In a Thursday SEC filing -- as reported by "AllThingsD" (http://macte.ch/66OjA), Apple announced plans to award an US $2.65-a-share quarterly dividend on restricted stock units held by its employees. However, CEO Tim Cook is declining it. From Apple’s 8K:“At Mr. Cook’s request, none of his restricted stock units will participate in dividend equivalents. Assuming a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share over the vesting periods of his 1.125 million outstanding restricted stock units, Mr. Cook will forego approximately $75 million in dividend equivalent value.”

Apple has released Aperture 3.2.4 an update of its software for pro photographers. It requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 and is a 635.54MD download. Aperture 3.2.4 Aperture 3.2.4 improves stability on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It also addresses an issue that could prevent the Viewer from updating correctly after editing a photo using an external editor. You can obtain the update via the Software Updates component of the Mac OS X Systems Preferences app.

Millennial Media (http://www.millennialmedia.com), which specializes in mobile advertising, has released its "Q1 Mobile Mix" report, the latest edition of its report on trends in impressions for mobile devices and mobile operating systems. The "Q1 Mobile Mix" report takes an in-depth look at the mobile device advertising landscape, including the top 20 mobile phones, top 10 mobile device manufacturers, leading mobile device operating systems and top mobile app categories ranked by impressions. The report found that non-phone mobile devices, such as tablets, accounted for 20% of all impressions on the Millennial Media platform during the first quarter of 2012, compared to 15% in quarter one of 2011. The report also found that Android remained the top overall operating system on the Millennial Media platform in Q1 2012, with a 49% share of impressions, and Apple remained the leading individual mobile device manufacturer. Other highlights from the Q1 Mobile Mix report include (ranked by...

CrumplePop has released ColorKit Suite, a set of color and finishing tools for Final Cut Pro X. It's designed to allow editors to apply complex, layered color grades without needing to stop and render. ColorKit Suite combines a color grading package with a set of analog film grain and light overlay tools, all available via the drag and drop interface of FCP X. According to Gabriel Cheifetz, co-founder of CrumplePop, ColorKit Suite includes four tools: ° ColorKit, a set of 34 professionally-designed preset color grades and three contrast and tools for FCP X. ° Grain35, real 35mm and 16mm film grain that you can add to your own footage. ° HalfLight, a collection of optically-captured light leak transitions built specifically for FCP X. ° OverLight, a way to apply washed-out glows and lens flares to your footage. ColorKit Suite is available for purchase on the CrumplePop website (http://www.crumplepop.com) for US$299. The components of the suite can also be purchased separately.

CrumplePop has released ColorKit Suite, a set of color and finishing tools for Final Cut Pro X. It's designed to allow editors to apply complex, layered color grades without needing to stop and render. ColorKit Suite combines a color grading package with a set of analog film grain and light overlay tools, all available via the drag and drop interface of FCP X. According to Gabriel Cheifetz, co-founder of CrumplePop, ColorKit Suite includes four tools: ° ColorKit, a set of 34 professionally-designed preset color grades and three contrast and tools for FCP X. ° Grain35, real 35mm and 16mm film grain that you can add to your own footage. ° HalfLight, a collection of optically-captured light leak transitions built specifically for FCP X. ° OverLight, a way to apply washed-out glows and lens flares to your footage. ColorKit Suite is available for purchase on the CrumplePop website (http://www.crumplepop.com) for US$299. The components of the suite can also be purchased separately.

Japan's Sharp Corp will supply technology to Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co for a plant in China that will produce panels for Apple's iPhone and other consumer electronics products, according to "The Nikkei" business daily -- as reported by "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/adWfK). In March Hon Hai o agreed to purchase new shares in Sharp worth 66.9 billion yen ($844 million), giving it an 11% stake in the Japanese company. "The Nikkei" said that the new technology handover, for which Sharp will receive tens of billions of yen in fees, is aimed at improving quality.

Graphic Node (http://www.graphicnode.com) has updated its Pages Templates collection. In addition to 1,000 previous layouts, the updated assortment contains 80 new templates for Apple's Pages. The Pages Templates pack includes 1,080 templates. Since some templates have multiple variations, the set provides a total of approximately 2,500 layouts. All photo layouts feature media placeholders, allowing users to place an image and crop it into a customized shape. The upgraded package offers the full range of templates introduced in earlier versions, including the Brochure, Business Card, Greeting, Flyer, and Invitations templates. Most of the templates can be printed on both A4 paper, the standard size in most countries, and U.S. letter-sized paper, the most common format in the United States and Canada. The Pages Templates pack requires iWork '08 or later and Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It costs US$24.95.

A new video tutorial app, SCOtutor for ScreenFlow, has just been released and is now available in both the Mac App Store and the Apple App Store for, respectively, Mac OS X 10.7 and higher and iOS 5 or later. It's available at a launch price of US$5.99 through June 1. ScreenFlow is a video capture and editing package for creating screencasts. SCOtutor for ScreenFlow takes you through the basics of mastering ScreenFlow. The video tutorial has been created by screencaster Don McAllister.

SimpleAir (http://simpleair.com) -- a Texas-based company says it's entered a confidential license agreement with Apple pursuant to which Apple has taken a license to SimpleAir’s patents. The agreement settles the litigation with Apple.

 SimpleAir filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple on Sept. 23, 2009, in the U.S. federal district court for the Eastern District of Texas. The case was set to go to trial on April 23, 2012, in Marshall, Texas, before Judge Michael H. Schneider. SimpleAir and Apple reached the principal terms of a settlement at the courthouse shortly before the trial commenced.

 SimpleAir describes itself as "an inventor-owned technology licensing company with interests and intellectual property in the wireless content delivery, mobile application, and push notification market spaces." As noted by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com), "SimpleAir does not appear to have any actual products available for sale."


Some Mac Pro users have launched a Facebook petition (http://www.facebook.com/MacProsPlease) urging Apple to finally get around to updating the Mac Pro -- or at least informing users of the company's plan for its pro desktop. The first post reads: "Hello Apple. Remember me? I'm one of your loyal users. I'm one of the guys who has owned 2 MacPros, a G5, a G4, 4 laptops, one iMac, 4 iPods, one MacMini, 4 iPhones and a bevy of other peripherals and software packages over the last 10 years. I'm looking for a little clarity.

"Can you please let me and the other people on in this group know what is going on with the MacPro? Its been neglected for far too long. We realize all the success of the iPad and iPhone and we're really happy with our new toys. But unfortunately many of us need to make decisions on hardware for professional uses that allow us to make a living."

By Josh Long Yahoo! launched its Axis browser and search app.  Axis is supposed to be unique because it deeply integrates search with the browsing experience. It also includes a built-in feature to synchronize your browser across a user's mobile devices and desktop. The iPhone and iPad versions of Axis are full Web browsers, while the "desktop" version is actually a browser plug-in available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer 9. Yahoo! Axis is now available in the iOS App Store, and the desktop browser extensions are available at http://axis.yahoo.com/ . Also, it may or may not be coincidental that the iOS apps Google Search, Opera Mini, and Mercury Web Browser were all updated today. Google Search 2.0.0 is touted by Google as a "complete redesign."  It makes one wonder if they were holding onto it until the day Yahoo! would announce Axis.

Steve Sande and Erica Sadun have created an US$4.99 guide for everyone who wants to get their Mac into shape before Mountain Lion hits this summer. In "Getting Ready for Mountain Lion," the authors lay out key strategies for deciding whether to upgrade or not, checking your Mac for readiness, and considering how your applications will be affected. The book offers info on how to clean up and optimize your system, prepare backups, and strategize about the upgrade so your Mac is clean and primed for the new OS. Readers wukk discover how to streamline and back up your computer, create an emergency fall-back plan, and prepare for the upgrade itself. The book ends by exploring things you'll need to know about after upgrading. For details go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/erica-sadun/id479419289?mt=11 .

ConnecteDevice says its cookoo watch is launching on Kickstarter. The cookoo watch is a wearable technology that extends your smartphone to your wrist. The cookoo uses Bluetooth wireless technology to let you know what's happening on your phone in real time -- even if your phone is out of sight. It lets you know when you receive a call, text, Facebook message, calendar notification and more. The cookoo watch is compatible with the latest Bluetooth SMART READY devices such as the iPhone 4S, new iPad, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S3 and more. All alerts can be customized and prioritized based on your preferences via the Connected App so the cookoo watch will only display the information that you want. When a notification is received, the corresponding icon will appear on the face of the watch along with a discreet beep or vibration. For example, if you receive a Facebook message then the social networking icon will appear. The cookoo watch’s Command button can be configured with the...

Seidio has announced the Expert Portfolio Case for the iPad 2 and new iPad. This case is the latest addition to the company's line of tablet accessories. The Expert is a smooth, sleek iPad case that adds very little weight or bulk to a tablet making it ideal for traveling and business, says Seido CEO says David Chang. It adds only 2.3mm to each side of the Apple tablet. The synthetic leather is run through an eco-friendly process that doesn't produce any volatile organic compounds, says Chang. The Expert also utilizes Clean-Grip, an advanced gripping technology, to attach and secure the iPad.  The Expert can fold and bend, propping the iPad into two viewing angles. For example, users can watch TV shows, slideshows, or movies in the propped position, as well as type on their iPad comfortably. It also activates the iPad Cover Lock for added convenience.  The Expert Portfolio Case comes in four flavors: Ebony, Espresso, Regal Purple and Ivory. It retails for US$54.95 and is available...

Code by Kevin has released version 4.0 of QuickWho (http://www.codebykevin.com/quickwho.html), a Mac OS X application to help users look up Internet domain registrations. The new version boasts improvement in domain accuracy and a new, under-the-hood application structure for better compliance with Mac App Store guidelines. QuickWho provides an array of information about specific Internet domains. Are you curious about who owns a particular domain name? Do you want to contact them, or gather more information about them? QuickWho can help you with these tasks. QuickWho is shareware. The download is a 30-day demo; you can purchase a license to use the program past the 30-day trial period. Mac OS X Lion is the minimum supported platform. QuickWho is a universal binary and licenses cost $24.99.

Satechi has released the BT Media Remote. It's available for US$39.99 at Satechi.net and Amazon.com.  The wireless Bluetooth HID remote allows users to control any iOS Bluetooth Device while connected to a TV, dock station or car stereo. It features multimedia control, which allows users to control the playback of any music or video on the iPhone or iPad.  The Satechi BT Media Remote has a remote camera shutter button so users can take photos without leaving themselves out of the camera. Also, the "Home" button on the remote can be used to activate Siri even while the device is connected to another device.


Seagate Technology (http://www.seagate.com), which specializes in hard disk drives and storage solutions, and LaCie (http://www.lacie.com), a manufacturer of consumer storage products, have announced an exclusive agreement with the intent for Seagate to acquire a controlling interest in LaCie. Seagate has offered to purchase from Philippe Spruch, LaCie’s chairman and CEO, and his affiliate, all of their shares, representing 64.5% of the outstanding shares of LaCie. Following receipt of governmental approvals1 and the close of this transaction, Seagate would commence an all-cash simplified tender offer (followed as the case may be by a squeeze-out procedure) to acquire the remaining outstanding shares in accordance with the General Regulation of the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF).

Apple is rejecting charges that it conspired to fix prices of electronic books, calling the U.S. government's antitrust lawsuit a "fundamentally flawed" endeavor that could discourage competition and harm consumers, reports "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/NAzQq). In a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan Tuesday, Apple said it didn't conspire with anyone or fix prices for e-books to thwart Amazon's dominance of that market, the article adds. In fact, the company says its entry into the book market has actually fueled demand for ebooks by forcing Amazon and rivals, including Barnes & Noble Inc, to compete more aggressively, including by upgrading e-reader technology. In April the United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, Hachette SA, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster in New York district court, claiming collusion over ebook pricing. Apple and Macmillan, which have refused to engage in settlement talks with the Justice...

Future, a specialist hybrid media group, says it's generated more than US$5 million in gross revenue from over 830,000 copy sales across its brands since Apple's Newsstand launched in October 2011.   The success is a testament to the company's move from traditional print to digital, as the business restructures around high value audiences and a truly borderless digital marketplace for its market-leading products, says Rachelle Considine, chief operating officer (COO), Future US. Brands including Mac|Life, Total Film, Fast Car, T3 and many of Future's games and music titles have all found large international audiences through their exposure to tablets like Apple's iPad, she adds. Overall, 33% of revenues through the Newsstand have come from the domestic U.S. market, with 25% coming from the U.K. and the other 42% coming from countries as diverse as China, Korea, Germany and France. Additionally, more than 50% of all the revenues are attributable to subscriptions sold. In the U.S., Mac...

The iHS iSuppli (http://www.isuppli.com) research group says -- as noted by "CNET" -- that Apple buys about 50% more memory, processors, and other semiconductor products than its nearest rival, Samsung. What's more, Apple's semiconductor spending is growing fast, says Dale Ford, head of IHS iSuppli's electronics and semiconductor research business. Speaking at the analyst firm's Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Summit, he said that in 2009 Apple spent about US$9 billion on semiconductors. This year, that figure should rise to $27 billion. By 2013, Ford said Apple will spend about $29 billion. Read more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57439199-92/apple-is-the-biggest-chip-b... .

Apple design guru Jonathan Ive has been knighted at Buckingham Palace. He said he's "both humbled and sincerely grateful" for the "absolutely thrilling honour," according to the "BBC" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18171093). In 2005, Ive was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Another figure being honored by Princess Anne on Wednesday include Sir Peter Bazalgette, of Endemol, the TV company behind Big Brother, who is being knighted for services to broadcasting.

QuickerTek has announced the Little Black Box II universal external battery (http://www.quickertek.com/products/lbb_II.php) . It costs approximately US$100 and purportedly adds 10 more hours of battery life to the iPad. The Little Black Box II also works with the iPhone, iPod touch, all 30-pin iPodds and most USBS devices. LEDs indicate the charge status, and an on/off switch conserves power. Even the batteries themselves are user-replaceable. The small size of the he Little Black Box II makes it easily transportable to provide as much as an entire day of additional battery power, says Rick Estes of QuickerTek. Like most QuickerTek products, the new Little Black Box II external battery is backed with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

Stellar Data Recovery (http://www.stellarinfo.com/) has launched PDF Repair for Mac, a tool that repairs corrupt or damage portable document format, PDF. The software sports features that restore all PDF items, including header, footer, charts, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and comments. PDF Repair scans and repairs your corrupt PDF files using algorithms and can even repair back PDF files stored in your CD-ROM, according to Sunil Chandna, CEO of Stellar Data Recovery. Stellar Phoenix PDF Repair for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. A demo is available for download; registration for a single-user license is US$49.

Phiaton Corp. (http://www.phiaton.com/) has debuted its US$159 PS 210 BTNC Bluetooth Stereo Earphone, which the company says combines wireless Bluetooth technology with "dramatically improved" audio performance. The PS 210 BTNC’s enhanced noise canceling technology neutralizes up to 95% of ambient background noise, according to the folks at Phiaton. You can plug the wireless earphones into most portable music players with a 3.5mm output. The PS 210 BTNC purportedly provides a calling time of 12 hours, 14 hours of music-listening time and 250 hours of standby. It features built-in Bluetooth 3.0 technology.

Griffin Technology (http://www.griffintechnology.com/) and Crayola have teamed up for Crayola Case Creator (http://www.griffintechnology.com/crayola), a protective case and app combo that lets users create one-of-a-kind cases for the iPhone and iPod touch. Crayola Case Creator includes an US$29.99 clear protective hard shell case that protects users’ iOS devices while showcasing their artwork. Users can snap a photo or grab one from their photo album and turn it into a customized case. With the free Case Creator app, children can add, resize and manipulate digital stickers to photos, or draw in Doodle mode with the app’s built-in crayons, paints and pens. All artwork from the Crayola Case Creator app can be printed on included perforated inserts, sized and shaped to fit the clear case. Also, each creation can be saved to a gallery, e-mailed or shared to Facebook.

Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps. AKVIS (http://www.akvis.com) has announced the update of five programs: Retoucher, Coloriage, HDRFactory, NatureArt and MakeUp. All of these products are available in two variants: as plug-ins and as standalone applications, on Windows and Macintosh. Bugs have been fixed, and the plug-in versions are now compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS6. Registered users can upgrade to the newest versions for free. Stairways Software (http://purchase.keyboardmaestro.com/) has released Keyboard Maestro version 5.3 adding a plethora of image manipulation actions, enhancing the Mouse Click action (including allowing drag and clicking relative to a found image on the screen), adding a screen capture action and screen contains image condition, a new highlight screen location action and more. Tension Software has updated DB-Text (http://www.pomola.com/products_dbtext/) -- a the tool  to import, edit and manage text based archives -- to version...

According to the "Shanghai Daily" (http://macte.ch/vMdkb), Apple has won a bid in a Hong Kong court to exclude some evidence that was previously filed by Proview International Holdings. The two companies are in a legal battle over the iPad trademark on the Chinese mainland.

 Two expert reports filed by Proview in October failed to comply with Hong Kong court instructions, making the evidence inadmissible in an upcoming trial between the company and Apple, according to a ruling yesterday by Judge Justin Ko, notes the "Shanghai Daily." Proview hasn't decided whether to appeal the ruling, Chairman Sun Min said. Earlier this moth a California judge tossed out a lawsuit in which Proview accused Apple of tricking them into selling the "iPad" name for less than it might have. 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.

Apple reportedly tried to lure away Google executive Dennis Woodside, who was just named Motorola’s new CEO, according to "Bloomberg BusinessWeek" (http://macte.ch/JL1VP). Citing two unnamed "people familiar with the matter," the article says Apple CEO Tim Cook was personally attempting to poach Woodside away from the online search giant to install him as Apple’s head of sales. However, "Google convinced Woodside to stay, in part by promising him greater responsibility at the search company," the article adds. Woodside, 43, oversaw Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, and is former president of Google's Americas region. He has worked with partners, governments and advertisers in more than 30 countries. Most recently, Dennis was responsible for Google's Sales & Operations in the Americas.

The tech electronics supply chain -- an "amorphous collection of manufacturers, many located in Asia" -- is barely showing year-to-year growth and would be in the red if it wasn't for Apple, according to a research note today from Citibank analyst Jim Suva, as reported by "CNET." "Projected annual sales growth in the supply chain has slowed significantly and is expected to be +1.5% y/y in June, well below the 5-year and 10-year averages of +4.2% year-over-year and +6.8% year-over-year, respectively," Suva tells clients. "... Year over year, Apple on a dollars basis is expected to [be] outgrowing overall tech supply chain in the June quarter or, in other words, without Apple the supply chain is actually shrinking." Read more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57438846-92/without-apple-supply-chain-... .

Apple shipped nearly 17.2 million mobile computers in the first quarter of 2012 (Q1’12), accounting for 118% year-over-year (Y/Y) shipment growth, according to preliminary results from the latest "NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report" (http://www.displaysearch.com). Nearly 80% of Apple’s mobile computer shipments were iPads, which reached over 13.6 million units in the quarter, for 162% Y/Y growth. Total mobile computer shipments in Q1’12 were 76.2 million units, a seasonal drop of 15% compared to Q4’11. Shipments grew 30% Y/Y, with tablet computers growing 124% Y/Y and notebooks and mini-notes growing 12%. From the regional perspective, the China market stood out with Q/Q shipment growth. The China region had sequential quarter shipment growth, achieving 13% for mobile compuers overall, 12% for notebook and mini-notebooks, and 16% for tablets, says Richard Shim, NPD DisplaySearch senior analyst. Tablets fueled Apple’s mobile computer growth, enabling...

Elgato (http://www.elgato.com) has announced the Game Capture HD, a solution for recording and sharing PlayStation or Xbox gameplay using a Mac or PC. It will be available June 1 for US$199.95. With Elgato Game Capture HD, gameplay videos are easier to record, edit and share than ever before thanks to its innovative hardware design, powerful H.264 encoder, and software that is specifically tailored to gamers' needs, says Adam Steinberg, vice president of Marketing at Elgato. It records in HD quality, all without burdening the computer hard disk with large files, he adds. At the same time, gameplay is passed through to the TV via HDMI. The hardware connects directly to the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 using a single cable. Elgato Game Capture HD comes with a Quick Start Guide, a USB cable, an HDMI cable, and a PlayStation 3 cable. It accepts the input of Xbox 360 (unencrypted HDMI) and PlayStation 3 (A/V In) video signals at 480p, 576p, 720p, and 1080i. Mac OS X 10.7 and a 2.0GHz Intel...

Today's special deal is Porthole for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$9.99; the regular price is $19.99. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://mupromo.com/deal/11096/6603 . DesignBox is a one-stop design shop if you want to change image effects, batch resize, rotate, add a watermark, convert format, make GIF animations, create iOS icons, Generate QR codes or draw the shapes you want.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had the highest compensation for the CEO of a large American company in 2011, according to the annual Wall Street Journal/Hay Group survey, as reported by "The Mercury News" (http://macte.ch/YoDrQ). His one-time restricted stock award gives him nearly five times the remuneration as the second CEO on the list: Oracle's Larry Ellison. When Cook replaced Steve Jobs as CEO, Apple awarded hime one million restricted share units, which were then worth US$376.2 million. At Friday's closing price, the shares would be worth more than $530 million. This in in addition to his annual $900,000 salary and equal incentives.

Foxconn, the China-based facility that makes iPhones and iPads for Apple (among other products), is investing US$210 million to build a new factory in October to specifically serve Apple, according to "China Daily" (as noted by "CNET"). The facility will be in China's eastern Jiangsu province, will cover an area of 40,000 square meters and employ 35,800 worker. It's unknown exactly what products and/or components the factory will make. For more info go to http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57438132-37/apple-partner-foxconn-invests-$210m-in-new-plant/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title

Apple has sent legal correspondence to the organizer of a London based Apple Expo warning them that use of the name Apple is a trademark infringement., reports "Macworld UK" (http://macte.ch/a5UpH). The redubbed Appule Expo that will take place in London this October. This will be the first Mac show to run in London since 2008, notes "Macworld UK." The Mac Expo show was last run London in 2007, then renamed Creative Pro Expo in 2008 before ceasing. The Apple Expo show last ran in Paris in 2008. The Appule Pro User Live Expo (http://www.mactechnology.co.uk/appule-16-w.asp) will take place at The Barbican in London on 11 and 12 October 2012. According to the website it is "strictly for professional Apple Computer users only".

Apple has filed a motion for a U.S. preliminary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/gLFzY). The motion is based on a ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), which came down four days earlier and sided with Apple on the question of whether an iPad-related design patent (U.S. Patent No. D504,889) is likely valid, the article adds. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. Apple and Samsung CEOs are slated to meet on May 21 and 22 to try and settle the global, ongoing patent battle. The meetings will take place in a San Francisco courthouse, while the litigation itself is before the San Jose division of the court.

HiddenMemory has introduced ResourceHelper 1.0, its new image resource management tool for Mac OS X (10.7 and higher) Developed specifically for developers and designers who want to create iOS software, ResourceHelper helps you ship software with all the correctly scaled image assets required. The app features image checking, batch image conversion, To celebrate the launch, ResourceHelper 1.0.1 is offered at the introductory price of US$9.99. It's available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Developer Tools category.

Lemke Software (http://www.lemkesoft.com/) has announced GraphicConverter 8, an update to its image utility for Mac OS X. It's been completely rewritten and now supports 64-bit and 32-bit Intel-based Macs. The upgrade allows you to work with larger files and in less time. Also added is import support for EMF, EMZ, cpbitmap , FLIR raw data to context menu, interpolation of EXIF date function and more. GraphicConverter 8 requires Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later. It's a free download for all existing 7.x customers. For new users the cost is US$38.99. GraphicConverter is available at the Mac App Store.

Theme Inn (http://www.themeinn.com/) has launched a three collections of templates for MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint, as well as combining all three sets into the Bundle for MS Office. The Templates for MS Word pack is a collection of 411 templates for creating business and personal documents with Word. Templates for MS Excel offers 50 diverse templates for Excel. The MS PowerPoint set consists of 25 designs for PowerPoint presentations. The templates require Mac OS X 10.6.6 or higher and MS Office 2008 for Mac or later. They're US$19.99 each; the MS Office bundle costs $39.99.

Sonivox (http://www.sonivoxmi.com) has released Dubstep Destruction Tools, a software package that includes the Wobble, Pulse, Vocalizer and Twist virtual instrument plug-ins. Dubstep Destruction Tools comes with: Wobble, a dubstep virtual instrument; Twist, a spectral synthesizer; Vocalizer, an audio re-synthesizer for reprocessing, re-pitching, and synthesizing vocals and drums; and Pulse, "the Swiss Army Knife" of drum machines that reads any MPC, MP3, Aiff, or WAV file format, and comes complete with its own library of sounds Dubstep Destruction Tools is now available from musical instrument retailers. It has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$599 and an estimated street price of $249.

Crucial.com, an online destination for memory upgrades, is inviting all Mac enthusiasts to enter the "Dinner with the Woz" sweepstakes for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet, greet and eat with Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak. The package that includes a trip to California’s Silicon Valley for an unforgettable meeting with one of the most influential pioneers of the technology industry. To enter the "Dinner with the Woz" sweepstakes, contestants may visit the sweepstakes page at http://www.crucial.com/mac2012 from now until June 15. After answering a few questions about their Mac computer usage, visitors will then be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win the grand prize trip to meet and dine with Woz. In addition to one Grand Prize winner, entrants are also eligible to win a First Prize package consisting of a DRAM and SSD upgrade for their computer, as well as several runner-up prize packages that include individual SSD and DRAM upgrades. Visit...

Another day, another lawsuit. A complaint was filed this week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by plaintiff Danyelle Comer accusing Apple of participating in "unfair, unlawful, deceptive, and misleading practices" in promoting the simplicity and reliability of its iCloud service, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). The lawsuit claims that Apple "misrepresented" its iCloud service in advertising it to customers. Specifically, it argues that paying MobileMe customers experienced "devastating consequences," and that Apple should have been better prepared for the transition, notes "AppleInsider." The lawsuit blasts iCloud occasional downtime, which means users can get their e-mail and other services. It accuses Apple of indicating that iCloud and MobileMe e-mail accounts are online and operational, when in fact users are unable to send or receive e-mails, says "AppleInsider."

"The Verge" (http://macte.ch/kIDd4) reports that RIM and Motorola have submitted an updated proposal for the design of the so-called 4FF nano-SIM, a smaller replacement for the 3FF micro-SIM used in many phones. Debate between competing nano-SIM designs -- one from Apple, another from a joint group of RIM, Motorola, and Nokia -- has grown intense over the past several months within the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the body ultimately responsible for SIM standardization worldwide, the article adds. 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 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...

Kodak says Apple is trying to devalue the worth of its patents so that it can buy them for less than their worth (which the company estimates at US$2.6 billion), reports "Total Telecom" (http://macte.ch/uwlqc). Kodak says it plans to seek approval of its patent auction timeline "in the near future." The company is asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan to pave the way for that sale by ruling that Apple has no interest in 10 specific patents among those Kodak is looking to sell, notes "Total Telecom." Apple sued Kodak in April 2010, about three months after Kodak accused Apple and Research In Motion of infringing a patent related to ways of previewing images. Apple's countersuit said Kodak devices copy the technology that it uses in Macs, iPhone, iTunes and Photo Booth involving image processing, energy management and memory design.

Kodak (http://www.kodak.com) has introduced its new Kodak ESP 3.2 All-in-One Printer, due next month for US$99.99. The company has also revealed its new Kodak Pic Flick HD app, which lets consumers create personalized photo cards, collages, and prints on an iPad and send them to their Kodak Printer. The ESP 3.2 All-in-One Printer is targeted to photo-centric consumers and families. It offers Kodak’s easy Wi-Fi set-up and a 2.4-inch color touchscreen. Consumers can print on the go from their smartphone, tablet or computer using Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print Service. Kodak is now offering consumers the ability to customize their printer’s email address. Consumers can also save time with additional advanced features like smart sensor technology that predicts supplies and time needed to complete a job and automatically adjusts printer settings based on paper size and type, according to Brian Cruz, director of Marketing and Vice President, Consumer Inkjet Systems, Kodak. Coming...

Adding a spectrum of colors to home audio systems, iHome has announced the iP76 LED Color Changing Speaker Tower with Bluetooth technology. It will go on sale in July for US$199.92. Available in July 2012, the showpiece is packed with 16 multi-color LED clusters to create light effects; four speakers in Reson8 speaker, and the latest in Bluetooth technology. The three-foot high iP76 LED Color Changing Tower Bluetooth Stereo Speaker System packs the ability to stream music from Bluetooth-enabled devices; charge iPhones and iPods when docked, and send video content from your device to your television via the built-in component video outputs. The unit can be customized to feature your favorite color and boasts a variety of options such as color fade, pulse to music and strobe effect for the ultimate music and light show, according to Evan Stein, director of Marketing, iHome. For more info go to https://www.ihomeaudio.com/iP76WZ/ .

IK Multimedia is shipping iRig MIX, a compact DJ and audio mixer for the iPad, iPhone, and the iPod touch. It designed for use with IK’s included DJ Rig free app and other DJ apps to provide a portable DJ system for practicing, rehearsing, performing and recording. iRig MIX features include full EQ adjustment, a crossfader, headphone cue and a mic input. It allows users to record their performance and share with friends, publish or distribute it. DJs can choose either a traditional setup with two devices (one plugged into each of the independent channels) OR a single iOS device. Plus, iRig MIX can be used for mixing any type of audio source (coming from MP3 players, CD players, etc.) with an iOS device using automatic tempo matching and beat syncing. This is accomplished with X-Sync, a feature that works in combination with the DJ Rig Free app. iRig MIX costs US$99.99 and is available from electronic and music retailers around the world. For more info go to http://www.irigmix.com .

Theme Inn has introduced Templates for MS PowerPoint 1.0, a new addition to its popular assortment of PowerPoint templates. It has 25 new templates. They include the dramatic Edgy Carmine, modern Pale Mint and crisp Origami. The templates include up to 20 master slides -- a mix of bullet text and photo-oriented layouts. Users can type or paste in their own text, add and remove text boxes, change fonts, and drag their photos or pictures onto presentation slides to replace the placeholders. The themes are available in 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 ratios. Templates for MS PowerPointOS X require Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later and MS Office 2008 for Mac or later. It costs US$19.99 and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Productivity category.

CodeByKevin has updated PortAuthority (http://www.codebykevin.com/portauthority.html), which provides a graphical user interface for the MacPorts software management system for Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion"), to version 5.0. The new version adds support for installing port variants. MacPorts is a command-line tool for installing and updating a variety of Unix-based applications for the Mac. In the past the only way to utilize MacPorts was to type in various commands into the Mac's Terminal application, which can be intimidating for those users without a Unix background. PortAuthority aims to bring the power of MacPorts to the traditional Mac user by providing a user-friendly graphical interface to MacPorts, according to the folks at CodeByKevin. Using a combination of windows, icons, and menus, PortAuthority users can search, install, update, and remove MacPorts programs and the MacPorts infrastructure itself. In PortAuthority 5.0, port dependency command now lists dependencies recursively...