There's a new addition to the online Apple store called Compare Macs, which offers a three panel juxtaposition of the hardware, software, storage, environmental impact, communications and display of any Mac OS X machine sold by Apple. The option becomes available in the top menu bar once you select a Mac. "Although there’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the feature, as usual, Apple has managed to execute the new option with such perfection that the HTML5 seems to shiver," says "Cult of Mac" (http://macosg.me/2/r6) in reviewing the Compare Macs feature. "Each genre of juxtaposition -- Hardware, Software, Technical Specifications, And Configuration Summary -- is delineated into specific sections that collapse as you scroll down the page, with each point of comparison flushly horizontal with its comparable brethren. The pie charts under the Environmental Status Report section are particularly well rendered, using different patinas of oak and walnut to attractively convey the...

So you can make Internet calls and listen to music without the hassle of cords Logitech (http://www.logitech.com) has announced the Logitech Wireless Headset H760 for voice, video calls, music, movies and computer games. The headset purportedly lets you chat, roam, move and groove up to 40 feet away from your Mac, with up to six hours of battery life. The H760 also features a built-in equalizer, one-touch controls for volume, and noise-canceling technology. Itboasts quick-access audio controls -- compatible with iTunes and any audio -- that allow you to adjust volume, pause and navigate your playlist directly from your headset. The H760 also features a noise-canceling microphone that reduces background noise and automatically mutes when you move the mic out of the way. The Logitech Wireless Headset H760 is expected to be available in the U.S. and Asia in August and in Europe in September for US$99.99 .

Inkling (http://www.inkling.com) has launched its platform for learning content with immediate availability of its iPad app. It delivers interactive textbooks that feature powerful social collaboration, integrated multimedia, and instant learner feedback. Inkling is available in the Apple App Store for free, and users can buy individual chapters or entire books at a discount to the print price. Free previews are available for all titles, and prices start at US$2.99 per chapter and $69.99 per book. Rather than replicating a book on a screen, Inkling puts 3-D objects, video, quizzes, and even social interaction right at a student's fingertips inside the textbook, says Inkling founder and CEO, Matt MacInnis. Inkling's sync technology lets students collaborate in real time by sharing their notes and highlights with one another. Students can see comments from their friends and professors right alongside their own notes, making it easy to collaborate side-by-side or across campus....

Sanyo (http://www.us.sanyo.com) has introduced a new Full HD (1920 x 1080 30p) Pocket-Size Dual Camera, model VPC-PD2BK, with embedded software for easy use and sharing on social networks. It will be available next month with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$169.99. The camera offers 10 MP photo shooting and 3x optical zoom in a form factor about the size of a deck of cards. With the VPC-PD2BK, shoot, you can connect, view and share both photos and videos on social networks like YouTube, Facebook, and Picasa. Two microphones on the sides of the camera record stereo sound. The VPC-PD2BK has a High Speed Sequential Shooting Mode. You can connect it using USB with either a built-in USB connector or with the included USB connection cable. Files can be saved to SD, SDHC or ultra-high capacity SDXC (up to 64GB) memory cards.

Black Cat Systems has updated MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimodeOSX.html), a Mac OS X application that lets you Mac decode several different modes of non-voice communication often heard on shortwave, to version 6.1.5. This version includes several bug fixes. MultiMode is an US$89 application that lets your Mac decode and transmit several different modes of non-voice communication often heard on shortwave and ham radio. It allows you to decode and display morse code, RTTY, FAX, SSTV, ACARS, PSK31 and many other modes on your Mac, without any extra hardware. MultiMode now also allows you to transmit in most of the modes of operation. A lite version is also available which decodes CW, RTTY, and weather fax modes, which is ideal for the sailor and boating enthusiast. MultiMode Lite is also available, which offers reception of CW, RTTY, and FAX modes only. MultiMode Lite is ideal for sailors who need to be able to view weather charts and reports, but don't need...

Apple is internally testing the first material update to its iOS 4.0 mobile operating system against a handful of new devices, including next-generation iPod touches, an iPad revision, and an "unknown" product, according to "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). Quoting "people familiar with the matter," the article says the latest beta of iOS 4.1, due to ship in the coming weeks, includes three new "Configuration Descriptors" within its USB configuration files -- all of which pertain to devices that list "Apple, Inc." as their "manufacturer." One is the fourth gen iPod touch, the second is (apparently) the second gen iPad and the third is "unknown hardware." So what's that? Who knows, but "AppleInsider" offers a prediction that makes sense: "It's possible that those place holders are related to an Apple TV reincarnation -- rumored to be dubbed iTV -- that will reportedly jettison its existing Mac OS X-based software platform for one built around iOS 4.0 and capable of...

Apparently, Apple is winding down the Quattro Wireless ad network it bought earlier this year. According to "MacDailyNews" (http://macosg.me/2/qt), Apple has sent out the following email to iAd-using developers and advertisers:

 "Since the launch of the iAd Network just over a month ago, advertisers and developers have been telling us how much they love this powerful new way to reach iPhone and iPod touch users right in their favorite apps. "iAds are captivating viewers with high-quality video and rich media experiences, engaging customers like never before and already delivering dramatic results. Advertisers are seeing a huge spike in the amount of time customers spend watching and interacting with ads, making them more comparable to television advertising than traditional online ads, and developers are thrilled with this new source of revenue. 

'We believe iAd is the best mobile ad network in the world, and starting next month we're going to focus all of our resources on the iAd...

Blackmagic Design will again be supporting the Third Annual Amsterdam FCPUG SuperMeet (http://www.supermeet.com) as a platinum sponsor. The company will be introducing DaVinci Resolve 7 for Mac in a presentation by Warren Eagles, an international freelance color artist, at the event. The SuperMeet will be held at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Sunday, Sept. 12. The event will highlight Final Cut Studio collaborative editing workflows by high-level editors and color artists, and will for the first time, include color grading workflows on a Mac. The entire second half of the SuperMeet will be hosted by the lead instructor for Apple’s Pro Apps training program, Abba Shapiro, who will be joined by some of Europe’s best Final Cut Studio gurus to teach the audience in their “best of the best” FCS workflow tips and techniques. The event will also include a SuperMeet Digital Showcase featuring hardware and software developers providing workflow solutions for...

Singapore's JLJ Holdings, one of several Asian firms named in Apple's bribery suit against one of its own mid-level managers, announced Thursday that its executive chairman had temporarily relinquished his duties, notes "Fortune" (http://macosg.me/2/qr). Andrew Ang, a former employee of a JLJ subsidiary called Jin Li Mould, was named last week in Apple's suit against Paul Shin Devine, an Apple global supply manager. Devine has been accused of trading confidential Apple information in return for more than $1 million in payments, bribes and kickbacks, some of which he allegedly shared with Ang. "Andrew Ang is the brother-in-law of the company's executive chairman," JLJ Holdings said in a statement. "In order to facilitate the impartial review of all activities relating to the Apple claim that may involve the Company and its subsidiaries, the company's executive chairman has also voluntarily relinquished all executive duties."

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston have found that hearing loss in adolescents has increased dramatically over the past 15 years, and suggest that music and devices such as the iPod may be the reason, reports "TG Daily" (http://macosg.me/2/qq). "Some risk factors, such as loud sound exposure from listening to music, may be of particular importance to adolescents," say the authors. The researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys of 12- to 19-year-olds. They found that a fifth had some evidence of hearing loss, while one in twenty had at least mild hearing loss. Looking at the data from 1988, the team found there had been a 30% increase in the prevalence of any hearing loss, and a 70% increase in mild or worse hearing loss in the past 15 years.

Worldwide computer microprocessor unit shipments and revenues in the second calendar quarter of 2010 (2Q10) increased 3.6% and 6.2%, respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to the latest PC processor study from International Data Corporation (IDC). The average sequential change in unit shipments between a calendar year's first quarter and its second quarter is an increase of 1.6%. For revenues, the average sequential change is a decrease of -2.8%. So, these increases represent better performance than usual for a second calendar quarter. "Such a sequential increase in PC processor shipments alone would have been enough to conclude that the first half was strong for the market," said Shane Rau director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC (http://www.idc.com). "However, a modest rise in revenues, too, points directly to a rise in average selling prices. System makers bought more and higher-priced computer processors in 2Q10 than in 1Q10. Digging a...

TinyPlanet Software (http://tinyplanetsoftware.com/) has updated Knapsack, a personal travel organizer for Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") and 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"), to version 2.0. The new world map let's users view their trip's destinations at any level of detail. They can get an overview of their entire trip across countries and continents or zoom in to street level to see all the parking lots near their hotel. The new Map Search feature in Knapsack 2 lets users find places, addresses, and even points of interest anywhere in the world. Users can now locate cities, hotels, museums, airports, and more. Map Search uses an extensive online geographic database that is constantly improving. Knapsack gives users the tools to plan, organize, and relive their travel adventures with features such as map pins with location postcards, an itinerary planner, trip checklists, and printed itineraries. Knapsack 2 costs US$39.95 for a single-user license and $59.95 for a five-user family pack. A 30-day...

Gideon Softworks has updated FileXaminer (http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/filexaminer.html), the file/folder information utility for Mac OS X, to version 2.7.1. It's a maintenance release with some bug fixes. FileXaminer allows you to modify file and folder attributes that the Finder can’t, such as type/creator info, UNIX permissions and more. It also eliminates the need to use the Terminal and simplifies changing attributes on files/folders. FileXaminer requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher. Version 2.7.1 is a free update for registered users; for new users the cost is US$10.

Verizon has unveiled a series of new video application, including an upcoming iPad app that will allow FiOS subscribers to watch the same linear programming that's available on their TV screens on their tablet devices, reports "GigaOm" (http://macosg.me/2/qi). The new app is expected to be rolled out early next year and Verizon expects to have all of its content partners on board by the time the app launches, the article adds. At first, subscribers with an iPad will only be able to watch linear programming within their own home, which allows Verizon to authenticate and make certain that the users have access to whatever content they’ve paid for, notes "GigaOm." Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir said in a press briefing that the iPad app takes advantage of Verizon’s architecture, which he characterized as “cloud TV.” The experience is reportedly similar to what’s available today on FiOS set-top boxes, and takes advantage of the same software that Verizon uses for its set-tops.

SmileOnMyMac has changed its name to Smile. Originally a developer of software for Mac OS X exclusively, Smile now develops software for iOS devices as well. "We've developed software for the Mac for seven years," says founder Greg Scown. "Now that we have TextExpander touch for iPhone and iPad, we've outgrown the SmileOnMyMac name. The company website is now available at http://www.smilesoftware.com ; the company also has a new tagline: "Software that's just right."

Wondershare (http://www.applemacvideo.com/) has updated Video Converter and DVD Ripper for the Mac to versions 2.0. You can now convert DVDs, general video, video recorded from HD camcorder to files viewable on portable devices, including the Apple TV, Final Cut Pro, the Xbox 360, and mobile phones. A new Mac-style interface has been optimized with more efficient workflow. And the program's main codec libraries have been upgraded to support for SWF, 5.1 surround sound in AAC and AC3 output format. Support for atch conversion and multithreading has also been added. If you/re a registered user of Wondershare Video Converter or DVD Ripper for Mac, you can upgrade for free to version 1.9.5.9 by contacting sales-hm1@wondershare.com ; for new users the cost is US$39.95 per app.

Eternal Storms (http://www.eternalstorms.at) has updated their flickr client, flickery, for Mac OS X 10.5 or higher to version 1.9.1.5. Items in photosets and galleries can now be sorted. "Key" images can now be set for galleries and photosets by dragging the wanted image onto the photoset or gallery. In flickery 1.9.1.5, comments now show users' buddy icons and these user's photostreams can be shown right from comments. The new version auto-detects crash logs for easy submission to Eternal Storms Software, and Location data can be changed any time after upload as well With flickry, you can browse flickr's photos, view and comment on pictures of your friends, or upload and manage your own photos and favorites. flickery offers three ways of viewing photos: the miniature-overview of the photos where you can see multiple pictures at a time; the full-window-view, which lets you view one photo at a time in detail; and the full-screen view. You can upload photos to your flickr.com account,...

Korea Telecom (KT), the provider of the iPhone in South Korea, says it's received a total of 110,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 in nine hours. "MobileCrunch" (http://macosg.me/2/qe) notes that, by way of comparison, when the 3GS came out in Korea, the company reportedly registered just between 60,000 and 65,000 pre-orders in the first week. The iPhone 4 will launch in South Korea next month.

Digital Music Doctor has announced results of the "Music Software Internet Popularity Index (http://www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/reviews/musicblog/) for the second quarter of 2010. Apple Logic and GarageBand both place in the top 10 most popular music software apps. During the second quarter ImageLine FL Studio traded places with Steinberg Cubase for the second and third positions. Interest in Ableton Live decreased causing it to drop four positions to tenth place. Both Cakewalk Sonar and Adobe Audition showed upward trends, and Audition increased its standing by two positions to rank in the sixth slot. Both MOTU Digital Performer and Sony Sound Forge increased their showing by two positions to rank eighth and ninth respectively. The ten most popular music software products on the Internet, based on recent search engine activity, are: Avid Pro Tools, FL Studio, Steinberg Cubase, Cakewalk Sonar, Apple Logic, Adobe Audition, Apple GarageBand, Sony Sound Forge, MOTU Digital Performer and...

SanDisk (http://www.sandisk.com) has announced the first product in a new category of embedded solid state drives (SSD) that are smaller than a postage stamp and offer higher capacities and performance than existing storage solutions. The SanDisk integrated SSD (iSSD), the first product within this new category, is designed for use in fast-growing mobile computing platforms such as tablet computers and ultra-thin notebooks. And perhaps future iPads? The SanDisk iSSD offers 160MB/second sequential read and 100MB/second sequential write speeds for greater system responsiveness. With no moving parts, the tiny, robust drive is designed to deliver the durability needed by portable devices that are frequently dropped or jostled, says Doron Myersdorf, senior director, SSD marketing, SanDisk. The SanDisk iSSD is available now for sampling to original equipment manufacturers, and is being evaluated by top-tier manufacturers. Measuring 16mm x 20mm x 1.85mm and weighing less than one gram, the...

Mac OS X app that allows to store notes in a free form using text and images with full word processing capabilities, to version 2.9. The upgrade has support for adding notes via drag and drop of files (txt, rtf and rtfd with images) from the Finder to the list. NoteList has a set of tools for formatting and working with text as in a word processor. You can drag and drop images directly inside the document and label categories to help organize all your notes, now with colors. NoteList costs US$25. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. Version 2.9 is a free update for registered users of version 2.x.

If an iPhone does appear on Verizon, don’t expect Apple to change its antenna design, Spencer Webb, president of AntennaSys, says -- as reported by "Computerworld" (http://macosg.me/2/q5). "I've called Apple's antenna design 'bold' and 'risky,' but they won't change it [for a CDMA-based phone]," he says. "The antenna design is architecturally fixed in the design, and it would take them a while to make whatever the next design is." Webb told "Computerworld" he doesn't expect Apple to revert to sticking the antenna inside the iPhone's case, where it was located until the iPhone 4. Calling Apple's move a "design choice" that had known trade-offs, Webb said he has no idea how Apple will address what in hindsight became a major negative: dropped calls. "You can bet your bippy that they're going to be addressing this issue somehow," he told "Computerworld." "They want to be the smartest guys on the planet, which is what comes from adversity like this." Speaking of Verizon, there's been no...

Artbeats (http://www.artbeats.com) has released three new HD collections featuring the overhead beauty of the Hawaiian Islands: Hawaiian City Aerials, Hawaiian Establishment Aerials and Hawaiian Scenic Aerials. Shot using the RED One Camera, combined with the eclipse gyrostabilized camera system, these new collections give Artbeats the unique status of having the largest, and highest quality, library of royalty-free Hawaiian aerial footage available on the web, says Artbeats president and lead cinematographer, Phil Bates. Hawaiian City Aerials features fly-overs of Hilo, Honolulu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Kapaa, Koko Kai, Lahaina, Lihue, Nanakuli, Pearl City and Waianae. Hawaiian Establishment Aerials was shot from a higher perspective and features sprawling cities, vast lava fields, the remote Mauna Loa Observatory and more. Hawaiian Scenic Aerials captures the beauty of Hawaii's rocky cliffs, lush canyons, gorgeous waterfalls and pristine coastlines. 
Each collection contains over 30...

Apple collected 48% of the worldwide mobile market’s earnings before interest and taxes in the second quarter of 2010 despite having approximately 3% of the overall mobile sales in the quarter,, according to new stats from Asymco (http://macosg.me/2/q2), which provides mobile app development services to business customers. "It dwarfs all the other vendors, more than double the nearest (Nokia)," says Asymco. "All that in three years and with the added burdens of only three models, a recession and limited distribution." Looking at the pure smartphone vendors RIM and Apple, "the picture is nothing short of astonishing," they say. The two entrants went from about 7% profit share to 65% in three years.