Gideon Softwarks (http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/) has updated Dock-It, its multifunctional dock and Finder enhancer. for Mac OS X, to version 2.7.5. The upgrade fixes the Clipping Applet menu, so it's no longer always disabled. Dock-It lets you create multiple docks that can be used to hold files, folders, applications, scripts, etc. It supports all Finder file operation modifiers. For new users Dock-It costs US$10. Version 2.7.5 requires Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard").

Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has released BatchOutput 3.9, an update to its professional solution to automate printing and exporting from Adobe InDesign. The update lets users automate output to InDesign Markup format. BatchOutput is designed to automate and simplify InDesign production workflows of service providers, printers, ad agencies and publishers. With BatchOutput, users only need to select the files to output and adjust the settings, and the rest will be done automatically. BatchOutput 3.9 can be purchased for US$129.95. A demo is available for download. Upgrades to BatchOutput 3.9 free for licensed users of version 3.x, and $47.98 for the users of earlier versions. Every order includes a free license of File Courier (a $19.95 value). BatchOutput is available for Mac OS X 10.4.2 and higher, a Universal Binary, and works with Adobe InDesign CS-CS5.

Malkinware has updated Reference Tracker (http://www.malkinware.com/referencetracker/), their academic reference manager and research tool for Mac OS X, to version 1.7. The upgrade touts reports and monitoring speed increases. Reference Tracker documents store all the citations and references in an essay, research project, or book and automatically create Harvard or APA formatted reference lists when needed. Features include lookup of book details using ISBN numbers or keywords, integration with Pages and Word, single-click extraction for references from web pages, built-in sticky notes, and more. There's no need to type out all the details of a referenced book. Just give Reference Tracker the book's ISBN and it will fetch all the details from the internet automatically. If the user doesn't have the book in hand, typing keywords into its built-in publication search will get a list of matching results. With a single click, search results will be added to their reference list. When...

Coherent Graphics has unveiled Proview 1.2 (http://www.coherentpdf.com/proview.html), an update of the PDF Editor for Mac OS X. The upgrade is faster, adds visual selection for cropping and lets you edit page bleed, trim, art and crop boxes individually. Proview sports a range of tools to edit existing PDF documents, as well as build new documents from scratch. It's based on the same professional-strength PDF technology as Coherent Graphic's high-end server solution. Proview allows you to merge and split files, rotate flip and scale individual pages, or all pages, crop pages and modify the document information. With it you can manage PDF bookmarks, add or remove PDF attachments, and add text and dates to one or more pages. Proview ships with interactive help. Additionally, users can edit encrypted files, as well as decrypt and encrypt PDF documents. Proview requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later. It costs US$40 for a single user license. A demo is available for download. Version 1.2 is a...

Fujifilm North America (http://www.fujifilm.com) has announced a new addition to its FinePix REAL 3D system -- the FinePix REAL 3D W3 digital camera. It steps it up from its predecessor with the ability to shoot high-resolution 3D photos and movies in 3D HD at 720p, with the help of a new RP (Real Photo) Processor. It also sports a new Mini HDMI port for playback on most 3D television systems and an Autostereoscopic 3D Widescreen 3.5-inch LCD. All components allow for 3D still photos and movies that can be viewed and enjoyed through a connection between the FinePix REAL 3D W3 and a 3D TV -- or printed in 3D quality. The slim FinePix REAL 3D W3 digital camera with a black matte finish measures 21.0 mm at its thinnest point and weighs 8.5 ounces with battery and memory card. The stainless steel construction ensures that the optical axis is balanced ever so precisely resulting in accurate 3D images, according to Go Miyazaki, division president, Imaging and Electronic Imaging Divisions...

Blizzard Entertainment has announced plans for a limited-release Collector's Edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm), the third expansion for the subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. The special Collector’s Edition package, which will only be available at retail stores, will include the following exclusive bonus items in addition to the game disc: ° Art of the Cataclysm art book, featuring 176 pages of never-before-seen images from the archives of the Blizzard Entertainment cinematics department and the World of Warcraft development team, as well as progressive visuals from multiple stages of development. ° Exclusive in-game pet: he may not be a breaker of worlds just yet, but Lil’ Deathwing will still accompany heroes on their struggle to save Azeroth from his much, much larger counterpart. ° Behind-the-scenes DVD with over an hour of developer interviews and commentaries, as well as a...

Sarah Rotman Epps, consumer product strategy analyst for Forrester Research, says the lack of viable tablet operating systems is one of the biggest reasons for the slow rollout of iPad competitors, according to a "Wireless Week" report (http://macosg.me/2/pz). “iOS is unique in that it scales down to smartphones and up to tablets, but there’s no other OS that’s uniquely suited to tablets,” she says, adding that the latest release of Android, which makes it slightly more tablet-friendly, just came out for developers within the past few weeks. However, while lack of operating systems in the game may be part of the problem, Jeff Orr of ABI Research told "Wireless Week" he thinks it’s more than that. A recession, combined with "Apple’s bucking of the traditional rollout schedule, left many prospective tablet makers in a holding pattern," he says.  The second reason Orr cites for a lack of tablets is Apple managed to throw everyone off with its unorthodox launch and ship cycle for the iPad...

All of Pink Floyd's post-"Dark Side of the Moon" albums have vanished from iTunes, due to the due to the group’s contract with EMI that covered those works, which ended on June 30, according to the "Associated Press" (http://macosg.me/2/pw). The physical copies of those albums are still available on CD, but only because EMI has a stock of those recordings that it can still sell, the article adds. However, if Pink Floyd doesn’t sign with another distributor (or re-sign with EMI), their latter-day albums could become rare. The earlier works, from Piper at the Gates of Dawn through Dark Side are part of a different contract and remain available on CD or as digital downloads, notes the "AP."

ID8-Mobile (http://www.ID8-Mobile.com) has announced the MoGo Talk XD for iPhone 4, which it says is "the world’s thinnest and only high-performance Bluetooth headset and protective case system." It will ship in September at a suggested retail price of US$99.99. Featuring "fold-flat" technology, the MoGo Talk XD folds to five millimeters thin and weighs in at nine grams for thin-profile storage while in the case. The headset leverages SmartAudio Sound and Voice Enhancement technology consisting of noise and wind reduction, echo suppression and automatic volume compensation when moving between noisy and quiet environments. The headset is also equipped with SoundMonitor high fidelity in-ear audio, leveraging a balanced armature driver, to round out a rich audio experience, according to Stuart Nixdorff, CEO of ID8-Mobile. The MoGo Talk XD boasts an articulating fold-flat ear boom enabling the headset to fit all face shapes. The headset is also equipped with patent pending Soundshape ear...

Many Tricks has released version 3.5.3 of Witch (http://manytricks.com/witch), its window switching utility for Mac OS X (10.5 and later). It now properly displays keys set in the Additional Actions section of the Triggers tab. Witch 3.5.3 is a free update for all Witch 3 users. Witch 3 is US$19 for new users and $8 for users of Witch 2.x.

Useful Fruit Software has released Pear Note 2.0.1 (http://www.usefulfruit.com/pearnote/), an update of the note-taking utility for Mac OS X. The new version offers an improved web sharing layout for long recordings With Pear Note, there's no need to manually organize notes to find them, according to the folks at Useful Fruit. Users simply bring up search and start typing, and the note they're looking for will pop right up. There's also no need to manually sort notes into folders or categories. Pear Note finds notes transparently so they don't have to go looking. Pear Notes requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. You'll also need a microphone (if recording audio) and an iSight (if recording video). Pear Note costs US$39.99; version 2.0.1 is a free update for registered users of version 2.0. A fully functional, 14-day demo is available for download.

Apple manager Paul Devine pleaded not guilty today to charges that he took at least US$1 million in kickbacks from Asian suppliers, reports "Bloomberg BusinessWeek" (http://macosg.me/2/pt). Devine, a global-supply manager, was accused of money laundering and wire fraud in a 23-count indictment unsealed Aug. 13 in federal court in San Jose, California. Michelle Kane, a federal prosecutor, objected to releasing Devine on bail, saying there is a risk he will try to flee, notes "Bloomberg." There are no bond conditions that can assure his appearance for trial, Kane told U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd, who set a bail hearing for Aug. 18. Kane and Devine’s lawyer, Raphael M. Goldman, declined to comment after court on Monday.

According to CB Insights, investment in pure play iPhone and iPad startups has grown over 220% over the last year as compared to the previous year, reports "ReadWriteStart" (http://macosg.me/2/pr). "Pure play" companies are those whose sole focus is building apps for iPhone and iPad. Between 2008 and 2009, there were 11 investment rounds over 10 companies, with almost US$38 million raised. This year, over the same time period, there were 17 investment rounds distributed over 16 companies for a total investment of $120.6 million. The average deal was $7.5 million, up from an average of $3.4 million in the previous year.

Native Instruments (http://www.native-instruments.com) has announced Traktor Kontrol S4, an integrated DJ system with performance capabilities and tactile control. It combines a special version of the Traktor Pro software with a hardware controller. The controller combines a four-channel mixer section with ergonomically laid-out control elements and an integrated audio interface. All relevant functions -- including looping, cueing, effects control and track browsing -- are immediately accessible on the portable hardware, while multi-color backlighting, LED status displays and comprehensive level metering allow DJs to focus on their performance. The included Traktor Pro S4 software offers the full feature set of Traktor Pro. Two Sample Decks can add up to eight simultaneous one-shot samples or beat-synced loops to the mix. The Loop Recorder also allows DJs to capture and overdub audio loops from the live mix, cue signal or an external input on the fly, and drop them back into the mix...

Adobe says the 2010 Layer Tennis design tournament will kick off this Friday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Hosted by Coudal Partners and presented by Adobe Creative Suite 5, Layer Tennis is a series of live online digital contests where creative professionals send files back and forth in real time, building upon each others’ designs while a guest commentator provides play-by-play updates. This season, the live matches can be viewed at http://www.layertennis.com and will run every Friday through Dec. 10. Each match consists of 10 volleys, each lasting 15 minutes. Spectators can watch and post commentary, and are encouraged to vote for a winner after each match on the Layer Tennis web site. Every volley can be bookmarked and live updates for all matches will be available as RSS and Twitter feeds. Spectators can also become a fan of Layer Tennis on Facebook. After each week’s Layer Tennis match, the winners and their work will be featured on the Adobe web site. New this season is a...

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told investors in a note that Apple plans to launch a connected, full-fledged HDTV in the next 2-4 years, something he has said before. As reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com), Munster agrees with recent rumors that the existing Apple TV set top box will be renamed the iTV, but feels this will only be a "stepping stone" to the eventual flat panel living room TV. The analyst thinks Apple's upcoming data center in North Carolina will be part of this process by serving as a hub for a cloud-based iTunes service that would allow users to stream their catalog of movies and TV shows. Munster believes the upcoming Apple TV update will add an app store, allowing users to download applications to run on the device as you can now do for the iPhone, iPod touch adn iPad. He also sees the product having a lower price and less internal storage, as more content is streamed without a need to save it on the device. Last week "endgadget" (ttp://...

Apple's South Korean distributor will start taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4 this week before its official launch next month, reports "AFP" (http://macosg.me/2/pj). KT Corp. says its stores and online shops would be available to receive orders for the popular smartphone from Wednesday. Apple has sold more than 850,000 iPhones in South Korea since the smartphone hit the local market nine months ago.

for mobile commerce, reports "Near Field Communications" (http://macosg.me/2/pe). Benjamin Vigier has been working on NFC technology since 2004 and has been responsible for NFC activities at both French mobile network operator Bouygues Telecom and flash memory manufacturer Sandisk, the article adds. Most recently Vigier was product manager for mobile wallet, payment and NFC at US mobile payments specialist mFoundry. There he conceived and managed both the PayPal Mobile service and Starbucks' barcode-based mobile payments service and was also responsible for the development of mobile wallet applications for two top US mobile network operators and an NFC wallet application for a top three US bank, says "Near Field Communications." Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about four-inch distance. It's designed mainly for use in mobile devices. If Apple added NFC to its...

Stairways Software (http://www.stairways.com) has released Keyboard Maestro 4.3.2, the new version of its productivity enhancer for Mac OS X. The update improves the look of disabled actions, adds a short delay before saving to coalesce saving and improves performance, especially when typing. It removes the trailing line feed from Execute AppleScript when inserting text, removes the sorting characters "xx" from KeyCue's display, adds a configurable command for osascript (specifically to allow executing osascript and, hence, AppleScript plug-ins as 32-bit), fixes a crash in Execute Workflow/Execute AppleScript when the file has disappeared and ensures changes to the file/text popup menu in the Execute Script editor sets the modified flag. Using Keyboard Maestro's macros you can: control applications, windows, or menus; insert text; open documents, applications or URLs; execute scripts; control the system or iTunes; and more, all with the touch of a key, click of the mouse, periodically...

Deep Prose Software (http://www.deepprose.com) has released Booxter 2.5.2 for Mac OS X. With Booxter users can create multiple libraries and smart lists to organize books, music, movies and comic books. The latest version is a maintenance update. Booxter supports both handheld and wireless barcode scanners and iSight video cameras to quickly add large numbers of items to a collection. Booxter supports both handheld and wireless barcode scanners and iSight video cameras to add large numbers of items to a collection. Booxter requires Mac OS 10.4 or later and is ready for Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard"). A downloadable demo version has a limit of 30 items for each library. The full version costs US$49.99. Version 2.5.2 is a free update for registered users of version 2.x.

Hamrick Software has released Vuescan 8.6.50, a new version of the VueScan software for Mac OS X that's designed to let users produce better digital images from color snapshots, negatives, slides and documents. It's a maintenance update with some bug fixes. The Standard Edition of VueScan costs US$39.95 and the Professional Edition is $79.95 for a single user license. Multi-user licenses are available. A fully functional, trial copy of VueScan is available for download from the Hamrick web site (http://www.hamrick.com).

Paul Shin Devine, a global supply manager, was among two people arrested and accused of accepting more than US$1 million in kickbacks from half a dozen Asian suppliers of iPhone and iPod accessories, reports the "San Jose Mercury News" (http://macosg.me/2/pc) Devine and Andrew Ang of Singapore were named in a 23-count federal grand jury indictment for wire fraud, money laundering and kickbacks. The alleged scheme used an elaborate chain of U.S. and foreign bank accounts and one front company to receive payments, per the "Mercury News." "Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in a statement. "We have zero tolerance for dishonest behavior inside or outside the company."

A recent Morpace (http://www.morpace.com) study shows that if the iPhone does become available on the Verizon network, it would impact the phone and carrier intentions of many consumers. The study found that nearly a third of consumers are very likely or somewhat likely to purchase an iPhone if it is made available to Verizon. The survey reveals that Verizon iPhone intenders come primarily from current Verizon customers. However, intenders are also drawn from current AT&T customers as well as from other carriers. Current AT&T iPhone customers are also interested in a Verizon iPhone. Recent rumors of the iPhone availability on Verizon or another carrier may also be impacting the number of upgrades seen for the iPhone 4, according to Morpace, a market research and consulting firm. Nearly all 34% of AT&T iPhone owners who haven't yet upgraded to the iPhone 4 say they are waiting for the iPhone to become available through another mobile carrier before upgrading. The impact on...

A survey by Cooper Murphy Webb (http://www.coopermurphywebb.com), a British copyrighting firm, shows that the iPad is the preferred method of reading newspapers and magazines among consumers already owning the device. The poll of 1,034 UK iPad owners also found that a plurality of iPad owners prefer the device for reading books and gaming. Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed use the tablet device f20-20 hours per week. 
However, the news is just as good -- perhaps better -- for Macs. In the Cooper Murphy Webb poll, 33% of those surveyed used a computer as their primary entertainment device. The iPad came in second with 24%, trailed by the TV (19%), mobile phone (22%) and "other" (2%). -- Dennis Sellers