iPresentee (http://www.ipresentee.com/) has announced Countdown Timers, developed specifically for Apple's Keynote presentation software. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or higher and Keynote '08 or later. Countdown Timers for Keynote can be used to show the time before the actual presentation or meeting should start. The new bundle includes 10 new timers and 15 supplementary clipart images. Countdown Timers for Keynote can be used to show the time before the actual presentation or meeting should start. Teachers can also use timers during classroom instruction to help students to maintain attention and ultimately to become better "time-managers". Countdown Timers for Keynote bundle may be purchased for US$19.99. Each individual timer is available for $6.99. Samples and more information about Countdown Timers are available immediately at the iPresentee's website.

Apple has released OS X 10.7.4 and Safari. Both can be obtained via the Software Updates component of the Mac OS X Systems Preferences app. According to Apple, the OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes fixes that: ° Resolve an issue in which the "Reopen windows when logging back in" setting is always enabled. ° Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards. ° Addresses permission issues that may be caused if you use the Get Info inspector function "Apply to enclosed items…" on your home directory. ° Improve Internet sharing of PPPoE connections. ° Improve using a proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file. ° Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to an SMB server. ° Improve printing to an SMB print queue. ° Improve performance when connecting to a WebDAV server. ° Enable automatic login for NIS accounts. ° Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras. ° Improve the reliability of binding and logging into Active Directory accounts. The...

"The Verge" (http://macte.ch/fZkJC) says that the votes on the next SIM card standard are finally being taken and should be concluded by mid-May. The results should be interesting since Apple is pushing its own nano-SIM design as a replacement for the current SIM standard. Last month Last week the "Financial Times" reported that Apple is competing with Motorola Mobility, Research in Motion and Nokia on a smaller SIM card standard. Apple wants a "nano-SIM" that would let it design even smaller products, the article adds. The MicroSIM card, with a design smaller than traditional SIM cards, was pushed by Apple in 2010 with the launch of the iPhone 4. However, a nano-SIM would shrink further -- to about a third the size of the MicroSIM. Apple's keen on adopting the new standard, but the other companies aren't warm to Apple's design proposals, per the "Financial Times."

Take it with a grain of salt, but "Digitimes" (http://www.digitimes.com) reports Pegatron Technology reportedly has landed orders for a new-generation iPhone to be launched in September and a 10-inch iPad to be launched in the fourth quarter. Pegatron is currently an original equipment manufacturer for the iPhone 4S and new iPad. A 7-inch iPad reportedly will be released in August and will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics, says "DigiTimes."

A California judge has tossed out a lawsuit in which the Chinese firm Proview Electronics accused Apple Inc of tricking them into selling the "iPad" name for less than it might have, reports "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/LF8xB). Last week, judge Mark Pierce dismissed the case, agreeing with Apple's argument that the two parties had agreed to settle any disagreements in Hong Kong, the article adds. In February accused Apple of "deception" in the way it acquired rights to the iPad name. In Californian court filings, Proview claimed Apple created a UK-registered "special purpose company," IP Application Development Ltd (IPADL). The court papers allege that IPADL said the trademark was needed because "it is an abbreviation for the company name." Proview was seeking damages and sought to void a 2009 deal in which it sold its rights to the trademark for US$55,000 (£35,000).

In a note to clients -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) -- Barclays Equity Research forecasts that the iPad will carry a big chunk of Apple sales over the next two quarters while the company prepares to launch a next-generation handset and new laptops. The investment bank left its Apple stock price target unchanged at US$750, giving the stock an overweight rating due to strong iPad and iPhone demand, Mac gains and international expansion. Barclays estimates see Apple shipping 14.2 million iPad units in the second quarter of the 2012 calendar year; this represents quarter-on-quarter growth of 20%.

Rayner Software has released NetShade 5 for Mac (http://www.raynersw.com/netshade), the latest update to its web anonymizer app. The new version is build on a new server architecture. NetShade works by routing your Internet connection through an intermediary proxy server. This prevents your IP address from being sent to the sites you visit, providing a layer of privacy protection and a different geographical point of access. NetShade provides access to a user-sourced list of public proxy servers, as well as its own dedicated servers. NetShade currently runs six proxies -- three in the U.S. and three in the E.U. With version 5 logins and passwords are no longer required to access the NetShade proxy. The previous version relied upon the OS X keychain to store login and password information for proxies, but various system-level bugs often caused this method to fail. The elimination of passwords in version 5 removes this susceptibility to the keychain's bugs. The proxy manager has been re...

Chronos says its SOHO Labels product is being re-branded as Labelist. A new application icon also accompanies the new simpler name. Labelist is the same product as SOHO Labels and can open existing SOHO Labels documents. Customers who own SOHO Labels 6.x or purchased SOHO Labels after Oct. 1, 2011, can upgrade to Labelist 7 for free Customers who own earlier versions of SOHO Labels can upgrade to Labelist 7 for US$25. A fully functional 30 day trial version can be downloaded from Chronos' web site (http://www.chronosnet.com). For new users, Labelist costs $39.99 for a single user license and $69.99 for a family pack. Customers who own SOHO Labels 6.x or purchased SOHO Labels after Oct. 1, 2011, can upgrade to Labelist 7 for free. Customers who own earlier versions of SOHO Labels can upgrade to Labelist 7 for $25. Labelist requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later.

Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps. Smile has released PDFpen 5.8.1 (http://www.smilesoftware.com/PDFpen/), an update to its PDF editor for Mac OS X. "Zoom to Width" has been added to the menu and toolbar to set the zoom to fill the available display width. Screen width has also been added as an initial window size preference. Ergonis Software (http://www.ergonis.xom) has announced extended shortcut descriptions for Adobe Illustrator. The descriptions can be imported in KeyCue 6 to reveal 144 hidden keyboard shortcuts in Adobe Illustrator. DEVONtechnologies (http://www.devontechnologies.com) has rolled out updates for all editions of DEVONagent and published DEVONagent Express also in its own online shop. The free find-file utility EasyFind gets a maintenance update, too. Ohanaware has updated Fun Greetings (http://www.ohanaware.com/fungreetings/), photo card creation software for Mac OS X, to version 1.2. The upgrade adds Mother's Day, more birthday and...

Apple is virtually “Teflon” in public reputation in the US, at least in the context of recent "diverted taxes" revelations, and especially compared to last year’s GE “zero tax bill” scandal, according to YouGov BrandIndex (http://www.brandindex.com), which tracks public perception of thousands of brands across the world every day. Apple’s consumer reputation has barely budged since the April 29 "New York Times" story revealing that the company avoids paying taxes in its home state of California and 20 other states, according to the organization. YouGov's BrandIndex is a daily measure of brand perception among the public, tracking many brands across multiple sectors simultaneously. On the other hand, when the same newspaper revealed GE reaped $14.2 billion in worldwide profits in 2010, yet paid zero taxes in the U.S. and claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion, the reaction was more pronounced and longer. The company’s reputation took a steep drop and two months to recover to pre-crisis...

Bluegrass Cellular will offer iPhone 4S to its customers beginning Friday, May 18. The carrier will also offer iPhone 4 for US$49. All models are available at all Bluegrass Cellular Customer Care Centers, select Authorized Agent locations and online at http://www.bluegrasscellular.com/iphone Custo.mers can pre-register their interest starting today. Based in Elizabethtown, Bluegrass Cellular offers 3G-EVDO service in 34 counties of Kentucky. Nationwide coverage is offered as well, through Verizon’s EVDO network. "Bluegrass Cellular is pleased to offer iPhone 4S to our customers throughout the Bluegrass service area nationwide," says Ron Smith, president and CEO, Bluegrass Cellular. “We will give iPhone customers unparalleled service as they experience this amazing device and its unique features and applications on our network, wherever they go."

Apple and Samsung have greatly reduced the number of patent infringement claims in their ongoing legal battle though the battle appears far from over, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/OW3io). "Apple made a filing in its first California litigation with Samsung that offers a truly impressive narrowing of its infringement claims in that action, roughly cutting them in half, and five hours later, Samsung offered to drop five of its 12 asserted patents but argued that Apple's case is still far too big to go to trial this summer," Florian Mueller writes for "FOSS Patents." "Apple's filing accused Samsung of being uncooperative in the build-up to these filings, but Samsung puts all the blame on Apple and says the case still isn't ready for a summer trial." Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. A week ago a German court dismissed two cases brought by Apple and Samsung against each other as part of the ongoing legal battle.

IpSoft has introduced Chord Dictionary 1.0 for OS X. It's a music app that provides instant reverse chord lookup from a guitar fretboard. Unlike most chord dictionaries, which allow the user to select a chord and view the correct fingerings on the fretboard, the app allows users to create their own chord and then lookup its name. A reference tool for musicians of any level of expertise, Chord Dictionary is designed to help you figure out chord names just from notes and intervals and covers all 22 frets. Chord Dictionary requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later and costs US$2.99. It's available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Reference category.

Musubo has announced four new additions to its collection of iPhone 4/4S carrying solutions: the Eden (pictured) Ripple, Sexy, and Double X cases.

The US$34.99 Eden’s design conjures images of lush greenery, inspiring peace and tranquility, according to Jeff Galant, CEO of Smart IT USA, Musubo’s exclusive U.S. distribution partner. The case sports dual layers of protection, including a polycarbonate frame and soft silicon cushioned interior. The Eden comes with a folding video stand and is available in blue, black, green, orange, purple, rose pink and white. The $24.99 Sexy is made of molded, soft-touch silicon protects and is designed to fit the iPhone like a glove, while providing access to all key ports. It includes a folding video stand and comes in blue, black, magenta, purple, red and white. The $29.99 Ripple mimics the ripple of water as a single raindrop falls to a pond. It provides durable, soft-touch protection to absorb life’s daily impacts, while complementing your...

Scosche (http://www.scosche.com) has announced four new new USB-port home chargers and display several new additions to its Power line of chargers at CTIA 2012. All of the new chargers work with the free Scosche reVIVE battery management app for both iOS and Android devices.  The immediately available reVIVE h4 and reVIVE h4 pro feature four 5-watt (1 amp) USB ports to charge four devices simultaneously. The reVIVE h4 pro model ships Scosche’s 2-in-1 sync cable to charge either a 30-pin or micro-USB device. Also available are the reVOLT h2 and reVOLT h2 pro chargers, which both feature two 10-watt (2.1 amp) USB ports for charging two tablets simultaneously. Like the reVIVE h4 pro, the reVOLT h2 pro comes with a 2-in-1 sync cable. All four of the newly available chargers feature an ergonomic flat top design and flush folding wall prongs. The new reVOLT c2 dual 10-watt (2.1 amp) USB charger pack enough power to refuel two tablets simultaneously while on the go. It's a shotgun shell...

Today's special deal is MainMenu for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$19.49 for a family pack; the regular price is $29. A single user license is being offered for $9.49; the regular price is $19. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1861/6603/mainmenu+pro+family+pack and http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1862/6603/mainmenu+pro . Don't have time to run all the various tools and scripts to keep your Mac running smoothly? MainMenu is designed to make these tasks quick and easy right from your menubar. Rebuilding your Spotlight library for faster searching, repairing permissions, cleaning caches to improve application performance, and even more advanced settings -- such as enabling and disabling the Dashboard -- are no more than two clicks away.

Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps. KnewSense has announced MacAppBlocker 1.4.1 (http://knewsense.com/macappblocker) for OS X, an update to their utility that enables users to block access to any application by placing it on a blocked app list that's password protected. The new version is a maintenance update. Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates have updated Brickles Pro to version 2.0 and reduce the price to US$14.95. It's a breakout-type of game based on the "ball and paddle" game called Brickles. Tension Software has announced version 1.1 of Product Builder (http://www.pomola.com), which allows software developers to create packages ready to be transmitted using the Application Loader (by Apple and  included with the Developer tools). It's a maintenance update.

In March 2012, a majority (50.4%) of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up from 47.8% in December 2011, according to new data from the Nielsen research group (http://www.nielsen.com).. Consumers purchasing new phones picked smartphones more often, and among smartphone owners Apple was the top manufacturer of smartphone handsets, while Android was the top smartphone OS. Who makes up this growing group of smartphone owners in the U.S.? According to Nielsen, as of Q1 2012: ° 50.9% of female mobile subscribers carried smartphones in March 2012, compared to 50.1% for men. ° Looking at multiple smartphones are particularly popular among those ages 25 to 34: More than two out of three in this age group have a smartphone. ° Asian Americans lead smartphone adoption with 67.3% using a smartphone as their primary mobile handset. ° Almost three in five Hispanic mobile subscribers use smartphones, and a majority of African-Americans own smartphones.

"Cult of Mac" (http://macte.ch/7wd3q) claims to have a source who's seen a prototype of the rumored Apple-branded HDTV (the "iTV"). Rumors have the release date of the device ranging from the third quarter of this year to 2014. "Cult of Mac," quoting its unnamed source, says the Apple HDTV looks like Apple’s current lineup of LED-backlit Cinema Displays, but is "much bigger." It has a built-in iSight camera for making free FaceTime video conference call, and comes with Siri, the iPhone 4S’s voice-activated virtual assistant.

FORTUNE magazine has released the FORTUNE 500 (http://www.fortune.com/500), its annual ranking of the largest corporations in the United States, ranked by revenue for the 2011 fiscal year. Apple comes in at 17th on the list, up from number 35 in 2011. The combined earnings of the FORTUNE 500 companies increased 16.4% from last year to reach a record high of US$824.5 billion in 2011, breaking the previous record of $785 billion, which was set in 2006 during a robust economy. "Given the sluggish recovery and a strapped consumer, you’d expect to see corporate America trudging along, not racing for glory," FORTUNE's Shawn Tully writes. "In fact, the Fortune 500 are thriving as a group. Unlike the U.S. economy, they’ve shown quicksilver agility, rapidly shifting their product mix and producing more goods at little new cost." Exxon Mobil edges out Wal-Mart and reclaims the number one spot with $453 billion in revenues, while General Motors jumps three places to number five on the list. It...

Audio-Technica has introduced its ATH-ANC9 QuietPoint active noise-canceling over-ear headphones, the company's active noise-cancelling (ANC) model. The ATH-ANC9 offers new features including exclusive Tri-Level Cancellation selectable noise-cancellation settings, an inline microphone and controller for answering calls and controlling music, and additional enhancements. The ATH-ANC9 purportedly blocks up to 95% of outside noise. The ATH-ANC9 is the first over-ear QuietPoint model to feature a cable with an inline microphone and controller for answering calls and controlling music. The mic and controller support select products including the iPhone, iPad and many iPod models. The microphone has an omnidirectional pickup pattern (it picks up sound from all directions) and is designed for high-quality, intelligible response. 
The headphones fold flat for storage and come with two detachable cables (with and without inline controller), a 1/4-inch adapter, an airline adapter, a hard...

Attorneys for Proview, a Chinese company, claim that progress is being made in the company's ongoing trademark dispute with Apple over the iPad name. Xie Xianghui, an attorney that represents Proview in the city of Shenzhen, told China's "Xinhua" (http://macte.ch/jpkaL) -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) -- that the two sides have discussed a compensation package. Apple is even said to have gone as far as proposing a settlement sum that it believes would be fair. Proview says it owns the rights to the "iPad" name in China; Apple, as you might expect, disagrees. In February Proview filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County (California) that brought the legal dispute to Silicon Valley. With that move, the brouhaha went international.


Apple is disputing ownership of the iphone5.com domain, "sparking speculation that the company will use the long-rumored name for its next smartphone," reports "Computerworld" (http://macte.ch/nuH5m). Apple may want the domain name, but it seems more likely to us the next gen iPhone will simply be called "the new iPhone." Apple has filed a claim with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations agency that arbitrates Web domain disputes in cases of "cybersquatting," naming iphone5.com as the target. The domain is currently active and hosts a discussion forum devoted to smartphones. "Computerworld" says it's unclear who owns iphone5.com since the domain, which was activated in early 2008, was registered anonymously. However, the domain registrar which assigned the URL is based in Australia, the article adds.

Adobe has announced the immediate availability of Adobe Creative Suite 6 software. The CS6 product line includes new releases of Photoshop, InDesign, lllustrator, Dreamweaver, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash Professional and other products as well as four suite versions -- Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium; Creative Suite 6 Design Standard; Creative Suite 6 Production Premium; and Creative Suite 6 Master Collection. Adobe Creative Cloud, a new way of providing tools and services for creatives worldwide is expected to be available on Friday, May 11. A subscription-based offering, Adobe Creative Cloud is a hub for making, sharing and delivering creative work and it is centered around a release of Adobe Creative Suite 6 software. CS6 point product subscriptions will also be available May 11. According to David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media Business, Adobe, the top new features across the CS6 product line include: ° New levels of performance with tools...