XMenu adds up to six new menu items to the Apple menu bar. These new menu items contain five defined categories (Applications, Developer, Home, Documents, Snippets) and one free-form category that lets you create your own menu items.

XMenu

For long-time Mac users, XMenu is the reincarnation of the old Apple menu from System 9 and earlier. Back then you could easily add files, folders, and applications to the Apple menu, and quickly launch your favorite items with a click or two of the mouse.

XMenu automatically populates predefined categories with all of the items from the associated location. For instance, the Application menu will be filled with all of the files and folders in your Applications directory. But it’s the user-defined menu option that I like the most. You can build your own menus of just the items you want, as well as sub-menus to help in organization and retrieval.

XMenu is simple to use and has plenty of options. It includes a PDF that explains how to create your own menu system.

XMenu is free and available for downloading from the DEVONtechnologies web site.

See other software choices from Tom’s Budget Software Picks.

I haven’t had a drive failure or data issue in quite a while (knock on wood), but I sometimes field questions from About: Macs readers who are looking for pointers on how to back up their data.

Most people don’t think about backing up their Mac until after disaster strikes; by then, it’s too late. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead of waiting for that sinking feeling when you realize your Mac isn’t going to boot, or the terrifying sound of your hard drive screeching to a halt, be proactive. Check out all the possibilities, make a decision, and then back up your data.

To help to get you in the backup habit, here is our guide to Mac Backup: Mac Backup Software, Hardware, and Guides for Your Mac.

Intuit has once again announced a delay in the release of Quicken Financial Life, the next generation of the product formerly known as Quicken for Mac.

© Intuit

In 2007, Intuit said that the newest Mac version of Quicken would be released in early 2008. At Macworld 2009 in January, Intuit said the wait was almost over; Quicken would be released later this year. Now Intuit says sometime in 2010, maybe. We can’t commit to a date, but not to worry.

The last version of Quicken for the Mac was released in October of 2006, and was called Quicken 2007. If Quicken Financial Life actually makes an appearance in 2010 (and I’m not holding my breath), that will be a four-year delay between editions. Truly a lifetime, whether measured in financial terms or software terms.

What financial software are you using on your Mac? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Apple has released Safari 4.0.2 for Tiger, Leopard, and Windows. This latest version of the browser addresses two security issues found in the underlying WebKit framework.

Safari

CVE-2009-1724: Corrects a weakness that could result in a cross-site scripting attack if you visit a maliciously crafted web site.

CVE-2009-1725: Could cause Safari to unexpectedly terminate, or execute arbitrary code, if you visit a maliciously crafted web site.

Safari 4.0.2 also offers improved stability, with its new Nitro JavaScript engine. The Nitro engine is one of the keys to the speedier performance you should notice from Safari when visiting web sites that use JavaScript.

Because of the security concerns, Safari 4.0.2 is a recommended update for all Safari 4.x users.

You can download the Safari 4.0.2 update directly from Apple’s web site, or by using the Software Update feature in the Apple menu.

An Eject CD/DVD menu item in your Mac’s menu bar is a handy way to quickly eject or insert a CD or DVD. The menu bar provides access to its items at all times, so no matter what application you are running, no matter how many windows are cluttering up your desktop, you can quickly eject a CD or DVD without having to move windows around to find and drag its icon to the trash.

The Eject menu bar item also provides some additional benefits. If you have multiple CD or DVD drives, the Eject menu will list each drive, allowing you to select the drive you want to open or close. The Eject menu also comes in handy for ejecting stubborn CDs or DVDs, such a CD or DVD that your Mac doesn’t recognize. Because the CD or DVD never mounts, there’s no icon to drag to the trash and no contextual pop-up menu you can use to eject the media, but the Eject menu solves that problem.

The article ‘Add a Menu Bar Item to Eject a CD or DVD’ will show you the steps to add the Eject command to your menu.

According to Bloomberg, the SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) is investigating whether Apple or Steve Jobs made misleading disclosures in January of 2009. The SEC is interested in the events that occurred around January 5th, when Steve said he was suffering from a hormonal imbalance and that treatment for it would be relatively easy, and January 14th, when Steve announced he was taking a six-month leave of absence due to complex medical conditions.

The question in the SEC’s mind is, “What did Steve and Apple know, and when did they know it?” A disclosure that is misleading can be grounds for accusing a company of wrongdoing, which in turn can bring sanctions, fines, or in an extreme case, an investigation for securities fraud. A disclosure can be considered misleading if any of the information presented by an officer of a company is a partial truth and does not represent all the known facts at the time of the disclosure.

If Steve believed his health problems were caused by a hormonal imbalance that was easy to correct, and then later discovered the problem ran deeper, then no harm no foul, at least in the SEC’s eyes. However, if Steve or Apple were already aware that his condition was more serious than stated, then Apple could be accused of covering up pertinent investor information, a form of securities fraud.

What is not an issue at this time is whether Apple was required to disclose Steve’s health condition. That debate moves to the back burner because, in the SEC’s viewpoint, once Apple chose to disclose information, it was required to be completely truthful and complete in the disclosure.

Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray reports that the fastest 13-inch MacBook Pro and the entry-level 15-inch MacBook Pro are the two most popular models in the MacBook Pro line. He reached this conclusion by looking at the shipping delays for all of the non-custom MacBook Pro models, the theory being that the most popular models would have the highest delay. Gene believes this is a sign that demand is outpacing supply.

Courtesy of Apple

I generally agree with Gene’s theory, although it’s also possible that Apple simply underestimated demand, as it has been known to do in the past, and that the current shipping delays are temporary, as Apple ramps production of the two new models.

Let’s put the theory to the test. If you were going to buy a MacBook or MacBook Pro, which standard model would you choose? If you’re inclined to customize your Mac, select the base model you would start from.

It’s been speculated, here and elsewhere, that Apple will eventually add video recording capabilities to the iPhone and iPod touch. We have already seen this feature on the new iPhone 3G S, and to tell you the truth, I was a little surprised not to see a new iPod touch with the same capability.

Courtesy of Apple

Well, perhaps we won’t have to wait too much longer. According to various sources, Apple has placed an order for a large number of camera modules like the one used in the iPhone 3G S. The order is said to be so large that not only will a new iPod touch have a camera, but one or more other iPod models will also get a camera.

An iPod touch with a video camera is a no-brainer. The software already has the capabilities for shooting, editing, and uploading videos. Other iPods lack this capability, though. If Apple wants to add video capture to other iPods, it will have to write new software just for the iPod.

If Apple is seriously considering adding video recording capabilities to the iPod nano and classic, would it make more sense to write a new iPod operating system that supports video, or use the existing iPhone software in new iPod products, completely redefining the iPod lineup, with the exception of the shuffle, which would remain the lowest priced iPod?

If Apple migrates the iPhone/iPod touch OS to other iPods, we could see a number of new capabilities, such as support for downloading apps from the App Store, and the ability to buy and run videos from the iTunes Store.

When would we see these theoretical new iPods? Hard to say, but historically, iPods are announced in late September, which leaves just about the right amount of time for Apple to ramp up production of a new generation of iPods.

EarthDesk replaces your desktop image with a dynamically updated projection of the earth. EarthDesk projections show not only the day/night terminus line as it moves across the earth, but also real-time cloud cover, and an accurate rendering of the current moonlight reflecting off the earth.

Besides showing real-time events, you can also configure EarthDesk to display the world using political boundaries and 11 different projection maps.

EarthDesk remembers your previous desktop image and easily reverts back to it, should you decide to disable or uninstall EarthDesk. This simple nicety is an example of the care and thoughtfulness that went into the design of EarthDesk.

If you want the world at your fingertips, give EarthDesk a try.

EarthDesk is $24.95 for an individual or $39.95 for a family pack. A trial version is also available.

See other software choices from Tom’s Budget Software Picks.

One of the most often asked questions for any application is, “Is there a shortcut for doing x?”

With Safari 4 the answer is: Probably. But you don’t have to spend a lot of time looking around, trying to find shortcut information. Safari 4 has a built-in web page that contains a list of every keyboard and mouse shortcut.

You can access this page in a number of different ways, including typing the URL for the page into the Location bar in Safari; using the Finder to browse to where Safari 4 stores this information on your Mac; or, my favorite, using the ‘Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts’ menu item in the Debug menu.

I like using the Debug menu option because it ensures the keyboard and shortcuts information is always current, even after I update Safari. The direct URL and the location of the file could both change after installing a Safari update.

“Wait!” you say. “Where is this Debug menu of which you speak?” Well, it’s a hidden menu that has been built into Safari since its early days, but it’s easy to make it visible. The Safari 4 Complete Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts List article contains links to instructions for enabling and disabling the Debug menu.