Apple has released security update 2007-004 which can be availed of by its user community through Apple Downloads. The company says through its site that the updates are to ensure the protection of its clients from possible exploits.

There's a total of 25 updates which are applicable to the current and recent versions of its OS series. For instance, the AFP client addresses issues regarding local users gaining access when environments are not cleared. Airport, on the other hand, allows local users to access arbitrary codes with special privileges. The fix secures a once-flimsy buffer overflow threat.

There's a host of other updates which users can avail of to tighten up their systems. If you have a local network which uses Macs, chances are that you have one or more weak points. Check out the read URL to see the full list of security patches.

We mentioned in an earlier post on our Apple blog that videogame console emulation is apparently possible on Apple's new Apple TV. If you're still a bit skeptical about that, here's proof. Gizmodo has posted a video of an enterprising Apple TV owner - Rusty - playing Super Mario Bros. on an Apple TV.

Rusty says that this was made possible through the use of a standard Apple TV OS plus a few hacks. "Pretty simple hack to accomplish," he said. "Just enabled shh. Then VNC, AFP and USB. Then installed Nestopia and Emulator Enhancer." Nestopia is one of the emulators confirmed to be compatible with the Apple TV OS.

Anyway, check out the video below. Now who's to say that Apple gaming's nonexistent?

The resourceful people from AwkwardTV have released ATVFiles, a simple browser plugin for the Apple TV Finder. Like XBMC, this plugin can play video files without transcoding and syncing/streaming them. As for the codecs, you'll have to get them yourself as ATVFiles does not provide them. AwkwardTV recommends Perian and the A52Codec. You can check out some links to these codecs by clicking on the "via" link below.

Since the download doesn't include a readme file, here are the installation and usage instructions as well as the known issues for the plugin:

Installation

1. Copy ATVFiles.frappliance to this folder: /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/PlugIns on the Apple TV. You may want to create a symlink from there to some more convenient place.
2. Restart Finder. The command killall Finder will kill it, and it will be automatically restarted.
   

Usage

1. Enter the new "Files" menu on the main menu.
2. It lists files in /Users/frontrow/Movies, so mount or put your video files in that folder.

Known Issues

• AFP mounts don't seem to show up if they're in a location symlinked to. Mount them directly under Movies instead.
• Non-video files are played back using the QT player.
• No previews, etc.
• The icon is ugly and scaled way up.
• A NSGenericException: backtracing is raised during Finder startup. This is normal.
• The plugin isn't localized, and shows up as CFBundleName in the main menu for languages other than English.

   

Download: ATVFiles v0.1.0

 Apple just came out with the latest update to its operating system called OS 10.4.9, which fixes some compatibility issues as well as added security. The update may not be for everyone, so don't get too excited. Apple recommend it to Power PC users running the OS X tiger and OS 10.4.8 versions.

ZDNet, however, advised everyone to wait a few days before installing the critical update. This is to help users know what they'll be getting into as other people try installing the update. This will protect users from bugs that may come along with the new software.

The update has the following features:

1. RAW camera support
2. Handling of large or malformed images that could cause crashes
- Image capture performance
3. Mouse scrolling and keyboard shortcuts
4. Font handling
5. Playback quality, and bookmarks in DVD Player
6. USB video conferencing cameras for use with iChat
7. Bluetooth devices
8. Browsing AFP servers
9. Apple USB Modem
10. Windows-created digital certificates
11. Open and Print dialogs in applications that use Rosetta on Intel-based Macs
12. Time zone and daylight saving for 2006 and 2007
13. Security updates

We'll update you on how the Macintosh community responds after trying out the new software.