Apple Releases iPhone and iPod Touch 2.2.1 Firmware

Apple has released a 2.2.1 update for the iPhone today. Available from iTunes, the update relays the following improvements:

iPhone 2.2.1 Software Update

This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
- Improved general stability of Safari
- Fixed issue where some images saved from Mail do not display correctly in the Camera Roll

Products compatible with this software update:
- iPhone
- iPhone 3G

A 2.2.1 update for the iPod Touch is also available.

Early Notes

- 2.2.1 (Build 5H11)

- Modem Firmware 02.30.03

- Emoji "hacks" still seem to work.

source: Macrumors

Mac Trojan on the Loose. Beware!

Tens of thousands of users who’ve downloaded pirated versions of iWork ‘09 or Photoshop CS4 may have opened their Macs to remote attacks from malicious users. Mac security software maker Intego discovered last week what it calls “OSX.Trojan.iServices.A” in pirated copies of Apple’s iWork ‘09 making the rounds on BitTorrent file sharing networks.  An additional package not found in retail copies of the iWork installer called “iWorkServices.pkg” is installed as a startup item with read/write/execute abilities with the pirated versions. According to Intego, the rogue software connects to a remote server to notify its creator that the trojan has been installed on different Macs, and he or she can “connect to them and perform various actions remotely”, including downloading additional components to the machine.

Intego considers the risk of infection to be serious, warning of “extremely serious consequences” if a user’s Mac is compromised by software. The security firm said 20,000 people had already downloaded the installer at the time of its alert.  As of now, Intego counts 1,000 more since the initial warning. As part of its update, Intego also says it has discovered a new variant of the same Trojan horse called “OSX.Trojan.iServices.B”, which can be found in pirated versions of Adobe Photoshop CS4.  This installer has already been downloaded by 5,000 people who are now at risk, the firm says. Once the administrator password is entered, a backdoor with root privileges is launched, copying the executable to /usr/bin/DivX and a startup item in /System/Library/StartupItems/DivX.  It then makes repeated connections to two IP addresses, according to Intego. A malicious user can then connect to the affected Macs and perform various actions and downloads remotely.  Intego predicts this Trojan horse may also be used to execute similar DDoS attacks.

Source: Apple Insider

iLife 09!

Well it seems that my first major post about a product release will be one about a product that I have been waiting for ever since I've seen it at the keynote.  For some time apple has listed the shipping date for iLife 09 as just 'January.'  Now, however, there are reports out there that people have seen a change in their order status and that this eagerly awaited release will be arriving to doorsteps as soon as Monday or Tuesday.  There have has also been a report by a best buy salesman that they will be receiving the software in store for sale as soon as Monday.

This is great news for anyone who has been waiting for the nicely updated iPhoto 09 and iMovie 09, especially after the '08 release of iMovie was such a disappointment.  iPhoto will bring many cool new features such as Faces, which is a face recognition function that help to tag photos just like users do on Facebook.  There is also the great addition of Places, which helps to organize geo-tagged photos taken with gps enabled cameras and phones, such as the iPhone.  iMovie 09 also adds many great features such as image stabilization and advanced video editing.  

Mac News Blog Day 0

This blog serves mainly as a resource to get all the latest news about Apple and their products out to the people.  It is intended in order to help keep Mac and PC users informed about the latest product release, the majority of which will be Apple products.  This is also intended as a community forum where people can praise, rant, or ask questions about Apple.  This should be a good little project and I am hoping that you will enjoy it as much as I do.