Apple this week updated its Server Admin Tools for remote administration of Snow Leopard Server. The 10.6.2 update matches that of Mac OS X 10.6.2, released earlier this month.

The update includes the latest releases of iCal Server Utility, Podcast Composer, Server Admin, Server Monitor, Server Preferences, System Image Utility, Workgroup Manager and Xgrid Admin.

The 241.40MB update is available for download from Apple, and requires that Mac OS X 10.6.2 already be installed.

Apple released a new driver update for Boot Camp Thursday. The update, which weighs in at 23.87 MB, addresses issues with the trackpad and digital audio port. It also adds support for the Magic Mouse and wireless keyboard.

Boot Camp 2.1 must be installed before running the update, and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 must be installed on machines running it before installing the update.

Boot Camp was a feature first released with OS X Leopard that allows users with Intel-based Macs to install a copy of Windows on a separate partition.

An issue where the built-in iSight Camera on Apple's LED Cinema Display was not recognized by some applications has been addressed with a new firmware update released this week. LED Cinema Display iSight Firmware Update 1.0 is a 654KB file available for download from Apple. It requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 or Mac OS X 10.6.2.

To confirm that the update has been installed, choose "About this Mac" from the Apple menu, open the hardware section, select USB, and locate and select USB High Speed Bus. If the update has been installed, selecting Display iSight should list the version as 2.31.

A new Windows-only release of QuickTime was issued by Apple this week. Version 7.6.5 is a 30.99MB file available for download. It requires Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.

The minor update addresses a couple of issues: It fixes a problem where applications did not reliably load libraries required by QuickTime at startup, and it patches an error where movies embedded in a Web page were not properly displayed using custom scale attributes.

QuickTime 6 Pro users should know that installing QuickTime 7 or later will disable the "pro" functionality in previous versions. Those upgrading from version 6 will need to purchase a QuickTime 7 Pro registration code.

Google this week updated its Google Earth mapping software for the iPhone and iPod touch. Version 2.0 adds numerous features to the software, including the ability to view maps created on a desktop computer on the iPhone. The update also adds more languages, improved icon selection, and better performance.

"By logging in directly to your Google Maps account, you can view the same maps that you or others have created, using the My Maps interface," the company said. "Maybe you're on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you're walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adrià likes to eat. All you have to do is click "Save to My Maps", open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voilà, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket."

In version 2.0, touching an icon produces a small glow under the user's finger to let them know which icon they have selected. If a finger touches multiple icons, the software provides a list of icons to make it easier to select an individual one.



Google Earth now offers 31 languages, up from the original 18. The complete list of supported languages is English (U.S), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, and Croatian.

Apple this week released four new printer drivers for Mac OS X 10.6. The latest updates apply to printers from Canon, Brother, HP and Lexmark. The updates require Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later.

The individual updates can be downloaded directly from Apple for Canon (274.59MB), Brother (99.9MB), HP (387.44MB) and Lexmark (117MB). A full list of printer and scanner compatibility is also available on Apple's support Web site.

Snow Leopard includes a number of printer-related features, including "Nearby Printers," a list of available printers that will appear right inside your printer dialog box. Users can simply connect a USB printer and the print queue will be automatically created.

Friday, Apple released a firmware update for its latest iteration of the nano, aimed at fixing audiobook playback, Genius mixes with Nike + iPod Sport, accessibility settings for Mono Audio, and skipping of VoiceOver menu items when using headphone + and - volume buttons. This update can be downloaded through iTunes.

Google is currently planning a beta launch of its Chrome Web browser for Mac OS X in December. Nick Baum, product manager for Chrome, gave the details in a post on the Google Groups page for browser extensions. The post encouraged developers to update their extensions to take advantage of the new Chrome user interface.

"Why make the switch now? The earlier you switch, the more time you will have to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December," Baum said. "We realize this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have people working on that. If you prioritize the Windows and Linux versions, we'll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!"

In October, Google Chrome for Mac released the status of developer preview. The new version added QuickTime and printing compatibility.

Company officials had previously said they hope to release a final version of Chrome for Mac by the end of 2009. Currently, the Webkit-based browser is only available as a test version for developers, even though three versions of it have already been released on Windows.

TomTom announced Thursday that it will update its iPhone GPS navigation application to add text-to-speech, lane guidance, iPod control, and a "Help Me!" safety menu. The free update is said to be coming to all users of the software soon.

"The TomTom app for iPhone is a priority for us and we are committed to both its long term development and everyday improvements," said Benoit Simeray, TomTom’s senior vice president, On-board Mobile. "Current and future customers of our application for the iPhone can count on more great updates from TomTom for free."

TomTom said the updated software was submitted to Apple for review Thursday. The new, "significant" features are:

• Advanced lane guidance giving drivers extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions. For the first time this is in both landscape and portrait mode.
  
  
• Text-to-speech helping motorists to keep their eyes on the road by enabling street names and places to be read aloud as part of the spoken instructions.
  
  
• "Help Me" providing direct access to emergency numbers and directions to the nearest emergency providers.
  
  
• Updated map and safety camera database.
  
  
• Customizable audio warnings when approaching safety cameras or driving over the speed limit, increasing driver safety and saving money.
  
  
• iPod player control ensuring drivers can conveniently control their music from within the application.

The TomTom application with U.S. and Canada maps sells in the App Store for $99. Maps are also available For Western Europe ($139.99), Australia ($79.99) and New Zealand ($94.99).

Microsoft this week released a number of updates for its Office for Mac application suites and accompanying software:

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.3 is a 349MB update that addresses vulnerabilities in the software, and also improves performance and stability. It applies to Office 2008, Office 2008 Home and Student Edition, Office 2008 Special Media Edition, Word 2008, Excel 2008, PowerPoint 2008, Entourage 2008 and Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition.
  
  
• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.6 is a 17MB update that improves security. It affects Office 2004 Standard Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004 Professional Edition, Word 2004, Excel 2004, PowerPoint 2004 and Entourage 2004.
  
  
• Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.1.3 is a 45MB update.
  
  
• Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition includes several calendaring improvements and synchronizes notes, tasks, and categories with Exchange Server. It also enables logging that can be used for diagnostic purposes. The update weighs in at 64MB.