Constant reader Joachim Bean alerted us that the an update to iPhoto '09. Version 8.0.4 is ready and available via Software Update.

Apple states that 'this update addresses a rarely encountered issue involving photos imported into a previous version that could affect overall stability, and corrects references to a few points of interest and location names that were labelled incorrectly. It's recommended for all users of iPhoto '09.'

The update also fixes the installation bug in 8.0.3 that we covered a few weeks back. The update screen contains a link to an Apple article explaining the fix of this problem.

Apple has quietly pushed out software updates for both the Apple TV and the Remote application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, identified as version 2.4 for the Apple TV, and version 1.3 (24) for the Remote app, adds gesture support for controlling Apple TV from your iPhone or iPod.

Our in-house Apple TV geeks, Megan Lavey and Christina Warren, both installed the updates and gave them a try. Megan indicated the gestures were quick and responsive, and coupled with the ability to use the iPhone/iPod keyboard to search for shows, the new versions made it much less tedious to navigate through your shows.

Boxee users may wish to hold off on updating, however, as it seems that you may not be able to reinstall Boxee after completing the update. Also worth noting is that the new Remote app requires the 3.0 software update to be installed on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

While most of the focus of WWDC fell on the iPhone 3GS, the MacBook Pro line got some love from Apple last week as well, with several upgraded features on the 15" model and a re-branding of the 13" model from MacBook to MacBook Pro.

The Achilles' heel of the new upgrades, as reported last week, was that the MacBook Pro's SATA interface was limited to 1.5 Gbps in the latest models, down from 3.0 Gbps in previous models. Although this wasn't likely to be an issue unless you replaced the hard drive with a high-speed SSD, it still seemed like somewhat of a boneheaded move to downgrade the SATA interface without sufficient cause.

Today Apple has released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7, which makes the issue moot. The update allows the SATA interface to work at full speed once again.

If you have one of the affected models of MacBook Pro, grab this update either via Software Update, or else go here (requires OS X 10.5.7). More info on the firmware update can be found on its support page.

Thanks to reader Joachim Bean for sending this in.

I guess the iPhone 3.0 update and Safari 4.0.1 weren't enough for Apple. Along with the just released update to Safari, Apple has just tossed in one more Software Update:

Bluetooth Firmware Update
"This update provides bug fixes and better compatibility with the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard. It installs on all Macintosh systems with Bluetooth based on the Broadcom chipset."

This update is only applicable to certain hardware configurations (as noted above), so if you don't see it, you don't need it. After running, the Bluetooth Firmware update will provide you with an installation screen and require a reboot when it's done.

I wonder if Apple will throw us any other new surprises today.

We're back with another edition of Ask TUAW. This time around we've answering questions about how to resize windows too big for the screen, "compulsive" updating, booting from an SD card, Open GL in Snow Leopard, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

Steph asks:

I recently switched from an iMac to a MacBook Pro and now many of my windows are sized to big for the screen of my laptop. I can't reach the corner to resize them and clicking the "Plus" sign in the corner doesn't help. What can I do?

Fortunately, this is very easy to fix. Instead of clicking on the "Plus" sign (the green button) in the top left corner of the window you are trying to resize, Option-click it and the window will fill your new screen size instead.

John asks:

I realize there's a method for updating Mac OSX all the time and sometimes I get the window popping up saying I have updates. Should I always update immedietly when it tells me I have some?

Against my better judgment, I always download and install Mac OS X updates immediately. That has never caused an issue with any of my Macs until now. Since I installed 10.5.7 literally minutes after hearing about its release, I have been experiencing sporadic issues with USB on my first-generation Intel iMac.

A look through the Apple Support discussion forums showed that this isn't an isolated issue. A number of people have reported losing connectivity to USB hard disks and peripherals. What's rather discouraging to see, however, is that USB issues aren't the only problem that 10.5.7 hath wrought. Other frustrations reported in the forums include:

• Loss of connectivity to Bluetooth peripherals including keyboards, mice, and phones
• Monitor resolution issues (former resolution settings missing, colors "off", screen redraw oddities)
• Mac crashing as it goes to sleep, having problems waking from sleep
• No sound, or sound quality is bad
• Intermittent problems with WiFi connectivity
• Spontaneous shutdowns
• Older MacBook Pros overheating

The list goes on and on... Some forum regulars report that the problems go away after downloading and installing the 10.5.7 Combo Updater (available at http://support.apple.com/downloads/), while others are still experiencing frustrating crashes even after attempting this fix.

TUAW wants to hear from readers who have experienced issues of any sort since updating a Mac to 10.5.7. If you have, what kind of problems are you seeing? What, if any, fixes have worked for you?

For the ultra low price of $29 (for existing Leopard users), Apple gave a deeper look into the upcoming Snow Leopard release -- slated for some time in September.

"We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more responsive and even more reliable than before."

Here's more highlights of the Snow Leopard release...

Seems like only yesterday that QuickTime was at version 7. Oh wait, that was yesterday. Among the many announcements surrounding Snow Leopard we saw a little more of QuickTime X, Apple's next-generation version of the venerable media player/technology/doohickey. While the interface has been totally overhauled, the changes are more than skin deep.

QuickTime X is a significant update. For consumers, there won't be a Pro version. Any version will allow simple editing, video/audio capture, and allow you to "publish your media to MobileMe or YouTube -- without worrying about codec formats or resolutions." We're not sure if you'll be able to save as a QuickTime movie or source file as before, but the removal of some previous limits will make QuickTime the snappy iMovie substitute it could be. Plus, QuickTime X will allow you to use any web server to stream live video over HTTP. Can't wait to see what people do with that.

In addition to the visible changes, QuickTime X looks like a fundamental rewrite of the application and its underpinnings. Support for Core Audio, Core Video and Core Animation could mean some really interesting things for the future of media playback (not that we weren't promised as much a few years ago, of course). All of this comes wrapped up in Snow Leopard, and takes full advantage of the speed-tuning tech therein.

Apple just released some updates for iLife '09 via Software Update. In a very un-Apple fashion, the release notes are actually sort of descriptive!

Here's the breakdown:

• iLife Support -- this is for iLife '09, iWork '09 and Aperture 2 users and it addresses some memory leaks, custom folder issues with Media Browser and maintaining the correct image date when importing from iPhoto to Aperture.
• iDVD gets an update to fix an issue where iDVD is unable to add a title/comment to an image. Recommended for all iDVD 7 users.
• iMovie now supports 720p AVCHD Lite cameras and camcorders and some other issues.
  
• iPhoto -- some fixes to publishing to MobileMe, Flickr and Facebook, slideshow playback and location GPS in emailed and exported JPEGs See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3532
• Digital Camera RAW update -- RAW support for iPhoto '08, iPhoto '09 and Aperture 2 for various Canon, Nikon and Olympus cameras.

This all looks like good stuff. I'm off to install/restart. Head to Software Update on your computer or hit up Apple Downloads to get the individual installers.

It has been a busy few days for Apple in the software update domain. iWork '09, iTunes, and Quicktime have all been updated, along with GarageBand.

Today, Apple is pushing out an Airport Utility software update. With the usual great and patented Apple detail, the update:

"..includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility and AirPort Base Station Agent. The update also installs AirPort Disk Utility on Macs running Tiger." There is also an update of the Airport Utility for Windows.

The new software is 18.9 MB, and does not require a restart. Hooray.

Thanks to Mikey for the tip.

Yesterday, Apple released MobileMe Control Panel for Windows 1.4, recommended for users on corporate networks that use proxy servers.

Some users were reporting errors when trying to sync contacts and calendars, or were unable to log into the MobileMe control panel at all. This update sorts that out.

According to Apple technical note on the subject, supported proxy server types include:

• Web proxy servers (HTTP)
• Secure Web proxy (HTTPS)
• SOCKS proxy servers (see note below)
• HTTP/HTTPS proxy servers that require authentication
• Proxy bypass lists
• Proxy auto-configuration (PAC) files

The update is available on the MobileMe website, and is also included with iTunes 8.2 for Windows.

iTunes 8.2 just became available in Software Update. According to the update notes, "iTunes 8.2 now supports iPhone or iPod touch with the iPhone 3.0 Software Update. iTunes 8.2 also includes many accessibility improvements and bug fixes." The update weighs in at 79.3 MB.

QuickTime 7.6.2 and GarageBand Update 5.0.2 also became available at the same time. In keeping with Apple's policy of full disclosure, there's not much information for users about what's in either of the updates, although subscribers to Apple's security notification list got an email with a list of 10 fixed vulnerabilities in the QT update (soon to be posted at Apple's security site and reproduced in the second half of this post).

The GarageBand update "addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and fixes a number of other minor issues [including] Improved purchasing experience for Artist Lessons in the GarageBand Lesson Store [&] Accessing installed Jam Packs in the loop browser." The update is required if you are purchasing lessons from the Lesson Store.

The iTunes update is one more clear sign that iPhone 3.0 is just around the corner. Be sure to stay tuned to our coverage of the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference next week for all your iPhone news!

Apple pushed out a couple of software updates late this afternoon. One is for regulating the fan speed under heavy loads on older MacBook Pro laptops.

The other is a more general 42.7 MB update for iWork '09. This is the second software revision for the word processing, spreadsheet and presentation package. The update says it improves reliability when saving some iWork documents. It also fixes some issues when Keynote sessions are played back multiple times.

Update: Users of Apple's pro video editing, photo and audio apps will also see the ProKit Update v4.5, which "improves reliability for Apple's professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Aperture, Logic Studio and Logic Express."

Your software update option under the Apple menu should get you one or all updates. The MacBook Pro update is a firmware update, and it will start up automatically after a download. If you don't see this update, your laptop doesn't require it.

Here are the included update instructions:

To update the SMC firmware on your MacBook Pro:

Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source.

1. Quit all other open applications.

2. Click Restart in the MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update window and wait for your computer to restart.

The SMC firmware update starts automatically. A status bar indicates the progress of the update. During the update your computer fans will run at full speed, but will return to normal once the update completes.

Important: Do not interrupt the update.

Your computer restarts automatically when the update is completed and opens the MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update.

3. Click OK. The SMC firmware is now up-to-date.

If these instructions appear on your screen again, the SMC firmware update was not successful. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

Thanks to Matt for the MacBook Pro tip!

MacSpeech Dictate has now been upgraded to version 1.5, giving the application more accuracy and a new vocabulary editor. The update also includes a new English profile option, allowing you to indicate if your speech has North American, Southern North American, or a Latino North American accent.

The software also includes the addition of the top 100 websites to the "Jump to" command option.

This is the first update of MacSpeech Dictate since last February.

As I did in my last post on this software, I dictated this article completely by voice. It appears that the software is more accurate in recognizing my speech. Although I upgraded from an earlier version, the software did require me to retrain, which involves reading a short story that takes about five minutes. In my dictation for this post the software missed the word 'and' once and typed 'hand'. I used the 'scratch that' command, re-tried the word, and it worked well.

As I dictated some other documents using both Microsoft Word and Pages from Apple, I was impressed at the large vocabulary of the program. It even recognized the word O-ring, which is pretty technical, and could have been easily misinterpreted.

If you're already an owner of MacSpeech Dictate, it's probably worth update for the new features. If you haven't tried dictating into your Macintosh, and have a need to do so, the program is worth a try. The developer has licensed the Dragon recognition engine from Nuance Communications, which is the premier voice recognition software on the PC. This newest version of MacSpeech is available for US $199, or as a US $54.95 for current owners of the application. To run it, you'll need to be on Leopard version 10.5.6 or above.