LogicalVue Software has released SQLite Studio for Mac OS X (http://www.logicalvue.com/products/sqlite-studio/). It's an IDE for software developers that use SQLite, the free, open-source, single-user database engine used by a wide variety of software. SQLite Studio is designed for working with tables, views, indexing and triggers. It also has a full featured SQL editor with code completion and syntax highlighting. With its tab-based design, SQLite Studio allows you to work with multiple tables and SQL queries. You can view: all tables, data, indexing, triggers and views; all database views; and all SQLite Pragmas. A fully licensed version costs US$99.95. Site licenses are available for $299.95, and a trial version is available for download.

Apple placed third in the fifth annual Millward Brown Optimor BrandZ Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking (http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/mbOptimor/Ideas/BrandZTop100/BrandZTo...) released today. It ranks behind Google and IBM, but is ahead of Microsoft. When most key financial indicators plummeted, the value of the top 100 brands rose by four percent in the last year to more than US$2 trillion. The BrandZ Top 100, commissioned by WPP, is the only valuation in the world that takes into account customers’ opinions on brands and demonstrates this with a dollar value. “In the past, many companies were quick to cut their marketing spend during a down economy,” says Joanna Seddon, CEO of Millward Brown Optimor.  “A new trend has emerged in the wake of the recession as more companies realized the importance of maintaining and even increasing budgets to support brand loyalty and engagement.” Technology brands demonstrated their pervasiveness in our daily lives. Google leads as the...

JAMF Software and John Wetter, technical services manager at Hopkins School District #270, on Thursday May 6, at 2:00 pm (Central Daylight Time) will team up for a live webinar that will explore one education IT professional’s experiences imaging thousands of Macs using JAMF's Casper Suite. The webinar will cover the basics of imaging using the Casper Suite as well as how the IT staff at Hopkins School District #270 tackles the challenge of compiling approved images and deploying these images out to large groups of desktop and laptop computers -- all while enjoying their summer. Both current Casper administrators looking for best practice recommendations and other IT professionals looking for a better way to image Macs are invited to attend. You can register at https://jamfsoftware.webex.com/jamfsoftware/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=803147730 .

RadTech (http://www.radtech.com) has released the STM Glove (US$24.95) in four new colors. The vertical-loading STM Glove protects your notebook from impacts, dust, scratches and spills. They're constructed from neoprene and ringed with YKK zippers. The Glove features deep, protective flanges to prevent the zipper from contacting your laptop. They comer in five tailor-made sizes to fit all Apple and many PC notebooks.

While law-enforcement officials ponder the legality of computer equipment seized from the home of a blogger, analysts on Tuesday say Apple may be doing itself harm in the case of a missing iPhone prototype that ended up on the Internet, according to a "MarketWatch" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-doing-itself-harm-in-case-of-miss...) report. Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said in an interview that Apple blundered by making the case a criminal one, as opposed to a civil case. "There is no way that this is not negative in some way for the company," Kay told "MarketWatch." "The question here is what is Apple hoping to get?" "Apple has been drifting into looking like the wrong side of their famous Big Brother ad for some time," added Rob Enderle, a longtime Silicon Valley technology analyst. "This could easily turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes the firm has ever made because the investigation ... could showcase other Apple problems as this story snowballs."

One of the reason some folks think 3D will be slow to catch on in home is the fact that home 3D screens, like those, in movie theaters, require those funky 3D glasses. Toshiba may have solved that. According to "TG Daily" (http://www.tgdaily.com/hardware-features/49540-toshiba-designs-glasses-f...), has designed a 21-inch autostereoscopic high-definition display for use with next-generation 3D monitors. The display also purportedly helps to "significantly" reduce 3D-related eye fatigue. "Most 3D products have used special glasses to separate a picture into two images: one for the left eye and the other for the right eye. But the market has strongly desired a more versatile and glasses-free approach that could be used anywhere," Toshiba says in a press release. "This new product employs an integral imaging system (a 'light field' display) to reproduce a real object as a 3D image that can be viewed without glasses over a wide range of viewing angles." According to Toshiba, the integral...

Apple has released iTunes 9.1.1. You can obtain it via the Software Updates component of Mac OS X's Systems Preferences app. According to Apple, the 102.1MB download addresses several stability issues with VoiceOver, addresses a usability issue with VoiceOver and Genius Mixes, addresses issues with converting songs to 128 kbps AAC while syncing and addresses other issues that improve stability and performance. iTunes 9.1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later.

Joby (http://www.joby.com) has unleashed the newest member of the Gorillapod family, the Gorillapod Magnetic flexible tripod. With the addition of magnets in the feet, it can be anchored to any magnetic surface, in addition to being secured with its fully-articulating legs.  The Gorillapod Magnetic is the latest addition to Joby’s popular Gorillapod family, which features a host of positioning and stabilization products to extend one’s photographic capabilities. It supports compact digital cameras and mini video cameras weighing up to 11.5 ounces, weighs 2.5 ounces, is six inches tall, and has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$24.95. US retailers include REI and Amazon.

South Korea has lifted its ban on the iPad, according to the "Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870346520457520888110653085...). The country's communications regulator said on Tuesday it wouldn't stop people from importing Apple's device for personal use, ending a ban that early adopters in South Korea says was unfair, the article adds. The Korea Communications Commission did say that Customs rules still apply. The country's Customs Service is holding up shipments that contain more than five iPads at once. South Korea’s communications regulators haven’t approved the device for wireless networking in the country. Apple hasn't announced when it will offer the iPad in South Korea. South Korea's decision to allow the iPad comes days after Israel made a similar reversal, lifting a ban that prevented travelers from entering Israel with Apple's device, notes the "Journal."

Consumer confidence in the overall direction of the economy showed slight improvement from last month while confidence in technology dropped to its lowest level since March 2009, according to the latest figures released today from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and CNET. The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE) rose to 164.1 points in April, an increase of more than one point. The ICE, which measures consumer expectations about the broader economy, is down more than four points from this time last year. Although there was a small improvement from last month’s lowest point of the year, the figures still reflect consumers’ hesitation towards the overall economy. The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE) fell in April to 72.3, down more than 11 points from last month. The ICTE is at its lowest level since reaching an all-time low in March 2009. The ICTE is down more than five points from this time last year. “With tax season causing everyone to...

Most Japanese consumer electronics discount stores have halted online sales of iPods, iMacs and other Apple products, apparently at the request of US Apple, reports "MarketWatch" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japan-retailers-halt-online-sales-of-ap...). Industry watchers believe that the Japanese unit of Apple has cut out some sales channels because it was unhappy about online stores selling its products at a discount, the "Nikkei" business daily reported. Apple Japan has offered no comment to the Japanese publication, saying the personnel in charge of the matter weren't available.

Panic has updated its Transmit FTP client (http://www.panic.com/transmit) to version 4.0, which offers a speed boost, streamlined interface and more. With the new Transmit Disk feature, you can now mount any of your favorites in the Finder itself, even if Transmit's not running. You can drag files to your SFTP server, save a small graphic to your Amazon S3 bucket directly from Photoshop, or roll your own iDisk-like backup volume. Transmit 4.0 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 or later and costs US$$34. Upgrades from version 3.x are $19.

Pioneer Electronics (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com) has announced new "Works with iPhone" audio/video docking stations. The Audition, Duo and HTD series works with iPhones, iPod and iPod touch users. The new A/V docking systems include 2.1 speaker and subwoofer design, HDMI outputs, component video output, composite video connectivity and Bluetooth audio streaming capability. The Audition Series system, XW-NAS3/-K will be available April in black or white for a suggested retail price of US$449. The Duo Series systems, XW-NAC1-K will be available in May and the XW-NAC3-K will be available in June for $349 and $449, respectively. The all-in-one HTD Series system, XW-NAV1K-K will be available in June with a black or white frame for $299.

Kerio Technologies (http://www.kerio.com) says that Kerio Connect 7, a messaging and collaboration server, now natively supports the iPad. Kerio Connect now allows users to access email, calendars, and contacts on the Apple device, expanding the choice of mobile devices. With Kerio Connect, iPad users can synchronize their email, contacts, and private calendar, search the global address book (GAL), manage invitations, and perform a remote wipe, all using Exchange ActiveSync. Users can also access shared and global calendars with the integrated CalDAV support. Kerio Connect includes distributed domain clustering for IT management of a single domain supporting multiple branch offices. The latest release also has a newly implemented CardDAV protocol to synchronize contacts with Apple Address Book. Kerio runs on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and is available as a virtual appliance on the VMware and Parallels platforms. The solution comes with integrated anti-spam, anti-virus, automated backup...

Bare Bones Software (http://www.barebones.com) has released BBEdit 9.5, an update to its strength HTML and text editor. The upgrade introduces a new in-window Live Search bar that actively searches for text as it is typed and highlights matches in the window's editing view. The new Live Search bar also includes "previous" and "next" arrows, as well as their corresponding key commands and Emacs key bindings. The new Live Search bar supplants the modal Quick Search window. Complementing its support for attaching scripts to menu commands, BBEdit 9.5 introduces the ability to attach scripts to more than a dozen specific application and document events, including "open" and "save." BBEdit 9.5 also includes support for directly browsing Zip files, enhancements to text completion, a new "Reveal in Project List" command for quick identification of the active document and contextual Subversion commands within project file lists. The BBEdit 9.5 update also includes fixes to reported issues...

Adder (http://www.adder.com) -- a developer of KVM switches, extenders and KVM over IP solutions -- has released the CATxIP5000.  It sports a 16-port CATx KVM switch that delivers four independent non-blocking remote access sessions over standard network infrastructure. Adder's continued Research and Development in KVM over IP technology and the use of unique chipsets from Adventiq has resulted in a design breakthrough that enables an enterprise grade multi-session KVM-over-IP switch to be delivered at less than half the cost that would normally be expected for such functionality, according to Chief Technical Officer Nigel Dicken. The device will ship with the Adder.net network management suite. The CATxIP5000 is available immediately from Adder at a launch price of US$1,750.

Florian Soenens has released a beta of IconBox 2, an update of its icon organizer for Mac OS X. You can sign up to participate at http://www.iconboxapp.com . In version 2, you can create and manage new boxes, with unlimited nesting capabilities of sub boxes. You can also create new smart boxes designed specifically to recognize different icon types. IconBox 2 also offers real time search capabilities and more. Just remember: beta software is unfinished software so use with care.

Bjango (http://www.bjango.com) has updated iStat Menus, its system monitoring app for Mac OS X, to version 3.0. The upgrade includes a large number of enhancements and fixes, as well as a completely new preferences user interface and streamlined installation. iStat Menus allows you to monitor a plethora of handy information about your Mac, such as CPU & memory usage, disk usage, network usage, temperatures and fan speeds, right from your menubar. The battery extra is brand new to version 3, offering two configureable low battery warnings and menubar information that’s customizable for each power state. It also monitors Bluetooth keyboards and mice, plus uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs). It is far, far more customizable than the standard OS X extra. Almost every aspect of iStat Menus has been enhanced in version 3.0. The Sensors extra now includes the ability to change the fan speed on Intel-based Macs, as well as new display modes and support for the latest Macs. The Date...

iTacet Software has released Cookie Platter 1.1 (http://www.itacet.com), an update of the US$12 Mac OS X application that automatically deletes all unwanted cookies and saves specific cookies based upon a user's favorite web sites. The new version adds support for Google Chrome. Chrome bookmarks can be used as a source of preferred domains and more. The software can process cookies for multiple web browsers simultaneously and allows customization by browser, domain and type of cookie. Users can group all domains into their root domain, as well as the ability to preview the cookie's web site without opening a browser and more. Cookie Plater requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, Safari 4 or better and/or Firefox 3.5 or greater. A 14-day demo is available for download. Version 1.1 is a free update for registered users.

Bricksoftware has released CuteClips 3.1 (http://cuteclips3.com/) for Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") and higher. It's an update of the clipboard history app. The new version offers better support for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"), better preview for URLs, support for TIFF image data on the clipboard, and a cleaned up preferences window. CuteClip is designed as a companion to the Mac OS X clipboard. It sits in the background and continuously records changes to the clipboard in order to provide access to them when the user needs it. CuteClips 3 is a complete rewrite with a focus on simplicity, according to the folks at Bricksoftware. To activate CuteClips 3 the user can either use the the menu item or a hot key, which defaults to Command/Shift-V, the shortcut for pasting but with a pressed shift key. CuteClips can either be controlled by your mouse or keyboard. To prevent clips from being automatically deleted, the user can make clips sticky or assign shortcuts to them. With these shortcuts...

On Tuesday, April 27, Quark will host “Publish Investment Content Dynamically for Competitive Differentiation,” a free eSeminar for the investment research community. During the eSeminar, which is being offered at 10 am and 12 noon (Eastern), a panel of practitioners and technology partners will discuss how XML-based dynamic publishing can drive competitive differentiation for financial firms in 2010. To register go to http://publish.quark.com/content/FinancialServiceseSeminar .

Quark (http://www.quark.com) has launched its new QuarkXPress Maintenance Program that offers customers access to unlimited priority technical support, the opportunity to upgrade from any previous version to QuarkXPress 8, and the option to receive any upgrades during their maintenance periods, free of charge. The QuarkXPress Maintenance Program is available to new customers who purchase QuarkXPress 8 or to existing users who upgrade to version 8. To mark the launch of the new program, Quark has also launched a special offer, until June 30, that enables anyone that has already purchased QuarkXPress 8 since Feb. 1 to also purchase QuarkXPress Maintenance.   “The QuarkXPress Maintenance Program is a great opportunity for creative professionals who are using earlier versions of QuarkXPress to upgrade to QuarkXPress 8 and protect their investment for up to two years with free future upgrades," says Gavin Drake, Quark marketing director. "Keeping up with the latest developments and...

App4Mac has updated wKiosk Browser (http://www.app4mac.com/wkiosk.html), a web browser designed for Internet kiosk applications, to version 6. It's a Mac OS X solution for presenting web-based content (HTML, Flash, PDF, videos, etc.) and applications on public access terminals with or without access to the Internet. Version 6 is fully optimized for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"). It'a also rewritten in Objective C 2.0 with a Cocoa framework (instead of Carbon) and is powered by the most recent version of Apple webkbit engine (compliant to Acid 3 test / HTML 5). There are various other improvements as well. You can use wKiosk to individually restrict access to web sites, the operating system, system settings, and applications. Your computer will be protected against any manipulation from the time you boot until you shut it down. Since wKiosk is built with Apple Safari Engine, you will benefit from all the features the browser has to offer (Flash, QuickTime, Real Audio, multimedia...

Paragon Software (http://www.paragon-software.com) has released Paragon Volume Snapshot for Mac OS X. It's an US$39.95 snapshot-based, back-up solution for protection of both data and systems. With Paragon Volume Snapshot, you can ccreate an exact point-in-time copy of your data & system. When a disaster strikes, you can recover your data. Unlike Time Machine and other file-level backup utilities, our solution has very fast backup and restore capabilities, according to the folks at Paragon. Now you can back-up running applications and locked system files. If your system fails, there's no need re-install; just boot from the Mac OS X Install DVD and launch the restore operation.