Leaping Bytes has updated Colorplex (http://www.leapingbytes.com/products/colorplex), its color calculator app for Mac OS X, to version 1.2. The US$1.99 app allows you to manipulate colors in RGB, HSB, CMYK or Gray Scale colorspace and instantly see results in the large preview area. Colorplex provides individual controls for foreground and background. You can even replace the background with an image of your choice or use text as a foreground. For serious color gurus, Colorplex provides a handy scrap book that lets you preserve your work and share it with your colleagues and customers. Version 1.2 can use text as a foreground and can drag the foreground around with a mouse. There's a bigger preview image for sharing, and the app can switch between NSColor and UIColor. Colorplex requires Mac OS X 10.6. It can be found at the Mac App Store in the Graphics & Design category.

Ambiera has announced WebsitePainter 1.4 (http://www.ambiera.com/websitepainter/index.html), an update to web editor for Macintosh and Windows. Version 1.4 adds support for external CSS styles, Quicktime and Youtube videos, the HTML 5 audio component, improved FTP upload, and german language interface translation. Also included are two new free website templates. WebsitePainter was developed for creating websites without HTML knowledge and programming. It lets you create webpages with elements like Web 2.0 buttons, gradients, round borders, hover effects, transparencies, continuous text and more. WebsitePainter includes a variety of templates and supports Web standards such as HTML, CSS, PHP and ASP. WebsitePainter has built-in support for dynamic HTML content to, for example, create a dynamic slideshow with a list of images that will fade in and out at an adjustable speed. The editor supports "layouting," allowing to place all elements of the website exactly where they should be by...

Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps. You can find 'em at the Apple App Store (http://www.itunes.com/appstore/). Towers Watson, a global professional services company, has announced TWGlobal50, a searchable application for the iPad. The free app is designed to provide human resource and benefit professionals with instant access to critical human capital data from around the globe. The TWGlobal50 app is purportedly the HR industry’s first-of-its-kind solution -- providing searchable human capital data for 57 countries. Office Depot, a provider of office supplies and services, has released the company’s free iPhone app. It's part of the “Office Depot Anywhere” strategy that aims to help customers shop at their convenience through a variety of mobile platforms and m-commerce-enabled sites. Office Depot has also enabled http://www.officedepot.com for mobile commerce and browsing, even if a customer is using a non-iPhone or Android mobile device. The Tiger Woods Foundation...

The upcoming release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server will remove the formerly bundled open source Samba software and replace it with Apple's own tools for Windows file sharing and network directory services, according to "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). Samba is an open source/free software suite that provides file and print services to SMB/CIFS clients. It's freely available, unlike other SMB/CIFS implementations, and allows for interoperability between Linux/Unix servers and Windows-based clients. The goal behind the Samba project is one of removing barriers to interoperability. The software was released in 199 and originally developed by Australian Andrew Tridgell of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol. As of version 3, Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows Server domain, either as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or as a domain member. It can also be part of an Active Directory domain. Apple began...

Mercedes-Benz customizer Brabus has revised their "iCar," adding some iPad 2s to the iBusiness 2.0 (http://macte.ch/2Xxge), reports "Autoevolution" (http://macte.ch/3hgRQ). Brabus is the first company to develop an advanced car multimedia system based on the the second gen Apple tablet, the article add. The iPad 2 has been integrated in the rear compartment of the Brabus 800, a version of the V12-powered S-Klasse, which offers 800 horsepower. The iPad 2 has been linked to the car’s on-board entertainment system and allows the rear passengers to access all function of the S-Klasse in the rear of the car. Thanks to its good built-in cameras, the iPad could also provide an excellent platform for video conferences, says "Autoevolution." What's more, Brabus technicians have created a custom table to which the tablet computers can be connected. Mac mini Mini Mac located in the car's trunk that serves as the central computer. The car also gets a 15.2-inch TFT display, which is mounted on...

Apple says that Bertrand Serlet (top photo), Apple’s senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will be leaving the company. Craig Federighi (bottom photo), Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will assume Serlet’s responsibilities and report to CEO Steve Jobs. “I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science,” says Serlet. “Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless.” Federighi is responsible for the development of Mac OS X and has been managing the Mac OS software engineering group for the past two years. He worked at NeXT, followed by Apple, and then spent a decade at Ariba where he held several roles including vice president of Internet Services and chief technology officer. He returned to Apple in 2009 to lead Mac OS X engineering...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "Barron's (http://macte.ch/VWdxU) -- Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi mulled over what he considers the most likely prospects for Apple‘s Maiden, North Carolina-based data center, which may go live this spring. Sacconaghi says the facility, which could end up being the largest such facility in the world, will probably not only be used to increase the iTunes and MobileMe services, but may help the company to offer five other services: a larger advertising platform, for serving up iAds; a digital “locker” in the “cloud” to synchronize content between users’ Apple devices; a music streaming service on a subscription basis; an “aggressively priced video subscription service”; and a service that would support a “voice interface” on Apple devices, taking user requests in spoken natural language and returning answers, similar to Google’s free voice search.

MiKandi -- which bills itself as “the world’s first app store for adults -- has been hit with a cease-and-desist letter from Apple over its use of the term "App Store," according to "GeekWire" (http://macte.ch/VPnyT). It’s not MiKandi’s first brush with Apple. The company was pushed in the spotlight last year when Apple’s Steve Jobs referred derisively to the fact that there was a “porn store” on Android -- referring to MiKandi without using its name, says "GeekWire." For the record, the words “app store” still appear on the MiKandi site. Co-founder Jesse Adams tells "GeekWire" they’ll wait it out, for now, and see how Microsoft’s challenge to Apple’s trademark registration turns out. MiKandi is the second digital download service targeted by Apple in defense of its trademark application this month, the first being the Amazon App Store for Android. In a complaint filed March 18 in federal court in northern California, Apple accused Amazon.com of trademark infringement and unfair...

Four U.S. Senators are calling for Apple and other purveyors of smartphone software to ban apps -- such as Phantom Alert, Fuzz Alert Pro and Checkpointer -- that would help motorists identify and avoid drunk driving checkpoints, reports "The Huffington Post" (http://macte.ch/lKzSy). Democrats Chuck Schumer, Frank Lautenberg, Tom Udall and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday issued a letter to Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iPhone They also sent identical letters to Google and RIM executives. "We appreciate the technology that has allowed millions of Americans to have information at their fingertips, but giving drunk drivers a free tool to evade checkpoints, putting innocent families and children at risk, is a matter of public concern," the letter said.

Skipscreen (http://www.skipscreen.com) is a new Firefox extension that skips ads on sites like Rapidshare, Megaupload, Mediafire. There's also a new companion app for Mac users, Download Songs (http://godownloadsongs.com) that's based on a similar premise.   "We got sick of waiting for downloads, watching folders, clicking on files, songs starting and stopping, throwing stuff in the trash," says Ying Cheng, one of the developers. "Download Songs watches your download folders, moves any new music into iTunes, and cleans up the files. It lets you search for songs on the internet from the app or using a hotkey. The search feature is really fun and makes the whole experience feel like magic (our custom google search called Skipsearch will be included in the next release). It does all the annoying steps that some people might not notice, but takes a bunch of time." 
Download Songs costs US$4.99. SkipScreen is free.

Apple has updated Aperture, its software for professional photographers, to version 3.1.2 (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2518). The update requires Aperture 3.x. Version 3.1.2 improves overall stability and performance, and also includes the following specific fixes. iPhoto compatibility Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when importing large iPhoto libraries. Aperture now correctly handles albums contained in folders when importing iPhoto 9.1.1 libraries. Improves reliability when importing iPhoto 9 libraries that include slideshows containing text slides. RAW images imported from iPhoto 9 libraries no longer show the Reprocess brick in Adjustments. Import Addresses an issue that could cause Aperture to stop responding when attempting to process damaged images. Olympus E-5 images with a 3:4 aspect ratio now import with the correct rotation. Library Addresses an issue that could prevent referenced images from being reconnected. Resolves an issue that...

Wicked Audio (http://wickedheadphones.com/) is shipping the Wicked Helix earphones. They have a 10 mm driver and feature maximum noise isolation, which inhibits ambient noise. The tip is gold-plated to prevent damage and corrosion, and the cord measures 1.2 meters long for maximum flexibility, says Paul Marshall, vice president of Sales, Empire Brands. The new Wicked Helix earphones are offered in three color combinations: blue/orange, magenta/yellow, and black/white. They are currently available for US$14.99 at FYE, Fry’s Electronics, InMotion, Verizon Wireless and other select international retailers.

IK Multimedia says its iRig Mic -- a handheld condenser microphone for the iPhone iPod touch and iPad -- is now shipping. It costs US$59.99. iRig Mic is designed for the vocalist and songwriter on the move, and is also targeted to recording speeches, instruments, performances or any other sound sources in the studio, on stage or in the field. The iRig Mic features a highly unidirectional condenser-electret microphone capsule, real-time monitoring with its dual mini-jack connector and a metal body. It can be mounted on any mic stand leaving your hands free for operating the app on your iOS device. A three-level gain switch makes it adjustable for any sound pressure condition from soft speaking to loud playing. The iRig Mic also comes with a suite of IK’s apps: VocaLive Free (for vocalists and songwriters), iRig Recorder (an audio recording app) and AmpliTube Free (for guitarists and songwriters). It also works with a wide variety of other vocal and audio recording and processing apps...

Alcatel-Lucent and Xnet have partnered to provide a business class, unified communications application for Mac OS X. MyIC (http://www.call4mac.com/MyIC/) is specifically designed to provide multiparty business communications for the Apple desktop. Via drag and drop, a Mac user can create a teleconference in the 3D virtual meeting room and with the power of Mac OS X's Core Animation manage the participants. The app. also appears with full social networking integration. Contacts may be local, remote or gathered from enterprise LDAP or even Facebook. MylC costs US$149 and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. A demo is available for download. There's also an iPad version for $349.

RunTime Revolution (http://www.runrev.com) has released LiveCode 4.6, an update of its development platform. The update has 20 new features, including: ° Support for SQLite databases, ZIP files and XML on iOS devices; ° Support for iOS native text entry fields; ° Improvements to native web browser control and native control functions; ° Full screen video playback and support for native playback within a region; ° Multi-channel sound improvements, including pause/resume and prepare ability; ° Support for iOS 4.3 simulator; ° Multiple camera support. LiveCode 4.6 also has over a dozen developer requested refinements to the desktop product. These include: ° Support for working with very large images on Mac OS X; ° The ability to render objects with and without graphic effects and blending; ° Public key encryption support and cryptographic-quality random data generation; ° Improvements to print to pdf, with document outline and link inclusion; ° Bug fixes and minor enhancements. The...

Mixamo (http://www.mixamo.com) has announced the integration of Mixamo's online animation service within the Unity Asset Store digital content marketplace. Mixamo's ever-expanding repository of animation is now accessible to developers immediately in the Unity development platform via a free plug-in, providing an in-editor means to browse, customize and purchase character animation.  A walkthrough of the process can be viewed at http://www.mixamo.com/c/mixamo-unity-asset-store . Game developers can now animate characters in an intuitive and flexible way right inside Unity, while at the same time tapping into thousands of professional animations and motion capture data, says Mixamo co-founder and CEO Stefano Corazza. A user can simply select a character from their game project and browse the animation collection to find the perfect motion, previewed directly on their character, he adds. Customization is done via a slider control system, to suit the animation dynamic users are looking...

Rovio has released their latest game, Angry Birds Rio, on the Mac, iOS and Android platforms. The game was developed in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox, and features the animated stars of the studio’s upcoming film, "Rio," which debuts in theaters on April 15.   Users will also have the ability to buy tickets to the film directly from the within the game, by linking directly to a special ticketing page on http://www.RIO-themovie.com.  The game was officially launched in Rio de Janeiro at the world premiere of RIO. Angry Birds Rio features two episodes and 60 levels, and new episodic updates based on the "Rio" will be provided throughout the year. New playable characters, new achievements and unlockable secrets are also included. The Mac version costs US$4.99, the iPad version is $2.99 and the iPhone/iPod touch version is $0.99.

No security lock on the MacBook Air. No problem, says MacLocks (http://www.maclocks.com) which is releasing the MacBook Air Lock and Security Bundle. It incorporates a neat cover that also protects your MacBook Air via an integrated built-in security slot that can accommodate any of the standard cable locks sold on the market. That way you can lock the security cable to the case, and loop the cable's other end around a fixed object (like a table). Once the case and cable are locked together, thieves can't detach the case without damaging the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air Lock and Security Bundle costs US$74.95. You can place a pre-order now; they'll start shipping April 7.

Mozilla has released Mozilla Firefox 4, the newest version of the free, open source Web browser. According to the folks at Mozilla, it's the fastest version of the browser yet. Firefox is purportedly between two and six times faster than previous releases. Eenhancements to the JavaScript engine make everything from startup time to page load speed to graphics and JavaScript performance faster. The latest version of Firefox introduces a sleeker look and features like App Tabs and Panorama. Firefox 4 also delivers privacy and security features like Do Not Track and Content Security Policy to give users control over their personal data and protect them online. Firefox Sync gives users access to their Awesome Bar history, bookmarks, open tabs and passwords across computers and mobile devices. Firefox also offers thousands of add-ons, extensions and Personas and a new Firefox Add-ons Manager to make it easy for users to manage and discover add-ons to customize their Web experience. Firefox...

Apple says the iPad 2 will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. The Apple tablet will be available at Apple retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time, and online through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com) beginning at 1 a.m. Apple today also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April. "While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2," Apple Steve Jobs says. "We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone." The iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico,...

The AFL-CIO, which holds about 3.8 million Disney shares, is opposing Steve Jobs’ reelection to Disney’s board of directors, reports "Cult of Mac" (http://macte.ch/Cv6JA). The group says Jobs’ poor health, plus his job as CEO of Apple, make him a bad choice for Disney’s board. Jobs -- the largest individual shareholder with 7% of Disney’s stock, awarded after the company's purchase of Pixar in 2006 -- is likely to be reelected at Disney’s annual meeting on Wednesday. The union isn’t the only group opposing Jobs, notes "Cult of Mac." Institutional Shareholder Services, an institutional investment group, is also questioning Jobs’s reelection to the Disney board because of his health. ISS says that Jobs has attended less than 75% of board meetings in the last three years, and wonders if Jobs should be reelected. ISS stopped short of rejecting Jobs but said shareholders deserve greater disclosure about his ability to function as a director, says "Cult of Mac."

EastWest has announced their distribution of Best Service Modern Pop Multi-format Sound Library in the US market. It's "a passionate and inspiring sound journey that combines the distinctive style of modern electronic music with different types of pop music, lounge, chillout and new age." According to the folks at EastWest, the defining characteristic of Modern Pop are its rhythmic elements, such as percussion loops, drum loops and special grooves, as well as its harmonic elements, such as melodies and chords. In addition to the loops, percussion, brass, electric bass, guitar and piano sounds from live recordings, this collection contains a variety of synthetically compiled loops, such as synth basses, moog sounds, synths, leads, pads, bells, filtered sounds and modulated sounds. Modern Pop comes on a 2.2 GB DVD and features 24-Bit/44.100 kHz content made up of 35 Construction Kits, 800 Wav/Acid Loops, 400 Rex2 Loops, and 1000 Wav One-Shots. It's available for order at http://www....

danholt4mac (http://macte.ch/ggDRI) says (iStockEx (formerly called iStock) is now available at the Mac App Store. iStockEx is a portfolio manager for private or professional use. You can set up as much portfolios as you want and track the performance of your shares in real time. iStockEx continuously retrieves the latest quotes from the Internet and updates automatically the value of your assets.  You can y enter your sells and buys and watch your portfolios including calculation of gain or loss in a convenient format, all done in your local currency. For the launch of iStockEx on the Mac App Store its price has been reduced: You can now buy iStockEx for only US$4.99; previously, it was $19.99.

Another day, another lawsuit. Apple, Motorola, Research in Motion, Nokia, Kyocera, LG and Sony are being sued in a new patent infringement lawsuit related to integrated cameras, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). Cayman Islands-based Imperium Holdings has filed a complaint against the seven companies and accusing them of violating five patents related to picture taking and processing on smartphones. The lawsuit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division. Patent infringement suits are frequently filed in that jurisdiction, in hopes of a more favorable outcome, notes "AppleInsider."