Managing Editor (http://www.maned.com), an Adobe premier development partner and a leading provider of software solutions for the publishing industry, today announced the release of Page Director Ad Layout System 5.4. Used at more publications worldwide than any other automated page-planning solution, ALS has been optimized for compatibility with Adobe Creative Suite 4. QuarkXPress 8.0 compatibility will be available in the coming weeks. ALS 5.4 includes a convenient new print designer, which allows users to design and print custom ad dummies, resulting in printouts that conform to each publication's specific requirements. The release is also packaged with ALS XT for QuarkXPress 7.x and a new version of MEI's AdImport plug-in that is compatible with Adobe InDesign CS2, CS3 and CS4. These tools augment ALS by allowing users to import dummies and final ad content into QuarkXPress or InDesign editorial pages. Additionally, ALS 5.4 has been upgraded for connectivity with MEI's Integrated...

The Tiffen Company (http://www.tiffen.com), a manufacturer and distributor of photographic accessories, has announced Dfx Essentials software for Mac and Windows users. It's due for release within the next 30 days and will be sold through retail specialty dealers at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$59.95. Dfx Essentials is designed to complement any digital camera and features a selection of 37 specialized filters and effects with hundreds of built-in presets and the ability to create and save custom versions and custom set-ups to repeat favorite looks, according to Tiffen CEO Steven Tiffen. Dfx Essentials offers the ability to create multiple filter and effect layers, color, clone and red-eye removal tools, with non-destructive crop, rotate and scaling. The filter palette with thumbnail previews lets you evaluate effects before applying them to an image. Dfx Essentials is compatible with a wide range of file types including camera raw and final images can be saved in...

Mooch (http://www.mooch.com), a peer-to-peer video game trading site, has opened its free beta to the public. Users can trade their used games with each other in lieu of trading them in at retail stores After two years of development, Mooch is now offering a limited number of free accounts during the beta period. Following the free beta, membership will be US$19.99 annually. Mooch subscribers can enter a list of the games they have as well as the games they want. Each step of the trading process is intelligently automated, including finding potential trades, balancing each trade, and even allowing users to print postage directly from the site, says Mooch CEO Jonathan Balser.

Mooch (http://www.mooch.com), a peer-to-peer video game trading site, has opened its free beta to the public. Users can trade their used games with each other in lieu of trading them in at retail stores After two years of development, Mooch is now offering a limited number of free accounts during the beta period. Following the free beta, membership will be US$19.99 annually. Mooch subscribers can enter a list of the games they have as well as the games they want. Each step of the trading process is intelligently automated, including finding potential trades, balancing each trade, and even allowing users to print postage directly from the site, says Mooch CEO Jonathan Balser.

The USENIX Association will hold the 2009 USENIX Annual Technical Conference (USENIX '09) June 14-19 at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North, in San Diego, California. The USENIX Annual Tech (http://www.usenix.org/events/usenix09/) will feature an extensive training program, as well as a variety of technical sessions, including the Refereed Papers Track, Invited Talks, and a Poster Session. For more information about USENIX '09, contact conference@usenix.org

Canon U.S.A. (http://www.usa.canon.com) has expanded its notable line of LCD multimedia projectors with a first-ever native WXGA-resolution (1280 x 800) widescreen model, a 3,000 lumen XGA model and a 3,500 lumen XGA model. The new Canon LV-8300 Multimedia Projector provides a native WXGA-resolution and aspect ratio of 16:10 that allows it to support data and imagery from widescreen notebooks and desktop computers. As a result of the projector's native widescreen format, this model supports popular WXGA-resolution computers in their native format, avoiding the need for compression and/or unsightly distortion, according to Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A. The 1.2x Zoom Lens offers a wider range of throw distances, allowing these projectors to fit multiple screen sizes, whether in large or small rooms. In addition, the high brightness these projectors emit ensures they can be used in environments where excessive ambient...

ZiggySoft (http://www.ziggy-soft.com) has released a new version (2.0) of iWeb Valet, a tool to enhance and upload iWeb pages. It adds the ability to add new interactive widgets to your web pages. iWeb Valet works with iWeb, the web creation component of Apple's iLife suite. After you have created your pages with iWeb, instead of publishing your site to MobileMe, you can publish your site to a folder on a local destination (your hard disk, for example), then you can use iWeb Valet to enhance in many ways your iWeb pages, and finally have your website uploaded on a FTP server. Web Valet is US$19; a 30-day demo is available for download. iWeb Valet costs US$19. A 30-day demo is available for download.

The FCPUG Network, which produces the SuperMeets along side trade shows such as Macworld, IBC and NAB, have announced that they will have a booth on the show floor at the NAB Show in Las Vegas April 20-24, 2009. The producers have stated that the booth will serve as an extension of the the Eighth Annual NAB FCPUG SuperMeet, to be held in the Amazon Ballroom at the Rio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas on Tuesday night, April 21. Appropriately, they're calling it the "SuperBooth." "We have always wanted space on the NAB show floor, but could never find the resources or money to afford it," says Michael Horton, founder of the LA Final Cut Pro User Group and co-producer of the SuperMeets. "But this year we have gotten tremendous support from the community who are donating their time and expertise to make this booth happen. Our plan is to make the SuperBooth a social gathering spot for all Final Cut Studio users and Digital moviemakers who find themselves in need of learning and connecting." "...

Monkeybread Software releases version 9.2 of the MBS plug-in for REALbasic. The MBS plug-in comprises a collection of several plug-in parts which extend the REALbasic development environment with 1500 classes featuring over 29000 documented functions. The plug-ins require REALbasic 5.5 or newer. Also required are 300 MB hard disc space and around 64 MB of RAM in addition to the requirements of REALbasic and your operation system itself. While all plug-in parts compile on Mac OS 8.x, Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS X (universal), Linux and Windows, each function may depend on additional system requirements to work successfully. Plugin licenses are available for components or for the complete collection. Starting at 20 Euro (+VAT) for one component. The complete package costs 196 Euro (+VAT) 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...

Viva Vision (http://www.vivavision.com), a provider of mobile entertainment, has released its first two iPhone applications, based on the Car and Driver and Cute 'n' Funny Pets brands. They're available for US$0.99 each at the Apple App Store. The new mobile entertainment applications allow users to view images as an automatic slideshow, browse through the image galleries, and save their favorite images to use as a wallpaper or share with friends. With the Car and Driver slideshow app, you can check out cars of the past, present and future. This app features automatic playback through dozens of the world's coolest cars. Users can pause the slideshow, zoom in and out and save their favorite images to their phone to share with friends or use as their wallpapers. New cars are updated regularly. With the Cute 'n' Funny Pets slideshow app, pet lovers can see their furry friends caught on camera. Users can play the slideshow, pause on favorite images and save favorite images to their iPhone...

Other World Computing (http://www.macsales.com) is offering third party 1066MHz DDR3 EEC memory upgrades up to 32GB for the new Mac Pro "Nehalem" models announced by Apple last week. OWC says the Mac Pro memory upgrades fully meet Apple Design Specifications, including specific required thermal EEPROM, board design, chip components; and are fully RoHS and JEDEC compliant. Pricing for the upgrade kits can be found here: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory Internal hard drive upgrades are also available from OWC with savings of up to $540 versus same size factory installed upgrades, the company says.

Markzware (http://www.markzware.com), a developer of data extraction and conversion software and inventor of preflighting, has released an upgrade to its PUB2ID conversion tool for InDesign CS3 and CS4. PUB2ID v2 (Microsoft Publisher to Adobe InDesign) is a plug-in that enables users to convert native-application Microsoft Publisher files (MS Publisher versions 2002 through 2007) to Adobe InDesign while preserving the content, as well as the styles and formatting. The Adobe InDesign user simply clicks on "File" in the toolbar, then "Open," and selects the Microsoft Publisher file for conversion. Markzware's PUB2ID v2 is available from Software House International (SHI), Software Spectrum, Programmers Paradise, MacConnection, CDW and through Markzware Direct Sales or at Markzware's online store. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is US$199 and the upgrade is $99 for PUB2ID v1.x users.

iPresentee, (http://www.ipresentee.com), a developer of add-ons for Apple's iWork and iLife applications, has released Keynote 3D Stuff 2.0, a package of 3D images to be used with Apple's Keynote, iWeb and Pages apps. The Keynote 3D Stuff package includes 115 different 3D objects, ranging from futuristic apples to pencils, from metal to glass objects, and a more. The package combines 70 images included in version 1.0 with 45 new ones created specifically for this release. Each 3D image is optimized for 1024x768 pixels in size presentations and for Pages documents or iWeb templates of any size. The background of all Keynote 3D Stuff objects is transparent and can be used on any colored background. Within Apple's Keynote, iWeb and Pages, these objects can be changed in size, rotated, increased or decreased in opacity, fitted with shadows or overlapped with one another to create extra effects. Keynote 3D Stuff costs US$20. It requires Mac OS X and any version of Keynote, iWeb, Pages or...

Independent game developers at the Mac games and reviews website, Macgames.org, have announced the release of their first game, a new tennis game for the Mac, Smashing Tennis (http://www.macgames.org/smashing-tennis/). It costs US$9.95 Here's how the game is described: "Smashing Tennis was created with a specific focus: to make a game challenging and entertaining for avid, arcade tennis players. Realistic physics were incorporated into the game as best as could be done in a 2D environment, therefore, the game play is accentuated by real ball flight trajectory, as well as sound effects, which are recordings of actual tennis matches. The court surfaces also come into play and greatly vary the feel and style of game play. Each court surface offered in Smashing Tennis: grass, clay, hard decoturf courts, behaves as on real life tennis court surfaces, such that grass courts will have a fast performance with balls skidding and bouncing low favoring serve and volley players; hard court...

Plustek Technology (http://www.plustek.com/usa) has announced the MultiServer MFA100S, a multi-function server for small office/home office (SOHO) and medium enterprise (SME) environments. MultiServer MFA1000S offers diverse functionalities like email, anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall, Quality of Service (QoS), Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), SMS, system recovery etc. Mac compatible, it also functions as web server, email server, FTP server, PHP MySQL server, NAT server, Samba server, DHCP server, DNS server and Dynamic DNS server. The MultiServer MFA1000S allows SOHO and SMEs to run their own email services so that a company's classified and confidential information is not under a third party's safekeeping, according to the folks at Plustek. It leverages on the strengths of Linux operating system to maximize safety and prevent intrusions, leakages etc. Encrypted data transmission (Secure Socket Layer or SSL mechanism) prevents the password...

XB Software has released MaxTreeGrid (http://www.maxtreegrid.com/), AJAX-backed JavaScript control which allows you to represent data as tree hierarchy, plain grid or combine both views as treegrid. It allows data loading from numerous data sources -- from server side script such as PHP, JSP, ASP, and others, or JS, XML, CSV, JSON, HTML. Fltering and sorting capabilities are built in in MaxTreeGrid and can be extended according to customs preferences. According to the folks at XB Software, the entire grid functionality occupies barely 23 kilobytes (gzip compression). The component is written in pure JavaScript and doesn't need to invoke any additional items from a server, which means MaxTreeGrid is compatible with any server technology. Included in the component are additional libraries that allow you to link a grid with any server-side script through any REST-like server side API (application programming interface). A demo version of MaxTreeGrid is available for download.

Aleratec (http://www.aleratec.com) -- a developer and manufacturer of solutions for the USB, Flash, HDD, Blu-ray, DVD/CD, duplicating, and DVD/CD publishing markets -- has announced two new systems for duplicating large volumes of flash drives. Data throughput isn't limited by the number of flash drives loaded in either the 1:118 USB Copy Tower SA or the 1:27 USB Copy Tower SA. flash drive duplicators, according to Alteratec President and CEO Perry Solomon. The 1:118 will copy, compare, or erase up to 118 flash drives and the economical 1:27 will copy, compare, or erase up to 27 flash drives. These USB flash drive duplicators are stand alone so no computer or any other equipment is required. Duplicating control functions are selectable via a built in duplicator controller with a back lighted LCD display. The 1:118 USB Copy Tower SA will copy and compare 118 256MB flash drives in about 50 seconds, says Solomon. You'll have to contact Aleratec for pricing options.

LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has announced three new ways to carry digital content -- itsaKey, iamaKey and PassKey USB key drives, design by 5.5 Designers. The compact key-shaped design fits in a pocket or on a key ring. The itsaKey and iamaKey store up to 8GB of flash memory. Alternatively, the PassKey has a built-in microSD card reader, which allows you to use your memory cards as stylish and handy USB keys. The three USB keys are built with metal. Additionally, the Gold SIP connector on the iamaKey is both water and scratch-resistant. Supported by the USB 2.0 interface, the LaCie iamaKey, itsaKey and PassKey can be used with both Macs and PCs. In addition, the PassKey is versatile; you can easily change the capacity by swapping the microSD card (or micro SDHC). The LaCie Keys are available now, starting at US$9.99.

Intuit says it will soon introduce Intuit Online Payroll (http://www.intuitonlinepayroll.com) to Mac users as well as accountants, banks and credit unions. Beginning fall 2009, the benefits of Intuit Online Payroll will be extended to Mac users with Safari support and integration with Intuit QuickBooks for Mac. Mac users will be able to enter employees' hours and with just a few clicks, according to Intuit. Online Payroll will automatically calculate earnings, payroll taxes and deductions. In addition, the offering allows users to print paychecks from their printer, or use direct deposit. Intuit Online Payroll instantly calculates federal and state payroll taxes for the user. It helps keep track of what taxes a user owes and reminds them when and how much to pay. A small business can write a check or pay federal and select state taxes electronically with E-Pay at no additional cost. What's more, Intuit Online Payroll automatically fills in the latest federal and many state payroll tax...

XChange UK (http://www.xchangeuk.com) has announced a new CtrlChanges plug-in that offers users new ways to manage text changes within Adobe InDesign and InCopy. The plug-in is geared toward users who "require a clear and accurate solution to a common problem, to visually be able to see what has been changed in an InDesign document." Features include the ability to keep track of any text changes, display added text in Layout view, display removed text in Layout view, keep track of which user made the change and when the change occurred. CtrlChanges comes in three versions: Light, Standard and Pro. They cost approximately US$56, 44, $215 and $454, respectively.

magazines, newspapers, books, and corporate agencies -- has released Smart Styles for Adobe Creative Suite 4. Smart Styles is an automated formatting tool that simplifies repetitive formatting of text, frames, and other objects in InDesign and InCopy. Besides support for CS4, the new Smart Styles release also incorporates Nested Styles enhancements (including GREP) and enhancements for text with a stroke. Users of Smart Styles simply drag a styled object into a Smart Styles library, after which Smart Styles intelligently analyzes its formatting, according to Erik Schut, president of WoodWing Software. Page designers can then drag this Smart Style object out of the library and onto another page element to apply the same formatting. Smart Stylescan also deal with variations when the target object is different from the original. Smart Styles also adds basic spreadsheet functionality to InDesign and InCopy by allowing users to insert formulas into tables and sort columns by multiple...

Other World Computing (http://www.macsales.com) has announced DDR3 memory upgrades up to 4GB for the new Mac mini desktop computer models announced by Apple this week. With the announcement of the new 2GB Memory Module for the mini, OWC provides an additional memory option for the mini not offered by the factory. The OWC 2GB Memory Module can be added to an existing 1GB factory chip for 3GB of total memory. OWC says its memory upgrades for the Mac mini cost up to 57 percent less than the factory upgrades. In addition, with OWC memory upgrades, users retain their original factory memory modules that can either be set aside for future use or be sent to OWC for a cash back trade-in up to US$7 per 1GB Apple factory memory module. OWC memory upgrades for the Mac mini 2.0GHz and 2.26GHz 2009 models are: ° OWC 2GB DDR3 Memory Module -- $33.99 (you can add this to the existing 1GB factory chip for 3GB total memory); ° OWC 4GB (2 x 2GB matched memory modules) DDR3 Memory Kit -- $64.99 57%...

Freeverse and MrJoy are donating their tower defense game, Hordes of Orcs, to the non-profit Games For Soldiers organization. In turn, Games for Soldiers will deliver the digital copies of the game to over 20,000 American armed services personnel stationed throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan and Kuwait. SPC Jesse Williams first began contacting video game publishers while stationed in Afghanistan, securing donations to help outfit his unit's MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) center. After returning home, he founded the Games For Soldiers organization (http://www.gamesforsoldiers.org), which has shipped thousands of video games to armed services personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, to both individual soldiers and base recreation centers and Internet cafes. Available for both Mac and PC systems, Hordes of Orcs is a game in which you must build walls and lethal towers to defend your village from the Orcs emerging from "The Glowing Portal of Really Bad Things That We Should...

Mariner Software has released its first iPhone and iPod touch application: Mariner Calc (http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=136). It's now available for US$9.99 at the Apple App Store. In development for more than a year, Mariner Calc takes advantage of almost two decades of spreadsheet experience on the Mac, according to Michael Wray, president of Mariner Software. It also introduces the ability to view and edit native Microsoft files (.xls format Excel 97 and up) on the iPhone. Mariner Calc includes 24 math functions, 18 finance functions, 17 trig functions, 13 statistics functions, 14 lookup functions plus logic, date, text and info functions -- with many more on the way. It also supports splitting panes and freezing, as well as creating borders and changing fonts, colors and alignment. Landscape and portrait views are both available.