My Voice Karoke comes to the Mac
eMedia Music Corp., in partnership with France’s IPE Music, has announced the North American release of IPE’s My Voice Karaoke, vocal removal and karaoke software for Mac OS X and Windows. The software lets you create custom karaoke mixes using your own music library.
My Voice Karaoke is available at the retail price of US$29.95. The My Voice Karaoke software is a hybrid for both Mac and Windows platforms, and will also be available for download at eMediaMusic.com and through select online retailers.
Apowersoft releases Screen Recorder 2.0 for Mac OS X
Apowersoft has released Mac Screen Recorder 2.0, an update to the screen recording tool for Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
The software enables anyone to record screen activity easily. Users may also convert video files at high speed in batch, covering an array of popular formats. Aside from making general improvements to the basic recording functions, version 2.0 offers new features, including picture-in-picture effects, task scheduler, video conversion, merger and more.
Apowersoft Mac Screen Recorder costs US$39.95 for a personal license. Users can try the free trial for a certain period to check the overall performance. What's more, users who have previous versions can upgrade to the latest version for $10. Go to http://www.apowersoft.com/ for more info.
Simon for Mac OS X revved to version 3.6
Dejal Systems has announced Simon 3.6, an update of the server monitoring tool for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher.
Simon checks web pages, FTP and DNS servers, local or remote ports or volumes, and many other kinds of services for changes or failures, with lots of notification and reporting options. Version 3.6 includes new Notification Center and History plug-ins, a rewritten Twitter plug-in, several report enhancements, and other improvements.
Dejal Simon costs US$49. Version 3.6 is a free update for licensed Simon 3 users, with upgrades from version 2 starting at $19. Go to http://www.dejal.com/simon/ for more info.
Sonnet shipping Echo Express III-D, III-R, and SE II Expansion...
Sonnet Technologies says its Echo Express III-D (desktop), Echo Express III-R (rackmount), and Echo Express SE II (desktop) Thunderbolt -to-PCI Express (PCIe) card expansion chassis are the first devices of their kind to ship with 20 Gb/sec Thunderbolt 2 interfaces.
These models, which are now shipping, are the newest members of Sonnet's award-winning Echo Express family of expansion products that enable any Mac equipped with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports to interface with a wide variety of high-performance PCIe cards originally designed only for use in desktop computers.
The Echo Express III-D (pictured), Echo Express III-R, and Echo Express SE II incorporate Thunderbolt 2 technology, which delivers twice the throughput of 10 Gb/sec Thunderbolt. The new expansion chassis support every kind of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card available — enabling the use of professional video capture, audio interface, 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, SAS and SATA HBA, and RAID...
Brotens announces Lighting Source Manager 1.0 for OS X
Brotens has released Lighting Source Manager, a Mac application for managing photometric files. It's designed for architects, engineers and any Mac user involved in lighting calculation and who needs to manage technical photometries.
Lighting Source Manager allows you to import, display, edit and format IESNA LM-63 (ASCII text files normally used by manufacturers of lighting fixtures-North Americans), EULUMDAT (formed by European standards) and even DXF data files.
Photometric solids are summarized in 36 azimithal C-curves and 180 zenithal gamma-angles, while the color of the lamps is given by the color temperature or real color. Lighting Source Manager can export to PDF a complete report for each photometric measurement.
Lighting Source Manager requires Mac OS X 10.8 or higher and costs US$29. It's available both from the Mac App Store and the Broten web site (http://www.brotens.com).
Code Pilot goes open source, adds Xcode 5 support
Macoscope has announced an open source release of Code Pilot, an Xcode plugin that allows smart navigation through source code. It's designed to speed up the development process.
This release also includes support for latest version of the Xcode 5 IDE (integrated development environment.) Xcode is an IDE containing a suite of software development tools for developing Mac OS X and iOS software.
Code Pilot is free and available now from Macoscope online (http://macoscope.com/). Macoscope says it "hopes this release will give birth to implementation of many ideas of improving Xcode and making Objective-C development a much more pleasant and satisfying experience for the whole community."
Thecus announces new enterprise NAS devices
Network attached storage company Thecus has announced its newest NAS units, the N7710-G (pictured) and N8810U-G, for SMB and enterprise users.
These latest additions to the Thecus line offer improvements in performance thanks to the Intel Pentium G850 Dual Core CPUs, and 10GbE technology. 10GbE networking delivers speeds up to 10x faster than regular gigabit connections, says Florence Shih, general manager of Thecus. Along with the 75% faster (but cooler running) processor, newly incorporated multimedia ports (HDMI and VGA), and the inclusion of USB 3.0 ports, the new 7-bay N7710-G and 8-bay N8810U-G also bring the wealth of the Thecus App Center to SMB businesses, she adds.
The NAS units make RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD available. The User Quota feature and iSCSI Thin Provisioning ensure that storage resources are shared efficiently., Shih says. Both new NAS products also have VMware V5.5 certification, for compatibility with the latest virtualization technologies.
The N7710-G and...
The latest version of K4 adds Lucene-based, full-text search...
vjoon GmbH, which specializes in software for professional digital content management, has released version 6.7 of the cross-media publishing platform vjoon K4.
This latest version boosts the software's integrated DAM capabilities with a high-performance search engine and "lazy loading" so that extensive search results are ranked by relevance and displayed on the fly, says vjoon GmbH CEO Andreas Schrader. It searches all publishing content — layouts, images, text objects and metadata — in a matter of seconds, he adds.
What's more, hits are ranked according to a relevance criterion as of this version. Content containing more frequent mentions of the keywords are presented first to the user. In addition, a stemming algorithm extends the query to encompass all variations on the root of the keyword used in the search. These root morpheme-based searches can also be employed for language-specific purposes.
The manner in which search results are displayed has also been revised. As of this...
Monotype now exclusive provider of Foundry Collection typefaces
Monotype Imaging Holdings — a provider of typefaces, technology and expertise for creative applications and consumer devices — is now the exclusive provider of more than 100 typefaces from The Foundry, a U.K.-based typeface design company owned and operated by typeface designers, David Quay and Freda Sack.
The agreement also marks the first time that all the fonts from The Foundry are available as Web fonts and for licensing beyond traditional desktop applications.
The Foundry fonts are available as Web fonts from Monotype through Fonts.com Web Fonts or as a self-hosted option. Extended licenses are also available to use fonts in e-publications, mobile apps, server-based applications, consumer devices and other products.
Fonts from The Foundry are available at Fonts.com and Linotype.com as desktop and Web fonts. Linotype.com also offers the fonts for e-publications, mobile apps and server-based applications.
Excel Software announced three self-hosted license servers
Excel Software has announced three self-hosted License Server products: Desktop License Server, Web License Server and Cloud License Server. These servers provide a license activation and management solution for any company that sells digital products including applications, libraries, plugins, ebooks, videos, PDFs, spreadsheets or games.
Each server product consists of an executable and data files that can be placed on a Linux or Windows web server and an Admin application that is installed on a Mac or Windows computer. The Admin application is used to configure licenses, generate serial numbers and manage customer records on the online server.
Desktop License Server supports software or documents used on Mac, Windows or Android OS protected with QuickLicense, AppProtect or DocProtect. The server automates the activation process of a protected product by collecting a Serial Number and other customer data in an Activation dialog. The server supports Trial, Product, Subscription,...
OmniOutliner for OS X gets new architecture, more
The Omni Group has released OmniOutliner 4 for Mac OS X. The upgrade of the outliner sports a new architecture, a fresh design, and more. You can use it to write a novel, take notes at school, keep your scratchpad updated, develop a monthly budget, inventory a collection, even record and store audio from an interview or lecture.
OmniOutliner 4 requires Mac OS X 10.9. It's a free update for those who've purchased the app within the past three years. For new users the price is USs$49.99. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/mxzow93 .
Apple settles complaint regarding kids' in-app purchases
Apple has agreed to provide full refunds to consumers, paying a minimum of US$32.5 million, to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint that the company billed consumers for millions of dollars of charges incurred by children in kids’ mobile apps without their parents’ consent.
Under the terms of the settlement with the FTC, Apple also will be required to change its billing practices to ensure that it has obtained express, informed consent from consumers before charging them for items sold in mobile apps. The FTC’s complaint alleges that Apple violated the FTC Act by failing to tell parents that by entering a password they were approving a single in-app purchase and also 15 minutes of additional unlimited purchases their children could make without further action by the parent.
The complaint also alleges that Apple doesn't inform account holders that entering their password will open a 15-minute window in which children can incur unlimited charges with no further action from the...
The CPUG Network announces the Las Vegas SuperMeet
The Creative Pro User Group (CPUG) Network has announced that the Thirteenth Annual Las Vegas SuperMeet will take place on Tuesday, April 8 in the Royale Ballroom at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and presentations will begin at 7 p.m.. The Las Vegas SuperMeet promises to be the single largest gathering of Final Cut, Adobe, Avid and Autodesk editors, gurus and digital filmmakers during the 2014 Nab Show. Early bird tickets go on sale online on Feb. 4 for US$10.
The event's SuperMeet Digital Showcase will feature over 30 software and hardware developers. Presentations will begin at 7 p.m. on April 8 and continue until 11 p.m. For more info go to http://supermeet.com .
Judge: 'anti-poaching' lawsuit may continue
Approximately 60,000 Silicon Valley workers to the thumbs up to pursue a lawsuit accusing Apple and other tech companies of conspiring to drive down pay by not poaching each other's staff, after a federal appeals court refused to let the defendants appeal a class certification order, reports "Reuters" (http://tinyurl.com/md6m8en).
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has let stand an order by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, to let the workers sue as a group, and pursue what the defendants said could exceed $9 billion of damages, the article adds. The case began in 2011 when five software engineers sued Apple, Google, Adobe, Intel and other firms over an alleged "overarching conspiracy" to suppress pay by agreeing not to recruit or hire each other's employees.
IGC Software rings up version 5.0.4 of iBank for Mac OS X
IGC Software (http://www.iggsoftware.com) has released released iBank 5.0.4, a new version of its financial management application for Mac OS X. It's an incremental update with bug fixes and stability improvements.
iBank 5.0.4 costs USS$59.95. It's a free update for registered users of version 5.x. It's available at the IGC Software web site and the Mac App Store.
CineText Final Cut Pro X Titles released on FxFactory
FxFactory has introduced CineFlare CineText to its family of plugins. It's designed exclusively for use in Apple's Final Cut Pro X.
CineText is a tool for adding professional, animated text titles, The plugin comes with 20 different custom-made animated titles, each with its own quick-choose, drop down menu for selection between six screen positions.
CineText is located in the Titles browser of the program after download. Just drag and drop a chosen title onto your timeline and begin altering to suit your needs. CineText is now available through FxFactory (http://fxfactory.com/info/cinetext/) for US$49.
The latest in patent battles involving Apple
A new patent infringement lawsuit has been filed against Apple, while a second company is seeking to supplement a previous lawsuit.
Rembrandt IP Management affiliates Rembrandt Patent Innovations and Rembrandt Secure Computing have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the lawsuit capital of the world.
The patent in question (US Patent 6,185,678) covers systems and methods for secure booting and recovery in an electronic device. The Rembrandt companies claim Apple uses the technology in many of its products — including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch — without permission.
Meanwhile, VirnetX Holding Corp., an Internet security software and technology company, has filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas seeking to supplement its infringement contentions against Apple, the defendant in its currently-pending patent infringement lawsuit.
The motion alleges that newly released...
PrivacyScan for Mac OS X revved to version 1.5
SecureMac has released PrivacyScan 1.5, an update of the Mac privacy software. New features have been added to increase users privacy and make them aware of potential privacy threats that exist on their Mac.
PrivacyScan will notify Google Chrome and Chromium users when their browser is configured to sync with Google’s servers, which can restore erased data. PrivacyScan will also add the capability to clean open windows in many popular apps.
PrivacyScan acts like a digital private eye, identifying hidden threats that can compromise privacy when accessed by advertisers or snoopers trying to see user activity. Version 1.5 is engineered for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
It costs US$14.99 and is available at http://www.privacyscan.securemac.com. A 15-day demo version is also available.
MySQL/SQLite SQL Query and Data Export Component available
Steven Cholerton has announced MySQL/SQLite SQL Query and Data Export Component for Xojo and REALStudio Developers to use within their own applications.
He says it allows developers to give their customers sophisticated data query functionality built into their application without having to write it themselves. With it users can connect to any SQLite or MySQL database. The Results Grid can be customized for font, size and line type. Export Results Data in Tab Delimited, CSV or JSON Formats.
The standard edition of DataViewer costs 50 GBP with the full source code edition available for 150 GBP. Email support is available for both editions of DataViewer. To download it click on http://tinyurl.com/kqhjlqj .
Typinator 5.8 suggests matching snippets as you type
Ergonis Software has released Typinator 5.8, a new version of their text expander. The upgrade lets you define a hotkey to instantly search for matching snippets while you're typing.
Typinator is a solution that boosts your productivity by automating the process of inserting frequently used text and auto-correcting typing errors. Version 5.8 offers new AppleEvents to enable third-party utilities to define new snippets, and offers improvements in the Registration window to avoid misunderstandings with correctly registered licenses.
Typinator 5.8 requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or newer. It can be ordered at the Ergonis Software website (http://www.ergonis.com). The upgrade to Typinator 5.8 is free for anyone who owns a valid license for Typinator 5. Upgrade paths are available for owners of older licenses.
See the Ergonis web site for information about purchases, including enterprise licenses, volume discounts, and upgrade pricing offers. Instead of purchasing Typinator by itself, customers...
Troi Activator plug-in ready for FileMaker Pro 13
Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps:
° Troi Automatisering has updated its Troi Activator plug-in for FileMaker Pro to version 3.5.2. It adds compatibility with FileMaker Pro 13 and now runs in 64-bit.
Troi Activator Plug-in is a tool for triggering scripts across the network, even over the Internet. A fully functional demo version is available for downloading at Troi's web site (http://tinyurl.com/mq4s7k9).
Troi Activator Plug-in 3.5.2 works with FileMaker Pro 10, 11, 12 and 13. The plug-in can also be used with runtimes from FileMaker Pro Advanced 10, 11, 12 and 13. The plug-in is available for Mac OS X 10.5.7 or higher.
Licenses cost US$89 per user. Details on developer licenses and multi-user discounts can be found on the Troi web site.
Troi Activator Plug-in 3.5.2 also works with FileMaker Server 10, 11, 12 or 13 as a server-side plug-in and as a plug-in used by the web publishing engine. To use this, you need to purchase a special cross-platform Server/...
TrackX Powered by mocha available for Final Cut Pro X
Imagineer Systems has released TrackX powered by mocha. The latest Apple Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) plug-in to come out of the strategic partnership between Imagineer Systems and CoreMelt, TrackX powered by mocha leverages the Academy Award-winning Planar Tracking technology to track camera motion, objects and people for seamless visual effects and screen composites.
It lets FCP X editors track and replace objects within a video, such as an image on a cell phone, TV screen or sign, as well as add graphics and text, including lower-thirds, to follow objects in motion. TrackX’s customizable parameters provide FCP X editors with controls to fine-tune translation, scale, rotation and perspective motion of text and video, eliminating the need to do manual keyframing. Designed to manage the most difficult tracking challenges, mocha technology stays locked on through shaky, grainy and motion-blurred video.
TrackX powered by mocha is available now and priced at US$99. Users who have purchased...
ShopKeep, Griffin announce Mobile POS for small businesses
ShopKeep POS, a cloud-based point of sale platform designed by retailers for retailers, has announced ShopKeep Mobile, a handheld point of sale device that will use Griffin Olli hardware with the ShopKeep POS app.
Designed for the iPod touch, ShopKeep Mobile features an encrypted credit card swiper and high speed laser barcode scanner to ring-up sales right from the showroom floor. Stores from clothing boutiques to specialty retailers can maximize revenue per square footage by removing their counter and providing customers with a better shopping experience, says Jason Richelson, founder and CEO, ShopKeep POS.
ShopKeep Mobile is in production beta. You can register your interest at www.shopkeep.com/mobile-pos .
POP3it Pro plug-in for FileMaker Pro revved to version 4.1.14
Comm-Unity Networking Systems has presented an update (version 4.1.14) for POP3it Pro to fix a couple of bugs and bring in FileMaker Pro 13 compatibility.
POP3it Pro allows you to connect to a POP3 Email Server and download email directly into your FileMaker Pro database. The plug-in also allows you to import email directly from the mailbox storage files of popular email clients like Thunderbird, Eudora, and Apple Mail. With the advanced plug-in architecture of FileMaker Pro 7 and above,
POP3it Pro is available immediately at http://www.pop3itpro.com/ for both Mac OS X and Windows. For new users a single-user license costs US$65. A demo is available for download, and version 4.1.14 is a free update for registered users.
To use the Server Edition of POP3it Pro, you'll need to purchase at least a 10-user license. A 10-user license is $319.
MoneyWiz upgrade adds Mavericks support
SilverWiz Ltd. has announced MoneyWiz 1.5.2 for Mac OS X. The update to this personal finance software introduces more than 50 improvements and is free for all existing customers.
Most notably, the update introduces Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks support and new cloud sync (via SYNCbits) which boosts performance and security. MoneyWiz is a complete personal finance software that allows people to manage accounts, budgets and bills, generate reports and more.
It requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later and costs US$24.99. It's available at the Mac App Store. Go to http://moneywizapp.com/mac/ for more info.
Geo WPS for Mac OS X updated with new Refresh command
Tension Software (http://www.tensionsoftware.com) has revved Geo WPS, a Mac OS X geo-tracking app, to version 1.1. The upgrade sports a new Refresh command and a faster refresh at high zoom levels.
Geo WPS lets you track your geographic position using OS X Wi-Fi geo-tracking. It shows your position over a zoomable OpenLayers map that's updated live from the Internet.
Geo WPS can work with any Mac with Airport turned on (to detect correct location) and an available Internet connection (using any kind of connection). It requires Mac OS X 10.8 or higher, costs US$2, and is available at the Mac App Store.
OWC expands Helios PCIe Thunderbolt expansion chassis lineup
Other World Computing has debuted the addition of the OWC Mercury Helios 2 PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis to its Helios line. It's a solution for using two single-width, or one single-width and one double-width, PCIe 2.0 adapter cards with the all new Mac Pro, Mac mini, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and other Thunderbolt-equipped computers that do not have PCIe slots due to size and/or design limitations.
Desktop workstations used to be the only way computer users could access high-performance PCIe cards made for video capture/editing, media transcoding, audio processing, and data storage. Now, with Mercury Helios or Helios 2, users of portable, all-in-one computers, and the new Thunderbolt 2 equipped Mac Pro 2013 can enjoy the functionality and productivity gains of these PCIe cards.
The original Mercury Helios is fast and flexible with throughput up to 10Gb/s, while the Helios 2 handles throughputs of up to 20Gb/s, and is the perfect solution to massively boost workflow...
Appeals court: Apple didn't violate Google patent
"Reuters" reports (http://tinyurl.com/meb9sr5) that an appeals court has ruled that Apple doesn't use use patented technology owned by Motorola Mobility, a Google unit, in making its iPhones.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision by the International Trade Commission in April that Apple didn't violate a Google patent to make their smartphone. In 2010 Motorola Mobility accused Apple of infringing on six of its patents covering technology such as reducing signal noise and programming the device's touch screen so a user's head does not accidentally activate it while talking on the phone.
The ITC ruled in April 2013 that Apple did not violate any of the six. The appeals court addressed just one of the six patents.
PDF Checkpoint improves PDF conversion to images with...
Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has announced PDF Checkpoint 1.6.1, a maintenance update to its PDF preflight and conversion solution for Mac OS X.
The software automatically preflights, exports as images, splits and optimizes Adobe PDF files. The program is equally suitable to process hundreds of files as well as single PDF documents. The new version improves PDF conversion to TIFF and PNG images with preserved transparency and addresses some issues related to output image resolution and size.
PDF Checkpoint can be purchased from the Zevrix Solutions website for US$49.95, as well as from authorized resellers. It's bundled with free Graphic Inspector software (a $40 value). The 1.6.1 update is free to licensed users. A demo is available for download. PDF Checkpoint requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher (some features require Mac OS X 10.7 or later).
CES: Eye Tribe announces Eye Tracker for Mac OS X
The Eye Tribe announced The Eye Tracker for Mac OS X, the first eye tracker and SDK [software development kit] for the operating system, at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It's eye-tracking software that enables people to interact with technology just by looking at it.
Previously only available for Windows-based computers and tablets, the US$99 software is targeted at developers. The SDK allows for integration into applications and games for tablets, laptops and computers — and eventually smartphones.
The Eye Tribe software enables eye control on mobile devices and computers, allowing hands-free control of websites and apps, eye-activated login, enhanced gaming experiences, and cloud-based user engagement analytics, says Sune Alstrup Johansen, CEO and co-founder of The Eye Tribe. With the Tracker, users can manipulate their device purely with eye movement, or with a combination of eye tracking and other inputs like touch, responding to natural eye movements as...
Prosoft Engineering releases Picture Rescue 2 for Mac, PC
Prosoft Engineering has released Picture Rescue 2 for Mac and PC systems. It's digital picture and video recovery software.
Picture Rescue 2, previously named Klix, has a new user interface designed to make it easy to recover digital photos and videos from accidental reformatting, deleting or card corruption. Enhanced previewing and displaying options as well as improvements to speed and performance have been made, says Greg Brewer, CEO at Prosoft Engineering.
Picture Rescue 2 is available for purchase online directly from Prosoft Engineering (www.prosofteng.com).
CES: Matias launches ergonomic mechanical keyboard
Matias today announced the forthcoming release of its Ergo Pro Keyboard at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It will be available in Mac and PC versions for US$200.
"Equipped with our premium Quiet Click mechanical keyswitches, it delivers both comfort and speed, yet is quiet enough to use within earshot of other people," says Edgar Matias, CEO of Matias. "These switches are MUCH quieter than the Cherry ones used in lesser mechanical keyboards," said Matias.
Featuring padded integrated palm supports, the keyboard can be used center tented nine degrees, negatively tilted 4.5 degrees, or flat. The two halves can also be spaced apart, up to a distance of 12 inches.
The Ergo Pro also sports an integrated 3-port USB 2.0 hub, media controls, and dedicated keys for Cut, Copy, Paste, and Undo. You can pre-order now from matias.ca ; delivery is expect by August.
New Citrix DesktopPlayer extends XenDesktop to MacBook users
Citrix has announced the availability of Citrix DesktopPlayer for Mac, a client virtualization solution, which extends the benefits of the market-leading Citrix XenDesktop solution to mobile MacBook users.
It gives users the ability to work on their Windows virtual desktops in any network scenario — including over low-quality connections, congested Wi-Fi hotspots, and even when no connection is available. Using DesktopPlayer with XenDesktop enables users to switch between local and hosted virtual desktops with ongoing synchronization of personal profiles and data.
This allows users to work on their MacBook laptop, then switch to any other device to access their cloud-hosted virtual desktop. According to the folks at Citrix, end users gain freedom to work anywhere, independent of network conditions, and IT gains control with the ability to centrally-manage Windows virtual desktops delivered to either corporate or personally-owned "bring your own" (BYO) MacBooks.
DesktopPlayer is...
Apple, Samsung agree to mediation in smartphone patent battle
Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation in U.S. patent fight: Apple and Samsung have have agreed to attend a mediation session to be held on or before Feb. 19 in their ongoing battle over smartphone patents, reports "Reuters" (http://tinyurl.com/k559kh8).
The article says that Apple CEO Time Cook and Samsung CEO CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon will attend the session with in-house lawyers only, according to a Wednesday court filing. Their legal teams had met on Jan. 6 to "discuss settlement opportunities," the filing read.
This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.
RE:Vision Effects announces DE:Flicker for Adobe After Effects
RE:Vision Effects has announced DE:Flicker for Adobe After Effects. The software is designed to smooth out flicker and artifacts when shooting high frame rate or timelapse video.
DE:Flicker not only fixes flicker from artificial light sources but also fixes flicker on multiple objects, even when those objects flicker at different rates, according to the folks at RE:Vision Effects. Plus, it minimizes problems when shooting directly at light sources, causing them to "breathe" and change size when shot at higher frame rates.
DE:Flicker for Adobe After Effects normally costs US$249.95. However, it's being offered at a special introductory price of US$199.95 through Jan. 31. Go to http://www.revisionfx.com/products/deflicker/ for more info.
Date Time Calc for Mac OS X revved to version 2.0
Tension Software (http://www.tensionsoftware.com) has updated Date Time Calc, a Mac OS X time calculation app, to version 2.0.
Date Time Calc is an application for calculating future and past dates by adding a date interval and calculating date difference between two assigned date. With version 2.0, the log can collect and save all the calculation you need to record using a command button. At any time you can clean the log, resetting it.
Date Time Calc requires Mac OS X 10.8 or higher and costs US$4.99. It's available at the Mac App Store.
Mac task list app Taskdeck adds Cloud sync, iOS companion app
Karl Traunmueller has released an update to Taskdeck for Mac, the Mac task and to-do list app. It adds, among other improvements, cloud syncing.
At the same time, an iOS companion app, Taskdeck for iOS, has been launched to bring the Taskdeck experience to mobile devices. Syncing between desktop and mobile is handled by a new Cloud sync platform called Taskdeck Cloud.
Taskdeck 1.1 can be purchased for US$2.99 at Traunmueller's online store (http://taskdeckapp.com). A fully functional 30-day trial is available for download. Users who prefer to purchase the app in the Mac App Store can do so, as well.
Point in Space announces FileMaker Pro 13 hosting on FileMaker...
Point In Space Internet Solutions has announced thee availability of FileMaker Pro 13 database hosting on FileMaker Server 13.
"FileMaker Pro 13 provides many new features and updates to the FileMaker product, including new design and security features" says John May, Point In Space's President. "By hosting on FileMaker Server 13, all of these new features are available to our clients. In addition, we are continuing to make FileMaker Go connections available on our shared hosting plans for no additional charge, despite the change in FileMaker's license pricing."
Point In Space is offering FileMaker Pro 13 hosting, available immediately, at the same price as their other FileMaker accounts. Current Point In Space clients should contact the company directly regarding details on migrating from previous FileMaker versions. For more info got to http://www.pointinspace.com/filemakerpro13hosting/ .
FreeFileSync gives us a free, cross-platform syncing utility
The FreeFileSync open source development team has released FreeFileSync, a free file synchronization utility for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux systms. It's optimized for both CPU and file I/O performance.
On an older computer, the software can purportedly scan a hard drive with 200,000 files in less than three minutes. On a new computer with an SSD drive, the same scan takes about 10 seconds, according to the development team.
Users can automate their synchronization tasks by running FreeFileSync as a batch job. The software can even copy NTFS security permissions and extended attributes such as compressed, encrypted, and sparse.
FreeFileSync supports long file paths with more than 260 characters. For more information, or to download the software, visit http://freefilesync.sourceforge.net/ .
CES: TP-LINK launches AV1000 Gigabit Powerline Adapter
TP-LINK announced the TL-PA8010 AV1000 Gigabit Powerline Adapter, its fastest Powerline adapter to date with throughput up to one gigabit, at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Featuring the latest HomePlug AV2 standard, the device provides real gigabit throughput over a home or office’s existing electrical wiring, according to the folks at TP-Link. Users can use it for high speed wired networking throughout their home or office for lag-free HD video streaming and online gaming.
The TL-PA8010 is interoperable with Powerline Adapters at various connection speeds, including 200, 500, 600 and 900Mbps. Users can get their networks up and running by plugging the Powerline Adapters into available power outlets.
The TL-PA8010 will be available in the second quarter of the year. Pricing hasn't been announced. For more info go to www.tp-link.net .
Apple wants court-appointed attorney removed
Apple wants an attorney appointed by a court to monitor its antitrust compliance following a ruling last year that the company had conspired to fix e-book prices, reports "Reuters" (http://tinyurl.com/lcre3zl).
An attorney for the consumer technology giant on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan to disqualify Michael Bromwich from serving as an external compliance monitor, arguing he had shown a personal bias against the company. In a letter to Cote, Apple's lawyer cited a "wholly inappropriate declaration" filed by Bromwich last month.
IK Multimedia announces iRing for iDevices
IK Multimedia has announced the iRing, a motion-tracking controller for iOS music apps and more. Now musicians and others can control sound effects and other parameters of their favorite apps, in real time, using hand position, freeing them from needing to touch the screen.
The iRing utilizes a wearable ring with identifiable markers, the mobile device's front-facing camera, and computer vision with recognition algorithms built into an app, to determine the precise positioning of the ring markers, tracking their movements and position on the 3-dimensional space in front of the device. This system provides a low-cost solution and a motion-tracking device that is accurate and affordable to anyone.
The iRing controller is a lightweight, double-sided ring that the user wears between two fingers. Each ring features a linear dot pattern on one side and a triangular pattern on the other. The device camera picks up the positioning of the ring patterns and the apps convert that information...
CES: Mobile Edge announces new Checkpoint friendly laptop cases
Mobile Edge (http://www.mobiledge.com) announced a new line of chic TSA compliant laptop and tablet cases designed for women at this week's Consumer Electronics Show.
The Herringbone Element Briefcases come in two sizes each with dedicated padded compartments for a laptop and a tablet. With them, travelers can leave their laptop and tablet in their bag while passing through airport security checkpoints.
The Herringbone material is accented with black Koskin trim, contrast stitching and polished nickel fittings. Two additional zippered compartments provide space for files, magazines and travel accessories. An exterior pocket, trolley strap and a detachable padded shoulder strap complete the travel companion.
The smaller version is designed for laptops up to 14.1-inches and has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$99.99. The larger size holds 16-inch laptops and has a MSRP of $119.99.
Default Folder X 4.6.2 delivers better rebound, default folders...
St. Clair Software has released Default Folder X 4.6.2, an update to their Mac OS X utility.
The software enhances the file dialogs in all Mac OS X applications. Its custom keyboard shortcuts put your favorite and recent folders at your fingertips. It provides fast navigation to your files, convenient previews, integrated Spotlight tagging, and more. Version 4.6.2 is a free update that delivers a number of compatibility and bug fixes.
Tag auto-completion now matches upper/lowercase when you enter an existing tag. Version 1.2 makes Default Folder X's window animations and transitions more efficient.
Default Folder X requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. Version 4.6.2 is a free update for existing version 4 users. It's US$14.95or users who bought licenses before June 1, 2007, and costs $34.95 for new users. Go to the St. Clair Software web site (http://tinyurl.com/2gm24v) for screencasts, screenshots, a full change log, and additional feature information.
Email Obfuscator for Mac OS X revved to version 1.2
Tension Software (http://www.tensionsoftware.com) has updated Email Obfuscator, a Mac OS X app for creating and editing web pages, to version 1.2. It's a maintenance upgrade.
Email Obfuscator is a tool for anyone creating and editing web pages. It creates email links using "obfuscated" code. The obfuscated link can be put inside any web page and it is not recognised by Bot surfing the net collecting emails
Email Obfuscator requires Mac OS X 10.8 or higher. It costs US$2.99 and is available at the Mac App Store.
Studiometry for Mac OS X gets sub-projects, resource management...
Orange Software has revved Studiometry, its client and project management tool, to version 11.1. The upgrade adds sub-projects, resource management, and more.
Studiometry runs on Mac OS X, Windows and iOS. Sub-projects are now possible in the software. Just drag and drop one project onto another and you’ve got a sub-project.
Another addition in Studiometry 11.1 is the ability to manage resources. Resources include anything that you can reserve for an event or task, such as conference rooms, equipment, etc. You can view their availability right in Studiometry’s calendar. Studiometry will alert you of scheduling conflicts and make suggestions for changes.
Studiometry 11.1 is a free update for registered users of Studiometry 11.x, and is available for download and purchase. New users as well as users of previous versions will get a free 30-day trial. Upgrades from Studiometry 10.x start at US$59.95 per license, while upgrades from 9.x or older are $99.95 per license. Go to http://www....
CES: Razer announces the Nabu smart band
Razer rolled out its Nabu smart band at this week's Consumer Electronics Show. It interacts with iOS and Android devices.
The Nabu is a wearable devicee that delivers notifications from a smartphone right to one’s wrist and tracks selected personal information. It's also an open platform that third-party applications can exploit to create novel experiences for users, applying personal, physical and geographical opt-in data.
The Razer Nabu has two OLED notification screens — a Public Icon Screen and a Private Message Screen. The Public icon screen — located on the top of the wrist — notifies users of incoming calls, texts, emails and app updates via notification icons. The Private message screen — located on the inside of the wrist — provides detailed information of texts, emails, bio data and other updates that can only be viewed by the user.
The Razer Nabu has advanced sensors for data tracking, including location information, bio data feedback (steps walked, distance traveled,...
Braven unveils Vibe audio system
Braven unveiled the Vibe, a portable distributed audio Bluetooth and Wi-Fi audio system, at this week's Consumer Electronics Show. It allows users to share music across multiple devices virtually anywhere from any wireless device.
The Braven Vibe System takes advantage of single streaming and sharing solutions across iOS, Android, and Windows devices and can support multiple audio streams concurrently. It creates a wireless sound network and allows users to establish speaker zones for customized audio streaming from just about anywhere.
The Vibe System utilizes Wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity with an app that allows users to establish speaker groups under the same network, enabling customized audio listening such as classical music in the bedroom and kitchen, rock in the living room, and jazz in the dining room. The app is available at the Apple App Store.
The Braven Vibe System also gives users the ability to connect their existing Bluetooth speaker products to a wireless audio...
FileMaker Product Developer Conference audio goes on sale
Thorsen Consulting invites FileMaker product, plugin and application developers to purchase over a dozen audio sessions recorded for the 2013 FileMaker Product Developer Conference.
Industry experts lead panel discussions and facilitated sessions to discuss high level planning and day-to-day nuances of running a software development company. Over 12 recorded sessions include:
° Panel discussions on business topics include sales, marketing and operations;
° Facilitated sessions on technical challenges including architecture, design, and deployment;
° Presentation on recruiting, employee development and outsourcing.
The audio is available for both the 2013 and 2012 conference is available for purchase at FileMaker Product Developer Conference online (https://fmproductconference.com/).
Apogee announces JAM 96k guitar interface for Macs, iOS devices
Apogee Electronics has introduced the US$129 JAM 96k, a professional guitar interface for the iPad, iPhone and Mac. It lets you connect your guitar to your iOS or OS X device, whether you’re on-the-go or in a recording studio.
Its circuitry is designed to reproduce the unique interaction between guitar and tube amp, resulting in an authentic tone and responsive feel from any guitar or music creation app you choose, according to the folks at Apogee. For beginners to the most seasoned guitar players, JAM 96k delivers an inspiring experience for practicing, recording, or just jamming, they add.
The new JAM 96k features tube amp tone emulation and a nickel-plated finish. Itk also provides the ability to make higher fidelity recordings — up to 24-bit/96kHz – and includes an iOS Lighting cable in the box. Like its predecessor, JAM 96k also includes an iOS 30-pin cable and Mac USB cable. Go to http://www.apogeedigital.com for more info.
