch on a digital-ready TV, creates a huge opening for consumer electronics vendors.” More …