Mac|Life Internet and Communication RSS Feed

Updated: MacScan 2.7

SecureMac — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:50:38 -0500

MacScan is designed to detect, isolate, and remove spyware, keystroke loggers, trojan horses, and make you aware of remote administration applications which could have been maliciously or inadvertently installed on your Mac. MacScan is available for Mac OS X containing the latest definitions for spyware. With Internet privacy in mind, MacScan has added a blacklisted cookie scanner. This feature maintains a list of known tracking cookies, and when run, removes them from Web browsers in which they are found. No more losing saved usernames and passwords to websites when you want to clean your cookies.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.2.4 or later

To download a demo copy of MacScan 2.7 (5.2MB), click here.

Safari Beta A Security Risk

JC Domingo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:42:32 -0500

Update your Safari browser as soon as possible! According to SecureMac, if you have the older version of the browser, your computer might be in danger--both Macs and PCs. Malicious websites are known to steal files from the local systems using the Safari beta by just visiting them.

The attack occurs when an Xml eXternal Entity (XXE) is planted against the parsing of the XSL XML.

To update your Safari to the latest version, launch "Software Update" on your computer.

Safari Escapes from Beta

JC Domingo — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:22:39 -0500

After a few months in beta, Safari 4 is ready for action. Whether you're using Leopard or, (ahem) Windows, the new Safari is ready for download now.

If you haven't been test driving the beta, here are the new features.

The ‘Top Sites’ page allows you to navigate to your favorite websites by previewing up to 24 thumbnails all in one page. You can also personalize the display by relocating each in the grid, making it easier for you to find your top sites. You can also tell if each top site has changed since your last visit when you see a white star on the top-right corner by looking on the grid page. And, of course, each would be at your disposal.

If you're a fan of Cover Flow, Safari has you covered. Now you can review your site history and bookmarked sites in full-page versions, just like iTunes or navigating the Finder.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Just type what you’re looking for in the ‘Search’ bar. Typing a simple word or phrase will search through the whole browser.

Apple reports that Safari is the world’s fastest web browser, overshadowing Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. ‘Nitro Engine’ performs JavaScript at almost 8 times faster than Internet Explorer 8 and more than 4 times faster than Firefox 3 (testing on iBench and SunSpider).

‘Developer Tools’ allows you observe the structure of a page, debug JavaScript, optimize performance and compatibility, inspect offline databases, or test experimental pieces of code. Click here for more information and here for all 150 features.

Download and enjoy the new Safari 4 here for free! Happy browsing.

New: MacJournal 5.0.2

Mariner Software — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:37:24 -0600

MacJournal 5 organizes all your important information and helps chronicle your life faster and easier than ever before. Create a personal journal with MacJournal’s simple-to-use interface with two-level security (password protection and AES-256 encryption). MacJournal 5 allows users to add any kind of content, PDFs, QuickTime movies, images, and text. MacJournal 5 also introduces Smart Journals, which allow specific criteria to be searched upon. Assign each entry a rating, status, and priority, and sort any journal by those values. You can now record audio entries for your journal or even podcast! If blogging is more your style, MacJournal lets you publish your work as a blog (or record video from your iSight) to any of the popular blogging services, including your .mac account. Even blog video to blogs on Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, .mac, or many more. And while we're on the subject of your .mac account, MacJournal now supports .mac syncing! Experience how easy it is to keep your journal at your fingertips, even when you're on the road.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS X 10.4 or higher (including Leopard), Audio feature - Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, QuickTime 7 or higher

To download a copy of MacJournal 5.0.2 (16.2MB), click here.

Internet and Communication: Full Software List

The Software Vault — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:56:21 -0600

Here's a list of all the demos, trials, freeware, shareware, and donationware in the Internet and Communication section of the Software Vault. Check back often to see what's new and what's been updated.

Just click on any software title for more information and a download link.

Sponsors:

iSeek 1.1.3 shareware - iSeek is a handy little program for Mac OS X that allows you to instantly search for anything you seek, no matter what program you are running.

Dragster 1.0.5 shareware - A handy application that takes the drag out of file transfers.

FileMaker Pro 9 trial - A powerful, full-featured database system wrapped in an award-winning design.

MacScan 2.5 demo - Surf safely with this Internet-security utility.

OmniWeb 5.5 trial - This fully featured, great-looking Web browser is multithreaded for great performance.

Editors' Picks:

Periscope 1.5.4 demo - Periscope is the next generation of web cam software that lets you use your iSight to capture activity in front of your Mac’s camera and then save or share that image simply and automatically.

AirStatz freeware - Easily and quickly monitor your AirPort connection.

AlarmClockPro 8.0 trial - This iTunes and Web-enabled alarm clock enhances the quality and serenity of your daily life.

AOL Instant Messenger 4.7 freeware - Keep in touch with friends with IM and swap files while you're at it.

BrowseBack 1.3.1 trial - Scan through thumbnails of every Web page you've ever visited..

ButtonDesign 1.5 trial - Create buttons, and easily update styles and templates as your design changes.

Captain FTP 5.0 trial - Be the captain of the FTP seas with this powerful FTP client.
Chameleon 1.0 shareware - Streamline the modification of Web themes and templates.
Gallery Designer 1.0.3 shareware - Easily create Web-based photo, movie, and audio galleries.

iDropper Personal 1.2.2 and iDropper Enterprise 1.2.2 trials - Drag-and-drop FTP file transfer; easy, secure, and foolproof.

iGet 2.5.5 demo - This modern file-transfer tool supports all the file features that Mac users expect.

iGetter 2.6.1 shareware - Look ahead for better downloading from the internet.

Interarchy 8.5.3 trial - Gain control over most every Internet file-transfer function, plus work with remote servers.

MailSteward 7.6.1 demo - MailSteward will archive all of your email in a database for easy retrieval.

Multisite for iWeb 1.5 demo - Publish two or more iWeb sites to different Web servers.

MS Messenger 6.0.3 freeware - For Mac users who want to communicate instantly with family, friends and colleagues from one convenient place.
NetSpeedometer 2007 donationware - Graphically monitor the speed of your internet connection.
NetworkLocation 1.1 trial - NetworkLocation adds a whole new dimension to using OS X locations.

Opera 9.23 freeware - We're not talking about singing; we're talking about the free web browser.

Quickie Web Albums 4.3.2 demo - Quickly create custom web photo albums with ease with this app.

Sandvox 1.2.3 trial - The website creation tool for people who want to spend time developing their lives, not their websites.

Speed Download 4.1.12 trial - Take control of all your download and file-transfer tasks quickly and efficiently.

Skype for Mac 2.6 freeware - Make free video and audio calls to friends and colleagues across the globe.
SpamSieve 2.6 demo - SpamSieve brings powerful Bayesian spam filtering to Mac email clients.
Yummy FTP 1.6 trial - This fast, flexible, and reliable file transfer utility is wrapped in an intuitive user interface.

Periscope 1.5.4

Freeverse — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:53:27 -0600

Periscope is the next generation of web cam software that lets you use your iSight to capture activity in front of your Mac’s camera and then save or share that image simply and automatically.

Within seconds, you can configure Periscope to monitor a room for motion, sound or on a timer. Periscope will send real-time images to your e-mail, .Mac web page, or FTP site, and can upload to Flickr!

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later, 1-GHz G4, G5, or Intel-based Mac, 512 MB of RAM, 32 MB of video RAM, 500 MB of hard drive space, An iSight™ camera or Mac-compatible webcam, Microphone required for noise detection, Internet connection required for some features, .mac subscription required for .mac features, iPhoto features require iPhoto ’06 or later

To download a copy of Periscope 1.5.4 (4.5 MB), click here.

Updated: iSeek 1.1.3

Ambrosia Software — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:25:54 -0600

iSeek is a handy little program for Mac OS X that allows you to instantly search for anything you seek, no matter what program you are running. iSeek puts a familiar search field in your menu bar, needing just a click or keystroke to start your search.

Look up a word definition in the dictionary, or a synonym in the thesaurus, or even famous quotes that reference the word. Search for information on Google, in popular news sites such as the BBC News, MacNN.com, or even search for software on MacUpdate.com or VersionTracker.com

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.3.9 or later.

To download a demo copy of iSeek 1.1.3 (5.8MB), click here.

Updated: Dragster 1.0.5

Ambrosia Software — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:31:47 -0600

Dragster is an incredibly useful application that takes the drag out of file transfers. Just drag and drop files or folders on Dragster's icon in the Dock, and away they go! Dragster can send files via eMail, upload them to remote servers, copy them to your iDisk, or copy/move files anywhere on your local drives. Dragster isn't simply an FTP client, it supports FTP, SFTP, SCP, SMB (Windows File Sharing), as well as AFP (AppleShare) for file transfers.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.4 or later

To download a demo copy of Dragster 1.0.5 (9.4MB), click here.