When in doubt, go for a bit of a redesign.

Per 9to5Mac, Apple released its Apple TV 5.2.1 operating system on Tuesday. The update features bug fixes, security fixes and a redesigned Hulu interface that makes it easier and quicker to access content. Like other Apple TV features, the updated Hulu section now has a top-bar with categories. Users can now jump into each individual category to access content.

Apple TV users on the latest iOS version will receive the new interface automatically. Apple added Hulu to the Apple TV last summer after settling some “political” issues with the content provider. Apple is rumored to be adding HBO Go to the Apple TV later this year.

I’ll say this for Apple: it’s getting speedier on its iOS updates.

On Tuesday, Apple released iOS 6.1.3, a 107 megabyte download offering the following fixes for its supported iOS devices:

- Fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the passcode and access the Phone app.

- Improvements to Maps in Japan.

iOS 6.1.3 is available via iTunes or Over-The-Air updating and requires an iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, iPad 2, third or fourth-gen iPad, iPod Touch 4th Gen or iPad Mini to install and run.

You can’t knock a credible update.

On Tuesday, Dropbox released version 2.0.2 of its cloud-based storage client for Mac OS X. The new version, a 27.4 megabyte download (via MacUpdate), which adds the following fixes and changes:
- Fix a bug on OS X where the tray popup isn’t repositioned properly when plugging in an external monitor.

- Fix a bug on OS X where the tray popup can sometimes fail to appear.

- Fix a bug on OS X where the popup can fail to appear if the “Hide” option of the “Login Item” is set.

- Better reporting and handling of error conditions.

- Fix a bug where a notification’s time label sometimes contained incorrect information.

- Fix a bug where closing the client can trigger errors.

- Various performance improvement and bug fixes in rendering.

- Tweaks to notification acknowledgement.

- Minor tweaks to the tray popup’s UI.

- Other small fixes.

Dropbox 2.0.2 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install and run.

If you’ve tried the new beta and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

You can’t knock additional streaming options if they’re offered to you…

The Walt Disney Company, while sorting out the future of the online video Web site Hulu, has an app in the works that may render Hulu passé for some people.

Per the New York Times, the app will live stream ABC programming to the phones and tablets of cable and satellite subscribers. The app could become available to some subscribers this year, according to people briefed on the project, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

With the app, ABC, a subsidiary of Disney, will become the first of the American broadcasters to provide a live Internet stream of national and local programming to people who pay for cable or satellite. The subscriber-only arrangement, sometimes called “TV Everywhere” in industry circles, preserves the cable business model that is crucial to the bottom lines of broadcasters, while giving subscribers more of what they seem to want — mobile access to TV shows. The arrangement could extend the reach of ads that appear on ABC as well.

Disney already distributes similar live streaming and on-demand apps, known as “Watch” apps, for ESPN and the Disney Channel. Special hurdles exist, however, for the ABC app, in part because of contracts between the network and the companies that produce some of its shows that were written before mobile phone video streaming was even possible. Other complexities involve ABC’s local stations, which might — if not courted properly — feel threatened by an app.

But ABC, seeing shifts in consumer behavior, is pressing forward. The network has started to talk with stations about how to include them in the live streaming app. Illustrating the difficult contractual issues, ABC offhandedly first mentioned a forthcoming Watch ABC app in a news release nine months ago, when it signed a deal with Comcast to make several Watch Disney apps available to Comcast subscribers.

But the network live streaming ability is inching closer to fruition, the people briefed on the project said. A spokesman for ABC declined to comment.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

If your Windows 7 partition seems to be updating itself after you’ve booted into it, there’s a reason why.

Per ZDNet, as Microsoft marches toward its early April 2013 end of free support deadline for Windows 7, the company is planning to update automatically some of those who still have yet to install the first (and seemingly only) Service Pack for the operating system.

As announced on March 18 via its “Blogging Windows” blog, Microsoft plans to begin rolling out Windows 7 SP1 automatically, via Windows Update to Windows 7 users who still are running the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) version without SP1 installed. This process will begin on March 19.

From the blog post:

“Starting tomorrow, the installation will be fully automatic with no user action required for those who already have Automatic Update enabled. SP1 will be released gradually over the coming weeks to all customers on the RTM version of Windows 7. The service pack will take slightly longer to install compared to other updates. To ensure Service Pack 1 is installed without issue, customers should check for sufficient free disk space and that AC power is present on a laptop. If additional space needs to be created, we recommend using the Disk Cleanup tool to delete some files so that the service pack will install. If the service pack installation is interrupted, it will reattempt to install automatically after the next restart.”

This automatic update will be applied only to Windows 7 consumer PCs that are not managed via other Microsoft management tools like System Center Configuration Manager or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), the post noted. Some admins have chosen to temporarily block their users from getting SP1 until they’ve tested it to their satisfaction. Those in that category won’t be getting SP1 pushed to them starting tomorrow.

Windows 7 RTM, with no service pack installed, will no longer be supported as of April 9, 2013, according to a February 14 post on the Microsoft Springboard Series blog. Support for specific Windows releases ends 24 months after the release of a new Service Pack, and Windows 7 SP1 was released in February 2011.

Windows 7 SP1 mainstream (free) support continues until January 13, 2015. Extended (paid) support for Windows 7 SP1 is available until January 14, 2020. (Microsoft continues to provide security updates for free during the Extended support phase of a product.)

Microsoft made available last week a Windows 7 hotfix rollup that includes 90 previously released hotfixes.

So, if you’ve been lax with the “Windows Update” feature on your Windows 7 partition, it might just do it for you.

Adium, the open source instant message chat client with support for multiple programs (including AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo! Google Talk, Bonjour, etc.) has been updated to version 1.5.6.

The new version, a 22.8 megabyte download adds the following fixes and changes:
- Fixed a crash on startup on OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.

- Fixed a crash when accepting or canceling the certificate verification dialog. (#16280)

- Fixed a crash or hang when trying to use OTR on 32-bits Macs. (#16203)

Adium 1.5.6 is available for free and requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later and an Intel-based Mac to run.

If you’ve tried the new version and have any comments, let us know.

On Monday, software developer Quark released version 9.5.1 of its QuarkXPress design application. The 768 megabyte update, which can be downloaded here, adds the following changes:
- QuarkXPress 9.5.1 is a free update for QuarkXPress 9 that further improves quality and stability.

- Furthermore you can now embed fonts when creating content for HTML5 based apps with the new App Studio at AppStudio.net

QuarkXPress 9.5.1 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5.8 later to install and retails for US$799.00 for the full version.

If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

Late Friday, virtualization softare maker VMWare released version 5.0.3 of its Fusion software for the Mac.

Similar to other virtualization software packages, VMWare allows users to run alternate operating systems such as Windows and Linux distributions on Intel-based Macs at native speeds. Other features, such as Unity, allow users to run and minimize Windows applications from the Mac OS X Dock.

The new version, a 206 megabyte download, can be found here and offers the following fixes and changes:
- VMware Fusion 5.0.3 is a maintenance release that resolves some known issues. It is a free upgrade for all VMware Fusion 5 users.

- Added support for Boot Camp partitions on 3TB disk drives.

- Improved the cursor performance for select applications, especially when in Unity mode.

- McAfee AntiVirus Plus updated with Windows 8 support.

- Resolved an issue that could result in blurry graphics under certain circumstances.

- Resolved an issue that resulted in horizontal scrolling being reversed in Unity mode.

- Resolved an issue with displaying Office 2013 applications on some recent Macs.

- Improvements to vSockets.

Fusion 5.0.3 retails for US$49.99 and requires an Intel-based Mac, 2 GB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.6.7 or later (10.7 recommended) and a copy of Windows (if you’ll be installing Windows).

If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

VirtualBox, an open source x86 virtualization project available for free has just hit version 4.2.10. The new version, a 109 megabyte download, features the following fixes and changes:
- GUI: fixed keyboard with XQuartz X server (bug #10664).

- Main/Display: fixed a crash with multi-monitors under certain conditions (OS X hosts only).

- Main/Properties: fixed a crash under certain conditions, for example after wakeup from host hibernate (bug #11444).

- Settings: don’t lose the internal network settings if they are not currently active.

- Storage: another incompatibility fix for VHD differencing images with Hyper-V (bug #5990).

- VBoxManage: don’t read beyond the end of the file specified with export –eulafile (bug #11528).

- Linux hosts / guests: Linux 3.9-rc0 compile fixes (bug #11529).

- Linux Additions: fixed two warnings in the shared folders guest kernel module (bug #11390).

- Linux Additions: don’t crash VBoxService if libdbus is not available (bug #8638).

- Windows Additions: fixed upgrading MultiMedia Redirection (MMR) support.

VirtualBox 4.2.10 is available for free and requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 or later and an Intel-based Mac to install and run.

If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback, please let us know.

Just because you’re buying the economy model doesn’t mean you have to settle for a smaller screen.

Per AppleInsider, contrary to some rumors suggesting Apple’s low-cost iPhone will have a larger 4.5-inch display, the company’s new entry-level handset will have a 4-inch display, matching the size of the iPhone 5.

The details on Apple’s so-called “budget” iPhone were revealed on Friday by Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who has a reliable track record in predicting Apple’s future product plans. According to Kuo, the specs for Apple’s low-cost iPhone were decided in 2011, and the company is “unlikely to abruptly change” due to a market shift toward larger screens in the 5-inch range.

The new, less expensive iPhone model is said to have a “super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber.” The material will make it stronger, thinner and lighter than typical smartphone plastic casings, Kuo said.

He expects the thickness to be between 0.4 and 0.6 millimeters, which is thinner than the average plastic casing at between 0.7 and 1 millimeter.

The phone will also reportedly come in a range of colors, much like Apple’s iPod lineup. According to Kuo, there will be between four and six options, expanding from the black and white choices currently available on existing iPhone models.

Apple is said to have contracted with Foxconn as well as Green Point of the Jabil group for its strong and thin iPhone plastic casings. Hon Hai will both build casings and assemble the phones, while Jabil is expected to provide its casings to Pegatron, which will assemble the remaining iPhones. The analyst reported earlier this week that Apple was likely to diversify manufacturers for both its low-cost and legacy iPhones.

Kuo’s latest report issued on Friday was specifically issued to dispel claims made in the rumor mill that claimed Foxconn would be losing orders for Apple’s low-cost iPhone. The report erroneously indicated that the device would have a larger display than 4 inches.

The latest information from Kuo corroborates other rumored details present within the tech industry. That report claimed the “budget” iPhone will feature a 5-inch display like the iPhone 5, but will also borrow some design elements from the latest iPod touch and even the legacy iPod classic, with a flat back made of plastic.

In addition to a low-cost iPhone based on the design of the iPhone 5, Kuo also expects Apple to release an updated premium “iPhone 5S” later this year. He has previously revealed that the next high-end iPhone is expected to include a fingerprint sensor under the home button that will eliminate the need to enter passwords and potentially add new functionality such as secure e-wallet transactions through Passbook.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.