Sennheiser releases three new wireless headphones
Sennheiser (http://www.sennheiserusa.com) has released three new wireless headphones that purportedly deliver high-resolution, movie-theater-quality audio via uncompressed wireless transmission from Kleer. The RS 160, RS 170 and RS 180 are equipped with dynamic transducers.
According to the folks at Sennheisr, not only can you move around while watching television but you can also enjoy cable-free music at a radius of up to 328 feet (RS 160 up to 65 feet, RS 170 up to 262 feet and RS 180 up to 328 feet; optimum line-of-sight). The frequency response reaches from 18 to 21,000 Hertz and boats a sound pressure level of up to 110 decibels.
The RS 160 -- which has a street price of US$199.95 -- is the entry-level model: they're closed headphones on which the volume can be controlled directly on the headphones. The RS 170 ($249.99) is also a closed model and delivers dynamic bass boost and switchable surround sound simulation. The top-of-the-range RS 180 model ($299.95) is targeted at...
360Works Releases FileMaker text processing plug-in
360Works (http://360works.com/scribe), a FileMaker product developer and innovator, has released Scribe, a text processing plug-in that allows users to read and write text from Microsoft Office and PDF files, find what changed in a text field and highlight text matching any criteria.
With Scribe, you can read and write Word, Excel, and PDF documents and forms directly from FileMaker. You can search contents of Word and PDF files from FileMaker. It also supports searching Excel files, HTML, RTF, and JPEG metadata. Scribe lets you process text fields within FileMaker to track changes, highlight keywords and more.
It's available starting at US$295. Scribe is included in the 360Works Portfolio License bundle, so existing 360Works Portfolio License holders can use their license key to register Scribe at no extra charge.
Analyst: Mac, iPad, iPhone sales better than anticipated
The Needham & Company firm has raised its 12-month target price on Apple from US$280 to $375 due to much better than anticipated Mac and iPad sales. Also, the upgrade cycle of iPhone owners seems to be happening faster than the firm had predicted, according to analyst Charlie Wolf.
In a note released on Monday -- and as reported by "TheStreet" (http://macosg.me/2/ob), he said he had originally predicted that iPad sales would reach 20 million in 2019, but have already on target to surpass 12 million sales annually, even before a full international rollout.
Mac sales are on target to reach 14 million units this year, according to Needham, more than 50% higher than initially forecast. Despite the recent antenna problems and white iPhone delay, Wolf says that iPhone users are upgrading to new models in one or two years, faster than Needham's previous prediction of every three years.
Apple licenses Liquidmetal technologies
An SEC filing just hit that shows that Apple Inc. struck a deal with Liquidmetal Technologies (http://www.liquidmetal.com/technology/default.asp), a California-based company that holds patents on new metal and alloy designs, for essentially access to all of its intellectual property, reports "The Baltimore Sun" (http://macosg.me/2/o9).
Perhaps in the near future, we can expect our iPhones, iPads, and iPods to be made of these new "amorphous" metals that Liquidmetal specializes in, the article surmises. But why not in Macs, as well.The metals purportedly offer twice the strength of stainless steel, an elastic limit more than double that of most metallic alloys, yet it can be processed in ways similar to thermoplastic polymers
According to the LiqudMetal Tech web site, its alloys are a" revolutionary class of materials that redefines performance and cost paradigms." The superior properties of Liquidmetal alloys are made possible by revolutionary scientific and technological innovations...
Chronos announces F10 Launch Studio 3 with Application Blaster
Chronos (http://www.chronosnet.com) has released F10 Launch Studio 3, an upgrade to its launch manager for Mac OS X. The upgrade adds the "Application Blaster."
"The new Application Blaster works just like the application switcher built into Mac OS X where you press Command-Tab to switch applications," says Jerry Halls, vice president of Sales at Chronos. "Instead of just switching applications, the Application Blaster lets you select the application you want to launch."
Also in F10 Launch Studio 3:
° The Application Info window shows comprehensive information for the selected application.
° You can now exclude specific paths from automatic application searches.
° There's a new option to specify paths for automatic application searches.
° New auto-detection feature automatically detects if other versions of the software are running.
° There are improved user experiences for entering hot keys and enhanced performance of software so it uses less CPU when in the background .
F10 Launch...
New iPads, Verizon iPhones, new Apple TVs in early 2011?
Apple's next iPad will arrive in 2011 and sport a 9.7-inch screen and Cortex-A9 based CPU, according to DigiTimes Research (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100809VL202.html).
The iPad will reportedly have 512MB of RAm and see the light of day in the first quarter of 2011. Apple will also launch a 7-inch iPad using the Cortex-A9 processor and an IPS panel with a resolution of 1024×768, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo.
The research group is also forecasting Verizon iPhones and new Apple TVs. DigiTimes Research says the Verizon CDMA iPhone will arrive early next year and will feature an integrated antenna.
CDMA and GSM are the names of competing cellular phone standards. They're about equal in the U.S. in terms of users, but overseas there's only GSM other than a few places like Japan, India, and Korea. Out of the four national carriers in the U.S., two -- Sprint and Verizon -- use CDMA, the other two--AT&T and T-Mobile -- use GSM.
As for the Apple TV,...
MacBooks are laptop of choice for college students
MacBooks are the laptop of choice for college students, according to new info from Student Monitor (http://www.studentmonitor.com), which provides syndicated and custom market research services focused exclusively on the college student market.
Research from the company shows that 95% of college students interviewed this spring owned at least one computer, with 83% owning a laptop, 24% a desktop, and 15% both. Among laptop owners, 27% MacBooks; among desktop owners 45% owned a Dell or HP, and 14% a Mac. Among those who planned to purchase a new computer, 87% planned to buy a laptop -- and 47% of these planned to buy a Mac.
Student Monitor interviews 1,200 students for 55 minutes each at 100 representative campuses twice a year and sells the results to Fortune 500, as reported by "Fortune" (http://macosg.me/2/o6).
Software developer introduces BusinessMan 2.0 system for the Mac
Business software developer, CompuTech IT Services (http://www.businessmancrm.com), has launched version 2.0 of its BusinessMan Complete Business Management Software, BusinessMan Pro and BusinessMan Enterprise for the Mac platform.
The BusinessMan Complete Business Management System has been developed in-house utilizing the knowledge gained over 16 years of supplying software solutions to business, says Garry Thompson, managing director of Computech. BusinessMan Pro and BusinessMan Enterprise allow companies to manage all aspects of their business from prospect first contact to invoice, he adds.
The BusinessMan software is a comprehensive, modular, CRM system. Both the Pro and Enterprise versions have a prospect and customer management module, quotations and invoicing modules, suppliers and stock modules, a comprehensive integrated email client and also a fully featured and integrated Resource Scheduler. The BusinessMan Enterprise version adds Sales Order Processing, Sales Ledger,...
Objective Development Software releases version 1.5.0 of their...
Objective Development Software (http://www.obdev.com) has released version 1.5.0 of WebYap, its online CMS. The upgrade adds the possibility to provide multiple log-ins. These grant users different rights to edit a web site.
With WebYep's Menu Element users can create hierarchical and dynamical JavaScript-driven menus -- now this functionality is also available via the WebYep RapidWeaver Plugin to create page submenus in the sidebar of WebYep pages.
The PHP-based CMS WebYep offers plug-ins for Dreamweaver, RapidWeaver and Freeway. It can be integrated also into existing web sites either via these plug-ins or via direct source code editing. WebYep is platform independent; it runs on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
The upgrade to WebYep 1.5.0 is free for all licensees; a new license costs €29 (approximately US$40) per web site. Objective Development offers a free full featured trial version of WebYep as well as an online demo.
New Mac Pros shipping
Apple has begun taking orders for the new Mac Pro announced last month. It has up to 12 processing cores and purportedly up to 50% greater performance than the previous generation.
The new Mac Pro features the latest quad-core and six-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD). At the heart of the new Mac Pro’s performance are next generation quad-core and six-core Intel Xeon processors running at speeds up to 3.33 GHz. These multi-core processors use a single die design so each core can share up to 12MB L3 cache to improve efficiency while increasing processing speed.
These systems feature an integrated memory controller for faster memory bandwidth and reduced memory latency; Turbo Boost to dynamically boost processor speeds up to 3.6GHz; and Hyper-Threading to create up to 24 virtual cores. The Mac Pro now comes with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics processor with 1GB of memory and customers can configure-to-order...
'get' for Final Cut Pro available
AV3 Software (http://www.av3software.com/about_us), a media software developer and electronic download store, and Nexidia, a provider of audio search and speech analytics solutions, has announced the general availability of "get" for Final Cut Pro (FCP).
It's designed to streamline the process of identifying and selecting the right content for any editing project, and improve workflows by saving hours of manual searching, tagging and logging. Priced at US$499, "get" is now available for download. A demo version is available.
Kulabyte demos HD, iPhone streaming from a laptop
Kulabyte Corp. (http://www.kulabytes.com), which specializes in live high-quality HD video streaming, and its distributor Omega Broadcast Group, will be demonstrating live HD video streaming to web and mobile devices on the show floor at the Texas Association of Broadcasters trade show on Aug. 12 in booth #67.
Kulabyte, provides Live HD Internet streaming products and services to major broadcast networks and sports franchises, the United States Army and many corporate, faith-based and non-profit organizations. The demonstration will include simultaneously encoding a live 720p HD stream as well as an iPhone stream from a laptop on the show floor.
iPhone exec leaves Apple
Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of hardware for the iPhone, has left the company following the "antennagate" brouhaha over the iPhone 4 although that's not officially the reason for his departure, reports the "New York Times" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/technology/08apple.html?_r=1&ref=business).
Apple confirmed Mr. Papermaster’s departure, but would not say whether he was ousted or left of his own accord, the article adds. Reached on his cellphone by the "Times," Papermaster declined to comment. A person with direct knowledge of the situation, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it, said Papermaster had been pushed out over a series of hardware problems, including some related to the iPod touch, the article adds.
Bob Mansfield, senior vice president for Mac hardware engineering, will assume his responsibilities. Papermaster started worked at Apple 2008 as senior vice president of Devices Hardware...
AV3 ‘get’ for Final Cut Pro available
AV3 Software (http://www.av3software.com/about_us), a media software developer and electronic download store, and Nexidia, a provider of audio search and speech analytics solutions, has announced the general availability of "get" for Final Cut Pro (FCP).
It's designed to streamline the process of identifying and selecting the right content for any editing project, and improve workflows by saving hours of manual searching, tagging and logging. Priced at US$499, "get" is now available for download. A demo version is available.
At the opening of the world's largest Apple retail store
By Tim Conroy
The world's biggest Apple retail store opened Saturday in Covent Garden, London. Here are some interesting insights into the store.
At one stage the queue started about level with the St in Bow St opposite the entrance to the Royal Opera House on the attached map screen grab. The snap of the T-shirt is rather puzzling unless you see the facade of the building: see attached arches.
I went for breakfast and when I came back the queue had shortened considerably (but not the separate one for those wanting to buy an iPhone 4. Apple must have shipped a mind-boggling number of the smartphones today.
The Apple Store Covent Garden features rooms dedicated to Macs, iPads, iPhones and iPods for customers to experience hands-on. And I managed to get an iPad camera connection kit, which have been scarce as hell!
AT&T addresses end of iPhone exclusivity in SEC filing
AT&T says in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it doesn't expect to suffer a "material negative impact" from the end of its exclusive arrangements to carry handsets, including its Apple-iPhone deal, reports the "Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870330970457541367272787893...).
AT&T has had exclusive US rights to carry the Apple smartphone since 2007. "We do not expect any such terminations to have a material negative impact on our wireless segment income, consolidated operating margin or our cash from operations," AT&T said in the filing with regulators on Friday.
Explaining the lack of impact on its business, AT&T said more than 80% of its contract customers are on family or business plans that are less likely to see turnover, notes the "WSJ." The company also said it now carries a range of smartphones, reducing its dependence on any particular one, and said new devices continue to roll out in the fast-...
Space Dock comes to earth for the iPad
LapWorks has released the US$64.95 iPad Space Dock (http://www.laptopdesk.net/ipad-space-dock.html), a low profile aluminum stand for the Apple tablet. It allows the iPad to position in both portrait and landscape postures.
The Space Dock is cut from a rod of solid aluminum and then brushed for a clean, elegant and stylish finish. The inside channel of the Space Dock is lined with velvet-like material. Its T-shaped support arm features three-position incline settings and it securely screws into the back side of the Space Dock at three pre-drilled positions of incline.
SMEStorage release Mac Cloud Drive beta 4
UK based multi-cloud data access provider SMEStorage (http://www.smestorage.com) has released the fourth beta of a Mac Cloud Drive thath enables up to 10 commercial storage providers to be accessed directly from a virtual drive in Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6.
The drive brings cloud computing directly into the Mac OS with over 10 cloud storage vendors supported, including Amazon S3, Google Docs, Microsoft SkyDrive and RackSpace Cloud Files.
"We have completely re-written huge parts of the drive in this beta to deal with the nuances of Mac Finder," says SME Storage CEO Ian Osborne. "The result is a huge step forward in our goal of having a robust multi-cloud drive for the Mac OSX. The drive now supports the encryption features of our gateway which can overlay any cloud, as well as giving the ability to generate a URL directly from the desktop."
The next beta will continue the hardening of the offering and will incorporate sync-to-desktop above all the clouds we support, he adds. Just remember...
Toon Boom releases Storyboard Pro 2
Toon Boom Animation (http://www.toonboom.com) has released Storyboard 2, an update of the , a new version that the company says infuses more power and flexibility into the idea creation, development and visualization process.
New feature highlights include:
° Content creation tools: an extended set of tools and tool properties; the creation and reuse of brushes with specific settings; creation of custom brushes using a stroke or a series of strokes; setting of separate colors for Brush, Pencil and Paint tools; selection of strokes based on the current color selection; extended rich text support for captions; and the addition of sketch captions on a panel-by-panel basis.
° Input/output capabilities: Final Draft 8 support; customization of the PDF export on a panel-by-panel basis; improved PDF Export with Analyze functionality; extended export to Final Cut Pro through XML; Final Cut Pro conformation (import/export); and the ability to assemble a storyboard project from scanned images...
Chain Reaction comes to the Mac
Jalada has released Chain Reaction, an US$9.99 puzzle game for Mac OS X 10.4 and higher.
Here's how the game is described: "Be prepared to enter the exciting world of Chain Reaction and let yourself be mesmerized by this unique arcade puzzle game. Collect the color bubbles on the field by combining them into chains to enter the next level, and create the longest chain ever to get the highest score. Besides a subtle strategy, various rewards will help you to solve a level in a faster way."
Analyst expects new iPods, MacBook Airs in September
BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman tells clients in a note that he's expecting new iPods and MacBook Airs next month, reports "Barron's" (http://macosg.me/2/o0). He's anticipating new iPod nanos and iPod touches.
Bachman thinks the former will be smaller than its predecessors and will lack a click wheel. He's expecting a touch with a camera.
When it comes to the MacBook Air, he's expecting two models. Bachman doesn't offer too many details but does foresee a price drop.
PANTONE PLUS Libraries Installer available for download
The PANTONE PLUS Libraries Installer, a utility that allows creatives to access PANTONE PLUS Libraries directly from Adobe Creative Suite design applications, is now available on the Pantone web site.
Users can download the installer free-of-charge at http://www.pantone.com/colors4adobe to integrate all the 566 new PLUS SERIES Colors into Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
The Installer includes the following PANTONE PLUS Color Libraries:
PANTONE PLUS Solid Coated
PANTONE PLUS Solid Uncoated
PANTONE PLUS COLOR BRIDGE Coated
PANTONE PLUS COLOR BRIDGE Uncoated
PANTONE PLUS PREMIUM METALLICS Coated
PANTONE PLUS PASTELS & NEONS Coated
PANTONE PLUS PASTELS & NEONS Uncoated
PANTONE PLUS CMYK Coated
PANTONE PLUS CMYK Uncoated
The PANTONE PLUS Libraries will be differentiated from existing PANTONE Libraries by a “PANTONE+” designation in the Library name.
China Unicorn can sell iPhone with Wi-Fi
China Unicorn will begin selling iPhones with Wi-Fi on Monday, Aug. 9, in China, reports the "Associated Press" (http://macosg.me/2/nu). The wireless provider began selling the Apple smartphone in October, but early models lacked wireless connections due to Chinese regulations.
China Unicom will sell 8GB iPhones with third-generation service and Wi-Fi throughout China starting Monday. The company also sells 16GB and 32GB iPhones without Wi-Fi.
Beijing barred use of Wi-Fi while the government tried to develop a competing Chinese system, dubbed WAPI but regulations issued this year allow Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is seen as important to the success of the iPhone in China because many people want to use the devices to surf the web, but don't want to pay higher data rates for using the mobile network. In the past China has required mobile phones with Wi-Fi also to support WAPI, a "homegrown" security protocol.
Apple Japan must offer iPod nano replacement battery
Japan's trade ministry has ordered Apple Japan to state on its web site that users who are concerned about their iPod nano portable music player catching fire can receive a replacement battery, reports "Reuters" (http://macosg.me/2/nt).
The ministry ordered Apple to publish an "easy to understand" statement online explaining how users of the devices -- purportedly responsible for four cases of minor burns in Japan -- can receive replacement batteries and obtain advice, a spokesman for the ministry told "Reuters."
Six incidents involving the 2005 model nano catching fire while being charged have been reported to the Ministry of Economy since 2008. And there were purportedly an additional 21 cases involving incidents where the players overheated and emitted smoke since 2005.
Aimersoft DVD Copy lets you copy and back-up your DVDs
With Aimersoft's new, US$29.95 DVD Copy software (http://www.aimersoft.com/dvd-copy.html), you can create backups of your entire DVD collections. Bsides being compatible with most types of DVD players, Aimersoft DVD Copy also allow users to:
° Back up copyright-protected DVDs: Most commercially produced DVDs are always protected with region coding; CSS and other artificial restrictions to keep them from being duplicated by unauthorized parties. A lot of DVD copy software cannot copy protected DVDs. Aimersoft DVD Copy can copy a DVD with copyright protection on it.
° Compress DVD9 to DVD5: D9 holds around 7.95 GB, while D5 holds only around 4.37 GB. In order to make full use of disc space of DVD5, this DVD Copy offers D9 to D5 compression function for users to back up D9 movies to D5 disc.
° Copy with multiple choices choices: You can save a DVD as ISO image file, DVD folder to hard drive for viewing, storing, converting or burning, or save ISO file and Video_TS to DVD disc besides...
Jumsoft releases 10 new themes for Keynote
Jumsoft (http://www.jumsoft.com) has added to its selection of business templates for Keynote, the presentation component of Apple's US$79 iWork bundle. Each theme includes 32 master slides -- a mix of bullet text and photo-oriented layouts.
All photo slides feature media placeholders to crop a placed image into a custom shape. The complimentary Bullets folder includes a set of 15 extra bullet designs, which can be used to further customize any of the themes for a specific case.
Jumsoft's themes require iWork '08. Each theme is US$19.
Info needed on retail management software for the Mac
Our next Migration Kit will look at retail management apps for the Mac. If you use or know of such goodies, drop me a line (dsellers@macsimumnews.com) no later than Wednesday, Aug. 11.
Migration Kits appear on Friday and round-up Mac solutions for specific industries and areas as dentistry, engineering, sales, etc. Also, if you have a particular migration topic you'd like us to cover, drop me a line, as well.
Interarchy for Mac OS X gets 'bug fix' update
Nolobe has updated Total Interarchy, its file transfer product for Mac OS X (10.4.11 and later), to version 10.0.1. It's a maintenance update.
A demo of Interarchy 10.x is available for download. It costs US$49.95 for a single-user license. Version 10.0.1 is a free update for registered users of version 10. Users of earlier versions can upgrade to version 10.x for $29.95.
Mirye Software announces Shade X
Mirye Software (http://www.mirye.net) has announced the the Shade X 2010 Early Access Program for users of Shade 10 or higher. Shade X is an early access program that gives Shade users private access to early releases of the next generation of Shade, the professional 3D modeling, rendering and animation tool set from Mirye Software.
Shade X 2010 is available only to users of Shade 10. Shade X 2010 users will have access to pre-release versions of the next generation of Shade that will be released in English in 2011, as well as a full license of the product. Users of the Shade X Early Access Program will also have access to Shade Unplugged, a special, internal release of Shade, immediately available, which adds several new features that will be incorporated into to the 2011 official release.
What's more, Shade X 2010 users have access to a private forum and mailing list that includes professional artists, Mirye staff and Shade engineers. Current users of Shade 10 Designer or Standard...
AlwaysOnPC releases virtual PC app for idevices
AlwaysOnPC has announced version 1.0 of their Virtual PC app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. It boasts more than 40 pre-installed programs including a mobile office suite and Firefox.
AlwaysOnPC purportedly delivers a combination of productivity tools and capabilities that frees users from their desktops. Using Open Office, users can edit, copy and paste between apps, and save most common file types including Word (.doc and .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), and PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) and more.
The lack of Flash has been a controversial issue regarding Apple's idevices and a disappointment for some -- until now, say the folks at AlwaysOnPC. Their product delivers an iPad and iPhone Flash Player with Firefox so users can finally browse the whole web on their device. Although it doesn't yet support audio or full motion video (these improvements are purportedly coming soon) customers still enjoy access to their favorite sites like Facebook games, Google Analytics, and more from their...
Foxit designed to protect against malicious jailbreak PDFs
Foxit Corp. (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/), a provider of solutions for reading, editing, creating, organizing, securing PDF documents and eReader devices, has announced an upcoming security patch for its Foxit Reader. The upcoming Foxit Reader enhances PDF document security that is currently being used to compromise iPhone/iPad devices.
Foxit is taking a proactive measure in securing its 100 million PDF Reader users against the iPhone/iPad jailbreaking application that utilizes malicious PDFs to hack the systems of unsuspecting users, according to , says Alex Alexander, AVP, corporate marketing for Foxit. Hackers are now trying to use these malicious PDF’s to access sensitive data on desktops. Foxit expects the release to occur within the next 10 days.
Genilogix releases iOS compatible QC Mobile
Genilogix (http://www.genilogix.com) says QC Mobile, is now available for download via the Apple App Store. It allows professionals to run application testing through HP Quality Center from virtually anywhere.
Using Apple iPads, iPhones, and/or iPod touch mobile devices running Genilogix QC Mobile, development and quality professionals can perform tests, track defects, and transmit electronic test data wirelessly. Genilogix QC Mobile integrates with HP Quality Center, a quality-management software platform.
"Genilogix QC Mobile addresses environments where mobility is a critical component for testing and defect tracking," says Nate Stuyvesant, chief technical officer of Genilogix. "Certain verticals like manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, hospitality, and telecommunications are now able to extend the workflow and reporting capabilities of HP Quality Center beyond software testing to handle processes like quality control, and inspections."
iSuppli: Android to outstrip Apple's iOS by 2012
Google is expected to prevail in a key battleground for its wireless war with., as the smart phone market share of the Android Operating System (OS) rises to surpass that of the iPhone’s iOS in 2012, iSuppli Corp. (http://www.isuppli.com) predicts.
Android will be used in 75 million smart phones by 2012, up from five million in 2009, forecasts the research group. Meanwhile, iOS usage will amount to 62 million in 2012, up from 25 million in 2009.
This will give Android a 19.4% of the global market for smart phone OSes in 2012, up from 2.7% in 2009, according to iSuppli. Apple’s iOS for the iPhone will see its share rise to 15.9% in 2012, up from 13.8% in 2009. In 2014, Android’s share of global smart phone OS usage will rise to 22.8%, while iOS will decline to 15.3 %, predicts the research group.
"Android is taking the smart phone market by storm," says Tina Teng, senior analyst, wireless communications, for iSuppli. “The OS started with entry level models in 2008, but the flexibility...
Apple stays in the number three global smartphone vendor spot
The worldwide smartphone market grew 50% year over year in the second quarter of 2010 (2Q10), driven in large part by makers of smartphones powered by Google's Android operating system, though Apple maintained its number three position globaly, according to a new report by the IDC (http://www.idc.com) research group
Vendors of converged mobile devices, more commonly known as smartphones, shipped a total of 63 million units in the second quarter of 2010 (2Q10), compared to 41.9 million units in the same period one year ago. For the first half of 2010, vendors shipped a total of 118.3 million units, up 54% from the 76.8 million units shipped during the first half of 2009.
Google's smartphone partners, such as HTC and Samsung, posted the highest year-over-year growth rates in IDC's 2Q10 smartphone Top 10 vendor rankings. In fact, four of the top ten vendors, all of whom predominantly ship Android-powered smartphones, posted year-over-year growth rates greater than 100%. The top supplier...
Apple working on iPhone security fix
Apple says that it has a fix for the browser security flaw discovered earlier this week on its iOS-powered devices, according to "CNET" (http://macosg.me/2/nn).
After the iPhone Dev Team released the latest jailbreak software hack for the iPhone over the weekend, it became apparent that the way the jailbreak worked -- via an iPhone's mobile Safari browser -- that the phone has a security vulnerability when it comes to the way it loads PDF files from the web, the article adds.
On Wednesday an Apple spokeswoman said in a statement, "We're aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update."
MakeMusic releases SmartMusic 2011
MakeMusic (http://www.makemusic.com) has released SmartMusic 2011, the latest update of the interactive music software that provides educators and students with access to thousands of band, orchestra, concert solos and vocal pieces, allowing students to practice with background accompaniment and get immediate feedback on their performances.
SmartMusic also allows teachers to individualize instruction, document progress for every student, and create an ideal practice environment. MakeMusic CEO Ron Raup says SmartMusic 2011's new features include:
° Streamlined screens, controls and personalized home pages that provide quicker, easier access to music, tools and key information;
° Enhanced educator screens and controls that make it faster and easier to send customized instructions, create assignments and document and track student progress;
° The ability to send assignments directly from the performance screen;
° Now the recording feature automatically begins with each accompaniment to...
Analyst: Microsoft shares because of Mac competition to Windows...
Wow, how's this for a change? Shares of Microsoft edged lower Wednesday after Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry downgraded the software giant in part due to increased competition from Macs to Windows systems, notes the "Seattle PI" (http://www.seattlepi.com/business/1310ap_us_microsoft_mover.html).
The analyst told investors he doesn't expect the Big M to see any upside to his estimates for the next 12 to 18 months. Chowdhry says that, increasingly, companies are giving their employees a choice to either use Macs or PCs -- and, increasingly, employees are choosing Macs over Windows. What's, Chowdhry said 70% of college freshman are entering school with Macs, up about 10 to 15% a year ago.
Apple to buy Chinese ISP, mobile game developer?
SinoCast Daily Business Beat (http://macosg.me/2/nl) is reporting that Apple is close to purchasing Handseeing Information Technology, a mobile Internet service provider and a mobile game developer in China, for as much as US$150 billion.
Apple's plan to take over the Chinese company underscores its mounting interests in China's potentially huge mobile Internet sector, which has been basically ignored by it for a long time, the article adds. If Apple is interested in the company, it's probably for its online gaming technologies.
But that's a big "if." As "MacRumors" (http://www.macrumors.com), there's no way Apple would pay $150 billion for Handsetting.
iOS, Android pulling away in smartphone 'two-horse'...
ABI Research (http://www.abiresearch.com) expects mobile application downloads from Apple's iOS and the Android to account for 78% of all application downloads in 2010, with iOS (the iPhone’s operating system) taking the lion’s share of 52% of all applications.
The numbers are driven by availability, variety and novelty in both the Android market and the Apple App Store, which is currently unmatched by any other smartphone platform, says the research group. In addition, the sale of Android phones has taken off in 2010, with over 160,000 activations being reported daily.
"The Apple App Store’s days of being the only game in town are over, although the store will continue to be the biggest player in the market,” says wireless research analyst Bhavya Khanna. “However, downloads from other platforms, such as Blackberry’s App Store and Nokia’s Ovi Store remain sluggish, hampered by a lack of variety and fragmentation among both manufacturers’ many devices.”
Revenues from mobile app sales...
Sanyo introduces new 'underwater' Xacti camera
Sanyo North America (http://www.us.sanyo.com/Dual-Cameras) has introduced a new waterproof Full HD (1920 x 1080) Dual Camera Xacti, model VPC-CA102YL, that can be used to record over 480 minutes of 1080 Full HD video on a single 64GB SDXC memory card and 14MP photos from a depth of 10 feet underwater. The camera will be available later this month at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$349.99.
Designed for any indoor or outdoor adventure, the VPC-CA102YL fits in the palm of the user's hand and is small enough to be carried in a pocket, backpack, or purse. Sanyo Dual Cameras use the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video format, which simplifies the sharing of videos online, on blogs or on other multimedia sites simple. The media created can also be easily edited and exported to portable media devices. Photos and videos can be displayed in Full HD resolution on high definition TVs.
The camera uses a proprietary "double-range zoom" feature for zoom operation while filming video with 12x zoom...
PDF210 products ready for InDesign CS5
Recosoft Corp. (http://www.recosoft.com) -- the developer of the PDF2Office family of products, PDF2ID tool for InDesign cross platform file format conversion solutions and PDF converters -- has announced PDF2ID Standard 3.0 and PDF2ID Professional 3.0. They'll ship next month.
They add support for InDesign CS5, interactive property conversion and enhanced PDF to InDesign conversion. There's also a new graphics option panel letting you fine tune the way images and vector-graphics are converted.
PDF2ID provides a direct, transparent process for PDF document data retrieval and reuse within InDesign. It's been engineered to provide seamless integration with Adobe InDesign to eliminate the necessity to acquire and install additional PDF data recovery tools.
PDF2ID 3.0 is available immediately in the following configurations: US$299 for the standard configuration; $399 for the pro version; $129 for a standard upgrade for version 1.x standard licensees; and $159 for upgrades for 1.x pro...
Bodega for Mac OS X gets The Loop Picks feature
IDFusion Software has announced Bodega 1.2 (http://appbodega.com), an update of its "corner store" for Mac apps. The update brings a new feature to Bodega called The Loop Picks.
In conjunction with the Apple-centric website, The Loop, each week Bodega will showcase five of the hottest Mac applications available through Bodega as selected by The Loop's editors, along with what makes the applications so hot. From there, the user need only click upon an application icon for more info and to purchase the application through Bodega.
Also new with Bodega 1.2 are performance improvements. There are additional keyboard shortcuts for an improved user navigation experience, a completely redesigned receipts viewer window along with the ability to easily print receipts, and overall application speed enhancements.
Bodega is designed as an one-stop shop for software needs. Users can browse the top- rated and most-downloaded applications. The storefront gives users links to press clippings and...
World Clock Deluxe for Mac OS X ticks to version 4.7.1
MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net) has updated its World Clock Deluxe time tool to version 4.7.1. Forty-eight cities in Australia, Austria, Chile, Cuba, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Ireland, and Mexico have been added to the World Clock Deluxe database.
Daylight-saving information for Egypt has been updated. And the Help > Lookup Latitude & Longitude command now takes you to the GeoNames geographical database that covers all countries, including the United States and Antarctica.
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With World Clock Deluxe you can display multiple clocks in a horizontal or vertical palette, in the menu bar and in the Dock, show Coordinated Universal Time and Internet Time, assign labels and colors to clocks, calculate date and time conversions across different time zones and show the current weather all over the world. The software is Universal Binary and runs in English, German, Dutch, French and Italian.
World Clock Deluxe requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and runs natively on both...
Interarchy 10 adds new plug-in architecture
Nolobe Software (http://nolobe.com/interarchy) has updated Interarchy, the file transfer tool for Mac OS X, to version 10. Among the new features is a plug-in architecture.
Users can now develop their own plug-ins and execute commands directly on remote servers. Actions such as compressing files, archiving folders and running scripts can now be performed with a simple mouse click.
Interarchy 10's new plug-in architecture is built on top of iFTP, a new file transfer protocol exclusive to Interarchy. Built on top of SSH, iFTP is fast, powerful and secure, easily outperforming traditional protocols such as FTP and SFTP, according to the folks at Nolobe Software.
Other new features include support for Google Storage and Rackspace Cloud Files, Cover Flow and Quick Look for previewing remote files, speed improvements, Net Disks, and a refined user interface. A demo of Interarchy 10 is available for download. It costs US$49.95 for a single-user license.
Stop Extraction command
Tension Software has released URL Extractor X 3.1.2 (http://pomola.com/products_urlextractor/urlextractor.html). URL Extractor X is a Mac OS X app for extracting emails address and generic URLs from files on the HD or directly from the web using a list of "starting" web addresses and working unattended after the startup. The new version improves the Stop Extraction command.
URL Extractor can extract thousands of URLs from the web starting from a single web page and using "cross navigation" and extraction. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and costs US$50. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. Version 3.1.2 is a free update for registered users of version 3.0.
NewerTech announces NuRAM memory upgrade kits for new iMacs
Newer Technology (http://www.newertech.com) has announced NuRAM PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM Memory Upgrade Kits up to 16GB starting at US$99 for the latest iMac models.
The upgrade kits are for the new iMac 21.5-inch 3.06GHz i3, 3.20GHz i3, and 3.6GHz i5; iMac 27-inch 3.20GHz i3, 3.6GHz i5, iMac 27-inch 2.8GHz i5 Quad-Core, 2.93GHz i7 Quad-Core models. You can order:
° NuRAM 4GB DDR3 Memory Kit (2 x 2GB matched memory modules) - $99 (add to factory installed 4GB RAM for 8GB total RAM; the upgrade isn't offered as a factory option);
° NuRAM 8GB DDR3 Memory Kit (2 x 4GB matched memory modules) - $239.99 (add to factory installed 4GB RAM for 12GB total RAM; this upgrade isn't offered as a factory option);
° NuRAM 16GB DDR3 Memory Kit (4 x 4GB matched memory modules) - $469.99 (53% lower cost than factory 16GB option).
Logitech unveils new G-Series gaming headset, mouse, keyboard
Logitech (http://www.logitech.com) unveiled three new G-Series gaming peripherals -- the Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930, the Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700 and the Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510.
The Wireless Gaming Headset G930 (US$159.99) immerses you in 7.1 Dolby surround sound, creating a detailed, positional soundfield that lets you hear your opponents before they see you, according to Elliott Chin, Logitech’s senior manager of product marketing for gaming. With gaming-grade wireless technology designed specifically for two-way, uncompressed audio streaming, you can focus on your game without being distracted by typical wireless lag or interference annoyances, he adds.
The G930 gaming headset comes fully equipped, with three programmable G-keys that put you in command over music, voice morphing and chat clients. A memory-foam-lined headband is designed to fend off fatigue, while ear pads ease pressure points and seal out unwanted noise. There's also a noise-canceling...
NuKit is new productivity tool for the Mac
Nulana LTD has released NuKit 1.0 (http://nulana.com/nukit), a new productivity and timesaving toolkit for Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6. This US$19.99 app combines different utilities such as a launcher, tweaker, shortcut editor, window mover and advanced calculator.
NuKit was offered for public beta testing since June and now it is available in full version. In the launcher component, you can type first letters of the application name;for example "e" to receive a list of apps starting with in alphabetic order. What's more, it's possible to assign to eBay search command (for example), then will open eBay with the search string . And finally you'll see a value of mathematical constant e with nine digits after the decimal point. By the way, this advanced calculator knows about mathematical functions and displays results in decimal, binary, octal and hexadecimal.
Tweaker gives access to hidden Dock appearance settings, Finder preferences and other system settings. For example it's...
R10Cipher update adds auto delete feature
Arten Science has updated R10Cipher (http://www.artenscience.co.uk), a cross platform encryption/decryption tool, to version 4.1.3. The new version adds an option to automatically delete original files following successful encryption.
R10Cipher supports drag and drop multiple file encryption, and decryption by double clicking a file to recreate it with its original filename. R10Cipher takes text or files and encrypts them. These files can be Word files, Excel files, MP3 files -- almost any kind of file.
Its encrypted files can be copied elsewhere, even to a different operating system and unencrypted by anyone in possession of the shared key that was used for the encryption. If encrypting text, this Cipher Text can then be copied into an email, saved as a file and attached to an email or just copied elsewhere. The recipient can use R10Cipher to open the file and view the encrypted contents, assuming they're in possession of the Shared Key that was used to encrypt the document in the...
Fontcase for Mac OS X gets maintenance update
Bohemian Coding and Laurent Baumann have updated Fontcase (http://www.bohemiancoding.com/?Fontcase), a font manager for Mac OS X 10.5 and higher, to version 1.5.4. It's a maintenance update with some bug fixes and performance tweaks.
Fontcase focuses on metadata. For every font and weight, you can add a variety of metadata. You can set tags, genres, assign designers and foundries and more. They are not just pieces of text, but actually show up in the source list, right under your smart collections. Everything in the interface can be dragged.
Fontcase has several preview options. You can preview fonts with any sample text you want and you can view individual glyphs, as a waterfall text and as body text. If you want to go in more detail, there's a special Compare mode which was designed to compare a small set of fonts and allow you to choose the right font from them.
Just like in iTunes, you can share your Library with other people. However, in Fontcase other people can also download...
