O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Safari

  • Apple releases Mac OS X 10.7.2 seed to developers, includes built-in iCloud support for the first time

    It’s inevitable.

    And with system updates, that’s never a bad thing.

    Per AppleInsider, Apple on Sunday seeded Mac OS X 10.7.2 beta to developers with support for the beta version of iCloud incorporated directly into the build.

    For the first time, the pre-release version, labeled build 11C55, does not require a separate install of iCloud services. No known issues are listed for the beta. Apple reportedly lists iCloud, Address Book, iCal, Mail, Safari, and MobileMe as focus areas for the release.

    One source familiar with the matter also indicated that Apple has begun transitioning user accounts from MobileMe to iCloud, allowing the transfer of mail, contacts, and calendars to the iCloud.com.

    The last beta release of Mac OS X 10.7.2 came on Sept. 2 and included the 10th test version of iCloud as a separate install.

    Developers have seen a steady stream of beta software as Apple gears up for several major releases this fall. The launch of iOS 5 and iCloud will be supported by updated versions of iTunes and Mac OS X. Last Friday, Apple issued a beta release of iTunes 10.5, along with pre-release versions of iWork for iOS. The company also recently extended the test period of its iTunes Match service to additional developers.

    Apple launched Mac OS X 10.7 Lion on the Mac App Store in July. The company then updated its flagship desktop operating system to version 10.7.1 in August, adding improvements to Wi-Fi and audio out functionality.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Apple releases Mac OS X 10.7.1 update

    Late Tuesday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.7.1, the update to its recently-released Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” operating system. The update, a 79.1 megabyte download, features the following fixes and changes:

    – Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari.

    – Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out.

    – Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections.

    – Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion.

    The update can be located, downloaded and installed via the Software Update feature in Mac OS X.

    Mac OS X 10.7.1 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.7 to install and run.

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

  • Apple releases Lion Recovery Disk Assistant to function with external hard drives

    If your Lion partition is being finicky, this might help.

    Per AppleInsider, Apple on Monday released Lion Recovery Disk Assistant software to enable users to create recovery partitions on external drives.

    Lion Recovery Disk Assistant expands Apple’s Recovery features in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to add support for creating a Recovery Disk on external drives. According to Apple’s release notes for the software, the resulting partition has all of the same capabilities as the built-in Lion Recovery: reinstall Lion, repair the disk using Disk Utility, restore from a Time Machine backup, or browse the web with Safari.

    Creating an external Lion Recovery using the assistant requires that the Mac already have an existing Recovery HD. The external drive must also have at least 1GB of free space, while Lion Recovery Disk Assistant is a 1.07MB download.

    The new partition will not be visible in the Finder or Disk Utility on Mac OS X, but can be accessed by rebooting the Mac while holding the Option key.

    Users are warned that the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant will erase all data on the external hard drive. Apple recommends either backing up data or creating a new partition on the drive before running the assistant.

    Apple also notes that if the Recovery HD is created for a Mac that shipped with Lion, the external recovery drive can only be used with that system. However, if the the assistant is run on a Mac that upgraded to Lion from Mac OS X Snow Leopard, then the external recovery drives can be used on other systems that upgraded from Snow Leopard.

    Max OS X Lion contains a number of advanced Recovery tools, in part because the update is deployed over the Mac App Store, rather than via optical disk as with previous OS X versions. The latest Macs, which ship with Lion pre-installed, include a new Internet Recovery feature that allows users to start a Mac directly from Apple’s servers.

    Lion arrived on July 20 and was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours. The upgrade contains more than 250 new features, including AirDrop, Mission Control and full-screen apps.

    Apple plans to release a US$69 USB thumb drive loaded with Lion on its online store later this month.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Onyx 2.3.0 released

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    Onyx, Titanium Software’s popular freeware multifunction utility for Mac OS X, has been updated to version 2.3.0. The new version, a 18.8 megabyte download (courtesy of MacUpdate), adds the following fixes and changes:

    – Bug while deleting the Safari cookies corrected.

    – Some little improvements.

    Onyx 2.3.0 requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.

  • Adobe announce Edge 1.0 HTML 5 creation tool, offers preview for free

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    Sometimes you have to transition to the next thing.

    Per Adobe’s blog, Adobe has released a free public preview of Edge, a new motion and interaction design tool that lets users build Flash-style animated Web content using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

    Edge is planned for commercial release sometime next year and is designed to work in concert with the company’s existing professional design tools—Dreamweaver CS5.5, Flash Professional CS5.5, and Flash Builder 4.5 (as well as earlier versions)—is targeted to designers seeking an efficient way to use Web standards like HTML to create content featuring motion and transitions.

    The application works natively with HTML and lets users add motion to existing HTML documents without altering the design or CSS-based layout. Users can also import standard Web graphics such as SVG, PNG, JPG, and GIF files and style them using CSS3. It also lets users create visually rich content from scratch with familiar drawing tools that produce HTML elements styled with CSS3.

    The design stage (the workspace in Edge) uses WebKit to enable content design, preview, and manipulation. The timeline offers advanced techniques to boost productivity and precision in creating animations, and lets users define and customize motion applied to HTML elements, Adobe says.

    Content created with Edge is designed to work on browsers such as Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. Edge content can also be viewed on mobile devices running iOS, Android, BlackBerry Playbook, and HP webOS.

    Adobe Edge is immediately available worldwide for Mac and Windows and requires Mac OS X 10.6 or 10.7 or later to install and run the application.