Berbie Software releases BigHairyGoal for Mac OS X
Berbie Software has released BigHairyGoal for Mac OS X. It's a tool for creatives and software developers for getting ideas and concepts down, and to arrange them in a way that gives more insight.
The app functions like a whiteboard letting users attach note cards to, connecting them with lines and to reorder them. Users can visualize alternative approaches and reason possible decisions, while keeping the big picture as an information radar of progress and success.
BigHairyGoal 1.1 is US$13.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Business category. (http://tinyurl.com/lj8mcc6). It requires Mac OS X 10.8 or higher. For more info go to www.bighairygoal.com .
JAC revved for Mavericks
Dalamser has announced JAC and JAC Digital 3.0 for Mac OS X. The upgrade is ready for OS X Mavericks.
JAC provides one or more resizable traditional analog clocks showing the time in different locations around the world. JAC Digital does the same with digital clocks. Version 3.0 also introduces a new map picker, enhanced support for multiple screens and more.
Both apps are available at the Mac App Store for US$1.99 each. For more info go to www.dalamser.com .
Digital Treasures unveils the 3600mAh Power Bank
Digital Treasures has announced the 3600mAh Power Bank. It's a charging station designed to keep all your devices juiced up anytime, anywhere with 3600mAh of power while eliminating the need to carry around bulky chargers and cables.
It comes with MicroUSB, 30-pin and 8-pin Apple connectors attached to the unit. LED lights indicate how much power is left in the 3600mAh Power Bank.
You can recharge the unit by plugging in the included standard USB connector The 3600mAh Power Bank is available for US$49.95 at www.digitaltreasures.com .
HoudahSpot ready for OS X Mavericks
Houdah Software has announced HoudahSpot 3.8 for Mac OS X 10.6 and higher. The new version adds support for Mavericks file tags.
HoudahSpot is a file search tool based on Apple's Spotlight engine. It's designed to help users create detailed queries to pinpoint the exact file they want to get to.
HoudahSpot 3.8 is priced at US$29 for a single-user license. A full-featured demo version is available at the Houdah Software store (www.houdah.com).
Mobile ad spending to approach $40 billion annually by 2018
A new report from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has found that increased utilization of analytics platforms, allied to the introduction of innovative ad formats and purchasing mechanisms, will push global mobile ad spend beyond US$39 billion in 2018, up from $13 billion this year.
Mobile now contributes 41% to its overall advertising revenue. Facebook recently announced that it is going to begin rolling out video ads, a move illustrative of the wider industry trend for interactive rich media ads, away from underperforming mobile banner adverts.
What's more, the Juniper report observed that the growth of Real-Time Bidding (RTB), a mechanism which lets advertisers buy impressions in real-time, means that publishers will be able to more easily sell their advertising inventory, which will thereby boost overall mobile ad spend. However the research group also pointed out that some brands still remain wary of the mobile channel due to concerns that mobile advertisements may be...
Worldwide smartphone market grows 38.8% year-over-year in third...
The worldwide smartphone market grew 38.8% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2013 (3Q13), according to the IDC research group (www.idc.com).
Vendors shipped a total of 258.4 million smartphones in 3Q13, establishing a new record for units shipped in a single quarter by more than 9.0%. The previous high was 237.0 million units shipped in the second quarter of 2013.
In the worldwide mobile phone market (inclusive of smartphones), vendors shipped 467.9 million units in 3Q13 compared to the 442.7 million units shipped in 3Q12, representing 5.7% year-over-year growth. Third quarter shipments were up 7.0% when compared to the 437.4 million units shipped in 2Q13.
Samsung maintained its leadership position, shipping more units than the next four vendors combined, according to IDC. Samsung's flagship models received the lion's share of attention during 3Q13, with more carriers adding the Galaxy S4, continued demand for the Galaxy S III, and the introduction of the Galaxy Note 3. Despite...
Miraizon releases Cinematize Pro HD
Miraizon has released Cinematize Pro HD. Cinematize Pro HD, a HD clip extractor for Blu-ray and AVCHD on the Mac. According to Miraizon founder and CEO, David Salamon, it can extract clips of any length, from any part of even complex Blu-Ray or AVCHD media, and decode them into editable formats while preserving the full original HD quality with little or no degradation.
Cinematize Pro HD includes H.264 hardware acceleration to speed up decoding and Miraizon’s DNxHD VC-3 compression component with full Avid compatibility. The software also can preserve full audio quality by extracting out all available audio channels for up to 32 bit 7.1 multichannel audio. Alternatively, Cinematize Pro HD can do high-quality downmixes of multichannel audio tracks to stereo or stereo surround.
The extracted clips produced by Cinematize Pro HD have broad compatibility with popular video editing programs, mobile devices, and the web. This includes video editing software such as Final Cut, Avid, Premiere...
Amazon Cloud Desktop Player comes to the Mac
Amazon has announced the availability of Amazon Cloud Player for The Mac. The new app provides Mac users with a way to manage their music library —whether saved on their computer or in the cloud — and shop from the Amazon MP3 Store with a catalog of more than 25 million songs.
Cloud Player automatically detects and adds new music to your library even if you bought it from iTunes or ripped a CD. You can buy an AutoRip CD or vinyl record from Amazon and a free MP3 version of the album will be added to your Cloud Player for Mac library.
With Cloud Player, you can download your MP3 purchases automatically or with one click. You can export your music to other music players. You can create and manage playlists using simple drag-and-drop.
Amazon Cloud Player for Mac is available today for free at amazon.com/getcloudplayer .
Movavi gives us Split Movie for Mac OS X
Movavi has introduced Movavi Split Movie for Mac 1.0. It enables Mac-users to split, trim, and join video files in popular formats without re-encoding.
This preserves the original quality and makes the whole process faster, according to the folks at Movavi. The new video splitter supports AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, FLV, MKV, MPG, and more.
A free trial version with 12 interface languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, etc. and support for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks is available for download from Movavi's website (www.movavi.com). The full version of Movavi Split Movie for Mac is available for US$19.95 from the Movavi website and will be released on the Mac App Store soon.
CalDigit Thunderbolt Station available Nov. 4
CalDigit (www.caldigit.com) says it will ship its Thunderbolt Station will be shipping on Nov. 4. It will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$199.
As laptops are becoming more portable and lightweight they are losing many of their interface options. The CalDigit Thunderbolt Station brings back those connections, and streamlines them into a portable aluminum device. By connecting the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station to a Mac you can add three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and Audio In/Out.
Power Practical introduces the Lithium 4400 for portable devices
Power Practical has announced the Lithium 4400. It's a dual-utility lithium ion rechargeable battery that doubles as a lantern.
According to the folks at Power Practical, it can charge your smartphone up to three times at maximum speed. A 3-in-1 charging cable is included with the Lithium 4400 and is compatible with iOS devices, micro and mini USB.
The Lithium 4400 can be recharged via any computer and USB port, as well as PowerPot V. It’s available for US$59.00 at www.powerpractical.com .
Output Factory upgraded for Mavericks
Zevrix Solutions (www.zevrix.com) has released Output Factory 1.4.15, a compatibility update to its professional solution to automate output from Adobe InDesign. The new version is compatible with OS X Mavericks.
Output Factory automates printing, exporting and post-processing from InDesign and offers batch output, single page export, variable file names, layer versioning, preflighting, detailed history and more. Version 1.4.15 is a free update to current users.
For new users Output Factory can be purchased from Zevrix website for US$169.95 (there's also a "lite" version for $119.95). A demo is available for download. BatchOutput users can upgrade to Output Factory for $84.97. Output Factory is available for Mac OS X 10.5-10.9 on Intel-based Macs and works with Adobe InDesign CS3-CC.
128bit Technologies releases Candy Apple on the Mac App Store
128bit Technologies has introduced Candy Apple, a vector-based graphic design and illustration app designed for Mac OS X. It's available, for a limited time, for US$14.99 at the Mac App Store. The normal price is $29.99.
Candy Apple lets anyone create drawings, logos, banners, buttons, icons and more. You can also edit and enhance photos, or convert images to draw-able vector paths. Available exclusively on the Mac App Store, Candy Apple is offered at the special launch discount of 50% off for a limited time. For more info go to www.macappware.com .
Studiometry gets new user interface
Orange Software has updated Studiometry, its client and project management tool, to version 11. The upgrade sports a new user interface and more.
Studiometry runs on Mac OS X, Windows and iOS. Version 11 adds over 120 features and improvements and transitioning to Cocoa on Mac interface was completely redesigned and rebuilt to be cleaner and more intuitive.
Studiometry licenses never expire and don't require any type of subscription. New licenses start at US$199.95 with multi-user packs, site licenses, and multi-product bundles available on the Oranged Software store (http://www.oranged.net/store/). Upgrades from Studiometry 10.x are $59.95 per license. Discounted upgrades from all older versions are also available.
All licenses include free updates until the next optional major upgrade. A demo is available for download.
Wondershare Dr.Fone updated for Mavericks, iOS 7
Wondershare Dr.Fone for iOS, an iOS data recovery software for OS X Mavericks. The update allows you to recover lost data from your iDevice on a Mac where you’ve already installed Mavericks.
Another new feature of Wondershare Dr.Fone for iOS is that it’s supported the latest iOS 7 (including iOS 7.0.3). All existing users of Wondershare Dr.Fone for iOS can update it to the latest version 3.6.0 for free. For new users the cost is US$99.95. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/d83hbb8 .
Batch Output DOC gets Mavericks support
Zevrix Solutions (www.zevrix.com) has announced BatchOutput DOC 2.2.4, a compatibility update to its output automation solution for Microsoft Word on OS X.
BatchOutput automates printing of multiple documents and allows to carry out powerful professional PDF production directly from Word, eliminating the need for time consuming post-processing. The new version makes BatchOutput DOC compatible with Mavericks and addresses some stability and performance issues.
BatchOutput DOC can be purchased for US$39.95 from Zevrix Solutions website as well as from authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. The update is free for users of version 2.x and $19.97 from version 1.x. BatchOutput DOC runs on Mac OS X 10.5 - 10.9, is a Universal Binary, and works with Microsoft Word 2008 and 2011.
Apple reports fourth quarter results
Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 fourth quarter that ended Sept. 28. The company posted quarterly revenue of US$37.5 billion and quarterly net profit of $7.5 billion, or $8.26 per diluted share.
These results compare to revenue of $36 billion and net profit of $8.2 billion, or $8.67 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 37 percent compared to 40 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 60 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple sold 33.8 million iPhones, a record for the September quarter, compared to 26.9 million in the year-ago quarter. The company also sold 14.1 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 14 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 4.6 million Macs, compared to 4.9 million in the year-ago quarter.
Apple’s Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $3.05 per share of the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on Nov. 14 to shareholders of record as of the close of...
Acronis announces Mavericks support for ExtremeZ-IP 8.1
Acronis says Acronis ExtremeZ-IP 8.1 now supports Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. ExtremeZ-IP is software for harmonizing Mac use on Windows servers. New support improves enterprise IT and Mac user productivity for 8,000 customers by resolving compatibility and performance issues related to Windows file, print, and NAS server access, according to the folks at Acronis.
ExtremeZ-IP 8.1 is available as a free upgrade to existing customers under a maintenance contract. It can also be downloaded as a free trial and purchased by new customers via the Acronis web store, which offers two pricing options for enterprises: enterprise subscription licensing (ESL) and perpetual licensing. For more info go to http://www.grouplogic.com/ .
Logitech announces new peripherals for the iPad Air
Logitech has announced four new tablet accessories designed specifically for the new, iPad Air, which goes on sale Friday.
The FabricSkin Keyboard Folio, Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, Ultrathin Keyboard Bolio, and Folio Protective Case are available in prices ranging from US$49.99 to $149.99. The tablet keyboards connect using Bluetooth. The folios also double as a stand. Go to www.logitech.com for more info.
Together 3.1 integrates with Finder tags in Mavericks
Reinvented Software (http://www.reinventedsoftware.com) has released Together 3.1 for Mac. The new version integrates with Finder tags on OS X Mavericks, improves iCloud libraries, adds a Quick Open feature and includes many other new features and improvements.
Together for Mac is an app for collecting, organizing and searching all kinds of files. Just about anything can be dragged to Together for safe keeping, tagged, previewed, collected together in different ways and found again instantly.
Version 3.1 is a free upgrade for all 3.0 owners and a paid upgrade for all earlier versions of Together. A full license costs US$39.99, and an upgrade is $19.99.
IObit releases MacBooster for Mac OS X
IObit, which specializes in system utilities software, has launched its first utility software for Mac OS X: MacBooster. This system utility incorporatestechnologies that empower users to increase the performance of the OS X, including optimization for Mavericks, according to Antonio Zhang of IObit.
According to the research conducted by the company, Mac users have certain outstanding system issues on their operating system, he says. Over 50% of the users they interviewed complained that their Mac operating system slowed down over time.
"Thirty-eight percent of the interviewees recognized that hard drive space was their biggest problem," Zhang says. "Other concerns included personal data being stolen by spyware, viruses, and other malware, and in addition to getting rid of some unwanted apps. MacBooster is designed to offer a simple yet effective solution to maintain Macs and address all of these issues."
For slow Macs, MacBooster can release RAM to increase the processing speed, he...
Blu-ray Copy for Mac updated to version 1.2.0
Leawo has updated Blu-ray Copy for Mac (http://www.leawo.org/blu-ray-copy-mac/) to version 1.2.0.This program allow users to copy and backup Blu-ray Movies in any entertainment purpose.
Version 1.2.0 optimizes VC-1 decoding system, improves the bug reporting feature, enhances stability, and adds support to decrypt more discs. Leawo Blu-ray Copy for Mac is normally priced at US$44.95. However, Leawo is offering it 30% discounts for celebrating Halloween holiday until Nov.5. A demo is available for download.
CyberDuck waddles to version 4.4
Cyberduck, the libre client to access FTP/SFTP/WebDAV file servers and cloud storage on Mac OS X and Windows, has been revved to version 4.4. It features a complete refactoring for improved performance and testability.
Cyberduck 4.4 continues to embrace to the latest developments in cloud storage, adding support for multipart uploads, bucket lifecycle configuration in Amazon S3 to archive objects in Amazon Glacier and multi-region support for OpenStack Swift.
File transfer reliability has been improved for higher throughput and the option to continue or cancel on failure transferring multiple files. On the Mac, the application is now self contained with no Java Runtime installation requirement.
This release includes over 100 bug fixes. The full changelog is available at http://cyberduck.ch/changelog. Cyberduck is available from http://cyberduck.ch and the Mac App Store. Mac OS X 10.6 or later required.
Spot Maps lets you network diagrams in real-time
equinux has released Spot Maps for Mac OS X. It allows you to find networked devices and localize them on an interactive map via drag and drop.
With Live Monitoring, Spot Maps retrieves the current status of all devices in real time, and displays this interactively on the map. This way, you’ll know immediately when a device has gone offline.
Spot Maps is available for US$33.99 in the equinux Online Store (www.equinux.com). IT administrators and consultants can purchase the Spot Maps Consultant Pack for $159.99, which offers five licenses for distributing network maps to your team.
Apple posts updates for latest iMacs
Apple has posted two updates for the latest iMacs: iMac SMC Firmware Update 1.1 and iMac 10.8.5 Supplemental Update 1.0.
The first addresses an issue with Power Nap, The second deals an external drive issue and a problem with some USB Bluetooth adapters. You can obtain the updates via the Mac App Store.
iOS developers getting free OS X Mavericks Server
Apple is giving iOS developers free copies of OSX Server Mavericks "in the hopes of encouraging the use of Xcode bots.
According to Apple: "As an iOS developer, you can now take advantage of continuous integration in Xcode by creating bots with OS X Server for Mavericks that automate the process of building, analyzing, testing and achieving your apps. As the bots do their work on the remote Mac, Xcode on your development team displays the build and test reports. Bots can generate a regular release for your QA team, be configured to execute on every check-in, and even test your apps on connected iOS devices."
Go to developer.apple.com for more info.
Noteboom Productions introduces Tutor for OS X Mavericks
Noteboom Productions has released Tutor for OS X Mavericks on the Mac App Store.
It's a video that shows how to use the latest version of the Mac operating system. The video tutorial consists of 59 video chapters on various subjects. These video chapters include an overview of Mavericks' new apps, Maps and iBooks, as well videos on how to use Mavericks' new tagging and tab feature in the Finder.
The tutorial also includes videos on how to add parental controls, accessibility options, the importance of backing up your computer and how to use Time Machine to back it up. The tutorial ends with troubleshooting tips on OS X, iPhoto, and more.
Tutor for OS X Mavericks costs US$9.99 and requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. You can purchase it at http://tinyurl.com/kflepbq .
World Clock Deluxe ticks to version 4.11.2
MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net) has released World Clock Deluxe 4.11.2, an update of its Mac OS X tool for companies and organizations regularly communicating with people across the world, for frequent travelers, and for home users having family or friends in other countries or time zones.
The new version resolves incompatibilities with Mavericks. Also, Daylight Savings Time for Syria has been updated.
With World Clock Deluxe you can display multiple clocks in a configurable horizontal or vertical palette, in the menu bar, and in the Dock, and show the time in over 1,600 cities and 200 time zones, including Greenwich Mean Time and Coordinated Universal Time. The app also lets you calculate time conversions between different cities or time zones and show the current weather all over the world.
World Clock Deluxe requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later. It costs US$10 for registered users of version 3.x and higher and $19 for new users. Family, site and worldwide licenses are available....
TinyBooks Pro for Mac OS X now supports pre-purchased check forms
Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates have introduced an update of TinyBooks Pro, the Mac accounting and bookkeeping program.
TinyBooks Pro is designed for Sole Proprietors, home and other small businesses, and family finances. It now includes the ability to print professional checks on pre-purchased check forms.
TinyBook Pro requires Mac OSX 10.6 or greater. For more information, to download a demo, or register the program for US$79, go to www.winograd.com .
NTFS gets full support for OS X Mavericks
Paragon Software Group (PSG) has introduced Paragon NTFS for Mac OS X 11, standalone OS X Mavericks-compatible software for Mac users who want to share data between Mac and Windows operating systems.
The new installer interface has been entirely redesigned to require fewer steps to complete the installation process, says Paragon CEO Konstantin Komarov. The installer interface now also displays a screen shot showing the user how to get to the settings after the product had been installed.
The software update center now includes a free feature that allows Mac users to update the tool on the fly. The user simply clicks the "update" button and the software automatically downloads and installs the latest available version.
Paragon Software has launched a portal hosting its line of l tools for users of multiple devices on Mac OS X, Android, Windows, d Linux who seek to solve incompatibility issues. The portal is available at http://www.paragon-drivers.com .
DEVONthink To Go 1.4 supports iOS 7
DEVONtechnologies has rolled out a maintenance update for DEVONthink To Go 1.4 that updates its user interface for iOS 7 and fixes bugs. The update is free and recommended for all users.
Fixed are, among others, a crash related to the rich text editor, Numbers documents no longer being displayed, name changes not being synced back to the Mac, crashes related to deleting items on the Mac, and issues with deleting databases.
DEVONthink To Go is DEVONtechnologies' mobile companion to the Mac document and information managers DEVONthink and DEVONnote. DEVONtechnologies also recommends users to update their copy of DEVONthink for Mac or DEVONnote to version 2.7.1 which fixes further synchronization issues with DEVONthink To Go.
DEVONthink To Go 1.4 requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod running iOS 5.0 or later and is available world-wide in the App Store for US $14.99. For more info go http://www.devontechnologies.com .
Troi Activator Plug-In 3.5.1 released for Filemaker Pro 12
Troi Automatisering has released Troi Activator Plug-in 3.5.1 (www.troi.com/software/activatorplugin.html) for FileMaker Pro 12. It's a tool for triggering scripts across the network, even over the Internet. Version 3.5.1 is a maintenance release and fixes a bug that would prevent the plug-in from loading under OS X 10.9 (Mavericks).
A fully functional demo version of Troi Activator Plug-in 3.5.1 is available for downloading at Troi's website. It works with FileMaker Pro 10, 11 and 12. The plug-in can also be used with runtimes from FileMaker Pro Advanced 10, 11 and 12. The plug-in is available for Mac OS X 10.5.7 or higher and Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Licenses cost US$ 89 per user.
Troi Activator Plug-in 3.5 also works with FileMaker Server 10, 11 or 12 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/Web license that costs $ 299.
If you bought a license for a...
Booq introduces the Boa shift backpack
Booq has unveiled the latest addition to their Boa collection, the Boa shift. Elastic pop-out iPhone pockets integrated into the shoulder straps are designed to keep your most needed device and other essentials closer than ever.
Specifically tailored to fit any Mac and 13-15 inch laptop, the laptop compartment has its own zipper and is lined with soft Nylex to prevent your gear from getting scratched. It also boasts a denier nylon exterior with water-repellent coating and contrasting water-repelling interior.
The Boa shift is available now for US$149.95 at www.booqbags.com and retailers throughout the U.S. It comes in a graphite color featuring soft herringbone fabric lining and a metal logo.
Twocanoes releases Bleu Station for iBeacon
Twocanoes Software has announced Bleu Station, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hardware device for proximity detection in iOS 7.
Included in the release are Bleu Setup for iOS, Geohopper for iOS, Geohopper for Mac, Geohopper for Mac Actions website and Beacon Finder, a resource for locating public beacons. Bleu Setup configures Bleu Station for detection by supported devices and apps. Bleu Setup assigns ID, name and additional identifiers for use with Geohopper and other iBeacon-aware devices.
Apple's iBeacon technology, included in iOS 7, enables location-aware apps to detect BLE devices indoors with a high degree of accuracy. iBeacon requires devices that support Bluetooth 4.0, including the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPad 3 and newer.
Bleu Setup is an iOS app that configures Bleu Station for detection by supported devices and apps. Bleu Setup assigns ID, name and additional identifiers for use with Geohopper and other iBeacon-aware devices.
Geohopper for iOS triggers events and actions...
286 commercial use fonts added to Premium Fonts collection
128bit Technologies has added286 new fonts to its commercial use Premium Fonts collection for creative Mac users. Twenty-two new font families were just added to Premium Fonts, bringing the total number of font families to 101 and the total number of fonts in this collection to 1,313.
You can download the new premium font designs, each with a 10 computer commercial use license. They require Mac OS X 10.6 or higher.
The updated Premium Fonts collection is now available on the MacAppware website (www.macappware.com), or on the Mac App Store, for a limited time discount of US$29.99 — a savings of 70% off the full price of $99. The Premium Fonts subscription is also available at a discount of 70% and subscribers will receive all future fonts at no extra charge.
Promise announces Pegasus2, SANLink2 with Thunderbolt 2...
Promise Technology has introduced the Pegasus2 and SANLink2, which it says is the world's first storage solutions with Thunderbolt 2, the technology from Intel that delivers speeds of 20Gbps.
Running bi-directionally at 20Gbps -- twice the 10Gbps bandwidth of Thunderbolt -- Thunderbolt 2 is a breakthrough technology for video creators and multimedia professionals allowing for simultaneous transfer and display of high-bandwidth 3D and 4K video files, which often requires 15Gbps.
Pegasus2, an external RAID storage solution, will be available in 4, 6 and 8-bay enclosures, and maximizes the available line rate of Thunderbolt 2 by providing fast transfer speeds for a growing number of 4K applications. With two Thunderbolt 2 ports, six devices can be attached -- allowing for daisy chaining of Pegasus enclosure units, Apple Thunderbolt Displays, or Mini DisplayPort devices.
The SANLink2 is a portable device bridge that provides dual 8Gbps Fibre Channel ports and dual 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2...
Akvis announces new Halloween frames for ArtSuit
Akvis has announced a new frame pack for AKVIS ArtSuite software for Mac OS X and Windows. The program allows users to decorate their photos with frames and effects.
Extra frame packs can be installed to the program to increase its functionality. The new Halloween Pack includes 50 hand painted frames for US$15.
Akvis ArtSuite is available as a standalone application and plugin for image editors. In the standalone version it's possible to extend the features and enrich the collection of frames by adding extra themed frame packs of hand painted frames created by professional artists.
The standalone version costs US$69 and requires, on the Mac platform, OS 10.4 or higher. For more info go to http://akvis.com .
IconFly 2.0 for OS X gets new user interface
Aperio Lux has announced IconFly 2.0 for OS X, the next generation of its icons creation tool. It's a solution for creating icons from images for Mac apps and folders as well as for iPhone and iPad apps.
Version 2.0 is fully compatible with Apple's Human Interfaces Guideline and sports a new interface. With it users can create Mac retina icons as well as iOS 7 ready icons. You can create Web clip icons for a web site.
IconFly 2.0 is available in three editions: IconFly, IconFly Desktop and IconFly Mobile. Pricing starts at US$3.99; the software requires Mac OS X 10.7.4 or higher. For more info go to http://aperio-lux.com/ .
MaBaSoft rings up Currency Assistant 3.1.11 for Mac OS X
MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net/) has released version 3.1.11 of Currency Assistant for Mac OS X. It's a maintenance upgrade with some bug fixes and tweaks.
Currency Assistant lets you convert between 175 world currencies (all major circulating currencies plus the 17 Eurozone legacy currencies) and automatically updates exchange rates over the Internet using the rates published by the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, the International Monetary Fund, and the Bank of Italy.
With Currency Assistant you can create multiple converters and manage currencies, import and convert series of amounts, calculate and convert the result of expressions, and quickly log, save, export, and print your conversions.
Currency Assistant requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. It's now 50% off and available for US$8.95 for new users or $4.95 for Euro Assistant Pro registered users. Version 3.1.11 is a free update for registered user of version 3.x.
Bubble Chart Pro adds zoom boxes to 3-D bubble charts
Bubble Chart Pro 5.3 for Mac and Windows adds zoom-boxes to its 3-D bubble charts to let managers isolate and display small selections of bubbles by drawing a rectangle on the chart that contains those bubbles.
Thus, zoom-boxes offer a way to "zoom-in" on a specific area of a bubble chart. This latest release of Bubble Chart Pro also increases the size and resolution of some export charts, and adds some additional preferences for customizing chart displays.
Bubble Chart Pro with 3D bubble charts comes in three editions. Bubble Chart Pro Basic is the basic full-featured bubble charting application. Bubble Chart Pro Plus includes a Smart prioritizer for prioritizing or ranking projects, project bar charts, and an executive dashboard. Bubble Chart Pro Optimal adds a quantitative optimizer for finding an optimized portfolio of projects that will deliver the maximum value when the business doesn't have enough capital, resources, or risk tolerance to do all the projects in its portfolio....
Marvel Entertainment announces Creativity Studio Stylus and App...
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and Marvel Entertainment has launched the Marvel Creativity Studio Stylus and App, created by eKids, exclusively for the iPad.
The app delivers a creative space for kids to learn to draw, color and animate Marvel super heroes and villains, while the stylus adds special and enhanced play value, says Josh Silverman, executive vice president of global franchise licensing and commercialization at Disney Consumer Products. He says that features include:
° Professionally illustrated coloring pages, where you can add your own flare with drawing tools and an extensive color pallet;
° Use of the stylus to unlock special tools including the " Reveal" tool to color the page;
° An interactive grid system that includes specialty drawing aids such as side-by-side drawing canvas, trace lines and "Drawing Scope" — allowing artists of all levels to successfully learn how to draw these characters;
° The ability to build and animate action scenes with character stickers,...
Harmon rolls out the JBL Pulse
Harman has introduce the US$199. JBL Pulse, a wireless speaker with a "multi-dimensional" light show. It combines "room-filling sound with an eye-catching, programmable LED light show in one portable speaker," says Harman Lifestyle President Michael Mauser.
The JBL Pulse features programmable LED lights that pulse to your music. It has 40 mm drivers and a custom-tuned bass port and Wireless Bluetooth stereo streaming with NFC.
Pre-programmed and custom-programmed light themes control brightness and color, pulsed to your music. The JBL Pulse packs a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. For more info go to www.JBL.com .
SoftRAID provides compatibility with Mavericks
SoftRAID 4.5.3 provides full compatibility with Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9). With this release of Mac OS X, Apple has moved the location where third party drivers are installed.
Previous versions of SoftRAID — which allows you to to create and manage disk arrays — didn't search this new location for copies of the SoftRAID driver and will get confused by this new configuration. Version 4.5.3 now checks this new location when running on Mavericks.
SoftRAID version 4.5.3 is available as a fully functional demo version, which allows prospective customers to try SoftRAID for 30 days. For new users it costs US$129 for the electronic download version and includes one year of free technical support via email. It can be purchased via the SoftRAID website (www.softraid.com) and via retail outlets worldwide. Users of SoftRAID 3 can purchase an upgrade to version 4 for $69.
Hazel gets tagging support for Mavericks
Noodlesoft has released Hazel 3.1 for Mavericks with tagging support. Using Hazel's powerful rule engine, you can create workflows that keep your files organized automatically.
Hazel also features options for managing your Trash and includes an intuitive application uninstaller. Hazel 3.2 adds support for Mavericks tags. With these new features, users can now build powerful workflows to manipulate and automatically tag their files.
Hazel 3 is available for download now and features a 14-day free trial. Hazel has a retail price of US$28 and can be purchased from Noodlesoft (www.noodlesoft.com).
Autodesk releases Maya LT Extension 1
Autodesk has launched the first extension for Autodesk Maya LT, the company's recently released 3D modeling and animation tool designed specifically for independent and mobile game developers.
With new features such as improved interoperability with Unity3D, an increased polygon count and more, Maya LT Extension 1 simplifies the export of 3D content into artists' desired game engines and expands 3D modeling capabilities, according to the folks at Autodesk. Extension 1 is availableto as a free download for customers on subscription and pay-as-you-go plans.
More information about Maya LT and a free trial of the software are available via http://www.autodesk.com/mayalt and http://area.autodesk.com/mayalt .
Big Fish brings Android games to Mac, PC players
Big Fish, a producer of casual games, has added the ability to offer any Android game, free-to-play or premium, to its worldwide Mac and PC audience.
Game developers launching games with Big Fish can make their Android games playable on Macs and PCs within the Big Fish PC and Mac app store by simply implementing Big Fish's ecommerce APIs [application programming interfaces], s says Paul Thelen, founder and CEO of Big Fish. For more info go to www.bigfishgames.com .
iPhone 5c Guide eBook available for iPad, iPhone, Mac, Kindle
Stopframe says itss latest eBook, "iPhone 5c Guide," is available today in both the iBookstore and Amazon store. It costs US$3.99.
The new title by the expert team at iOS Guides is packed with tutorials and high-resolution imagery about the iPhone 5c. It's suitable for both beginners and intermediate users alike, says author T.A. Rudderham. For more info go to http://www.stopframe.co.uk/publishing/ .
Details on 2014 Xojo Developer Conference announced
Xojo, Inc. — makers of Xojo, a multi-platform development tool for the desktop and the web/web-mobile — is hosting the 2014 Xojo Developer Conference (XDC) in Las Vegas, March 26-28, 2014, at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
XDC expands next year with 38 technical sessions presented by the company's development staff and leading users from around the world. In addition to a keynote address from Founder and CEO Geoff Perlman, XDC will include numerous opportunities for attendees to interface with the Xojo engineers themselves, network with other Xojo users from the international community, and participate in a gaming code battle.
XDC 2014 features sessions on best practices, special interests and other technical issues, with content for every level of Xojo developer, says Geoff Perlman, Xojo founder and CEO. Educational sessions will cover topics like Xojo iOS, database design, user interface design, debugging techniques, writing secure apps, and more. To view a complete list of...
Companies updating their products for Mavericks compatibility
Lots of software is being updated for OS X Mavericks, which is now available for download. Following are announcements of the latest batch of upgrades.
Zevrix Solutions has announced LinkOptimizer 4.8.7, a compatibility update to its workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. It lets you reduce InDesign link size and speed up processing by eliminating excess image data; performs essential image adjustments, converts image formats and more.
The new version makes LinkOptimizer compatible with OS X Mavericks. The software can be purchased from Zevrix (www.zevrix.com) for $259.95 (a "lite" version is $179.95) as well as from authorized resellers. A demo is available for download.
The update is free for LinkOptimizer 4.x users and $98.78 to upgrade from previous versions. LinkOptimizer is available for Mac OS X 10.5-10.8, a Universal Binary, and works with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop CS3-CC.
° Twocanoes Software has rolled out updates to Winclone 4 and Boot Runner with full...
Apple releases plethora of software updates
Apple has released several software updates to go along with the release of OS X Mavericks.
Aperture, Apple's pro image editing app, has been revved to version 3.5. It replaces Google Maps with Apple's own Maps for photo location tagging, adds iCloud photo sharing support, the ability to include video in shared streams, support for multiple contributors for photo streams, SmugMug support, and the ability to recognize filters applied to images in iOS 7.
Apple also released updates for Migration Assistant and Workgroup Manager on Tuesday. The Migration assistant updates are for those migrating to Mavericks from Lion, Snow Leopard, or various versions of Windows. The Workgroup Manager update is Mavericks compatible.
Apple has also upgraded Xcode, OS X Server, and Apple Remote Desktop, all for Mavericks. Xcode has been revved to 5.0.1, with Apple Remote Desktop upgraded to 3.7. OS X Server with the Mavericks core is now version 3.0.
Finally, iBooks Author 2.1 has been released. The...