TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Webloghttp://www.tuaw.comTUAW - The Unofficial Apple Webloghttp://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gifTUAW - The Unofficial Apple Webloghttp://www.tuaw.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/MacTech Conference announced for November 2010http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/15/mactech-conference-announced-for-november-2010/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/15/mactech-conference-announced-for-november-2010/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/15/mactech-conference-announced-for-november-2010/#commentsDid you miss the Mac IT track at this year's WWDC, with its lively cross-pollination of Mac managers and developers? Good news, then -- there's a new conference in town, and it aims to raise everyone's game when it comes to learning about the Mac.

The MacTech Conference will be taking place for three days in LA on 11/3-5, giving Mac IT managers and developers a chance to get it together with leading presenters and instructors. For $899 (or less -- see below for an early bird deal) participants will get a lively two-track event for IT folk and developers, including all meals, sessions and special activities like a behind-the-scenes visit to Griffith Observatory.

"The whole idea of the MacTech Conference is to allow members of the Apple community to meet and exchange ideas," said Edward Marczak, the Executive Editor of MacTech and the chair of the conference program. "This will be spurred on by presentations from some of the best and well-known experts in the community."

TUAW is happy to be a media sponsor of the conference, and we're looking forward to meeting some of you there. That special early-bird registration option gives you $200 off that $899 registration cost, if you sign up before July 22 -- just click here to register.

MacTech Conference announced for November 2010 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogMacTech Conference announced for November 2010 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>conferencedeveloperenterpriseeventsitmactechmactech 2010Mactech2010Michael RoseThu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:00 ESTExchange users on iOS 4 need an updated config profilehttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/01/exchange-users-on-ios-4-need-an-updated-config-profile/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/01/exchange-users-on-ios-4-need-an-updated-config-profile/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/01/exchange-users-on-ios-4-need-an-updated-config-profile/#commentsThe path to ActiveSync nirvana for iPhone 4/iOS 4 users has not run all that smooth over the past couple of weeks. There were dramatic slowdowns for Google Apps and Exchange users who tried to synchronize calendar and mail data, although matters improved after the first day or two. Worse, some Exchange administrators noticed a drag on their servers associated with the influx of iOS 4 devices. Not so hot.

Good news, though: Apple has a suggested solution for these issues, and all it requires is downloading a new Exchange/ActiveSync configuration profile to your device (or, in the case of corporate deployments, scores of devices) and installing it. The new profile doesn't do much except extend the timeouts for contacting Exchange servers, but in this case that should get the job done.

If you've experienced this issue (or tried the fixed profile), let us know.

[hat tips to Engadget, Macworld]

Exchange users on iOS 4 need an updated config profile originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogExchange users on iOS 4 need an updated config profile originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>activesynccalendarconfigurationemailenterpriseexchangeiosios 4Ios4iphoneprofilessupportsynchronizationMichael RoseThu, 01 Jul 2010 20:00:00 ESTIT pros: Macs cost less to manage than PCshttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/15/it-pros-macs-cost-less-to-manage-than-pcs/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/15/it-pros-macs-cost-less-to-manage-than-pcs/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/15/it-pros-macs-cost-less-to-manage-than-pcs/#commentsThe Enterprise Desktop Alliance (an association of several Mac-centric IT vendors) recently surveyed 260 IT administrators in the US to find out which computing environment is cheaper to manage: PCs or Macs. It turns out Macs cost less to manage than PCs for 65% of the IT admins surveyed. 19% of survey respondents said the two platforms cost the same to manage, while 16% said PCs cost less to manage than Macs.

According to the survey, Macs were cheaper to troubleshoot and required fewer help desk calls; system configuration, user training, and servers/networks/printing were all cheaper for a Mac environment than a PC environment. Software licensing fees turned out to be nearly identical for both platforms.

The survey doesn't factor in the costs of the Macs themselves; Macs do present a large up-front investment, especially compared to the budget-priced Dells you usually see populating most office cubicles. However, half of the survey respondents noted they switched to a Mac platform because of a lower total cost of ownership.

The up-front cost is still a turn-off to many IT admins, though, some of whom clearly haven't even bothered shopping around for a Mac because of the perceived expense: "You can buy a PC for $400, while the cheapest Mac is over a thousand," one admin noted. Apparently someone's never heard of the Mac mini, which ranges from $599 for the cheapest model up to $999 for the server-class Mini. Even the cheapest Mac mini would be a more than capable replacement for a $400 Dell or HP computer.

After having worked in a PC-only office environment, I'm not surprised at all that Macs turn out to be cheaper to manage than PCs. The Dell workstations we used at my last job in the US crapped out on us all the time, and software issues cost us hours of lost productivity every week. Between Windows XP, Office 2000, IE 6, and Lotus Notes, our IT admins were kept very busy, especially since almost none of the rank-and-file office workers had the confidence to troubleshoot even the most basic Windows errors themselves. This was at a very large media corporation, too, one that easily could have afforded better hardware and software if they hadn't been so entrenched in the "Macs are too expensive" mindset.

Apple doesn't tend to go out of its way to target Macs to the enterprise, preferring instead to focus on everyday consumers. Even so, it looks like IT admins, frustrated with the support issues and high maintenance costs of PCs, are at least starting to consider the Mac as a viable alternate platform.

[h/t Infoworld]

IT pros: Macs cost less to manage than PCs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogIT pros: Macs cost less to manage than PCs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>enterpriseITMac MiniMacMinisurveyChris RawsonMon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 ESTEncouraged by iPhone market, Nuance announces new medical appshttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/01/encouraged-by-iphone-market-nuance-announces-new-medical-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/01/encouraged-by-iphone-market-nuance-announces-new-medical-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/03/01/encouraged-by-iphone-market-nuance-announces-new-medical-apps/#commentsDragon Dictation and Dragon Search from Nuance Communications were definite crowd-pleasers, so today the company is announcing specialized medical versions of the apps for physicians and medical professionals.

The first app is Dragon Medical Mobile Dictation. It is designed to allow clinicians to dictate patient notes, emails and text messages instead of typing them on a mobile device. The idea is to let medical professionals dictate and capture information in real time with a smartphone, without having to return to a desktop or laptop computer. The product is expected to be available before the end of the year.

Nuance is also announcing Dragon Medical Mobile Search, a variation of Dragon Search that will allow medical staff to search a variety of medical websites completely by voice using an iPhone. The app is expected to be released by April 30.

Finally, Nuance is unveiling Dragon Medical Mobile Recorder, a voice capture app that will allow clinicians to conduct on-the-go dictation using a smartphone. Once the sound is recorded, the file is forwarded through Nuance's background speech recognition technology and into a transcription where a high quality draft is created, then returned for review and sign off. The Dragon Medical Recorder is due before the end of this year.

Nuance estimates that by the end of next year, 81% of physicians will be using smartphones. More interesting is that the company research shows the iPhone breaking away from the pack of other smartphones to be the preferred device in the medical enterprise. According to the Nuance research, the Blackberry is still the leading smartphone among physicians, but the iPhone growth is explosive and almost doubled in use by physicians between 2008 and 2009. In a July survey of Medical Students it was found that 45% owned an iPhone or an iPod touch. Of those who did not own a smartphone, 60% planned to buy an iPhone or iPod touch within a year.

That has to be good news for Apple, and I would expect Steve Jobs and colleagues to continue to push the iPhone into the enterprise in the coming months.

For Nuance Communications, it's a further endorsement of Apple products. Earlier this month Nuance bought MacSpeech, the company that produces MacSpeech Dictate. The application uses the Dragon speech recognition engine. Nuance also provided the voice recognition that powers the popular Siri app for the iPhone, that lets users do searches with natural language queries.

Peter Durlach, the Senior V.P. of marketing and Strategy for Nuance, told me the company is also taking a close look at the Apple iPad for use by medical professionals. The company will see if the form factor works for doctors and nurses, and Durlach says he expects the iPad to be an important part of future Nuance solutions.

Encouraged by iPhone market, Nuance announces new medical apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogEncouraged by iPhone market, Nuance announces new medical apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>DragionMediclaMobileSearchDragon DictateDragon Medical Mobile DictationDragon Medical Mobile RecorderDragonMedicalMobileDictationiPadiPhoneiPod touchmedical softwareMedicalSoftwarespeech recognitonspeech to textSpeechToTextMel MartinMon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 ESTParallels gets down to bare metal with new server softwarehttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/25/parallels-gets-down-to-bare-metal-with-new-server-software/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/25/parallels-gets-down-to-bare-metal-with-new-server-software/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/25/parallels-gets-down-to-bare-metal-with-new-server-software/#comments


Parallels has announced a new version of Parallels Server for Mac called the Mac Bare Metal Edition. It's optimized to provide better performance for virtual machines running on an Xserve, and allows multiple, isolated virtual machines to run simultaneously on the same server. Using "hypervisor" server virtualization, system administrators can run, say, Snow Leopard Server, Windows 7 and Linux all at once.

In case you're curious, a hypervisor is a virtual machine monitor which directly controls the hardware ("bare metal") of the host machine without using device drivers from another operating system. At least, that's how I understand it.

A new utility, Parallels Virtual Automation, also provides an extended set of tools for managing, monitoring and maintaining virtual machines.

This is the first "bare metal" hypervisor for Intel-powered Apple machines, and it sounds pretty cool. I'm not in a position to try this out, but I'd welcome feedback from readers who get their hands on a copy and put it to the test. Single licenses of Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition are priced at US$1,248.75, and there's a trial download available.

Parallels gets down to bare metal with new server software originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogParallels gets down to bare metal with new server software originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>bare metalBareMetalhypervisoroperating systemOperatingSystemparallelsserverserver virtualizationServerVirtualizationvirtual machineVirtualMachinexserveBrett TerpstraThu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 ESTMacworld 2010: Microsoft's MacBU talks Office for Mac 2011http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-microsofts-macbu-talks-office-for-mac-2011/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-microsofts-macbu-talks-office-for-mac-2011/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-microsofts-macbu-talks-office-for-mac-2011/#comments
The next version of Microsoft's Office suite, slated for arrival during the fourth quarter of 2010, has a new name, enhanced functionality, and even a more streamlined look. TUAW met with members of the Microsoft Mac Business Unit (MacBU) on Thursday to hear how the developers of Office for Mac are responding to requests from users to make it easier to work on documents across platforms.

Some of the most welcome additions to the suite from an author's point of view are the co-authoring tools (see below). These tools enable Mac users to work on Office documents across platforms and locations, eliminating issues with version control. Office for Mac 2011 will have a Presence Everywhere feature providing status updates on who is working on a document at a particular time. The suite will also connect to Microsoft Office Web Apps (currently in beta) so that any Office documents can be shared or accessed from any Internet-connected computer.

Microsoft has taken a cue from the "tool ribbon" in the existing Windows Office applications and changed the Office for Mac user interface to be familiar to Windows users, yet intuitive to Mac users. The team noted that more than 80 percent of the features used most by Office users are now located in the tool ribbon so that the users don't have to dig around to find tools.

The MacBU had previously announced that the Office 2008 collaboration application, Entourage, would be replaced by Outlook for Mac. According to the team, Outlook for Mac utilizes the Exchange Web Services protocol and is a Cocoa app, providing not only additional Exchange compatibility but also better integration with Mac OS X. Many Microsoft customers had requested that Outlook for Mac have the ability to import .PST files from Outlook for Windows, and that wish has been granted. The single database used in Entourage is being replaced with a high-speed file-based database that works well with Spotlight and Time Machine.

If you need to make sure that sensitive documents or information are not spread outside the confines of your company's email system, Information Rights Management is now built into Outlook for Mac. That essentially puts a lock on sensitive information, insuring that it isn't readable by non-authorized personnel.

Microsoft's MacBU wants to hear from you! The team has a Twitter account (@OfficeforMac), a Facebook page, and a blog, and they'd love to hear your input about this application suite. We'll be sure to keep you updated as we get closer to the release date.

Macworld 2010: Microsoft's MacBU talks Office for Mac 2011 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogMacworld 2010: Microsoft's MacBU talks Office for Mac 2011 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cloud computingCloudComputingcollaborationMicrosoftmicrosoft officeMicrosoftOfficeOffice for Mac 2011OfficeForMac2011softwareSteven SandeFri, 12 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTMacworld 2010: Box.net now supported in QuickOffice iPhone apphttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-box-net-adds-quickoffice-support-to-iphone-app/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-box-net-adds-quickoffice-support-to-iphone-app/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/12/macworld-2010-box-net-adds-quickoffice-support-to-iphone-app/#commentsThe storage mavens at Box.net took a few moments for us on the show floor at Macworld this week to demo the iPhone app that links to their service, which provides quick and consistent access to all your stored files; you can also view common file types, and even send download links to folders or files anywhere in the world. The latest update adds the ability to comment on files or folders from inside the app.

Another new addition at the show is the capability for QuickOffice users on the iPhone to open and edit Box.net stored files (via the $9.99 QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite), which could provide a big productivity boost. It was impressive -- with the app, you can jump in and edit Box.net files from anywhere. Good stuff.

And heck, just imagine what's around the corner for iPad users with QuickOffice and Box.net. If QuickOffice is able to pull off an app like this on the iPhone, we can't wait to see what they do with the extra multitouch space.

Macworld 2010: Box.net now supported in QuickOffice iPhone app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogMacworld 2010: Box.net now supported in QuickOffice iPhone app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>box.netiphonestorageMichael RoseFri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:00 ESTDiscCloud teams up with Attevo to provide remote home folder servicehttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/11/disccloud-teams-up-with-attevo-to-provide-remote-home-folder-ser/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/11/disccloud-teams-up-with-attevo-to-provide-remote-home-folder-ser/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/11/disccloud-teams-up-with-attevo-to-provide-remote-home-folder-ser/#commentsFor a Mac enterprise administrator, hosting your users' data someplace other than their valuable, easily-misplaced laptops is generally a good idea. Combining that with the powerful management and storage capabilities of a VMware infrastructure seems like an equally good idea, and that's where the DiscCloud platform comes in.

The toolset provides login and sync for remote users on their Macs, with all their data stored in VMDK files back in the home data center for easy backup and management. Unlike terminal services (Citrix-esque) solutions for distributed user populations, this approach preserves the application performance of the local machine while only sending the changed data back and forth to maintain synchronization between the user and the servers.

DiscCloud is teaming up with integrators/consultants Attevo to provide service packages for companies and institutions that are interested in implementing this approach. See the video below for a short demo.

DiscCloud teams up with Attevo to provide remote home folder service originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogDiscCloud teams up with Attevo to provide remote home folder service originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>attevodisccloudremoteuser folderUserFoldervmwarewanMichael RoseThu, 11 Feb 2010 20:30:00 ESTKerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new featureshttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/#commentsKerio, developers of Kerio Mail Server, announced today that a new version of their powerful enterprise-class collaboration product is now available. Kerio Connect 7, as the product is now called, is a re-branding of the venerable server application that illustrates that the package has gone well beyond just being a mail server.

John Jones of Kerio explained the details of the new release in a recent phone interview with TUAW. Kerio Connect 7 now allows distributed servers to work with one another, making it possible for large enterprises with widely-dispersed facilities to place servers at locations local to each office.

The multiple servers can behave as a single, large server, sharing calendars and global address lists, and users can be easily moved between servers for load balancing. The new release also provides web-based administration tools.

The minimum size group license for Kerio Connect 7 is 5 users, making it possible for small organizations to start out with a power collaboration server, and then scale up as they gain employees. Kerio Connect 7 also supports CardDAV and CalDAV, providing a way for organizations to share address books and calendars. The server is, of course, cross-platform (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux) and works well with all clients including iPhone and Android phones. In addition to running natively, Kerio Connect 7 can be run on a virtual machine under either VMWare or Parallels.

The upgrade is free to customers who have purchased support and maintenance from Kerio, and other pricing for the product can be found on the Kerio website.

Kerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogKerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>enterpriseKeriokerio connectkerio connect 7KerioConnectKerioConnect7mail serverMailServerSteven SandeTue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:00 ESTZimbra and VMWare get married, cloud-shaped kids expectedhttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/13/zimbra-and-vmware-get-married-cloud-shaped-kids-expected/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/13/zimbra-and-vmware-get-married-cloud-shaped-kids-expected/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/13/zimbra-and-vmware-get-married-cloud-shaped-kids-expected/#commentsIn the world of Mac email and collaboration servers, there are some big names -- Apple (of course, with Mac OS X Server's mail and calendaring features), Kerio, and Zimbra. Zimbra Collaboration Suite is a popular and powerful email server and shared calendar for Linux and Mac OS X. The features of ZCS rival and in most cases surpass those of Microsoft Exchange, and did I mention that it runs on Macs?

VMWare announced on Tuesday that they are acquiring Zimbra from Yahoo! Inc. The maker of the popular VMWare Fusion virtualization software for Mac OS X, VMWare has been moving in the direction of providing cloud solutions, and the acquisition of Zimbra fits those plans perfectly.

According to Brian Byun, VP and General Manager of Cloud Services for VMware, "Zimbra is a great example of the type of scalable 'cloud era' solutions that can span smaller, on-premise implementations to the cloud. It will be a building block in an expanding portfolio of solutions that can be offered as a virtual appliance or by a cloud service provider. We are excited to welcome the Zimbra team and community to the VMware family."

The press releases from both companies note that the free Open Source Edition of Zimbra Collaboration Suite will continue being developed in the future.

Zimbra and VMWare get married, cloud-shaped kids expected originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogZimbra and VMWare get married, cloud-shaped kids expected originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>calendarcollaborationemailenterpriseservervirtual machineVirtualMachinevmwarezimbraSteven SandeWed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 ESTApple Remote Desktop 3.3.2 update now availablehttp://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/12/apple-remote-desktop-3-3-2-update-now-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/12/apple-remote-desktop-3-3-2-update-now-available/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/12/apple-remote-desktop-3-3-2-update-now-available/#commentsFor management of large Mac deployments, one of the more venerable tools for administrators is Apple Remote Desktop. The application not only provides information on the status of every Mac on a network, but allows admins to push software loads, remotely control machines, and do detailed asset management.

Yesterday, Apple updated Apple Remote Desktop to version 3.3.2. The new update provides better performance in terms of the remote management tools, as well as better overall stability. There's an update (4.21 MB) to the client software (which is part of the OS and enabled in System Preferences), as well as a much larger update to the administrative software (51.41 MB). The updates require Mac OS X 10.6 or later, Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later, or Mac OS X 10.4.11, or the equivalent Mac OS X Server version. The update requires at least Apple Remote Desktop 3.0 to be installed, although there is some limited compatibility with 2.x client software.

So, what's fixed in 3.3.2? Setup is improved, with additional support for clients using Network Address Translation (NAT) and better reliability when new client computers are being authenticated to the admin software. Previous versions had issues with reporting failed software installations, issues with reporting of MacBook Air MAC addresses, and some problems with reliability of reporting systems configured with AirPort. Those issues have been addressed in 3.3.2.

The fix also provides improvements with the remote assistance features, particularly with systems with dual graphics processors or two displays. Mouse cursor tracking while controlling remote systems has been improved, and there's more reliable drag-and-drop file copy to remote Macs. You can download the update at Apple's Support Downloads page, and it is also being delivered via Software Update.

[via Macworld]

Apple Remote Desktop 3.3.2 update now available originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogApple Remote Desktop 3.3.2 update now available originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>administrationapple remote desktopAppleRemoteDesktopenterprisesoftware updateSoftwareUpdateSteven SandeTue, 12 Jan 2010 13:30:00 ESTBeta Beat: LogMeIn Pro2 for Macintosh now in free public betahttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/18/beta-beat-logmein-pro2-for-macintosh-now-in-free-public-beta/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/18/beta-beat-logmein-pro2-for-macintosh-now-in-free-public-beta/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/18/beta-beat-logmein-pro2-for-macintosh-now-in-free-public-beta/#comments
 LogMeIn, providers of the LogMeIn service for remote control of computers, has opened a public beta of LogMeIn Pro2 for Mac. The company currently provides LogMeIn Free for Mac, as well as LogMeIn Ignition for iPhone [US$29.99, iTunes Link], allowing Mac and iPhone users the ability to securely control remote Macs and PCs from their Apple devices.

LogMeIn Pro2 will be similar in functionality to the existing Windows version. Through the service and software, people can connect to a Mac from a Mac or Windows machine, control it, print documents, and share and transfer files.

Registration is required in order to download the software and set up a remote session on the service, and the developer would like feedback from beta participants. Several beta releases are expected, and registered users will be notified of code updates.

At this time, no pricing is available for the service. The Windows version currently costs US$65 per year, and the Mac beta version is available for free.

[via macnn]

Beta Beat: LogMeIn Pro2 for Macintosh now in free public beta originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogBeta Beat: LogMeIn Pro2 for Macintosh now in free public beta originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>betalogmeinlogmein ignitionLogmeinIgnitionmacremote controlRemoteControlwindowsSteven SandeFri, 18 Dec 2009 16:30:00 ESTKayak's business model upended by iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/14/kayaks-business-model-upended-by-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/14/kayaks-business-model-upended-by-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/14/kayaks-business-model-upended-by-iphone/#commentsDevelopers are learning that iPhone users want sophistication and features in their apps, not watered-down functionality. A report in GigaOM shows that not only are companies finding that slimmer isn't better when it comes to apps, but that one company is actually changing their business model based on what they found out about how iPhone users were using their app.

Travel search service Kayak based its first iPhone offering on the assumption that a mobile user would most likely use the app if her flight had been canceled and she needed a replacement reservation. As a result, the initial app didn't have features like flexible date search.

While the Kayak app [free, iTunes link] was very successful for the company, with over 600,000 downloads since February now accounting for 5% of Kayak's search volume, users demanded the full functionality that they found on the company's website.

Kayak went back to the drawing board and recently released version 2.0 of the app, with some major improvements. However, since Kayak is a search engine, iPhone users still end up being pushed to other travel websites, which means that they have to put up with tiny renditions of full pages and non-loading Flash sites. This "concierge" model obviously needed some work for the iPhone client.

The growing movement towards iPhones and other handheld devices becoming laptop replacements has forced a change in Kayak's business model. In 2010, Kayak will introduce an iPhone-friendly wallet system that will give users the chance to book travel from their devices. That wallet will save credit card, frequent flier, and flight preference information. Kayak will use the wallet to enter data into travel provider sites, and then send the users an alert when the booking has been completed. This change, forced by the growing use of iPhones, will most likely be reflected on the main Kayak website as well.

Do you know of any other companies that have had to change their business model because of the success of the iPhone? We'd like to know -- please leave a comment below.

Kayak's business model upended by iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogKayak's business model upended by iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>businessbusiness-modelsdevelopmentdisruptive technologyDisruptiveTechnologyenterpriseiphonekayaktravelSteven SandeMon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 ESTMore growth seen for iPhone in businesshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/24/more-growth-seen-for-iphone-in-business/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/24/more-growth-seen-for-iphone-in-business/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/24/more-growth-seen-for-iphone-in-business/#commentsSupport continues to grow for the iPhone in the enterprise. TBI Research (subscription required) says Apple's answer to telephony is gaining ground in business, thanks largely to employees and execs grabbing an iPhone for personal use and deciding they just have to have it for work as well.

TBI sees the iPhone having trouble in two of the biggest industries in the US. Government and finance are likely to keep favoring Research in Motion's BlackBerry, though Apple could take enough of the rest of the sectors to make up for what it misses. "The two industries we see as the least likely of switching from Blackberries are Finance and Government," says a TBI research note. "These are huge industries, but they make up only 20% of the total US workforce. That still leaves 80% of the total 150 million US workforce."

Meanwhile TBI sees iPhone adoption ramping-up aggressively in industries such as media, entertainment, hospitality, transportation, and consumer packaged goods.

TBI's report dovetails nicely with a report at the beginning of the month from Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore. Early in November, Whitmore said he expected to see 2 million iPhones in the enterprise market by the end of this year, giving Apple roughly 7% of the business end of smartphones in the US.

[via MacNN]

More growth seen for iPhone in business originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogMore growth seen for iPhone in business originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>blackberrybusinessdeutsche bankenterpriseiphonemacnnmarketresearch in motionrimKen RayTue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 ESTDrobo supersizes product line with the new, faster Drobo S and DroboElitehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/23/drobo-supersizes-product-line-with-the-new-faster-drobo-s-and-d/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/23/drobo-supersizes-product-line-with-the-new-faster-drobo-s-and-d/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/23/drobo-supersizes-product-line-with-the-new-faster-drobo-s-and-d/#commentsThis morning, Data Robotics doubled the size of their Drobo storage line with two new products equipped with the proprietary BeyondRAID technology -- the Drobo S and the Drobo Elite.

The Drobo S (at right) is a performance storage device designed to answer the question "Why isn't there a Drobo with an eSATA interface?" Not only does the Drobo S have the eSATA interface that many have requested, but the device is now equipped with an even faster ARM processor for enhanced FireWire 800 connectivity.

Like the DroboPro, the Drobo S can offer protection from two simultaneous drive failures. To do this and still offer a large amount of protected storage capacity, the Drobo S has five drive bays instead of the four on the original device, while still maintaining a small desktop footprint. The dual-drive redundancy option can be switched on or off at any time.

As with the DroboPro, the new member of the Drobo family has self-healing technology built-in. The device constantly examines the blocks and sectors of all drives, and flags questionable areas. By scrubbing the drives, data is only written to "healthy" areas on drives in the array.

Mark Fuccio of Data Robotics told TUAW that the eSATA interface provides data transfer up to 50% faster than what was available with FireWire 800, or about 90 MB per second.

Earlier in 2009, the DroboPro brought even more expandability to the Drobo line with eight available drive bays and an iSCSI (Gigabit Ethernet) interface. While the DroboPro had immediate success in locations with a single server, it couldn't multi-host -- in other words, it couldn't be used by multiple servers simultaneously.

Continue reading Drobo supersizes product line with the new, faster Drobo S and DroboElite

Drobo supersizes product line with the new, faster Drobo S and DroboElite originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogDrobo supersizes product line with the new, faster Drobo S and DroboElite originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>data roboticsDataRoboticsdroboeSATAiSCSIstorage area networkStorageAreaNetworkSteven SandeMon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:00 ESTWorking with the new Apple Mac mini Server and Snow Leopard Serverhttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/19/working-with-the-new-apple-mac-mini-server-and-snow-leopard-serv/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/19/working-with-the-new-apple-mac-mini-server-and-snow-leopard-serv/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/19/working-with-the-new-apple-mac-mini-server-and-snow-leopard-serv/#comments
It's always nice when, as a Mac consultant, I can play with the latest hardware and software and get paid to do it. Last week was no exception, and when I received a call from a new client who wanted assistance with a Mac mini Server, I jumped at the chance. Since the introduction of the Mac mini in early 2005, I've been using "regular" Mac minis as servers, and they've worked flawlessly. I had two servers of my own at Macminicolo.net for quite some time, and Brian Stucki, the owner of that Mac mini colocation firm, noted in a discussion a few years ago that the failure rate on the mini hardware is phenomenally low. I've set up Mac minis with Mac OS X Server for architectural firms, PR companies, design firms, non-profits, and a number of other companies that needed centralized control of digital assets, but didn't want to spend a lot of money to do so. Usually after setting up these servers, I rarely, if ever, need to go back and fix anything.

Unboxing the server (sorry, no unboxing movies this time...) unveiled a plastic-wrapped mini Server and the traditional power brick, along with a small box containing Mac OS X 10.6 Server and assorted manuals. While I didn't check for the usual Apple stickers, I did find the server software serial number cards that are essential during the setup process.

There was a bit of a holdup when I discovered that the server came with a mini-DVI to DVI adapter, while I had brought my old VGA display with me. Fortunately, one of the employees on-site had a monitor that was quickly pressed into service, and after plugging in the keyboard, mouse and power, the server quickly booted up.

Apple is marketing the Mac mini Server as "Easy to set up. Easy to run," and they're right on -- to a point.

Continue reading Working with the new Apple Mac mini Server and Snow Leopard Server

Working with the new Apple Mac mini Server and Snow Leopard Server originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogWorking with the new Apple Mac mini Server and Snow Leopard Server originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>mac mini servermac os x serverMacMiniServerMacOsXServerserversnow leopard serverSnowLeopardServerSteven SandeThu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 ESTHiring a new sheriff: Apple clamping down on jailbreaking to soothe corporate angst?http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/10/hiring-a-new-sheriff-apple-clamping-down-on-jailbreaking-maybe/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/10/hiring-a-new-sheriff-apple-clamping-down-on-jailbreaking-maybe/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/10/hiring-a-new-sheriff-apple-clamping-down-on-jailbreaking-maybe/#commentsWith the latest jailbreaking code, blacksn0w, now available for Geohot's blackra1n utility, iPhone owners who want to free their favorite smartphone from the constraints of the App Store and the AT&T network may do so. But a recent report by PCWorld / Network World indicates that Apple is hiring a new "sheriff" to lock up the iPhone platform for good. Is this true? Maybe not.

According to the post by Network World blogger John Cox, an Apple corporate website is showing a job posting for an iPhone platform security manager. The manager would lead a team aimed at creating methods for secure booting and installation of the iPhone OS, strengthening the platform's cryptographic services, partitioning and hardening internal security domains, and providing risk analysis of security threats.

The post goes on to breathlessly state that this job posting (which is noted as filling an existing position, not creating a new one) is indicative of Apple's concern that enterprise users might jailbreak and unlock their iPhones. The jailbroken phones would let enterprise users load apps that could "threaten corporate data or back-end Exchange servers," and "unlocking the phone... makes it hard to track, monitor and optimize wireless costs and could open the enterprise to legal problems."

Why is it so important for Apple to crack down on jailbreaking and unlocking? Well, the post says that many enterprises are adopting the iPhone "despite the fact that Apple provides virtually no security or management infrastructure..." That last statement is a bit ridiculous, considering that Apple even provides a series of white papers on exactly how to implement secure, managed iPhone deployments in enterprises.

Perhaps the author has been out the enterprise world for a while, since alterations like jailbreaking and unlocking are forbidden by policy in almost all big businesses that provide their employees with phones. As Mike Rose put it succinctly, "What enterprise user is jailbreaking their phone to use T-Mobile when that means they won't get reimbursed for their cell costs? What enterprise user wants to risk getting cut off from Exchange access?" And what enterprise employee is going to risk his or her good graces with the corporate security team for the sake of being able to run SplatCam or Cycorder on the iPhone?

The post tries to tie the rather innocuous task of filling an open job posting to an attempt by Apple to try to shut off the jailbreak world -- which, if it is doing, isn't necessarily about covering corporate requirements. As long as there are people who want to jailbreak their phones or unlock and move them to a different GSM carrier, hackers will find a way to do it. To us, it appears that Apple is just trying to maintain and improve security for the iPhone platform, something that will benefit all iPhone owners.

Hiring a new sheriff: Apple clamping down on jailbreaking to soothe corporate angst? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogHiring a new sheriff: Apple clamping down on jailbreaking to soothe corporate angst? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>enterpriseiphonejailbreakjailbreakingsecurityunlockSteven SandeTue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 ESTParallels Desktop 5 ships with a host of new and improved featureshttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/parallels-5-ships-with-a-host-of-new-and-improved-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/parallels-5-ships-with-a-host-of-new-and-improved-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/04/parallels-5-ships-with-a-host-of-new-and-improved-features/#commentsThere are two kinds of people in the Mac world: those who sometimes need Windows, and those who don't. If you're one of the latter group, feel free to skip the rest of this post.

Parallels 5 for Mac has been released, with Snow Leopard compatibility, Windows 7 support, full support for Aero, including Flip 3D in Windows Vista and 7 & OpenGL 2.1 and a host of other new or improved features. You aren't limited to Windows either; Parallels also adds support for OpenGL 2.1 support for Linux guest operating systems. (Although we're a Mac site, I'm glad to see other OSes getting some development attention too.)

It is a free upgrade for those who purchased version 4 on October 1st, 2009 or later. Others will have to pay $49.99USD to upgrade, or $79.99 for a new license.

Parallels is also offering crossgrade licensing to VMware Fusion 2 users. If you have a license key for Fusion 2, you can get Paralells 5 for the same $49.99 upgrade fee as existing Parallels customers.

If you're new to Parallels, check out their introductory video for an overview of how it works.

If you need Windows to go with your Intel Mac, there are a lot of options: Parallels, VMware Fusion (which also recently released a new version), Boot Camp (although Apple isn't yet supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp), CrossOver, and if you're willing to do a little more "nerd work" to set it up, you can even set up Windows virtualization for free with Sun's VirtualBox tool (well, "free" plus the cost of Windows).

Parallels and VMware Fusion seem destined to be the dueling "favorite flavors" of Windows virtualization on the Mac like Coke vs. Pepsi or vanilla vs. chocolate. Which is the right one for you? Download a demo and take a look. I own both Parallels and VMware Fusion, and look forward to putting them both through their paces with Windows 7.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Parallels Desktop 5 ships with a host of new and improved features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogParallels Desktop 5 ships with a host of new and improved features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>parallelsparallels desktopParallelsDesktopvirtualizationwindowsTJ LuomaWed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 ESTDeutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhonehttp://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/deutsche-bank-says-it-warms-to-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/deutsche-bank-says-it-warms-to-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/03/deutsche-bank-says-it-warms-to-iphone/#commentsDeutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says corporate IT is warming up to the iPhone. In a research note published yesterday das analyst says, "There is growing evidence that the iPhone is making inroads into the Enterprise."

Whitmore thinks Apple will sell 2 million iPhones to big business by the end of the year, some through reimbursements to employees and some through IT department purchases. If those numbers hold, the iPhone will own about 7% of the Enterprise smartphone market in 2009, up from the 2% it controlled in 2008.

What's up with the shift? Whitmore notes four reasons:

  • User satisfaction - highlighted by the recent J.D. Power surveys of both consumer and business smartphone users
  • Enterprise applications
  • The iPhone's level of innovation
  • The virtual keyboard - according to Whitmore, the thought that business users have to have a physical keyboard on a smartphone has turned out to be a 'fallacy.'

However, businesspeople might not agree that they don't need a physical keyboard if their first virtual keyboard isn't on an iPhone. UK researcher Canalys has taken a look at touchscreens and future smartphone purchases. The firm finds the ground shifting the touchscreen's way. Of the 3,000 survey respondents in the UK, Germany, and France, 38% say their next phone will have a finger-oriented touchscreen, while 16% say theirs will have a stylus-operated touchscreen.

But a lot of people who have virtual keyboard-only phones miss the physical keys. According to Canalys, 53% of people who own a touchscreen phone say they won't buy another one, though they may have bought the wrong one for them to start. A majority of iPhone and HTC users say they'll keep the virtual keys on their next phones, while less than a third of Sony Ericsson touchscreen phone owners say their next phone won't have buttons.

[via Fortune, The Register]

Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogDeutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>canalyscanalysresearchChris WhitmoreChrisWhitmoredeutsche bankDeutscheBankenterprisefortunehtcinformation technologyInformationTechnologyiphonej.d. powersony ericssonSonyEricssonthe registerTheRegistertouchscreenwhitmoreKen RayTue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 ESTApple presents the Snow Leopard Server Tour 2009http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/19/apple-presents-the-snow-leopard-server-tour-2009/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/19/apple-presents-the-snow-leopard-server-tour-2009/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/19/apple-presents-the-snow-leopard-server-tour-2009/#commentsOK, so it's really just the Snow Leopard Server Multi-City Seminar and not a huge rock band on a world tour, but if you're more interested in servers than following your favorite group, this announcement should get you excited.

Apple's setting up a series of 7 seminars across the country (blissfully ignoring most of the center of the USA except for Chicago) designed to sell IT managers, administrators, server architects, technology coordinators, and anyone else who will listen on the advantages of Snow Leopard Server. The agenda for each seminar includes a hardware and software overview, a discussion of setup, administration, and integration, and information about collaboration and communication with Snow Leopard Server.

For those in the content production world, there will be info about Podcast Producer 2. System Administrators will learn about how scripting can be used to ease their workload, and detailed information about integrating iPhones into the workplace will be presented.

The scheduled stops are:
  • Boston, MA / October 27
  • New York, NY / October 29
  • Seattle, WA / November 17
  • Chicago, IL / December 1
  • Washington, DC / December 3
  • Cupertino, CA / December 8
  • Los Angeles, CA / December 10
To reserve a seat for one of the seminar sessions, visit this page on the Apple website.

Apple presents the Snow Leopard Server Tour 2009 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple WeblogApple presents the Snow Leopard Server Tour 2009 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>seminarserversnow leopard serverSnowLeopardServerSteven SandeMon, 19 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST