Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"So Mac invulnerability to malware is a myth, at least according to security researchers from Kaspersky Lab. And although such a blunt statement may be a blow to the ego of some Mac users, it remains true."

You can be as careful as you possibly can and it still might get you. Ars looks at five virus protection apps for Mac that you may or may not want installed. I currently don't have an anti-virus program installed on my Mac, do you? What are your thoughts on virus protection for your Mac?

"As more and more of us use the iPad for regular business chores, we're spending more and more time with its virtual, onscreen keyboard."

So it doesn't hurt to learn some new tricks to make yourself more efficient with the iPad does it?

"Some people just love Google+ and others just hate the company's efforts to create a social network and a social layer across all of its services. Google itself seems to be pretty happy with the results it is getting from Google+ so far - or at least that's what the company is saying publicly."

And now they have an updated app. It's all new and works pretty well for the article. Seems strange they updated the iPhone one and left the Android version alone doesn't it? What are your thoughts on Google +?

"Yet another device that smartphones, like the iPhone, have made obsolete are alarm clocks."

Well get your alarm clock groove back with this snazzy dock for your iPhone. I usually just put my iPhone on the table and leave it at that, but if you need to have a dock for yours, or just want to spruce it up a bit, this is a pretty good way to do it I think. Clean design and you can use it portrait or landscape. But you can't get it until June. If you want to check out some other interesting designs, head over to the Bracketron site where you can also monitor the availability of this $34.95 USD dock.

"AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring add a lot of value to the second and third generation Apple TVs. Paired with a recent iPad or the iPhone 4S, an Apple TV can instantly become a gaming solution and a theater for home movies - and will be amazing when combined with Mountain Lion when it ships this summer."

The limit is the HDMI port for output, but with this handy adapter from Kanex called the ATV Pro Adapter, that limit is now gone. The port is standard VGA port along with the 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack so now you can connect your Apple TV to a number of different older displays.

"Dragging and dropping is a great way to get stuff done on your Mac, but DragonDrop makes it even better. DragonDrop lets you set down what you're dragging, leaving you free to find your destination without worrying about keeping the mouse button held down."

This, is awesome. And only $4.99 in the Mac App Store.

"Cheerleaders for Apple's iPad can get out their pom-poms (and perhaps their passports)."

The new countries are, in no particular order: Argentina, Aruba, Bahrain, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Madagascar, Malta, Martinique, Mauritius, Morocco, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Tunisia, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. This brings the total number of countries to 90. Impressive.

"Let's say you're walking around your neighborhood, or a neighborhood you'd like to make yours, and you spy a house you find interesting."

Now you can use an app called HomeSnap to take a picture and just like magic all the details about it will be revealed to you. You can watch the video over at the All Things D site to see just how slick HomeSnap is, or just download the free app yourself in iTunes and try it.

"There's never been a shortage of hidden objects to find on the iPad, but now you'll at least have the help of Kate Brooks."

Looks like a fun game, and initially it is free to begin, you will have to deal with an in-app cost of $4.99 USD to continue the game. Sounds reasonable if you can play it enough at the beginning to tell if you really like it.

"AT&T has announced a new home security and automation service called Digital Life that comes with an iPad and iPhone app with a bunch of security and remote control options."

I like these home automation set ups, makes it easy to monitor things in case you aren't home. And with this one you actually get them to install and monitor. If you are in Dallas or Atlanta, you might want to go to the AT&T site for this since those areas are the first to go live this summer.