Caringo offers VMs of cloud storage architecture for evaluation
Caringo, a provider of object storage software, has announced virtual machine editions of CAStor, an object storage engine, and Content File Server (CFS), instant access to CAStor via standard file protocols (CIFS, NFS, FTP, and WebDAV).
The VMs can run on any Windows server via VMware ESX and VMware Player, on Mac via VMware Fusion, and the CFS VM can also run on Oracle VirtualBox (Windows or Mac). The Virtual Editions were designed to enable the evaluation of Caringo object storage software, which is designed for cloud storage architectures. The VMs are available immediately for download with a free 2TB license at http://www.caringo.com/virtual-editions .
Graphic Node expands Numbers templates
Graphic Node (http://www.graphicnode.com) has a new addition to its templates for Numbers, Apple's spreadsheet app that's available at the Mac App Store.
Graphic Node has added 30 new designs to the Numbers Templates collection -- including a vacation budget planner, a price list, a menu planner, and even a smoking cost calculator -- nearly doubling its contents. The Numbers Templates set was created for both home and professional users.
The templates require Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later and iWork '09 or later. They cost US$9.99 as a bundle.
Deal Spotlight: Clarify
Today's special deal is Clarify for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$14.99; the regular price is $29.99. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1839/6603/clarify .
Clarify is a screenshot app. How many times have you had to take multiple screenshots to demonstrate a process on your Mac and ended up frustrated with desktop cluttered with screenshots? Clarify makes renaming, tagging, annotating, and combining multiple screenshots easy.
Mac OS X software updates for April 19
Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps.
Mugginsoft has announced KosmicTask 1.2 (http://www.mugginsoft.com/kosmictask) for Mac OS X, an update of the software for providing an integrated scripting environment in which to create, edit, test and deploy script-powered tasks and applets. It now has over 100 sample task-based applets.
Danholt4mac has released Calories 3 (http://macte.ch/Cs8X4), a new version of the health app for Mac OS X. The upgrade's new milestone assistant helps you reach and sustain your desired weight; you can specify your goal and the timeframe within which you wish to reach.
iRise (http://www.irise.com) has rolled out version 8.10 of its iRise visual prototyping platform. The new features include the ability to create ultra-realistic visual simulations of new iPad and Android apps with the goal of speeding time to market and improving end-user experience in the increasingly competitive race to create new mobile applications.
RollApp launches free beta 'OpenOffice on iPad' cloud...
RollApp has launched its free beta OpenOffice on iPad online service, available at http://www.rollApp.com/OpenOffice . The company is developing technology that moves existing applications to the cloud.
OpenOffice on iPad will purportedly enable rollApp users to run any existing software on any device that has a browser. The user doesn't have to install anything because the service works via browser, providing an experience almost identical to applications installed locally.
Apache OpenOffice is an office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics and more. It stores all data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages, including Microsoft Office. OpenOffice is open source software, so users of the rollApp service won't face licensing risks, , according to Vlad Pavlov, rollApp founder and CEO.
rollApp is integrated with popular cloud storage providers such as Dropbox, Box (former...
Apple, others sued in Canada for ebook price fixing
Another day, another lawsuit. The ebook price fixing allegations at the heart of a lawsuit (http://macte.ch/Q6Ygp) by the U.S. Department of Justice have taken hold in Canada, it seems.
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court by the Vancouver firm Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman alleges that Apple and a number of publishers engaged in a “conspiracy” to lessen competition and “fix, maintain, increase or control the prices of e-books.” It is the most recent of at least five such suits filed recently in courts in Ontario, Quebec and B.C., reports "The Globe & Mail" (http://macte.ch/QiT3G).
Along with Apple, the publishers targeted by the Canadian actions include Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC, conducting business as Macmillan Publishers Inc., Penguin Group, Simon & Schuster, and their Canadian subsidiaries.
Apple revs Configurator to version 1.0.1
Apple has updated Configurator -- its Mac utility for the mass deployment of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches -- to version 1.0.1. The upgrade improves overall stability and performance and addresses a number of issues.
Apple says Configurator makes it easy for anyone to mass configure and deploy iPhones, iPod touches and iPads in a school, business or institution. Up to 30 devices at a time can be configured. It's a free download at the Mac App Store.
Analyst raises Apple target price to $750
In a note to clients -- as reported by "Business Insider" (http://macte.ch/lB0q0) -- Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope has raised his target price on Apple from US$700 to $750, saying the company's latest earnings report next week will be incredibly good.
He also says recent concerns about Apple's stock don't make sense. Among them reports that carriers are going to cut their iPhone subsidies.
"We believe this concern is overblown. While some carriers will attempt to reduce the subsidy burden and tighten upgrade policies, many more will likely hold steady to capture share from the latter camp," Shope says. " In the end, all carriers are attempting to migrate their installed bases from feature phones to data-centric smartphones, and amid this transition, we think the risk of losing market share in the iPhone sub-segment is likely to be too great to ignore. On a shorter-term basis, we believe the building rhetoric for lower subsidies and tighter upgrade policies is likely to fade to a...
Travis County, Texas, approves incentives for Apple campus
"The Austin Statesman" reports that Apple could get a 65% discount on its Travis County, Texas, tax bill for 10 years without hiring a single county resident to work at its planned 3,635-employee campus, according to an incentive deal the county approved Tuesday.
In a previous meeting on April 3, Travis County Commissioners Court members had said the technology giant would have to promise to hire a percentage of "economically disadvantaged" Travis County residents to get an 80% tax discount. But negotiations over the past two weeks led to a deal, presented to the commissioners Tuesday, that outlined no such requirements for hiring, says the "Statesman."
The court voted 4-1 to approve the estimated total of US$6 million to $7 million in tax rebates over 15 years. Read more at http://macte.ch/ATU30 .
Earlier this month Gov. Rick Perry today announced that Apple will expand its presence in Texas with an US$304 million investment in a new campus in Austin that will create more than 3,600...
Report: Apple stores have 17x better performance than average...
According to new data from the Asymco research group (http://www.asymco.com), in conjunction with "RetailSails" (http://www.retailsails.com), Apple retail stores have 17 times better performance than the average retail store.
The data looks at the top 20 U.S. chains with the highest retail sales per square feet of store space. "RetailSails" analyzed all 160+ American retailers (excluding restaurants) who publicly report financial information.
"It’s not surprising Apple leads the pack, as there have been numerous articles such as this, but it is quite shocking by how far ahead of the competition they are, especially considering the company only has 10 years of retail experience," says "RetailSails." "... There have been several comments regarding the accuracy of Apple’s sales per sq ft numbers, so we just want to clarify -- all figures are based on global results for the most recently reported trailing 4 quarters (through fiscal Q3 ending 6/25 for Apple)."
Asymco points out that the...
Apple says FLA worker compliance levels in Asia continue to rise
In its monthly Supplier Responsibility Report (http://macte.ch/doop5), Apple says its Fair Labor Association compliance levels in Asia rose between January and February.
Here's Apple's latest date: "In our effort to end the industry practice of excessive overtime, we’re working closely with our suppliers to manage employee working hours. In January and February 2012, we collected weekly data on more than 500,000 workers employed by our suppliers. February results showed a continued upward trend from January, with 89 percent compliance to the 60-hour work week specified in our code. The data collected in March 2012 for this same set of suppliers demonstrated substantial improvement again, with compliance increasing to 95 percent.
"Encouraged by the success of this program to date, we expanded our weekly tracking to even more facilities deeper in the supply chain, and we are now monitoring compliance for over 800,000 workers. For this broader set of suppliers, we saw 91 percent...
First quad-core Ivy Bridge processors to launch Monday
The first round of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors will feature quad-core models, most headed to desktop computers, followed by dual-core chips for mainstream notebooks, reports "CNET."
The first launch will happen on Monday, the second launch is likely in June. Which means that new versions of the iMac and the MacBook Pro could arrive soon, with new MacBook Airs touching down this summer. Currently, both the 15-inch and 17-inch versions of the MacBook Pro make use of a quad-core Intel processor, while the 13-inch model and the Air have dual-core processors.
For more info go to http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-57415545-64/macbook-air-ultrabook-chip... .
Greenpeacers protest Apple's 'dirty energy'...
Four protestors claiming to be from international rights group Greenpeace staged am hour-long protest on the roof of Apple's European Headquarters in Cork, Ireland, reports "Corkpedia" (http://macte.ch/Swc4A).
The protestors went on to the roof of the Apple building at Holyhill in Cork at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the article adds. They reportedly came down after an hour.
The protest follows a report (http://macte.ch/YLiOV) in which Greenpeace criticized Apple and other tech companies for relying too heavily on "dirty energy." "Three of the largest IT companies building their business around the cloud – Amazon, Apple and Microsoft -- are all rapidly expanding without adequate regard to source of electricity, and rely heavily on dirty energy to power their clouds," Greenpeace said.
Apple denies Greenpeace's assertions. In a statement, as reported by "NPR" (http://m.npr.org/news/U.S./150808257?page=2), Apple had this to say: "Our data center in North Carolina will draw about 20...
Apple CEO Time Cook among TIME's '100 most influential...
Apple CEO Tim Cook has made the TIME 100 list, the "100 most influential people in the world," as determined by "TIME" magazine. You can find the complete list at http://ti.me/IlgHwr .
Here's what former Vice President and current Apple Board member Al Gore has to say about Cook: "It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn't missed a single beat.
"Fiercely protective of Jobs' legacy and deeply immersed in Apple's culture, Cook, 51, has already led the world's most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.
"He has indelibly imprinted his leadership on all areas of Apple -- from managing its complex inner workings to identifying and shepherding new 'insanely great' technology and design breakthroughs into the product pipeline.
"Cook's...
Analyst: Apple likely to buy its own supply chain
Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, thinks that Apple will buy up its own supply chain so the company can own its own equipment and "give them an edge beyond volume and scale," reports "Forbes" (http://macte.ch/D6IRm).
In October 2012 Apple said it planned to spend US$7.1 billion on capital expenditures in 2012, up from $4.3 billion last year. Per "Forbes" Huberty thinks Apple's plan to buy its own supply plan would l look like this: Apple fronts the money to buy the production equipment for suppliers that set up the factories, hire the labor and run the day-to-day operations. Apple still owns some of the equipment and takes the depreciation.
The analyst thinks Apple’s investment in its own supply chain, coupled with growing scale and the prepayments it routinely makes to lock up supply of crucial components such as memory and screens, will translate into a 15% to 20% cost decline a year. That helps establish and maintain higher margins for the iPhone (50% or more) and iPad (...
Study: 24% of U.S. consumers surveyed like the 'iTV'...
A new study from the KAE strategic marketing and research consultancy (http://www.kae.com) says large manufacturers could lose out if Apple launches a physical TV set. Overall, the study highlighted that 25% of consumers in the
US find the idea of an Apple-branded HDTV appealing and would buy it once it becomes commercially available.
That compares to 30% in the UK. Consumers that already own at least one Apple device are more likely to buy an Apple TV set, 2-in-5 (US 38% in the U.S. compared to 43% in the UK) find the idea appealing and would purchase should the product become available.
"The huge potential of an Apple TV set, although impressive, should not be seen in isolation," says Lee Powney, chief commercial officer at KAE. "Such a move would be an incredibly powerful extension of the iOS platform, accessed via a more compelling device option than Apple’s current offering (Apple TV). It would create new monetisation opportunities for developers and accessory manufacturers by...
Konsonant is new suite of language toys for the Mac
10.6 and higher. It's available at an introductory price of US$0.99 exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Entertainment category.
Konsonant offers an exploration of letters, voice and technology, featuring four interactive sound toys designed to offer an insight in human language. It enables the user to play with letters and sounds, build acoustic machines, control morphing voice clouds and experiment with the alphabet.
Konsonant was developed by media artist Joerg Piringer. It contains a suite of original music tracks (downloadable for free as MP3s), as well as interactive musical artifacts.
Sennheiser sounds off on new earphones, digital amplifier
Sennheiser (http://www.sennheiserusa.com) has announced the IE 800 earphones and a new digital amplifier for dynamic headphones.
The IE 800 are small, in-ear earphones that cost US$. They "offer fascinatingly brilliant trebles, precise bass response and a detailed, lifelike sound image with a frequency response of 5 to 46,500 Hz," according to Maurice Quarré, director, Product Lifecycle Management Sennheiser Consumer Electronics.
The IE 800 not only boasts innovative technology but also features a modern design and high-quality materials such as the scratch-resistant ceramic housing. Its puristic design language and black/silver finish, he adds. Quarré says "the sound of the IE 800 can easily compete with that of our high-end portfolio." Guess that's why they cost approximately US$787.
The digital HDVD 800 -- the amplifier -- harmonizes with Sennheiser's HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600 high-end headphones. It has a fully symmetrical layout for operation with analogue audio...
MP4 leads Web, mobile video formats among video pros
Sorenson Media (http://www.sorensonmedia.com) -- which develops video encoding and workflow solutions -- has announced key results of a survey that the company conducted among its global user base of video professionals. The survey reveals that MP4 leads a wide range of video formats used by video professionals for distribution on the web and mobile devices -- 69 % of users employ it regularly for the web and 58 % use it for mobile.
The majority of survey respondents selected more than one format from the options provided, revealing a broad diversity among formats used for web and mobile deployment, with no runaway standard emerging. The results included:
° For web video, in addition to MP4, the following formats demonstrate strong support from video professionals: Flash (54%); QuickTime (45%); and Windows Media (34%). The emerging WebM format was selected by only 5% of respondents, underscoring its low adoption to date.
° For mobile video, MP4 adoption significantly outpaces all...
Powerstation Pro charges out from mophie
Mophie (http://www.mophie.com) has announced a new addition to its juice pack universal external battery collection, the US$129.95 powerstation Pro. The device -- designed for any USB-enabled device, from wearable cameras, smartphones, iPads and other tablets -- boasts 6000 mAh capacity lithium-ion polymer battery, the largest of any mophie juice pack product on the market.
The thick impact-resistant exterior, is constructed of aluminum and rubber and is designed to withstand bumps and falls. The "built-to-last" look and feel is enhanced by a heavy-duty rubber shell along the perimeter of the case, says Ross Howe, vice president of marketing, mophie.
The powerstation Pro provides a 6000 mAh battery with the capability of switching between 500 mAh, 1A and 2.1A charges to conserve battery while charging devices. The IP-65 rated device, has successfully passed tests for resistance from environmental elements, including liquid, dust and sand, says Howe. And its USB ports are protected...
Amsys scans, deletes SabPub malware
Amsys (http://macte.ch/uJksN) has released a SabPub tool that scans your Mac to see if it has been infected with the latest SabPub malware. It will delete it upon detection.
The SabPub Malware is a low level threat trojan that sends personal information from your Mac to an offending server. The Trojan is made to look like an Apple launcher, and also has a similar name to a real Apple launcher called "PubSub" so don't confuse the two. The Amsys app -- which is free -- will search your Mac for this malware and will remove it.
NAB: Blackmagic Design announces DaVinci Resolve 9
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Blackmagic Design (http://www.blackmagic-design.com) announced DaVinci Resolve 9, a software update with a completely overhauled user interface and optimized workflow.
Over the last few years Blackmagic Design has added multiple new technologies such as automatic 3D eye matching, multi layer timelines, XML support and more camera and file type support. This software update addresses the workflow changes required to harness all this new technology in a much faster way, according to Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty.
The new user interface has been designed to be extremely fast to use and to eliminate unnecessary clicks and settings to get working fast, he adds. A job can be up and running in three clicks: one to log in, one to drop media into the project and the next to grade.
New user interface improvements include a new streamlined project import, export and selection workflow, scrubbable media thumbnails to speed up shot selection...
Flux for Mac OS X adds FreeCode, image maps, more
The Escapers has released Flux 4 (http://www.theescapers.com/flux/) for Mac OS X, an update of its web page creation app. The upgrade's new features include: FreeCode, new FTP with UNIX underpinnings, image maps, CSS gradients, and more.
Flux 4 requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. It costs 89 GBP; a demo is available for download.
Matrox launches DualHead2Go external multi-display adapter
Matrox Graphics (http://www.matrox.com/) has launched the DualHead2Go® Digital Mac Edition (ME) external multi-display adapter, designed specifically for use with Mac systems.
Encased in a small, silver box connects to the Thunderbolt port or Mini DisplayPort video output of Mac notebooks or desktops, it drives two external DVI displays each at a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200. It has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$179.
NAB: EditShare introduces new version of Ark
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, EditShare (http://www.editshare.com) is showcasing a new version of EditShare Ark, the company’s highly scalable backup and archiving solution.
The new release of Ark features an enhanced user interface that better displays important information about system status and performance. For the first time, Ark administrators can easily migrate media between different tiers of online, nearline “spinning disk” and offline tape storage.
The integration between Ark and Flow, EditShare’s production asset management solution, has also been expanded. Through the Flow interface, authorized users can now delete unneeded backups at the clip level and partially restore files from Ark disk to EditShare Media Spaces, changing wrappers and codecs in the process, if desired
Symantec: Flashback MacBot malware on the decline
As noted by "Macworld UK" (http://macte.ch/S7CEK), Symantec’s estimations suggest that the Flashback MacBot has been reduced from 142,00 on Monday to 99,000 on Tuesday.
"The statistics from our sinkhole are showing declining numbers on a daily basis," the security specialist writes in a blog post (http://macte.ch/xr0Vj). "However, we had originally believed that we would have seen a greater decline in infections at this point in time, but this has proven not to be the case.”
Intel announces $12.9 billion in quarterly revenue
Intel (http:/www.intel.com) has reported quarterly revenue of US$12.9 billion, operating income of $3.8 billion, net income of $2.7 billion and earnings per share of $0.53. The company generated approximately $3.0 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $1.0 billion and used $1.5 billion to repurchase stock.
"The first quarter was a solid start to what’s expected to be another growth year for Intel" says Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "In the second quarter we’ll see the first Intel-based smartphones in the market, ship products based on 22nm tri-gate technology in high volume, and accelerate the ramp of our best server product ever, providing a tremendous foundation for growth in 2012 and beyond."
Spirits float onto the Macgamestore
Space of Play's Spirits is now available at the Macgamestore (http://www.macgamestore.com). It requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher and costs US$9.99.
Here's how the game is described: "Autumn is coming. Leaves fall, and spirits rise from the fallen leaves to begin their journey home. You must guide them, without direct control, by changing how the wind blows or by rebuilding the ground. Each spirit can be sacrificed to perform one of four actions - build a bridge of leaves, create a blowing cloud, dig tunnels, or block wind currents in an area. Use your actions wisely or you will run out of spirits. In each level it's up to you to find your own creative solution on how to get the spirits to the goal."
Bigasoft releases Apple ProRes Converter for Mac
Bigasoft has released Bigasoft ProRes Converter for Mac (http://www.bigasoft.com/prores-converter-mac.html), an US$29.95 tool designed to help Final Cut Pro users import camcorder AVCHD files to Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Pro X and import Final Cut Pro unfriendly video files in various video formats by conversion to ProRes MOV.
Apple Final Cut Pro project RroRes MOV to multiple formats realizable as well.
Final Cut Pro X users are still unable to import movies in FLV, AVI, WMV, WebM, VP8, MKV, ASF, SWF, VOB, muxed MPEG-1/MPEG-2, YouTube, Some MP4 and MOV files and more formats. Even the AVCHD raw videos with extension of .mts, .m2ts, .mod, or tod, from many popular camcorders such as Canon, JVC, Sony, Panasonic, Flip and more are not available to be imported and edit with the professional editing program. Bigasoft ProRes Converter, which requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, is designed to remedy this.
Deal Spotlight: beaTunes
Today's special deal is beaTunes software for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$18.95; the regular price is $34.95. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1838/6603/beatunes .
beaTunes is designed to complement iTunes. Not only can it clean up your music collection, it can also create playlists based on criteria like musical key and beats per minute.
Mac OS X software updates for April 18
Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps.
Reggie Ashworth has announced AppDelete Lite 3.2.6, an update to his Mac application deletion utility via the Mac App Store. The new version is optimized for Mac OS X 10.7.x ("Lion"), supports six new languages and more.
Dear Panda has announced CourseNotes 2.5 for Mac (http://www.coursenotesapp.com), an update of the note-taking software. The upgrade offers rich-text editing features, including support for text highlighting, font colors and improved outlining capabilities.
Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has released BatchOutput DOC 2.2, a feature update to its output automation solution for Microsoft Word on Mac OS X.The new version lets users specify the number of pages to print per paper sheet and addresses some stability and reliability issues.
Apple's share price bounces back above $600
Apple's share price is bouncing back today after a five-day slump that halted its Wall Street honeymoon. Shares ended north of US$600 at thend of trading Tuesday -- $609.70, to be exact.
Apple's shares have been soaring this year, hitting a high of US$636.23 at the close of the day on April 9. However, the stock price dipped 9% over the next few days, closing at $580.13 Monday.
Jonathan Ive up for 'British Visionary Innovator'...
Apple design guru, Jonathan Ive, is up for the "British Visionary Innovator" honor, notes "Computerworld UK" (http://macte.ch/ikc8j). The competition, run by the Intellectual Property Office to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day 2012, aims to celebrate people who have achieved considerable success or developed innovative products, services or designs.
His competition includes: Tim Berners-Lee, credited as inventor of the World Wide Web; Michael Aldrich, who invented the origins of online shopping (Teleputer); James Goodfellow, who invented personal identification (PIN) technology and the cash machine (ATM); industrial designer Sir James Dyson; Sir Ian Wilmut, the scientist famous for his achievements in cloning Dolly the sheep; "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling; TV producer Simon Cowell of "American Idol" fame; and graffiti artist Banksy.
The public is allowed to vote. You can cast your ballot at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/wipd-2012/wipd-2012-innovators.htm .
FTC continues its probe in the Google-Safari case
The Federal Trade Commission is continuing its nvestigation of Google's actions in bypassing the default privacy settings of the Apple Safari browser for Google users, reports the "Mercurcy News" (http://macte.ch/MrX0P), quoting unnamed "sources familiar with ongoing negotiations between the company and the government."
Within the next 30 days, the FTC could order the Mountain View search giant to pay an even larger fine in the Safari case than the US$25,000 fine the FTC hit Google with last week for "deliberately impeding and delaying its investigation into a 2010 privacy breach involving its Street View cars.
The FTC investigation focuses on whether Google violated he terms of an existing settlement involving privacy problems with its "Buzz" social network in 2010, notes the "Mercury News." The agency could carry sanctions as large as $16,000 per violation per day, the article adds.
Apple looking for power system design engineer
A job listing for a "senior DC-DC power system design engineer" shows that upcoming Macs will employ new power management technology that will allow devices to be more efficient and run even longer on battery power, according to "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com).
The advertised job describes the role as "an excellent opportunity to work on the forefront of new power management technologies." The new hire will join a team that will innovate in power use from concept investigation and design through product implementation, notes "AppleInsider."
Apple execs, lawyers to meet, try to settle ongoing legal battle
The chief executives of Apple and Samsung, along with their respective general counsels, will meet in a San Francisco courthouse within 90 days to try and settle an ongoing, global patent battle, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/ElOzD). U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero is slated to oversee the meeting.
"This settlement effort is only semi-voluntary. Judge Lucy Koh, the federal judge presiding over the two Apple v. Samsung lawsuits in the Northern District of California, ordered the parties to comment on their availability for an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) effort,"Florian Mueller writes for "FOSS Patents. "In this situation, they both had to be cooperative: if only one of them had made the CEO available, the other one would have appeared to be less than constructive."
Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. Both claim various patent infringements.
Greenpeace says Apple relies too heavily on 'dirty energy...
The Greenpeace environmental group criticizes Apple and other tech companies for relying too heavily on "dirty energy" in a report dubbed "How Clean is Your Cloud?" (http://macte.ch/dFsIE)targeting major Internet companies including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft over their heavy use of coal-derived power for their massive data centers.
Among the findings of the report:
° "Three of the largest IT companies building their business around the cloud – Amazon, Apple and Microsoft -- are all rapidly expanding without adequate regard to source of electricity, and rely heavily on dirty energy to power their clouds.
° "Yahoo and Google both continue to lead the sector in prioritizing access to renewable energy in their cloud expansion, and both have become more active in supporting policies to drive greater renewable energy investment."
° "Facebook, one of the largest online destinations with over 800 million users around the world, has now committed to power its platform with renewable energy...
BITS Limited introduces True Surge surge protector
BITS Limited, a manufacturer of green surge protectors, introduces the True Surge surge protector, which it says is "the safest surge protector on the market today."
Unlike other surge protectors, True Surge disconnects power to all devices in the event of a surge, and will completely cut off power once the protection is lost and the surge protector is considered "dead," says Russell Barton, president and co-founder of BITS Limited. This technology helps protect electronic devices from permanent damage and prevents surge protectors from catching on fire, he adds.
n addition to cutting the connection if the protector is blown, True Surge features a patented safety circuit and custom MOVs that are thermally coupled together for a fast reaction time. The entire circuit is cement-encased to completely prevent house fires that can occur with the current surge protector technology. rue Surge surge protectors are the only surge protectors that can be legally daisy chained, and are the only...
Apple looking to hire computer vision specialist
A job listing (http://macte.ch/rPPIi) for an iOS software engineer shows that Apple is looking to expand and extend 3D visual display and capturing technology to iOS devices. 3D maps in iOS.
The job listing is for a computer vision specialist to strengthen its multi-view stereo research group. "As a member of this team you should have a genuine interest in technology and be a skilled developer with knowledge and experience in Computer Vision, Image Analysis and 3D geometry," Apple says.
Yodot Software releases Mac File Recovery Software
Yodot Software has released Yodot Mac File Recovery (http://www.yodot.com/), an app that offers options to recover deleted and lost files from Mac drives. It's compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 and higher and is currently being offered for US$39.
The application has advanced scan engines that can recover lost, deleted files and folders without affecting the source drive. Files can be restored even after emptying the Mac Trash Can.
Yodot Mac File Recovery Software sports a preview feature. You can recover any file type with any file size as long as there are remnants of the file on the hard drive.
Sonnet shipping SxS memory card reader with Thunderbolt...
Sonnet Technologies is shipping its Echo ExpressCard Thunderbolt Adapter, which enables the use of many Sonnet ExpressCard/34 cards with computers equipped with a Thunderbolt port -- including the latest Apple iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models.
They can now function as an SxS memory card reader. Sonnet supported Sony in its work to create a Thunderbolt technology-compatible Mac O® X driver to enable this functionality. This updated driver also enables full functionality of Sonnet's Qio E3 professional SxS media reader when connected through the Echo adapter to a computer with a Thunderbolt port.
High-performance SxS memory cards are used in Sony's XDCAM EX line of professional HD camcorders and the ARRI®ALEXA line of digital cameras, and share the same form factor and connector as ExpressCard/34 adapter cards. These shared traits make ingesting footage from SxS media a quick, simple task in ExpressCard slot-equipped notebook computers, according to Sonnet CEO Robert...
WD VelociRaptor hard drive now available in a 1TB model
Western Digital is now shipping the new WD VelociRaptor 1TB hard drive, which it says is the largest capacity 10,000 RPM hard drive on the market today.
Designed for high-performance Macs, PCs and professional workstations, it will also come in capacities of 500GB and 250GB. The WD VelociRaptor 2.5-inch hard drive comes in the IcePack enclosure, a 3.5-inch mounting frame with built-in heat sink. This is a factory customization that fits the drive into a standard 3.5-inch system bay and keeps the drive extra cool when installed in a high-performance desktop or workstation system, according to Darwin Kauffman, vice president and general manager of WD's enterprise storage.
A SATA 6 Gb/s interface and 64 MB cache optimize the 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor. The drives' Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward (RAFF) - Optimizes operation and performance when the drives are used in vibration-prone, multi-drive chassis.
WD VelociRaptor hard drives are available now at select distributors, resellers...
Flash-Dock is new hotshoe smartphone dock
Flash-Dock (http://www.pocketdemo.fr/flash-dock/) is a new, US$39.99 solution that "brings the touch screen of a smartphone right next to DSLR setting screen and buttons." Basically, it's a for devices such as the iPhone that's positioned in the flash-socket of DSLR cameras -- also called the "hotshoe" adapter.
Among other benefits, Bruno Rousseau, founder of pocketDEMO says the Flash-Dock makes it simpler to use EyeFi SD cards -- SD Cards that store pictures and send them to a smartphone through a built-in Wi-Fi chip. He says it also simplifies geotagging with .GPX files, geotagging with Bluetooth, calculating depth of field and lightmeter calibration.
NAB: Lightworks coming on May 28
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo EditShare (http://www.editshare.com) announced the official release of Lightworks, its Mac compatible NLE (non-linear editor) on May 28.
Features of the update will include advanced Long-GOP editing for DSLRs and all popular camcorder formats. Lightworks will sport new features for editors, including re-architected and optimized for multi-platform deployment.
There will be an online store for Lightworks-related products, such as Lightworks keyboards and consoles, and a new Lightworks Community with professional profiles, specialist user groups, community events, multi-lingual chat, messaging, video showcases and a multitude of features that will help Pro users connect and contribute to the creative life of the Lightworks community. For more info go to the EditShare web site.
Lodi Unified School District launches language learning iPad...
Rosetta Stone (http://www.RosettaStone.com), a provider of technology-based language-learning solutions, has announced an initiative program with the Lodi Unified School District to provide the Rosetta Stone TOTALe Course HD application for iPads, part of the TOTALe PRO solution, for English language learners.
The school district, in the Central Valley of Northern California, is one of the first districts to implement the TOTALe Course HD application. The Rosetta Stone TOTALe Course HD application for iPads was adopted by Lodi Unified School District for second- and third-grade English language learners whose language development had reached a plateau. Lodi Unified School District is utilizing a blended learning model that combines classroom instruction with individualized independent study using the full Rosetta Stone TOTALe solution, including the TOTALe Course HD application.
The district seeks to use the Rosetta Stone solution as a resource to build speaking confidence, increase...
NAB: Boris Continuum Complete 8 AVX available for Avid DS
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Boris FX (http://www.borisfx.com) announced that Boris Continuum Complete 8 AVX (BCC 8 AVX) is now available for Avid DS.
Designed as a complement to Avid DS' high-end editing and finishing capabilities, BCC 8 AVX delivers nearly 200 isual effects filters including extrusions, image restoration tools, lens flares and lights, and blurs, glows, and cinematic effects. New version 8 features include a vectorscope tool, 3D lens flare and film glow effects, extruded text, and Beat Reactor technology for audio-driven effects creation.
Boris Continuum Complete 8 AVX is immediately through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct from the Boris FX web site at for an introductory manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$1,595; the regular MSRP will be $1,995. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX may upgrade for an introductory MSRP of $495; the regular upgrade MSRP will be $599 USD.
A 14-day trial version is available...
NAB: Enhance announces upcoming UltraShare, UltraStore products
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Enhance Technology (http://www.enhance-tech) announced the July release of UltraShare NS and the UltraStore DS316F8 solutions.
UltraShare NS is a network storage platform that offers both file and block-level storage capabilities in one system. It provides unified network storage solutions for collaborative Mac, Windows and Linux workgroups.
UltraStor NS features a dual, mirrored 64-bit embedded environment and offers industry features such as device-to-device data replication, volume encryption, snapshots, high availability (HA) clustering and powerful built-in backup services. It's designed for distributed computing environments, file sharing, broadcasting, video surveillance, disk based backup and cloud storage applications.
The UltraStore DS316F8 is a dual controller, 8G Fibre video storage platform designed for high resolution editing, grading and visual effects creation. An active-active, dual 8G, 8-channel, Fibre...
NAB: Blackmagic conjures up new products
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Blackmagic Design (http://www.blackmagic-design.com/) has announced the new HyperDeck Studio Pro, a HyperDeck Studio update and a Cinema Camera.
The HyperDeck Studio Pro is a new model of SSD recorder that includes four channels of 3 Gb/s SDI in and out, built-in Thunderbolt I/O technology, as well as full HDMI and analog in and out including standard XLR connectors for audio and timecode. It allows full 4K playback from a single SSD disk using Apple ProRes compression that is four times the resolution of regular HD 1080 resolution video. HyperDeck Studio Pro will retail for US$1,995.
HyperDeck Software Update 3.0 is a new version of Blackmagic's solid state disk (SSD) recorder that adds support for Apple ProRes 422 (HQ). The implementation of ProRes 422 (HQ) into HyperDeck Studio significantly reduces the size of uncompressed HD video files while preserving full-frame 10-bit 4:2:2 quality, allowing customers to record up to...
NAB: Singular Software unveils PluralEyes 3.0
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Singular Software is demonstrating PluralEyes 3.0 (http://macte.ch/MmdGD). The US$149 sync automation workflow provides a new interactive workspace that visually displays the sync process and media clip locations as it unfolds.
PluralEyes is designed as a timesaver for multi-camera, dual-system audio workflows. By automating time-consuming tasks, it shortens the workflow for multi-camera, multi-take and dual-system audio productions. PluralEyes synchronizes audio and video clips automatically without the need for timecode, clappers or any special preparation.
One-click "sync video clips" and "replace audio" capabilities provide synchronization of media, regardless of project type or size. In addition to accelerating the post-production process, PluralEyes simplifies the production process, reducing the chance of errors and giving editors more flexibility in how the crew does the shoot, says Bruce Sharpe, CEO, Singular Software...
NAB: Dalet Digital unveils plans for Dalet Galaxy
At this week's National Association of Broadcasters expo, Dalet Digital Media Systems (http://www.dalet.com) unveiled plans for Dalet Galaxy, the latest version of the company’s enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) platform.
Dalet Galaxy includes a high-value, BPMN 2.0-compliant workflow engine that dramatically boosts productivity and agility while also improving operational and business visibility across the media enterprise. The upcoming release will purportedly offer many additional features, including: a new modern-looking graphical user interface; Dalet One Cut, a built-in, multitrack video editing framework; more customizable data models; advanced tools for searching and indexing; increased interoperability with NLEs; and support for upcoming industry standards such as AS-02 and FIMS.
Dalet Galaxy will become the foundation for the company’s enterprise MAM solutions, which include the purpose-built workgroup packages Dalet Media Life for program prep and archiving, Dalet...
