WaterField Design (http://www.sfbags.com) has introduced the Outback Tote and the Outback Sleeve for Apple laptops, including the new Retina display MacBook Pro. The Outback line combines waxed canvas with sturdy leather. The Outback Weekender and the Outback Daily are "go-everywhere, hold-everything Tote bags that double as travel bags or briefcases." The Outback Laptop Sleeve provides protection with a rugged look. The Outback Tote comes in two sizes -- the medium Outback Daily (US$149) for commuters, and the larger Outback Weekender ($159) for travelers. The canvas can hold heavy items and the leather strap length allows users to carry it by the handles or over the shoulder. A large, interior zippered pocket keeps passports, wallets, keys, and other essentials out of sight. The facing side includes a pocket sized to hold an iPad (and in the Weekender, one additional pocket for more items). The tote can be zippered shut or kept open to haul oversized items. It's available for pre-...

Audible Magic (http://www.audiblemagic.com) has announced Audini, the industry’s first browser plug-in for ACR. It's compatible with Mac OS X, iOS, Androis, Windows and Linux. Combining the names of the company and the legendary magician Harry Houdini, Audini -- which uses Javascript APIs [application programming interfaces] enables developers to write code for an ACR application just once and then port it across most major industry platforms, greatly speeding, simplifying, and lowering the cost of ACR implementation, according to Audible Magic Vice President of Marketing. "For the first time, people can identify content using ACR from within a browser window," he adds. "And, by using ACR and Javascript combined with the capabilities of HTML5, developers can create amazing web-based apps, not apps they have to download from the stores. In turn, this enables Audini’s 'write-once, run-anywhere' model, which gives users portable ACR solutions.:

Many Tricks has released version 3.0 of Moom, their window move and zoom utility for Mac OS X. The upgrade adds the ability to move and zoom a window by dragging them to a screen edge or corner. Users can also undo any Moom action -- whether drag-initiated or not -- by dragging the window. What's more, users can control the delay before the drag-to-edge/corner action becomes active, setting it for anywhere from no delay to three seconds. Moom 3 is a free upgrade for owners of any previous version of the program; the full version retails for US$10. However, it will be available for $5 through the end of June. After that, Moom 3 returns to its listed $10 price point. Moom 3 is available via both the Mac App Store and from the Many Tricks web site (http://manytricks.com/moom). (Moom 3 is unable to be sandboxed under Apple's current sandboxing rules, so this is the final new-feature version for the App Store, barring any changes to the sandboxing rules.)

Plustek Technology will introduce several products at the Info360 show, including three new network-attached scanning devices: the SmartOffice PN2040, SmartOffice SN8016U, SmartOffice EZScan 400, and the MobileOffice AD460 desktop scanner. Plustek will highlight its new SmartOffice PN2040 with new user interface software. The network attached document scanner can be shared with any number of computers on office or home networks, and can also be connected to a computer via USB. The 20-page-per-minute SmartOffice PN2040 features both a 50-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and a flatbed to enable scanning of a wide range of materials from multi page documents, to small or fragile items such as receipts, historical documents or photos. Plustek’s SmartOffice SN8016U is an 80-page-per-minute departmental class A3 size ADF scanner with network and USB connections. It sports dual interfaces coupled with industry standard TWAIN and ISIS drivers and DocAction single touch scanning. It's...

The gang at iFixIt have torn apart the updated MacBook Air and say that it really does have some new stuff inside. Here's their summary: "Apple tweaked the SSD form factor and switched to a different flash controller. The new unit is based on a SandForce SATA-III controller chip, but stamped with Toshiba markings. It's still removable, meaning that folks will be able to upgrade the drive once third-party components become available. While the board bears visual similarities to mSATA, it is not using the same connector. "Unfortunately, the RAM is still not upgradeable. We highly recommend anyone purchasing an Air upgrade to 8 GB at purchase time, because it won't be possible after the fact. "A word to the wise: The new MagSafe 2 connector won't work with Apple's currently shipping Cinema displays unless you buy their $10 adapter. Will Apple update the Cinema display, start including an adapter with the display, or force people to remember to buy the extra adapter? "We were expecting...

At the 2012 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple has announced the winners of the Apple Design Awards. The annual awards are given to products that "set new standards that inspire us all." Categories include: iPhone Developer Showcase; iPad Developer Showcase; Mac Developer Showcase; and Student Developer Showcase. You can find the complete list of winners at https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/awards/ .

Eastman Kodak Company has filed a motion seeking approval of bidding procedures for the prompt bankruptcy auction of its Digital Capture and Kodak Imaging Systems and Services (KISS) Patent Portfolios, comprising more than 1,100 patents that are integral to the capture, manipulation, and sharing of digital images. Kodak’s motion outlines a sale process that is open to all qualified bidders subject to the rules of the bidding procedures. No disclosure of the unsuccessful bidders will be made to other bidders or the public. Only the winning bidder and the amount of the successful bid will be announced publicly at the end of the auction. "The proposed structure of the auction is tailored to the special nature of the assets," says Timothy Lynch, Kodak vice president and chief intellectual property Officer. "The bidding procedures are designed to allow bidders to give us their best offers without fear of showing their cards to competitors. In filing these proposed procedures in advance of...

Monster Watts (http://www.MonsterWatts.com) has introduced the Hybrid Solar Battery Case for the iPhone. It combines a solar panel charger with a rechargeable battery in a thin, protective case made of ABS material. The Hybrid Solar Battery Case comes in black or white and can be personalized with replaceable color bumpers. The hybrid charging design automatically charges the 2400 mAh rechargeable battery whenever it's under sunlight; it can also be charged from any computer or standard phone charger via the built-in USB port. All buttons and ports are still fully accessible. The suggested retail price of the Hybrid Solar Battery Case is US$118, but in cooperation with http://www.Vivealive.net, it can be purchased for $83 and that comes with free shipping within the USA for the month of June. That promotional price is only available via this link: http://www.vivealive.net/Hybrid-Solar-Battery-Thin-Case-For-iPhone-4-and-4S-White-MWTCIP4-W.htm?coupon=SOS15 .

CAZE (http://www.iphonecaze.com/) has announced a new new addition to its family of Zero 5 series for the iPhone 4S/4: the US$19.90 Zero 5 EX, which the company claims is the world's thinnest clear case for the Apple smartphone. It measures 0.5 millimeters. The camera hole of Zero 5 EX has been made larger according to the Apple Case Design Guidelines to prevent flash diffusion. Also, CAZE has put a black ring surrounding the hole in order to avoid glare when taking pictures with flash. The Zero 5 EX (0.5mm) is a bit raised to protect your screen from further scratches when laid on a flat surface. The package comes with a free screen protection kit (front and back films).

Avenza Systems (http://www.avenza.com/) has released Geographic Imager version 4.0 for Adobe Photoshop. The upgrade provides support for the latest Adobe Photoshop release, CS6, as well as a number of enhancements. Geographic Imager 4.0 includes: enhanced ECW import support; automatic checking for maintenance updates and new version; added support for IMG channel names; improved main panel with access to Channel Management dialog; various bug fixes and user experience enhancements. It's software for working with spatial imagery in Adobe Photoshop that leverages the image editing capabilities of this raster-based image-editing software and transforms it into a spatial imagery editing tool. Geographic Imager 4.0 is available immediately free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at prices starting at US$319 for non-maintenance members. Academic and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager 4.0 offers geospatial support for Adobe...

Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps. You can find 'em at the Apple App Store (http://www.itunes.com/appstore/). Light Pillar has announced The Clock Collection 1.0, its free, fully Retina enabled collection of 40 customizable clock faces for the iPad. Each clock face in the collection is animated and can be customized by selecting from professionally designed preset color schemes or by creating custom color schemes manually. The free download includes five free clock faces to start the collection, with 35 available via in-app purchase. Apps4Cams has released CaMeasure! Pro 1.0 for iOS. Using nothing but the camera, the US$2.99 app can automatically measure and dimension objects from small furniture to high-rise buildings. Architects, real estate agents or interior decorators can augment their photos with professional-looking dimensioning arrows and descriptive text boxes. Users can share measurement projects via email, iTunes or Facebook. Vicinno Soft has introduced...

"MacRumors" (http://www.macrumors.com) says Apple will kick off its 2012 Back to School promotion on Tuesday. Apparently, the company will, as usual, be offering iTunes Store gift cards to educational customers purchasing qualifying products. The main new addition to the program this year is the iPad, with purchasers receiving an US$50 iTunes Store gift card with the purchase of a new tablet, says "MacRumors." The Mac aspect of the program appears to be the same as in previous years, with qualified purchases earning a $100 gift card, the article says.

Apple has posted a video (http://macte.ch/zpn6n) of the 2012 Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, which was held earlier today. Updates of the MacBook Pro MacBook Air, more details on Mountain Lion and a look at the upcoming iOS 6 were featured during the presentation by several Apple exes. The keynote will probably soon pop up at Apple's YouTube channel and in the Apple Keynotes Podcast at the iTunes Store.

At its 2012 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple announced that OS X Mountain Lion will be available in July as a download from the Mac App Store for US$19.99 (Lion cost $29.99). Mountain Lion introduces more than 200 features including the all new Messages app, Notification Center, systemwide Sharing, Facebook integration, Dictation, Power Nap, AirPlay Mirroring, Game Center and the Gatekeeper. With iCloud built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across all your devices, says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Using your iCloud account, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to set up your Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Reminders and Notes, he adds. The new Reminders and Notes apps are designed to help you remember important tasks and jot down your thoughts quickly, while iCloud automatically keeps everything up to date. Documents in the Cloud works with iCloud-enabled apps...

At its 2012 Wordwide Developer Conference today, Apple announced updated MacBook Air with the latest Intel Core processors, faster graphics and flash storage that's purportedly up to twice as fast as the previous generation. Plus, pricing have been cut by about $100. The current generation 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro have also been updated with the latest Intel Core processors and powerful discrete graphics from NVIDIA. Apple’s AirPort Express has been redesigned to include features previously available only in AirPort Extreme "Today we’ve updated the entire MacBook line with faster processors, graphics, memory, flash storage and USB 3 connectivity," says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We’ve made the world’s best portable family even better and we think users are going to love the performance advances in both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro." Available in 11-inch and 13-inch designs, the new MacBook Air features the latest Core i5 and Core...

A significant share of TV viewers are using computers and mobile devices as second and third screens to access video content, according to the results of a cross-platform pilot test to be presented by Arbitron (http://www.arbitron.com) and the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) at the Advertising Research Foundation Audience Measurement 7.0 conference in New York. The presentation detailed how a separately recruited panel of Arbitron Portable People Meter (PPM) participants who viewed broadcast and cable TV outlets operated by CIMM participants also accessed content on CIMM member websites and apps as well as on the leading online video sites -- Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube -- whether via personal computer or via web sites and associated mobile apps on Android and BlackBerry devices. Among the findings: ° 91.7% of the panelists who viewed CIMM TV/cable outlets used a second or third screen to access video sites or CIMM member sites. ° 35.5% t used all three screens -- TVs...

At a June 7 hearing on Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Nexus as well as Apple's concern over the launch of the Galaxy S III (scheduled for June 21), Judge Koh indicated that a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) may be the only way for Apple to get a decision ahead of the scheduled launch of the Galaxy S III, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/tZiRa). He also and told the parties to make a joint submission the next day regarding differences between the Nexus and the S III with respect to the accused features.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.

The next meeting of The Macintosh Business Users Society of Greater Philadelphia (http://www.macbus.org/) will be held on Tuesday, June 26, at 7 p.m. This month's hot topic will be the MobileMe to iCloud transition.  Apple began sending out MobileMe cancellation notices recently, reminding anyone still using MobileMe that they have until the end of June to transition to iCloud and/or copy all data stored in their MobileMe accounts to their Mac or PC. A general Mac troubleshooting Q&A session will also be held. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and invite friends or coworkers who may find the meeting beneficial. MacBUS was the first user group in the United States to focus on the business and professional uses of the Macintosh operating system.  The group of approximately 75 members meets this month at: Giant Food Store
315 York Road 2nd Floor Conference room
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090 Meetings are usually held on the last Tuesday evening of each calendar month. To...

Another day, another lawsuit. Samsung is suing the Australian patent commissioner in the latest twist in its intellectual property clash with Apple, reports the "BBC" (http://macte.ch/9V5dS). The South Korean firm is seeking to invalidate four patents which Apple claimed had been infringed by Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, the article adds. Samsung alleges that the patents should never have been granted as they duplicated earlier intellectual property filings. A judge will hold a hearing about the matter on June 25. 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.

Apple will pay more than $2 million as penalty after agreeing it misled the public in Australia by selling its new iPad as 4G-compatible, according to "The Australian" (http://macte.ch/T9XuT). The article adds that Apple has agreed to settle a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that alleged the new iPad could not access local 4G networks, despite being sold as the new iPad "with WiFi + 4G". The ACCC, the country's consumer watchdog had taken Apple to court for false advertising because the tablet computer doesn't work on Australia's 4G network. Apple's lawyers said they were willing to publish a clarification, but said the company didn't mislead customers. On its website, Apple did state that 4G LTE is only supported on selected networks in the US and Canada.

According to new data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the breakdown in sales of the iPad 2 and the new iPad between February and April of 2012 were roughly similar, reports "AllThingsD" (http://macte.ch/2NeNP). The research firm (http://macte.ch/x3TAR) says that during that period, the new iPad accounted for 59 % of total sales, while the iPad 2, which costs $100 less, accounted for 41%. "The lower price of the iPad 2 seems to be attracting many new buyers, and bringing thriftier customers into the fold," CIRP partner Josh Lowitz told AllThingsD. "In contrast with how customers behave when Apple launches new iPhone models, our data suggests that a lot of iPad buyers bought iPad 2s right up to and after the launch of the new iPad."

The Apple Store inside Kenwood Towne Centre (Cincinnati) is undergoing a complete renovation, reports the "Business Courier" (http://macte.ch/wocVb). While the store is under construction, Apple is operating out of a temporary location above the mall’s food court, said Cindy Hart, marketing manager for Kenwood Towne Centre. The permanent Apple Store is expected to be completed this fall, in September or October, Hart said.

A riot broke out at a Foxconn workers' dormitory in Chengdu after hundreds of workers got involved in a clash with security guards, according to reports from Chinese human rights website, Molihua, reports "The Register" (http://macte.ch/nQEye). Foxconn manufactures lots of tech products, including some iPhones and iPads. The incident at the dorm started at about 9 pm on Monday and reportedly escalated into a full-scale riot involving three to four male dormitories, and up to 1,000 employees. It lasted for two hours before local police quelled the disturbance, say reports. According to "The Register," the disturbance broke out after two security guards "tried to stop a thief", according to the story on Molihua, and then escalated after workers took advantage of the trouble to air long-held dissatisfaction with the guards. There were reportedly dozens of arrests.

Late Night Software (http://www.latenightsw.com) has announced Script Debugger 5.0, the latest version of its AppleScript authoring environment for Macintosh. The upgrade boasts over 30 new features and improvements to existing ones, Re-written from the ground up, Script Debugger 5.0 introduces the concept of script templates used to create new script documents and more. It requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Script Debugger 5.0 retails for US$199. The Script Debugger 4.5 to 5.0 upgrade costs $99.