In case you turned off the Microsoft AutoUpdate feature on your Mac, be informed that there's a new version of MS Office 2004 ready for download. The file is around 59.5 MB and contains several improvements that will enhance the security and stability to your system.

Aside from the above mentioned, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 also contains fixes for vulnerabilities that, when exploited by attackers, overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with various malicious codes. Online site Power Page noted as well the following additions:

• Corrects a bug that can increase the use of system resources when files or objects are dragged to an Office application windows
• A patch for Excel which would prompt the program to suddenly open workbooks or other files
• A patch to reduce PowerPoint's number of unexpected quits
• An update which improved responsiveness in Microsoft Entourage

The update should be used on Mac OS X 10.2.8 (Jaguar) or any other higher versions of Mac operating system. Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.5 applies to Office 2004 Standard Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004 Professional Edition, Word 2004, Excel 2004, PowerPoint 2004, Entourage 2004.

The Read link below should take you to Microsoft's download page for the update.

According to Mac News Network, Apple's recent patent application clued in a couple of images detailing the Mac OS X Dashboard and its ability to be manipulated in a 3D fashion. In addition to being able to flip the Dashboard to reveal several other faces of multiple Dashboards, each new face will sport different assortments of widgets as defined by the user of the system.

While it's a novel idea, the concept looks just as similar to Beryl, a breath-taking interface modification for users of supported flavors of Linux. In a similar fashion, Beryl allows Linux users to flip their entire desktop to reveal other different faces of the cube, and each new face also sports a different assortment of windows as set by the user.

Mere "coinkidink"? We'd like to say yes, but then the Apple patent doesn't rip off the concept of "Vista-killer" desktop interface to level against Microsoft's Aero interface. You can hop to the article in MacNN through the "Read" link below, but before you do, check out a demo of just what Beryl does and judge for yourself. Thanks to w00styl3 for the video.

Back in October 2005, Apple filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office about "System and method for computing a desktop picture." Last Thursday, details of the said creation were published for the first time with credits going to employees Ralph Brunner, Imran Chaudhri, and Mark Zimmer.

Accordingly, the Mac OS X operating system will be enhanced with the addition of active desktop pictures, or desktop backgrounds that can include motion graphics. These, then, will alter themselves depending on user actions or the time of the day. The technique will reduce requirements for both VRAM and RAM because static picture files will no longer be used.

Apple went on to explain that since the pictures are being computed quickly by a GPU, they now can be made to move on demand. Part of its patent reads,

This includes movement, for example, when logging in, logging out, and transitioning to and from a screen saver, providing a seamless experience. It can also include slow movement, such as seen when a soft tree shadow is cast, with the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze, or slow movement over time, or concerted movement to mark the passing of time (e.g., a noticeable change to pattern or color every hour).

The "active desktop" patent has many potential uses based on the way Apple described it. Some of the other features include computation of several gradations over time hence mimicking the changes in the color of the sky. As if all of these are not enough, Apple also hinted that users can further enhance the experience using an editing tool.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the foregoing examples are provided as just a few examples of the many types of events that may be used to trigger a change in the desktop picture, and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. It will be appreciated that various other types of events may be used to trigger a change in the desktop picture and are within the scope of the present invention.

Here's some good news and bad news. The good news is that everyone who wants an iPhone will get one late in June. The bad news is that you won't get the Mac OS X Leopard until October unless you're a developer.

In a statement posted on there official site, the Apple corporation said that there had to be some trade-offs in the development of the two products to make sure that one of them would come out on time. Apple says that it had to "borrow resources" from the OS X project to have them work to complete the iPhone on time.

Apple said that beta copies of the OS X Leopard will be given to developers on its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. This will enable the Apple developer community to test the new system and detect whatever glitches there may still be.

We'll keep you posted as the iPod/ Leopard journey unravels in the next few months.

A new beta for Skype v2.6 for the Mac is now out and waiting to be tested. This new beta includes a cool new Call Transfer feature that lets users transfer an active Skype call to other people on their Skype contact list. Perfect for when you really want to stop talking to that annoying relative of yours and want to pass 'em on to some other relative who also happens to annoy you.

Skype v2.6 beta also includes the following new features which were originally available only on the Windows clients:

• Join public chats
• Chat typing indicator - see when others are writing a message
• Call any Skype Prime premium services provider and pay with Skype credit
• Automatic Updates Â? get new features and updates without having to go to Skype's website to download
• DTMF tones for automatic answering services available also during Skype-to-Skype calls

A free download of the beta is available on the Skype website (skype.com).

It looks like the Apple TV is going to feature Tux on its hood beside the pervasive Apple logo. Some ingenious hackers claim that they have wrought a custom Linux kernel on Apple TV's boot loader. The info is still incomplete but as it is, the kernel and the set-top box seem to have WiFi, SpeedStep and EFI. Other kernel status statistics:

• EFI is not working fully
• USB works with the "irqpoll" kernel commadnline option
• nv Xorg driver works
• nvidia's propritiary driver also works with full 3D accel
• Speedstep seems to work. The CPU Clock gets down to 600 MHz
• Wlan is working with ndiswrapper
• Sound works fine

Just for fun, we'd like to quote to you the spoof Apple marketing campaign that appeared on the Linux users' site when Linux was hacked into a Mac Book.

The Intel chip... For months, it's been trapped inside a Mac, inside a pretty little box, dutifully performing pretty little tasks when it could have been doing so much more. Starting today, the Intel chip will be set free, and get to live life in a Mac... running Linux. Imagine the possibilities.

We've seen one too many iPhone analysis articles now. What's with all the hype? It's all needed, though, for the fate of millions of Apple company investors and employees rely on the success of this spotlighted product.

The latest news on the iPhone hype has financial researchers assuring Apple investors that iPhone, iPod and Mac sales would continue pushing the company forward. iPod holds a 24 percent share on the world market for media players, a figure thought to rise by half a percentage point. Mac sales is seen to go up by the upcoming launch of the Mac OS X Leopard.

But all this hype on the iPhone could give rise to a dilemma for the giant electronics company - the iPhone could rival the iPod. It may seem silly knowing as how both products are by the same company, but iPhone could greatly affect iPod sales and thus, the financial health of Apple.

Other factors that would greatly affect Apple money health are negative issues on the iPhone - if they are to come. The analysts warn against negative news, delays, quality or usability issues - these can all easily damage Apple reputation and it's stock.

Truly, we sometimes cannot picture such so-so things as rumor and delays to affect something as tangible as money and stocks. But they are highly correlated. Such is the business of the finance world.

We're sure you've already heard of Boot Camp, this amazing tool that lets you natively run Windows on your Mac laptops and computers. Yep (for the uninitiated) Boot Camp lets you install Windows without moving your Mac data, or burning a CD with all the required drivers for Windows.

Boot Camp public installer has been made available months ago, and now Apple has released a new version of Boot Camp. Boot Camp 1.2 beta includes some improvements, and it can be used by new and previous Boot Camp beta users. The following are the changes available on 1.2 beta:

• Support for Windows Vista (32-bit)
• Updated drivers, including but not limited to trackpad, Apple Time (synch), audio, graphics, modem, iSight camera
• Support the Apple Remote (works with iTunes and Windows Media Player)
• A Windows system tray icon for easy access to Boot Camp information and actions
• Improved keyboard support  for Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, and French Canadian
• Improved Windows driver installation experience
• Updated documentation and Boot Camp on-line help in Windows
• Apple Software Update (for Windows XP and Vista)

If you've previously installed Boot Camp and would like to update, there's no need to partition your hard drive nor reinstall your Macintosh and Windows software and documents. Just update the Boot Camp Assistant software, create a new Mac Drivers CD, and install the updated software it contains onto Windows. Anyway the full installation instructions as well as the downloadable Boot Camp beta 1.2 software awaits when you follow the source link.

The following statements under this heading are entirely speculative, though they would make any Mac fan more excited about the upcoming Mac OS X software to be released, version 10.5 or the Leopard.

Everybody's been wondering about the essential new feature that the Leopard will have. Recently the speculation has come to this; that the Leopard will feature resolution independence, an application that could render its windows irrespective of the physical resolution of the screen.

With the Leopard's Core Animation, resolution independence will allow building things like iTune's cover flow very easily. But the only thing missing is an easy way to manipulate objects in three dimensions. Our source mentions garbage collection: a new feature in Leopard that allows the system to determine whether the memory is still needed and to free it if it isn't.

Unfortunately, garbage collection doesn't apply as a way to manipulate objects in three dimensions. Garbage collection only looks at whether a program still points to a block of memory. If it does, the block is in use and it's not garbage collected.

There are more speculative details about what the Leopard essential new feature will be, but the fact of the matter? We'll all see about it in due time.

Amazon may have blown the cover off of Adobe's strategy by inadvertently leaking information on pricing and release dates days before the scheduled announcement of its high-end Master Collection suite and other applications.

According to Amazon, the Adobe software will be classified and labeled as "OS X" and "OS X Intel" compatible versions. While there will indeed be a dichotomy, the fact of the matter is that Power PC users will be able to run the products with ease and that's saying a lot.

The prices revealed by Amazon are a little stiff, though. The Contribute CS3 package sells for US$ 95, the Master Collection goes for US$ 2,969 while web artists will have to shell out US$ 1,186 for the CS3 Design and Production Premium bundle. All of these are reportedly shipping in April, but users who prefer Encore, Premiere and Soundbooth may have to wait until July to get their fill.

We'll keep you posted on how accurate the Amazon revelations are when the official announcements hit on Tuesday.