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Jeff Gamet

Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.

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iMovie, Apple Remote Desktop get Minor Updates

iMovie update fixes QuickTime, import issuesiMovie 9.0.7 fixed stability issues related to third-party QuickTime components, improved stability when reviewing MPEG-2 clips in the Camera Import window, and addressed a problem where audio might not be included when importing MPEG-2 content from cameras.The slim release notes for Remote Desktop Client Update 3.6 say Apple added IPv6…

Safari 6 Brings Unified Search Feature to Lion

Safari 6 for OS X Lion gets Smart Search FieldAlong with the unified Smart Search Field, Safari 6 also includes Offline Reading List support, Do Not Track support, a new Password pane for managing website logins, and support for the Chinese language Baidu search engine, bug fixes, and more.Safari 6 is available via Apple’s Software…

Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion on Mac App Store

Mountain Lion hits the Mac App StoreMountain Lion will include several features borrowed from iOS for the iPad such as Notification Center and Reminders, includes system-wide app-level support for Twitter and Facebook, offers tighter integration with iCloud, includes the new iMessages app, Gatekeeper for better app security, and more.The new OS includes system-level iCloud support…

New Mac Trojan Sidesteps User Permissions

Intego identifies new Mac trojanThe trojan runs on OS X 10.6 and 10.7, and continues to run after system reboots. If the target Mac also has Root access available, Crisis will install additional components designed to hide its presence.“The file is created in a way that is intended to make reverse engineering tools more difficult…

Developer Says Apple Fix Blocks His In-app Purchase Hack

The fix for now, according to Apple, is to follow the company’s best practices guidelines and to use receipt validation where developer’s servers verify through the App Store whether or not the receipt is legit.The developer behind the hack stated on In-AppStore.com,By examining last apple’s statement about in-app purchases in iOS 6, I can say,…

Video Review: yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro Earbuds

Reliable, good sounding, and comfortable earbuds are hard to come by for athletes, but the Ironman Inspire Pro earbuds from yurbuds manage to deliver on all counts. These earbuds even let the sounds around you pass through, making them safer for running, snow boarding or skiing. The earbuds do a great job of staying in…

ITC Rules Kodak Patent Invalid in Apple, RIM Case

ITC Blows Kodak patent infringement case out of the waterThe ITC panel upheld an earlier ruling, according to the Wall Street Journal, and said that as a result Apple and RIM couldn’t have violated trade laws in this case.Kodak claimed the digital camera preview system iPhone, as well as RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones, infringed on its…

China Sees Quiet Third Gen iPad Launch

While security staff was on hand at the flagship Apple Store in Beijing, lines were short and there didn’t seem to be any need for a police presence, according to The Next Web. In contrast, the iPhone 4S launch was chaotic and required police to help keep the crowds under control. That launch, however, didn’t…

Sprint Commits to Free 3G FaceTime, AT&T & Verizon Stall

“We are committed to our unlimited data and that means not charging for data consumption based on the application,” a Sprint spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.A dialog suggesting users will need to pay to use FaceTime over 3G connections in the beta version of iOS 6 has led to speculation that AT&T plans to…

Judge Bars Steve Jobs Comments in Apple, Samsung Trial

Judge Koh called the quotes irrelevant, and said, “I really don’t think this is a trial about Steve Jobs,” according to Reuters.Samsung doesn’t get to quote Steve Jobs in patent trialApple and Samsung have been fighting in courtrooms around the world over patent infringement complaints for over a year. Both companies claim the other is…

Qantas Dumps BlackBerry for iPhone

“Transition from the BlackBerry to the iPhone is part of Qantas’ broader mobility strategy and, once complete, will result in significant cost savings,” a Qantas spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.The airline will also support employee provided Android-based phones, but will provide iPhones as standard gear.The move is yet another blow to RIM as the…

Retina MacBook Pro Earns EPEAT Gold Ranking

EPEAT measures and ranks the recyclability of computers, and the group’s certifications are requirements for come company and government agency purchase programs.Apple’s withdrawal of all of its computers from the EPEAT program over a week ago led to speculation that the MacBook Pro with Retina Display didn’t earn a gold ranking thanks to its glued…

Apple to Retailers: Stop Selling Galaxy Tab

Apple wants retailers to stop selling banned Samsung productsThe letters Apple sent warned companies that they were required to “‘immediately remov[e] for sale the [banned product] from all physical and online venues under [their] direction or control,” according to Foss Patents.Apple and Samsung have been locked in a heated legal battle for more than a…

Hacker Offers Service to Work Around iOS In-App Purchases

The in-app purchase hack comes from the Russian developer ZonD8o and doesn’t require jailbreaking. Instead, users install two certificates and change their DNS settings to access in-app purchases without paying.Aside from the fact that using the hack to get in-app content without paying is stealing, it also exposes some of your personal information to the…

InDesign gets Temporary Fix for MacBook Pro, Air Crashes

InDesign users have been complaining about an issue where the application crashes when ever dialog windows appear, and considering how many actions trigger dialog windows, it left many unhappy designers unable to do their job. The problem affects InDesign users with a MacBook Pro with Retina Display or MacBook Air with USB 3.0 support, that…

Adobe to Fix InDesign Crash on New MacBook Pro, Air

Adobe working on InDesign crash fix for MacBook Pro, Air usersAdobe InDesign forum members noticed the problem on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models Apple released in June after installing MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) Software Update 1.0. Without the update installed, InDesign users aren’t experiencing the crashing issue.The update, according to Apple’s release notes,…

OS X Mountain Lion: Apple Lists Compatible Macs

Mountain Lion will support many, but not all, 64-bit MacsAccording to Apple’s Mountain Lion upgrade page, these are the oldest Macs that can make the move: iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) Mac mini (Early…

Amazon to Join the Smartphone Game

Amazon said to be designing its own smartphoneNews of Amazon’s plans comes courtesy of unnamed sources tipping off Bloomberg. Other unnamed sources claim Amazon has been working to buy up patents to defend itself should competitors like Apple threaten litigation over patent infringement.Much like the Kindle product line, including the Kindle Fire, a smartphone could…

Samsung Denied: Galaxy Tab 10.1 Injunction Stays in Place

Apple won the preliminary injunction in late June and quickly posted the US$2.6 million bond to put the ban into effect. Samsung responded by filing an appeal, although as of today that didn’t pan out.Samsung loses fight to lift Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunctionSamsung has been dealing with other blows in its patent fight with Apple…

Proview Scores $60M Settlement in iPad Name Fight

Apple settles iPad trademark dispute with ProviewThe fight between the two companies started in 2011 iver who actually owned the trademark on the iPad name in China. Apple claimed it legitimately purchased the rights to the iPad name from Proview before launching its popular multimedia tablet, but Proview said it didn’t authorize any trademark deal.Proview…

Apple Corporate Controller Betsy Rafael to Retire

Prior to working for Apple, Ms. Rafael worked for Cisco from 2003 to 2006 as the Principal Accounting Officer, and from 2006 to 2007 as Vice President and Corporate Controller. Prior to that, she worked Aspect Communications, Escalate Corporation, Silicon Graphics, and Sun.Ms. Rafael isn’t the only executive retiring from the company in the coming…

Apple Lands $89M Tax Break for Reno Data Center

Reno gambles on Apple with data center tax incentivesApple’s proposed data center will cover 350 acres, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, for cloud-based services. The center will eventually include 41 fulltime employees, 200 long-term contract employees, and will create 580 construction jobs.The data center is expected to bring in some $343 million in economic activity…

iBank Financial Management Comes to the iPad

iBank for the iPadiBank for the iPad supports editing entries, can split schedule, categorize and reconcile transactions, supports password protection for financial books, can backup data to iCloud, and supports Wi-Fi and WebDAV syncing with iBooks 4.5 for the Mac. The app also supports investment tracking, budgeting, and more.Users can also auto-download bank transaction records…

Preparing for MobileMe’s June 30 Shutdown

MobileMe: It’s time to move The transition from MobileMe to iCloud officially started on October 12, 2011, and both services will run concurrently through June 30. After that deadline, however, any content stored in MobileMe accounts will be lost forever. After migrating to iCloud, you’ll still have several of the same services you’re already used…