Appletell

ScreenFlow [10/10; Review], the phenomenal screencasting application from Vara Software, has been updated to version 1.1 today.

ScreenFlow has been updated twice before, but this update is much bigger, packing new features. Vara says it has speeded exporting up by as much as 40%. Chapter markers have been added for easy jump-to navigation, and can be exported as QuickTime chapter tracks. Audio waveforms have also been added, allowing for easy viewing of areas where there might be a cough or other slip-up in the audio.

This update resolved all the little niggles I had with the product. My favorites: delete key now deletes selection, added automatic Software Update, grabbing the scrubber when playing will now stop playback, made it easier to hit 100% with the video scale slider, and overall CPU/ memory improvements.

For a complete list of fixes, head over to Vara Software.

Just after my recent Safari rant, Apple publishes an update.  This version, 3.1.1, fixes 39MB worth of security issues and bugs, one of which was the one that allowed a hacker to get full access of a MacBook Air at a recent PWN2OWN conference.  This update deals with four specific bugs and, in my opinion, is a very good step in the right direction.

More specifically, this update fixed an issue involving the way WebKit handled a host name containing a semi colon in the URL.  This bug, according to Apple, could allow a malicious URL to gain access to a machine.  Another issue fixed consisted of buffer overflows while handling JavaScript expressions.  This update is for both Mac users and Windows users, so be sure to download it for a more secure machine.

You can finds Apple’s detailed notes on this release at their site.

Yesterday, We reported on a cheat that would allow you to circumvent Apple’s time constraints on movie rentals. The cheat would allow you to increase the time before the rental expired by years. By setting your clock forward weeks, months etc., you could trick iTunes into giving you a lot more time to finish your flick.

This bug worked in both Mac and Windows, but the same day that Gizmodo reported on it, Apple apparently dropped a fix. Changing your system time and then trying to play movies now gives a “5103 error.” Of course with such a huge bug, I didn’t expect it to take very long for Apple to implement fix, but a few hours must be a record for them.

Gizmodo said they would continue to play around with their system time to see if they could find another way to trick iTunes, but I think Apple has gotten all the bases covered now.