Toon Boom Animation (http://www.toonboom.com) has released Service Pack 1 (SP1) for both Storyboard 1.5 and Storyboard Pro 1.5. In addition to several product enhancements and performance improvements, this Service Pack includes: ° A new Optimize project command to remove unused elements and compress drawings or flatten all drawings in the project; ° The possibility to create one-frame panels; ° The possibility to apply commands and operations to a selection of panels, such as Reset camera, rename scene, Copy and paste camera position; ° The possibility to select layers throughout a selection of panels allowing many alterations, such as show/hide, rename and flip; ° New options to export projects in PDF format; ° New commands to allow camera positions and moves to be copied and pasted; ° A new Save Project option for Mac OS X; ° A new Panel navigation preferences; In addition, the PRO package gets: improved capability to import Final Draft script; the possibility to optimize the...

Roland Corp. has released a system upgrade for the Juno-G Workstation Keyboard, adding Fantom-series audio sampling functionality that you can use alongside all the other Juno-G features. The version 2.0 software upgrade is a free download. With he Juno-G Version 2.0 upgrade are these features, sample audio can be imported from external sources -- and you can import audio phrases from the removable flash memory. Samples can be assigned to trigger from the Juno-G's function buttons or the Juno-G's keyboard. Velocity and note number can be assigned individually for each sample in version 2.0 of the software. You can adjust start, end and loop points using the Juno-G's front panel control knobs. The software update includes sampling editing such as Truncate, Normalize, Emphases, Sample Chop and Combine. Samples can automatically match BPM in real-time to changes made to the tempo of your song. To download JUNO-G Version 2.0 software upgrade, please visit http://www.rolandus.com/products/...

Oten Inc., the parent company of Sena Cases, has introduced a new product line under a new brand name, DomeSkin (http://www.domeskin.com). DomeSkin was founded as a new entity and a subsidiary of Oten, Inc. with its headquarters in Tustin, California. All DomeSkin products are manufactured in the USA. DomeSkin designs are protective, scratch-resistent skins for mobile devices utilizing a new 3D "dome" patented technology used in the construction of the DomeSkins. They provide a 3D look, slim profile and enhanced device gripping designed to prevent slipping. The Skins can be removed from the device and purportedly come off totally clean thanks to the patented 3M technology used in the construction of the skins. UThe DomeSkin is also reusable due to the "clear dome" armor/resin built into the skin. The DomeSkin product assortment works with a variety of iPhones and iPods with a retail price of US$14.99.

iSale users earned more than US$1.5 million last month with their auctions at eBay. equinux (http://www.equinux.com), the makers of iSale, they they're tapping into this wealth of experience with the new iSale Lab, an online service that equinux now offers for free to the iSale community. The iSale Lab shows all active iSale auctions on eBay and will break down the auctions into the 10 most popular categories and market places and the 10 most used iSale templates. This ultimately allows users to take advantage of the editing of others, says equinux CEO Till Schadde. The iSale Lab makes it possible to flip through all of the running auctions on eBay created and designed with iSale giving users an opportunity to benefit from the creativity of others when designing their auctions, he adds. iSale gives users the opportunity to gain higher bids and earn more money with the 222 included auction templates. iSale itself costs US$39.95.

The Tolis Group has released BRU Producer's Edition (PE) for Mac OS X (http://www.productionbackup.com), a solution specifically designed to protect creative assets. The company says that music, film and graphic arts industry engineers, artists and users now have a "reliable, flexible, and easy-to-use solution to protect key creative digital assets regardless of their level of computer knowledge." The app was specifically designed to create session archives. You can drag and drop volumes, folders, or session files from major applications for backup operations into Producer's Edition. You can create two tape copies of the same data simultaneously via the Doubler Archival Mode, eliminating the need to perform two discrete backup operations for local and archival or deliverable asset copies. BRU PE offers tape library support for up to two drives and 24 slots. Engineers/operators can choose to create a single archive element containing all assigned components on one set of backup tapes,...

Winter Wolves has released Spirited Heart, a fantasy life simulation game with RPG elements. It costs US$19.95 and is available for Mac, PC and Windows platforms. Here's how the game is described: "Create a virtual alter ego picking from an apparently normal human, a cute elf, or a wicked demoness. Each character has different starting attributes and a unique personality that will greatly influence the gameplay. "Once the game starts, you'll be able to run your life in a virtual fantasy world. Choose a job from one of the 20 different ones available. Raise your skills to be able to do better. Take time to relax by going on vacation in several different locations. Ultimately, find the romance that's right for you. "In the game there are six potential partners for your character -- two from each of the three races. From time to time you'll randomly encounter them, and your dialogue options will influence your relationship. Each partner will have his own personality and will react...

Apple Reports Second Quarter Results Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended March 28, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $8.16 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.21 billion, or $1.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.4 percent, up from 32.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue. In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhone and Apple TV over their estimated economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of sub scription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the quarter are $9.06 billion of "Adjusted Sales" and $1.66 billion of "Adjusted Net Income." Apple sold 2.22 million Macintosh...

Other World Computing (http://www.macsales.com) will observe Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, by announcing new earth-friendly programs to augment the company's ongoing commitment to green practices. Company reps say that OWC has already made a significant commitment to green practices in designing and building its corporate facility, opened April, 2008, to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) "Platinum Level", the highest level of LEED certification available. LEED is a nationally accepted voluntary building certification program that defines high-performance green buildings, which are more environmentally responsible, healthier, and conservation-minded structures. When final certification is complete, the OWC corporate facility will be one of only six new construction, commercial buildings in the state of Illinois to be certified at the Platinum Level. Because of its commitment to "eco-friendly" best practices, "Computerworld Magazine" selected Other World...

The Retronyms has released Seek 'n Spell (http://www.seeknspell.com), a new word game for the iPhone 3G and iPod touch. It's available for US$2.99 at the Apple App Store. Here's how the game is described: "Seek 'n Spell transforms iPhone gaming from a solo, sedentary experience to an active and social outdoor contest. Combining real outdoor spaces with virtual letters, Seek 'n Spell is a word game where you and your friends compete to gather letter tiles and create words to score the most points. "With Seek 'n Spell, players gather in a park or other large outdoor space with a clear view of the sky and activate the app. Seek 'n Spell detects all the players present and scatters letter tiles across the playing field. Players then race one another around the field to capture up to 10 letter tiles at a time, which they use to create words. Coveted gold tiles will appear randomly on the field, earning players a doubled score when used in words. Points are earned based on the length of the...

LuraTech (http://www.luratech.com) has released the latest version of its document conversion solution. LuraDocument PDF Compressor 5.3 has been enhanced with a number of new features, such as free-form recognition and the ability to convert born digital documents to PDF/A for long-term archival. With the addition of these capabilities, PDF Compressor 5.3 provides users - from individuals to the largest document scanning service providers - with a comprehensive solution that can handle all their document conversion needs. "Our PDF Compressor 5.3 now represents a complete conversion solution covering the entire conversion process between digital document creation to delivery and long-term archiving. It now can classify scanned documents, extract structured information, compress, and output to full-text searchable PDF and PDF/A files," said Mark McKinney, president of LuraTech. "Also it is easy-to-implement and use giving small to mid-sized organizations a cost-effective alternative to...

Just got a note from a MacTech reader who is selling his pretty amazing collection of Apple memorabilia in order to pay for his wife's surgery. "Apple Memorabilia Collectibles Sale for a good cause! Hello there MacTech... you don't know me, but I'm a fan of your magazine. Thanks for that! Very useful, indeed. Can't afford a sub just now, until wifey gets better, which brings me to... I'm writing you to ask for your help... my wife needs some surgery, and we don't have healthcare insurance, so... I'm liquidating my absolutely amazing Mac memorabilia collection. I've been collecting all this great stuff for over 25 years, and it breaks my heart to sell it all, but my sweet wife is a lot more important to me than my collection! http://www.saldanah.com/applesale Blair Saldanah"

PureCM (http://www.purecm.com/) has announced the latest version of their software configuration management solution, PureCM 2009-1. This new release allows companies of any size to benefit from automated yet fully versioned parallel development without incurring the administrative overhead or price tag of other solutions in the market, according to Stephen Worthington, development manager at PureCM. With economic pressure still rising and software development companies looking for ways to achieve more with less, streamlining the development process can offer a welcome solution to increase productivity. PureCM 2009-1 helps development managers to do so supporting agile best practices and reducing human error by automating tasks. According to Worthington, defining a project hierarchy and introducing branching is but the initial challenge to parallel development. "Once you know how you want to work, a number of solutions will allow you to create branches for teams or individual features...

Two colors that personify spring, Pink and Yellow, aren't just for Easter eggs anymore. Speck today introduced two wonderfully jovial vernal colors -- Hot Pink and High Noon Yellow -- to its SeeThru Satin soft-touch, hard shell case offerings for the new aluminum unibody 13" MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro notebooks. For images of the new cases, please visit http://www.speckproducts.com/content/seethru-satin-for-macbook "We've had a tremendous response to our SeeThru Satin hard shells since their introduction last year," said Irene Baran, CEO of Speck. "The new colors are delightfully cheerful and stand out in a crowd with an explosion of color. They're sure to brighten up anyone's living room, bedroom, or office and just in time for spring and summer." Designed exclusively for the new 13" MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro, the SeeThru Satin hard shell snuggly protects your MacBook like a perfectly-sized, custom-fit glove. The smooth-to-the-touch rubberized exterior finish gives the MacBook a...

At this week's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, EditShare (http://www.editshare.com), which specializes in cross platform collaborative editing and shared media storage systems, and Automatic Duck (http://www.automaticduck.com), which makes timeline transition products, said they're teaming up to solve workflow productivity issues for postproduction facilities and editing workgroups collaborating on shared media files across disparate editing platforms. As a result of this technology partnership, EditShare is integrating key timeline translation technology from Automatic Duck's Pro Import FCP and Pro Export FCP solutions into EditShare's Flow Universal Media File technology. EditShare's Universal Media File technology allows a single media file to be used simultaneously by Apple and Avid editors. The resulting integration enables mixed Avid and Final Cut editing environments to instantly access and edit media files, with entire timelines in tact...

Aleratec (http://www.aleratec.com) -- a developer and manufacturer of solutions for the USB, Flash, HDD, Blu-ray, DVD/CD, duplicating, and publishing markets -- is featuring its new 1:5 HDD Cruiser, a hard disk drive duplicator and sanitizer all in one unit, for Earth Day 2009. Gartner reported recently that in one year there were 160 million personal computers disposed of worldwide, which amounts to 460,000 a day. Of these 41 percent were stored, 32 percent were put in landfills, and 27 percent recycled. The Aleratec HDD Cruiser is aimed at increasing the recycled percentage, says Perry Solomon, president and CEO of Aleratec. Hard drives can be wiped clean and reused with no worry about confidential information being compromised, he adds. The 1:5 HDD Cruiser will duplicate up to five HDDs simultaneously, and it can sanitize up to 6 HDDs to assure that confidential data is unreadable. Once the drives have been sanitized they can be reformatted with new operating systems and...

Eizo Nanao Technologies (http://www.eizo.com/) has announced the ColorEdge CG232W, a full high-definition 22.5-inch LCD monitor for broadcast and post-production that can be used for both reference and editing work. Mostly geared at professional users, this monitor is expected to be priced around US$12,500. According to the folks at Eizo, the ColorEdge CG232W is the first monitor for post-production and broadcasting to offer this dual functionality. Studio professionals can now conduct all their work on one monitor whereas they previously needed both a master monitor for reference (playback) and a desktop monitor for editing. This delivers significant cost savings while eliminating the problem of trying to match colors between different monitors, says Eizo. The ColorEdge CG232W comes with multiple input support including DVI-D, and D-Sub to facilitate direct connection to broadcast and studio sources as well as desktop computers. The monitor uses an IPS (in-plane switching) panel...

At this week's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) announced three new product combinations for video professionals: the 4big Quadra Bundle, which boasts capacities up to 32TB and transfer speeds up to 700MB/second, and new 8TB and 16TB models of the 4big Quadra. LaCie 4big Quadra is a four-bay RAID solution featuring four hot-swappable disks and seven RAID modes including RAID0 and RAID5. You can strip two or more 4big Quadra and connect them via eSATA using the LaCie eSATA II PCI Express Card 3Gb/s. The LaCie 4big Quadra Bundle gives users a choice of combining two 4big Quadra for up to 8TB and 400MB/s transfer speeds, or four 4big Quadra for up to 32TB and 700 MB/s transfer speeds. Featuring three options for customization, the LaCie 4big Quadra Bundle includes the choice of two or four 4big Quadra, a LaCie eSATA II PCI Express Card 3Gb/s -- 4Ports, and a LaCie Rescue Kit (available with Bundles 16TB and 32TB). The...

At this week's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nvidia announced it's bringing its NVidia Quadro FX 4800 graphics card to Mac Pro users. It's on display at the Nvidia NAB 2009 booth: SL 7906, lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To address the direct needs of the Mac user, the new Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac features a standard three-pin stereo connector for true 3D stereoscopic imaging, which is critical to many core professional Mac applications, according to Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions, Nvidia. The Quadro FX 4800 GPU dynamically allocates compute, geometry, shading and pixel processing power, he adds. The GPU also offers an 1.5GB frame buffer and memory bandwidth up to 76.8 GB/second. Nvidia's CUDAT parallel computing architecture for the Quadro GPUs enables "breakthrough application performance to enhance creative expression in areas such as video, animation, photography and production," says Brown. The...

Atebits hsa introduced Tweetie for Mac, an extension to its iPhone/iPhone Twitter client. Tweetie for Mac will bring the renowned performance and usability of the iPhone version to the desktop, plus more, according to Loren Brichter, President and Founder of Atebits. He adds that "it's more than a port -- in fact, it's a complete rewrite." The new core is faster, more stable, and more extensible than its predecessor. Not only will it form the foundation of the Mac version, but also the foundation of the next generation of Tweetie 2.0 for iPhone, Brichter says. Tweetie for Mac is available as a free, full-featured version with ads powered by FusionAds.net. Registration will disable the ads, licenses are available for a two-week introductory price of US$14.95 (normally $19.95). For more information and to download Tweetie for Mac, head over to http://www.atebits.com/tweetie-mac/

Extend Studio (http://www.extendstudio.com) has released FusionCharts for Dreamweaver (Developer Edition). This is a Dreamweaver charting extension designed to help developers and designers create animated, interactive and data-driven Flash charts in Dreamweaver CS3 and CS4. FusionCharts for Dreamweaver offers support for an array of server-side languages, including PHP, ASP, ColdFusion and, soon, JSP and ASP.NET. The data used for plotting the charts can be pulled from virtually any database system supported by Dreamweaver including MS SQL, My SQL, PostgreSQL. FusionCharts for Dreamweaver offers 34 types of 2D/3D charts, including line, area, bar, column, pie, doughnut (donut), combination, scroll charts and more . The charts are animated and interactive. The interactivity options include tooltips, rotation, switching from 3D to 2D and then back again, and even slicing the wedges in a pie chart. An integrated query builder helps the user select tables and aggregate data with just a...

NetGear, a provider of branded networking solutions, has announced the ProSecure UTM family of appliances, the first line of Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances designed for small businesses. The ProSecure UTM line, which initially consists of the UTM10 and UTM25 appliances, leverages security technologies from security partners and NetGear's patent-pending Stream Scanning technology. In addition, the ProSecure UTM appliances come with subscription options without any per-user licensing. NetGear will display its full line of ProSecure solutions, including the recently announced STM Series of Web and Email Threat Management appliances for medium-sized businesses, in booth number 1757 at the RSA 2009 conference and trade show in San Francisco, April 20-24. The UTM10 and UTM25 will be available in July from value-added resellers and leading direct marketers at an estimated U.S. street price starting at $375 with a two-year warranty. More information is available at http://...

Mariner Software (http://www.marinersoftware.com) has announced t the pending release of Mariner Paperless 1.0, a rebranded version of the Mac OS X software, ReceiptWallet, that was acquired by Mariner earlier this year. Along with this rebranding, all sales, support, customer service and development is now under the Mariner umbrella. Mariner Paperless allows users to scan or import receipts and other varieties of paperwork while optical character recognition (OCR) and other data entry aids, help recognize and categorize your receipts and documents as PDFs. Then, built-in search functionality helps you find and organize receipts and documents into collections, making paper copies redundant for routine tasks such as record keeping and bookkeeping. Michael Wray, president of Mariner Software, says other features of Mariner Paperless include the ability to: track expenses for tax purposes; create expense reports to manage business and personal expenses; create searchable PDF files for...

Version 7 of DivX 7 for the Mac (http://www.divx.com/en/products/software/mac/divx) is here. The app lets you play digital videos on your Mac, including high definition H.264 (.mkv) videos with AAC audio and videos created using all previous versions of DivX technology. You can also play your DivX files (.divx, .avi) on millions of DivX Certified devices. The free DivX for Mac download includes trial versions of the DivX Pro Codec (a six-month trial) and DivX Converter (a 15-day trial). You can purchase DivX Pro 7 for Mac for $19.99 to get full versions of DivX Pro Codec and DivX Converter.

Boris FX (http://www.borisfx.com), a developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, has posted a public beta of Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug (BCC 6 FxPlug) for Apple pro video applications. BCC 6 FxPlug brings over 200 filters to Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Final Cut Express. In addition to new features included with the recently-released Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE for Adobe -- such as Extruded Text, Splines, and Shapes -- BCC 6 FxPlug takes advantage of Apple FxPlug's real-time architecture for simultaneous live previews of dozens of preset transitions, glows, and color and film look effects in a newly-designed effects browser window. Code-named "Popcorn", this new technology delivers the best of Boris on Apple's FxPlug platform, says Boris Yamnitsky, founder and president of Boris FX. The initial release of BCC 6 FxPlug will feature over a dozen new FxPlug Shaders. Many of the FxPlug Shaders draw on BCC strengths such as lights, keying, and 3D. FxPlug...