FontGear (http://www.fontgear.com) ha released FontPad Server, an Internet server that manages web fonts. On the Mac platform, it's compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 and higher. According to the folks at FontGear, FontPad Server provides a safe, controlled, and protected way to serve your own web fonts through an industrial-strength software solution. It's built exclusively for serving web fonts. FontPad Server allows you to specify exactly which Internet domains are allowed to use your web fonts, and which font sets are used on allowed web pages. Secure technology serves encrypted font data to the Internet. To use FontPad Server, web page designers include a CSS link in their web pages that automatically requests web fonts from your domain (not a font-rental service). Pricing is based on annual licensing and is offered at one and three year terms for US$149 and $299, respectively. A 30-day trial version is available for download.

Manhattan Edit Workshop has partnered with theC47 for The Filmmaker's Intensive, an annual two-week filmmaking workshop scheduled for June 9-24. The program is designed to allow both aspiring filmmakers and working professionals to immerse themselves in the multiple disciplines of cinematography, providing a narrative filmmaking experience from pre- to post-production. Over the course of two weeks, students will live and work togethe. The two-week program consists of three three-hour filmmaking sessions each day. In week one of The Filmmaker's Intensive, students work with new video and filmmaking technologies that make it possible for filmmakers to launch projects, film, edit and distribute them on multiple platforms or as submissions to film festivals. Students apply their technical expertise during week two, shooting a short narrative film with a team of filmmakers. Attendees work with scripts and actors. The total cost for The Filmmaker's Intensive is US$4,250. The fee includes...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "MacRumors" (http://www.macrumors.com) -- Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says U.S. Mac sales were up only 1% year-over-year in January, tracking behind predictions that have called for roughly 20% year-over-year growth for the full quarter. The analyst's notes are based on data from the NPD research group (http://www.npd.com). However, Munster says continued strength in international markets and the potential for new Mac updates such as a refreshed MacBook Air near end of the quarter will likely help Apple close strongly to meet expectations. With historical evidence showing overall growth outpacing NPD's U.S. data by 14 percentage points, Munster feels worldwide Mac growth for January could be in the 15% range.

Google officials have been sued for violating users’ privacy rights on Safari by bypassing computer settings designed to block monitoring of consumers’ online activity. Researchers at Stanford University says Google programmers developed codes that allowed them to avoid privacy settings created by their rivals at Apple, reports "Bloomberg Businessweek" (http://macte.ch/UBjWx). Google has been dodging privacy settings in Safari, which serves as the primary Web browser on Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, lawyers for an Illinois man who uses the Safari browser said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Delaware. "Google’s willful and knowing actions violated" federal wiretapping laws and other computer-related statutes, attorneys for Matthew Soble said in the complaint. "Bloomberg Businessweek" adds that Google’s actions also prompted Consumer Watchdog to send a letter to the FTC today demanding action against the Internet- search provider. "Safari users with the browser set...

Onset (http://www.onsetcomp.com) has announced HOBOware 3.3, a new version of the company’s Mac-based graphing and analysis software that's designed to speed up deployment time in energy and environmental monitoring projects.   According to the folks at Onset, HOBOware 3.3 includes a number of time-saving features that make it faster than ever to configure HOBO data loggers and weather stations in the field, and analyze the collected data. Key features include: ° Batch configuration and readout -- With HOBOware 3.3, users can reportedly configure and readout multiple data loggers in a fraction of the time it would take with previous generations. ° Pre-launch filtering and scaling -- These tools enable users to pre-configure their data loggers so upon readout, the data will display max/min/average readings at set intervals (per hour/per day), and will be automatically plotted to scale in real-world engineering units. ° Bulk export -- This enables users to quickly export HOBOware files...

The "Sydney Morning Herald" (http://macte.ch/F9Ke5) reports that Apple has told a prominent Chinese environmental activist that it will soon launch independent environmental audits of at least two suppliers' factories in China. The audits come as Apple faces mounting criticism about toxic pollution and factory injuries at overseas suppliers' factories. The environmental reviews would be separate from an independent probe of working conditions at the China factories of Apple suppliers, including Foxconn Technology, that began last week, according to the "Herald." Ma Jun, the founder of The Institute of Environmental and Public Affairs, said Apple agreed to the independent audits late last month in response to two reports that the institute and other environmental groups released last year documenting hazardous waste leaks and the use of toxic chemicals at suspected Apple suppliers. Last week Apple saiid the Fair Labor Association will conduct special voluntary audits of Apple’s final...

Apple has placed fourth in the latest Computer Reliability Report from RESCUECOM (http://www.rescuecom.com), which provides computer repair and support, though its "reliability score" was actually higher than last year, when it ranked third with a score of 124. In prior years, Apple has often ranked first or second on the list. RESCUECOM defines reliability as the "physical reliability of the computers plus the after the sale computer support of the manufacturers." The Computer Repair Share Score is calculated by taking the U.S. Computer Market Share of the manufacturer, dividing it by the percentage of calls RESCUECOM receives for service of the manufacturers and multiplying by 100. By considering the number of service calls as a function of each manufacturer's market strength, RESCUECOM says it's able to determine and score the reliability of computer manufacturers. The most reliable computer manufacturers (in order of reliability), along with the data which was used to calculate...

Roskform has released the US$169 Rokstand V1 (http://www.rokform.com/cart/Rokstand-v1.html) for the iPhone 4/4S and iPad. It's combination charging, displaying, viewing and storage solution. 
The Rokstand V1 is CNC Machined from raw blocks of 6061 T-6 Billet Aluminum and incorporates 10 individually machined parts and assembly components, including high-speed bearings, non-slip contact surface rings and an interlocking cam system for instant view-angle adjustment. The Rokstand is 100% designed, engineered, manufactured and hand assembled in the USA. The Rokstand is more than just an iPhone and iPad holder, according to Craig Erion, president of Rokform. Its cradle system incorporates an integrated charging port, portrait or landscape viewing options.

Apple has threatened to take legal action against the Chinese tech firm known as Provide Techonlogy for inflaming an ongoing dispute over the iPad trademark. Apple says that the company's founder and its lawyers have made misleading statements that could damage the U.S. tech giant's business in China, reports "PCWorld" (http://macte.ch/1CkXM). On Monday, Apple sent a letter to Chinese display vendor Proview, demanding its founder Yang Rongshan cease releasing what it said was false information to the media. Apple then warned it would sue for damages caused by "defamatory statements." "It is inappropriate to release information contrary to the facts to the media, especially when such disclosures have the effect of wrongfully causing damage to Apple's reputation," said the letter, which was provided to "PCWorld" by an unnamed person familiar with the matter. For more info go to http://macte.ch/mGgLH .

Apple's dispute over the iPad trademark has gotten even more complicated after Proview Technology, the Chinese company that claims ownership of the name, said it won a court ruling against sales of the tablet computer in China, reports the "Associated Press" (http://macte.ch/n6RXf). Xie Xianghui, a lawyer for Shenzhen Proview Technology, said the Intermediate People's Court in Huizhou, a city in southern China's Guangdong province, had ruled on Friday that distributors should stop selling iPads in China. Apple said in a statement Monday that its case is still pending in mainland China. The company has appealed to Guangdong's High Court against an earlier ruling in Proview's favor. Apple says it legally owns the iPad mark throughout Asia, and that Proview Technology, a Chinese tech firm, is squeezing it for additional money to use the trademark in China, despite the fact that it has already purchased those rights. "We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10...

Metaversal Studios says their puzzle game Battle Harvest is now available on the Mac App Store. It requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher and costs US$2.99. Here's how the game is described: "Help Squire Mac and Sir Baldwin repel the Wormwit invasion in three game modes: Story, which follows the adventures of intrepid Squire Mac as he rallies the fruit and vegetable armies of the land; Invasion, an endless survival mode in which Squire Mac repels wave after wave of Wormwit enemies; and Recruit, in which Squire Mac trains troops by getting them into formation in the fewest moves."

A settlement has been reached in "antennagate," a class-action lawsuit targeting the antenna performance of Apple's iPhone 4, reports "CNET." As part of a preliminary approval made this afternoon, U.S. residents who bought the iPhone 4 will be entitled to US$15 in cash or a bumper case provided by Apple. "Antennagate" was the popular term used for reported glitches with iPhone 4 call reception.The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one. All share the claim that Apple was "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4 --particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software." Read at http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57380685-248/settlement-reached-in-iph... .

As in life, men and women disagreed more than they agreed as to which brands have earned their most affection. Both men and women rated Southwest Airlines, Google and Dove among their top ten brands. Beyond these, though, women have real heart for Hallmark, Kohl's, Lexus, Target, Neutrogena and Crest. Men, on the other hand, were most taken with Cadillac, BMW, Apple, Sharp, and GE. The Second Annual "Most Desired Brands in the U.S." just released by leading global strategic neuroinsight firm Buyology and uSamp, which specializes in providing targeted audiences and SaaS technologies for business intelligence. This list measures consumer relationships with brands using quantitative tools that measure people's "deepest, non-conscious connections to brands." The full report can be found at http://www.buyologyinc.com . The Most Desired Brands in the U.S. Report used Buyology's proprietary technology to test more than 220 brands across 10 industries, among a sample of 4,000 people...

Foxconn Technology Group, which makes iPhones and iPads, has raised wages of its Chinese workers by 16-25% this month, the third rise since 2010, reports "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/VQMfw). In a statement on Friday, Taiwan-based Foxconn said the pay of a junior level worker in Shenzhen, southern China, had risen to 1,800 yuan per month and could be further raised above 2,200 yuan if the worker passed a technical examination. It said that pay three years ago was 900 yuan a month. "As a top manufacturing company in China, the basic salary of junior workers in all of Foxconn's China factories is already far higher than the minimum wage set by all local governments," the statement said. "We will provide more training opportunities and learning time, and will continuously enhance technology, efficiency and salary, so as to set a good example for the Chinese manufacturing industry."

In the wake of a Stanford University researcher's study that found Google has been violating people's online privacy choices, Consumer Watchdog said today the Internet giant was lying to users and called for the Federal Trade Commission to act. iPhone and iPad users were targeted. "Google has clearly engaged in 'unfair and deceptive' practices," says John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project director. "They have been lying about how people can protect their privacy in their instructions about how to opt out of receiving targeted advertising." A study made public today by Jonathan Mayer of Stanford University's Security Lab, and the Center for Internet and Society, found that Google has been circumventing a privacy setting in Apple's Safari web browser. Like most web browsers, Safari provides the option not to receive third-party "cookies." Cookies are small bits of code placed on the browser and can be used by ad networks to track you as you surf the web. Blocking third-...

Paragon Software Group (PSG) has announced Camptune X for Mac OS X (http://macte.ch/7X4bB). The US$19.95 product is designed to solve the maintenance problem that Mac Boot Camp users encounter when they run out of free partition space.  With Camptune, Mac users can redistribute available space between Macintosh and Windows partitions without data loss, adding free megabytes to partitions on either operating system quickly and easily, according to the folks at PSG. The utility changes volume sizes in dual-boot Mac OS X/Windows systems by adding more space to one volume at the expense of another. 

NeuroSky, which specializes in mass-market brain-computer interface technology (BCI), says it's bringing its user interface with the brain to the next level with a new wave of "killer mobile apps" for patients with severely limited communication conditions, including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and others. These conditions relegate people with otherwise healthy minds to be trapped in their bodies unable to communicate. NeuroSky is launching a campaign on the crowdfunding site IndieGogo, to raise US$50,000. Proceeds will pay "top-tier, disruptive thinking" developers to create a new type of user interface for assistive technology applications on mobile devices. Crowdfunding is a new investment platform that appeals to the general public to invest in projects they believe in or products they would like to see made. As the assistive technology applications are completed, they will be made available free...

Zevrix Solutions has announced Output Factory Light 1.0 (http://zevrix.com/outputfactory.php), a simplified version of its new solution to automate output from Adobe InDesign. Output Factory Light automates printing, exporting to PDF and PostScript, as well as post-processing from InDesign. In addition to output of multiple files, single page export and variable file names, Output Factory offers layer versioning, preflighting, workflow presets, processing history and other tools to streamline prepress and publishing workflows. Users only need to select the files to output and adjust the settings, and the software will do the rest automatically. For example, Output Factory can be left exporting hundreds of InDesign files overnight, and the completed job can be picked up next morning. The new light version ($119.95) provides a solution for automation of printing and exporting to PDF and PostScript. The full version (US$169.95) also supports EPS, Flash, INX, IDML, EPUB and several...

Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps. You can find 'em at the Apple App Store (http://www.itunes.com/appstore/). Chillingo has announced three iOS apps -- Little Acorns, Blockolicious, and Toy Factory -- at US$0.99 each. Little Acorns is a platformer featuring acaring squirrel, Mr. Nibbles, tasked with harvesting acorns and fruit for his growing family. Blockolicious is a color-matching puzzler with a jungle twist. Toy Factory appoints you as the chief toy designer in a factory. Rob Laltrello has released TapPoll 1.0 for iOS. It's a $2.99 multiple choice quiz and polling app that can be used by educators in the classroom or by students wanting to study for tests. Applaud has introduced Bugly 1.0 for iOS. It's a $0.99 puzzle game in which the aim of is to survive for as long as possible before the timer runs out. The player makes vertical chains of three or more bugs of the same color. Tapping a bug rotates those around it clockwise, so bugs can be moved around the...

Working conditions at Chinese manufacturing plants where iPads and iPhones are made are far better than those at garment factories or other facilities elsewhere in the country, according to the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a non-profit agency investigating the plants. However, the SumOfUs consumer watchdog group calls the FLA report a "whitewash." The Fair Labor Association (FLA) announced on Feb. 13 that it was beginning a study of the working conditions of Apple's top eight suppliers in China, following reports of worker suicides, a plant explosion and slave-like conditions at one of those suppliers, Foxconn Technology Group. Auret van Heerden, president of the FLA offered no immediate conclusions on the working conditions, but he noted that boredom and alienation could have contributed to the stress that led some workers to take their own lives, reports "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/XTd0I). However, SumOfUs says it's doubling down on efforts to make the iPhone 5 Apple’s first "...

Presiding Judge Dr. Peter Guntz of the Munich I Regional Court in Germany has publicly announced a decision in Apple's favor: most of Motorola Mobility's products were found to infringe on Apple's slide-to-unlock image patent, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/iipkZ). "Today's ruling is a permanent injunction that Apple could enforce at its own risk (against a bond)," writes Florian Mueller for "FOSS Patents." "... this is largely a win for Apple that will result in a noticeable degradation of the user experience of Motorola's products." This is part of an ongoing battle between the two companies. Apple has previously alleged that Motorola infringes 24 of its patents (21 of them with Android-based phones, the remaining three with set-top boxes and DVRs), while Motorola previously asserted 18 patents against a variety of Apple products (mostly but not exclusively iPhone, iPad and iPod). Litigation between the two companies has taken place in several different federal courts. In...

According to "DigiTimes" (http://macte.ch/zJomG) says Intel will postpone mass shipments of its upcoming Ivy Bridge processors until June or afterward. Though the company will still announce the new products and ship a small volume of the processors in early April, mass shipments are not expected to occur until after June, the article says quoting unnamed "sources from notebook players." "Because most first-tier notebook vendors are having trouble digesting their Sandy Bridge notebook inventories due to the weak global economy, while Intel is also troubled by its Sandy Bridge processor inventory, the CPU giant plans to delay mass shipments of the new processors to minimize the impact, the sources noted," says "DigiTimes." As noted by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com), according to an alleged leaked roadmap that surfaced late last year, Intel's Ivy Bridge chip candidates for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air had been tentatively scheduled for a May 2012 debut. So will that be...

Apple has released a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of the operating system. According to Apple, it brings popular apps and features from the iPad to the Mac and accelerates the pace of OS X innovation. Mountain Lion introduces Messages, Notes, Reminders and Game Center to the Mac, as well as Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay Mirroring. Mountain Lion is the first OS X release built with iCloud in mind for easy setup and integration with apps. The developer preview of Mountain Lion also introduces Gatekeeper, a security feature designed to help keep you safe from malicious software by giving you complete control over what apps are installed on your Mac. The preview release of Mountain Lion is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today. Mac users will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store in late summer 2012. "The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters...

The Zooka sound bar wirelessly connects via Bluetooth to the iPhone, iPad or any other smartphone, tablet or computer. It "hugs" your device and sports has left and right side firing drivers that provide stereo sound. Made from medical-grade durable silicone, the Zooka slides on and off without scratching your device. Its rechargeable lithium ion batteries support eight hours of streaming music, movie audio, web and digital content. The Zooka also has a 3.5mm audio input so you can continue your listening experience even when Bluetooth is unavailable. It's designed to function with the Apple Smart Cover, for the iPad and features a cutout groove that ensures your camera lens is not blocked. The Zooka doubles as an ergonomic grip. The speakers are part of a Kicktstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1733547063/zooka-bluetooth-speaker-f...). Kickstarter is a collective fundraising site that allows early adopters to fund projects for rewards. The Zooka campaign offers a...