Home / Industry Dashboard

MacTech News

11:38

Apple posts new developer betas of watchOS 3.2.3, iOS 11, tvOS 11

Apple has released the fourth beta version of watchOS 3.2.3, as well as minor developer's updates for iOS 11 and tvOS 11. They can be be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center.

| Read more »

10:14

MacSales releases 2TB Aura Pro SSD

MacSales.com has announced the availability of the new OWC 2.0TB Aura Pro Solid State Drive for mid-2012 to early 2013 Apple MacBook Pros with Retina display. It’s also compatible with 2010-2012 MacBook Air.

The Aura Pro 2.0TB SSD upgrade frees up and boosts capacity on the internal hard drive. It’s also available as a kit with an Envoy Pro enclosure to immediately reuse an Apple internal hard drive, creating a new external USB 3.1 Gen1 portable drive.

The Aura Pro SSD’s global wear leveling algorithm automatically distributes data evenly and manages program/erase count, maximizing SSD lifespan. Its StaticDataRefresh technology manages free space, gradually refreshing data across the SSD over time. The Hardware BCH ECC corrects errors up to 66-bit/1KB for superior data retention and drive health. The Aura Pro SSD’s advanced security protocols support AES 128/256-bit full-drive encryption.

The 2.0TB Aura Pro Solid State Drive and Envoy Pro storage solution...

| Read more »

07:09

MacFly Pro is new subscription-based Mac maintenance tool

MacFly Pro LLC (www.macflypro.com) has introduced MacFly Pro 1.0, a subscription-based Mac maintenance product. The “personal tech assistant” purportedly learns, with every use, from the user's habits for everyday tasks, software preferences and adjusts its recommendations accordingly.

At the end of the day, your Mac gets a personalized maintenance treatment, according to the folks at MacFly Pro. It consists of two major parts. Cleaner can clean user and system caches, broken application data, media leftovers, and unneeded mail attachments. Manager handles old files on your Mac or finds any photo duplicates on the Manager page.

MacFly Pro 1.0 pricing starts at $3.33/month for a yearly package. Early bird access to MacFly Pro is available with seven-day free trial option.

| Read more »

06:57

MacX MediaTrans 3.9 Offers Full Support for iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra

MacXDVD Software has announced MacX MediaTrans 3.9 (https://www.macxdvd.com/mediatrans), an update that provides support for now-in-beta-testing iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.

MacX MediaTrans offers a way to manage, backup and transfer your iOS mobile data, including videos, photos, music, ringtone, ebooks, Voice Memo, iTunes U, Podcast and more. Version 3.9 offers optimized data loading performance, fixes data loading problems as well as fixed errors when sorting music by album.

MacX MediaTrans 3.9 is normally priced at $29.9 for a single license copy with life time free upgrade. However, it’s being offered for 70% off for a limited time.

| Read more »

04:06

Package Central for Adobe InDesign improves email notification handling

Zevrix Solutions has released Package Central 1.9.19, a feature update to company's packaging workflow automation tool for Adobe InDesign.

The software automates InDesign packaging with hot folder processing. Package Central offers email notifications, variable packages, PDF export and more. Version 1.9.19 makes it easier to specify multiple addresses for email notifications, and addresses processing errors on some network servers.

Package Central can be purchased for $149.95 from the Zevrix website (www.zevrix.com). A demo is available for download. Package Central requires macOS 10.7-10.12 and Adobe InDesign CS5-CC 2017.

| Read more »

Jun 23

MacFamilyTree grows to version 8.2

Synium Software has announced MacFamilyTree 8.2 (http://tinyurl.com/2563p63), an update to their genealogy app for macOS 10.10 and higher.

It offers ways to explore your personal family history, discover your origins, and how your family has evolved over the course of time. MacFamilyTree 8.2 features new, improved, and configurable charts and diagrams as well as improved FamilySearch integration and better CloudTree performance. In version 8.2, almost every aspect of a chart can be configured. Many presets can now be further refined to your taste. You can adjust coloring, shadows, line styles, information to display, and fonts for all charts.

Four new charts have been added to MacFamilyTree 8.2 using fractal algorithms to create stunning representations of your tree: Fractal Tree, Circular Tree, Symmetrical Tree, and the Square Tree. The chart editor in MacFamilyTree 8.2 has been enhanced;...

| Read more »

Jun 23

One Stop Systems introduces the Magma ExpressBox 3T-V3

One Stop Systems (OSS) has introduced the $999 ExpressBox 3T-V3 (http://tinyurl.com/ycjl4kwj), an expansion chassis with three full length PCIe slots. The EB3T-V3 is fully Thunderbolt certified and features plug and play installation.

It can support any combination of x1, x4, x8 and x16 PCIe cards. The chassis features a hot-swappable cooling fan, and users can control fan speed and noise. The EB3T-V3 can provide up to 300W of power.

The Magma ExpressBox 3T-V3 features a new PCIe Gen 3 backplane to better match the throughput available with Thunderbolt 3 and the majority of PCIe cards on the market, according to Steve Cooper, CEO of OSS. The expansion chassis contains three PCIe slots connected to the computer through a Thunderbolt 3 cable. You can add up to three PCIe cards to Magma ExpressBox 3T-V3.

| Read more »

Jun 22

Apple releases fourth developer beta of iOS 10.3.3

Apple has posted the fourth developer beta of iOS 10.3.3. It can be be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center.

| Read more »

Jun 22

Rayz and Rayz Plus Lightning earphones get ‘Smart Mute’ feature

Pioneer and Onkyo U.S.A Corp. have announces a new “Smart Mute” feature for the Rayz and Rayz Plus Lightning earphones (www.pioneerrayz.com), along with new Rayz Plus colors - black and rose gold - which are available exclusively at Apple.com and at Apple Retail stores worldwide for $99.95 and $149.95, respectively.

Rayz Plus are Lightning earphones with an inline charging node that allows you to charge the iPhone and listen to music or talk at the same time. It uses Apple's newest Lightning audio technology, powered by Avnera's LightX platform.

The new “Smart Mute” feature for Rayz and Rayz Plus automatically mutes the microphone when a user isn’t speaking and unmutes the microphone when the user begins speaking again. Users can get Smart Mute by downloading the latest Rayz app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on the Apple App Store and performing a Rayz software update.

| Read more »

Jun 22

Vitamin-R for macOS adds support for Things 3

Publicspace has introduced Vitamin-R 2.48 for macOS. The app breaks down large, vaguely defined tasks into a series of short time slices of between 10 and 30 minutes, each with specific, actionable objectives.

Vitamin-R features an array of highly configurable visual, audio and speech notifications. Version 2.49 adds support for the Things 3 to-do list manager.

Vitamin-R requires macOS 10.10 or later. The single user version of Vitamin-R is available for $24.99 from the Mac App Store (http://tinyurl.com/m36n6r9) and for $24.95 from the publicspace web store (http://tinyurl.com/ya6sfya).

The web store also offers family, business and enterprise licensing and customers may chose to include a "forever upgrade" with their purchase. Each Vitamin-R web store purchase includes a free license for its companion product...

| Read more »

Jun 22

Note-taking app SnipNotes arrives on the Mac

Felix Lisczyk has introduced SnipNotes (https://www.snipnotes.de/) for macOS, which extends the existing iOS app. It combines a configurable clipboard manager with an intelligent note-taking app.

Users can save any content from their clipboard, websites and more. SnipNotes categorizes notes automatically based on their content and provides a set of actions for each type. SnipNotes takes advantage of many Mac technologies such as Handoff and the new Touch Bar.
It requires macOS 10.12 or later.

SnipNotes 1.0 for macOS is on sale for $3.99 until July 9 and $8.99 afterwards. The app is available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Productivity category.

| Read more »

Jun 22

Chronos announces six major app upgrades and a special offer

Chronos (www.chronosnet.com) has debuted major upgrade to each of its six design and print apps for macOS, adding color capabilities to each app.

The upgraded applications are Business Card Shop 8, FotoFuse 2, Greeting Card Shop 4, iScrapbook 7, Labelist 10 and PrintLife 4. To celebrate, Chronos is offering a 30% discount on these apps between now and midnight on Monday, June 26.

| Read more »

Jun 21

Apple releases lots of new developer betas

Apple has released second developer betas of iOS 11, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, watchOS 4, tvOS 11 and and Xcode 9. Developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center or the Software Update mechanism in the App Store.

| Read more »

Jun 21

Steve Wozniak to address global leaders at DC Tech Summit

Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak, will head to Washington, DC on Nov. 2 to share his vision for the future of technology with leaders from local and international business, government, and social sectors at a DC tech summit.

"The development of new technology is moving at a rapid pace, faster than ever before," he says. "If I can inspire key players in systems that affect all of us—like healthcare, business, and education—to take advantage of these shifts sooner, that's what I am going to do.”

Wozniak will be a headliner at the Future of Technology Summit (www.fts2017.com) where he'll be joined by other tech innovators, including Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla Motors; Prof. Mary "Missy" Cummings, associate professor, mechanical engineering and material sciences at Duke university; Randi Zuckerberg, founder of Zuckerberg Media; and Chris Kemp, Former CTO at NASA founder of Stealth Space Company and...

| Read more »

Jun 21

HitMan comes to the Mac

Feral Interactive (www.feralinteractive.com) has released HitMan for the Mac. You can buy the game on the Feral Store for $59.99, or from Steam where HITMAN is currently 66% off.

As Agent 47 you perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world. Gameplay focuses on taking out targets in huge and intricate sandbox levels with complete freedom of approach.

Hitman is rated “M” for blood, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language and use of drugs.

| Read more »

Jun 21

Publicspace releases Rest Time 1.0 for the Mac

Publicspace has launched Rest Time for macOS. It’s a break reminder written completely in Swift and using Apple's latest platform technologies.

Rest Time schedules breaks “intelligently,” taking into account user activity and device status. It does so without requiring privileged access, preserving your privacy and Internet security. Rest Time lives under an icon in your Mac's menu bar and pays attention to how long you’ve been working.

It requires macOS 10.11 or later. The single user version of Rest Time is available for $9.95 from the publicspace web store (http://www.publicspace.net/). The store also offers family, small business, business and enterprise licensing and customers may chose to include a "forever upgrade" with their purchase.

| Read more »

Jun 21

Hej Stylus! for macOS gets new pressure mapping function

Eilert Janssen has announced Hej Stylus! 2.0 (https://hejstylus.com), an update to his macOS menubar application designed to make it easy for designers, illustrators and digital artists to configure and smooth out their stylus and graphics tablet output.

The app acts as a control system for the user's graphic input. Version 2.0 offers a new pressure mapping function that takes the pressure output of a user's stylus and maps it along as either a linear or Bezier function.

Hej Stylus! 2.0 requires macOS 10.10 or later and costs $15. A 24-hour free trial version of the app is available for download. Discounts are available for volume purchases.

| Read more »

Jun 21

Moneyspire announces support for over 9,000 financial institutions

Moneyspire (www.moneyspire.com) has announced Moneyspire Connect, the company's new service that allows its personal finance software users to download transactions from over 9,000 financial institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

Moneyspire is personal finance software for Mac and Windows systems that "brings your entire financial life together in one place, and helps give you peace of mind." It allows you to kKeep track of your bank accounts, credit cards, etc., and organize your transactions and see where your money is going.

Pricing starts at $44.99 for the Basic Edition. A demo is available for download.

| Read more »

Jun 20

CS Odessa announces Transport Hazard Pictograms Solution for...

CS Odessa (www.conceptdraw.com) has released a new transport hazardous warning solution for ConceptDraw Pro 11, which is now available in ConceptDraw Solution Park. The Transport Hazard Pictograms, as well as the GHS Hazard Solution, are a group of libraries that can be used to label containers, vessels, and work places of potentially dangerous contents.

The Transport Hazard Pictograms Solution can be used to construct infographics, diagrams, warnings, and posters to comply with the OSHA HAZCOM Standard.
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) — developed and approved by the United Nations — contain a set of agreed icons, which transmit the information about the danger of various chemical goods.

These icons are used at the storage, working and transportation of different chemicals and chemical materials. Depending on the purpose of application the...

| Read more »

Jun 20

MyScript launches next gen MyScript Developer

MyScript (www.myscript.com) has announced the enhanced MyScript Developer portal. The completely redesigned platform better enables developers to build next-generation applications that leverage digital writing across all popular OS platforms, according to Pierre Laporte, executive vice president, technology enablement, MyScript.

The enhanced developer program eliminates the cost of entry for developers and reduces application time-to-market, he adds. Developers experience no cost to gain access to MyScript’s digital writing technology and to test the applications prior to release. The digital writing toolkits include:

° MyScript Cloud Development Kit (CDK), which provides cloud-based recognition services and high-level web components to integrate handwriting recognition into web applications.

° MyScript Application Toolkit (ATK), which delivers high-level components and widgets to...

| Read more »

MacTech Blog

Jun 26

Global cloud mobile music services market to grow at 7...

The global cloud mobile music services market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 7% from 2017-2021, according to Technavio’s (www.technavio.com) latest market research.

“Cloud-based online music enables listeners to move from the traditional way of owning music to a new model of 'anytime-anywhere' access to music. Moving from an ownership model to subscription and ad-supported music is likely to change the music preferences of consumers as they will experiment more with the new forms of music,” says Ishmeet Kaur, a lead enterprise application research expert from Technavio.

In 2016, the US and Canada were the key regions in the cloud mobile music services market in North America. Increasing number of mobile phone users, rising Internet penetration, and popular social media fueled the demand for cloud mobile music services in the region. In 2016, there was an increase...

| Read more »

Jun 23

 Retailers to lose $71 billion in card-not-present...

New data from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has found that retailers stand to lose $71 billion globally from fraudulent CNP (Card-Not-Present) transactions over the next five years. The research found that a number of factors, such as the USA’s shift to EMV cards, delays in 3DS 2.0 (3D-Secure) and click-and-collect fraud were key drivers behind the rise.

Juniper’s latest research found that many merchants still perceive combatting fraud as too expensive. Consequently, they have been ill-prepared to deal with the shift to online fraud following the introduction of EMV (CHIP and signature) payment cards in the USA.

Nevertheless, Juniper’s cost analysis of FDP (fraud detection and prevention) solutions found that in most instances, merchants would receive value from their investment. The analyst house urges players across the value chain to increase their efforts in educating...

| Read more »

Jun 23

Smart speaker unit shipments to surge between 2017 and...

Voice controlled smart speaker unit shipments are expected to increase from around 10 million to approximately 80 million, between 2017 and 2022, globally, according to new data from Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com). This includes market segments: voice controlled room speakers, portable/battery powered speakers, sound bars and wireless multi-room speakers.

Voice controlled smart speakers are experiencing significant growth and are playing an important role in the evolution of the voice user interface. Recent developments in artificial intelligence, and natural language processing to enhance voice recognition capabilities has increased the overall demand for voice software platforms embedded in speakers and smart home devices.

A range of innovative voice technologies are creating new opportunities across a broad range of use case applications from streaming content, and...

| Read more »

Jun 22

Consumer connected car revenues to near $50 billion by...

A new report from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has revealed that, by 2022, 50% of consumer vehicles on the road will have at least one connectivity service, such as telematics, V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communications, or connected car commerce services.

The new research found that revenues from consumer connected car services will rise from $18.4bn in 2017 to $49.2bn in 2022, a 21.6% CAGR (compound annual growth rate). Increasing industry involvement from OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and network operators, combined with the development of new V2X services, will be key drivers for future growth.

Juniper Research found that automotive OEMs must prepare to capitalize on the impending opportunities of V2X services, such as smart parking and automated fuel payments. North America will emerge as the leading region in this space, accounting for 39% of all end-user spend...

| Read more »

Jun 22

32% of businesses victims of a major cyber-attack over...

Spohn Security Solutions says 32% of businesses were victims of a major cyber-attack over the past year. The corporate world loses $388 billion annually recovering from cybersecurity breaches, $55 billion is spent annually fixing computer viruses alone, according to the research group.

Timothy Crosby, senior security consultant for Spohn Security Solutions (https://spohnsolutions.com), says while cyber criminals bear the brunt of blame, much of the security threat comes from within an organization. A survey of 4,500 CIOs and technology leaders found that:

° The insider threat is the #1 fastest-growing security risk;

° Fifty-five percent of businesses reported a security breach due to a malicious or negligent employee;

° Fifty percent of individuals causing a breach were granted IT system access by their organization.

Per Crosby, though some employees...

| Read more »

Jun 21

Millennials are the most experimental consumers

The older we get, the less likely we are to want to experiment with novel flavors and fragrances, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData (www.globaldata.com).

The research group’s latest report shows that younger consumers are the most experimental demographic, with GlobalData’s survey data showing that nearly four out five millennials globally say they enjoy experimenting with foreign products. This trend declines with age, with just 57% of those in the older “silent generation” (those born between 1925 and 1945) agreeing.

“Millennials are more open to new and innovative concepts, indicative of wider exposure to foreign cultures and products from an early age compared to their senior peers,” says Melanie Felgate, senior consumer analyst for GlobalData.

Curiosity has emerged as the key driver of appetite for new flavors and fragrances,

“Millennials are digital natives with...

| Read more »

Jun 20

Worldwide 3D printer shipments up again in 2016

The IDC research group (www.idc.com) says 3D printer shipments increased 29% in 2016 while revenue grew by more than 18% year-over-year in 2016.

"The 3D printing market surge continues on a worldwide basis with more technology and materials options, which are driving more investment in 3D printers and greater utilization of the equipment that has been installed" said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions at IDC. "We're seeing exciting growth in some of the key technology segments, with FFF/FDM, SLA, and Powder-bed Fusion all growing at double-digit rates year over year" Greene continued.

The fastest-growing technology segments were FFF/FDM and Stereolithography, which each grew shipments by nearly 30% in 2016 vs. 2015. On the revenue side, powder-bed fusion-based 3D printers grew by nearly 40% from 2015 to 2016.

The strongest growth in 3D printer shipments came from the Asia/Pacific region (...

| Read more »

Jun 20

Smart toy sales to grow threefold by 2022

A new report from Juniper Research (www.juniperesearch.com) forecasts that smart toy sales will reach $15.5 billion in hardware and app content revenues by 2022, up from an estimated $4.9 billion in 2017.

This increase will primarily be driven by the growing popularity of smartphone-based connected toys and the enduring appeal of console-connected “toys to life,” action figures that interact with a video game via a reader device, adds the research group. The new research identified the Lego Group as being particularly well positioned in this category, with their successful “toys to life” range, Lego Dimension. Juniper forecasts that 224 million smart toys will be shipped worldwide in 2017.

The study found that many players in the smart toy segment are not only appealing to children, but also to ‘“kidults” and collectors, as demonstrated by Sphero’s BB8 app-enabled droid and Lego Dimension’s A-...

| Read more »

Jun 19

San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, London are top...

The latest findings from Canalys’ (www.canalys.com) Autonomous Vehicle Analysis service show that four cities lead the way when it comes to being ready for autonomous vehicles. San Francisco is out in front, followed by Shanghai, Singapore and London.

These rise to the top of a group of cities that, due to their size and populations, have some of the most complex transport networks in the world. The top four have a high need for autonomous vehicles to revolutionize their transport systems, combined with the ability to make it happen.

These conclusions come from Canalys’ recently published Autonomous Vehicle Readiness Index (AVRI), which ranks, weights and scores cities based on a set of specific criteria drawn from public sources and Canalys’ own data and estimates.

“Naturally, San Francisco leads the way and is the city best able to implement autonomous vehicles. The Bay Area is renowned as the...

| Read more »

Jun 19

Study: use of alternative credit scoring can increase...

A new study by ID Analytics (www.idanalytics.com), which specializes in consumer risk management, finds that using alternative credit scores for safe lending can dramatically increase the number of individuals that are considered eligible for credit.

Through the use of alternative scores, lenders are able to see a more complete picture of an applicant’s credit worthiness. This enables more marginal, subprime or unscoreable individuals to take advantage of mainstream financial services.

While a significant number of U.S. consumers rely on credit for financial stability, many have difficulty gaining access to credit due to no or poor traditional credit scores. Millennials, immigrants and individuals with lower incomes are groups that are most likely to be seen by lenders and bureaus as “unscoreable.”

Traditional credit scores take into account data from credit card, mortgage, student and auto...

| Read more »

Reviews and Kool Tools

Kool Tools: Toast’s iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus covers

Toast has created a cool cover that magnifies the iPhone 7/7 Plus’ suave structure, enhancing it with the warmth of real wood and the precision of Toast’s laser-cut design detailing. Customers can choose from a mix-and-... Read more »

Kool Tools: VARIUS folding drone

Aerix Drones’ VARIUS FPV drone is apparently the world’s smallest folding video drone. The company combined features of its top selling drones to create the drone, which folds to two inches by one inch. The VARUS FPV... Read more »

Kool Tools: STREAMZ headphones

STREAMZ, described as “the world’s first voice controlled smart headphones that play stored and online music without the use of a smartphone,” kicked off on Kickstarter June 12. STREAMZ features voice control, Wi-Fi, a... Read more »

Kool Tools: Edifier MP700

Cheap portable speakers are all about compact size and mainly focus on making the music streaming from a phone louder, without a strong focus on sound quality. The $229.99 Edifier MP700 (http://www.edifier.com/us/en/... Read more »

News Scanner