Maintain has served up Cocktail 8.5.2 (Yosemite Edition), the latest maintenance update for users running Mac OS X Yosemite. Cocktail is a general purpose utility for OS X that lets users clean, repair and optimize their Macs. This version adds ability to rebuild Help database and adds two new Automator actions. It also contains improvements on the "Check S.M.A.R.T. status on startup" and "Clear kernel caches" procedures. Cocktail 8.5.2 (Yosemite Edition) costs US$19 for a single user license. It's available at the Maintain website (http://www.maintain.se/cocktail)

Applied Acoustics Systems has released the Transparency sound bank for the Ultra Analog VA-2 synthesizer and AAS Player plug-ins in collaboration with artist and sound designer Daniel Stawczyk a.k.a. Status. Transparency is sound designer Daniel Stawczyk’s fourth title in AAS' Sound Bank Series and his third for Ultra Analog VA-2. The 149 presets explore the percussive nature of AAS' analog synthesizer. Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, and Percussion loops are bundled along with Ambient, Synth, and Effect sounds. The Transparency sound bank is available (http://tinyurl.com/n9j5ejo) until Aug. 31 at the introductory price of US$19 (the regular price is $39). The instant download delivery package includes both a Ultra Analog VA-2 bank file and the free AAS Player plug-in. The AAS Player plug-in runs on both Mac OS X and Windows and supports the VST, Audio Units, AAX Native, and RTAS plug-in formats.

Sonnet (www.sonnettech.com) is now shipping its Fusion PCIe Flash Drive, a pocket-size solid-state drive (SSD) storage device. The newest member of Sonnet's growing family of Thunderbolt 2 products, the Fusion is an alternative to portable SATA-based hard disk drives and SSD storage products. The device connects to a compatible Mac or Windows computer, or at the end of a Thunderbolt device daisy chain, via an attached 0.5-meter Thunderbolt cable.  "The Fusion PCIe Flash Drive delivers blazing-fast performance comparable to a multi-drive RAID storage system, and yet it fits neatly in the palm of your hand," says Greg LaPorte, vice president of sales and marketing at Sonnet Technologies. "Based on the latest Gen 3 PCIe SSD module — the fastest standard SSD type now available — the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive is made for speed. And its 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 interface provides the bandwidth necessary to sustain ultra-high file transfer speeds, fast enough to support 4K workflows."  Capable of...

Parallels has introduced an update to its Parallels Access app (www.parallels.com/access) for remote access to Macs and PCs. Launched on both iOS and Android platforms, Parallels has added large file sharing for both that requires no cloud service and wastes no time uploading files of any size, with the ability to manage everything from the desktop agent. As part of this launch, Parallels is introducing a companion app for Apple Watch, providing users with the ability to see remote computers and initiate a connection for an even better remote experience. "The need to do more on mobile devices has been a growing trend among both consumers and business professionals alike. Our latest Parallels Access update brings new features that make it easier than ever before to get work done with native touch gestures on mobile devices, as well as from any computer with a web browser," says Jack Zubarev, president of Parallels. "Parallels Access makes every application and file on your remote work...

Seagate Technology (www.seagate.com) has announced the Nytro XF1440 2.5”, Nytro XM1440 M.2 non-volatile memory express (NVMe) Solid State Drives (SSDs) and the Nytro XP6500 Flash Accelerator Card. These products extend Seagate’s portfolio of flash-based solutions, which are designed to work in conjunction with Seagate storage products to meet nearly any data storage need. The drives and the accelerator card are best suited for demanding enterprise applications, such as online transaction processing (OLTP), high frequency trading, high-performance computing (HPC), data warehousing, data mining and data analytics as well as workloads with mixed IO sizes and multiple applications running simultaneously. The Seagate Nytro XF1440 and XM1440 are high performance NVMe SSDs available in ultra-small (2.5” and M.2) form factors. Offering a balance of power and performance, these drives are engineered to increase storage density, while reducing the storage footprint and power use in data...

On Aug. 10, Google announced plans to create a new public holding company, Alphabet Inc. and a new operating structure to increase management scale and focus on its consolidated businesses. Under the new operating structure, its main Google business will include search, ads, maps, apps, YouTube and Android and the related technical infrastructure (the "Google business"). Businesses such as Calico, Nest, and Fiber, as well as its investing arms, such as Google Ventures and Google Capital, and incubator projects, such as Google X, will be managed separately from the Google business. In an announcement about the changes — which you can read here (https://abc.xyz) — Larry Page, who cofounded Google with Sergey Brin, had this to say: "Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by...

Here are some of the latest apps available at the Apple App Store for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and/or Apple Watch. 2pensmedia has announced Coinnect. In the free game, players score points by matching adjacent coins of the same color before the timer runs out. Coins can be matched in a variety of ways, including horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or through a combination of directions. Austin Shaf has released Bumper Jumper. The game (free, but with in-app purchases) involves bouncing aliens as high as you can through space. Tap to create bumpers that juggle you up and up. Progressively harder the higher you go, Bumper Jumper features gravity flip, mega bouncer, and slo-mo power ups, an original soundtrack and Game Center support. Travel Mate is a new, US$2.99 app that provides tools necessary to help users stay in control of their money while traveling the world. You can set your trip's budget in your preferred currency, and record your expenses on the fly in any of the 153...

The first Mac OS X version of Excalibur (https://getexcalibur.com/en/blog), a security solution that's free for non-commercial users, is now available. Instead of syncing your data across computers, the utility is cloud based by design. No syncing is required, and all your passwords and notes are immediately accessible. "Excalibur is a completely new and drastically different approach to Password Managers solving all the pitfalls of existing solutions," says Excalibur CEO Ivan Klimek. "Instead of using a master password we use your phone — the most personal device that you always carry with you. The phone will ask your for you specific acknowledgment for every action that might require your attention. As you don't type any passwords anymore, keyloggers and malware is ineffective. Instead of storing your sensitive data in one place, Excalibur stores them "decentralized" — one cryptographic part on your phone and one in the cloud, he adds. The only place where the data is reconstructed...

FileMaker has launched the Boost Your Business Kit (http://tinyurl.com/nzy8zhs), a special limited-time offer that includes things new customers need to create and run business solutions that work across iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, and the web for the discounted price of US$828. Purchase one FileMaker Server 14 annual license with five concurrent connections and receive five FileMaker Pro 14 annual licenses at no additional cost. The FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone app is downloadable for free from the Apple App Store. The Boost Your Business Kit is available only through Sept. 24, globally, to new customers under FileMakers Annual Volume Licensing program only. Non-profit and educational pricing is available to eligible institutions.

The European Commission found no evidence of collusion among the major music labels and Apple to stifle free music streaming services such as those offered by Spotify, reports Re/code (http://tinyurl.com/ocqcveq), quoting four unnamed "sources with knowledge of the matter." Investigators examined whether the labels conspired with one another or with Apple on Apple’s new streaming music service in a way that would hurt rivals, the article adds. The probe failed to turn up any illegal activity, though the EU will continue to monitor the market, sources said.

Apple has built its online store into its main website and separate web pages. There's no longer a separate "Store" listing on Apple's pages. Instead, there's a shopping bag icon that displays products in the shopping cart, past order information, account details, and favorites. You buy an item by clicking the "Buy" button on a product's page. This links you to the purchasing menus formerly available in the online store.

Storek Studio has announced nVeil Art 2.0 (http://nVeil.com), an update to its graphic remix tool for Mac OS X. nVeil generates works of digital abstract cubism by filtering photos or video through vector-drawn veils. Colors and motion come from the source imagery, and can then be further modified with nVeil's controls. Version 2.0 features photo enhancement masking, a new image format, an enlarged library of veils, new tutorials, an improved user interface, and more. nVeil runs on OS X 10.7 or higher. Bundled app pricing of both the creating/exporting app and the veil-making app for a limited time is US$29, with a special educational price of $19. The regular price $39.

Maintain has served up Cocktail 7.9.1 (http://cocktail.maintain.se) Mavericks Edition, a new version of its Mac OS X utility that's compatible with OS X Mavericks. This version fixes compatibility issues with Adobe Creative Cloud 2015 and OS X Server. It also addresses many other issues and contains overall performance improvements. Cocktail is a general purpose utility for OS X that lets you clean, repair and optimize your Mac. Its features are arranged into five categories that help you manage various aspects of your computer. Cocktail 7.9.1 Mavericks Edition requires OS X Mavericks to run. When unregistered, Cocktail runs in demo mode and will expire after the tenth launch. Registration is US$19 for a single user license or $39 for a family license that covers up to five computers.

zFoundry (http://zfoundry.co) has released zCloud for Mac OS X. It's an app that connects to Dropbox to allow users to create shareable links to screenshots, images and other files for instant collaboration without the hassle of bulky attachments or signing into additional software or websites. An instantly shareable link is generated by dragging a file to the zCloud icon in the menubar, taking a screenshot with customizable keyboard shortcuts or designating a Finder folder(s) that will automatically upload and generate links for files added to it. The link is automatically copied to the clipboard when any of these actions are performed, so all the user has to do is paste and share via email, instant message or any other method. "In today’s world of virtual offices and remote collaboration, it saves an enormous amount of time—and disk space," says Nicholas Fortino, CDO of zFoundry, who first conceived the app while collaborating on a variety of creative projects with co-founder...

The iBooks Author Conference (http://www.ibooksauthorconference.com) is coming to Nashville, TN, Oct. 8-9. It will be held at the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Separate events, such as complementary iBooks Author Certification Program exam sessions and the Thursday night iBooks Author Hack, will be held off-site with shuttle service provided. Available free on the Mac App Store, iBooks Author is an app that allows anyone to create beautiful iBooks Textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for the iPad and Mac. Its been redesigned for OS X Yosemite. It supports galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, mathematical expressions, and more. The 2015 iBooks Author Conference is a global gathering of the growing iBooks Author user base, spanning educators, instructional designers, creative professionals, learning professionals, authors, corporate trainers, and others.  The Conference will provide thought leadership, best practices, and a...

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, tells USA Today (http://tinyurl.com/oem879t) that 11 million people have signed up for Apple Music (or, at least, the three month, free trial version). "We're thrilled with the numbers so far," says Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, adding that of that number, two million have opted for the family plan at $14.99 a month for up to six people. Apple Music costs US$9.99 a month for individual access to 30 million songs as well as human-curation playlists and a live radio station. Assuming all the trial memberships are converted into paying customers come October, Apple would already boast half the paid memberships of reigning streaming champ Spotify, which launched nearly a decade ago, notes USA Today.

The Swiss National Bank has raised its stake in Apple, increasing its U.S. equity holdings to $38.6 billion, reports Bloomberg (http://tinyurl.com/pcgk62g). Switzerland’s central bank owned 9.4 million shares in the Cupertion, California-based company on June 30, according to a regulatory filing made to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That compared with 8.9 million shares at the end of March, a 5.5% increase, according to Bloomberg calculations. According to the SEC data, the SNB held shares in more than 2,500 U.S.-listed companies, valued at $38.6 billion. A quarter earlier, it held U.S. shares worth $37.5 billion.

Apple has updated its TestFlight app to version 1.2.0, which adds support for testing upcoming iOS 9 features such as watchOS 2 apps and App Thinning. TestFlight lets you install and beta test apps on an iOS device. After a developer invites you to beta test their app, you can install new versions as they become available. TestFlight also allows you to provide feedback to developers on the features you are testing in the prerelease apps you’ve been invited to. With the new version, testers can now choose how to receive update notifications for each app they're testing. Also, watchOS 2 beta apps will install automatically when the "Automatic Downloads" setting is turned on in the Apple Watch app. TestFlight is a free download at the Apple App Store.

Apple has defeated a group lawsuit sought by a former iPhone user who claimed the company’s messaging system interfered with delivery of texts after she switched to an Android-based smartphone. Plaintiff Adrienne Moore said in her complaint filed in San Jose, California, last November that Apple’s iMessage's message blocking interfered with her contract with Verizon Wireless for wireless service, which she kept after switching in April to a Samsung Galaxy S5 from an iPhone 4. Moore sought class-action status and unspecified damages, claiming that Apple failed to disclose how iOS 5 would obstruct the delivery of "countless"messages from other Apple device users if iPhone users switched to non-Apple devices. However, U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh has ruled the case can’t proceed as a group lawsuit because it’s not clear enough that all proposed members of the suit suffered an inconvenience due to any “contractual breach or interference” stemming from the iMessage system, reports...

Apple Korea is now selling the sixth generation iPod touch, reports Seoul Finance — as noted by BrightWire (www.brightwire.com), a global investment newswire. The new iPod touch is priced at KRW 279,000-KRW 499,000 (about US$238-$426) in the country, the article said. Seoul Finance is a Seoul-based online and offline publication that provides financial and economic news. The revamped iPod touch features a new 8-megapixel iSight camera for photos, an improved FaceTime HD camera, the Apple-designed A8 chip with 10 times faster graphics performance for a more immersive gaming experience, and even better fitness tracking with the M8 motion coprocessor, says Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone, iPod and iOS Product Marketing. With the A8 chip, the same used in the iPhone 6, users can play even more immersive games for hours at a time, all the while with great battery life, he adds. Three times faster Wi-Fi lets customers stay in touch with friends and family through FaceTime...

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., called on the nation's technology companies such as Apple to release federal data on the diversity of their work forces. She was in Silicon Valley this week with two other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to push the tech industry to hire more African Americans. "We have asked them all to release the data," Lee told USA Today (http://tinyurl.com/nvbhgn8). "If they believe in inclusion, they have to release the data so the public knows that they are being transparent and that they are committed to doing the right thing." So far Apple has refused requests from the daily newspaper to make public data it routinely supplies to the U.S. Department of Labor on the demographics of their workers.

Maxon (www.maxon.net) has announced Cinema Release 17 (R17), an update of its of its 3D animation, graphics, VFX, visualization, and rendering software. It's due to ship in September for both Mac OS X and Windows. It delivers new, expanded and completely reworked features designed to allow creatives to more easily and efficiently manage and create outstanding content. Central to Cinema 4D R17 is the new Take System that provides complete and flexible scene handling to manage render layers and animation variations. Also included are new Lens Distortion tools for improved motion tracking, and completely reworked Spline Tools for a more efficient workflow for manipulating points, lines, tangents, arcs and more. Cinema Release 17 requires Mac OS X 10.8.5 or higher. Pricing hasn't been announced.

Apple’s 24/7 radio station Beats 1 — part of its Apple Music service — may not be the only official station from Apple for long. The company has the ability to expand its lineup of Beats radio stations at will, reports The Verge (http://tinyurl.com/qgxfzf7), quoting unnamed "sources with knowledge of the situation." As part of the deal it struck with the major labels for Apple Music Radio, Apple has licenses for up to five additional stations without having to renegotiate with the labels. The Verge says this means Apple could launch a Beats 2 station headquartered in Australia or Asia, allowing it to provide live radio around the clock (Beats 1 is only live 12 hours a day). Or Apple could take a more targeted approach and produce holiday stations, the article adds. Also, as noted by AppleInsider (http://tinyurl.com/qx9lqon), Music magazine Billboard has "quietly added" Apple Music to the list of streaming services factored into its music charts, which are often treated as the main...

Under its new EcoTank brand, Epson today unveiled five new all-in-one color printers featuring large ink reservoirs – what Epson defines as the "Supertank" category – that come loaded and ready for up to two years of prints without replacing the ink..      When comparing EcoTank to a traditional printer, the ink included with the EcoTank is equivalent to about 20 sets of ink cartridges or more, depending on the model, says Keith Kratzberg, executive vice president, Epson America.  About 90% of the pages printed in the United States are printed in black-and-white, not color. Two-thirds of those pages could be in color. Previously, a major barrier to color printing has been the cost of ink replacements, says Kratzberg. EcoTank printers are loaded and ready with up to two years of ink. When replacement ink is needed, the cost will reportedly be as low as US$12.99 per bottle, or $52 per set of bottles. For example, a standard home printer requires approximately 20 sets of cartridges to...