This coming Tuesday — August 10 — Microsoft will release a company record fourteen security bulletins to plug thirty-four vulnerabilities. Angela Gunn, a member of Microsoft’s Response Communications team, wrote: “For those who keep track of such things, this will be the most bulletins we have ever released in a month; we have released 13 bulletins on a couple of occasions. However, in total CVE count, this release ties with June 2010, so there’s no new record there.” Of the fourteen bulletins, eight are listed as critical and six are rated as important. Make sure to run your Windows Updates next Tuesday to get all the goodies.

[Via CNET]

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Today, Microsoft released an out-of-band patch for the Windows .lnk extension exploit that was announced several weeks ago. The exploit can allow unauthorized users to execute arbitrary code if an “icon of a specially crafted shortcut is displayed.” Microsoft said: “An attacker could disseminate a USB or other removable drive with a malicious shortcut file on it and when the target victim opens the drive in Windows Explorer or any other application that parses the icon of the shortcut, the malicious code would execute on the victim’s computer. An attacker could also embed malware in a malicious Web site, a remote network share, or in a Microsoft Word document.” Lately, the .lnk exploit, which is actually a vulnerability found in the Windows Shell, has been spreading via the Sality.AT virus, according to a Microsoft blog post. Regardless, the patch is out there and the bug is present in virtually all versions of Windows, if you’re a Windows user, we highly suggest you install it now.

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Microsoft seems to be in a bit of a pickle – it has a fancy, schmancy OS in Windows 7 but a majority of its prized business customers are still clinging onto the now nine years old Windows XP operating system. On Monday at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, Tammi Reller, the CVP of Microsoft Windows, dropped the bomb that 74% of business PCs are still running Windows XP. The reason for this slow adoption was not provided but presumably it has to do with the poor reputation that has plagued Windows Vista and possibly its successor Windows 7, which, thought its not being adopted, has fared better than its counterpart in the reputation department. Economics may also play a part as businesses have apparently been slow to upgrade hardware with the average business computer boasting of 4.4 years of faithful service. Rather than take a pessimistic view, Microsoft is putting a positive spin on this circumstance and viewing it as an opportunity to compel businesses to jump into the latest generation hardware and software. Microsoft is pretty upbeat- according to CEO Steve Ballmer, the software giant expects to sell 350 million Windows 7 licenses in 2010 alone.

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It’s been a long time coming, but Flash Player 10.1 has finally been released. For Windows users with relatively new rigs this means that you’ll be able to put less of a strain on your system when watching streaming videos thanks to hardware acceleration for H.264 video. Sadly the Mac-specific version released today still lacks this feature, but it will be made available just as soon as Adobe is finished polishing up the “Gala” edition of Flash Player 10.1.

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Photo enthusiasts take note, as Adobe is rolling out the official retail version of Lightroom 3 today. Available as a public-beta since October 2009, the latest, official version of Lightroom features a brand new processing engine that improves performance and offers an enhanced, easier to use UI. Noteworthy features include: support for DSLR video files, improved noise reduction, lens correction and sharpening tools, and tethered shooting (with select Nikon and Canon cameras). Lightroom 3 is available for both Macintosh and Windows systems with a price point of $299; an upgrade licences retails for $99. You can grab a copy of this latest offering directly from Adobe today, or from a third party retailer in the near future.

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Yesterday we got OS X 10.6.3 and today we have iTunes 9.1. The changes as stated in Software Update are some tweaks to Genius Mixes as well as the ability to sync and manage iPads. But the real news here is one major change that was not mentioned: jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches are now unable to sync with iTunes, or at least according to a bunch of feedback we’ve received (others report this is not the case). Bottom line: Unless you’re getting an iPad this Saturday, you might want to play it safe and not update to iTunes 9.1 until this is all cleared up.

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January 11th was zero hour for Microsoft as the injunction against Word and Office 2007 went into effect. The software giant out of Redmond had indicated that it was prepared for the injunction and would have it products fixed and ready to roll on the injunction date. Despite its good intentions, Microsoft failed to deliver this update and has pulled most of its Office 2007 and Word 2007 products from the shelves of its online store. Microsoft informs customers that these affected Office and Word 2007 versions are being updated and will be returning soon. The software giant advises customers to purchase Office Ultimate for $679 or try out the beta version of Office 2010. Not interested in a suite of software that costs more than your monthly car payment? Hurry on over to Amazon, Newegg and other retailers who, for the time being, are still selling the affected products.

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We’re not exactly sure why “WIDEBOOK” has to be in all caps, but LG just took the wraps off its latest line of niche notebooks. Comprised of five models in total, LG’s WIDEBOOKS all feature LED-backlit displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio that LG has dubbed “cinematic”. Mmm hmm. Starting at the bottom we have the R380, a 13-incher that can boot in five seconds with “Smart On”. In the middle of the pack, the R460 and R560 tout 14 and 15.6-inch displays respectively, and then up at the top we have the like-sized R480 and the R580. The entire range sports Windows Vista or 7, Core 2 Duo processors, between 2GB and 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce graphics chips with up to 1GB of graphics memory, and display resolutions of either 1600 x 900 or 1368 x 768 pixels. The R580 also packs a Blu-ray drive to make that “cinematic experience” complete. Pricing isn’t yet available but the wait won’t be long — LG’s WIDEBOOKS will roll out this month in Turkey, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, followed by other countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America and last but not least, North America.

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Now before we get into these screen caps our disclaimer must be made explicitly clear: This is superduperultramegaturbo rumor/skeptical status. Right then. A German blogger claims to have dug up a hand full of iTunes 9 screenshots while sifting through a Chinese Apple forum. Yeah, we know — did you not read our disclaimer? For those of you who are late to the party, we exclusively scooped a handful of features said to be coming to the next version of iTunes and then followed up this morning with some tasty new info. Should these screenshots be authentic, they definitely firm up several of the items we listed including Last.fm integration and some kind of integration with Facebook and Twitter as shown in the first screenshot below (social playlists?). Hit the jump for the rest of the shots and a bigger version of the image above.

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Google recently issued a new beta of its infant web browser and while it touts some huge improvements over older builds, we still find ourselves hesitant to give it any real face time on our machines. Let’s start by covering the improvements: First and foremost, Google claims the new version 3.0.195.4 runs over 30 percent faster than previous builds according to benchmark tests. Wow. To jump over 30 percent from one build to the next is nothing short of incredible and in our time spent playing with it, the improvement is quite obvious. Beyond speed, Google has also added some customization options to the new tab page, tweaked the display in the Omnibox, added some basic HTML5 capabilities and added 29 themes just in case the old Google blue bored you. Long story short, the new version offers a pretty respectable bump over previous builds — but we’re still not using it. Why? The answer is simple: one product cannot be all things to all people.

Firefox’s greatest advantage over Chrome is still its open nature and its vast development community. We have about 15 Firefox add-ons we simply could not browse without, literally, and another 10 or so that we could probably live without but really don’t want to. Thanks to the endless stream of available add-ons, Firefox’s behavior and functionality can be tweaked to suit individual users’ needs as opposed to just being a solution that meets the basic needs of a wide range of users. Mozilla has amassed a tremendous community of developers who support its open source projects, many of whom are simply brilliant and more than generous in donating their time and skill to making Firefox a more versatile browser. We’re sure you can see where this is going. We’ve grown accustomed to the versatility Firefox affords and until Chrome or any other browser can manage to attract developers like Mozilla has, they just don’t stand a chance on our machines.

[Via Google Chrome Blog]

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UPDATE: Just a word of warning — we’re getting reports from several Mac users that 3.5 has issues with restoring sessions/tabs after exiting and reopening the browser. By issues, we mean it doesn’t work. Windows users are seemingly not affected.

UPDATE 2: If you’re having the problem mentioned above, go to Firefox > Preferences > Privacy [tab]. If “Clear history when Firefox closes” is checked, click on Settings and uncheck “Browsing History”.

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Opera tantalized everyone last week with its proclamation that the Norwegian company was about to reinvent the Web. We were skeptical at best. Here we are on launch day and, well, the Web kind of feels the same, but Opera has announced its latest and greatest innovation, dubbed Opera Unite. According to the post at Opera Labs, Opera Unite is an application that will turn any computer running the software into a web server. Users running Opera Unite will be able to share content with multiple computers over the Internet through the web browser, or even web applications called Unite services. Opera is pushing the service as a social media tool that requires no third party service, no complicated setup and no additional fees. Your data shared from your computer, on your terms and under your control. The service will launch with a few demo applications including Opera Unite Jukebox, an in-browser media player, and an instant messaging application. Opera Unite will work on Mac, Windows and Linux PCs with expansion to mobile browsers and other devices expected in the future. An alpha version of the Opera Unite software is now available for download.

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It’s no mystery that when it comes to computers and the Internet, you need protection. Maybe not the kind of protection ‘ole Harry here is packing, but the stronger the better in this day and age. Most agree that there are several good free anti-virus solutions available on the market and while they may offer decent protection against the various malware floating around, there’s no substitution for subscription services such as those offered by Symantec and McAfee. Apparently, Microsoft hopes to change that stance. Codenamed Morro, Microsoft is preparing to bring a new free anti-virus solution to market that could spell trouble for competing products in the AV industry. The company’s earlier attempt at an anti-virus solution, OneCare, was anything but a success following its launch in 2006 and subsequent benching. Since then however, Microsoft has stepped up its game where marcom is concerned and to say the company is on a roll is an understatement. Morro, poised to compete with free anti-virus and entry-level paid solutions, is expected to be released soon as a public beta with a full launch slated to follow before the year is out.

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Yesterday, news that the Palm Pre was capable of synchronizing content with iTunes hit just about every tech and gadget blog on the planet. In fact, it even reached mainstream media blogs that typically shy away from little tidbits. Really? Fair enough — it’s pretty cool for Pre proponents to know that their future handsets will sync with iTunes out of the box. The level of excitement over this story got us thinking though… If people are this excited that the Pre can sync with iTunes, does that mean they think many current handsets cannot sync with iTunes?

If the answer is yes, that is most definitely not the case. While it is indeed true that many handsets lack the ability to sync with iTunes out of the box, it’s 2009, people — there’s an app for that. There are many, many solutions for syncing your phone with iTunes in fact; from OEM and Apple-sourced solutions to third party plug-ins and utilities. Here at BGR we have two apps in particular that we are fond of, both developed by third-parties: iTunes Agent for Windows PCs and iTuneMyWalkman for Mac.

Without getting too into the particulars, both of these awesome free applications allow you to sync iTunes with any device capable of connecting as a drive. Smartphones, dumb phones, flash drives or even digital cameras if you’re so inclined — if it has a mass storage mode, you can sync it. Several OEM options are a bit cleaner in terms of appearance and dedicated functionality but none are as universal the aforementioned apps. Since we go through phones like they’re candy, we can’t be bothered with 10 different OEM sync solutions. Even if you only get a new phone every year though, why bother with learning new sync software if you change brands? So, if you’ve been looking for a way to sync your phone with iTunes quickly, easily and even automatically, definitely give our recomendations a shot and let us know what you think.

[Via The Next Web]

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