Apple on Thursday released an update to its Server Admin utility for Snow Leopard Server, as well as Boot Camp drivers for Windows. Server Admin tools 10.6.2 includes the latest releases of iCal Server Utility, Podcast Composer, Server Admin, Server Monitor, Server Preferences, System Image Utility, Workgroup Manager, and Xgrid Admin….

Big Fish Games has released Drawn: The Painted Tower, a new puzzle-adventure game for the Mac. Players must travel through painted worlds and unravel the secrets of the Painted Tower in order to rescue a girl named Iris. Each floor of the tower has been locked by a curse, which requires players to solve a series of puzzles in order to unlock. Players will also meet a variety of different characters throughout the game, some of which will help the players succeed while others will try and stop them….

Filed under: Internet, iPhone, iPod touch

Like most “mobile versions” of websites, Google News was simplified for use on devices featuring what Steve Jobs once called “the baby Internet.” Sadly, this simplified version also showed up by default on the iPhone, leading to an experience that was, to put it charitably, subpar.

That’s all changed now that Google has redesigned the mobile version of Google News for iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre users. The new mobile version is far more feature-rich than the old one and is more consistent in its appearance (i.e., it’s almost indistinguishable from the desktop version) compared to the old “mobile-optimized” Google News.

It also includes a handy “Jump to” link which brings up a window that allows you to skip to the news section of your choice, saving your thumbs from severe scroll fatigue.

There’s no need to download anything. Simply go to Google News on your iPhone and check out the changes.

[Via MacRumors]

TUAWGoogle revamps mobile Google News format originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paramount and TransGaming have announced a December release for a Mac version of Star Trek: D-A-C. The new game is a top-down space shooter game pitting Starfleet against the Romulan Empire, supporting online multiplayer for up to 12 players, online co-op and single-player gameplay. Gameplay options include survival, team deathwatch, conquest and assault. Defeated ships offer new abilities and score pick-ups in survival mode, while conquest and assault gameplay involve attacking or defending sectors of space….

It's hard to get more to-the-point than Apple boss Steve Jobs. After Apple's lawyers told a software company called The Little App Factory to stop using the name "iPod" in one of its products — "iPodRip" — co-owner John De…

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

While Bill Gates looked on, Microsoft shareholders asked CEO Steve Ballmer about Apple at their annual meeting this morning. Steve’s CEO-speak responses illustrate the larger problem.

Portfolio reports that one investor asked about the company’s reputation with young customers:

“I’m just wondering why your marketing group can’t do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you’ve got a real bad image out there.”

He also said that Apple’s ads make Microsoft look like “a buffoon.” That’s when the CEO-speak began.

“There’s certainly always opportunities for improvement,” Ballmer said. “[There is] … a group of people with whom our market share is less.”

When you hear “opportunity for improvement,” you’re screwed. Euphemistic language clouds meaning and hides the truth. Think “economic downturn” and “previously enjoyed” instead of “depression” and “used.” Or “opportunity for improvement” instead of “problem.”

Remember the Windows Mojave ads, in which producers tricked customers into thinking Vista was an unreleased version of Windows, only to then throw open the curtain and essentially say, “See? It’s really Vista! You DO like it! There’s nothing wrong here!”

Instead of telling people what they like, sanitizing language, insisting that the only reason the iPhone has 75,000 apps available is to make it usable on the Internet and denying your kids iPods, just say, “Our reputation with young people is poor and here’s what we’ll do about it.” That’s when you’ll get something done.

[Via MacDailyNews]

TUAWShareholders ask Ballmer about Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragan Milic has released Springy 1.6, adding several new capabilities to the archiving software. Springy can open and browse the contents of an archive or a disk image without extracting any files, and can extract all content or specific files from an archive. It can modify an existing archive or disk image, with options to add, overwrite, delete or rename contents. It also supports both extraction and archiving contents via drag-and-drop….

Christian Kienle has introduced Ebbinghaus 3.0, the latest version of the flash card application for organizing cards into decks, folders or “smart decks.” All cards will be displayed within a table, while a progress indicator shows overall performance. The update features a study function that displays the cards consecutively, allowing users to type in an answer, while smart decks can be configured to contain only certain sets of cards….