Apple has updated the iPhone Configuration Utility and Server Admin Tools. iPhone Configuration Utility lets you create configuration profiles that define how iOS devices work with your enterprise systems. Version 3.4 for Mac and Windows has been tweaked for iOS 5. Server Admin Tools 10.7.2 is designed to work with Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2. The update for the Lion Server administration management application suite includes updates for Server Admin, Server Monitor, and more.

Bose (http://www.Bose.com) has introduced its next-generation of on-ear headphones: the OE2 and OE2i audio headphones. They cost US$149.95 and $179.95, respectively. The OE2i headphones come with an inline remote and microphone that lets owners interact with select Apple products, including the latest iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models. Users can control volume, tracks, and voice applications -- and switch between music and calls on an iPhone. The OE2 headphones come with a standard audio cable. In every other way, the OE2i and OE2 headphones are identical. They feature an enhanced proprietary TriPort acoustic headphone structure. With redesigned and newly tuned earcup ports, audio reproduction is more balanced and natural, according to the folks at Bose. The OE2 and OE2i headphones also feature a new design that’s smaller and lighter, with a slimmer profile. The headphone’s ear cushions, made from memory foam, are designed to conform to the user and combine with a...

Verizon Wireless says it's the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy a large-scale 4G LTE network, which is the fastest and most reliable 4G network in the U.S. From CTIA Enterprise and Applications 2011, Verizon Wireless announced this week that the company's fleet of test vehicles is being equipped with 4G testing and monitoring equipment to encompass all of the major operating networks in the U.S. today. Verizon Wireless test men and women will utilize the 4G testing equipment to monitor the company's 4G LTE network as well as the high-speed data networks of competitors that use LTE and other technologies. Using testing equipment from Ascom, a global technology company, Verizon Wireless test men and women are performing mobile data tests on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network as it continues to roll out across the country. The collected data will be used to measure network performance, benchmark against competitors, and assist Verizon Wireless network engineers who...

Runware has released the US$69 Runalyzer (http://www.runalyzer.com/en/), a patented heart rate monitor made for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, compatible with all analog chest straps and integrated with several apps in the Apple App Store. The Runalyzer is aimed at both beginners and experienced athletes who want to measure the impact of their training and monitor their progress. It's also designed for casual runners and anyone who would like to start again a physical activity. The Runalyzer is a small electronic receiver weighing just four grams. It plugs to iOS device, removing the need for a watch while remaining compatible with existing chest straps. This makes it possible to correlate the heart rate transmitted directly to the application with the other measurements provided by the iDevice: altitude, three-dimensional acceleration and orientation, GPS location, average, maximum and instantaneous speed, number of steps, duration of the exercise, etc. Combining these data, it is...

AquaFold has introduced Aqua Data Server 1.0, the first release of a new product designed to help organizations simplify and lower the cost of their business intelligence and data warehousing environments by streamlining the development and production deployment of ETL (Extract Transform Load) tasks, data migrations, reporting, dashboards and form-based web applications. Aqua Data Server provides a an open API (application programming interface) for accessing, manipulating and visualizing data from many data sources. It's a cross-DBMS and cross-platform application server, fully integrated with the universal desktop database administration tool, Aqua Data Studio. Aqua Data Server works with Mac OS X, Windows and Linux on the Java 1.6 platform. It's based on the Apache Tomcat application server and MySQL database for application metadata. The web-based interface is supported by modern web browsers, including Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Opera. Aqua Data Server...

JAMF Software, developers of the Casper Suite (an enterprise client management solution for Mac OS X computers and iOS mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones) has announced the release of Casper Suite version 8.3. The upgrade features full compatibility with iOS 5 and iPhone 4S. In addition to the new capabilities for managing iOS devices, this new release incorporates significant enhancements to the OS X management capabilities in the Casper Suite, according to Chip Pearson, managing partner at JAMF Software. He says a few highlights of the new features include: ° Administrators can now manage even more settings for iOS devices including settings related to iCloud. ° The Casper Suite is now able to automatically deploy App Store apps to iOS 5 devices using push notifications. Paid apps may also be distributed using Volume Purchase Program (VPP) codes. Additionally, App Store apps may be distributed as managed apps allowing administrators to configure security settings for apps and...

Karelia Software says that Sandvox (http://www.karelia.com/sandvox), its web development tool, is now available in the Mac App Store. Through Oct. 31, it's available at a special introductory price of US$$49.99 (it's regularly $79.99) and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. The new Sandvox 2.1.10 adds a new Blueprint design, and builds on the new SFTP publishing system recently introduced with new WebDAV and MobileMe publishing subsystems. Sandvox lets you drag and drop content, add modern features in a few clicks, and see exactly what it looks like right on the screen before hitting publish. Sites created using Sandvox automatically comply with the latest HTML5 web standard, and can be seen on modern mobile devices, according to the folks at Karelia Software. Once finished, users can upload their site to their favorite host directly from within Sandvox.

Apple has released Aperture 3.2 and Xcode 4.2. The former, an update of the software for photographers, supports compatibility with iCloud and iOS 5. This update also addresses minor stability, performance and compatibility issues. Aperture 3.2 requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 and is a 635.76MB download. Xcode, an update of the app creation tool, includes software development kits for Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and iOS 5. Storyboards let you design multiple iOS screens, and define the segues among them. And Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) saves developers from manually managing retain/release. Xcode 4.2 requires Mac OS X 10.7 or higher and is a 1.68GB download.

Apple has floated out iCloud (http://www.apple.com/icloud), a set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work with your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to all your devices. iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, contacts, calendars, documents and more, keeping them up to date across all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly. "iCloud is the easiest way to manage your content, because iCloud does it all for you and goes far beyond anything available today," says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "You don't have to think about syncing your devices, because it happens automatically, and it is free." iTunes in the Cloud lets you automatically download new music purchases to all your devices, so you can buy a song on your iPad and find it waiting...

Take this one with a grain of salt, but Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White tells clients -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) -- that Apple is planning an "iPad mini" for 2012 to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire. The "mini" name doesn't necessarily refer to the size of the device, he said, but a lower entry-level price. White says such a device would allow Apple to tap into a "more price sensitive consumer segment," and also fend off the Amazon Kindle Fire, the retailer's first entrance into the touchscreen tablet market. "We believe this lower priced iPad could be priced in the mid-to-high-$200 range," White the analyst in a note to investors. "We expect this will be followed by a much more powerful, feature rich standard-priced iPad 3 in (the second quarter of 2012)." -- Dennis Sellers

Samsung Electronics plans to sidestep a sales ban on its smartphones in the Netherlands by tweaking their technology to avoid violating Apple patents, in a move that could help break a deadlock in the companies' ongoing legal battle, according to the "Wall Street Journal" (http://macte.ch/ehjHM). The article says a Samsung spokesman hinted that the company might take a similar approach in other markets where Apple is seeking or has already obtained a ban on Samsung's smartphones and tablet computers. The company plans to start selling the modified phones in the Dutch market this month.

Apple has released AirPort Utility for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The free app -- available at the Apple App Store -- lets you manager your AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express and Time Capsule base stations without requiring a desktop or laptop computer. With AirPort Utility, you can see a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network and devices. You can change base station and network settings, or manage advanced features such as security modes, wireless channels, and more. AirPort Utility works with all Apple 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations.

Vitaliy Pronkin has introduced Planito 1.0 for Mac OS X. It's an online and offline multi-layered viewer for aerial imagery, maps, placemarks and other geospatial data layers for the Earth, Moon and other planets from various data sources. In its simplest form, Planito can be used as online and offline viewer for OpenStreetMap-family maps. However, there are more layers available with data for travelers, students, teachers, and scientists, including Wikimapia objects, Booking.com hotels, current temperature from weather stations all over the world, US Topo Maps, UNESCO World Heritage sites. Planito requires Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and costs US$2.99. It's available on the Mac App Store in the Travel category.

InfiniteNIL Software has released Landscaper's Companion for Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and costs US$9.99. It's available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Reference or Lifestyle category. Landscaper's Companion was first introduced as an iOS app by Stevenson Software. Stevenson Software commissioned infiniteNIL to bring the app to the Mac. The Mac app has all the same features as the iOS version, such as a database of over 8,500 plants and over 9,000 images. Plants can be browsed by 16 categories, marked as favorites, and searched for based on their name, color, type, sun, water, grow rate, size, and other characteristics. Most plants include cultivation information, common uses, and potential problems they may have. Users can add their own notes and images to each plant. The Mac version also takes advantage of the larger screen real estate and features of Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion"), such as full-screen mode, and gestures for scrolling through images.

CampSoftware (http://campsoftware.com/) has announced FMClips to help FileMaker developers copy and paste reusable script steps, layout objects, fields, and more into FileMaker databases. FMClips is an US$19, unlocked FileMaker database that uses the free Clipboard Explorer plugin from Dracoventions. These clips server to save any busy FileMaker developer countless hours finding text in their FileMaker database scripts, tables and fields, according to Hal Gumbert of CampSoftware.

QuarkXPress customers using any version of QuarkXPress can upgrade to QuarkXPress 9 for US$299. From now until Dec. 31, 2011, all current and prior users on QuarkXPress versions 3 through 6 can upgrade to the newest version of QuarkXPress for the standard upgrade price, which is typically applied to upgrades from versions 7 and 8.
 To take advantage of the special offer, users must have a valid, registered, and activated serial number for any version of QuarkXPress. Upgrades can be purchased through Quark Authorized Resellers, the Quark Store, and Quark Customer Service. Visit http://www.quark.com/promotion to upgrade and for further information.

Lemke Software has updated Graphic Converter (http://www.lemkesoft.com/index.html), an image editing tool for Mac OS X, to version 7.4. The new version adds support for 3D image file formats like MPO, JPS and PNS. Also, it does enhance the Lion support. GraphicConverter converts pictures to different formats and has tools for picture manipulation. With it you can import about 200 graphic file formats and export approximately 80 graphic file formats. It's a Universal Binary product, so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. GraphicConverter costs US$39.95 Site licenses are also available. It requires Mac OS 10.5 or later. Version 7.4 is a free update for registered users of version 7.x.

CampSoftware (http://campsoftware.com/) has released version 2 of Art Licensing Manager. The software can be used on Mac, iOS and Windows platforms. The software has been designed for artists in the art licensing industry to help them track all aspects of their business. The Art Licensing Manager Software connects art, collections, contacts, licensees, licenses, and contracts data so information can be found quickly. Version 2.0 was rewritten from the ground up to make data entry simple and accessible from several perspectives. The goal of the Art Licensing Manager is to allow artists to spend more time making art than managing their data. Every feature included in the Art Licensing Manager has come from the need of an artist, according to the folks at CampSoftware. The software is available for US$299 as a single user application, including a bundled version of FileMaker for either Mac or Windows at no additional cost. A limited use demo can be downloaded and tested before...

SweetP Productions has announced Cookie 2.1.2 (http://www.sweetpproductions.com), an update to their cookie and browser history management utility for Mac OS X (10.6.6 and higher). It's available at the Mac App Store for US$14.99. Cookie is designed to help you to manage exactly who can access information about your online activities. It scans your computer for all types of cookies, from all the top browsers, and can be configured to remove all unwanted tracking-advertising cookies. Data can be stored on your computer without you even knowing in a multitude of different formats: cookies, Flash cookies, databases and local storage. Cookie scans your computer for all types of cookies. Version 2.1.2 is a maintenance update with some bug fixes and better memory management.

FileMaker, Inc. (http://www.filemaker.com)-- a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple -- says more than one million templates have been downloaded from the Bento Template Exchange, since its launch in June 2009. The templates, available in 10 languages, are free to download and give people real-world examples of the many uses of FileMaker’s personal databases: Bento for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Over 1,070 templates -- most created by actual Bento users -- are available on the Exchange for everything from templates for small businesses designed to make it easy to managing contacts, projects and events to templates for coin collecting and managing a Cub Scout pack to beer lists, pet info, exercise logs and job-hunting. Among the most popular templates are contact and customer manager, bill tracking, project manager, family organizer, and lecture notes. Bento 4 for Mac is required to download and import templates, but once added on the Mac, templates can be synchronized with Bento 1.1 for iPhone...

ComScore (http://www.comscore.com), a company that "measures the digital world," has released its report," Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing U.S. Digital Media Consumption Habits." The report found that smartphones such as the iPhone and tablets such as the iPad drive almost 7% of total US digital traffic. The comScore report analyzes how cross-platform consumption has created a vastly different landscape as consumers utilize a growing number of devices to consume digital content. The report also analyzes the impact these shifting consumption habits have on online visitation and engagement across the Internet. To download a complimentary copy of the report, Digital Omnivores, got to http://www.comScore.com/DigitalOmnivores . "The popularization of smartphones and the introduction of tablets and other web-enabled devices -- collectively termed 'connected devices' -- have contributed to an explosion in digital media consumption. As these...

MAGI, MoaCube's indie strategy game about wizard duels, has come to Mac OS X and is available (http://moacube.com/games/magi/) at a discounted price of US$5.95 (down from $15.95). Here's how the game is described: "It's an unique strategy game, where the player takes their chosen wizard through a series of magic battles, in order to gain more power and spells to devise a winning tactic for the inevitable final battle with the Death. "Instead of relying on cutting-edge 3D graphics and hours of cutscenes, MAGI uses  simple and focused design, careful balance, and more than a pinch of good old challenge. The game is hard. In order to win, players need to make the best use of the available spells, character skills and their strategic wit. The final battle with the Death is particularly hard, and if you haven't gained enough power in the preceding duels, it might be nigh impossible to win. It's harsh, but it also makes MAGI an intense and very addictive experience, with that certain "just...

BlackBerry to iPhone switchers can now sync contacts, calendars, text messages, email messages and more with BerryMover, a new app. The need for this app seems huge. In a 2011 United Sample survey, over 66% of Verizon-based BlackBerry users said they would switch to an iPhone when it became available. "Until BerryMover, when these folks moved to the iPhone they left a good chunk of their data on their BlackBerry," says Tim Goggin, co-owner Of PocketMac. "But that’s no longer a problem with BerryMover. Now, all you need is a recent BlackBerry backup, iTunes and BerryMover. And you’re all set to transfer all of your data." BerryMover works by reading backup files. It then gives the user the option of choosing which data they want to import. Every copy of BerryMover comes with a complete video tutorial on how to import BlackBerry data to your iPhone. The app also includes the ability to import data from more than one backup file. This means that you can pull data from several backup...

In the first installment of a new professional training series from Luxology, instructor Rich Hurrey teaches users the skills necessary to create production-ready animation rigs in modo 501. The modo 501 Rigging Master Course consists of 26 hours of video training housed in an interactive framework. Hurrey gives viewers a foundation for getting the most from modo's deep animation toolset. The course starts with solid fundamentals and progresses to tutorials that explain how to rig models with increasingly complex behaviors. The course is ideal for anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of modo and learn valuable techniques for rigging and animation. The modo 501 Rigging Master Course is priced at US$199, and Luxology is offering special introductory pricing of $149 for the first two weeks. To purchase, go to http://www.luxology.com/store/riggingmastercourse/ .