CS Odessa announces additions to Marketing Area in ConceptDraw...
CS Odessa (www.conceptdraw.com) has announced a new ConceptDraw Solution Park addition for ConceptDraw PRO 9.5 and greater. The company has introduced a new set of libraries that provides a range of graph and chart types to support documentation and graphics that deal with marketing information and data.
The new addition to ConceptDraw Solution Park is a free item for current users of ConceptDraw PRO 9. The Marketing Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park now includes a collection of templates, samples, and libraries of vector stencils, icons and clipart that support many professional ways to show data at a glance. The new area contains marketing diagrams, matrices diagrams, pyramid diagrams, sales dashboard, and target/circular diagrams to illustrate documents and presentations.
ConceptDraw PRO is compatible with Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It retails for US$199 USD. ConceptDraw PRO 9 is included in ConceptDraw Office 2, which retails for $499
Subtitle Studio for OS X gets faster editing
TheKeptPromise has released Subtitle Studio 1.0.1 (http://tinyurl.com/q5jrxlw), an update to its US$9.99 subtitle adding app for Mac OS X. The upgrade offers faster editing, the ability to edit subtitles without having a movie open, and the ability to load pure text files and spread them over a movie's duration.
To use the app, you drop your movie onto Subtitle Studio. The software will auto-search for missing subtitles. You can sync subtitle with a single button, hit save, and you're done.
Subtitle Studio supports M4V, MOV, AVI, MKV and other files. You can embed your subtitles into a M4V file for the Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and other devices. A demo is available for download at the product web site
Adobe serves up ACR 8.5 Release Candidate
Adobe has announced the availability of ACR 8.5 Release Candidate on Adobe Labs (http://tinyurl.com/oqc43tg).
The release candidate adds support for these six cameras: Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II; Fuji FinePix S1; Nikon 1 J4; Nikon 1 V3; Olympus OM-D E-M10; and Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH4. Additionally, this release adds support for six new lens profiles, including Fuji, Canon and Nikon.
Camera Raw 8.5 is available as a free update for both Photoshop CC and Photoshop CS6 on Mac OS X and Windows. Note that Camera Raw 8.5 for CS6 only includes updated camera and lens profile support as part of the recent camera raw policy change.
Epson announces new WorkForce printers
Epson (www.epson.com) has announced its new WorkForce business printing solutions featuring 11 models powered by PrecisionCore, the company’s next generation printing technology. Prices range from US$149.99.
These WorkForce models produce print-shop quality color prints, laser-sharp black and color text, and fast print speeds at up to half the printing cost of color laser for a range of business environments, says Nils Madden, marketing director, Desktop Imaging and Printing, Epson America. The new line of printers includes the WorkForce series for SOHO users; WorkForce Pro printers for SMBs and workgroups; and WorkForce wide format for larger paper and scanning sizes typically used by architects, engineers and designers.
Madden says that all WorkForce printers offer several advantages over color laser, such as true-to-life color for consistent tones and colors on all paper types – plain, matte and glossy, as well as faster first page out speed with no warm-up time and without...
Folding Text for Mac OS X gets improved editor, more
Hog Bay Software has introduced FoldingText 2.0 (www.foldingtext.com), a text productivity tool for Mac OS X. The upgrade offers an improved editor, expanded syntax highlighting, and a new software development kit.
With Folding Text, you can organize with plain text outlines and use modes to embed specialized behavior such as todos and timers. As users type, FoldingText auto-formats the document into sections, lists, and paragraphs using Markdown-based formatting. Users can fold away sections to get a clear overview of their work, expand them to see the details, and focus in on a section to hide everything else.
For example, you can add ".todo" into your outline and list items transform into todo's items with clickable checkboxes. Click a checkbox and the item is marked "@done" with strikethrough formatting. You can add ".timer" in your outline to create a live multi-step timer. Enter times in plain text and use FoldingText to stay on-task and on-time throughout the day.
FoldingText...
Razer announces Junglecat gamepad for iOS devices
Razer has announced the Junglecat gamepad for iOS devices. The company says it offers a combination of gaming-grade control and customizability with phone access.
The Razer Junglecat will be available in July for US$99. It sports a slider that reveals or hides the gamepad as desired. It sports a full set of gaming functions resident in the Razer Junglecat’s AXBY pressure-sensitive buttons, D-pad and bumpers. Users can leave the Razer Junglecat attached, as all buttons and ports remain available in its pocket-ready compact form. At only 20 mm thin, the controller feels like a standard protective case.
The Razer Junglecat comes with a downloadable iOS app that lets users remap and define all of its button functions, as well as adjust pressure sensitivity according to preference. Up to 20 personalized profiles can be stored on the app, allowing users to select a corresponding profile for their favorite games.
The software keeps gamers up-to-date on the latest titles optimized for...
Mac Support Store now offers even faster data recovery
The Mac Support Store says it's offering even faster data recovery for Mac owners with the launch of their own Certified ISO 5 (Class 100) clean room.
The company offers onsite, lightning fast data recovery for Mac owners, without the risk of voiding original warranty. Today's announcement extends the benefits offered by The Mac Support Store, whose services include Mac, iPhone and iPad repair, Mac and iPad rentals, data recovery, onsite calls, and cyber security.
Until now, all drives had to be sent out of the store causing further wait times for Mac owners, but with today's announcement, businesses and local residents will now have a faster option for getting their valuable data recovered, says Jeff Graber, owner of The Mac Support Store. Go to http://tinyurl.com/p8ocydv for more info.
DuckDuckGo to be included as built-in option in Safari on iOS,...
Apple says DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com), the search engine that doesn't track its users, will be included in the future versions of Safari on iOS and OS X.
"DuckDuckGo is thrilled to be included in Safari," says Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo’s CEO and founder. "It’s great to see Apple making it easy for Safari users to access our anonymous search option."
He adds that DuckDuckGo recently launched a reimagined and redesigned version that showcases a more powerful way to interact with their "instant answers" — information that appears above links and ads for recipes, videos, and hundreds of other topics. DuckDuckGo’s instant answers are open-source, allowing anyone to contribute ideas and code to them. In 2013, DuckDuckGo received over one billion searches.
Hyperbolic Software updates Tidy Up! for Mac OS X
Hyperbolic Software (http://www.hyperbolicsoftware.com/) has announced Tidy Up 3.0, the latest version of the duplicate finder and disk tidying utility. The upgrade features a new interface and more.
Tidy Up locates duplicate items using a wide range of criteria including owner application, time created or modified, name, label, extension and content. Version 3.0 features include: the ability to search for duplicate folders by content; a priority option; the ability to compare only the representation data of the images; results shown as a grid or list; pre-definite smart baskets that show the files by kind; and more.
Tidy Up 3.0 requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 or greater. It costs US$30.
Apple releases iOS 8 SDK with over 4,000 new APIs
Apple has released its iOS 8 SDK [software developer kit], which it says is the biggest developer release ever with more than 4,000 new APIs [application programming interfaces].
iOS 8 allows developers to further customize the user experience with major extensibility features like Notification Center widgets and third-party keyboards; and introduces frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit. iOS 8 also includes Metal, a new graphics technology that maximizes the performance of the A7 chip and Swift, a powerful new programming language, says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
iOS 8 offers developers frameworks including HealthKit APIs that provide the ability for health and fitness apps to communicate with each other. With your permission, each app can use specific information from other apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage your health and fitness. For example, your blood pressure app could share its data with a physician app, such as...
Apple unveils iOS 8
Apple has unveiled iOS 8, which the company says is the biggest release since the launch of the App Apple App Store,
New features include: iCloud Photo Library, allowing you to enjoy your photos and videos more easily across your devices; new Messages features to share voice, video or photos with just a swipe; and a new Health app that gives you am overview of your health and fitness data all in one place. iOS 8 also includes: predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard; Family Sharing, a way to share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household; and iCloud Drive, so you can store files and access them from anywhere.
"iOS 8 offers simpler, faster and more intuitive ways to use your device with incredible new features like iCloud Photo Library, a new Messages app, the QuickType keyboard and an entirely new Health app," says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. "We’re also giving developers amazing new tools to make managing your...
Apple announces OS X Yosemite
Apple has announced OS X Yosemite, a new version of OS X redesigned with a new look, new apps and new continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid .
The new Today view in Notification Center gives you a quick look at everything you need to know, all in one place. iCloud Drive is located within the Finder and can store files of any type. Safari has a new streamlined design that puts the most important controls at your fingertips. Mail sports new editing and sending attachments features.
Handoff lets you start an activity on one device and pass it to the other. Instant Hotspot makes using your iPhone’s hotspot as easy as connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Yosemite even gives you the ability to make iPhone calls on your Mac.
"Yosemite is the future of OS X with its incredible new design and amazing new apps, all engineered to work beautifully with iOS," says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. "We engineer our platforms...
Pixar Animation Studios announces upcoming version of RenderMan
Pixar Animation Studios has announced a series of innovations in the latest version of its upcoming Academy Award-winning RenderMan software.
The company says it will offer a generational shift in RenderMan that "establishes an entirely new modular rendering architecture called RIS that provides highly optimized methods for simulating the transport of light through multiple state of the art algorithms, including an advanced Unidirectional Path Tracer and a Bidirectional Path Tracer with Progressive Photon Mapping (also known as VCM)." Along with major feature and performance enhancements, physically-based, artist-friendly workflows, progressive re-rendering, and the established advantages of RenderMan’s traditional REYES architecture, RenderMan now offers two rendering modes within one unified environment, providing the most advanced, versatile, and flexible rendering system available.
Pixar Animation Studio says that RIS represents a forward-looking framework through that Pixar can...
ABI Research: enterprise wearables market to reach US$18 billion...
Growing at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] value of 56.1% over the next five years, wearable device technologies will become an integral part of enterprise mobile enablement strategies.
As expected, the North American region will be the largest and grow at a CAGR value of 39% over the next five years. More interestingly, the Asia-Pacific region will become the second largest market outpacing Europe by 2019 with a CAGR of 90%.
"There are cases being made for wearables in the enterprise despite the relative newness of the technology," says ABI Research Senior Enterprise Analyst Jason McNicol. "However, which wearables are primed for enterprise usage and adoption is a more important question. Wearable technology such as smart glasses and those used for healthcare are better suited for the enterprise as corporate-liable devices. Smart watches, on the other hand, will most likely follow the trend of BYOD into the enterprise.”
ABI Research has identified six kinds of wearable devices...
Iris 1.0 is new screen recording software for the Mac
Static Z Software (http://staticz.com) has introduced Iris 1.0 for Mac OS X. It's a screen recorder that offers users the option to record directly to h.264, Apple ProRes — or to record and encode later.
Capture performance is maximized with GPU-accelerated processing and encoding on supported Macs. Additional features include application audio capture, color matching, advanced naming and tagging, presets, "talking head," timed recordings, and sharing of recordings.
The free-to-try watermarked version of Iris 1.0 is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Video category. The full version of Iris can be obtained for US$39.99 via an in-app purchase.
OfficeTime now simplifies time tracking easier for small business
OfficeTime (http://www.officetime.net) now makes it easier for freelancers and business owners to track time on the Mac, PC, iPhone and iPad. The new version for the Mac and PC (US$47) features a new interface and over 150 improvements.
The mobile version for the iPhone and iPad ($7.99) has also been updated with over 100 improvements. It's also optimized to work even better with iOS 7.
Both the desktop and mobile versions of OfficeTime are designed to enable users to track exactly what they do each day and how much they spend. It supports professionals who invoice on an hourly fee schedule.
Tanmay Sonawane introduces Write for Mac
Tanmay Sonawane has introduced Write for Mac (http://writeapp.net/mac), a note taking and markdown writing app for Mac OS X. It sports an iOS 7 inspired design with a minimalistic interface.
Write for Mac offers full library management for notes across your Mac and cloud services. All your notes and tags sync with Write for iOS via iCloud or Dropbox. The software will organize and present them in a single place. The app also provides full in-content search and tags
Write for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.8 or later. It costs US$6.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Productivity category.
TextExpander update for Mac OS X I'mproves search...
Smile has rolled out TextExpander 4.3 (http://www.smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/), an update to the typing shortcut tool. The update improves search performance and allows the expansion or collapse of all groups in the TextExpander window by option-clicking to expand or collapse one group.
TextExpander retails for US$34.95. Family pack licenses, for home use, are $44.95. Office pack licenses, which cover five users in an office, are $99.95. Upgrades from earlier versions of TextExpander are $15 and free to users who purchased after Jan. 15, 2012.
Because TextExpander 4 can't be "sandboxed," it is not available on the Mac App Store. However, it's signed with a Developer ID from Apple to meet the requirements of Gatekeeper in OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and later. TextExpander 4.x requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later.
Elite Keylogger for Mac 1.3 adds new IM recording features
WideStep Security Software (http://www.widestep.com) has announced Elite Keylogger for Mac 1.3, an update to the keystroke recorder software. Elite It allows invisible recording of most keystrokes, email, chats and websites visited, along with screen captures.
Version 1.3 brings a "breakthrough" in chat/instant message recording on Mac OS X, according to the folks at Widestep Security. Elite Keylogger will now record both sides of the conversations in iChat/Messages, Skype and Adium.
Elite Keylogger for Mac is compatible with 64-bit Macs running Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later. There are two versions available: Free and Pro. The difference between the two is that the free version isn't invisible, and its logs don't display passwords and chat conversations.
Elite Keylogger Pro licensing is US$49 for one monitored Mac, $99 for five monitored d Macs, and $99 for 25 monitored Macs $199. An unlimited license is $299. Version 1.3 is a free update to all users of Elite Keylogger Pro.
Karelia releases first updates to the hit list
Karelia Software (http://www.karelia.com/) has released the first updates to The Hit List by Karelia since acquiring Potion Factory. It's a personal task management app.
The Hit List for Mac 1.1.4 and The Hit List for iPhone 1.1.5 are maintenance updates that introduce refinements for adding tasks and include fixes to reported issues. Sync subscriptions are available for keeping tasks and lists in sync between desktop and mobile devices. The Hit List updates are available today for the Mac and iPhone, and free of charge to all The Hit List customers.
The Hit List for Mac is available for US$49.99 from the Mac App Store or directly from Karelia Software. The Hit List for iPhone is available for $9.99 via the Apple App Store only. The Hit List for Mac requires OS X 10.6.6 or later, and The Hit List for iPhone requires iOS 5.1 or later and can be used on the iPhone and iPod touch. Sync subscriptions are available for US$1.99 per month or $19.99 per year as an in-app purchase.
Announcing MacTech Conference 2014, the 5th Year
Registration is now underway for MacTech Conference 2014 (http://www.mactech.com/conference/about), which will be held Nov. 5-7 in Los Angeles. It's a three day event where "iOS and OS X meet reality."
The fifth MacTech Conference is the flagship event for IT pros, enterprise pros, and developers. The event will be held at the Manhattan Beach Marriott, which is close to the Los Angeles Airport. The discounted guest room block is expected to sell out, so you register for the event now at http://www.mactech.com/conference/register . Note: Super Early Bird pricing is in effect only until June 15th.
The main conference event is three full days of sessions, speakers, labs, fun activities, and, of course, food. You can find all the details at http://www.mactech.com/conference/schedule
Workshops
As an extension of last year's newly added workshops, there's an expanded array of pre-conference workshops. Attendees will have a choice of both half day, and full day, on an array of IT and...
Apple to acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics
Apple has announced it has agreed to acquire the subscription streaming music service Beats Music, and Beats Electronics, which makes the popular Beats headphones, speakers and audio software.
As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple. Apple is acquiring the two companies for a total of $3 billion, consisting of a purchase price of approximately $2.6 billion and approximately $400 million that will vest over time.
"Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple,” says Apple CEO Tim Cook. "That’s why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world."
"I’ve always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple," says Jimmy Iovine. "The idea when we started the company was inspired by Apple’s unmatched ability to marry culture and technology. Apple’s deep...
Sonnet offers expansion kit bundles for xMac Pro Server
Sonnet Technologies (www.sonnettech.com) has announced five new Mobile Rack Device Mounting Kits for the Echo Express III-R, a 2U rackmount Thunderbolt 2-to-PCI Express (PCIe) expansion system, and for the recently announced xMac Pro Server Thunderbolt 2-to-PCIe expansion system and 4U rackmount enclosure for new Mac Pro computers.
These expansion systems were designed to accommodate additional equipment within their enclosures, and the Mobile Rack Device Mounting Kits take advantage of that feature by offering users a way to add two 5.25-inch mobile rack devices to their equipment rack without taking up any more space.
The Mac Pro Migration Edition (part number MR-MPM-X3HD) has a suggested retail price of $699. The Data Archiving Edition (part number MR-LTO-X4SSD) has a suggested retail price of $899. All five new kits are available immediately.
Apple releases iTunes 11.2.2
Apple has released iTunes 11.2.2 for Mac OS X and Windows. The maintenance release fixes a podcast downloading issue.
It also includes stability improvements. iTunes 11.2.2 is now available to download through the Mac App Store or directly from Apple.
NTT DOCOMO, Apple to offer iPad in Japan staring June 10
NTT DOCOMO and Apple have announced that the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display will be available on the DOCOMO network beginning on Tuesday, June 10.
DOCOMO’s iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display users will be able to enjoy the company’s nationwide ultra-fast Xi LTE communications service with the new billing plan which enables data quota sharing among family members and corporate users, says Kaoru Kato, president and CEO of NTT DOCOMO.
Beginning June 2, customers can pre-register for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display at DOCOMO dealers and DOCOMO’s website. For details on sales prices and special campaigns, go to http://tinyurl.com/l7wpgyc. For details on the new billing plan, visit http://tinyurl.com/lxy5zpc .
Troi File Plug-in for FileMaker Pro 13 revved to version 7.5
Troi Automatisering (http://www.troi.com/) has released Troi File Plug-in 7.5 for FileMaker Pro 13. It's a tool for getting access to information outside the FileMaker Pro database. Version 7.5 adds support for 64-bit architecture on FileMaker Server 13 and WebDirect.
Troi File Plug-in 7.5 works with FileMaker Pro 11, 12 and 13. The plug-in can also be used with runtimes from FileMaker Pro Advanced 11, 12 or 13. The plug-in is available for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, Windows Vista/7/8/8.1.
Licenses cost US$99 per user. A demo version is available for downloading at Troi's website.
KeyCue 7.2 for OS X merges visible, invisible shortcuts
Ergonis Software has released KeyCue 7.2, an update to the cheat sheet for learning and remembering keyboard shortcuts. The upgrade merges "visible" and "invisible" shortcuts and shows all shortcuts with the same header in the same block.
With KeyCue, whenever the command key is kept pressed for a while, the software displays a table with all keyboard shortcuts available in the currently active application, systemwide hotkeys, as well as key combinations for triggering macros in Keyboard Maestro, QuicKeys and iKeys.
KeyCue requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or newer. The upgrade to version 7.2 is free for anyone who owns a valid license for KeyCue 7. Upgrade paths are available for owners of older licenses. For information about purchases, including enterprise licenses, volume discounts, and upgrade pricing offers, go to the Ergonis Software web site (www.ergonis.com).
Mergemill Pro update simplifies the sending of mass emails with...
Cross Culture has announced Mergemill Pro 4.7 (http://www.mergemill.com/), an update to their data processing and bulk email merge tool for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Version 4.7 simplifies the process of sending mass emails with attachments.
Mergemill Pro takes diverse sources of data, such as databases, Web pages, emails and more, and then merges them with templates to produce the desired output, from Web pages to customized emails. Users may also use Mergemill tags to customize and personalize emails.
Mergemill Pro 4.7 can be purchased online from the Mergemill website for the retail price of US$79. The update is free for registered users of all previous versions.
Conner Productions releases Seal, a free FCP X template
Conner Productions has released Seal (http://tinyurl.com/ln2hqst), a professional template to make introductory seal titles for Apple's Final Cut Pro X (FCP X). It's customizable and allows users to create introduction seals for their videos featuring a spinning seal that comes into focus.
Users can customize text color, background color, and other elements to craft the Seal Template to fit within their video. Seal was designed in Motion 5, and features organic gaussian blurs, noise, and stylistic effects.
Conner Productions is offering Seal as a free download; it's compatible with Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5. There's no watermark and the template is fully functional and customizable
OmniFocus for Mac OS X gets redesigned user interface, more
OmniFocus 2 (http://tinyurl.com/kahgpn5) has shipped. It's an upgrade of the the Omni Group's task management tool for Mac OS X.
Version 2 sports a redesigned user interface. It also adds a Quick Open feature that allows you to jump right into a folder. Finally, it beefs up printing and exporting so that the output is more like a document than a screenshot.
The Pro edition has a feature set equivalent to what was available in OmniFocus 1 (at the same price of US$79.99 price), and there's a simplified standard edition which available at half the price ($39.99). Upgrades from version 1.x to version 2 Pro are available at half price both through the Omni Store and the Mac App Store (as long as you upgrade at the same store as you purchased version 1).
Native Instruments introduces ARCANE ATTIC Expansion for MASCHINE
Native Instruments has announced ARCANE ATTIC, a new MASCHINE Expansion featuring "gritty" field recordings. Designed for unconventional beat making across all styles and genres, this Expansion was created, recorded, and designed by BOOM Library.
ARCANE ATTIC also comes with new presets for MASSIVE and MASCHINE’s Drum Synths, with a selection of sounds that complement the sample material. ARCANE ATTIC is available now at the NI Online Shop for US$49 and runs in the MASCHINE 2 software on MASCHINE STUDIO, MASCHINE, or MACHINE MIKRO. A compact version for iMASCHINE is also available for iOS devices for $0.99. Go to http://tinyurl.com/qjofn7x for more info.
Western Digital launches the WD TV
Western Digital has unveiled the WD TV – Personal Edition, a Wi-Fi enabled media player that plays virtually any media file stored on USB and network storage devices or any computer on a home network, according to Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and worldwide sales.
WD TV - Personal Edition allows users to enjoy a wide range of personal media such as photos, video and music on their home entertainment systemsthanks to support for a variety of file formats, including MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV and more. Files can be streamed from any connected USB drive like the My Passport Ultra and My Book product families, personal cloud and network attached storage drives like WD's My Cloud product family, digital camcorder or cameras, and any networked Mac or PC.
A WD TV Remote app allows WD TV users to turn their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Android compatible mobile device into an advanced feature remote control for their media player. It's a free download at the...
PDFTool Kit for Mac OS revved to version 2.0
Cisdem has launched PDFToolkit 2.0.0 for Mac OS X. It's an update of the utility to merge, split, compress and extract PDFs.
Cisdem PDFToolkit provides a set of utility functions for working with PDF files. It lets users combine multiple PDF files into one, split one big PDF file into smaller ones, compress entire PDF file into smaller size file, extract images out of the PDF, or extract Text out of the PDF file.
PDFToolkit 2.0.0 is available now through the Cisdem website (http://www.cisdem.com). A demo version is available. A single user license of PDFToolkit costs US$29.99. A license for two Macs is $49.99, while a license for five Macs costs $69.99.
ReelSmart Motion Blur 5, Twixtor 6 released
RE:Vision Effects (http://www.revisionfx.com) has released ReelSmart Motion Blur version 5 and Twixtor version 6 with GPU support for eyeon Fusion .
Speedups up to 3x on GPUs when using RSMB and Twixtor, already known for their speed, have been measured over running in CPU mode, according to the folks at RE:Vision Effects. Twixtor creates slow motion shots without the cost of renting a high speed camera. ReelSmart Motion Blur (RSMB) automatically adds more natural-looking motion blur to a sequence.
RE:Vision Effects plug-ins are available for Sony Vegas Pro, Adobe After Effects, Eyeon Fusion, Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion, The Foundry's Nuke, Adobe Premiere Pro, Autodesk 3ds Max/Maya Composite, Avid editing systems, Autodesk Systems (Sparks), Autodesk SoftImage, Quantel genQ and others.
Deliver Express for Mac OS X gets maintenance upgrade
Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has announced Deliver Express 2.4.3, a maintenance update to its solution to automatically send and share files across the Internet and local networks on the Mac. The new version addresses an issue that could prevent the app from creating and deleting directories on some FTP servers.
Deliver Express processes files from watched hot folders and can serve multiple users on a network while running totally unattended. It offers e-mail notifications, multi-destination delivery, file compression, detailed history and much more. The new version allows users to transfer uncompressed folders to FTP and SFTP servers.
Deliver Express can be purchased from the Zevrix website as well as from authorized resellers. The license prices are based on the maximum number of allowed destinations and range from US$29.95 to $299.95. The update is free for licensed customers. A demo is available for download. Deliver Express requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
Remember our soldiers on Memorial Day
MacNews and MacTech will be running a limited update schedule today in honor of Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. Remember our soldiers, past and present, and have a safe and wonderful holiday.
JetDrive Lite expansion cards released for Apple laptops
Transcend Information (http://tinyurl.com/owzyesd) has launched its JetDrive Lite series of expansion cards aimed at MacBook Pro with Retina display and MacBook Air users. There are four different models offered in 64GB and 128GB capacities.
Transcend’s new JetDrive Lite cards are tailor-made to have a flush profile with each specific model while providing a way to increase available storage. The 128GB card, for instance, can store over 60,000 high-resolution photos, 32,000 MP3 songs, 32 hours of Full HD video, or seemingly limitless number of documents.
When inserted into the card slot of a compatible MacBook Pro with Retina display or MacBook Air, the low-profile JetDrive Lite will not stick out like an SD card and can be left in place for on-the-go storage, according to the folks at Transcend.
Manufactured with MLC NAND flash chips, the expansion cards boast read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 60MB/s respectively.
The JetDrive Lite Series of expansion cards are available...
Apple's iAd Producer adds full screen banner ad support
Apple has updated iAd Producer (http://developer.apple.com/iad/iadproducer/) to version 4/2. It gives developers the ability to display full screen banner ads in iOS apps. It also adds the ability to upload projects to the iAd Workbench campaign management system.
iAd Producer automatically manages the HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript behind your iAd. It offers JavaScript editing and debugging, along with an extension mechanism that enables them to create and re-use their own page templates and components.
iAd Producer a free download for developers at Apple’s developer web site.
Oxygen XML products for Mac OS X upgraded to version 16
Syncro Soft, the developer of the Oxygen XML suite of products, has rolled out version 16 of its Oxygen XML Editor, Oxygen XML Author and Oxygen XML Developer products containing a set of tools supporting all the XML related technologies.
The upgrade adds "Quick Fixes" and improvements to refactoring actions. Saxon-CE specific extensions are supported, and you can apply now XPath queries on multiple files.
If you use Ant to orchestrate build processes then oXygen will support you with an Ant editor featuring validation, content completion, outline view, syntax highlight and search and refactoring actions. Working with conditional content is a purportedly easier now as you can set different colors and styles for each condition or focus exclusively on a specific deliverable by hiding all excluded content.
You can also modify DITA and DocBook tables using the new table properties action. Finally, you can customize the style of the oXygen WebHelp output to look exactly as you want...
DEVONtechnologies updates all editions of its DEVON products
DEVONtechnologies has revved all editions of its information and knowledge manager DEVONthink, the notebook app DEVONnote, and the smart desktop assistant DEVONsphere Express.
Users select their file format of choice with a new option in DEVONthink's web browser extension or the bookmarklets. Dragging data from Safari to a database is now more reliable. DEVONsphere Express assists users working with documents by providing related data.The updates are free and recommended for all users.
All editions of DEVONthink as well as DEVONnote and DEVONsphere Express require an Intel-based Mac and OS X 10.6.8 or later (in the App Store: OS X 10.8.3 or later). They can be downloaded from www.devontechnologies.com and be test-driven for free before they need to be properly licensed. DEVONthink Personal and DEVONnote are also available in the App Store; DEVONthink Personal and DEVONsphere Express can also be purchased together with DEVONagent Express as Homeoffice Bundle in DEVONtechnologies'...
Bare Bones upgrades Yojimbo for Mac OS X to version 4.0.3
Bare Bones Software (www.barebones.com) has introduced Yojimbo 4.0.3, a maintenance update of its Mac OS X information organizer that includes fixes for specific reported issues.
The Yojimbo 4.0.3 update includes: changes to improve sync reliability and application stability; a related change to the display of internally stored Web Archive items improves security and privacy.
Yojimbo 4.0.3 requires Mac OS X 10.8.2 or later. This update is free of charge to all Yojimbo 4 customers. The utility is available at a suggested retail price of US$30 for an individual license or US$60 for a family-pack license (for use by up to five people within a single household).
Synchronization subscriptions are available for US$2.99/month. The first thirty days of the subscription period are free of charge, and a sync subscription may be cancelled at any time. Any registered customer with Yojimbo 1.0 through 3.0.4 may purchase an upgrade to Yojimbo 4 for $20. Multi-user (site) license pricing is also...
Desktop Ghost for Mac OS X floats onto the scene
Writes for All has introduced Desktop Ghost 1.0 (http://tinyurl.com/qdclfpz) for Mac OS X, a utility that lets you hide and show all the files on your desktop with a single click.
It's designed especially for for OS X users who take screencasts and/or screenshots, but who don't want to move all the files on their desktop to another location on their computer. You can choose to run the application as a status bar-only app or as a regular app with a icon in the dock.
Desktop Ghost requires OS X 10.9 or later. It costs US$0.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Utility and Productivity categories.
Tasa releases Mineralogy book series on iBooks
Published by Tasa Graphic Arts,, in association with the Mineralogical Society of America, all 24 chapters of The Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy digital book series (http://tinyurl.com/ox2aou8) for the iPad and Mac are now available on iBooks.
This series is specifically designed to take full advantage of the latest digital media technology to empower students and teachers of mineralogy. The series feature color photographs, illustrations, movies, 3D models that can be rotated, interactive diagrams and review questions.
To view the books, you must have an iPad with iBooks 3 or later and iOS 5.1 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later. Individual chapters are available separately for as low as US$3.99.
You can pick and choose the chapters you need. Additional chapters will be available soon.
Pixelmator for Mac OS X goes Sandstone
The Pixelmator Team (http://www.pixelmator.com) has announced Pixelmator 3.2 Sandstone, an update to its image editing app for Mac OS X.The upgrade adds a Repair Tool, 16-bits per channel support, and Lock Layers feature.
Pixelmator 3.2 Sandstone also includes a new Convert Selection into Shape option. This allows you to create all kinds of shapes from any selection.
Pixelmator 3.1 Sandstone requires Mac OS X 10.9.1 or later. It's available from the Mac App Store for US$29.99.
FlipHTML5 digital publishing Suite for Mac OS X has been upgraded
FlipHTML5 Software has launched an upgraded Mac OS X version of Flip HTML5 software, allowing customers to make digital content for tablet, desktop, laptop or mobile devices of any kind.
The app lets you create responsive CSS3, jQuery and HTML5 FlipBooks all in real-time without writing a single line of code. Publishers can create custom layouts, optimize advertising and editorial content, distribute editions and maximize the digital publishing workflow.
Those would like to use more advanced levels of FlipHTML5 Digital Publishing Suite For Mac can choose between Pro, Gold, Platinum or Enterprise membership plan. Interested business owners and publishers can visit FlipHTML5 online (http://fliphtml5.com/) to find more information about pricing and availability.
Apple acknowledges iMessage problem
Apple has acknowledged a iMessage problem that affects customers who switch away from the iPhone, without disabling iMessage, reports re/code (http://tinyurl.com/qz4tuad).
"We recently fixed a server-side iMessage bug which was causing an issue for some users, and we have an additional bug fix in a future software update," Apple told Re/code in a statement. "For users still experiencing an issue, please contact AppleCare."
The issue arises when an iPhone customer trades in his or her phone for another device, but keeps the same phone number that Apple’s messaging system recognizes as an iPhone. A recent server glitch made the problem worse, "rendering moot one of Apple’s key methods for trying to remedy the issue," according to re/code.
ExactCODE updates ExactScan Pro, OCRKit
ExactCODE (http://exactscan.com) has released ExactScan Pro 2.50 and OCRKit 2.5 for Mac OS X 10.5 and higher. The new builds improve OCR speed and accuracy, PDF compression, scan speed, and adds support for the latest scanners from Canon and Fujitsu.
OCRKit and ExactScan provide OCR, PDF compression. EcactScan offers built-in drivers for over 400 document scanners, including devices from Avision, Canon, Kodak, Fujitsu, Oki, Visioneer and Xerox. The drivers built into ExactScan stand allow you to use several PC document scanners on a Mac.
OCRKit is available for approximately US$68, ExactScan 2 is available for $109, and ExactScan 2 Pro for approximately $137. Both are available at the ExactCODE web site and the Mac App Store.
Mac X DVD Ripper Pro rips to version 4.5.2
MacXDVD Software (http://www.macxdvd.com) has upgraded Mac X DVD Ripper Pro, its DVD ripping software, to version 4.5.2. The new version offers improvements in dealing with the encryption algorithm of newly released DVD.
By taking advantage of a conversion engine, multi-core CPU and hyper-threading technology, this DVD ripper for Mac can rip DVD movies with no quality loss, according to the folks at MacXDVD Software.
MacX DVD Ripper Pro is priced at US$59.95 for a single-user license. However, the full-license DVD ripper for Mac is being offered for $34.95 for a limited time.
SuperTab for Mac adds Dropbox, AppleScript, Meta-Folder support
SpriTec Software has launched SuperTab 1.1 (http://www.supertab.me/SuperTab.html), an upgrade to its Mac OS X (10.8 and higher) utility app that enhances and extends the Mac's built-in Command-Tab Application Switcher. The new version boasts includes over 30 new features, enhancements and fixes such as support for Dropbox, AppleScript, meta-folders, and more.
Before SuperTab, the App Switcher only gave Mac users access to their currently active apps. The SpriTec utility gives Mac users such instant "Command-Tab" access.
SuperTab is free to download and install and is fully-functional for 30 days. After 30 days, it remains fully-functional but will occasionally ask users to register. You can register for US$10. Version 1.1 is a free upgrade for registered users of version 1.0.
AfterShot Pro upgraded with 64-bit processing support
Corel's Photo Editing group has introduced AfterShot Pro 2, an update of the RAW converter and photo management software. The upgrade sports 64-bit processing, which results in faster performance.
With AfterShot Pro 2, you can load, edit and adjust thousands of RAW photos/ You can refine an unlimited number of photos while preserving the originals with non-destructive photo adjustment.
Compatible with Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux systems, AfterShot Pro 2 costs US$79.99 for new users. Existing registered users can purchase for the upgrade price of $59.99. For a limited time, AfterShot Pro, PaintShop® Pro X6, Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom 5 registered customers may purchase AfterShot Pro 2 at the upgrade price. A demo is available for download at the product web site (www.aftershotpro.com).
