New My Passport Studio drive features e-label smart display
WD (http://www.wdc.com) has introduced its new My Passport Studio portable drives featuring FireWire 800 interface and a customizable e-label that's always visible, even when the drive is unplugged.
The drives are formatted for Macs, compatible with Apple's TimeMachine software, and feature automatic and continuous backup with WD SmartWare software, and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. Available now at select retailers and shopwd.com, the new My Passport Studio drives are offered in capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB and 640 GB with prices ranging from US$149.99 to $199.99.
The e-label smart display on the front of the My Passport drives can be changed as often as desired using the included WD SmartWare software. Users can y create a label to personalize their drive or remind themselves of its contents. The e-label also shows available capacity and whether the drive is locked. Utilizing e-paper technology, the information on the display remains clearly visible, even when the drive is...
Blue Room Software releases ImageArchiver for Lightroom 1.0
Blue Room Software (http://www.blueroomsoftware.com) has announces ImageArchiver for Lightroom 1.0. It's an Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Export Service plug-in designed to simplify the creation of disk image and compressed archives of your Photoshop Lightroom image collections.
All of the image archive creation features found in Blue Room Software's peer ImageArchiver products for both Aperture and iPhoto have been brought to the users of Adobe System's Photoshop Lightroom 2 photo processing tool.
ImageArchiver for Lightroom requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and Photoshop Lightroom 2.0. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
ImageArchiver for Lightroom 1.0 costs US$9.95. A fully-functional 15 day demo is available for download.
Mass launch of the iPad delayed until April?
Say it ain't so, Steve. I need an iPad RIGHT NOW, but I can (maybe) wait until the end of March. However, an analyst is speculating that the release may be delayed a month.
When it was unveiled by Apple, it was announced that the iPad will be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of US$499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model, $699 for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model.
However, Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek told clients in a report -- as noted by "Fortune" (http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/03/01/ipad-might-be-del...) -- that a manufacturing bottleneck could limit supplies or push the launch to April. On the bright side, he doesn't expect the delay to materially affect iPad sales for fiscal 2010 or 2011, which he had pegged for 1.2 million and 3.5...
NetMarketShare: Mac OS X, Safari lose market share in February,...
Mac OS X and Phone market share for Internet usage dipped from January to February, according to the latest market share survey from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com). However, the iPhone saw a slight increase.
According to the report, among operating systems, Mac OS X had 5.02% of the global market share in February, compared to 5.16% in January (that's global market share; in the US it's almost 10 percent). Windows remains dominant with 92.12% as of February. That's up from 92.00% in January. Apple's highest percentage was 5.27% in October 2009.
The iPhone's market share also rose, according to Net Applications. The Apple device had 0.50% of the global market share in February, compared to 0.48% in January. Of course, I've long argued that the iPhone should also be included in the Mac OS X market share, as it runs a derivative of Mac OS X. If it were measured this way, the Mac/iPhone OS would have 5.52% in February.
When it comes to browsers, Safari had 4.45% in...
Apple admits iMac product issues, says they've been...
The "Gizmodo" site (http://www.gizmodo.com) says that Apple has released a statement to them, admitting the production issues with iMacs.
According to the site, Apple says "We've addressed the issues that caused flickering and yellow tint. Customers concerned that their iMac is affected should contact AppleCare."
In February, Apple released the 27-inch iMac Firmware Update to address to address screen flickering/yellow tint issues. It was the second firmware released to fix the glitches; the first came in December. According to Apple, the 27-inch iMac Display Firmware Update 1.0 updates the display firmware on 27-inch iMac computers to address issues that may cause intermittent display flickering. You can obtain it via the Software Updates component of the Mac OS X System Preferences app.
Rimeage adds 5400N, 3400 to its pro series line
Rimage Corp. (http://www.rimage.com), a provider of on-demand CD/DVD/Blu-ray Disc publishing systems, has introduced its newest disc publishing systems: Rimage Professional Series 5400N and Rimage Professional Series 3400. Both are available with DiscFlow for the Mac.
Rimage Professional Series 5400N and 3400 are compact, all-in-one solutions designed specifically for retail applications and disc publishing in front office settings. The Professional Series offers an entry point into on-demand disc publishing. These systems provide an integrated solution, in a compact footprint, that combines the premier printing technology of the Everest thermal retransfer print system with full disc publishing capability for CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.
The new models feature a rotating input carousel with three bins enabling end users to keep CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs available at all times. This function is critical in network-attached devices and is an industry first at the 3400’s ground-...
EFI, Xerox ship Fiery Network Controller for the Xerox...
EFI (http://www.efi.com) and Xerox Corp. is shipping the Fiery Network Controller for the Xerox WorkCentre 7700 series of color multifunction printers (MFPs) for office environments. Fiery controllers are easily deployed in Mac and Windows environments and support all industry standard networking protocols.
The WorkCentre 7700 Series MFPs are one of the first to support Fiery VUE, the desktop application that makes publishing of professional-looking finished documents fast and simple for all office workers, according to Leah Quesada, vice president of office marketing, Xerox.
With speeds up to 50 pages per minute (ppm) in color and up to 75 ppm in black and white, the WorkCentre 7700 Series handle everything from general office documents to high-volume color print jobs. These MFPs also manage multiple printing, copying, scanning and faxing tasks simultaneously.
Targeted at enterprise customers across all departments, the recently launched Fiery VUE desktop application allows users to...
ProfitTrain for Mac OS X gets built-in reporting, more
Clickable Bliss has released ProfitTrain 2.0 (http://clickablebliss.com/profittrain/), an update to Mac OS X (10.5 and higher) invoicing application that now features: built-in reporting, flexible invoice workflows, line item blueprints, multiple business support and more.
ProfitTrain is an application for Mac OS X that helps freelancers and small businesses keep track of what they are doing for clients and create invoices for services rendered. Additionally, ProfitTrain will help you keep track of invoice payments as well as business expenses.
A free, fully functional, 30-day demo of ProfitTrain is available from the Clickable Bliss web site. A license can be purchased for US$49.95 directly from the Clickable Bliss online store.
ProfitTrain was previously known as Billable. Previous owners of Billable are eligible for upgrade pricing to ProfitTrain 2.0. An upgrade license from Billable costs $24.95.
Apple says child labor was used at some Chinese factories
Apple has admitted that child labour was used at the Chinese factories that build its Macs, iPods and iPhones, reports the "Telegraph" web site (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7330986/Apple-admits-using-c...?).
At least eleven 15-year-old children were discovered to be working last year in three factories that supply the company. Apple didn't name the offending factories, or say where they were based, but the majority of its goods are assembled in China.
The "Telegraph" reports that that Apple said the child workers are now no longer being used, or are no longer underage. "In each of the three facilities, we required a review of all employment records for the year as well as a complete analysis of the hiring process to clarify how underage people had been able to gain employment," Apple said, in an annual report on its suppliers.
Mac OS X's operating system browser share grows 29.4% in...
Quantcast (http://www.quantcast.com/) -- a company that measures what people are doing on the Internet -- recently began publishing stats on operating system browser share. Its latest stats show that Mac OS X's relative browser share has grown by 29.4% in the past year, while Windows lost 3.8%.
As noted by VentureBeat (http://venturebeat.com), January data from Quantacast shows that Windows accounted for 86.8% share of North American web consumption, Mac OS X accounted for 10.9%, and mobile browsers accounted for 1.3%. The iPhone/iPod touch combo accounted for more than 60% of mobile web consumption in January in North America.
"When it comes to operating system share, as estimated from the relative share of web consumption observed through Quantcast’s audience measurement services, Microsoft Windows leads the market by a long way, though is experiencing a gradual decline," Quantacast says. "Having held steady in the last three months of ‘09 (reflecting Windows 7 adoption) the decline...
Sample Logic's Elements EXP, Synergy now directly...
Sample Logic’s virtual instruments The Elements EXP (US$359) and Synergy ($299) are now compatible and installable on Receptor using Muse Research's Direct Install technology. Direct Install is part of Receptor Tools and can be accessed via the Receptor Remote Control.
The Receptor is a standalone hardware plug-in solution for the professional composer and sound designer. It's Mac and PC compatible and is available in VST, DXi, RTAS, AU and standalone versions. For more info go to the Sample Logic web site (http://www.samplelogic.com).
CEI’s EnSight 2.0 available with native Mac version
Computational Engineering International (CEI) says EnSight CFD 2.0, the latest version of the company’s CFD visualization software, is now available with a free version, a native Mac version, and practical volume rendering.
EnSight CFD 2.0 includes improvements to the visualization product such as: surface rendering with transparency, faster and less memory required for models that include polyhedral cells, and session files to save work and replay it on other datasets. Key enhancements are a free version, a Cocoa Mac version, both of the free and paid kind, and the inclusion of the volume rendering in both the free and paid versions.
Volume rendering is an important visualization technique which has until now been unavailable to the average engineer and scientist, according to the folks at CEI. EnSight CFD 2.0 brings this capability to the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for uses in aerodynamics, astrophysic.
A Mac Cocoa version was one of the primary goals of EnSight CFD...
iSale 5.6 for Mac OS X adds eBay, social network features
Equinux (http://www.equinux.com) has released iSale 5.6, the latest version of the eBay auction tool. Users can now invite Facebook friends to check out ongoing auctions. Version 5.6 also takes into account recent changes to eBay.
iSale 5.6 helps users take advantage of their social networks. With its one of a kind Facebook integration, iSale users can inform friends about running auctions by posting a note on their wall. Next to the image iSale also includes a direct link to the auction. In order to get a better picture of buyers, iSale also uses Google Maps to show where in the world they are located and eases up the whole after sales management when an auction is finished.
Version 5.6 now supports online storage accounts of two or more gigabytes with Google's free Picasa Web Album photo service. All thumbnails images now appear in the correct size in auctions when using the eBay picture service.
iSale 5.6 costs US$39.95, though it's a free update for registered users of version 5.x...
BatchOutput Server for InDesign gets improved link updating
Zevrix Solutions has updated BatchOutput Server (http://zevrix.com/BatchOutputServer.php), an output workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign, to version 4.2.8. The new version addresses an issue related to auto-updating of modified links.
Under BatchOutput Server workflow, production artists and prepress operators simply submit files to hotfolders that reside on the network. BatchOutput Server automatically outputs the files from its dedicated station using hotfolder settings, and will auto-activate document fonts as well.
BatchOutput 4.2.8 can be purchased from the Zevrix Solutions web site for US$699.95, as well as from authorized resellers. A demo is available for download. BatchOutput 4.2.8 is available for Mac OS X 10.4 and higher, a Universal Binary, and works with Adobe InDesign CS-CS4.
Cookie Platter for Mac OS X automates browser cookie management
iTacet Software (http://www.itacet.com) has released Cookie Platter 1.0, an US$9 Mac OS X application that automatically deletes all unwanted cookies and saves specific cookies based upon a user's favorite web sites.
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.
Analyst: Apple share could hit $435 by 2012
In a report to clients issued Friday, Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty offered a scenario in which Apple shares could US$435 by 2012 due to the iPad and new iPhones in June.
As reported by "Fortune," Huberty told clients she ewas anticipating unit sales of six million iPads in calendar 2010, considerably higher than the Street's consensus of 3-4 million.
She also forecasts iPhones in June that offer "both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology."
Huberty offered three scenarios -- bull, base and bear -- but leans heavily toward the bull, describing three paths to share prices as much as 115% above Apple's closing price Thursday of $202 per share. You can read all the details here: http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/02/26/apple-3-paths-to-... .
Big Nerd Ranch Europe offers Cocoa Bootcamp in April
Big Nerd Ranch Europe is offering a new Cocoa Bootcamp (http://bignerdranch.com/classes/cocoa_i) April 19-23. Taught by Cocoa instructor Scott Ritchie , it provides a look at Apple's object-oriented development environment.
The class offers both an introduction to the fundamentals of coding in Cocoa and a walk-through of some of its most challenging advanced features. Students attending the class should have some experience in Java or C++ programming in order to maximize their experience. The primary text of the class, "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X," was authored by course instructor, Aaron Hillegass, and provides the framework by which lessons are taught. Short lectures are immediately followed by programming sessions.
Students signing up before March 15 can apply for the early bird fee and save €200 off the price of €2800. The Big Nerd Ranch Europe incorporates training classes for Mac OS X and Unix programmers in a retreat setting outside Frankfurt, Germany.
DevDay for iPhone slated for April 26
DevDay for iPhone (http://iphonedevday.com) is an interactive on-day conference for software developers and business professionals who want to learn how to build and market iPhone applications. DevDay for iPhone will take place at Dexter House in London, UK, on April 26.
Key speakers at DevDay for iPhone include Raven Zachary and Daniel Steinberg. Zachary, president of Small Society, who directed the Obama '08 iPhone application for the Obama Campaign, will provide the keynote presentation. Steinberg -- the editor for the new series of Mac Developer titles and the author of "Cocoa Programming, A Quick-Start Guide for Developers" by Pragmatic Programmers -- will present on the latest in iPhone app development with a deep dive into Core Animation and a workshop on developing applications for the recently announced iPad (subject to the release of the current NDA on the iPad software development kit by Apple).
In addition, the creators behind iPhone applications including Stanza, Deutsche...
Apple to open 25 stores in China
At Thursday's shareholder meeting, Apple senior vice president of retail Ron Johnson said Apple is planning to open 25 retail stores in China, although he didn't say when.
Apple opened its first Chinese retail store in Beijing in July 2008. Plans for a second store in Beijing were announced in mid-2009, but it still hasn't materialized.
Apple now has 283 stores in 10 countries. Approximately 100 stores were remodeled during the 2009 calendar year and 10 new stores opened, including one in Louvre in Paris and Upper West Side in New York.
Apple releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1
Apple has released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1. The upgrade adds support for RAW images from 11 new cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09.
The upgrade is available via the Software Update Component of the Mac OS X System Preferences app. It's a 6.7MB download and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later.
At shareholder's meeting, Jobs defends Apple's cash...
At Thursday's Apple shareholder meeting, CEO Steve Jobs defended the company's large cash stockpile of about US$40 billion. And two environmental proposals were rejected.
He said he prefers having cash for investments to paying dividends or doing stock buybacks, notes "Bloomberg" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=AAPL%3AUS&sid=aJg...). Apple is holding onto cash to take “big, bold” risks, he said.
"When you take risks, it's like jumping in the air," Jobs said. "When they don't work out, it's nice to know the ground is always there."
Also, during the meeting, shareholders rejected two proposals that sought to force the company to do more to analyze its impact on the environment, notes the "Associated Press" (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-shareholders-reject-apf-120261537.ht...).. One proposal would have asked Apple to produce a detailed environmental sustainability report. The other called for a board committee focused on sustainability. Apple,...
Matias releases USB 2.0 Keyboard + Smartphone Stand
Matias (http://matias.ca/) has released the USB 2.0 Keyboard + Smartphone Stand, which is iPhone and iPod touch compatible. It's available now for US$49.95.
It has a a stand built into the keyboard, so your iPhone or iPod touch can now be part of your desktop work environment. Matias CEO Edgar Matias says the arrangement offers quick access to iPhone/iPod touch apps that lets you do quick calculations, check your stocks, access Twitter, check Facebook updates, control iTunes and more.
The USB 2.0 Keyboard + Smartphone Stand also comes with custom keypad and trackpad apps to control your Mac.
Boxee Beta now on AppleTV
Some Boxee users have teamed up to resurrect the ATV-Usb creator and craft an updated solution specifically for the Boxee Beta (http://blog.boxee.tv/2010/02/25/get-a-bite-of-this-%E2%80%93-boxee-beta-...) on the Apple TV. If you already have Boxee Alpha installed on your AppleTV, you should be able to just update Launcher and then update Boxee to install it, as no new patchstick is needed.
Boxee provides cross-platform, freeware media center software with an user interface and social networking features designed for the living-room. It's still under development.
Intuit releases Quicken Essentials for Mac
Quicken Essentials for Mac is now available from Intuit. Its release marks Intuit’s first Mac-native application for Quicken -- that is, a product developed specifically to run on a Mac operating system, instead of adapting a product originally designed for a PC, says Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group. “
He says that QEM offers a Mac look-and-feel, easy navigation, and all the keyboard shortcuts users expect on Mac. Setup purportedly only takes 10 minutes. Users simply search for their bank, and synch using their online credentials.
QEM currently imports data from 12,000 financial institutions, with support from 18,000 expected by year's end. This is nearly quadruple the previous support of banks, credit unions, credit card companies, brokerage houses and lending institutions.
QEM “learns” the most popular categories from users, improving categorization over time, according to Patzer. The converter feature transfers historical data...
ProteMac designed to prevent unauthorized usage of a Mac
ProteMac has announced ProteMac LoginTrap 1.0 (http://protemac.com/LoginTrap/), a tool designed to prevent unauthorized usage of a Mac. It monitors all log-in events and detects whether a log-in attempt was successful or failed.
After a log-in attempt is made the program captures an image from the iSight camera, so that you are able to see who is trying to break into your Mac. An alarm e-mail with iSight camera snapshot attached is sent immediately after a log-in attempt.
ProteMac LoginTrap requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It costs US$29.95 for a single user license.
Phidgets releases the 1120 FlexiForce Adapter
Phidgets has released the 1120 FlexiForce Adapter, a tool designed to make it easy for users to connect the Tekscan FlexiForce force sensors to their computers.
"Phidgets users have been using our voltage divider to interface the FlexiForce sensors. While it does work, it was not a very elegant solutions and it did have some reliability problems," says Chester Fitchett, CEO of Phidgets.
Like all Phidgets sensors and adapters, the FlexiForce Adapter connects to one of the analog inputs on the 1018 -- PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8. The FlexiForce sensor is a thin and flexible printed circuit, which can be integrated into most applications. The FlexiForce force sensor can measure force between almost any two surfaces.
Phidgets has also added three models of Tekscan's 8-inch FlexiForce sensors to its product line to cover the following force ranges: 0-1lb., 0-25lb., and 0-100lb. Users can program Phidgets using an application programming interface (API) that's supported under Mac OS X. Users...
Barcode Producer for Mac OS X can now create wider ITF-14...
Apparent Corp. has updated Barcode Producer (http://www.itsapparent.com/barcodeproducer/), its barcode creation software suite for Mac OS X, to version 5.8. The app can now create wider ITF-14 barcodes for shipping containers and pallets of retail products.
Width is customizable by available W/N ratios for the ITF-14 symbology. Barcode 5.8 also has interleaved 2 of 5 barcode enhancements. The app now offers Light Margin Indicators for I2of5 barcodes, used for numeric industrial applications. Light Margin Indicators ensure designers don't infringe upon the barcode's required quiet space. Finally, the new version has updated icons for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop integration, automatically matching the version installed.
Barcode Producer is a tool for creating barcodes visually, with one-click export for Adobe Creative Suite products, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat Distiller. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
Barcode...
ActyMac DutyWatch Remote for Mac OS X works with iPhones, iPod...
ActyMac has released ActyMac DutyWatch Remote 1.0 (http://actymac.com/DutyWatch_Remote/), a distant computer monitoring application for Mac OS X that can be used on an iPhone or iPod touch. The US$149.95 app lets you monitor a specific computer or a group of computers that have ActyMac DutyWatch installed within a local network.
The program's interface enables a user to check each employee's activity and control their productivity at any time during the day, week or month even being far away from the office. ActyMac DutyWatch records all typed emails, chats, IMs, web sites or web searches. The program captures screenshots of current activity and stores all running programs.
With the help of DutyWatch Remote the monitoring statistics can be viewed on iPhone and/or iPod touch devices or in an Internet browser. A user can find out what applications are used, what web sites are visited and more.
V-Moda presents Remix remote headphones
V-Moda (http://www.v-moda.com) has announced the Remix Remote, their latest fashion-forward in-ear headphone with an integrated three-button remote. It's designed to work with the iPhone, iPod and Mac notebooks and ha a suggested retail price of US$99.99.
A remote and high fidelity microphone allows hands-free access for users to answer calls and control their music library. The in-line three-button remote allows the user to control the music playback, volume, VoiceOver or Voice Control functions.
The Remix Remote sports a newly tuned 9mm V-Masque neodymium dynamic driver and a Beat-Port air flow system. V-Moda's BLISS (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) noise-isolating technology further reduces outside noise and enables deep punchy bass, according to Val Kolton, V-Moda CEO and founder.
InfoLogic releases MathMagic Pro 6.91 for Adobe InDesign and...
InfoLogic has announced MathMagic Pro Editions 6.91 for Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress for Mac OS X (http://www.mathmagic.com/product/pro.html), their multi-purpose equation editor for mathematical equations and symbols. MathMagic Pro Editions come with InDesign Plug-ins and Quark XTensions to enable InDesign and QuarkXPress the equation editing capability right inside their documents.
Version 6.91 can extract all equations out from MS Word documents(.doc and .docx) to external files. It can batch-convert the equations to any formats that MathMagic support, such as EPS, JPEG, PDF, PICT, MathML, or LaTeX. Equations created with MS Equation Editor, MathType, and MathMagic are supported in the conversion. Other graphic objects used in MS Word documents can also be extracted and saved in a folder as separate files.
Additionally, MathMagic 6.91 includes other new and improved features such as more Macro support, new Variable height angle template, and new updated CS3 and CS4 plug-ins. It...
Flux web page creation app update sports SFTP sites
The Escapers has released Flux 2.0 (http://theescapers.com/flux2/), an update of the Mac OS X app that allows drag 'n drop creation of web pages without the need of knowledge of XHTMLICSS (though you can twiddle with the code if you like).
Now users can work directly off FTP and SFTP sites, so there's no need to repeatedly download and publish your site. But if publishing your site from your local computer suits your workflow, Flux can not only publish to FTP, SFTP, and MobileMe, but Flux can also compress all your images on the fly while publishing. This means that your large PNGs get compressed before they get uploaded.
You can apply effects to images from within the app. You can also attach JavaScript actions to your page and embed QuickTime movies, Flash and other objects. Some templates are supplied to get you started.
Flux is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires for Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. A 30-day demo is available at The Escapers web...
'MacVoices' looks at security on the computer, iPhone...
On the new "MacVoices" (http://www.macvoices.com), security guru Rich Mogull of "TidBITS" and Securosis talks about what is and isn't worthy of concern in the world of computer, iPhone and iPad security.
He wrote the cover article in the March 2010 issue of "Macworld," and helps makes sense of what you really need to pay attention to when it comes to your online activity. Mogull delivers the top tip in iPhone security, talks about the iPad, and where your biggest vulnerabilities are.
Pentax introduces new waterproof digicam, new megazoom model
Pentax (http://www.Pentaximaging.com) has announced the eleventh generation Pentax Optio waterproof digital camera (US$329.95). It offers enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and coldproof performance and features a Digital Microscope mode with LED lighting to capture small subjects.
Designed with the look of mountaineering equipment, the Optio W90 kit includes a woven web fabric strap complete with a carabiner to attach the camera to a backpack and other outdoor gear. The 12.1-megapixel Optio W90 with a 5X optical zoom (28-140mm equivalent) is waterproof to 20 feet and shockproof to four feet. Other features include: Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card connectivity; a 2.- inch LCD with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio; movie capture in widescreen 720p HD video at 30 frames per second; and an HDMI por.
Pentax also announced the latest model in the manufacturer’s megazoom digital camera line: the Pentax X90, which has an extra-wide zoom, longer battery life than its predecessor and an...
Over 10 billion songs sold at the iTunes Store
Apple says that music fans have purchased and downloaded over 10 billion songs from the iTunes Store (http://www.itunes.com), the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store. The 10 billionth song, “Guess Things Happen That Way” by Johnny Cash, was purchased by Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Georgia.
As the winner of the iTunes Countdown to 10 Billion Songs, Sulcer will receive an US$10,000 iTunes Gift Card. According to Apple, the iTunes Store has a catalog of over 12 million songs, over 55,000 TV episodes and over 8,500 movies including over 2,500 in high definition video.
Apple updates Aperture to version 3.0.1
Apple has released version 3.0.1 of Aperture, its software for professional photographers. It includes several overall stability and addresses a number of issues in Aperture 3.
You can find a list of all the changes here at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1006 . It's a 29.41MB download and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later.
Parallels announces Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition
Parallels says it's extending its server virtualization offerings for Apple environments with the introduction of the world’s first bare metal hypervisor solution for the Apple Xserve: Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition.
The new edition offers greater performance for applications running in virtual machines on the Xserve, enabling businesses to standardize on the Apple platform, and opening a new opportunity for cloud services providers to offer profitable Mac OS X services, according to Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels. The addition of Parallels Virtual Automation provides comprehensive management tools for monitoring and maintaining the virtual environment.
Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition builds on Parallels’ virtualization portfolio for Apple environments, most notably the existing server virtualization solution, Parallels Server for Mac. Launched in June 2008, Parallels Server for Mac brought virtualization to the Apple Xserve for the first time. The...
Next version of Firefox dropping support for Mac OS X 10.4
Mozilla says the next major version of Firefox will drop support for Mac OS X and require Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6.
"We believe a Mac OS X 10.5 minimum will allow us to provide the best experience possible to our users," Mozilla Mac programmer Josh Aas said in a mailing list announcement (http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.planning/browse_thread/thread...). "This does not affect current users of Firefox, or updates to Firefox 3.6: Mac OS X 10.4 will continue to be supported via Firefox 3.6 until its end-of-life (not yet scheduled)."
The Mac commanded 10% of home computer dollar share over the...
Apple carries just 5% of the total worldwide home computer market, but the Mac commanded 10.5% of the market's dollar share during the holiday buying season, according to Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf.
In a note to clients -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com), he says Apple's pricing discipline has been a tremendous asset. Apple's dollar share of the worldwide consumer computer market has continued to grow since early 2004, when it was just 3%, according to Wolf.
The Mac's dollar share in the U.S. home market is even more impressive, at about 20%, while it unit share sits around 10%, per the analyst. In the European home market, Apple has about 6.4% of sales, but 14.2% of revenue.
DJ software for iTunes updated with several new features
Algoriddim has released djay 3.1, an update of the music software application for Mac and iTunes. Users can now apply a new set of features, including Auto-Saving cue points and automatically aligning cue points and precise beats with Quantized Cue Points.
In addition, djay 3.1 includes keyboard shortcuts based on key position instead of letters, making the software's shortcuts more accessible to international users. djay 3.1 also has the ability to integrate with some of the most popular available MIDI controllers.
djay 3.1 is available for a free 15-day trial or for purchase from the Algoriddim web site (http://www.djay-software.com). It costs US$49.95. Version 3.1 is a free update for registered users.
File Courier update for Mac OS X addresses SMTP authentication...
Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has updated File Courier, a 5 digital delivery solution for Mac OS X (10.4.2 and higher) with timesaving options, to version 1.1.2. The upgrade addresses some issues related to SMTP authentication.
File Courier delivers files and folders to FTP and local destinations and sends automatic e-mail delivery notifications. The e-mail messages are based on variable templates and contain the detailed info about the item and its location. The software can also create a low-res version of a PDF file and attach it to e-mail, compress folders and protect deliveries with password.
File Courier is designed to automate and simplify the process of preparing, sending and confirming delivery to free up users from time consuming, tedious manual tasks which can also lead to mistakes and miscommunication between a sender and a recipient, according to the folks at Zevrix. With File Courier, users only need to drop a file or a folder on the program's icon, and the...
Apple shareholder meeting tomorrow will see new co-lead director
After facing criticism "that its board is too close-knit," Apple will hold its first shareholder meeting tomorrow with a new co-lead director: Avon Products CEO Andrea Jung, notes "Bloomberg" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=AAPL%3AUS&sid=azX...).
Jung is the newest director and only woman serving on the seven-member board. She took over as co-lead in December and succeeds former Apple executive Bill Campbell, chairman of Intuit.
The handoff to Jung follows complaints by corporate- governance experts that Jobs had too much sway over a group of hand-picked directors, says "Bloomberg." That may have affected the limited disclosures about Jobs’s health last year, when he had a liver transplant, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a dean at Yale University’s School of Management. Jung’s elevation to co-lead director gives a more independent voice to the board, he said.
“This is a really good move and I applaud them,” Sonnenfeld, who studies corporate-governance issues...
Final versions of DevonNote, DevonThink released
DevonTechnologies (http://www.devon-technologies.com) has released the final, non-public-beta version 2.0 of all editions of its information manager DevonThink as well as of the smart note-keeper DevonNote.
Version 2.0 of DevonThink and DevonNote brings a number of improvements over version 1.x and many enhancements over version 2.0 public beta, according to the folks at DevonTechnologies. This release is the first of six major releases scheduled for 2010, they add.
Version 2.0 sees a polishing of the user interface, including a new Welcome Assistant. There's support for templates, external linking, and some plug-ins in DevonNote. Other additions or enhancements include functional tag view and improved smart tagging and improved PDF annotations
Also, a new script lets the user open tabs from DevonAgent to DevonThink Pro and new smart templates open Google, Bing, or a manually entered web address in a new tab. DevonThink Pro Office retains the color depth as well as the rotation and...
Analyst expects Apple laptop refresh soon
Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu told clients today that a check of the distribution channel suggests that MacBook Pro supplies are tight and that a refresh of the laptop line is due soon.
He expects the next rev of MacBook Pros to use that Intel's next-generation mobile processor, Arrandale, which is shipping in large volumes. Wu sys the processor will deliver some new features that will help Apple engineers differentiate their laptops from other portables on the market.
"Benefits of the new mobile architecture, helped in part by its new 32 nanometer process (vs. previous 45 nanometer), include much better performance through hyper-threading and turbo mode, battery life, and weight characteristics, which we believe give AAPL engineers more room to further differentiate the MacBook Pro," the analyst said."We believe new Mac models could ship in the March quarter, or at the latest the June quarter. It is not clear to us whether AAPL will introduce these new Macs through special event or...
Elgato launches EyeTV Netstream DTT
Elgato (http://www.elgato.com) has announced the new EyeTV Netstream DTT, an "intelligent" network dual TV tuner for DVB-T. EyeTV Netstream DTT streams digital television (DVB-T/Freeview) to all the Macs or PCs on your home network.
A dual tuner, EyeTV Netstream DTT enables two people to watch and record different TV programs at the same time. It has built-in support for Bonjour and UPnP. EyeTV Netstream DTT comes with EyeTV 3, Elgato's Mac TV software. It also works with Windows 7 Media Center and ships with TerraTec Home Cinema (THC) software for Windows. EyeTV Netstream DTT is available immediately at a price of 249.95 Euro.
Traditional USB 2.0 DVB-T receivers are susceptible to “dead spot," so reception can never be optimal in every location within a room, according to the folks at Elgato. EyeTV Netstream DTT is designed to solve this problem; as a network device, it doesn't have to be installed near your computers. Simply locate EyeTV Netstream DTT wherever you have an antenna...
Dot Hills introduces 3000 series arrays
Dot Hill Systems Corp. (http://www.dothill.com) -- a provider of storage solutions and software for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), open storage partners and system integrators -- has announced it's now shipping its next-generation 3000 Series disk arrays with support for 8Gb Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs), dual interface 8Gb Fibre Channel and 1Gb iSCSI, and optional AssuredRemote data management software.
Dot Hill's 3000 Series enables storage network implementers to protect their investments and provides non-disruptive storage upgrades through the use of 8Gb Fibre Channel and/or dual interface 8Gb Fibre Channel/1Gb iSCSI solutions that are backward compatible with existing 4Gb Fibre Channel and 1Gb iSCSI installations. With the addition of drive spin-down, mixed drive type support and dual protocol interfaces, users can now combine both high performance primary volumes and secondary storage with different performance and energy usage profiles in the same...
Native Instruments introduces Scarbee Vintage Keys
Native Instruments has introduced Scarbee Vintage Keys (http://www.native-instruments.com/Scarbeevintagekeys.info), a set of software instruments that provide renditions of the legendary electric pianos, for use in Kontakt 4 and the free Kontakt Player.
Based on the Scarbee sample libraries, Scarbee Vintage Keys gives musicians and producers of all genres a way to integrate the sounds of these classic keyboards into their music. It features electric pianos of the 60s and 70s, dubbed Mark I, A-200, Clavinet and Pianet, all based on 24-bit sample material.
The instruments utilize up to 16 velocity layers per key as well as special "Horizontal Release Technology" to recreate the complex dynamic behavior of each instrument. Each instrument also offers an integrated multi-effect section with up to 10 algorithms, including phaser, chorus, reverb and various other effect types.
All four instrument emulations contained in Scarbee Vintage Keys are also available as separate download...
iPresentee unveils new iWeb Intros
iPresentee (http://www.ipresentee.com), a developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, has extended its iWeb Intros collection to be used with iWeb, Apple's web site building component of the iLife.
iWeb Intros design uses short flash animations and sounds to give visitor a first impression of the web site. iWeb Intros 3.0 adds five new welcome intros: Cityscape, Sunset, Highway, Nature and Factory. Each intro can stand alone as intro page for any web site or can be incorporated into any iWeb template as a part of the page.
Each iWeb Intro package includes video instructions and other documentation. In addition iPresentee offers an updated iWeb Suite for US$70, which includes 35 iWeb themes, 35 iWeb themes for business, 15 iWeb intros, 75 iWeb animations and 181 Keynote 3D Stuff objects.
iWeb Intro 3.0 requires iLife '08 or iLife '09 installed. Each iWeb Intro is available for $10. The set of five iWeb Intros 3.0 may be purchased for $30. Samples and more information...
Zevrix update for Mac OS X addresses PDF auto-preflighting issues
Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has announced BatchOutput 3.6.4, an update to its professional solution to automate printing and exporting to various formats from Adobe InDesign. The new version addresses several issues related to PDF auto-preflighting.
BatchOutput automates InDesign output workflow of printers, ad agencies, service providers and publishing houses. With the software, users can select the files to output and adjust the settings, instead of opening and printing each document manually. For example, BatchOutput can be left to output hundreds of InDesign files overnight, and the completed job can be picked up next morning.
BatchOutput also allows users to output InDesign documents as single pages, update links automatically, and output files invisibly for the user. The software automatically composes complex variable file names. Because BatchOutput can run in the background, it allows users to keep working with other programs during processing.
BatchOutput is...
TinyBooks Pro for Mac OS X gets minor update
Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates (http://www.winograd.com) has updated TinyBooks Pro, its Mac accounting and bookkeeping program, to version 7.0.1. The upgrade sports some bug fixes, improved import of old TinyBooks documents, and restoration of the Add button in the Professional Invoice Printer window.
TinyBooks Pro is a single-entry bookkeeping and accounting system designed for sole proprietors, home and other small businesses, and family finances. To use you enter your expenses and income, and TinyBooks Pro does the rest. Current and year-to-date on-the-fly totals are continually displayed. Fully automatic bar-charting of all expense and income accounts make the determination of monthly trends intuitively obvious, according to the folks at Space-Time Associates.
TinyBooks Pro 7.0.1 is exclusively for Intel-based Macs and is available now. TinyBooks (the non-Pro TinyBooks) is still available for those running on older PowerPC Macs or those running Mac OS 8.x. or 9.x TinyBooks...
iPresentee unveils new iWeb Intros
iPresentee (http://www.ipresentee.com), a developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, has extended its iWeb Intros collection to be used with iWeb, Apple's web site building component of the iLife.
iWeb Intros design uses short flash animations and sounds to give visitor a first impression of the web site. iWeb Intros 3.0 adds five new welcome intros: Cityscape, Sunset, Highway, Nature and Factory. Each intro can stand alone as intro page for any web site or can be incorporated into any iWeb template as a part of the page.
Each iWeb Intro package includes video instructions and other documentation. In addition iPresentee offers an updated iWeb Suite for US$70, which includes 35 iWeb themes, 35 iWeb themes for business, 15 iWeb intros, 75 iWeb animations and 181 Keynote 3D Stuff objects.
iWeb Intro 3.0 requires iLife '08 or iLife '09 installed. Each iWeb Intro is available for $10. The set of five iWeb Intros 3.0 may be purchased for $30. Samples and more information...
