Chronos has released Business Card Shop 4, the successor to SOHO Business Cards and an upgrade to its business card software for Mac OS X.  Business Card Shop 4 features a combination of new features and new content. Its new Layers pane makes working with multiple layers intuitive and easy, while the new reflection feature makes it possible to add a customized reflection to any object in one click, according to Robert McCullough, vice pPresident of Sales at Chronos. It comes with 126 new, professionally designed business cards. Business Card Shop 4 also comes with an all-new collection of artwork over 1.8GB in size. The artwork was hand-picked for the software, McCullough says. Business Card Shop supports 700-plus card stocks including those from Avery, PaperDirect, NEATO, and more. A fully functional, 30-day trial version can be downloaded from Chronos' web site (http://www.chronosnet.com). Business Card Shop costs US$39.99; a family pack is available for $69.99. Registered SOHO...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has announced Output Factory 1.3, a feature update to its professional solution to automate output from Adobe InDesign on Mac OS X. The new version lets users impose documents for professional printing using InDesign's Print Booklet feature. MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net) has released Currency Assistant 3.1.7, an update to their currency converter for Mac OS X. The upgrade solves the incompatibilities with the upcoming Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. OndeSoft Corp. (http://www.ondesoft.com) has updated Onde iTunes Converter, their media converting software, to version 1.01.5. It's a maintenance upgrade.

Apple is taking steps to limit the impact of a flaw in its iOS in-app purchasing mechanism that allows iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners to download free in-game content. However, the service remains operational, reports "The Next Web" (http://macte.ch/vPmSS). Over the weekend, Apple began blocking the IP address of the server used by Russian hacker Alexey V. Borodin to authenticate purchases, the article adds. It followed this up with a takedown request on the original server, taking down third-party authentication with it, also issuing a copyright claim on the overview video Borodin used to document the circumvention method. What's more, PayPal placed a block on the original donation account for violating its terms of service.

The tablet market continues to grow, but how much are consumers willing to spend on these popular devices? While there are many answers to that question, iGR's research suggests that the main variable is whether the tablet is an Apple iPad. In late 2011, iGR published a report called "The Apple Premium" in which it quantified the dollar amount that might compel an individual to switch from intending to purchase an Apple iPad to another, competing tablet. iGR found that a competing tablet would have to be significantly less expensive than the baseline US$499 iPad 2. iGR called this price difference the "Apple Premium." In its May 2012 consumer survey, iGR repeated the question and found that the "Apple Premium" has dropped 5% -- consumers are not willing to pay quite as much of a premium for an iPad. However, there is good news for Apple: consumers are willing to pay 52% more, on average, for an iPad than for an Android-based tablet. "Although there is a slight decrease in this Apple...

Though Apple and other U.S. computer products are banned in Iran under U.S. sanctions that have been in place for years, there are an estimated 100 stores in the Iranian capital that openly sell Apple products, often at little more than U.S. prices, reports "Reuters." "Business has been booming for the last three years," said Majid Tavassoli, the store's owner, in a phone interview with "Reuters." Iran's booming Apple business underscores the limitations of economic sanctions by the U.S. and other countries, the article adds. Washington and its allies have imposed sanctions in an attempt to curb Iran's nuclear program. U.S. companies are barred from selling any goods or services to Iran unless they obtain special authorization. For more info go to http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/13/us-apple-iran-idUSBRE86C0AY201... .

Later this month Apple will release their latest version of Mac OS X, Mountain Lion. To complement the public release, Amsys will be hosting their Macintosh System Admin Conference. The event aims to provide a platform for likeminded individuals to share news, views and discuss everyone's favorite technology. The Amsys Macintosh System Admin Conferences have been held in London for the last five years. The events are attended by industry experts, Mac and cross platform support professionals and bloggers from across the globe to find out what's new, what's changed and ultimately what effects the new OS will have on end users. This year's event will be about Mountain Lion. During the conference, attendees will have access to a range of machines to demo on and the opportunity to attend seminars or one on one talks with Apple Certified Trainers and Consultants. The day will begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 31 at the Grand Connaught Rooms in Holborn, Central London. There are only 50 spaces...

During the second quarter of 2012 smartphone penetration continued to grow, with 54.9% of U.S. mobile subscribers owning smartphones as of June, reports the Nielsen research group (http://www.nielsen.com). This growth is driven by increasing smartphone purchases. Two out of three Americans who acquired a new mobile phone in the last three months chose a smartphone instead of a feature phone. According to Nielsen, Android continues to lead the smartphone market in the U.S., with a majority of smartphone owners (51.8%) using an Android OS handset. Over a third (34.3%) of smartphone owners use an Apple iPhone, and Blackberry owners represented another 8.1% of the smartphone market. Overall among smartphone owners, Apple had the highest manufacturer share of smartphone handsets. Among recent acquirers who obtained their smartphone during June 2012, 54 percent said they chose an Android handset and 36 percent bought an iPhone.

Reported incidents of discrimination by Apple employees against people of Iranian descent are increasing, "raising the likelihood that what appeared to be a few cases of prejudice may turn into a legal and diplomatic scandal," reports the "International Business Times." The National Iranian American Council claims it knows of at least six cases of discrimination around the country, such as people being denied service by Apple store employees on account of speaking Farsi or disclosing that they were of Iranian descent. In addition, Iran's state-owned English-language media outlet, Press TV, has said an Apple store in Australia cited U.S. law when denying the sale of an iPhone to an Australian citizen of Iranian descent, notes the "International Business Times." There are no legal obstacles to retailers like Apple selling technology like smartphones, tablets or laptops to Iranian-Americans, Iranian citizens or anyone else, notes the "International Business Times." The only limitation...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Apple has released iPhoto 9.3.1 with a fix for an issue that misfiled MobileMe Gallery images when migrating away from the now defunct service. The upgrade is available via the Software Updates component of Mac OS X's Systems Preferences app. Adobe has updated InDesign CS5/CS6 to version (http://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/indesign-crashes-blank-dialog-boxes.html). The upgrade deals with an incompatibility with the new MacBook Airs. The Little App Factory has released RipIt 1.6.4 (http://thelittleappfactory.com/ripit/), an update of the app that gets your movies off the disc and onto your Mac. The new version is ready for Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Out of the Park Developments has released the fourth patch for Out of the Park Baseball 13. It's a major update with several new features, which are detailed at http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/out-of-the-park-baseball/index.php . Among the new features is the ability to broadcast the real-...

A couple of Samsung court filings in the last 24 hours claim Apple's enforcement activities on the recent ban of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Nexus include letters to "to many carriers and retail companies that currently sell" the banned products, telling them that "[a]t a minimum" they are required to "immediately remov[e] for sale the [banned product] from all physical and online venues under [their] direction or control," reports "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/gzXDv). The article says Samsung claims that "Apple’s menacing letters greatly overreach, incorrectly claiming that third-party retailers are subject to the prohibitions of the preliminary injunction, which they clearly are not". In Samsung's opinion, "they are permitted to sell their existing inventory, even without a stay". However, both preliminary injunctions clearly relate not only to Samsung's employees, agents etc. (including its subsidiaries and "partners") but also to "those acting in concert with any of them,"...

Ultrabook numbers will fall far short of Intel's targets, an IDC analyst told "CNET." Meanwhile, Apple's MacBook Air continues to be a hot seller. "The volume isn't there and it's going to be way below what Intel had hoped for," IDC analyst Jay Chou told "CNET, "referring to ultrabooks. "The first half [of 2012] is about 500,000 ultrabooks shipped worldwide. It's nowhere near Intel's initial hope," Unit shipments of MacBooks were up in the second fiscal quarter to about 2.8 million, compared with 2.75 million in the same quarter last year. The MacBook Air is a good part of Apple's business and has had good growth," Chou said. For more info go to http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57470755-92/macbook-win-ultrabook-fail-... .

In a new report, Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org) says that while Apple is doing a better job ensuring the energy efficiency of its data centers, the company still lags behind some competitors in key areas, reports "CNET." Greenpeace says that additional information Apple provided about its facilities in recent months has resulted in improved scores. That includes infrastructure siting, where Apple now has a "D" grade, up from an "F." Apple also improved from "D" to "C" ratings in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas mitigation, as well as renewable energy investment and advocacy. In mid-May Apple announced its intention to operate its Maiden, N.C., data center entirely off renewable energy by the end of 2012. Greenpeace praised Apple for the pledge but chided the company for what it says has been a lack of transparency on the road map to reach that goal, notes "CNET." In a statement, Apple said it is an industry leader in renewable energy use at its data centers. "We're...

Bitongo says Soctics League, a turn-based football game is now available for the Mac OS X and iOS platforms on the Mac App Store and Apple App Store, respectively. For a limited time, Mac OS X version is available for US$0.99 and the iOD version for $1.99. Here's how the game is described: "Players can compete against their devices, against their friends, or take part in global online tournaments. Bitongo put the emphasis on the online mode, where players can build their fanbase, gain new ranks, challenge each other for friendly matches or compete to grab the trophy of the League. Players have the chance to use their cunning tactics to outsmart their opponents. "Soctics League is a cross-platform, turn-based soccer game. Play on your desktop, your laptop or your mobile devices and compete against anyone in the world. Play against the device, a friend via hot-seat mode or through Game Center, or anyone in the world through Bitongo's online matchmaking and league system. "Bitongo's turn...

YoYo Games has announced the availability of 10 of its most popular video game titles on the Mac App Store. Froad, Pollushot, Reflexions, Simply Minesweeper, Simply Solitaire, Simply Word Search, Skydiver Mach II, Skydiver Drop Zone, Sync Simple and They Need to Be Fed have all been developed with GameMaker: Studio, YoYo Games’cross-platform games development technology. YoYo Games’ titles for the Mac all take advantage of OS X Lion’s full-screen feature and run natively as Mac Apps. YoYo Games’ titles in the Mac App Store are $4.99 and can be purchased and downloaded in one step with an iTunes account. GameMaker: Studio is available now at http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio .

New iPod touch color cases from OtterBox are now available (http://www.otterbox.com). Prices ranges from US$34.95 to $39.95. The OtterBox Defender Series utilizes a built-in screen protector, polycarbonate shell and silicone jacket to surround the iPod touch, providing drop, shock and dust protection. Silicone port covers keep out dust and dirt while still allowing for full device functionality. The Commuter Series provides protection with a thin polycarbonate outer shell and silicone inner layer. A self-adhering screen film keeps the touchscreen free of scratches and silicone plugs keep the access ports free of dust and dirt.

Dotan Saguy has introduced Smarter Stand on Kickstarter which successfully surpassed its initial funding goal in the first 24 hours, and is expected to begin shipping this Fall.  Saguy’s clips makes the iPad Smart Cover (or Smart Case) even "smarter" by allowing for multiple stand positions without adding any bulk. The Smarter Stand is composed of two clips that attach to either side of the Smart Cover or Smart Case.  With the Smart Cover, a non-slip pad that sticks to the back side of the iPad is also provided to stabilize the iPad. With the Smart Case, no pad is needed since the polyurethane of the back cover provides the necessary grip.  Simply slide the clips over certain folds in order to keep portions of the cover straight, creating new viewing angles. The Smarter Stand will retail for US$20 but you can pre-order now on Kickstarter at a discount: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/257195260/smarter-stand-for-ipad?ref... .

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Thursby Software Systems (http://www.thursby.com) extends Mac smart card integration to the upcoming Mountain Lion with PKard for Mac 1.2. PKard is designed to meet the needs of DoD, Federal and corporate Mac users for simple and straightforward CAC, PIV, PIV-I or CIV smart card access to secure web sites, web VPN and secure Apple mail. Coherent Graphics (http://www.coherentpdf.com) has announced Proview 1.5, an update to their PDF Editor for Mac OS X. Text is now now completely interactive and there are new text formatting options. Remo Software (http://www.remosoftware.com) has upgraded Remo Repair Mov, its MOV repair application. Designed to fix corrupt video files, irrespective of the cause of corruption, this improved version fixes damaged MOV, MP4 and M4V video file formats supported by iPhone models such as iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4 and 4S. The app offers the ability to repair audio and video streams of a corrupted video file...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) Needham & Company analyst Charles Wolf says he thinks Apple sold 204 million iPads in the June quarter. That's up from his previous prediction of 13.5 million units. If his accurate proves accurate, that number would be more than double the 9.25 million iPads Apple sold in the same quarter a year ago, notes "AppleInsider." It would also be a new record for iPad sales in any quarter, beating the 15 million iPads Apple sold in the holiday shopping season of 2011. "In our view, it's only a matter of time before iPad shipments exceed iPhone shipments," Wolf said. "The iPad is invading the business market at a much faster pace than the iPhone. In addition, the iPad will launch in China on July 20th. This should provide a significant boost in sales now that Apple is providing Chinese languages and services on its iOS platform."

This year, ultrabooks, utrathins, and tablets in the mobile segment are getting all the limelight. However, IHS iSuppli (http://www.isuppli.com) says the All-in-One (AiO) computer, such as the iMac, may "save" the desktop segment of the computer market. Shipments of AiO's are forecast to reach 16.4 million units this year, up a robust 20 % from 13.7 million units last year, according to the research group. In comparison, worldwide growth of traditional desktop shipments in 2012 will amount to a dismal 0.2% -- rising from approximately 132.0 million units to 132.3 million units, notes iHS iSuppli. The healthy pace of growth for AiO's will continue in the years to come, the research group predicts. By 2016, shipments will hit an estimated 24.8 million units, equivalent to a five-year compound annual growth rate of nearly 13%. The fast-growing AiO space may, in fact, save the overall desktop segment -- already battered by competing consumer devices, like smartphones, media tablets and...

Apple has confirmed via its Mountain Lion upgrade page (http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/) that previously published limitations (http://macte.ch/iv08F) on some 64-bit Macs will extend to the final release. This means that several otherwise 64-bit capable MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac Pros will be restricted from upgrading to OS X 10.8 when it goes public later this month for US$29 at the Mac App Store. According to information found in the recently released golden master (GM), the limitation appears to be related to graphics, reports "ars technica" (http://macte.ch/zz8f5). "Apple declined to tell us the reasoning behind leaving some of these models out of potential Mountain Lion upgrades, but we suspect it is related to an updated graphics architecture that is designed to improve OS X's graphics subsystem going forward," "ars technica" writes. "Our own Andrew Cunningham suspects the issue is related to graphics drivers, since the GPUs not supported under Mountain Lion have...

Smith Micro Software Productivity and Graphics Group has announced the beta release of MotionArtist, a tool that lets users add motion to their comics, create interactive HTML5 presentations as well as uniquely styled photo-shows. It's a composition and presentation application unlike anything that exists in the world of digital comic creation," says Steve Yatson, senior director of Product Marketing at Smith Micro Software. It boasts GPU acceleration for a fast work environment and 3D layering for that cool parallax effect, he adds. Artists of any skill-level can quickly convert their work into digital comics with panel creation, layout tools and the ability to add motion, according to Yatson. Web developers can export projects to HTML5 and deploy them on a website or save them as standard movie formats for sharing directly to Facebook or YouTube With MotionArtists, photographers can create animated "photo shows" by dropping in a folder of images. The app will automatically place...

Klipsch has launched the Image S4i Rugged, the company’s latest in-ear headphone model engineered to withstand the elements. It sports weather resistant, ruggedized rubber moldings on the exposed surface of each ear bud. The Image S4i Rugged works to resist moisture to ensure full functionality no matter the conditions. Offering a three-button remote, the headphone offers iPhone users call and music control during activity. Located on the back of the remote is a directional mic for hands-free phone calls. The Image S4i Rugged is available in a yellow, orange, blue or red finish. It works with virtually any device that has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack; however, the mic and three-button remote support select Apple products. Included with purchase are four different-sized oval ear tips, a nylon zipper case, clothing clip and two-year warranty. The Image S4i Rugged retails for US$99.99 and will be available at authorized retailers and http://www.klipsch.com later this month.

WD has introduced new collaboration and file management features, including Dropbox integration, in the next generation of its WD 2go mobile app for their personal cloud products, the My Book Live, My Book Live Duo and My Net N900 Central HD router with storage. WD's personal cloud products provide shared storage on the home network, letting customers centralize their documents, photos, videos and music in one place as well, as automatically backup all the computers in their home. With the WD 2go app customers can access and share that content from outside the home on their mobile devices. The new version of WD 2go lets customers move, copy and share content between their mobile device, their Dropbox and their WD personal cloud. For example, if a user has a small number of photos they want to share with their friends, they can copy them from their personal cloud into their Dropbox using the WD 2go app. However, if they have a very large number of photos, or files that are too big for...

The PandaWare Company (http://www.pandaware.com) has upgraded TimeCache, its time and expense billing application for the Mac, to version 9.0, which offers users a new unified interface, is easier to use with iPhones and other Apple mobile devices, and has better payment tracking for invoices. PandaWare TimeCache is used by graphic designers, architects, attorneys, photographers, corporate graphics departments, multimedia designers, printers, consultants and other Mac users in businesses that require accurate tracking of time for billing purposes. It's designed to simplify tracking, reporting and billing time. TimeCache 9.0 works with Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It's available in separate versions that run natively on Intel and Power PC Macs. TimeCache 9.0 costs US$70; upgrades from version 8.x are $40. A demo is available for download.