On Tuesday, Joost, the brainchild of Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, is now available for Mac users with an invitation via this link.
The company announced that it has launched with the help of 32 companies which are functioning as advertising partners. Additionally, existing Joost beta testers now possess an unlimited number of invitations that can be sent out at their discretion.
Joost allows a computer to receive contentional television programs and provides more than 150 channels, which vary based on both geographic region and copyright ownership.
If you’ve heard anything or have feedback about the client, let us know.

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On Tuesday, Mark/Space announced that it had released version 1.0.1 of its Missing Sync for Blackberry utility. In spite of Mac OS X’s lack of native synching support between the operating system and handheld devices, the Missing Sync series and other third party applications have stepped in to bridge the gap.
According to Macworld News, Missing Sync for Blackberry 1.0.1 adds native French and German language support, a Folder Sync option that can sync the contents of a Mac’s folder to a microSD card inserted in the Blackberry, additional Address Book fields and repairs the handling of all-day calendar events synched in from Entourage 2004.
The new version, which is coded as a Universal Binary and can run at native speeds on both PowerPC and Intel-based hardware, requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later and a G4 or Intel-based processor to run. Missing Sync for Blackberry retails for US$39.95, though the 1.0.1 update is free for registered users.
If you’re tried the new version and have either positive or negative feedback about it, let us know.

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Reader Ciro Coelho sent us this workaround when he found himself unable to cleanly install the Design Premium version of its Creative Suite 3 package:
I got problems as soon as I tried to install CS3 Design Premium on a G5 running 10.4.8 with a Photoshop CS3 Beta installed. I checked the web for a solution to the problem, and found the CS3Clean script. I uninstalled Photoshop CS3 beta and the CS3 Design Premium using its uninstalling routines (Utilities folder), ran the CS3Clean script and trashed preferences as instructed by the script read me files. I tried installing CS3 after repeating the same procedure for 2 existing user accounts, as well as having created a fresh one, to no avail. I then called Adobe and they told me to do what I had already tried. The only solution left, which had been successful with other customers, was to archive and install OS X, or ultimately, to clean re-install it before attempting to install CS3.
For obvious reasons I resisted they suggestion, and found A SUCCESSFUL solution:
-Uninstall all CS3 applications (beta and shipping versions).
-Run Adobe’s CS3 Clean script, trash CS3 preferences.
-Mount an external firewire drive.
-Install OS X (I did 10.4.9) onto it.
-Restart and boot up from that firewire drive.
-Insert CS3 CD, install software onto the external drive.
-Restart from your regular internal drive.
-Migrate (Utilities>Migration Assistant) from the firewire drive where you installed a fresh OS X and CS3.
-Restart from that new user account on your regular internal drive. Launch one of the applications from CS3, enter serial number, register computer.
-Login from your regular user account and launch CS3 applications.
If you’ve seen similar instances of this or created your own workaround, let us know.

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A quick piece over at Arstechnica reports that the recently-released Apple TV has begun appearing in various Target retail locations. Photos sent in and posted on MacRumors confirm that the device is in stock and Apple managed to get the units in a bit faster than expected.
In a more surprising turn of events, the Apple TV has also turned up at assorted Costco locations with an arstechnica reader e-mailing the site and reporting the units in stock in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. The units are priced at US$289.99 and the retailer won’t be charging a restocking fee upon return. “I believe the old, unlimited return policy would apply. The new 90-day thing is actually limited to a few categories of items,” claims reader Dan Ciskey, who doesn’t believe the revised return policy applies to the Apple TV.
The presence of the Apple TV may be a test run of sorts, as the units haven’t been added to the retailer’s web site and a search for them turns up the standard TVs and HDTVs that are being sold.
If anyone has additional information about this, let us know.

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On Monday, Corsair announced that it had shipped its “Survivor” series of USB flash drives.
According to iPodObserver, the drives, which are available in four and eight gigabyte capacities, are wrapped in Computer Numerical Control-milled aluminum water-resistant up to 650 feet (or 200 meters) and contain an Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer waterproof seal as well as rubber molded collars to preserve the device’s integrity.
Moving beyond features seen in the the standard flash drive, the Survivor series includes both a new memory controller as well as dual channel interleaved memory to attain what the company claims is five time the transfer speed of a generic flash drive.
The Survivor four and eight gigabyte drives retail for US$59.99 and US$129.99, respectively and are backed by a 10-year limited warranty from the company.

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On Monday, Sling Media released SlingPlayer for Mac 1.0, a Mac OS X version of its media player software for the Slingbox device.
The software, which is currently available as a public beta, is a 55 megabyte download and allows Slingbox users to view content on their Macs. According the iLounge, the software purports to allow users to be able to view Slingbox content from an Apple TV as weel as “Front Row, iPod in Apple’s Universal Dock or iPod in an iPod Hi-Fi.” This version also allows viewing through the newly-released Apple TV system.
Sling Media claims the Slingbox device currently supports over 5,000 different devices, including the latest cable boxes and digital video recorders. Users can access the SlingPlayer remote from their Mac to change the channel or open a new media file.
SlingPlayer 1.0 for the Mac requires a 700 MHz G4 or 1.6 GHz Intel Core Duo processor and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later to run. The software is encoded as a Universal Binary and functions at native speeds on both PowerPC and Intel-based hardware.
If you’ve tried the beta and can provide feedback about it, let us know.

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Boston-based toy manufacturer Mimoco has announced that the company is now shipping its Star Wars-themed USB 2.0 flash drives. The drives, which are available in one gigabyte, two gigabyte and four gigabyte capacities, range from US$69.95 to US$149.95 according to Macworld News.
The drives, which are available in limited quantities, feature Darth Vader, Chewbacca, a Stormtrooper and R2-D2. The devices also ship with Star Wars content loaded onto the drive such as desktop wallpaper graphics, desktop icons, movie trailers and sound effects.
It’s a badge of dorkiness, but it’s also the 30th anniversary of some of the greatest films ever made. With that in mind, odds are your friends and loved ones will understand. And when you explain to your friends and loved ones that the drives are both Mac and Windows-compatible, only sincere admiration can follow.

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A recent report posted along with Apple’s newly-released Battery Update 1.2 firmware fix admits some problems which the software hopes to remedy. The update, which was released on Friday, is designed for the batteries that shipped with its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops between February 2006 and April 2007.
“Apple has recently discovered that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks may have battery performance issues,” the report explains.
According to Macworld UK, the report stresses that the batteries pose no safety risk – an important reassurance given the swelling issues that have accompanied various batteries since last year.
Apple’s report also states that the company is offering free battery replacement for batteries that exhibit the following symptoms after the update is installed:
-Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
-Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
-Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
-Battery pack is visibly deformed.
Free replacement batteries can be obtained “for up to two years from the date of purchase of the computer,” according to the report. Replacement checks can be conducted at Apple Store Locations, Apple Authorized Service Providers and via Apple’s telephone support system.
If you’ve had any experience, positive or negative with Battery Update 1.2, let us know.

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On Friday, Apple released Battery Update 1.2, a small firmware update for the following MacBook laptops:
-MacBook (Late 2006)
-MacBook Pro (15-inch)
-MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy)
-MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo)
-MacBook Pro (17-inch)
-MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo)
The firmware update is a small 244 kilobyte download and is designed to improve battery functionality.
Let us know how this works for you and if any changes, either positive or negative, are seen in your MacBook’s performance.

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School officials in Meridian, Ohio appear are taking the next step in cracking down on cheating in the classroom by banning the presence of iPods and digital media players during tests. The devices, which can be hidden under clothing with an earbud, have come into play as the next means of cheating after students have been caught text messaging answers to each other or having hints printed under the brims of their hats.
“It doesn’t take long to get out of the loop with teenagers,” said Mountain View High School Principal Aaron Maybon. “They come up with new and creative ways to cheat pretty fast.”
According to an Associated Press article on Yahoo! News, Mountain View High School has recently enacted a ban on digital media players such as the iPod when it was discovered that students had been downloading formulas and other test answers to them.
Specifically, students were found using iPod-compatible voice recorders to record test answers as song files, then load the answers onto the iPod and play them back during tests. Others had hidden answers into text files disguised as song lyrics.
“You can just thread the earbud up your sleeve and then hold it to your ear like you’re resting your head on your hand,” said 17-year-old senior Kelsey Nelson, who used to listen to her iPod after completing a test. “I think you should still be able to use iPods. People who are going to cheat are still going to cheat, with or without them.”
Click the jump for the rest of the story…

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