Apple has released two notable iPhone 4S commercials that feature popular celebrities using Siri. The first TV ad shows Samuel L Jackson planning a special evening with his wife thanks to the help of Siri, and the second commercial shows Zooey Deschanel using Siri to manage a lazy rainy day. Both commercials can be viewed embedded below.

Samuel L Jackson “Date Night” iPhone ad:

Zooey Deschanel “Rainy Day” iPhone 4S ad:

Apple has released a standalone removal tool that targets Flashback malware infections. The separate utility is recommended for Mac users who do not have Java installed on their OS X Lion machine, but it’s functionality is identical to that performed by the most recent Java update to remove Flashback.

If your Mac does not have Java or you did not install the most recent Java for OS X updates, running this tool is a good idea. Here is what to do:

1. Download the tool directly from Apple
2. Mount the DMG file and launch FlashbackMalwareRemover.pkg
3. Click Continue, click “Install” and enter the administrative password

Everything beyond that is automated, if the Mac is infected it will be automatically repaired.

Users should always keep system software up to date as part of a general maintenance routine. Despite the recent media overhyping of Flashback, Mac OS X remains a very secure platform. If you are concerned about potential attacks, our recent guide on securing Mac OS X from potential trojans and malware may be helpful to you.

Apple has released a new Java security update that automatically removes the most frequently occurring variations of the Flashback trojan malware. The software update is recommended for all Mac users to install, even if they have previously checked their systems for infection.

To get the update and remove any malware that is potentially on a Mac, simply download the “Java for OS X 2012-003″ update from Software Update found within the  Apple menu. There is no manual checking or removal required, simply installing the update from Apple resolves any potential infection for you.

The new Java update also disables automatic execution of Java applets, providing further security against potential threats down the road. Release notes are as follows:

This Java security update removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware.

This update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable the automatic execution of Java applets. Users may re-enable automatic execution of Java applets using the Java Preferences application. If the Java web plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable Java applets.

This update is recommended for all Mac users with Java installed.

For details about this update see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5242

All Mac users should install the update as soon as possible. For extra protection, don’t miss our recent post on some simple tips to secure Mac OS X from viruses, malware, and trojans.

TextWrangler is a very powerful general purpose text editor with a heavy emphasis on development and programming. We’ve long been big fans of TextWrangler around here as it is unequivocally the best free text editor out there for Mac OS X, and now that title is cemented even further with the release of TextWrangler 4.0.

The first thing you’ll notice with TextWrangler 4 is the redesigned UI, which ditches the right-side drawer and brings the documents window to the left a la iTunes and BBEdit. Of course there are feature improvements too, including new find and multi-file search capabilities, the ability to search through compressed files, a much improved built-in S/FTP browser, better syntax highlighting and color scheme support, OS X Lion+ full screen support, improved preferences, a beautified retina icon, and much more.

All in all an excellent update to an already excellent application. If you’re looking for a high quality free text editor for Mac, TextWrangler is it, it’s fast, lightweight, powerful, and freakishly good for a free app, though don’t be shy to shell out for it’s bigger brother BBEdit, which is even more powerful and includes hoards of web and development tools.

• Download TextWrangler 4 from BareBones Software (free)

You’ll need Mac OS X 10.6 or later to run TextWrangler 4, though the Full Screen support obviously requires OS X 10.7 or 10.8.

Random TextWrangler tip: If you’d rather use a third party S/FTP client like CyberDuck or Transmit, set TextWrangler as the default associated text editor for the filetypes in OS X. Now you can use TextWrangler to open remote items, and anytime you save a file through TextWrangler it will automatically upload the new revision to the remove server via your preferred SFTP client.

iPhone owners who are out of contract with AT&T will be able to unlock their devices starting April 8. An unlock means the SIM card slot becomes usable outside of the AT&T network, allowing for an individual to swap SIM cards and gain service on another compatible carrier, like T-Mobile.

This exciting news comes from America OnLine Engadget, who provides the following official statement from AT&T:

Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.

There are no instructions provided on how to unlock the iPhone, presumably a user will have to contact AT&T directly to walk through the unlock process with a representative. Typically this requires the IMEI number of the iPhone in question, which can be easily found on the iPhone itself or through iTunes. The phone number for AT&T wireless is 1-800-331-0500, and repeatedly pressing 0 is the easiest way to speak with a human being.

Given the pent up demand for unlocked iPhones there will likely be a surge of interest in unlocking contract-free devices. Unlocking is extremely beneficial to users who travel abroad. Purchasing a local pay-go SIM card is significantly cheaper than roaming through AT&T’s overpriced international rates, and also makes an iPhone more useful in areas where AT&T coverage is limited or does not exist.

Even those with no intention on using an iPhone abroad or with a competing cellular network should unlock their iPhone if given the chance. Individuals who bought an iPhone out of contract can also request the unlock, though their devices should already be unlocked by default.

iTunes 10.6.1 has been released, the minor update includes a variety of bug fixes but otherwise provides no new features. The official list of changes is as follows:

• Fixes several issues that may cause iTunes to unexpectedly quit while playing videos, changing artwork size in Grid view, and syncing photos to devices.
• Addresses an issue where some iTunes interface elements are incorrectly described by VoiceOver and WindowEyes.
• Fixes a problem where iTunes may become unresponsive while syncing iPod nano or iPod shuffle.
• Resolves an ordering problem while browsing TV episodes in your iTunes library on Apple TV.

The update is recommended for all users of iTunes software, even if the aforementioned issues have not been encountered.

Users can download iTunes 10.6.1 through Software Update, from iTunes, or directly from Apple.

50% of households in the USA own at least one Apple product, and 10% of those without intend to buy an Apple product sometime in the next year. This finding and others were discovered by a recent CNBC poll, which revealed some other fascinating statistics on the ubiquity of Apple gear in the United States.

• 55 million homes have at least one iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Mac in the house
• Apple buyers tend to be male, college educated, and younger
• 57% of homes on the West have Apple products, with an average of 2 per household
• 47% to 51% of homes in the remainder of the country have Apple products
• 61% of households with children own Apple products
• 48% of childless homes have Apple products
• 28% of households making $30,000 a year own at least one Apple device
• 77% of households earning over $75,000 a year own at least one Apple product, and average three devices per home

Owning Apple gear is also a nonpartisan affair, with 56% of both Republican and Democrat party members owning a device.

Some of these figures are unsurprising given the tremendous sales volume of Apple gear over recent years, though it’s still an impressive feat for a company that was nearly bankrupt in 1996.

A free public beta of Photoshop CS6 has been released by Adobe. The beta features some pretty major changes to Photoshop, including a new graphics engine that dramatically speeds up performance of some tools and an all new darkened user interface.

In terms of features, Photoshop CS6 includes a new content-aware patch, blur gallery, type styles, custom strokes to shapes, layer searching, video editing tools, a new crop tool, auto-select interpolation, and improved camera RAW support.

Anyone is free to download and install Adobe Photoshop CS6 Beta and no serial number is needed, although you will be required to enter an Adobe ID and activate online within seven days of first launching the application. From then on, the software is free to use until the final release of Photoshop CS6, which is due out sometime later this year.

If you’re at all interested in Photoshop or image editing, it’s worth a look. Free downloads are available for Mac OS X and Windows, with the Mac version requiring at least 2.5GB of available disk space to install.

• Download for Mac (direct link, 984MB)
• Download for Windows (direct link, 1.7GB)

Watch the video below for a demonstration, or check out Adobe Labs for more info.

Pricing hasn’t been announced, but typically Photoshop is the same price as a new iPad or more. For that reason, many alternatives like Pixelmator or even iPhoto can be good enough for many users photo editing needs.

The next iPhone will feature a significantly larger 4.6″ display, according to a report from Reuters.

The brief report cites an unspecified source who claims that Apple has already placed orders for the larger screen with component suppliers. Display suppliers for the iPhone could be LG and Samsung, with Samsung currently producing 4.6″ displays for their own Galaxy SII Android phone, shown alongside an iPhone 4S above.

If true, the next iPhone screen would be over an inch larger than the current iPhone display, which is measured at 3.5″ diagonally. A larger screen has long been anticipated for the next generation iPhone release, though most speculation focuses on a 4″ display, marking this as the first rumor of a 4.6″ display.

Virtually nothing is known about the next iPhone, though it is expected to follow the release schedule set by the iPhone 4S, which debuted in early October of last year.

Diablo 3 has a release date set for May 15, and if you’re like us you’ve been wondering if your computer can handle the game well enough to be worth buying. The good news is that Blizzard looks to be supporting a wide array of hardware, and most fairly modern computers will run the game just fine. As usual, the newer and better your computer the better, but here are the minimum and recommended specs for Diablo III running on Mac and Windows PC’s. You’ll probably want to check against this before pre-ordering or buying the game.

Minimum System Requirements for Mac OS X

• Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.*, or newer
• Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT or ATI Radeon HD 2600 or better
• 2GB RAM
• 12 GB of available disk space
• DVD drive for retail disc versions (digital download available)
• Broadband internet connection for multiplayer
• 1024×768 or greater screen resolution

Of course the game will run better with better hardware, here are the recommended specs for Mac users.

Recommended System Requirements for Mac OS X

• OS X 10.7.x or newer
• Core 2 Duo at 2.4GHz or faster
• 4GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M or ATI Radeon HD 4670 or better

If you have a Windows PC, here are the specs for that.

Minimum System Requirements for Windows

• Windows XP, Vista, or 7 with Direct X 9.0c
• Intel Pentium D 2.8GHz or AMD Athlon 64 4400
• NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT or ATI Radeon X1950 Pro or better
• 1GB RAM for Windows XP, 1.5GB RAM for Vista or 7
• 12GB disk space
• DVD drive
• Broadband internet connection
• 1024×768 resolution

For better performance in Diablo III, go with the recommended Windows system requirements instead.

Recommended System Requirements for Windows

• Windows Vista or Windows 7 with latest service packs
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon 2.8GHZ or better
• 4GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce 260 or ATI Radeon HD 4870 or better

A note for Mac users: you will often get better gaming performance by playing in Windows, though this will require Boot Camp and a Windows partition to be able to do. The system requirements will be the same if you choose this route.