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WireTap Studio 1.0.7 from Ambrosia Software is a minor update to the collection of tools for recording and editing audio on your Mac. The update brings enhanced performance, more efficient memory usage, customizable keyboard shortcuts for starting and stopping recording, added support for the scroll wheel and multi-touch trackpad, improved drag and drop capabilities, and support for recording from Java apps and other applications with improperly coded bundle identifiers. ($69 new, free update, 26.6 MB)

Things 1.0 from Cultured Code is the first official release of the Getting Things Done-inspired task manager that has been steadily gaining attention while in public beta. Updates include a new Apple Help Book, refinements to existing keyboard shortcuts, new keyboard shortcuts and menu commands, and a bug fix that enables the search field to scroll when more text than it can hold is entered. ($49.95 new, 4.2 MB)

PDF Shrink 4.5 from Apago is a substantial upgrade to the company's PDF size reduction tool. The latest version enables users to shrink PDFs to fit entire files (including images) on the iPhone and iPod touch. Other changes include improved support for Leopard, a new PDF encryption function, and the capability to shrink entire folders of PDF files. ($35 new, $14 upgrade, 5.2 MB)

CheckUp 2.0 from App4mac is a major upgrade to the multipurpose maintenance utility. Changes include an improved user interface, new memory testing capabilities, added performance optimization features, report exporting capabilities, a duplicate file search function, and a new documents tab view. For more on CheckUp, see Joe Kissell's review of version 1.0, "CheckUp 1.0: A Beautiful but Unripe Maintenance Utility," 2008-02-29. ($39.40, free update, 16.3 MB)

FileMaker Pro 10.0 from FileMaker Inc., is a major upgrade to the longstanding database application. Changes include a dramatic interface overhaul that features a new status toolbar. From the toolbar users can find or delete records, visualize the database's record holdings, and view data in lists, tables, or detailed icons. Also new are Dynamic Reports that enable users to make real-time changes to data, Script Triggers that can automate virtually any action, and a new Save Find feature that enables users to save frequent search terms and locate recent searches. Finally, the new version also contains 30 new Starter Solutions, and 10 new themes. FileMaker Pro 10.0 comes in Standard, Advanced (which contains an additional suite of advanced development and customization tools), Server, and Advanced Server editions. ($299/$499 Standard/Advanced, $179/$299 upgrade, 348/312 MB)

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Orbicule, makers of computer-recovery package Undercover, will capture Wi-Fi information to offer a rough location for help in retrieving a stolen computer. Version 3 will be released on January 20th, and was demonstrated at Macworld Expo. It's a free upgrade for existing registered users; new copies are $49 (individual), $59 (up to 5 in a family), or $39 (student).

The company is working with Skyhook Wireless, a firm that captures Wi-Fi signal information and triangulates locations based on an enormous database they constantly update. (See "Loki Here," 2007-06-18, for details on how Skyhook collects data and produces results.)

Undercover operates in the background, and is triggered by a user entering a special code on Orbicule's Web site. The next time Undercover checks in with their servers, it switches into recovery mode where it captures images via an iSight camera (if one is available) and logs network data, transfering this information to Orbicule. Orbicule then works with your local law enforcement to provide recovery data.

Orbicule becomes the second computer-recovery software firm to work with Skyhook Wireless; GadgetTrak's MacTrak ($59.95, one-time fee) added this capability two months ago (see "Laptop Recovery Software Uses Wi-Fi and Flickr," 2008-11-13).

MARK/SPACE, INC: If you have a smartphone, we can sync it!
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Apple's iWork '09 announcements brought some worthwhile improvements to the presentation, word processing, and spreadsheet suite, along with a new Keynote Remote Control app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Oh, and there's also a beta of a new online service, iWork.com. But, particularly with Pages and Numbers, the new features sound awfully reminiscent of things we've been accustomed to having in Microsoft Word and Excel for years.

Keynote -- Keynote '09 picks up some visual enhancements, fancier transitions, and the capability to perform object-level transitions that animate the graphics or text between slides. There were also new themes and snazzier chart types and animations, but the main addition was actually a $0.99 Keynote Remote Control app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It enables you to drive a Keynote presentation, complete with speaker's notes and a preview of the next slide. The functionality isn't new though, since apps like StageHand and Remote Buddy have been offering similar functionality for some time. We'll be curious to see if Apple tosses these competing programs out of the App Store for treading on Keynote Remote Control's new turf, or if they'll settle for undercutting them.

Pages -- The most important changes in Pages '09 made us think that Apple has finally gotten serious about competing with Microsoft Word, if not producing a word processor for the 21st century. These new features include mail merging with Numbers, an outliner that enables you to move items around in a hierarchy and have those movements reflected in the styling of your document (much like the Heading styles in Microsoft Word), and support for MathType and EndNote. Also, a new full-screen view covers the entire monitor, obscuring even the menu bar unless you hover your mouse over it, enabling you to focus on the task at hand instead of all the other stuff happening on your Mac. 

Numbers -- Changes in Numbers '09 look like solid updates, but are nothing groundbreaking. There's a new feature for better re-organizing of tables, added formulas and an enhanced interface for entering them, and new chart types and visuals. 

iWork '09 also now features dynamic linking, which enables you to create charts in Numbers and then link them into Keynote and Pages, such that when the chart changes in Numbers it automatically changes in all locations. If you're thinking this sounds like Microsoft's OLE or Apple's own Publish and Subscribe, from the early 1990s, well, you're right.

iWork.com -- Schiller also announced a beta version of a new Web site called iWork.com, which gives users of iWork '09 a way to share files online and perform limited collaboration. To share an iWork document, you click a button in the toolbar and enter the email address of someone to whom you want to give access. That person can then click a link in the resulting email message to view the document in their favorite Mac or Windows Web browser, with what looked like excellent fidelity to the appearance of the original document.

The iWork.com site enables users to add comments (which appear as sticky notes) and maintain an ongoing chat-style conversation with each other; the interface looks similar to the iWork applications and can display any Pages, Numbers, or Keynote document. Users can also download files in their original formats, as PDF documents, or as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) files. Although the service is brand new and still in beta, our take is that it's going to have an uphill climb in order to compete with the far more useful Google Docs and other online collaboration services.

Details -- iWork.com is now available to purchasers of iWork '09, with free access during the beta test period. Apple said that the service would require a fee in the future, but did not state how much it would cost or when free access would end.

iWork '09 requires Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11 or later, and at least a 500 MHz G4 processor. It costs $49 with the purchase of a new Macintosh, or it can be purchased separately for $79 or $99 for a family pack. iWork '09 is available now, and it will be available in late January 2009 in the Mac Box Set, which will cost $169 and include Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, the new iLife '09, and iWork '09.

Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.1 -- A burly upgrade introducing new
capabilities like Projects, non-modal Find and Multi-File Search,
editing in browsers, text completion, Scratchpad, new Ruby module,
better JavaScript, ObjC, Obj-C++, YAML <http://www.barebones.com/>

As expected, Apple completed the transition of the MacBook line to the latest unibody design with the announcement of the new 17-inch MacBook Pro. Apple's largest notebook was the last remnant of the original MacBook Pro form factor, which itself was nearly unchanged since its debut as the aluminum PowerBook G4. The new model sports the upgraded design, faster processors, larger memory and hard disk options, and a new integrated battery design that Apple claims offers up to an 8-hour battery life on a single charge.

The unibody design is a mere 0.98 inches (2.5 mm) thick and 6.6 pounds (3.0 kg); which Apple claims is the world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook. As with the other new Apple MacBook Pros, it comes with the new multi-touch buttonless trackpad, Mini DisplayPort, Firewire 800, ExpressCard/34, and multiple USB ports. It runs on an upgraded Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2.66 GHz standard, with a 2.93 GHz option; both with 6 MB shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz frontside bus. It comes standard with 4 GB DDR3 memory, and it supports up to 8 GB of total RAM. A 320 GB hard disk, with an option for a 256 GB solid state drive, round out the basic specifications.

As with the other MacBook Pros, the 17-inch model includes both integrated graphics and a second, discrete Nvidia 9600M GT graphics processor. These power a new LED backlit glossy screen with 1920 by 1200 resolution at 133 pixels per inch, with a $50 option for a traditional matte/anti-glare screen (sure to please the graphics professionals, but you do lose the black bezel). The screen has a 60 percent wider color gamut (the range of colors it can display) and a 700:1 contrast ratio, which is sure to please graphics, film, and photography professionals.

The most significant change is the unique integrated battery, which uses a new lithium polymer technology to offer up to seven hours of run time using the discrete graphics processor, and 8 hours with the integrated graphics. Because the battery is integrated into the MacBook Pro body, Apple claims it is 40 percent bigger than a removable battery. To extend the life of the battery and improve efficiency, Apple combined the new battery chemistry with an adaptive charging system, creating a battery that - according to Apple - will last up to 1,000 charge cycles, thus extending the life of the battery three times beyond the industry standard to about five years of normal use.

Moving to a fully integrated battery is a risky move, but it is a direction the entire mobile computing industry is considering as users continue to demand power for bigger processors, better graphics, and more wireless networking. Notebook designers can build the batteries right into the laptops, taking advantage of custom designed cells that fit into the nooks and crannies left after squeezing in all the hardware. The problem is, of course, that batteries have a limited lifespan and need to be occasionally replaced. For instance, I'm on my third MacBook Pro battery, and Adam's brand-new MacBook battery is already ailing after a mere two months. If an integrated battery does go bad or wears out, the laptop can be sent to Apple for replacement.

Apple also failed to mention any external battery options for situations where even 8 hours isn't enough. Since Apple has yet to license the MagSafe charging connector, no third party-vendors will be able to provide external options. Thus, 17-inch MacBook Pro users trade flexibility and convenience for a greatly extended battery life. Since the average notebook refresh rate for professional users is about three years, Apple is clearly banking on the battery lasting longer than the average user will keep the notebook.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,799, is available for pre-order today, and should be released by the end of January 2009.

Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008.
Straighten up your Office with the latest updates to Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. Update today at Mactopia!
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx>

When Apple introduced iMovie '08, the video editor was nothing like previous versions. Completely rewritten and boasting a new interface, it lacked features that iMovie editors had grown accustomed to: audio editing lost capabilities that had been gradually added to iMovie over several versions; themes were removed; iDVD chapter markers disappeared (as well as the capability to send a project directly to iDVD); and more (see "New iLife '08 Revealed, .Mac Upgraded, 2007-08-13). iMovie '08 had its upsides - support for importing AVCHD footage and making easy color adjustments come to mind - but it was very much a 1.0 application.

Based on what Phil Schiller presented, iMovie '09 looks to be the iMovie we were expecting last year. A new Precision Editor lets you fine-tune edits in an expanded visual way. When you drag and drop a clip from the Event library onto a clip in your movie, a new action pop-up menu appears with options to replace the existing clip, insert the new clip in the middle of the existing one, or just add the audio from the new clip. (Other options visible onscreen included green-screen and picture-in-picture.)

Video stabilization is a welcome new feature that can take the shake out of handheld footage, especially useful for owners of small Flip camcorders that lack any built-in image stabilization features. (iMovie also improves compatibility with the Flip MinoHD.)

iMovie's engineers have clearly spent some time traveling (or thinking about traveling), because several features are ideal for travel videos. Animated travel maps, available in a few different themes, let you specify locations on a map or globe and create Indiana Jones-style markers that extend from place to place. Themes have also made a reappearance in iMovie, and at first glance they seem more interesting and flexible than the ones that appeared in iMovie HD.

Other welcome improvements include the return of iDVD chapter markers and exporting directly to iDVD, iPhoto Event matching, an intriguing new archive feature for making copies of tapeless footage, Multi-Touch support, making adjustments to multiple clips at once, and, at last, the return of speeding up or slowing down footage. A full list of new features can be found on Apple's Web site.

iMovie '09 is available as part of iLife '09, which will ship in late January 2009 for $79 or $99 for a family pack. Also available then will be the Mac Box Set for $169, which includes iLife '09, iWork '09, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. New Macs will continue to ship with iLife for free.

Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008.
Straighten up your Office with the latest updates to Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. Update today at Mactopia!
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx>

GarageBand '09 has added a major new feature called Learn to Play, an instructional tool that teaches you how to play the guitar or piano. HD video instructors walk you through nine basic lessons with synchronized notation, and animated fretboards and piano keys appear at the bottom of the screen showing you how to follow along.

In addition to the basic lessons, Apple is also making special Artist Lessons available. In Artist Lessons celebrity musicians actually teach you how to play simplified versions of their songs. So far, participating artists include Sarah McLachlan, Fall Out Boy, Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, One Republic, Ben Folds, John Fogerty, Sting, and Norah Jones. Users have the ability to store lessons, and buy new ones from the Learn to Play Store for $4.99 a lesson.

Smaller changes include five new simulated guitar amplifiers, 30 new rigs or setups, added guitar pedal effects, and virtual rehearsal space complete with customizable backing band.

GarageBand '09 is available as part of iLife '09, which will ship in late January 2009 for $79 or $99 for a family pack. Also available then will be the Mac Box Set for $169, which includes iLife '09, iWork '09, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. New Macs will continue to ship with iLife for free.

READERS LIKE YOU! Support TidBITS with a contribution today!
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Special thanks this week to Michael Destefano Jr., Bob Dahl,
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As our photo collections grow into the tens of thousands of photos, Apple is working on ways to make it easier to find particular photos, adding face recognition and geotagging support to iPhoto '09.

In the same way iPhoto '08 enabled users to sort and tag their photos by events, iPhoto '09 makes it possible to search, sort, and tag by faces. Face detection technology, once you've taught the program properly, can identify friends or family members from your larger collection based on their facial features. Once the program believes it has found the person, it will ask to you confirm and tag the photo with their name. The tagging process is similar to tagging photos in Facebook. A top-level Faces item in the sidebar collect all the people you've identified.

Additionally, with Places, users can also sort and tag by the location the photograph was taken. Cameras with the geotagging capabilities mark your photos with the longitude and latitude of the location they were taken. iPhoto interprets this information and correlates the spot to a Place in its database, showing pins on a map generated from Google Maps. If you don't have geotagging capabilities, you can instead manually tag photos or groups of photos with locations listed in iPhoto's location database.

iPhoto '09 also now includes useful Facebook and Flickr syncing capabilities. You can click a button to sync your photos to your Facebook or Flickr accounts, complete with name (for Facebook) and location (for Flickr) tags. You can even perform the reverse function, sending photos from online collections to your iPhoto library with tags in place.

Additional changes include more advanced slideshow customization and new themes that can all be synced to your iPhone and iPod touch. Finally, the new version includes enhanced Travel Book options including more themes, better printing, and geotagged maps.

iPhoto '09 is available as part of iLife '09, which will ship in late January 2009 for $79 or $99 for a family pack. Also available then will be the Mac Box Set for $169, which includes iLife '09, iWork '09, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. New Macs will continue to ship with iLife for free.

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It was a fine keynote. Apple VP Phil Schiller, standing in for Steve Jobs, worked his way gamely through updates to iLife and iWork, the news of a beta release of iWork.com, the refresh of the 17-inch MacBook Pro, and changes to iTunes. There were no significant stumbles or mishaps, and the Apple employees Schiller brought on stage for special demos did a fine job.

But - and how to put this nicely - this was essentially a ho-hum keynote when placed alongside those given by Steve Jobs over the last few years. The only new Mac we saw was entirely expected, and the much-rumored updates to the iMac and Mac mini were no-shows.

What struck us was how the keynote almost felt like the kind of talk we would have been happy to hear from Apple 10 years ago, in an era of lesser expectations before the iTunes Store, the iPod, and the iPhone. Back then, the announcement of significant updates to iLife and iWork would have been more than enough.

Would it have been different if Steve Jobs had been on stage with his Reality Distortion Field operating at full strength? Perhaps somewhat: Schiller's delivery was overloaded with weak superlatives and, at least to me, he never quite connected with the audience. But I think the real reason Jobs gave the keynote reins to Schiller was because there wasn't that much to demo.

Schiller started on a strange note, extolling how great it was to build stores with the Apple logo, and wondering if any other company could put its logo front and center.

And he went out equally strangely, with several comments talking about "this last Macworld" (rather than Apple's last significant participation in the show) and then introducing the musical guest Tony Bennett, who launched into "The Best is Yet to Come" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." It may have been meant as a sort of goodbye, but it rang wrong, given that it's more of Apple giving up on the rest of us.

Microsoft's MacBU: Supporting Mac users with Office 2008.
Straighten up your Office with the latest updates to Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage. Update today at Mactopia!
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx>