Today Apple released the 2.1 update for the Apple TV. The main new features of this update are MobileMe and support for Remote.app (Apple's Remote application for iPhone/iPod touch users).

Telling readers what the update did is one thing, but showing is a completely different story, that's why we went the extra mile to bring you a walkthrough of the new features in the 2.1 update. So check out our gallery of Apple TV 2.1 screenshots.

To commemorate the launch of MobileMe, Apple has updated the Apple TV to work with the new service. The new update includes a new MobileMe sub-menu in the Photos menu.

MacRumors is reporting that you will also be able to control your Apple TV using the free Remote app from the iTunes Store. You can download this update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

If you notice anything that we haven't, be sure to leave a comment!


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

The Apple Store just went offline. The site has been updated to show the yellow sticky note that we've all come to love. What could it mean? Might it mean that MobileMe boxes will be available and ready for shipping? One could only hope.

If you notice anything new, be sure to send us a tip! Stay tuned here as we keep you updated.


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

The Mac OS X 10.5.4 update might have made you restart your Mac, but it also added "RAW image support for several cameras." While Apple didn't tell us what these cameras were in Software Update, they did later update the RAW support page for Mac OS X Leopard.

According to the page, Apple's update added the ability to use the RAW format on these cameras:

• Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi / Kiss Digital x2 / EOS 450D
• Epson R-D1 / R-D1s
• Leaf AFi 7
• Leaf AFi 6
• Leaf AFi 5
• Pentax K200D
• Pentax K20D

Those of you waiting for your SLR camera to be supported under Leopard might have received a surprise in your Mac OS X update.


[via ArsTechnica]

Along with the 10.5.4 update, Apple has just released Security Update 2008-004 for users of Mac OS X Tiger (10.4). According to Apple, the update "is recommended for all [Mac OS X Tiger (10.4)] users and improves the security of Mac OS X." You can download this update for the following systems:

• Security Update 2008-004 (PPC)
• Security Update 2008-004 (Intel)
• Security Update 2008-004 Server (PPC)
• Security Update 2008-004 Server (Intel)

The update is available through Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer packages by clicking the links above for your system. Apple has provided a support article for more details on this update.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Along with the Mac OS X 10.5.4 update tonight, Apple also released firmware 7.3.2 for Time Capsules and AirPort Base Stations. Apple states that it "includes general fixes and compatibility updates" for both Time Capsule and AirPorts with 802.11n.

Most likely your AirPort (or Time Capsule) will find and download the update automatically; however, you can also visit the Apple Support Downloads page to download the installer package for Leopard, Tiger, or Windows.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Fire up Software Update - Mac OS X 10.5.4 is available NOW! According to the update KB article listed above, the update includes:

General

• Recent Apple security updates.
• Resolves an issue with saving and reopening Adobe Creative Suite 3 files on a remote server.
• Includes additional RAW image support for several cameras.
• Addresses an issue that may result in a partially installed X11 application.
• Improves L2TP VPN client reliability.

AirPort

• Addresses AirPort reliability issues with 5GHz networks.
• Addresses AirPort issues that may result in slower performance in Logic Studio or MainStage.

iCal

• Improves overall iCal reliability for meeting requests, cancellation notices, delegation, and syncing with iPhone.
• Resolves an issue that prevents deleting an iCal event without notifying the creator.
• Addresses an issue in which events in all calendars affect availability. A checkbox now enables information-only calendars to be transparent from free/busy lookups.
• Resolves a UI issue preventing delegated calendars from showing up as a separate window.
• Addresses an issue with copying and pasting attendees from one event to another.
• Resolves an issue in which iCal may not delete events after a specified time interval, even when set to do so in iCal preferences.
• Addresses an issue in which To Dos cannot be marked private.

Safari

• Addresses a potential performance issue when loading secure web pages.
• Resolves issues that may be encountered when accessing secure web pages with client certificates that reside on a smart card.

Spaces and Exposé

• Addresses an issue in which switching from a space with a Finder window keeps the Finder as the active application instead of the application residing in the destination space.
• Fixes an issue in which dragging an application from the list of application assignments in Spaces System Preferences does not assign the application to the desired space.
• Resolves an Exposé issue that may result in only a subset of windows being shown.

There are also a number of security changes listed in the security KB article as well.

Thanks to eagle-eyed Louis and Alex for finding this first and letting TUAW know about it.

Agile Web Solutions has updated their 1Password product with support for 4 new browsers and better support for the newly released Firefox 3. 1Password now works on the following web-browsing applications: Safari 4 (Developer Preview), DEVONagent 2.3.1, latest OmniWeb, and Flock 2 beta.

In addition to updated browser support, 1Password also boasts a higher level of stability while running in Camino on PPC Macs. You can see the full list of updates (all 21 of them) by visiting the Agile Web Solutions' website. In addition, you can download the update by going to 1Password > Check for Updates in the 1Password application.

The software keyboard has set Apple up to ship more iPhones to more countries without wasting time manufacturing plastic keyboards. In this video, TokyoMango demos the new iPhone Japanese keyboard from the 2.0 firmware via the iPhone SDK simulator. While I cannot vouch for the usability of the keyboard (seeing as I haven't used it, nor do I know Japanese), I can say that it looks very well designed and refined.

[via MacRumors]

OK, you aren't running the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office for Mac -- does that make you a bad person. No! You deserve updates too, just like the new stuff does. Along with Office 2008 12.1.1 sliding out the door today, Office 2004 11.5.0 is available, and it addresses the following pain points:

• Adds read/write compatibility for Open XML Format (.docx, .xlsx, etc.) files if installed with the Open XML Format Converter
• Better stability and printing/page setup fixes for Word
• Better paste compatibility with Office 2008 for all apps
• Powerpoint fixes for stability with large documents

The full rundown is in the continuation of the post and over at Microsoft's support site. The download weighs in at 59 MB.

Update: We initially failed to note that there is a new version -- apparently the final one -- of the Open XML Format Converter that pairs with 11.5.0 to provide full read/write compatibility with the new formats. It will work in standalone mode if you don't run 11.5, and it includes the new Office 2008/Office 2007 "C" fonts to provide maximum round-trippy goodness.

Thanks, Laurie!

Microsoft has released a "critical" Office 2008 update, 12.1.1, which "contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance."

Several issues are fixed with the updates, including charting problems, Entourage crashing when the computer wakes from sleep, and issues regarding converting documents to and from the Open XML Format. A complete list of improvements is available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

The update can be installed via Microsoft AutoUpdate (accessible by choosing "Check for Updates" in any Office application's Help menu) or from Microsoft directly. The update is a 153MB DMG file, and is available in 11 languages.

Thanks, Tommy!

AppleInsider claims to have information on the next point update of Mac OS X Leopard (version 10.5.4). According to AppleInsider, the build number of 10.5.4 is 9E17. They also reported that the beta of 10.5.4 has "no known issues" in its latest build, and that beta testers were asked to focus on AirPort, networking with Windows, Spaces and other frequently used (and often problematic) aspects of OS X.

As we reported a while back, OS X 10.5.4 should incorporate support for Apple's new MobileMe web service.

It was only a couple weeks ago that Growl version 1.1.3 was released, but as some commenters noted on the 1.1.3 post, there was a bug that caused some the inability to install Growl under Leopard. Well, the Growl team has heard your cries and issued an update to Growl that hopes to solve the problem. Some of the bug fixes include:

• "Install Failed" message on Leopard is now fixed
  
• Fixed the problem of Growl thinking it was 1.1.2 even after installing 1.1.3
• Fixed Growl updater to stop showing updates after you've already installed them
• Growl Safari actually works now
  

You can see all of the improvements before installing by visiting the Growl Version History page. You can also download the new update by visiting Growl's homepage.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Apple just released an update for the Xserve. This EFI firmware update helps "improve the stability of Xserve computers," so if your Xserver has had stability issues, maybe this is just the update you've been praying for.

If you use Xsan, then you might want to take note of the new update that Apple dropped yesterday. Apple updated Xsan Admin, Xsan Filesystem and the Xsan Uninstaller to version 2.1. According to the update note, the Xsan Filesystem update fixes:

• Metadata controller reliability
• Using and validating file system Access Control Lists
• Upgrading from Xsan 1.4

The Xsan Admin update provides fixes for:

• Using SAN Setup Assistant to configure volumes, LUNs and affinities
• Changing a computer between client and metadata controller roles
• Listing computers connected to the SAN
• Visually displaying when LUNs have been truncated

You can download these updates by opening Software Update on the Mac running Xsan or by downloading the installer packages from Apple's Support Downloads website. For detailed information about this Xsan update, refer to the support note on Xsan 2.1.