O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Exchange

  • AT&T offers revised timeline for T-Mobile merger

    attlogo

    Sometimes you’ve just got to wait for your gigantic telecom merger to take place.

    Per Macworld, AT&T has pushed back the expected date of its proposed US$39 billion merger with T-Mobile USA, saying now that the deal will close in the first half of 2012.

    When it announced the deal in April, AT&T said it expected to get regulatory approval within 12 months. But a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice and seven states, filed on Aug. 31, made that forecast unrealistic. The suit isn’t even scheduled to go to trial until Feb. 13, 2012.

    AT&T laid out the new timeline in a document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.

    The DOJ has argued that the merger would raise prices and stifle innovation by eliminating a low-price competitor. AT&T’s plans have also come under attack from some consumer groups and from Sprint Nextel and C-Spire Wireless, a smaller mobile operator. Earlier this week, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit by Sprint and C-Spire to go forward. Those carriers argue that the merger would make it harder for them to acquire new types of handsets because of exclusive deals that a combined AT&T and T-Mobile could make.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Microsoft releases 14.1 update for Office 2011, 12.2.9 update for Office 2008

    On Monday afternoon, Microsoft released version 14.1.0 (or Service Pack 1) of its popular Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac suite. The update, a 246 megabyte download, can also be located, snagged and installed via the Microsoft AutoUpdate program, offers the following fixes and changes:
    – Security is improved. This update fixes vulnerabilities in Office 2011 that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer’s memory with malicious code. For more information, see the security bulletin that was listed earlier in this document.

    – Stability is improved. This update fixes an issue that causes Office 2011 applications to close unexpectedly when you open or use Office 2011 applications.

    – Alt Text authoring is included. This update enables the authoring of Alt Text for objects, such as shapes, pictures, tables, charts, SmartArt, and movies in Office 2011 applications.

    Improvements for Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011:
    – The Solver add-in is included. This update includes functionality that lets you install the Solver analysis tools in Excel 2011.

    Improvements for Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac 2011:
    – Password protect functionality is included. This update includes functionality that lets you protect presentations in PowerPoint 2011 by using a password.

    Improvements for Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011:
    – Synchronization functionality is updated. This update increases support for Sync Services, and adds calendar, notes, and tasks syncing.

    – Rules functionality is improved. This update introduces support for Microsoft Exchange-based Server-Side rules.

    – Resend functionality is included. This update reintroduces functionality to resend an email message to the same or new recipients.

    – Redirect functionality is included. This update reintroduces functionality to redirect an incoming email message to other recipients.

    – Meeting invitation functionality is improved. This update improves creating meeting invitations by including a list of recently used locations.

    Microsoft Office 2011 requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run and is available for US$149.99 and up depending on the suite purchased.

    If you’ve tried the update and noticed any major changes, please let us know.

    In other news, Microsoft also released version 12.2.9 of its Office 2008 suite for Mac. The update, a 333 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

    – Improves stability. In addition, it includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer’s memory with malicious code.

    Microsoft Office 2008 12.2.9 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install and run and
    Microsoft Office 2008 with Service Pack 1. The update can, of course, be located and installed with the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool.

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

  • Apple releases long-awaited Mac OS X 10.6.5 update

    snowleopard

    After months of beta versions and development, Apple has released its Mac OS X 10.6.5 update for its Mac OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” operating system. The update, which varies in size depending on your presently installed version of the operating system, personally weighed in at over a 500 megabyte download.

    The update offers the following fixes and changes:

    – Improves reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers.

    – Addresses performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture.

    – Addresses stability and performance of graphics applications and games.

    – Resolves a delay between print jobs.

    – Addresses a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an AirPort Extreme.

    – Resolves an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal.

    – Addresses an issue in which dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide.

    – Resolves an issue in which Wikipedia information may not display correctly in Dictionary.

    – Improves performance of MainStage on certain Macs.

    – Resolves spacing issues with OpenType fonts.

    – Improves reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays.

    – Resolves a VoiceOver issue when browsing some websites with Safari 5.

    – Improves Bluetooth pairing with Magic Trackpad.

    – Resolves performance issues with third-party displays that use InstaPort technology.

    – Add SSL support for transferring files with iDisk.

    – Resolves an issue when opening 4-up Photo Booth pictures in Preview.

    – Addresses keyboard responsiveness issues in the Dock when Spaces is turned on.

    – Resolves an issue syncing Address Book with Google.

    – Fixes an issue when replying to a Mail message sent by a person whose name contains certain characters such as é or ü.

    – Improves performance for users bound to an Active Directory domain.

    – Improves reliability of Ethernet connections.

    – Systems with a Mac Pro RAID Card (Early 2009) installed can now be put to sleep. For more information, see Mac Pro RAID Card (Early 2009): Enabling system sleep.

    – Improves reliability of fibre channel connections, resolving a potential Xsan volume availability issue.

    – Adds RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.

    As usual, just open Mac OS X’s Software Update feature to locate, snag and install the update. The Mac OS X 10.6.5 update requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve installed the update and noticed any major changes, either positive or negative, please let us know.

  • Mac OS X 10.6.5: What Will Change

    snowleopard

    With Apple releasing Mac OS X 10.6.5 seeds to its developer community, word around the campfire is that the new OS update will address the following issues according to MacNN:

    AirPrint:
    Due for a release ahead of iOS 4.2, Mac OS X 10.6.5’s key focus will be interfacing with iPhones, iPod touches and iPads running the new flavor of iOS, to allow them to print wirelessly to any printer on that’s connected to a Mac on the same WiFi network via Apple’s new AirPrint technology.

    Without Mac OS X 10.6.5, devices updated to iOS 4.2 next month will only have the option of printing to the Print Simulator (an Apple development tool) or one of three HP Photosmart printers that already include built in support for AirPrint, and don’t require a Mac running 10.6.5:
    – HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-All-in-One Printer series – C410
    – HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One Printer series – C310
    – HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One Printer series- B210

    General Stability Enhancements:
    – Improve reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers.
    – Resolve a delay between print jobs.
    – Address a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an Airport Extreme.
    – Resolve an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal.
    – Address an issue where dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide.
    – Add SSL support for uploading files to iDisk.
    – Resolve an issue with Wikipedia information not displaying correctly in Dictionary.
    – Improve performance of MainStage on certain Mac systems.
    – Resolve spacing issues with OpenType fonts.
    – Improve reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays.
    – Resolve a VoiceOver issue when browsing some web sites with Safari 5.
    – Address stability and performance of graphics applications and games.

    While the last several pre-releases of Mac OS X 10.6.5 have contained no known issues, according to documents accompanying the betas, Apple continues to request that developers focus their testing efforts around a handful of key areas, namely traditional printing and AirPrint.

    In addition, developers have been asked to test the software against any of their own applications that include 3D graphics, make use of QuickTime, or read and write from USB devices. Apple has also been tweaking the performance of Time Machine, its automated backup software, for improved reliability.

    Mac OS X 10.6.5 is expected to arrive any time in the next few weeks. The last time Apple released an update to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was back in June, when it issued Mac OS X 10.6.4 to address trackpad issues and compatibility problems with Adobe’s Creative Suite 3.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • First Mac OS X 10.6.5 developer build out the door

    snowleopard

    Late last week, Apple seeded the first build of what will ship as the free Mac OS X 10.6.5 update later this fall.

    According to AppleInsider, the new build, numbered 10H525, incorporates fixes to existing problems with Exchange Server support, fixes user interface issues with embedded WebKit views in applications such as iTunes, and includes the graphics drivers in the earlier Snow Leopard Graphics Update release.

    Apple is asking developers in particular to test iCal, Mail, printing, OpenGL 3D Graphics, QuickTime and the X Window X11 subsystems.

    The current release of Mac OS X was last updated in June following WWDC. The initial developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.5 was anticipated to ship nearly a month ago in late July, but has continued to slip as Apple continues to focus its efforts on NVIDIA graphics drivers and related issues.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.