It looks like users will finally be able to make scheduled backups with Time Machine even when their Mac notebooks are running solely on battery power. This new option will reportedly be included in Mac OS X 10.5.3. More details in the full article.

Those who like to use the iPhone as a study aid should definitely not miss Markus Sintonen's iPlot, the homebrewed graphing calculator for the iPhone. Need sin(x), ln(x)? The iPlot's going to solve and visualize it for you. More details in the full article.

OpenOffice may have started catering to the Mac with only a handful of features, but its most recent beta version may prove to offer more open-sourced office suite love to Mac users. Its latest version, OpenOffice.org 3 beta, now has some improvements in UI as well as added new functions. More info in the full article.

It's a bit strange to note that right now, using Microsoft's Exchange application with Apple's iPhone is a bit better than using it with .mac. However, it looks like Apple's going to even it out, according to a rumor that .mac will soon get its much-needed overhaul and will be reintroduced with the new iPhone. More details in the full article.

Gratuitous Windows gaming comin' to ya, Mac users! Latest news in the virtualization field has word that the VMware, creators of VMWare Fusion, has kick-started the first stage of the beta program for Fusion 2.0. And with Fusion 2.0 Beta 1 comes a slew of performance improvements - so much that it'll be able to support up to 10 monitors all at once and even play Windows-only games with hefty shader requirements. More at the full story.

Apple has recently rolled out the updated version of its iPod Reset Utility software. The downloadable version of 1.0.4 is fully compatible with Windows and resets any first or second generation iPod Shuffle device to its default factory settings. For more information regarding this software, check out our full article after the jump.


Download: iPod Reset Utility 1.0.4 for Windows

A new patent filed by Apple indicates that they may have a new text messaging interface planned for the iPhone in a future firmware update. Check out the full article to check out what they have planned for the gadget.

Most tech-savvy computer users have always been careful not to get their PCs infected by viruses, spyware, and most especially Trojan Horses. So imagine the uproar when the computing industry found out that Apple had made use of a Trojan Horse of sorts to offer Safari to Windows users. More in the full article.

For those of us who want insane bang for our buck as far as Apple software bundles are concerned, then here's a special news bulletin: MacUpdate is selling a bundle that's sure to kit out your rig to the extreme, and it only costs US$ 64.99. Check out what you'll be getting, as well as what the catch is, in the full article. This is one deal you can't possibly refuse.

If you're currently using Apple's Safari browser, then our news might be of interest. The company has just released Safari 3.1.1. This latest version addresses four known security issues that they were able to identify. Details can be found in the full article.