Apple announces the iPhone 5C
Apple has introduced the iPhone 5c, a lower cost smartphone in five colors: blue, green, pink, yellow and white. It sports a 4-inch Retina display, A6 chip, and the 8 megapixel iSight camera all in a plastic body.
"The iPhone 5c is everything iPhone 5 was and more, in an all-new design packed with great features," says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
Its all-new design is crafted from a single, hard-coated polycarbonate body with a steel reinforced frame. The steel frame holds the internal components and also doubles as the iPhone 5c’s multiband antenna. The enclosure is one continuous and seamless structure that is finished with a hard coat.
To complement the all-new iPhone 5c design, Apple created soft, matte, microfiber-lined cases in an intentional contrast to the glossy, hard coat finish. These sleek silicone cases with unique circular patterns let splashes of color show through, and with five iPhone 5c colors and six cases to choose from,...
Wacom introduces new Bamboo styli, Bamboo Pad
Wacom has introduced a new line of Bamboo styli. Bamboo Stylus solo and Bamboo Stylus duo are second-generation, improved versions of the range of digital styli first introduced in 2011.
The Bamboo Stylus solo is a stylus for touchscreen devices like the iPad. A protective cap for the rubber nib has been added to the new version. The Bamboo Stylus duo is a two-in-one solution offering both a stylus for touchscreens and a ballpoint pen for paper use.
Both versions come in a range of colors, which add a touch of fun and flair to everyone's tablet or smartphone. The pen-on-tablet experience of the new styli is improved by a now even slimmer rubber nib (5 mm) for the solo and duo, says Rick Peterson, director of consumer products for Wacom Americas.
The second-generation Bamboo Stylus solo (US$19) and Bamboo Stylus duo ($29) will be available in October at select retail locations and through Wacom's eStore.
Wacom has also introduced the Bamboo Pad for adding navigation gestures as...
Jumsoft releases bundle app of Office for Mac designs
Jumsoft (www.jumsoft.com) has released a bundle app of all its designs for Microsoft Office for Mac. The Set for MS Office app contains a total of 170 templates for Word, 30 themes for PowerPoint, and 15 spreadsheets for Excel.
The designs can be edited and are designed for illustrating presentations, websites, text documents, and a variety of other types of content. They require Mac OS X 10.7 or higher and Office for Mac 2011 or later.
Set for MS Office 1.0 costs US$29.99 and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Graphics & Design category (http://tinyurl.com/p97sjwx). For more info go to www.jumsoft.com .
PROMISE Technology to exhibit Thunderbolt 2 technology
PROMISE Technology, Inc. says they will be demonstrating at Intel's Developer Forum (IDF) the next generation Pegasus2 Series with Thunderbolt 2 Technology.
Thunderbolt technology is an enormous enabler for video with its exceptional performance and bandwidth, and Thunderbolt 2 further embraces the growing 4K applications in media and entertainment, mobility and computing, says Jason Ziller, marketing director for Thunderbolt at Intel. Running bi-directionally at 20Gbps, double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 2 is a breakthrough for video creators as it enables simultaneous 4K video file transfer and display, he adds.
The advancement in bandwidth will enable professionals to edit and view live 4K streams while backing up the same file to a Pegasus2 system, all with the same cables and connectors as the previous generation. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/y4rlvn4 .
AltiChord for OS X revved to version 1.9
EMSI SOFT OOD has announced AltiChord 1.9, an update to their chord reference application for Mac OS X.
Designed for musicians at different skill levels, AltiChord generates chord charts for stringed instruments such as the guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin or bouzouki. The application shows shapes for many chords simultaneously and can transpose them. AltiChord doesn't rely on chord databases and can serve as a chord reference for instruments in nonstandard or custom tuning.
AltiChord requires Mac OS X Lion (10.7) or later and costs US$19.99. It's available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Music category (http://tinyurl.com/pgblfq6).
Shine for Mac OS X gets faster, adds support for larger images
Ohanaware has released Shine 1.1, an update to their photo enhancing application for Mac OS X (10.6 or higher). It now supports large images, users one-third less memory, and boast rendering speed twice as fast as before.
Shine is designed to enhance digital photos by using lighting effects such as Light Rays and Lens Flares, and enhancing the color of the photo by using gradient tints. It also features other enhancing effects such as Sun, Dynamic Contrast, Highlight Glow and a "Light Fall Off" (also known as Vignette) effect. On OS X 10.7 and 10.8, the application can run in full screen mode.
Shine is available at Ohanaware's website (www.ohanaware.com) for US$9.99 for a single user license, discounted. That's a limited time price; afterward the price will be $19.99. A free (watermarking) trial can be downloaded from the Ohanaware web site.
Scorpion Barcode optimized for OS X Mavericks
Scorpion Research (http://www.ScorpionResearch.com) has updated Scorpion BarCode, its barcode creation software for Mac OS X (10.4 or higher), to version 2.4. The upgrade is optimized for the upcoming OS X 9 Mavericks with Retina screen enhancements added, 64bit performance and support for document versions.
Scorpion BarCode lets you create barcode images for use in other applications. A single user license is US$155; multiple user and educational discounts are available. A 30-day demo can be downloaded at the Scorpion Research web site.
Flint - Developer Interview
Recently, TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers about how Apple's newly announced technologies (specifically Mavericks and iOS 7) will help them and their customers. In the weeks following the event, we'll bring you those videos on TUAW, MacTech and MacNews.
If you aren't currently a reader of MacTech Magazine, check out the special free MacTech on iPad issues for MacTech Magazine here.
This video features Neil Ticktin and Greg Goldfarb of Flint. Greg was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on Apple's announcements, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
TinyBooks Pro for OS X gets improved Check Printer Window
Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates (http://www.winograd.com) has updated TinyBooks Pro, its Mac accounting and bookkeeping program, to version 8.0.6. The upgrade improves the Check Printer Window by adding an InkSaver mode.
TinyBooks Pro is a single-entry bookkeeping and accounting system designed for sole proprietors, home and other small businesses, and family finances. To use you enter your expenses and income, and TinyBooks Pro does the rest. Current and year-to-date on-the-fly totals are continually displayed. Fully automatic bar-charting of all expense and income accounts make the determination of monthly trends intuitively obvious, according to the folks at Space-Time Associates.
TinyBooks Pro 8.0.6 costs US$79.99 for a single user license. It requires an Intel-based Mac.
Power Manager for OS X gets new presentation scheduling tasks
DssW has released Power Manager 4.1.5 for Mac OS X. This release provides new presentation scheduling tasks, Automator workflow tasks, and performance improvements.
Power Manager is an automation and energy saving solution. It boasts a range of energy saving events, including the ability to run applications and scripts to a schedule.
For more information, and to download a 30-day demo version of Power Manager, go to http://www.dssw.co.uk/powermanager/ . Registration is approximately US$53 and $398 for Power Manager Professional.
System requirements are Mac OS X 10.6 or later for Power Manager, and Mac OS X 10.6 for Power Manager Professional. Version 4.1.5 is free for users of Power Manager 4.x. Existing users can update using Power Manager's automatic software update.
Waschhaus launches Eisenpower for pro Mac users
Under the name of "Quadranto" waschhaus media has relaunched Eisenpower, a productivity Mac app that was originally released in November 2012. It provides a 4-quadrant structure for organizing your tasks by importance and urgency.
Besides the new name, it has a more Mac-like user interface targeted especially at pro users and new features introduced based on the customers' feedback, according to the folks at waschhaus. An iPhone version will be available at the end of October.
Users can now switch projects more quickly, change quadrant titles in place and move tasks between projects more efficiently. This is possible due to the new sidebar and the so called "quadrant chooser" for moving tasks to other projects. It helps you choosing a destination quadrant when using drag and drop.
What's more there are new options for emphasizing due tasks. Badges in the sidebar and in the Dock icon help the user to notice unfinished tasks and missed deadlines are now highlighted.
Eisenpower...
Seagate ships hard drives with next gen, shingled magnetic...
Seagate Technology says it's shipped over one million drives using shingled magnetic recording (SMR). SMR is the next generation in storage technology.
Seagate says it's critical for continued improvement in areal density (the amount of data that can be stored on a single disk) to support global growth in cloud and mobile usage. The SMR generation of storage technology is expected to power gains of up to 25%.
"With nearly 7 billion inhabitants on earth we are creating an astounding 2.7 Zettabytes of data a year and as such are rapidly approaching the physical limits of how much can be written on a single conventional hard disk drive," says Mark Re, Seagate’s chief technology officer. "With SMR technology, Seagate is on track to improve areal density by up to 25% or 1.25TB per disk, delivering hard drives with the lowest cost per gigabyte and reaching capacities of 5TB and beyond."
The last technology transition, perpendicular recording, improved areal density by arranging the bits in...
Adobe previews update to video tools in Creative Cloud
Adobe has announced plans to y update the video tools in Adobe Creative Cloud. With over 150 new features, this upcoming release is packed with new capabilities in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe After Effects CC, Adobe SpeedGrade CC, Adobe Prelude CC , Adobe Media Encoder CC and Adobe Story CC Plus.
Updates will also be added to Adobe Anywhere for video, which enables large virtual teams of talent to efficiently shoot, log, edit, share and finish video productions together. The company says these major updates, expected in October, allow broadcast and media professionals to extend their creative toolset and streamline their editing environments.
Adobe will demonstrate its new solutions, highlight key customers and partner focused initiatives during the annual IBC 2013 Exhibition at its stand (Hall 7, Stand 7.G27) in the RAI Convention Center, Sept. 13-17, and online at www.adobe.com/go/ibc2013. Adobe professional video and broadcast tools will also be presented in more than 60 partner...
Autodesk introduces pay-as-you-go option
Autodesk customers will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company's design and creative suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT. For the first time, customers can purchase access to a range of Autodesk desktop software on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, in addition to traditional licenses.
"Our customers wanted more choices and flexibility in how they access our portfolio of design, engineering and entertainment creation tools. We expect rental plans to be attractive across all the industries we serve, especially for freelancers, startups or businesses that are project-based in nature," says Andrew Anagnost, senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. "This model allows customers to compete with the highest quality, industry leading software, while using only what they need when they need it."
The option to purchase a monthly, quarterly or annual rental plan will be available starting Sept. 16. New rental plans...
Monotype introduces the Monotype Baseline Platform
Monotype Imaging Holdings -- a provider of typefaces, technology and expertise for creative applications and consumer devices -- has announced the Monotype Baseline platform, a cloud-based developer platform that offers access to tens of thousands of fonts.
The solution is designed to help OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], independent software vendors and developers build software products and connected devices that deliver the best user experiences, says Doug Shaw, president and chief executive officer of Monotype. Enfocus, a leading provider of tools that control the quality of PDF files for print during the document workflow process, is the first partner to implement Monotype Baseline capabilities.
The company has announced the Enfocus PitStop 12 series of PDF preflight tools, which introduce the ability to replace missing or corrupted fonts in PDF files by sourcing the correct fonts from the cloud. Using Monotype’s technology, PitStop 12 enables the automatic detection...
Zivix unveils PUC technology for MIDI-based instruments
Zivix has announced the launch of the company’s proprietary technology, the PUC, which allows MIDI-based digital instruments to be wirelessly connected to an iPad and other compatible Apple devices.
It's now live on Indiegogo (www.indiegogo.com), a crowdsourcing platform that helps creative projects come to life. Users can attach the PUC to a synthesizer, sampler, drum machine or sequencer. The device makes the process of connecting these devices to an iPad simple, convenient and accessible to hundreds of MIDI-based music apps, says Zivix Vice President Chad Koehler. It simplifies connections by eliminating unnecessary wires and specialty boxes, he adds.
The PUC's wireless CoreMIDI interface connects any MIDI’s hardware device to CoreMIDI-compatible apps like GarageBand, Animoog, NAVE and more. It wirelessly connects to iOS devices, connecting your controller using a 5-pin DIN cable. Either the Micro USB port or two AA batteries can power the PUC. For more info go to http://tinyurl....
Rogue Amoeba announces Intermission for Mac OS X
You can now pause and rewind live audio on your Mac with Rogue Amoeba's newest Mac application, Intermission. It provides a pause button for all audio playback on your Mac.
Even streaming content can be paused. With its audio buffer, Intermission makes it possible to jump back and replay missed audio. You can rewind live sports, talk radio, teleconferences and more.
The audio buffer can hold up to three hours of content. You can pause streaming audio on services like Pandora, iTunes Radio, or Spotify to build a buffer, then skip right past the ads and songs you don't want to hear.
You can even save the audio you just heard. By pairing up Intermission with Audio Hijack Pro, it's actually possible to record audio from the past. For more info go to http://rogueamoeba.com/intermission/ .
Intermission requires Mac OS X 10.7 or higher, and can be purchased for just US$15 directly from Rogue Amoeba's online store. A fully-functional free trial is available on the Rogue Amoeba site. While in...
Apple investigating claims of Chinese labor violations
Apple is investigating a supplier factory in China for alleged labor violations after a watchdog group claimed the facility forced its employees to work long hours assembling iPhones, reports "Computerworld' (http://tinyurl.com/kjhk8qa)
On Thursday, China Labor Watch posted a report that claimed workers at the factory in the city of Wuxi were logging more than 100 hours per month in overtime to build plastic cases for a budget iPhone device. Apple says it's already sent a team of experts to look into the matter.
"Computerworld" says the conditions at the factory appear to contradict Apple's assertion that its suppliers are capping the work week at 60 hours. However, Apple says Jabil has an "excellent track record" of meeting the company's high standards on work conditions.
Judge issues ruling in Apple ebook suit
Judge Denise Cote has issued her penalty ruling in the ebook pricing lawsuit against Apple. She has ruled that the company must stagger its contract negotiations with major publishers to prevent collusion and avoid entering into "most favored nation" (MFN) agreements with any publisher for five years, reports "GigaOM" (http://tinyurl.com/n7kyrvb).
The MFN clauses in Apple's contracts with publishers prevented any other e-book retailer from undercutting Apple, giving Apple the right to at least match the best pricing offered by other retailers. "The Department of Justice will be happy, because the final injunction contains a lot of what it had asked for," notes "GigaOm."
Maintain serves up Cocktail 6.7.1. (Mountain Lion Edition)
Maintain has released Cocktail 6.5 (Mountain Lion Edition), the latest maintenance update for users running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.
Cocktail is a general purpose utility for OS X that lets users clean, repair and optimize their Mac. This version contains improvements on the "Clear CrashReporter logs" and the "Clear Apple System logs and diagnostic messages" procedures.
Cocktail 6.7.1 (Mountain Lion Edition) requires OS X Mountain Lion or OS X Mountain Lion Server (10.8). Cocktail (Lion Edition) for OS X 10.7, Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition) for OS X 10.6 and Cocktail (Leopard Edition) for OS X 10.5 are available for download from the Maintain website.
Cocktail costs US$19 for a single user license and is available for purchase from the Maintain website (http://maintain.se/cocktail). The license is valid for Mountain Lion, Lion and Snow Leopard and editions of Cocktail. Cocktail (Leopard Edition) is distributed as freeware and doesn't require a license.
Numi 2 is a new version of next generation calculator for Mac OS...
Dmitry Nikolaev & Co (http://getnumi.info) have announced Numi 2 for Mac OS X. It's an update of the next generation calculator.
Numi combines calculations with text and allows you to share computations with other users. It automatically "understands" and computes what you write. You can type text, or simply paste it in. Numi adds up all the numbers for you, and displays the result. The new version introduces many new features such as modes, variables, new operations, global hotkey, accessible results and more.
Numi 2 is offered at the special launch price of US$4.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Productivity category (http://tinyurl.com/n6w8946). It requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
WD announces the My Passport Slim hard drive
WD has released its My Passport Slim line of portable hard drives, which the company says is the first thin drives to offer up to 2TB capacity, a metal enclosure, and 256-bit hardware-based encryption.
The included WD SmartWare Pro data protection software allows users to back up their data to their My Passport Slim and keep an extra copy in their Dropbox account. The software also lets users back up their Dropbo account to the My Passport Slim.
Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, the My Passport Slim measures approximately 4.33 x 3.14 x 0.48 inches. It uses USB 3.0 connectivity.
My Passport Slim portable hard drives are protected by a three-year limited warranty and will be available from the WD store at wdstore.com as well as select retailers and distributors. The My Passport Slim 1TB has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$99.99, the 2TB model is $149.99.
Kansas public school district announces plans for FileMaker on 6...
The Dodge City Public Schools district in Kansas has announced plans to use FileMaker software and 1,200 -- soon to be 6,500 -- iPads. Teachers, students and administrative staff now have all the data they need for real-time student assessment delivered to their iPads in a simple format using FileMaker Go for iPad, according to Ray Wipf, executive director of information management, Dodge City Public Schools.
One of the largest school districts in Kansas, Dodge City Public Schools has 6,500 students, 440 teachers and 40 administrators and staff. iPads will replace every student desktop computer by January 2014.
As students take exams on iPads teachers on their iPads can track student accuracy in real time. Once exams are complete, teachers use an interface to filter test results across multiple variables such as areas of knowledge, weaknesses and strengths. Results are displayed in charts, graphs and lists so teachers can identify trends or students who need more assistance in...
Perfect Photo Suite 8 gets new Perfect Enhance module, more
onOneSoftware has announced Perfect Photo Suite 8, an update of its standalone photo editor that integrates with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, and Apple Aperture.
New features include the Perfect Enhance module for essential photo adjustments, the Perfect Eraser with content-aware fill technology, the Perfect Batch processing utility for applying workflows to multiple images at once, and a re-engineered Perfect Effects module with twice as many filters, customizable presets, and integrated FocalPoint technology.
The new tools and capabilities work alongside Perfect Photo Suite 8’s eight modules -- Effects, Enhance, B&W, Portrait, Mask, Layers, Resize, and Browse -- to allow photographers to enhance, retouch, and stylize images in a layered workflow, replace backgrounds, create high-quality enlargements, prepare images for output, and batch process workflows. The modules share a unified interface.
The new Perfect Photo Suite 8 will be available Nov. 26. Pre-...
Banjo Rolls Trainer 1.0 released for Mac OS X
Jiri Markalous has introduced Banjo Rolls Trainer 1.0, his new music app built for Mac OS X. It's designed for both beginning and advanced banjo players alike.
Banjo Rolls Trainer is designed to help all banjo players improve their technique and learn new five-string banjo rolls. The app includes 15 basic banjo rolls, Clawhammer Bum-Ditty and 1/4 rolls, individual volume setting of upright bass, guitar, banjo and metronome, and more.
Banjo Rolls Trainer requires OS X 10.7 or later. It costs US$14.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Music category (http://tinyurl.com/kfohejb). For more info go to http://www.markalous.cz .
Graphic Node updates the Designs for Students app
Graphic Node (graphicnode.com) has expanded its assortment of iWork templates with the update of the Designs for Students app. The updated pack for Apple's Pages now comprises 210 designs for Pages documents, 40 spreadsheet templates for Numbers, 40 first-class slideshow themes for Keynote, and 20 book templates for iBooks Author.
The templates can be customized to individual requirements by adding tables, making calculations, drawing diagrams, inserting images and more. All are available in the US and international paper sizes.
The Designs for Students app requires iWork and iBooks Author, as well as OS X 10.6.6 or later. It costs US$4.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Productivity category (http://tinyurl.com/mf33rc6) as well as Graphic Node online.
Ten One Design offers interchangeable tips for the Pogo Connect
Ten One Design Bluetooth 4.0 stylus, is outfitting their famed Pogo Connect, a Bluetooth stylus, with a new line of magnetically interchangeable tips.
The Pogo Connect features patent-pending Crescendo sensor technology, making the smart stylus highly responsive to pressure and able to recognize the slightest touch, requiring zero activation force or calibration, according to the folks at Ten Design. With Pogo Connect’s new magnetically interchangeable tips, users can digitally paint brush strokes, while this precise technology measures the number of bristles that trace the touchscreen.
Ten One Design’s line of magnetic tips for Pogo Connect is available in four package options, with either traditional rubber tips or brushes for more advanced painting simulation. Prices range from US$9.95 to $29.95.
To support the new line of interchangeable tips, users can download Ten One Design’s free supporting Pogo Connect companion iOS app to pair their iPad to the stylus. Also, you can...
Chaos Group releases V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max Beta
Chaos Group (www.chaosgroup.com) has announced the beta program for V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max -- a lighting, shading and rendering toolkit. Beta testers will have direct access to the Chaos Group team.
According to the folks at Chaos Group, calculations are running up to five times faster in V-Ray 3. Also debuting is a new simplified user interface design that provides quick access to common controls and settings. Also new is Progressive Production Rendering, an one-click action that allows artists to set up a scene in seconds and iterate quickly, even when using V-Ray’s omplex features.
Over the beta period, Chaos Group will roll-out a new XML, cross-application material format called VRmats that can be universally transferred across multiple V-Ray host applications, says Vladimir Koylazov, Chaos Group co-founder and lead developer of V-Ray.
In V-Ray 3.0 the user license and render nodes are licensed separately. This allows for unified licensing across applications and reduces the cost...
Resize Sense for Mac OS X resized to version 1.6
VeprIT has introduced Resize Sense 1.6, an update of its batch image resizer for Mac OS X. The new version introduces a batch image EXIF/IPTC metadata editor, and makes multiple minor improvements. It also adds mutual integration with the flexible batch watermarking utility Watermark Sense.
Featuring various resizing options, Resize Sense is designed to save the user time on repetitive tasks by supporting custom presets, and can even be used to apply multiple presets to every image simultaneously. In addition, the software allows users to manually adjust the crop individually for every image, and even straighten them.
Resize Sense 1.6 requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later. An evaluation version of Resize Sense (with disabled results saving) is freely available for download at the application webpage (http://veprit.com/resizesense/index.php). The current price is $17.99. Resize Sense is also available on the Mac App Store.
FmPro Migrator revved to version 7.01
.com Solutions (www.fmpromigrator.com) has released FmPro Migrator Platinum Edition 7.01. It adds support for Find Requests to the PHP conversion feature.
Users may Add, Delete, Modify or Restore previously executed Find Requests from the navigation toolbar. FmPro Migrator is a stand-alone application which quickly and accurately migrates FileMaker Pro databases to MySQL, Oracle, Access, SQL Server, Sybase, DB2, OpenBase, PostgreSQL, FrontBase, SQLite and Valentina.
FmPro Migrator Platinum Edition is priced at US$600 per developer and includes a copy of FmPro Migrator Platinum Edition for both Mac OS X (Universal Binary) and Windows platforms. Existing FmPro Migrator Developer Edition customers may upgrade to FmPro Migrator Platinum Edition for $400.
RE:Vision Effects announces Twixtor 6
RE:Vision Effects (www.revisionfx.com) has announced Twixtor 6 with GPU support for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro. The software lets you create slow motion shots without the cost of renting a high speed camera.
Twixtor synthesizes unique new frames by warping and interpolating frames of the original sequence by employing RE:Vision's proprietary tracking technology that calculates motion for each individual pix. The folks at RE:Vision Effect say that, with version 6, they've measured speedups of up to 5x in After Effects and up to 3x in Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.
Twixtor 6 costs US$329.95; there's a pro version for $595. Version 6 is a fee upgrade to users who purchased Twixtor 5 for AE/PP or FCP on or after Aug. 1. Upgrades for render-only licenses are free.
Ettore Software - Developer Interview
Recently, TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers about how Apple's newly announced technologies (specifically Mavericks and iOS 7) will help them and their customers. In the weeks following the event, we'll bring you those videos on TUAW, MacTech and MacNews.
If you aren't currently a reader of MacTech Magazine, check out the special free MacTech on iPad issues for MacTech Magazine here.
This video features Neil Ticktin and Riccardo Ettore of Ettore Software. Riccardo was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on Apple's announcements, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
Akvis Sketch gets color changing, new share features
Akvis announces the release of Akvis Sketch 15 for Mac OS X and Windows. The software turns photos into pencil drawings. Version 15 offers new options to set colors for the pencil strokes and background, new presets in both classic and artistic styles, a new share feature, compatibility with Photoshop CC, and other improvements.
Akvis Sketch transforms digital photos into pencil sketches and charcoal drawings. It can also add the watercolor and pastel effects to the picture.
Akvis Sketch sells for US$72 and is downloadable from Akvis.com . The functionality of the program depends on the license type. Consult the website for more details about license types and versions of Sketch.
KeynotePro gives us Mojave AG themes for Keynote '09
KeynotePro has introduced Mojave AG for Keynote '09, Apple's presentation software.
Mojave AG is a set of two themes featuring-textured backgrounds in a contemporary framework: Mojave Air, an ethereal blue-green set over a textured cloud-bank, and Mojave Ground, blending aerial desert topography with a neutral Southwestern palette. The Mojave themes each include 27 master slides, a mix of narrative-oriented and image-driven masters in the Mojave style.
Mojave AG HD, available exclusively in the Pro Edition, expands the styles into HD format with aspect-optimized 16:9 and 16:10 versions of each theme. Each of the the Mojave AG themes are iOS Quick-Launch enabled,so you can launch a new presentation directly onto your mobile device from your KeynotePro Account to author presentations on the go using an iPad or iPhone (internet connection required).
Mojave AG Standard Edition is available for immediate download for US$24.95 or in a bundle with two other Standard Edition themes for $64....
CS Odessa launches presentation clipart solution for ConceptDraw...
CS Odessa has added to the ConceptDraw Solution Park (www.conceptdraw.com) new presentation clipart libraries. The Presentation Clipart Solution can be used to make professional-looking documents, presentations, and websites that are illustrated with color scalable vector shapes of various presentation symbols such as arrows, callouts, backgrounds, borders, frames, and title blocks.
The Presentation Clipart solution extends ConceptDraw PRO 9 with samples, templates, and libraries of vector shapes that can be used for illustrating presentation slides. In its second generation, the ConceptDraw Office suite is compromised of ConceptDraw MindMap 7, ConceptDraw Project 6, and ConceptDraw Pro 9. All ConceptDraw products support Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.
Stellar Drive Toolbox for OS X drives to version 3.0
Stellar Information Systems Limited has released Stellar Drive ToolBox 3.0 (www.drivetoolbox.com/), an update of the US$99 utility to optimize the performance of your Mac's hard drive. The upgrade sports 14 tools that cater to system optimization, maintenance and repair requirements.
Stellar Drive Toolbox is a combination of hard drive maintenance and management tools. The modules include Surface Scan, Drive Initialization, Benchmark, Drive Performance, Volume Repair, Crap Remover, Drive Stats, Free Space Optimizer, Manage Volume, Stellar Shield Raw Data Editor, Wipe and Drive Clone.
Enhance Technology announces Ultrastore ES4600 family of storage...
Enhance Technology has announced a new range of dense storage solutions that enable customers to leverage various drive technologies and deploy an array of configurations to address today's enterprise IT challenges.
The ultra dense, 4U 60 disk, ES4600 series expands the company’s Ultrastor product portfolio and features a fourth generation (GEN4) Ultrastor platform. The ES4600 series offers new software features designed to enhance workflow efficiencies in the physical and virtual data center.
New to the ES4600 series is Enhance Technology’s Ultrastor GEN4 storage platform that significantly increases processing power by over 50% and adds full hardware iSCSI offload acceleration, according to Daniel Tai, director of Product Development, Enhance Technology. Additionally, the Ultrastor GEN4 platform combines essential software updates including VAAI support for tighter VMware integration, writable Snapshots and Thin Provisioning for improved disk utilization and non-disruptive...
VMware releases VMware Workstation 10
VMware has released VMware Workstation 10, the latest version of its virtualization software. The solution showcases new features with "unmatched operating system support, rich user experience, a comprehensive feature set and high performance," according to Jason Joel, personal products, VMware. VMware Workstation 10 is designed for professionals that rely on virtual machines to get their job done.
"The launch of Workstation 10 is a significant milestone in our legacy of running virtual machines on a personal computer," Joel says. "Powered by VMware’s most advanced virtualization platform, Workstation 10 takes virtualization to the next level and continues VMware’s tradition of delivering innovative features that technical professionals rely on every day”
Key new features in VMware Workstation 10 include:
° The latest operating systems -- Easy Install now recognizes Windows 8.1 and new Linux distributions to make it easier to create current virtual machines. Computers running...
VMware announces VMware Fusion 6, Fusion 6 Professional
VMware has released VMware Fusion 6, software that lets you runs Windows applications on your Mac, with more than 50 new features. VMware is also releasing a new version of VMware Fusion 6 Professional with advanced features designed to dramatically improve the way businesses deploy corporate desktops on Macs and PCs.
"VMware Fusion 6 and Fusion 6 Professional spotlight our award-winning virtualization platform that we continue to upgrade with major enhancements and integration with the latest operating systems from Apple and Microsoft," says Jason Joel, director of personal products, VMware. "For enterprises with a heterogeneous computing environment with both Macs and PCs, Fusion 6 Professional takes deploying corporate desktops to a whole new level with enhanced restrictions and virtual machine expirations, giving IT admins the right tools to deal with BYOPC trends while ensuring corporate compliance."
VMware Fusion 6 is recommended for home users who are looking for the easiest,...
Apple holding special event in China on Sept. 11
Apple is holding a media event in China on Sept. 11, signaling that the U.S. company is paying greater attention to the nation’s thriving tech market, reports the IDG News Service (http://tinyurl.com/lhxgoqg).
News of the event circulated across Chinese media sites on Wednesday, with the invitation sent to select domestic news organizations. One journalist at Chinese Internet media firm Sohu.com confirmed to IDG News Service that he had also received an invite from Apple.
Apple is holding a special event on Sept. 10. At the time it's expected new iPhones will be announced.
MAXON announces availability of CINEMA 4D Release 15
MAXON has announced the availability of CINEMA 4D Release 15 (R15), an update of its 3D motion graphics, visual effects, painting, and rendering software. It's marked by new features and 3D workflow enhancements to modeling, text creation, digital sculpting, advanced rendering optimization, including all-new network rendering capabilities.
MAXON will internationally debut CINEMA 4D Release 15 next week at IBC2013, the annual conference and exhibition for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content taking place Sept. 13-17 at the Amsterdam RAI.
CINEMA 4D Release 15 is available through MAXON and its authorized dealers. Customers with an active MAXON Service Agreement (MSA) valid through Sept.3 will receive an automatic upgrade. Release 15 is available for both Mac OS X and Windows. For more info go to www.maxon.net .
FuzzMeasure for OS X gets overhauled audio engine
SuperMegaUltraGroovy has released FuzzMeasure 3.3 (http://tinyurl.com/2bnf8gn), an update to the company's audio and acoustics measurement package for Mac OS X. This release offers many general improvements, including a major overhaul of its audio engine, as well as improvements to the Waterfall plug-in.
FuzzMeasure is an audio and acoustic measurement tool for audio and live-sound professionals. It provides a range of options for visualizing measurement results.
The audio engine improvements in FuzzMeasure 3.3 open the doors to enabling stimulus playback over multiple channels at once, says Chris Liscio, founder of SuperMegaUltraGroovy. In addition, the engine has been improved in such a way that audio delay values between measurements have been stabilized greatly and improve comparisons between multiple records when not using automatic correction, he adds.
FuzzMeasure 3.3 is a free update for customers running 3.0 and later. FuzzMeasure 3.3 costs US$150 for new users, and $75 for...
Agenda set for Sixth Annual Amsterdam SuperMeet
The stage show agenda has now been set for the Sixth Annual Amsterdam SuperMeet, which will take place during IBC2013 on Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Hotel Krasnapolsky in the heart of Amsterdam.
The SuperMeet agenda will feature user driven presentations from Blackmagic Design, iZotope, Autodesk, Adobe, Larry Jordan on FCP X and more. This SuperMeet promises to be the single largest gathering of Final Cut, Adobe, Avid and Autodesk editors, digital filmmakers, gurus and users during IBC2013 week.
Doors will open at 16:30 for the SuperMeet Digital Showcase featuring 24 software and hardware developers including Adobe, Autodesk, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Atomos, Audio Network, B&H Photo, Blackcam System, Filmlight, Freefly Cinema, The Future Store, G-Tech, Imagine Software, Lightworks, Maxon, Media Machine, Noise Industries, Pond5, Red Giant, Shutterstock, SAE, Socrates Digital, Studio Network Solutions and Visual Buddha.
Rounding out the evening will be a "Show and Tell" by a local...
Pangea Software - Developer Interview
Recently, TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers about how Apple's newly announced technologies (specifically Mavericks and iOS 7) will help them and their customers. In the weeks following the event, we'll bring you those videos on TUAW, MacTech and MacNews.
If you aren't currently a reader of MacTech Magazine, check out the special free MacTech on iPad issues for MacTech Magazine here.
This video features Neil Ticktin and Brian Greenstone of Pangea Software, Inc.. Brian was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on Apple's announcements, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
Apple announces Sep. 10 event
Apple has officially announced a special event for Sept. 10. The official invite reads this way:
"This should brighten everyone’s day. Please join us for a café breakfast and coffee bar on September 10 at 9:00 AM [PT] followed by an executive presentation at 10:00 AM. This invitation-only event will be held in Town Hall at 4 Infinite Loop in Cupertino."
XCOM: Enemy Within expansion pack coming in November
Feral Interactive says XCOM: Enemy Within, the expansion pack for the strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, will be released on the Mac on Nov. 12 in North America and Nov. 15 internationally. Developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K for PC and consoles, XCOM: Enemy Within adds new content to previously purchased copies of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition, including:
° New soldier abilities -- you can research a new alien technology to advance the capabilities of operatives;
° New weapons and equipment -- you can give operatives an extra tactical edge with new projects from the engineering team in the Foundry;
° New enemy threats -- you can adopt new tactics to counter the threats from a host of new enemies, including the Mechtoid;
° A new strategic research -- A new alien resource known as the Meld has been discovered. Secure it on the battlefield and use it carefully back at base to unlock new research and upgrades.
° New tactical challenges and new...
Digital Film Tools accelerates zMatte 3.5
Digital Film Tools says its zMatte plug-in is now GPU-accelerated, making it faster than ever to create motion picture-quality blue/green screen composites.
zMatte integrates an assortment plug-ins to handle keying, matte generation and compositing. You can create mattes from blue, green or any color screen. Using proprietary matte extraction techniques, zMatte creates mattes with minimal parameters, even when dealing with fine hair detail, smoke or reflections.
zMatte includes the following plug-ins to handle keying, matte generation and compositing: Color Suppress, DeArtifact, Edge Composite, Frame Averager, Holdout Composite, Keyer, Light Wrap, Matte Generator, Matte Repair, and Screen Smoother.
zMatte is available now for US$395. If installed on the same machine, one license will run in the following applications: AdobeAfter Effects CS5 and up, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and up, Apple Final Cut Pro 6/7/X, and 64-bit versions of Avid Symphony, Media Composer and Newscutter. Upgrades...
Otto's Remote and Otto's Antenna available for OS X,...
Developer Andrew Molloy has announced Otto's Remote and Otto's Antenna (Otto) are now available in the Mac App Store and Apple App Store. With Otto, users can launch Automator Actions, Applescripts, and Unix shell scripts on their Mac at home from their iPhone.
Otto's Antenna is a Mac app that runs in the user's status bar. Users provide it with Automator Actions, Applescripts, and Unix shell scripts. Otto's Remote runs on the iPhone, and allows the user to launch the scripts on their Mac with the touch of a button. Users can set up Geo Triggers, which will launch scripts on their Mac when they take their phone to or from specified locations.
Otto's Remote requires iOS 6.1 or later and is free. Otto's Antenna requires Mac OS X 10.8.4 or later. It's available for the introductory price of US$3.99 until Sept. 30; after this the price will be $6.99.
WD expands family of purpose built NAS drives
WD has expanded its WD Red line of SATA hard drives specifically designed for home and small office NAS (network attached storage) systems with one- to five-drive bays.
WD Red hard drives are now available in a 2.5-inch form factor offering 1TB and 750GB capacities and a new 3.5-inch 4 TB capacity. Shipping now through select distributors and resellers, WD Red hard drives are covered by a three-year limited warranty. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the new 2.5-inch WD Red 1TB is US$99; the 750GB is $79 and the 3.5-inch 4TB is $229. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/kbs8sts .
German court lifts Google injunction against Apple's iCloud
A German appeals court has lifted Google's "bogus" patent injunction over push email against Apple's iCloud, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://tinyurl.com/la8tceq).
"In practical terms, this means that German iCloud email users get push notifications back in what I believe is just a matter of days (just a small amount of paperwork)," Florian Mueller writes for "FOSS Patents." "And when all is said and done, the most likely outcome (by far and away) is not going to be that Motorola collects infringement damages from Apple: instead, Apple will (if it prevails on the merits) be able to collect damages from Google's Motorola for enforcement of an injunction that shouldn't have been granted in the first place. Google can file this under 'Motorola Mobility acquisition costs'."
All this is part of an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Motorola Mobility over alleged patent infringements. Apple says it believes Motorola's patent is invalid.
