1) iTunes v6.0.2 was released on 01/10/05. (Mac and Win) The program mainly includes fixes for stability issues that existed in v6.0.1. The update can be found on either Apple’s website or can be updated using the Update Feature in iTunes. This new version also has a new iTunes mini-store which is visible in the bottom menu while viewing your library. It also allows converting videos in your library into an iPod Video compatible format, which eliminates the need for 3rd party programs.
Link: Get iTunes | iTunes Home

2) QuickTime v7.0.4 released on 01/10/05 as well. It comes bundled with iTunes if you udpated that, but you can also update the QuickTime program from Apple’s website or the Update Feature built into the program. 7.0.4 has many bug fixes and H.264 decoding and encoding performance improvements. Apple reccomends that everyone updates to this version as soon as possible. *This progam is required if you want to use the video transcoding features in iTunes.
Link: Get QuickTime | QuickTime Home

3) Two new Google Earth editions have been released. The first one is for Mac OS X. This is the first release for the Mac OS and is obvioulsy going to be in BETA editions for a long time. (requires 10.4 or above) The second release is for Windows and infact this release marks the end of BETA for the Windows edition of Google Earth. Google reccomends running Google Earth on win computers that have at least a 32mb Video Card, 512 MB of RAM, 1.2GHz Processor and a High Speed Connection.
Link: Get Google Earth | Google Blog Announcement
Related: Hurricane Katrina Satellite Images

4) Skype v2.0 with Video support released. A BETA edition with video features was available for a long time, but this has finally been done. The entire interface has been updated and looks much better. Ton of new features have been added. Skype has also enabled many new API features. The program loads up and runs much faster than previous versions. The video quality in the new Skype is just as amazing as the audio quality is. But if you have both running at the same time, the quality of the audio might be reduced.
Link: Get Skype | Skype Blog | ChangeLog

5) Mozilla Thunderbird v1.5 has been released at last. It has been over a month since Firefox 1.5 was released. (This is a major update) First most important thing is the fact that you will no longer need to download 6mb files each time you need to update your program after you upgrade to 1.5. Future updates will be done through the program as “patches” and will only be about 0.5mb. Thunderbird now has SpellCheck as you type, Search through Folders, better Phishing detection, Podcast support and more… Another neat feature allows deleting attachments from messages to save space. The program also has improved security, program stability, interface, and filters. If you use Thunderbird I reccomend getting this new version as soon as possible. All content in you client will not be touched if you just download the new version and run it over the previous program.
Link: Get Thunderbird | Release Notes
Related: Get Firefox

1) Firefox & Thunderbird 1.0.6 – Mozilla released another update for both Firefox and Thunderbird making both programs v1.0.6. They released such a quick update because v1.0.5 contained a buggy API, which didn’t allow many extensions to function properly. Only update if your extensions aren’t working, but there aren’t any other updates since 1.0.5.
Link: Mozilla.org | Firefox (changelog) | Thunderbird (changelog)
Related: Firefox and Thunerbird 1.0.5

2) MSN Messenger v7.5 BETA – Microsoft is currently testing a major update to the current v7.0. Some new features include voice clips (15-sec clips), new sign-on screen (sign on invisibly), and re-named buttons. This doesn’t say much, but they most likely also fixing major security flaws and bugs even though they haven’t announced any more yet.
Link: MSN Messenger | BETA News
Related: Gaim | Trillian

3) AOL Explorer 1.1… (BETA) AOL is working on a web browser to compete with IE, Firefox, and Mozilla. It currently includes a pop-up blocker, spyware scanner, tabbed browsing and a desktop search. I highly doubt this will become popular, they are just trying to get into the desktop search field, which Google, MSN, and Yahoo! are already in, and also going for a brand new browser, which IE makes up about 90% (FF is about 10%).
Link: AOL Explorer BETA | BETA News
Related: AOL Media Player | AIM Trition

4) Google Earth FREE Edition 3.0… BETA is out. This is an update to the previous version that had a few bugs. It is an amazing program, which should be installed by everyone. It had 3D images of many major cities and is gathering more and more satellite images from around the world every day! Google Maps also now covers more maps from around the world.
Link: Google Earth | Google Maps
Related: Google Labs | GlobeXplorer

5) QuickTime 7.0 Windows Public Preview 2 is now available. Apple has fixed many bugs since pre-1. It’s most important feature is the ability to play H.264, a video codec, which allows playing HD level content at low data rates. The file size is also suppost to be smaller than other formats of HD.
Link: Apple Quicktime | Windows Preview 2
Related: iTunes 4.9 w/ Podcasting Support

Note: (if you don’t already know) 2day is another FREE SKYPEOUT DAY