Apple releases firmware updates for 27-inch iMacs
Apple has released firmware updates for its 27-inch iMacs. You can obtain the updates via the Software Update component of Mac OS X's Systems Preferences app.
27-inch iMac EFI FW Update 1.0 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1031) is recommended for all quad-core Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors 27-inch iMacs. This 2.1MB update requires Mac OS X 10.6.3.
It resolves an issue that sometimes caused high processor utilization while playing audio through the headphone output mini-jack. It also resolves an issue that prevented the display backlight from turning on after powering on the iMac.
27-inch iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.0 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1030) fixes Target Display Mode compatibility issues on 27-inch iMac computers. It's a 397KB download and requires Mac OS X 10.6.3 and 27-inch iMac EFI Update 1.0.
Limit Point Software releases Mailings 1.9.46
Limit Point Software has released Mailings 1.9.46 (http://www.limit-point.com/Mailings/Mailings.html), an update of the application for batch emailing that delivers any web page or plain text document with attachments to multiple recipients for marketing, news announcements, product updates, etc. It's a maintenance release
Mailings delivers web pages, plain or HTML text documents to multiple recipients for marketing, news announcements, product updates etc. It integrates with mail clients, most common browsers, Address Book and Entourage.
Mailings is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. For a limited time, it's available for US$10; upgrades are always free. A demo is available for download.
ABC says its TV viewing app for the iPad is a success
ABC is the only TV network so far to offer an application for watching its shows free -- with ads, naturally -- on the iPad, and it says its business model is proving successful, according to the "Wall Street Journal" (http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/13/abc-sees-success-in-ipad-app/).
The network said that in the 10 days since the iPad’s debut, its TV-show watching app has been downloaded 205,000 times, giving the Walt Disney unit a presence on nearly half the 450,000 devices that Apple says it has sold. What's more, users have watched at least part of 650,000 television episodes using the app, generating “several million” ad impressions, an ABC spokesman told the "Journal." Disney-ABC television President Anne Sweeney says the network is pleased with the initial results.
Koku is new personal finance manager for the Mac
FadingRed has introduced Koku 1.0 (http://www.fadingred.com/koku), a personal finance management for the Mac. It lets you track checking, savings, and credit card accounts, and generate beautiful custom reports to analyze your spending and income.
Key features of Koku include the ability to automatically and securely download transactions as they occur from a wide array of financial institutions via Direct Connect. Also, with inbox-like status indicators, you can find and review what's new. Koku also provides the option to automatically tag transactions as they are downloaded.
Koku also has Smart Tagging, which allows users to categorize transactions with multiple tags free of hierarchy. The software also lets users import from all the standard financial data formats -- OFX, QIF, QFX and OFC.
Koku 1.0, available for Mac OS X 10.6 or later. A demo is available for download. Registration (for a limited time) is US$25.
Analysts up their price target for Apple stock
Apple will announce its latest financial results on Tuesday, April 20. And two analysts have upped their price target for the company's stock.
As reported by AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com), Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is predicting sales of 7.5 million iPhones for the first quarter of calendar 2010 and 2.9 million Macs. Those would be year-over-year growth increases of 93% and 39%, respectively. Munster has raised his price target to US$299.
Meanwhile, Caris & Company analyst Robert Cihra has raised his estimate to $300. He's forecasting sales of 7.5 million iPhone sales and 3.1 million Mac sales.
Apple releases Backup 3.2
Apple has updated Backup (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3991), a MobileMe component, to version 3.2. It's recommended for all users of Backup 3.
According to Apple, this update improves the overall reliability of Backup and uses space more efficiently on your iDisk or local storage by automatically recycling older backup data. When backing up to iDisk, older backups are recycled every 30 days for daily backup plans and every 12 weeks for weekly backup plans.
For example, if you are backing up to your iDisk on a daily basis, Backup will maintain a minimum of 30 days of backup history. You may choose not to recycle when backing up to a hard disk, CD, or DVD, but recycling is recommended as it uses storage space more efficiently and improves reliability when restoring your data, says Apple.
Patent Calls: Apple, others not infringing Wi-LAN Bluetooth...
Patent Calls (http://www.patentcalls.com) -- an independent research firm that provides comprehensive patent reports and analysis --has conducted an independent analyst report on US Patent 5,515,369 (‘369) -- the patent that 19 tech companies, including Apple, are allegedly infringing according to a complaint filed by Wi-LAN on April 7. The report says the companies aren't infringing on the patent.
In its filing, WiLAN claims that these companies have infringed and continue to infringe WiLAN’s patent by making and/or selling various products enabled with Bluetooth technology including cellular handsets and personal notebook computers. WiLAN is represented in this action by McKool Smith.
However, despite Wi-LAN’s claims, an in-depth analysis of patent ‘369 and of the Bluetooth specifications by Patent Calls finds otherwise. Patent Calls' analysis concludes that compatibility with the Bluetooth standard does not require infringement of Wi-LAN’s ‘369 patent, and that the Bluetooth...
OWC, DIGLLOYD offer 'ultra-high-performance' MPG Pro...
DIGLLOYD, a resource for Mac configuration and performance optimization, and hardware vendor Other World Computing (OWC) have announced a new Mac laptop upgrade service, the MPG Pro Laptop.
Following on the heels of the MPG Photo Workstation, the MPG Pro Laptop upgrades any recent model MacBook Pro to 8GB of memory and dual internal drives, offering any of the following combinations:
° Dual 100GB or 200GB enterprise-grade solid state drives, for a 200GB or 400GB capacity;
° One 100GB or 200GB solid state drive paired with a 500GB 7200 hard drive, allowing internal Time Machine backup capability and/or additional data storage;
° Dual 500GB 7200 rpm hard drives as a RAID-0 mirror, so that either drive can fail without loss of functionality.
The MPG Pro Laptop targets Photoshop and Lightroom users, professional photographers, graphic designers, and audio/video producers. For details, including technical specifications and the ordering process, go to http://macperformanceguide.com/bto-mbp...
Analyst: Apple could sell 7-9 million iPads globally over first...
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has released the results of a survey of 2,500 American consumers that found that 4.6% were "extremely interested" in buying an iPad and 16.4% were "somewhat interested."
Applying what Huberty calls a 77% discount rate on those forecasts (based on previous surveys of consumer interest in the iPhone and the iPod touch) and excluding non-Apple product owners (who are significantly less likely to buy an iPad), the survey suggests 4-5 million iPad sales in the U.S. over the first 12 months and 7-9 million worldwide, reports "Fortune" (http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/04/14/ipad-survey-4-6-extremely-interes...). Among the survey's other findings:
° 20% or more of current Mac desktop, iPod Touch and iPhone owners are extremely interested in purchasing an [iPad] vs. 4.6% overall.
° iPad extreme interest skews towards males but the current iPhone installed base is about half males and females.
° The highest demand for the iPad comes from the 25-34 (29%) age...
Comm-Unity releases FTPit Pro 2.0.6 for FileMaker
Comm-Unity Networking Systems has released FTPit Pro 2.0.6 for FileMaker Pro. The new version brings the plug-in to full compatibility with the recently announced FileMaker Pro 11.
It also has several bug fixes improving the overall stability of the plug-in as well as fixes for some networking issues. FTPit Pro is available immediately at http://ftpitpro.cnsplug-ins.com/ for both Mac OS X and Windows platforms.
With this plug-in you can transfer files, text, and entire directories to and from your computer using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) all from within FileMaker Pro. Version 2.0.4, which is available immediately for both Mac OS X and Windows, enhances a few functions and includes bug fixes.
A single-user license for the client version of FTPit Pro is US$65. To use the Server Edition of FTPit Pro, you'll need to purchase at least a 10-User License for $319. There are several other price points on the purchase page for the plug-in.
If you own an existing license of Classic...
Equinux releases CoverScout 3, SongGenie 2
Equinux (http://www.equinux.com) has released CoverScout 3.3 and SongGenie 2, software tools designed to complement iTunes.
CoverScout is a tool for completing album covers in iTunes. It searches multiple music archives like Amazon, WalMart and Google Image Search simultaneously. It can also be adjusted to include additional search sources. In the integrated cover editor, each album cover can be edited with pixel precision, rotated, cropped, scaled and the colors can be adjusted. CoverScout even offers the option to photograph rare albums with one’s iSight. Version 3.3 now integrates with SongGenie 2, which helps to identify music tracks and find song lyrics.
CoverScout is available for US$39.95 in the equinux online store. It runs on Mac OS X 10.5 and higher. Version 3.3 is a free update for registered users of version 3.x.
SongGenie is a software application designed to analyze, detect and label music data. Version 2.0 automatically searches online for lyrics.
SongGenie...
Pro Softnet releases iDrive Portable for Mac
Pro Softnet Corp. has released IDrive Portable for Mac (http://www.idrive.com/portable/mac_download.htm) that allows for a "quick and easy" backup of a Mac to a portable drive. It's an external drive that can be plugged directly into your Mac and works right off the box since it comes preloaded with the IDrive Portable backup software.
IDrive Portable is comprised of features such as automatic selection of your most commonly used folders for backup with options to customize, multiple Mac backup, search for backed up data, and Smart Sync. The latter brings the data on your portable drive in sync with that on your Mac, mounted drive backups, an intuitive interface to select files/folders, etc.
The US$69 IDrive Portable drive comes with 320GB of storage space. That's enough space to carry almost 10,0000+ pictures of your Photo library, 150 hours of your favorite videos, and almost over 10,0000+ hours of your favorite music on iTunes, says Gokul H, designer at IDrive.
IDrive Portable for...
Wow You Design releases Nation Elements World theme for iWork
Wow You Design (http://www.keynotethemepark.com) has released Nation Elements, an add-on collection of flexible graphic elements for use with Keynote and the other iWork applications. iWork is Apple's US$79 suite of productivity tools.
Each set, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe (plus Oceania) include a number of standardized elements. These include country flag and aqua-style orb, location maps that are made from up to six isolated elements.
The national border shapes will take a Keynote fill (image, color, stroke and shadow). There are national symbols such as coats of arms or other national icons. Also included are translucent overlays, metallic frames and custom masking shape. Each set comes with 40 slides.
Each set -- Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe -- is downloadable for US39.95 each. Or you can get all four for $99.95.
Arten Science releases cross platform encryption tool
Arten Science has released cuteCipher (http://www.cutecipher.co.uk/), cross platform software for encrypting and protecting your documents and files. cuteCipher has been tested on Children, Parents, Elder Relatives and Other Innocents.
To use you drag your files onto cuteCipher, enter a secret word and click the Encrypt button. It's based on the R10Cipher software from Arten Science and offers Blowfish encryption.
cuteCipher works with Mac OS X 10.4 and higher, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
Pricing is approximately US$20 for a single user license with bulk purchase discounts dropping the price by up to 75%. A demo is available for download.
AEC Software unveils FastTrack Schedule 10 for Mac
AEC Software, a developer of project management business solutions, today announced the release of FastTrack Schedule 10 (http://www.aecsoftware.com/project-management-software/fasttrack-schedul...), the latest version of the company’s flagship project management (PM) software, which includes a redesigned interface.
FastTrack Schedule’s new user interface closely resembles iWorks and also includes capabilities previously found only in more expensive project management suites, says Dennis Bilowus, president and CEO of AEC Software. Among them are:
° Work Usage Inspector -- using this feature, managers can manage employee workloads and assign resources as new business arrives and tasks are completed.
° Advanced work calendars -- integrated project, task, base, and resource work calendar system to efficiently schedule tasks, team members, and account for exceptions such as holidays or non-standard work schedules. Work calendars can also be unified across all projects, resources, and...
iPhone, iPad development classes slated for June, July
About Objects (http://www.aboutobjects.com) will offer an updated version of its iPhone development training course that now includes overage of iPad development.
The five-day course is entitled "Introduction to iPhone and iPad Development. Classes have been scheduled in Cupertino, California, June 5-11, and in Reston, Virginia, July 12-23.
There are two other courses in the series: ANSI C Programming, and Objective-C for Beginners. The courses have been designed as a sequence to allow developers to "right-size" their training by choosing the mix of classes they need. Go to the About Objects web site for details.
iPhone leads smartphone developer battle
The iPhone OS is the clear favorite smartphone platform for developers, according to Ovum’s first mobile application developer survey. While all five major smartphone platforms score well, it is BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile that currently lead the opposition, rather than Android or Symbian.
Overall, Java ME remains the leading mobile development environment, showing there’s still life -- if not necessarily big profits -- in an old and rather neglected technology. Ovum’s 2010 survey of 217 mobile application developers exposes a wide range of important trends that are either already having or will have a profound bearing on the future of device manufacturers, mobile operators, software platform vendors, and content providers.
Among the most pertinent is the varying degree of support for different mobile device operating systems and associated developer environments -- whether mobile-specific or web-oriented. Among smartphone platforms, iPhone OS garnered most support, with 81% of...
PluralEyes adds support for Adobe Premiere Pro CS5
Singular Software, developer of automation applications for post-production, says its flagship product PluralEyes for Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas Pro has expanded its support for non-linear editing applications to include the just announced Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 software.
PluralEyes will also support Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. With support for the latest versions of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and CS5, it provides users with features for managing multi-camera, multi-take, and dual-system audio productions; including a level audio option, preserving the order of clips, clip locking for integration into existing workflows, options to include all synced clips in one sequence and choose sequences to sync from all available, as well as sync drift correction and audio replacement features.
By analyzing audio information, PluralEyes synchronizes audio and video clips automatically, without the need for timecode, clappers or other manual preparation. It's optimized for fast performance on both Mac...
Apimac introduces Timer 7.0 for Mac OS X
Apimac has announced Timer 7.0 (http://www.apimac.com/timer), an update of the freeware stopwatch, alarm clock, countdown and clock utility for Mac OS X (10.4 and higher). The upgrade offers, among other things, support for multiple timers.
The new version offers the: ability to save the state of a timer; the ability to navigate between running timers in full-screen mode using the contextual menu or keyboard's arrow keys (Pro feature); user interface changes; an various code optimizations and improvements to product stability.
Apimac Timer features include a log (also automatically updated when some event occurs) and tickers that remember user that some timer is running every specific amount of time. Events include the ability to play alarms with your favorite sound, play song files, speak a specific message, or announce the time. The stopwatch lets you specify events occurring after a specific amount of time or events that repeats every specific amount of time. The countdown can be...
TextExpander update for Mac OS X improves overall performance
SmileOnMyMac (http://www.smileonmymac.com) has updated TextExpander, a Mac OS X utility that lets users define abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images, to version 3.0.2. The new version offers improved performance overall.
Expansions work properly in Spotlight and in the quick entry windows of other applications. An issue with double expansion in LaunchBar has been fixed. And in version 3.0.2., users can exclude applications in capitalization options in Preferences.
The regular cost is US$34.95 for a single user license or $44.95 for a five-pack family license. A 30-day fully-functioning demo of TextExpander can be downloaded at the SmileOnMyMac web site. Upgrades to TextExpander 3.0.2 from earlier versions costs $15. Version 3.0.2 is a free update for registered users of version 3.0.
Monkeybread Software updates MBS plug-in
Monkeybread Software has released version 10.2 of the MBS plug-in for REALbasic. The MBS plug-in comprises a collection of several plug-in parts that extend the REALbasic development environment with 1,300 classes featuring over 28,000 documented functions.
Monkeybread has updated DynaPDF to use all the new functions there. Also they have more classes for GraphicsMagick, improvements on the SQL Plugin and a few additions to the QTKit classes.
Plugin licenses are available for components or for the complete collection. Starting at US$29 for one component. The complete package costs $284.20 for commercial usage.
If you buy a current license, you will get free updates for one year. After that year, you can update your license to cover an additional year. The plugins can be downloaded on MBS' website as one big package or several smaller ones: http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/realbasic/plugins.shtml .
AscenderFonts.com announces Web Fonts service
Ascender Corp., a provider of advanced font products, announced a new web fonts service on its http://www.AscenderFonts.com site to appeal to web designers and web developers.
Web Fonts from Ascender is a new service to format web sites with CSS @font-face using licensed downloadable fonts. Web Fonts eliminate the hassles and expense of using Flash, JavaScript or image replacement techniques for headlines, says Bill Davis, vice president at Ascender. It also offers text fonts for web designers to extend their typographic choice beyond the limited set of "web-safe," he adds.
Ascender’s Web Font service supports every major web browser, including mobile Safari found on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Current web browsers with web font support include Internet Explorer 5+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, Safari and Mobile Safari 3.1+ and Opera 10+.
Belkin announces iPad cases
Belkin (http://www.belkin.com) has released nine cases for the iPad. The US$39.99 Cap Sleeve (shown) is a close-fitting knit design that provides access to all the device's functions.
The $59.99 Contour Sleeve sports a contoured, reinforced, fused-rubber design. The $49.99 Grip Vue is a translucent case that provides protection and grip-ability. The Grip Ergo is a $49.99 case with an ergonomic design built to offer comfort while reading, gaming, or surfing the Internet.
The $49.99 Grip Swell is made with snug layer of rugged silicone for shock absorption. The $49.99 Grip Groove features a grip-able textured surface with in-molded pattern to protect iPad and made with durable silicone.
The $59.99 Leather Sleeve is made with luxury leather and offers access to the iPad's functions. The $59.99 Leather Folio is made with luxury leather and features a soft inner lining. The $49.99 leather Envelope sports a secure ribbon closure provides extra security in keeping iPad in place. And the $...
iPads so hot that international roll-out is delayed one month
Apple today said it has delivered more than 500,000 iPads during its first week. The company says demand is far higher than they predicted and will likely continue to exceed their supply over the next several weeks.
Apple says that it has also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April. Faced with this "surprisingly strong US demand," the company is postponing the international launch of iPad by one month -- until the end of May.
Apple will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10. "We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason -- the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far," the company says in a statement.
Proavio introduces 3G SAS Expander desktop storage solutions
Proavio, U.S.A. (http://www.proavio.com), a developer of storage systems and tools for digital media production, has introduced the new EditBox EB8Sx, a3G SAS expansion solution for video.
Featuring a native internal 3G SAS design, the EB8Sx offers users the choice to use SATA disks for most media applications or enterprise SAS hard disk for DI, VFX and full resolution grading requirements. Designed for today’s commercial post facilities in mind, the EB8Sx is capable of scaling capacity to over 100TB or RAID-5 protected storage.
Powered by an 8x PCI-Express storage controller, the EB8Sx is designed to fully support editing, grading and VFX environments. An Intel RAID core delivers an excess of over 750MB/second of storage bandwidth (this requires compatible PCI-e RAID controller). EditBox EB8Sx supports DVCPro HD, Pro Res 422(HQ), ProRes444, uncompressed 8-bit 1080i HD, uncompressed 10-bit HD (4:4:4) and 2K DPX/TGA file sequences. Contact Proavio for pricing.
Apple releases MacBook Pro Software Update 1.3
Apple has released MacBook Pro Software Update 1.3 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1026) for all 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro mid-2010 models. It contains improvements for graphics stability for high-performance video and gaming applications, as well as various bug fixes.
MacBook Pro Software Update 1.3 is a 258.32MB download and requires Mac OS X 10.6.3. You can obtain it via the Software Update component of Mac OS X's Systems Preferences app.
VideoUpLink for Mac OS X debuts with Facebook profile support
VideoUpLink for Mac OS 10.5 (http://www.videouplink.net) is a new, US$9.99 application designed to make video on your Facebook page just a drag and drop away. It requires Mac OS X 10.5 and higher and QuickTime 7.6 or better.
VideoUpLink employs Facebook Connect for a clean, single window log-in experience, according to developer Mark Morris. Facebook Connect allows Facebook's millions of users to log-in and share movies with their friends using their Facebook username and password.
Using Facebook Connect enables persistent sessions. Return to VideoUpLink and it will check your log-in status, so you won't have to log in each time you open the application. After a Facebook video upload you can log out at any time.
VideoUpLink features a large table view for dropping movies onto. Users can drag movies from iPhoto, Media Browser or the Finder. Each movie can be given its own title and description within the table before uploading. These titles and descriptions will then appear on your...
Survey: iPad developers rapidly developing
With just under six billion mobile applications forecast to be downloaded this year, up from an estimated 2.4 billion in 2009, app development has no indication of slowing down. First weekend sales of the iPad estimated over 700,000 units and iPhone app developers are switching gears and rapidly turning to iPad app development.
In a survey of hundreds of iPhone app developers conducted by Optimum Lead Generation, the company behind iPadApplicationQuotes (http://www.iPadApplicationQuotes.com), a new web site that connects business and entrepreneurs with experienced iPad app developers, the survey revealed:
° 88% of iPhone app developers surveyed anticipate the porting of existing iPhone apps to iPad apps;
° 76% of iPhone app developers surveyed currently have at least one iPad app in development.
"iPad application development represents new ground and opportunity for mobile developers" says Gregg Weiss, founder of iPadApplicationQuotes. "Larger screen size, faster processor and richer...
Apple tops list of best retail store shopping experience
Apple has topped the list in a RetailWire/Dechert-Hampe survey ranking retail stores for the best shopping experience. Stores were ranked on: satisfaction experience and customer satisfaction, product assortment, and price.
Respondents to the survey rated the Apple retail store as well above all others as the retailer delivering the best shopping experience. According to Ben Ball, senior vice president, Dechert-Hampe, some might question how the research could show technology being down on the list of ways to improve the shopping experience when Apple, a store that totally revolves around the use and sale of technology, tops the list of retailers that get it.
"People are underestimating Apple's mastery of the fundamentals," he says. "If it were just the technology, Circuit City and CompUSA would have been on this list instead of in Chapter 11. I think the ability to experience the products that Apple provides; the knowledgeable brand advocates that are there in the store; the...
HP introduces plug and print laser printers
HP has bolstered the HP LaserJet Pro printer line (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2010/plugandprint/index.html) with a new "plug and print" technology that purportedly allows customers to begin printing in as little as two minutes by simply connecting a netbook, notebook or desktop computer to the printer with a USB cable. No CD is required.
New monochrome printers featuring HP Smart Install include the HP LaserJet Pro P1100 Printer series, the HP LaserJet Pro M1130/M1210 Multifunction Printer (MFP) series and the HP LaserJet Pro P1566/P1606dn Printer series. HP also unveiled the HP Scanjet Professional 1000 Mobile Scanner, the company’s first portable scanner.
The new HP LaserJet Pro lineup features a black finish and delivers professional, cost-effective results while enabling small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to reduce their environmental impact, says Ron Coughlin, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. The printers...
Boris FX product line to support Adobe CS5, 64-bit operating...
BorisFX (http://www.borisfx.com) says that its entire product line will be available for 64-bit operating systems as well as the upcoming Adobe Creative Suite 5 release.
The Boris FX product line includes Boris Continuum Complete, Final Effects Completel, Boris RED, Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, Boris Blue and Boris XML Transfer. The Boris Box Set includes all Boris technology at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$1,995.
iWebThemesPark unveils 10 new themes (and a freebie) for iWeb
iWebThemesPark (http://www.iwebthemespark.com/Home.html) has launched 10 new iWeb themes: Answers, Black Blocks, Blueness, Connection, Growing, Ice Cubes, Ink, Moss, Red Lines and Rising Columns. In addition a free Intense theme was released for all iWeb users. iWeb is the web site creation component of Apple's iLife suite.
Each iWeb Theme has eight templates: Welcome, About Me, Photos, My Albums, Movie, Blog, Podcast and Blank. Each is customizable.
iWeb Themes requires iLife '08 or iLife '09. Each template is available for US$10.99, and the package of 10 themes costs $30.99.
lynda.com releases 12 Creative Suite 5 training titles
lynda.com -- an online training provider of computer skills education for consumers, businesses and schools -- has released 12 courses covering the products in the newly announced Adobe Creative Suite 5.
Course topics include Photoshop CS5, Dreamweaver CS5, Flash CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, After Effects CS5, Premiere Pro CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, Fireworks CS5, Encore CS5, and Bridge CS5 tutorials. Ten percent of the tutorials in each of these courses are free to non-members.
lynda.com now has over 24 hours of Adobe CS5 training available, with more being released in the coming weeks. The CS5 courses augment the already over 340 Adobe Creative Suite courses in the lynda.com Online Training Library, from early CS versions, CS2, CS3, and CS4 titles. On April 30, lynda.com will be releasing over 75 hours of additional CS5 training.
Boinx releases FotoMagico 3.2 public beta
Boinx Software (http://www.boinx.com) has released a public beta of version 3.2 of FotoMagico, the slideshow creation tool for Mac OS X.
It includes a plug-in to render slideshows directly in Final Cut Pro/Express, Motion and After Effects. Just remember: beta software is unfinished software, so use with care.
FotoMagico 3.x and the standalone player requires Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") and QuickTime 7.1 or newer. FotoMagico 3 Home is available for US$29 and FotoMagico 3 Pro (including PhotoPresenter 4) is available for $149. Commercial multi-user license discounts are available upon request. Version 3.2, when completed, will be a free update for registered 3.x. license owners.
Vvidget Code now lets you integrate graphs
VVI (http://www.vvidget.org) has released Vvidget Code 10.6.4.2 which lets you integrate graphs into iPhone, iPad and Mac applications.
Vvidget Code now includes a Universal library used to make iPhone and iPad visualization applications. A simulator library is also available for prototyping within the iPhone Simulator.
OpenMenu X for Mac OS X gets maintenance update
Artman 21 (http://www.artman21.com/en/) has updated OpenMenu X, a US$10 contextual menu utility for Mac OS X, to version Rev.2.05. The update, free to registered users, is a maintenance update hat allows you to invoke OpenMenu X from the contextual menu of Snow Leopard Finder and 64-bit applications.
OpenMenu is a utility that allows you to freely customize your contextual menu. You can open documents, applications, AppleScripts, Services Menu Items, and URLs any time you want. OpenMenu also supports the file system browsing. You can browse the file system and open/move files or folders through a contextual menu.
OpenMenuX requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. It's a Universal Binary app, so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
iPadDevCamp announced
CodeFab and Gigapixel Creative have announced Apple iPadDev Camp on the East Coast. It will be a "think tank, boot camp-style event for developers", sponsored by Barnes & Noble, taking place at AOL headquarters and in New York City April 16-18.
iPadDevCamp is an event where existing iPhone developers, designers and publishers will come together to build and demo new iPad applications, share knowledge, explore and make friends and connections. The NYC iPadDevCamp satellite event will link to the primary event in San Jose, California, and is designed to encourage shared dialogue from over 30 iPad DevCamps across the globe.
iPadDevCamp will kick off Friday night with a party and introductions. Saturday’s schedule features a DevCamp keynote by Alex Cone, CEO of CodeFab, a Publisher Panel on Media in the Age of the iPad featuring Peter Costanzo, director of online marketing for Perseus Books Group, and Nina DeFrance, vice president of consumer marketing for Forbes Digital, among...
DVD Creator update for Mac OS X adds more than 90 sets of styles
Wondershare Software has updated DVD Creator (http://www.imediacreator.com/mac-dvd-creator.html), its DVD creating software, for Mac OS X to version 3.0. The rev is equipped with new features and more than 90 sets of free animated and static DVD menu styles.
DVD Creator lets you burn almost any video format to DVD. It also allows you to create slideshows with photos and music as well. Several supported formats include AVI, MOV, FLV, MPG, WMV, M4V, MPEG, DAT, VOB, 3GP, HD video files.
The version 3.0features include creating DVD slideshows with photos and music, splitting video, and combining a series of videos etc. Apart from the basic editing functions like crop, rotate, add watermark, set special effects or the DVD, users can now split the video to trim unwanted sections, combine a series videos as a DVD, and create custom DVD menu with various free menu styles as well.
The software provides users with four options of output formats (DVD Disc, ISO, DVD Folder, and dvdmedia). You can...
Vinotekasoft uncorks Vinoteka 2.0 for Mac OS X
Vinotekasoft has uncorked Vinoteka 2.0 (http://www.vinotekasoft.com), an update of their wine cellar management software for Mac OS X. The upgrade adds new types of racks and new bottle shapes.
It also features an enhanced search feature and user interface improvements. Plus, there are localization improvements in all languages and localization improvements in English in the printing feature.
Vinoteka costs US$34.90 for a single user license. You can get a family pack for $79.90 or a business pack for $109.90. Version 2.0 is a free update for registered users.
Blackmagic Design releases DeckLink HD Extreme 3D
At this week's NAB show in Las Vegas, Blackmagic Design (http://www.blackmagic-design.com) announced the DeckLink HD Extreme 3D, a new model of its broadcast capture card with new 3D support, hardware up, down and cross conversion, 12-bit hardware architecture, 3Gb/s SDI, support for up to 1080p60 in SDI, component analog and HDMI connections, as well as full SD, HD and 2K support for US$995.
DeckLink HD Extreme 3D is ready for 3D workflow using both interleaved/side by side and dual stream capture and playback. Interleaved 3D allows the left and right eye to be interleaved as fields into a single video connection and file, so customers can edit using current editing software.
Dual steam 3D allows customers to use the DeckLink HD Extreme 3D dual link SDI connections to capture and playback two streams, one for the left eye, and one for the right eye. The two streams are recorded into two separate media files. Dual stream 3D is higher quality because each eye is full resolution video,...
PCI Geomatics releases GeoImaging Tools for GIS users
PCI Geomatics, a developer of geo-imaging software and systems, has released GeoImaging Tools for ArcGIS (http://www.pcigeomatics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id...). It provides automated tools for correcting raw satellite imagery.
With the GeoImaging Tools Image Correction Module, ArcGIS users will now be able to access 70+ commercial optical, radar and aerial sensors in their GIS workflows. Users will have the option of using sensor model information to perform registrations, optionally with automatic GCPs and tie points from reference data such as chip databases, reference mosaics, or vectors.
Higher levels of registration accuracy are achievable via block bundle adjustments, says Terry Moloney, executive vice president and chief operating officer, PCI Geomatics. Users also have the option of saving the correction parameters into the ArcGIS Raster Processing Definition (RPDef) format for direct use with the ArcGIS Server Image Extension for on-the-fly...
Undercover 4 allows real-time tracking of stolen Mac
Orbicule has announced Undercover 4 (http://orbicule.com/undercover/mac), an upgrade to their theft-recovery software for Mac OS X. The new version offers users the ability to remotely monitor a stolen Mac using the UndercoverCenter.com web application.
Thanks to the new UndercoverCenter, users can follow their stolen Mac in real-time. They can view iSight pictures of the thief, they can see what he's doing on their stolen Mac, and they receive a Google Earth file pinpointing the stolen Mac's locations. In addition, they can use UndercoverCenter to completely lock the lost or stolen Mac and set a custom message that is displayed on top of all other applications.
Because the mobile version of Undercover uses the same UndercoverCenter web app, users can manage all their Macs, iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in one, convenient place, says Orbicule President Peter Schols.
Undercover requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. It costs US$49 for a single user license and $59 to protect an entire...
Disk Order for Mac OS X adds Quick View feature, more
Disk Order, the file manager for Mac OS X from the LikeMac Group (http://www.likemac.ru/english/), has been updated to version 3.1. Several new features have been added, including:
° Improved design of Navigation Bar. Icons are now smaller and divided into categories (Drives, Devices, Places etc.).
° A Quick View feature, which allows to view files directly on the opposite pane, has been added. The built-in viewer literally integrates into application's main window.
° The Built viewer has extended its functionality, making possible to open multiple files at same time. File thumbnails are also now available.
° A Source Code plug-in, which is a viewer extension, has been added. If you're a developer and have to often view sources in C++, C#, Xml, that's really what you need.
° Spanish localization has been added.
Disk Order was designed to be a Finder substitute. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and works on both PowerPC or Intel Macs. A 30-day demo is available; registration is US$...
iPad, meet the i-PAD
Whoops. Apple may have an iPad problem in Brazil. CU Medical Systems' i-PAD NF1200 is a "semi-automated external defibrillator" distributed by Transform Tecnologia de Ponta, which registered the name with Brazil's National Industrial Property Institute (INPI) last year, reports "The Register" (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/13/brazilian_ipad).
Alathea Silver of CU Medical Systems says, "No one has been in contact with us about the iPad name." Brazilian media say the company has asked INPI to hand over the title, but if that fails, "it will have to do the unthinkable and actually cough hard cash for exclusive Brazilian iPad rights," says "The Register."
Adobe to sue Apple over its non-Flash stance?
Apple's determination to keep Flash off the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, etc., may be leading toward a lawsuit. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, writing for "IT World" (http://www.itworld.com/legal/104320/adobe-vs-apple-going-get-uglier), says "sources close to Adobe tell me that Adobe will be suing Apple within a few weeks."
"It was bad enough when Apple said, in effect, that Adobe Flash wasn't good enough to be allowed on the iPad," he writes. "But the final straw was when Apple changed its iPhone SDK (software development kit) license so that developers may not submit programs to Apple that use cross-platform compilers."
Adobe has made no comment on any such action. However, Lee Brimelow, an Adobe platform evangelist, is obviously one of many Adobe employes ticked off at Apple. In his personal web site, "The Flash Blog" (http://theflashblog.com/?p=1888), he said, "Go screw yourself, Apple."
In expressing what he emphasizes are purely his own opinions, Brimelow writes:
"Adobe and Apple has...
iAd to earn Apple almost $5 billion per year?
Apple introduced its iAd advertising platform last week and SeekingAlpha.com is forecasting that iAd will earn almost US$5 billion per year in gross ad revenue, of which Apple will take a 40% cut at about $2 billion per year.
The financial webs site is also predicting that Apple will take a 30% cut of the forecasted $600 million revenues from paid apps in 2010. Last week, in introducing iAd, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that, today, when users click on mobile ads they are almost always taken out of their app to a web browser, which loads the advertiser’s web page.
Users must then navigate back to their app, and it's often difficult or impossible to return to exactly where they left. Jobs said iAd solves this problem by displaying full-screen video and interactive ad content without ever leaving the app, and letting users return to their app anytime they choose.
He added that iPhone OS 4 lets developers embed iAd opportunities within their apps, and the ads are dynamically and...
Analyst: offering the iPhone would be a 'mixed blessing...
Everyone is expecting a Verizon/CDMA iPhone at some point in the future. However, even if the wireless carrier offered the Apple device it would be a “mixed blessing” Bank of America analyst David Lynch told investors Monday.
“While clearly accretive to market share in our view, it is not accretive to earnings, even assuming steady pricing, until 2013,” Barden writes.
In other words, although the iPhone would boost Verizon’s market share, it wouldn’t see any money from the deal until another three years, according to a "Cult of Mac" report (http://www.cultofmac.com/analyst-the-iphone-could-hurt-verizon-earnings/...). The iPhone would cost Verizon $3.3 billion in 2011, $4.4 billion in 2012, and $5.2 billion in 2013, according to Barden. Additionally, the iPhone would drag down earnings $0.24 in 2011, $0.02 in 2012, before boosting Verizon’s earnings per share by $0.17 in 2013, he adds.
For AT&T, the analyst thinks the loss of exclusivity would have the opposite effect. The carrier...
Analysts: iPad's versatility a threat to eReaders
The versatility of the iPad is a threat to eReader devices, analysts told "BusinessWeek" (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2010/tc20100412_516320...). Wall Street analysts are already slicing their forecasts for Kindle sales, the article adds.
Charlie Wolf, a senior analyst at Needham & Co., has cut his forecast for Kindle sales this year, settling on a range from 2.5 million to three million units, in place of a previous forecast of 3.6 million units. Wolf estimates that Amazon sold 2.2 million Kindles in 2009. "It's not a compelling product," he says of the Kindle, because Apple's iPad offers more features, such as the ability to play video, plus a more compelling design.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster cut his 2010 forecast for Kindle sales by 400,000 units, to 3.45 million. Amazon's Kindle DX, which is designed to let users read e-books on a black-and-white screen, is selling for $489, just $10 less than Apple's least-expensive iPad, he notes.
Susan...
Apple posts Mac OS X 10.6.3 Update
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.6.3 1.1. It includes general operating system fixers, Airport and wireless network fixes, and more.
You can download the update via the Software Update component of the Mac OS X Systems Preferences app. Mac OS X 10.6.3 1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher.
Active Storage announces Innerpool for Xsan Metadata
Active Storage (http://www.activestorage.com) has introduced Innerpool, a new class of RAID storage solution designed to store Metadata volumes that are so critical to media focused SANs (storage area networks).
“We’ve studied the solution for a long time, and developed patent-pending technology to deliver all of the reliability and performance that we’re known for -- even on-board 72-hour battery backed cache, all on a card that fits inside of an Apple Xserve or Mac Pro," says Active Storage CEO Alex Grossman.
Featuring a "Zero U" design, Innerpool actually resides inside a SAN’s Metadata Controller–yet provides on-board RAID storage via 2.5-inch rotating media drives or performance-tuned Intel SSD drives. Innerpool is installed in pairs, one in each Xsan Metadata Controller and hosts the critical Metadata LUN, rather than tasking the storage systems that host data volumes.
Innerpool is a self-contained RAID system, based on a pair of PCI Express cards, each that hosts a RAID...
