Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s just unleashed its latest 10.5 update on an unsuspecting (well, totally suspecting, actually) crowd, so go ahead and fire up Software Update and see if Cupertino’s left you any 10.5.8-flavored presents under the tree. We bet you didn’t expect Wednesday to be this amazingly, incredibly awesome, now, did you? Follow the break for the full changelog.

Continue reading Mac OS X 10.5.8 now available, way less than 0.1 away from Snow Leopard

Filed under: Software

Mac OS X 10.5.8 now available, way less than 0.1 away from Snow Leopard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve already read our thoughts on the new Xbox Live dashboard update, and now it’s time for those who put in their name for the preview program to join the fun. Microsoft today began sending invites that’ll get you set up for the download, so that you can enjoy Avatar marketplace and a slew of new Netflix options (and irksome restrictions for Starz Play titles). Registration is still open if you still want a shot at nabbing it before August 11th. Didn’t get an email? A second wave of invites is going out tomorrow, but also be sure to check the Connect site you registered at anyway, as Microsoft notes those who opted out of receiving emails will have no other way of confirming.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Xbox Live dashboard update preview invites begin rolling out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Um, yikes? An unexpected (and unwanted) surprise struck some 145,000 BlackBerry users in the UAE this time last week, when an official looking prompt coerced many of the aforesaid Etisalat customers to follow through with a software update. Rather than bringing about performance enhancements, the SS8-built app enabled the carrier to keep tabs on customers’ messages. According to RIM:

“Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application… independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user’s smartphone. Independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server.”

Like we said, yikes. The zaniest part is that Etisalat isn’t backing down, still assuring the world that the upgrades were “required for service enhancements.” At any rate, RIM has made remarkably clear that the update wasn’t one authorized by the company, and it’s even providing an app remover for those who’d prefer their BlackBerry to be in working order and, you know, not forwarding all their email to some dude in an Etisalat supply closet. Good on you, RIM. Bad on you, Etisalat.

[Thanks, Gerald]

Read – Confirmation of spyware
Read – RIM app remover

Filed under: Cellphones

Etisalat BlackBerry update was indeed spyware, RIM provides a solution originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might imagine that Cradlepoint’s feeling a bit of heat since Novatel released its fantastic MiFi series, since the whole idea behind Cradlepoint’s gear is to turn 3G modems into WiFi access points. It’s cool, though, Cradlepoint managed to find a tricky angle: you can’t charge the MiFi, use it as a USB modem, and have WiFi enabled at the same time! We still think we’d stare, point, and laugh if we were walking through an airport and saw some dude with these two cute little boxes tethered to one another, but we’ve got to admit that this is a pretty big Achilles’ heel that Cradlepoint’s managed to solve here; all it takes is a firmware update for your Cradlepoint, and voilà, you’ve now got MiFi compatibility.

Filed under: Wireless

New Cradlepoint firmware turns MiFi into — wait for it — a 3G WiFi router originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seriously no idea why Apple didn’t just ship all of the June 2009 MacBook Pro units with the SATA 3Gbps specification enabled, but at least it caved to the chorus of complaints and enabled it today via a firmware update. MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7, as it’s called in Software Update, weighs in at just 3.35MB and requires OS X 10.5.7 to be installed. According to Apple, the update “addresses an issue reported by a small number of customers using drives based on the SATA 3Gbps specification with the June 2009 MacBook Pro.” Of course, it goes on to say that it still doesn’t support the use of drives that can take advantage of such speeds, but at least you have the option now of taking matters into your own hands and upgrading to a non-hamstrung SSD should you choose.

[Via MacRumors]

Filed under: Laptops

MacBook Pro update rights the wrong, enables 3Gbps SATA transfers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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