Welcome to day 4 of the Pocket-lint Christmas gift guide bonanza. Today is a special one for perhaps the faniest of all fanboys out there - the Apple lovers. Because most things Mac don't come cheap, we've done our best to present a few options to fit all budgets but if none of this woks for you, then you can always seek inspiration on our 101 excellent online Christmas stores guide.

Mac earrings/cuff links

There's no greater way of representing the Jobs crew than by wearing your heart on your sleeve, or in this case, your apple. A very reasonable $17 will buy a set of old school rainbow logo earrings for the fan girl and for $32 you can pick up some bolder danglers. Guys get a slightly different look to the shirt with $20 Mac Daddy cuff links from the early 80s or the $40 Apple logos from the return of the Ive era.

Mac Badges

There are quite a few of these out there and it all rather depends on your sense of humour but the Mac badge is a good way to show your pride on all other less formal occasions. Two of the best available are the plain, simple and straight from the heart "I love Macs" and the rather witty, film-referencing "I can't force quit you" for the gay cowboy/Apple humour cross over. Excellent stocking fillers at just $1 a go.

Mac Mugs

No desktop is complete without some caffeine inspiration from the cup of Jobs. Although these Apple grails claim to be original, we wouldn't put too much stock in whether they actually are from the 80s or not. But, at just over ?7 including delivery and a nice bold rainbow logo on the front, they'll bring a nice warm glow to any fanboy's heart even if the cup of Joe doesn't.

Mac SE/30 print

One's home office simply isn't a home office without artwork adorning the walls and nothing says "I was there back in the day" quite like an 8 x10-inch print of a Macintosh SE/30 compact computer. Van Gogh it ain't, but at $20 it's a very pleasant stylised look at a time before the Apple revolution. Surely inspiration for anyone even in the toughest times of one's own business.

iCon Steve Jobs

Dubbed the greatest second act in the history of business, the story behind the revival of Apple is a modern day classic with all the drama, and fortunately slightly fewer pages, as War and Peace. Written in 2005, this biography is going to fall short of one of the most significant Apple moves in the company's life but seeing as there's very little material on Steve anyway, it's about as good as you can get.

If your giftee is a little more recent to the way of the Apple, then another good read is the My New Mac book which you can pick up from the Apple store for ?24.

Magic Mouse

On the hardware side, one you can almost guarantee your loved one won't have is the newly launched Apple Magic Mouse. The ?55 pointer ditches buttons and scroll wheels altogether in favour of ever-popular multitouch technology. You can scroll with it and click the surface and it's also connected by Bluetooth for that bit of added luxury. No cables, no adaptors and it can be configured to work any way you like.

Wireless keyboard/spare battery

This obviously depends on the kind of Mac fan you're buying for. The true hardcore will probably have both a desktop and a notebook in which case one or the other of these will be fine. A couple of things to remember is that not all MacBooks have removable batteries in the first place, so you'd better check which model your giftee has. You can pick up the 13-inch battery for just under ?100.

If you're going for the desktop option, then the Apple wireless keyboard is around half the cost at ?55, it's lovely and slim and works by Bluetooth. It also requires a couple of AA batteries to work, so there's another idea for a stocking filler for you.

Snow Leopard

Most hardcore fans will probably already have OS X Snow Leopard but it's worth checking for two reasons. Firstly, the latest Apple operating system actually is a lot more impressive than the marketing gave it credit for and, secondly, it only costs ?25. In Apple-land, that's what they call a bargain.

Elgato Eye TV tuner

With the quality of notebook and Apple display screens growing and growing, a TV watching experience may be even better on the Mac than your loved one's actual television. In many cases it also avoids having to get out of bed. The Elgato Eye range covers a few different functionalities and costs from ?49 up to the deluxe ?120 hybrid model. Either way, you're going to need an analogue aerial connection but it means you can watch any free digital channels from the convenience of your desk/lap.

Desktop Speakers

There are two ways you can really go here. For pure Mac styles, it has to be the Harman Kardon Soundstick II glass bell jar type 2.1 set up. They'll cost you ?128 but you'll be rewarded with some very wide eyes and a hearty thank you. On the other hand, the Bose Companion 2 Series II looks boxy and dull but the sound is absolute class and amazing for a two-speaker system. They're even a little cheaper at ?100.

Or...

...of course, if you feel really flush and actually want to buy someone a Mac - lucky old them - then take a look our Top Products section which will help guide you through to a suitable model and offer you only the best of the ones Pocket-lint's reviewed. And, as always, if you have any red hot tips for gift ideas of your own, then do let us know in the comments below. Good luck.

Related links:

• Features - 10 perfect Christmas presents for...laptop addicts
• Features - 10 perfect Christmas presents for...photographers
• Features - 10 perfect Christmas presents for...PC gamers

Tags: Hardware Christmas Features Mac mini Apple iMac Apple MacBooks Mac software Steve Jobs

10 perfect Christmas presents for...Apple Mac fans originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:46:36 +0000

A small startup from Poole has created an app that aims to make it easier to share your digital media collection between your various gadgets. It's called Skifta, and allows you to shift content between a number of devices with just one catch - they have to be DLNA enabled.

If you watch the more-than-a-little-cheesy intro video above, you'll see that it works with anything from televisions to radios to laptops to games consoles to digital photo frames. It turns your computer into a DLNA server, which can then pump pictures, music or video to any device in your home.

But that's not the clever bit. The clever bit is that you can connect that server with another computer anywhere in the world, and then stream from the new device to anything on that network - so if you go to a friend's house and connect then you can instantly stream your vintage Village People live album to his television or speakers. He'll love you for it.

What's more is that there are various "boosters" available for system. A Twitter one was demonstrated, which provides a live Twitter feed to your TV, or a digital photo frame, or other home gadget. You could also build boosters for Last.fm, Flickr, a Gmail checker, an RSS reader, or any other service. In time, third parties will also be able to build boosters.

The platform is live right now at skifta.com, and the team has a Twitter account - @skifta - too. It's free to sign up and use, so give it a go and let us know what you think in the comments.

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Tags: Home Cinema Software Skifta Qualcomm PC software Mac software Linux P2P Music Movies Photos DLNA Video

VIDEO: Skifta offers media sharing app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:18:16 +0000

Microsoft has updated its Office 2008 for Mac software, with version 12.2.3 now available to download from the Help and Support section of Microsoft's website. ?

As well as the usual security and stability fixes, the update includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of a computer's memory by using malicious code.

As far as stability goes, 12.2.3 fixes an issue that causes Office 2008 applications to close unexpectedly while metafile issues with text spacing in Windows Office docs have also been addressed.

Improvements in Word means certain unexpected closures will be no more while similar closure issues in Excel have also been looked at, including the bug that meant the Workday Function would not recognise weekends and holidays, which we'd like to think was implemented originally by a mischievous coder.

There's similar stories across PowerPoint, Entourage and Microsoft Document Connection for Mac with the message to be drawn that you really want to install this update if you want to see all round improvements.

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Tags: Software Mac software Microsoft Office software Software updates

Microsoft issues update for Office 2008 for Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:55:34 +0000

It appears that a beta version of Google's Chrome browser will be appearing for Mac users in December. The browser is currently available on Windows, but Linux and Mac users have been left out in the cold by Google, with only alpha versions for company.

Intriguingly, though, it'll be Chrome 4.0 that arrives, rather than the current version - Chrome 3.0. Version 4.0 is currently available in beta on Windows, and includes Firefox-style extensions, as well as a bunch of other new functionality and a slight UI refresh.

Chrome is switching to a new version of its extensions, called "Browser Actions", but the functionality will initially be unavailable on the Mac platform - just accessible to Windows and Linux. In a mailing list post discussing the issue with developers, Nick Baum - a Chrome product manager - said:

"The earlier you switch, the more time you will have to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December. We realize this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have people working on that. If you prioritise the Windows and Linux versions, we'll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!"

The addition of both extensions and multiplatform support should help increase uptake of the browser, which has seen great support in the tech community but not seen much in the way of mainstream adoption yet.

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Tags: Software Mac software Chrome Google Browsers

Mac beta for Chrome coming in December originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:06:21 +0000

Apple?has moved to fix a number of bugs in its latest operating system,?Snow Leopard,with the release of version 10.6.2.

The new 499.9MB download is recommended for all users and "includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac," says Apple.

The software update, which doesn't feature anything but fixes, has been rumoured to?remove Intel Atom support?for the OS, locking out Hackintosh users who've decided to put the Apple OS on a non Apple devices like the Dell Mini 10.

Although Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro range uses Intel processors it doesn't offer any machine with Intel's Atom processor, allowing it to remove the support and only affect what it deems as illegal machines.?

The full list of listed fixes are:

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• an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
• a graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites
• Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
• a problem that prevented authenticating as an administrative user
• issues when using NTFS and WebDAV file servers
• the reliability of menu extras
• an issue with the 4-finger swipe gesture
• an issue that causes Mail to quit unexpectedly when setting up an Exchange server
• Address Book becoming unresponsive when editing
• a problem adding images to contacts in Address Book
• an issue that prevented opening files downloaded from the Internet
• Safari plug-in reliability
• general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
• an issue that caused data to be deleted when using a guest account

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Tags: Software Mac software Apple Software updates Operating Systems Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update out originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:00:23 +0000

Firefox is now?five, however if, like many, you've found yourself having to leave your favourite?browser?because of constant crashing there are plenty of ways to get your Firefox groove back and save yourself from Mozilla hell.

Here are three steps to insuring you can surf the Web with the friendly fox once again:

Disable all your apps

With so many Plug-ins available for the browser, one of the reasons you could be experiencing crashes is that one of them has gone rogue. If this is the case, the best way to find out is disable all your apps and then slowly turn them back on to see which one is causing the issue.

Safe Mode

Firefox comes with a Safe Mode for exactly this reason - trying to fix bugs. buried within the inner workings of Firefox is a handy box that when accessed will allow you to reset your browser to its "factory" settings.

On the Mac you can access this via the Terminal application in Utilities (/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -safe-mode) while on the PC you'll find it by accessing the Run command within the Start Bar ("C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe" -safe-mode)

Once you've run the application you get to disable all the add-ons in one swoop, reset toolbars and controls, reset bookmarks back to the Firefox defaults, reset all user preferences to Firefox defaults and even restore the default search engine, giving you a fresh start.

Starting from scratch

If none of the above has worked, you've got to take drastic action and make your computer believe that you've never seen or heard of this Firefox browser program. First off you've got to delete it completely.

Unfortunately just deleting or uninstalling the browser from your Mac or PC won't solve your problems, as the browser buries itself into your computers profile and user settings. It's like pulling out a weed, you've got to get right down to the roots to clear out the infection.

Mac

For Mac users drag the Firefox app into the Trash and then remove the Library/Application Support/Firefox folder. This will remove Firefox completely, your bookmarks, browser settings, plug-in details the lot.?

PC

For the PC it's just as simple. First remove the program via the "Add or Remove Programs" tool then delete the Firefox Installation directory located at C:Program filesMozilla Firefox

Reinstall

Now you've removed all the traces of the browser on your computer you simply visit the getfirefox browser website, download the right version for you and reinstall.

If you've done the above, your browser will reinstall and you'll be able to use Firefox like you did before you became a constant crash victim - hopefully for another 5 years.

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Tags: Software PC software Mac software Firefox Browsers Mozilla Quick Guide

Firefox keeps crashing? Here's how to fix it originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:28:53 +0000

Parallels has launched a new version of its operating system virtualization software. Parallels 5 allows you to run Windows, Linux, OS/2 Warp, or whatever other operating system takes your fancy from the comfort of your Mac desktop.

The company reckons that there are plenty of enhancements. Aero is now available on Windows 7 and Vista, and the software is claimed to feature seven to eight times better graphics performance than its previous version. There's also improved USB functionality and speed, and the latest VT-x2 virtualization technologies.

Another intriguing new feature is "Crystal mode", which allows you to make Windows invisible so that you can only see the program. You can now copy/paste formatted text between operating systems too, and there's multi-touch support for gestures in Windows. The Apple remote can now control Windows apps too.

There's a "Safe Mode", for privacy and security, as well as DirectX 9Ex and Shader Model 3 support. If you prefer, you can turn off the Mac/Windows integration, giving a completely isolated virtual machine, if you're running insecure code.?Lastly, a feature called?Mac Look will allow you to skin Windows... er... windows so that they look like Apple ones, instead of the default XP, Vista or 7 skin.

Parallels 5 will be available shortly for ?60.

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Tags: Software Mac software Windows Linux Software updates Gaming Mac games Operating Systems

Parallels Desktop 5 software arrives originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

From the chaps that brought us the iPhone with Cover Flow multi-tasking, Apple's mobile gets Dashboard Widgets in this latest concept.

The clip from Ocean Observations shows one possible way the iPhone could offer Dashboard Widgets as seen in the Mac operating system on desktops and MacBooks.

Hit play to see the vision and meanwhile we'll be sure to keep you posted with all iPhone news - real or imaginary.

Tags: Phones iPhone Mac software Concepts Video Ocean Observations

VIDEO: What if the iPhone had Dashboard Widgets? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:05:22 +0000

While PC-owning book worms wait for Amazon's release of its new "Kindle for PC" software, it seems Mac users have not been forgotten, confirming to the Fast Company magazine's blog that it will be offering a similar software solution for Macs.

With the short but sweet "Yes, we are working on a Kindle app for Mac" statement, an Amazon spokesperson has revealed Mac users won't be left out in the cold - just as well considering Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' plans to make the Kindle "the iPod of reading".

The Kindle for PC software is due next month as a free download for those with Windows-based PCs. It will mean Amazon customers without a Kindle device will be able to buy Kindle ebooks to read via their computers.

The move will mean Kindle books will soon be able to be read on the Kindle and the larger Kindle DX, on the iPhone and iPod touch, on PCs and laptops and (hopefully) soon - on Macs too.

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Tags: Software Mac software Kindle Amazon Amazon Kindle ebooks eBook readers

Amazon to offer Mac version of "Kindle for PC" software originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:00:40 +0000

Having the pants sued off it by Apple has not stopped Psystar rolling out products that challenge the Mac maker's End User License Agreement

New to the market is Psystar's Rebel EFI software hack that allows certain Intel-powered PCs to run Snow Leopard, Apple's latest operating system.

The $50 software will allow any PC with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or Xeon Nehalem processor installed to run Mac OS X 10.6.

Psystar and Apple have been involved in an ongoing legal battle over Psystar's computers that come with the Mac OS pre-installed since July 2008.

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Tags: Software Apple Mac software Psystar Snow Leopard Intel

Psystar offers $50 solution to run Mac OS X 10.6 on PCs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:36:26 +0100

Apple has said that it will offer?Windows 7?support for users who want to dual install the new Microsoft operating system on a Mac by the end of the year.

"Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X?Snow Leopard?before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp", the company posted on its support pages.

However, while most Mac users will consider the move the equivalent of sleeping with the devil, some users won't be able to install Windows 7 even if they wanted to.

"The following models will not be supported for use with Windows 7 using Boot Camp".

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• iMac (17-inch, Early 2006)
• iMac (17-inch, Late 2006)? ? ??
• iMac (20-inch, Early 2006)? ? ? ?
• iMac (20-inch, Late 2006)? ? ? ?
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006) ?
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)?
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)?
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)? ?
• Mac Pro (Mid 2006, Intel Xeon Dual-core 2.66GHz or 3GHz)?

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Users of course will need to own an "authentic copy of Microsoft Windows 7 or Microsoft Windows 7 upgrade"

Users wishing to run the new Microsoft OS under a virtual system like Parallels Desktop 4 or the new VMWare Fusion 3 will be able to do so without waiting for the new drivers from Apple.

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Related links:

• Via - macrumors.com
• image via - krunker.com

Tags: Software Mac software Apple Microsoft Windows 7 Snow Leopard

Apple says Windows 7 support by year end originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:50:09 +0100

Adobe?has announced the availability of Photoshop Lightroom 3 as a free download for photographers to try.?

The new application, which allows photographers to catalogue their photo collections as well as perform basic editing processes to their pictures will add a host of new features according to Adobe.

“While we’re still hard at work on Lightroom 3, we recognise the value our customers bring to the development process and want their input so we can deliver the best final product possible", said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for Professional Digital Imaging at Adobe justifying the move.

Supposedly completely redesigned under the hood to be faster, a bug bear of the Lightroom 2, the new software promises better handling of "image libraries and improved responsiveness with a higher-quality processing engine".

In the Library module, Adobe is promising a rebuilt import system bringing photos into the software more intuitive as well as allowing users to "easily specify the source and destination of their images, and save common processing, metadata or destination settings as easy-to-reuse presets".

In the Develop module, an overhauled processing engine allows users to create the highest quality images. Improved "Capture Sharpening" and "Colour Noise Reduction" tools apparently provide decent results while still preserving an image’s edge detail and contrast. A new Grain tool adds a film-style grain to images, and two new Vignette modes help photographers get a more natural look.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta is available as a free download to anyone on both Macintosh and Windows platforms. Adobe has yet to announce when a full version of the software will be available and how much it will cost.

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Tags: Software PC software Mac software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Photoshop Lightroom 2 Photo editing software Cameras

Adobe Lightroom 3 beta released originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:36:10 +0100

Apple has placed the final piece of the "touch" puzzle today with the launch of a new mouse, called the Magic mouse, that has no buttons.

In a move that to many has gone unnoticed, Apple has over the last 6 years slowly been educating its faithful to embrace touch and ditch buttons once and for all.

The beginnings of touch

The move started some time ago of course with an iPod. While the first models had buttons, Apple was quick to ditch them in 2003. In came a touch sensitive wheel and buttons that saw you whizz around in circles scrolling through your music collection. It might have been clickable, but there was no d-pad element to it.

The big feel

2007 saw the launch of the iPhone and the?Apple iPod touch, two small touchscreen-only devices that ditched the buttons in favour of gestures on a screen. For the iPhone there had been touchscreen phones before, but virtually all of them focused on using a pen or a stylus to navigate around the screen rather than your finger. The finger was now the most important part of controlling your phone and what better way for Apple to show their intentions than naming a product with the buzz word - touch.

Smaller but equally important strokes

Now that people had grasped the idea of using their finger to control elements on their phone or MP3 player, Apple started making "touch" a focus point on its software and laptops.

The Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) launch saw certain controls within the OS, like Time Machine, get bigger buttons that emulated the iPhone operating system. The OS also added controls for using Apple-based software like iPhoto, allowing you to rotate images, zoom in, and use multiple fingers on the company's laptops thanks to the laptop's built-in touchpad.

New hardware

With touch firmly embedded in our minds Apple then ditched the dedicated click button from the laptop all together, replacing it with a single touchpad sheet. Now every new Mac is asking its user to embrace the finger, but the desktop machines and their users were missing out.

A cute "strokable" cat

If you've upgraded to?Apple OS X Snow Leopard?it's clear to see what Apple's direction is. There is a reason clicking (or should we say touching) on an icon in the dock launches Expose for that app. Or that Expose even exists in the first place. Snow Leopard is the most touchy feely of all the OSes to date.

Magic mouse

Confident that Apple users now grasp touch controls either by using a MacBook or MacBook Pro and/or an iPhone or iPod touch, Apple releases a touch-based mouse with no buttons or scroll wheel, pushing a new operating method on those who sign-up. It's the company's biggest and boldest move in the story so far as it's a completely new way to interact with your computer.

The strokable future

Yep, we know the Apple Tablet is just a rumour, but it is the next logical step in the "touch" story. Having spent the last 6 years educating its users to embrace the finger, a shift to hardware-less computing could replace the regular PC in the home, wipe out the need for multiple laptops and create a new industry completely for Apple.

You've graduated

Congratulations, you may not have realised it, but Apple has been educating you in the way of "touch" without you even realising it. For Apple, touch devices are cheaper to make, easier to design and are overall more "lifestyle" in their approach.

Get ready to show your computer the finger even more in the future.

Tags: Hardware Audio Software Features Apple iPhone iPod iPod Touch Mac software Snow Leopard Internet tablets Magic Mouse

Apple's been showing you the finger longer than you think originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:03:13 +0100

In our first-look review of Google Wave, we argued that - like Twitter - Wave needs applictions for it to be truly useful. The first of those desktop applications has arrived - albeit in a very limited state and only for Mac users.

Waveboard is currently in version 0.4, and is being called "simple and practical" by users who've tested it. All it does is put the web interface in its own Window, as if it was in your browser. It also puts out notifications when things happen via its dock symbol, menu entry and a growl notification. Not much for now, but still better than the web interface.

The same developer also has an iPhone version, which is featured in the brief video above. That's not quite out yet, but it's been submitted to the App Store for approval. When it's up and ready for download, we'll be sure to let you know.

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Tags: Software Online Google Google Wave Waveboard Mac software iPhone Apple iPhone apps Mobile phone apps Video

VIDEO: First Google Wave desktop client arrives originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:30:18 +0100

A version of Google's Chrome browser for Macs is due to arrive sooner than expected, the search giant's CEO has revealed at a New York press conference.

While Chrome for Macs was not due to be available for consumer consumption until the first half of 2010, it may come in time for Christmas.

"I see a lot of Macs in this room, and a lot of very sophisticated people are using Macs now and we need to get a version of Chrome out for that, which we’ll have in a couple of months. The key to browser strength is speed", said Schmidt.

The comment was a response to a question on Chrome's low market share, reports PC Pro, an issue Google founder Sergey Brin refuted:

"Some of your premises about Chrome are incorrect, in terms of adoption, and we’re going to get that message out. It's [market share] actually exceeding our benchmarks", Brin said.

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Tags: Software Browsers Chrome Google Mac software

Chrome for Macs in a "couple of months" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:04 +0100

Following its teaser video the other day, DoubleTwist has announced a new version of its software for Mac that allows users to avoid iTunes and load up music, videos and other media onto their mobile phones. The update brings the addition of the Amazon MP3 store.

It's essentially a desktop front-end to the web store, but the integration - as you can see in the video above - is pretty nifty. Tracks can be purchased with just an Amazon login and will automatically download into your library complete with metadata, ready to be dragged over to your device.

The software works with BlackBerry, Palm Pre, and Android handsets, as well as the Sony PSP and "hundreds of other devices". It's available now, but the version with the Amazon MP3 store won't be out until 13 October. Grab it now, and it'll auto-update then.

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Related links:

• News - doubleTwist parodies Apple's 1984 ad
• Via - MacRumours

Tags: Audio doubleTwist Mac software Apple BlackBerry Palm Pre Android PSP Video

DoubleTwist builds OS X app for Amazon MP3 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:59:36 +0100

The date for the availability of the new, free software for Mac using BlackBerry owners has been confirmed as 2 October.

The free download claims to make it easy to sync data between Mac applications and BlackBerry smartphones.

The solution will syncs contacts, calendar appointments, tasks and notes from Mac applications like iCal, Address Book, Microsoft Entourage and others, as well as add and remove applications, schedule automatic backups, encrypt backup files and install software updates.

In addition BlackBerry Media Sync will mean Mac users can sync their BlackBerrys with iTunes - as long as Apple plays along, that is.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager software is designed to run on Mac computers with Mac OS 10.5.5 and higher and supports BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 4.2 and higher.

The free download will be available from www.blackberry.com/mac from 1.00pm EDT on the 2nd.

Related links:

• PHOTOS - Mac BlackBerry Desktop Software screenshots revealed

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Software BlackBerry Mac software

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac due 2 October originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:05:39 +0100

Twitter client Tweetie 2 has been announced as coming soon - first for iPhone, then for Mac.

With an offline mode, the new iPhone version will get a drafts manager, Twitter contacts can be linked to contacts in the iPhone address book and it will offer threaded conversations too.

Other new features will include full landscape support, a redesigned compose screen and the ability to save searches.

Tweetie 2 for Mac will be a completely free upgrade but Tweetie 2 for iPhone will be "a whole new app" for OS 3.0 devices.

Following the necessary App Store approval it will be available to download for $2.99.

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Tags: Software Twitter iPhone apps Mac software

Tweetie 2 announced as coming soon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:26:14 +0100

BioShock is getting a release on the Mac platform, just as PC owners are getting pumped for BioShock 2, and a full two years after the title was crowned "Game of the Year 2007".

Feral Interactive, which specialises in porting games over to OS X but has to wait for the rights to be available, is bringing the game to the Apple crowd, and it'll be arriving on 7 October.

What's most shocking, though, is the pricing - ?35 in the UK. The PC original can be found for ?5-?10 these days, so it's almost cheaper to grab a copy of Windows 7, install it on Parallels and then get a copy of the game.

Either way, it's out soon. Bioshock 2 (for PC and console owners) is due next year.

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Related links:

• News - BioShock 2 gets release date

Tags: Gaming Bioshock Feral Interactive Mac software

BioShock coming to the Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:00:44 +0100