PandaWare releases new class of classes for REALbasic developers
The PandaWare Company has announced the availability of a set of classes for REALbasic developers who want to convert styled text to HTML.
The new PWStyleHTMLField class provides a drop-in solution for turning styled text in a REALbasic or Real Studio project into HTML. It can also generate an HTML email message in one line of code.
The PWStyleHTMLField offers extensive support for links. It allows adding other HTML tags to support features that a REALbasic TextArea or EditField doesn't display, such as images, lists, tables, and options that can be incorporated in HTML with CSS styles.
More information is available, and a compiled demo application can be downloaded for free at http://pandaware.com/RB/pwhtmlfield.html . Developers may also request a time-limited demo project for testing in their own projects. Licenses for using PWStyleHTMLField are US$25.
iToner update updated for iTunes 10.1, iOS 4.2
Ambrosia Software has updated iToner (http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/itoner/), an utility for Mac OS X that lets iPhone users create and install custom ringtones on the Apple communications device, to version 2.0.7. This update addresses compatibility issues with iTunes 10.1 and iOS 4.2, as well as minor changes to improve the iToner user experience and reliability.
iToner allows you to assign different ringtones for your different contacts. With iToner, you can now "have a Barry White ringtone for when your girlfriend calls, Frank Zappa for when your college buddies ring you up, or the theme from "Jaws" for when your boss is calling," according to the folks at Ambrosia.
iToner is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It works with Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. iToner costs US$15, though version 2.0.7 is a free update for registered users.
EdgeCast adds full HTTP streaming for iOS 4 devices
EdgeCast Networks, a content delivery network (CDN), hasannounced full support for HTTP live and on-demand streaming to the Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
“Supporting video on demand and live streaming to iOS devices builds on our commitment to ensuring that our customers can deliver content to any user regardless of their format, location, or device,” says Ted Middleton, vice president of product management at EdgeCast Networks. “This further extends the evolution of streaming technology to new HTTP-based formats which bring increased quality, superior user experiences, and new monetization opportunities."
EdgeCast iOS 4 support includes intelligent dynamic stream technology, which is supported by the media player built into Apple devices. Intelligent dynamic stream selection lets an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch automatically switch between different bit rates depending on the device’s current connection speed. By switching bit rates on-the-fly as network conditions change,...
Analyst: China catching 'Apple fever'
Following a trip to China, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White says the country is catching "Apple fever," as reported by "Fortune" (http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/11/18/analyst-china-catching-apple-fever/?).
He cites conversations with China Unicom, Apple's exclusive partner and the second largest carrier (162 million subscribers) in the world's largest mobile phone market, in which he was told that "the opportunity for high-end smartphones in China is over 100 million units." White also quotes a report in the "Chengdu Chinese Commercial News" that mentions a newly signed "cooperation agreement" between Apple and China Mobile (CHL), the "global giant" of mobile phone carriers with roughly 815 million mobile subscribers.
"Fortune" says the nature of this agreement is unclear, but White recalls earlier reports that ten China Mobile stores in the Beijing area were offering a SIM card-cutting service that trims SIMs to fit the iPhone 4's miniature slot.
Apricorn rolls out new Mac Array
Apricon (http://www.apricorn.com) has introduced the Mac Array, a turnkey solution for instantly increasing your Mac Pro’s processing power. Designed specifically for Mac Pro systems, the Apricorn Mac Array internal SSD RAID is designed to bridge the gap between your computer's high capacity hard drive and your system's RAM, acting as virtual memory, for a performance increase of up to 10 times.
Aimed at the creative market, the Mac Array is the ideal tool for high performance applications such as video editing, animation and image processing, says Mike McCandless, vice president of Sales & Marketing at Apricorn. Built around four 128GB solid state drives on Apricorn's specially designed SATA PCIe Host Card, the Mac Array's form factor adds a total of 512GB of virtual memory to your system, yet uses only one internal full length PCIe X4 slot, keeping the other slots and drive bays free for expansion.
Fully configurable, the Mac Array can be used singularly or with a second or...
DISH Network introduces TV Everywhere
DISH Network says it's the first pay-TV provider in America to introduce a true TV Everywhere offering, giving DISH Network subscribers the ability to watch all of their live and recorded television programs on compatible smartphones, tablets and laptops.
DISH Network subscribers can access these features when they download and use the DISH Remote Access application in concert with their broadband-connected, Sling-enabled receiver.
"Unlike mobile viewing from cable and telcos that limit access to select programs, our TV Everywhere services give consumers 24 x 7 access to all of the live and recorded content included with their DISH Network programming subscription," says DISH Network Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr.
To enjoy the live viewing capability of DISH Remote Access, consumers need to be DISH Network subscribers and have a Sling-enabled device such as the newly-released Sling Adapter -- a small placeshifting device that pairs with DISH Network's ViP 722 or 722k HD DVRs. With...
Printopia allows Mac, iOS device printer sharing
Ecamm (http://www.ecamm.com) has released Printopia, a Mac app that lets you share your Mac's printers with any "capable" iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. It will also add a virtual printer, allowing you to save print-outs to your Mac as PDF files.
Whether you have an inkjet printer plugged into your Mac, a laser printer plugged into your router or even a network printer, if your Mac can print to it, Printopia will share it. The software translates for your printer, allowing it to speak to your iPhone or iPad even if it's not an AirPrint-compatible printer. Printopia even supports many password-protected printers.
Double-click to install Printopia, and within seconds you'll see most any connected printers on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You'll also see Printopia's "Send To Mac" and "Send To Dropbox on Mac" virtual printers.
Printopia requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It costs US$9.95; a demo is available for download.
LaCie announces USB 3.0 FastKey drive
LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has announces the FastKey, which it says is the smallest USB 3.0 drive around. It's backward compatible with USB 2.0, which is good for Mac users as Apple hasn't added support for USB 3.0.
The FastKey packs 30GB to 120MB of storage into a 2.5-inch solid state drive, with pricing starting at US$149.99. It also includes software AES 256-bit encryption.
Apple updates Safari
Apple has released Safari 5.0.3 and Safari 4.1.3, updates of its web browser for Mac OS X and Windows.
The updates fix security-related glitches. On the Mac, you can obtain the update via the Software Updates component of the Systems Preferences app.
iStopMotion for Mac OS X gets Tilt Shift filter
Boinx Software (http://www.boinx.com) has updated iStopMotion, the stop motion and time lapse tool for Mac OS X, to version 2.5. Headlining the new update is the combination of a brand new Tilt Shift Filter with stop motion animation and time-lapse recording.
A popular effect among photographers aiming to capture a "miniature-scale model" effect, Tilt Shift is designed for stop motion animation's small movements and individually photographed frames. This pairing of Tilt Shift with stop motion and time-lapse recording software allows animators to expand creative expression, manipulating the depth of field of their images so that life-sized locations or subjects appear miniature in size, says Boinx CEO Oliver Breidenbach.
Additional product updates include full support for new Canon DSLR camera models and HDV camera support in iStopMotion Pro when Logic Studio or Final Cut Studio is installed. Version 2.5 boasts a new "Send to iMovie" functionality in the file menu, for export of your...
NewerTech announces USB 3.0 universal drive adapter
NewerTech (http://www.newertech.com) has announced the NewerTech USB 3.0 Universal Drive Adapter for connecting any 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch hard drive, SSD, or optical drive to Macs and PCs via USB 3.0.
The adapter is available immediately at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$39.99 from NewerTech’s exclusive distributor, Other World Computing, as well as through the retail channel. It comes with everything needed for immediate use including power cables, interface connecting cables, a heavy duty UL listed 2.0 Amp AC adapter, and a full one year NewerTech warranty. It's compatible with Mac computers running Mac OS X 8.6 or higher.
Socialite update improves error handling
Realmac Software has announced the availability of Socialite 1.2.2 (http://www.realmacsoftware.com/socialite/). Previously known as EventBox, Socialite is a multi-service social network client for Mac OS X that's designed to make it easy stay up-to-date with the latest RSS articles and friends' status updates on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.
Version 1.2.2 improves error handling to work around Twitter API output issues. It also limits direct messages to 140 characters to match API behavior.
Socialite is an a native Mac OS X application that brings together all your social networks into one convenient place, according to Daniel Counsell, director and founder of Realmac Software. From your Google Reader RSS feeds, Twitter updates, Flickr photos and more, Socialite is the best way to manage your social networks. Socialite supports six services: Twitter (including the recently-launched Retweet and List features); Facebook; Flickr; Digg; Google Reader (including syncing and sharing of...
Kerio Connect update fixes a stability issue
Kerio Technologies (http://www.kerio.com) says that Kerio Connect 7.1.0.1, a messaging and collaboration server, now natively supports the iPad. The update fixes a stability issue in an overloaded WebMail interface.
With Kerio Connect, iPad users can synchronize their email, contacts, and private calendar, search the global address book (GAL), manage invitations, and perform a remote wipe, all using Exchange ActiveSync. Users can also access shared and global calendars with the integrated CalDAV support.
Kerio Connect includes distributed domain clustering for IT management of a single domain supporting multiple branch offices. The latest release also has a newly implemented CardDAV protocol to synchronize contacts with Apple Address Book. Kerio runs on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and is available as a virtual appliance on the VMware and Parallels platforms. The solution comes with integrated anti-spam, anti-virus, automated backup, and archiving. Kerio Connect starts at US$450 for five...
Xslimmer update for Mac OS X gets maintenance update
LateNiteSoft has updated Xslimmer (http://www.xslimmer.com), an anti-bloat utility application, to version 1.7.9. It's a maintenance release that fixes a rare bug whereby some apps could not be slimmed even though they were detected as slimmable.
In addition to the built-in backup mechanism, the downloadable blacklist or the personal exclusion list, Xslimmer takes special care to observe Mac OS X technologies in depth, according to the folks at LateNiteSoftware. This means that slimmed apps won't have their signatures invalidated, will keep their keychain authorizations and will be registered in the system databases so other components are made aware of the changes and no reboots are needed after the process.
Xslimmer costs US$14.95; version 1.7.9 is a free update for registered users. It requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
ABiSee announces Mac compatibility for two products
ABiSee Zoom-Ex and Eye-Pal, two of ABiSee’s (http://www.abisee.com) instant readers, are the first products on the market that instantly scan and OCR printed text on Apple computers, says Lena Reznik, owner, of ABiSee.
ABiSee products are designed for those who are visually impaired or cannot read small print for other reasons. All devices read aloud printed material such as mail, books, magazines and food packaging. Eye-Pal, Zoom-Ex and Zoom-Twix can be used with PCs.
Eye-Pal is an US$1,995, portable USB device that instantly scans and converts text into refreshable Braille, speech or text files, in a single keystroke. Zoom-Ex is a $2,395, portable USB device that combines three tools into one. It's an instant book-to-speech tool, a 20 ppm scanner, and a magnifier, in a foldable package that weighs one pound.
iWebThemes park introduces five new themes
iWeb Themes Park (http://www.iwebthemespark.com) had unveiled new themes -- Clover, Confidence, Life Colors, Movie World and Orange Power -- for iWeb, the web creation component of Apple's iLife suite.
The updated collection now contains 80 iWeb themes. The iWeb Themes Box of 80 themes is priced at US$44.99. Ten iWeb themes in a Combo Package can be purchased for $29.99. Each template is available for $11.99. Using the coupon code "iWebThemesTrio" three iWeb themes of your choice can be obtained for the price of two themes. Two iWeb themes are free for everyone.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition coming to the Mac
Gearbox Software and Feral Interactive say the Mac edition of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, a role-playing shooter from Gearbox Software, will be hitting stores on Dec. 3. The Borderlands Game of the Year package comes complete with the Borderlands stand-alone game, its entire game add-on library, and a bonus fold out map of Pandora.
Here's how the game is described: "Borderlands sports a unique combination of features that make it a gaming experience unlike anything else on the Mac. Prime among these are a groundbreaking content-generation system that provides a nearly endless variety of weapons, robust four-player co-op support that makes for a compelling multiplayer experience, RPG-style character progression allied to an FPS-style game mechanics and a super sharp visual style that gives the game a highly distinctive comic book look."
Mac customers will also receive all four add-on adventures included with the Borderlands Game of the Year edition including The Zombie...
Dot Hill introduces new interface option for AssuredSAN
Dot Hill Systems Corp. (http://www.dothill.com) has introduced its AssuredSAN 3320 and 3330 four-port 1Gb iSCSI storage arrays, which will be sold into original equipment manufacturer and channel markets.
The new storage arrays feature Dot Hill's newest generation of controllers delivering four ports of iSCSI over Gigabit Ethernet in each controller, for a total of eight ports. With more iSCSI ports, these arrays can improve data access for virtual server environments, as well as support high capacity applications such as near-line backup, database, online transaction processing, and IP-based surveillance, at an affordable price point, says Jim Jonez, senior director of marketing, Dot Hill Systems.
Available in a dual or single RAID controller configuration, the 3320 and 3330 support data rates of 1GB/second iSCSI. Another key feature of the AssuredSAN series is data-in-place migration, allowing customers to install any of the 3000 Series controllers into an existing Dot Hill array...
Akvis ArtSuite update adds new themed frame pack
Akvis has announced the update of Akvis ArtSuite to version 6.6. ArtSuite is a collection of versatile effects for decorating photos. The update offers a new themed frame pack and fixes some bugs.
Akvis ArtSuite can be run as a standalone app or as a plug-in to a photo editor. It runs on Mac OS X 4.0 and and higher and Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/Win 7. A 10-day demo is available at ttp://Akvis.com/en/artsuite/download-artistic-effects.php .
Akvis ArtSuite Plug-in sells for US$49; Akvis ArtSuite Standalone for $69. Home users can use the full line of Akvis plug-ins in the Akvis Alchemy bundle (Retoucher, Chameleon, MultiBrush, Enhancer, Coloriage, Noise Buster, Sketch, Decorator, LightShop, ArtSuite, SmartMask, Magnifier, and ArtWork) for $325.
Akvis ArtSuite is also part of the Akvis Artistic Bundle (Sketch, ArtWork, and ArtSuite), which sells for $149 for the plug-in version or $169 for the standalone version. This is a savings of $44 when compared to the price of these three...
Speed Download for Mac OS X updated to version 5.2.21
Yazsoft (http://www.yazsoft.com) has released Speed Download 5.2.21, the latest version of its Mac OS X download manager that combines four products: a download manager with auto-resuming downloads, a secure FTP client, a file sharing utility with full encryption, and .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity.
The new version offers optimized performance, better compatibility and more. Speed Download requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher. It costs US$25 for a single-user license. Speed Download is available in US English, French and Polish localizations.
iAds coming to Europe in December
Apple will expand its iAd mobile advertising network to the UK and France this December, with Germany to follow in January. iAd will launch in Europe with iAds from L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever, Citi, Evian, LG Display, AB InBev, Turkish Airlines and Absolute Radio.
Apple says since its US launch in July, iAd has signed on over half of the top 25 leading US national advertisers in just four months, with a projected 21% share of US mobile display advertising revenue for 2010 according to research firm IDC.
“We’re thrilled to add leading global brands to the iAd Network in Europe and create even more great opportunities for developers,” says Andy Miller, Apple’s vice president of iAd. “In just four months, we’ve doubled the number of advertisers on the network and thousands of developers now have a valuable new source of revenue.”
iAds combine the emotion of TV advertising with the interactivity of Internet advertising, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs...
Retrevo report: holiday season looking good for Apple
By Andrew Eisner
Unemployment is high and consumers are sacrificing this year but it appears that consumers still want their gadgets and they're willing to stand in line to get them providing the price is right.
The latest Retrevo Gadgetology study asked consumers what was on their holiday wish lists and how much they were planning to spend on gadgets and gadget accessories. We discovered that certain groups of consumers are more likely to buy electronics and shop in stores this holiday season and Black Friday.
When we asked consumers if they were going to be spending more, less or about the same as last year, most categories appear to be just as popular this year as last especially clothing, movies, and games. On the other hand, travel and electronics could see some changes this holiday season. Electronics shows the biggest increase and travel the biggest decline with 16% of respondents saying they will spend more on electronics and 28% saying they will spend less on travel.
Unless...
Apple extends iPad warranty in China
Apple has agreed to offer a two-year warranty for its Pads sold on the mainland of China, making the country the first market worldwide to have such extended after-sales service as a standard option, according to the "South China Morning Post."
The move comes after Chinese Customs in August categorized the iPad as a laptop computer instead of a "portal multi-functional device" as Apple calls the tablet, the article notes. Elsewhere, Apple only offers a one-year standard warranty, though extended warranties are available at extra cost. The company had argued that the tablet should be treated as a portable multi-function device.
The iPad went on sale in September on the mainland and the question has been raised about whether Apple had violated a regulation enacted in 2002 which requires laptop manufacturers to provide at least a two-year warranty for key components of their products, says the "South China Morning Post."
PDFPen updated for Mac OS X
SmileOnMyMac has updated PDFPen (http://www.smileonmymac.com/PDFpen/download.html), its PDF editing and form-filling tool for Mac OS X, to version 5.0.3. The update adds a new welcome window and offers a number of fixes and improvements.
The changes in PDFpen 5.0.2 have also been made in PDFpenPro 5.0.2, the pro version that can also convert websites into PDFs, create fillable PDF forms, and construct document table of contents.
PDFpen costs US$59.95, and PDFpenPro is $99.95. Family pack licenses, which cover up to five computers in one household, are $74.95 for PDFpen and $129.95 for PDFpenPro. Upgrades from earlier versions of either application are $25, and free to users who purchased after Feb. 14, 2010. Upgrades from any version of PDFpen to PDFpenPro 5.0 are $40.
PDFpen 5.0.3 and PDFpen Pro 5.0.3 require Mac OS X 10.6 or later. Demo versions are available for download.
Magic Dice game for Mac OS X rolls to version 1.6
Magic Dice 1.6 (http://www.yenco.com/magicdice/) is now available from Yenco. This update is the final version of this software and is now available for free.
The new version is built on Framework 2.0.7 LE (which adds mouse/trackpad scroll support). Magic Dice 1.6.0 -- which will no longer be available after Dec. 31 -- also removes all shareware registration, software update, and feedback interfaces.
AT&T CEO: we won't be hurt too much if a Verizon iPhone...
AT&T Wireless CEO Ralph de la Vega doesn't think his company will suffer too much if and when a Verizon version of the iPhone is released, reports "Silicon Alley Insider" (http://www.businessinsider.com/att-wireless-ceo-heres-why-we-wont-get-ou...).
Though he didn't say that AT&T's exclusivity with the iPhone in the US is ending anytime soon, this morning at the JPMorgan tech conference, he said AT&T wasn't too worried because:
° 70% of AT&T's customers are on family plans, which is a pain in the butt to move everyone over to a new carrier;
° 40% of customers are on corporate discount plans, which are also a pain to let go of.
So just as AT&T has never been able to get more than roughly 40% of each quarter's U.S. iPhone buyers to switch over from other carriers, it's unlikely that huge numbers AT&T's iPhone customers will rush out the door if a Verizon iPhone hits the market, says "Silicon Alley Insider."
Latest legal shot fired in Apple-Nokia battle
Another day, another lawsuit. Nokia has announced the filing of yet another lawsuit against Apple, in Federal District Court in Wisconsin, regarding five of Nokia’s patents. Nokia says those patents are infringed by the iPhone and iPad 3G and involve technology that improves speech and data transmission with new antenna configurations and positioning of data in applications.
“Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in mobile devices” Nokia’s Patent Licensing General Manager Paul Melin said in a statement. "We have taken this step to protect the results of our pioneering development and to put an end to continued unlawful use of Nokia’s innovation.”
But this is merely the latest shot in the legal battle between Apple and Nokia. Here's the background (take notes; there'll be a test later): in February it was announced that Apple's patent-infringement complaint seeking to block Nokia Oyj’s phone imports into the U.S. will be investigated by a U.S. trade agency....
Apple, HTC, RIM sued for patent infringement
Another day, another lawsuit. Apple, HTC and Research in Motion are being sued by St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants (http://stclairipc.com/) for allegedly violating six US patents, reports "Bloomberg" (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-17/apple-htc-corp-research-in-moti...).
St. Clair says the defendants are using the protected inventions in their smartphones and tablets without permission. The suit was filed yesterday in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
The defendants “have acted objectively and subjectively reckless in implementing technology” that they “should have reasonably known would infringe” the patents, St. Clair lawyers alleged. They asked for a jury trial and unspecified damages, notes "Bloomberg."
AT&T announces first MiFi 'intelligent' mobile...
AT&T (http://www.att.com) has announced the upcoming availability of the AT&T Mobile Hotspot, MiFi 2372 from Novatel Wireless. The company says it's the first carrier in the Americas to launch the MiFi 2372 Mobile Hotspot from Novatel Wireless preloaded with MiFi OS, widgets and applications support.
The AT&T Mobile Hotspot offers simultaneous Wi-Fi connectivity for up to five devices, including PCs, cameras, digital media players, tablets and gaming devices, and runs on AT&T's HSPA 7.2 network. Beginning Nov. 21, the AT&T Mobile Hotspot will be available at AT&T company-owned stores nationwide or online for US$49.99 after $100 mail-in rebate (pay $149.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card.).
Jobs tops Gates in tech power poll
Apple CEO Steve Jobs topped Bill Gates of Microsoft in the latest tech power poll by the "SiliconValley/San Jose Business Journal" (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2010/11/17/jobs-tops-gates-in-te...) online survey.
Jobs took 42% of the votes cast in the unscientific Business Pulse survey that was done between Nov. 9 and Nov. 16. Gates was favored in 29% of the responses.
Google Inc.'s co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin garnered 14%. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg nabbed 8%.
Jobs is also in the running for the 2010 Marketwatch CEO of the Year (http://www.marketwatch.com/ceooftheyear). He's up against Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Netflix's Reed Hastings, Ford Motor's Alan Mulally and Citigroup's Vikram Pandit.
Apple replaces Microsoft as Pros' favorite tech stock
After passing Microsoft in market-cap earlier this year, Apple has replaced the software giant as the Pros' favorite tech stock at the end of the third quarter, according to "Indie Research" (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-Overtakes-Microsoft-as-indie-2908767...). Pro portfolio performance is based on institutions' top-15 holdings as disclosed in quarter-end filings with the SEC.
At the end of Q3, energy giant ExxonMobil and healthcare blue chip Johnson & Johnson were ranked first and second in Pro popularity again, but there was a changing of the guard in the tech space as Apple passed Microsoft for the number-three spot on the list, the article adds. At the end of Q3, 695 13F-filing asset managers counted Apple among their top-15 U.S.-listed equity holdings, compared to 674 Pros at Microsoft.
Hulu Plus officially unveiled, price lowered
Hulu Plus, the premium subscription service from Hulu, has officially launched. And it's priced at US$7.99 per month; originally, the price was tagged at $9.99 for a monthly subscription.
Hulu Plus (http://www.hulu.com/plus) will offer current and past seasons from many ABC, Fox and NBC shows -- and in HD at that. There's still a free "base" service.
Lift Audio announces Icon Series of headphones
Lift Audio (http://www.liftaudio.com) has announced the Icon Series 6mm Premium Headphone, which has a list price of US$79.99. One of the smallest headphones in the world, the 6mm driver is smaller than a dime.
An elongated cone-shape creates a deep yet comfortable tight seal within the ear to block ambient noise, according to the folks at Lift Audio. Three sizes (S,M,L) of soft silicone fittings create a personalized feel.
The Icon Series 6mm headphone sports a magnesium-enriched dynamic driver and noise-isolating technology. Passive noise isolation reduces ambient noise without introducing artificial sounds into your music.
Arrow Bit solution helps Mac users work with Outlook files
Arrow Bit SL (http://www.arrowbit.com/) has released PstExporter and PstServer, two applications that provide alternative solutions for letting Mac users work with Outlook files. Users switching from Windows to the Mac will now be able to either migrate their messages, or access them directly with virtually any e-mail program.
Both applications run entirely on Mac OS X, which means that Windows and Outlook aren't required for the transition to occur, according to the folks at Arrow Bit. PstExporter (US$27.90) converts pst files from Microsoft Outlook to the common mbox format. Files created with PstExporter can be easily imported with programs like Apple Mail or Entourage. For a quick and unattended conversion, PstExporter can work in batch mode.
For users that continue to use Microsoft Outlook, but still need visibility of their emails on a Mac, PstServer ($39.90) provides ae solution. They will no longer have to go through the export process every time pst files change. Instead, e-...
Solver line now available for Mac OS X, Excel 2011
Frontline Systems, developer of the Solver in Microsoft Excel, is shipping new Mac OS X and Excel 2011 compatible versions of Premium Solver Platform and five plug-in, large-scale Solver Engine.
They're "designed to bring unmatched ease, speed, and power to solving challenging mathematical optimization problems with up to millions of decision variables," says Daniel Fylstra, president of Frontline Systems. The new products are released as Version 10.5, in line with their counterparts on Windows.
Premium Solver Platform 10.0 for Mac is upward compatible from the new Solver for Excel 2011, and all previous versions of Solver for Mac and Windows. Its LP/Quadratic Solver handles linear programming problems up to 40 times larger than the standard Solver, and problems of virtually unlimited size -- millions of decision variables -- with plug-in large-scale Solver Engines, says Fylstra. While speed is highly problem-dependent, it usually solves linear mixed-integer problems 10 to 100 times...
Doozla for Mac adds 'My Doozle's area
iPlasq (http://www.plasq.com) has released Doozla 1.2 for the Mac, an update of their full screen drawing application for kids.
Doozla features free-hand drawing and painting tools, color-in templates, background images, auto-archive library management with webcam and tablet support. Version 1.2 offers a new "My Doozles" area that can automatically save and store all the Doozles that are created, as well as added the capability to export Doozles so they can easily be used in other applications.
Doozla includes a stack of artwork designed for coloring in and coloring over. The software uses curves to draw, not pixels. This means each twist and turn of your mouse makes beautiful smooth lines on your screen and printed page, according to the folks at Plasq.
Doozla is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.6 or higher. It costs US$24.95; a demo is available for download.
Barcode Producer update supports Acrobat X
Apparent Corp. has updated Barcode Producer (http://www.itsapparent.com/barcodeproducer/), its barcode creation software suite for Mac OS X, to version 6.2. The upgrade adds support for Adobe's new Acrobat X release.
Other minor improvements in this release include a smaller program size for faster downloading, and a new copy to clipboard option for bitmap barcode images.
Barcode Producer is a tool for creating barcodes visually, with one-click export for Adobe Creative Suite products, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat Distiller.
Version 6.2 costs US$199. Barcode Producer is a Universal Binary app so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
New Take Control ebook offers painless paper cuts
Joe Kissell's new "Take Control of Your Paperless Office" offers a guide for replacing printed documents with digital versions that can save space, reduce clutter, and increase efficiency. The 118-page ebook costs US$10, and it is available now at http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/paperless-office
The book, which is available only in electronic form to avoid excessive irony, helps readers develop their personal clean-up strategies and pick the proper tools to use with their Macs, such as scanners and OCR (optical character recognition) software, devices and services for storing digitized documents, and applications that help categorize, locate, and display digital document collections.
Kissell describes how to convert paper documents into digitized files and offers ideas for how to organize an office workflow, with suggestions for developing day-to-day techniques that reduce the amount of time spent pressing buttons, launching software, and otherwise managing the
war on clutter. In...
DEVONtechnologies tweaks product line
DEVONtechnologies (http://www.devon-technologies.com) has updated all editions of its high-end information manager DEVONthink and its intelligent note-taking application DEVONnote to version 2.0.6, fixing bugs, adding better integration with Spotlight, and improving the overall performance.
Finally, besides updating the commercial applications, DEVONtechnologies has also posted an updated version 4.6.1 of its freeware find-file utility EasyFind that fixes two bugs introduced in last week’s release of version 4.6.
Ronald D. Sugar joins Apple’s Board of Directors
Dr. Ronald D. Sugar, former chairman of the board and CEO of Northrop Grumman Corp. has been appointed to Apple’s Board of Directors. He will serve as the chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.
“Ron is an engineer at heart, who then became a very successful business leader. We are very excited to welcome him to Apple’s Board,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “In addition to having been the CEO of a high-tech Fortune 100 company, Ron has a Ph.D. in engineering and has been involved in the development of some very sophisticated technology.”
Sugar served as Chairman and CEO at Northrop Grumman Corp. from 2003 until his retirement in 2010. Previous to Northrop, he held executive positions at Litton Industries and TRW, where he served as chief financial officer.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is a director of Chevron Corporation, Amgen Inc. and Air Lease...
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim comes to the Mac
Virtual Programming (http://www.vpltd.com/) has released Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim for the Mac. It requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later and an Intel processor. Majesty 2 costs US$39; a demo is available for download.
Here's how the game is described: "As in its best-selling predecessor, Majesty 2 takes players to Ardania, a kingdom still in disarray after a demon wreaked havoc 500 years previous. Players recruit heroes who help them complete a 16-mission campaign, but the heroes have minds of their own: they may be more interested in having a beer at a local tavern than fighting monsters. Smart hero management is key to restoring Ardania to its former glory.
"AAs they complete quests, each hero improves their statistics with better abilities and fills their inventory slots with increasingly powerful items, giving Majesty 2 a role-playing element. Complementary heroes can be assigned to groups that are better equipped to tackle tougher missions, and players can promote the most...
iWebTemplate releases 30 new iWeb themes
iWebTemplate (http://www.iwebtemplate.com) has added 30 new iWeb templates to be used with iWeb, the web site building component of Apple's iLife suite.
iWeb Themes for Business 9.0 and 10.0, developed by iPresentee, extends iWebTemplate's iWeb themes collection up to 125. iWeb Themes 9.0 includes Rock, Wall, Night, Your Leisure and Suntrap. iWeb Themes 10.0 includes Christmas, New Year, Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter holiday. Christmas is coming! Start your own Chistmas website today.
Each iWeb theme incorporates a number of different graphic elements that can be removed, moved and changed in size, opacity or color. iWeb Themes for Business requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later and iWeb 2.0 (iLife 08) or iWeb 3.0 (iLife 09). Each iWeb theme is available for US$10.
NewerTech debuts keyboard covers for Apple laptops
NewerTech (http://www.newertech.com) has expanded its accessory line for Macs with the NuGuard Keyboard Covers. Featuring a silicone surface texture, they protect MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models.
The Keyboard Covers are available in black, white, pink and red. They're US$17.99 each.
Missing Sync for Android updated to version 1.5
Mark/Space (http://www.markspace.com) has updated their all-in-one Android PIM and media synchronization software, The Missing Sync for Android. Version 1.5 brings phone-to-desktop calendar synchronization to Android phones. The upgrade adds full support of synchronization over fast and secure USB cable connections and increasing the overall performance of media sync.
The Missing Sync for Android software is available for Windows PC and Mac computers and supports phones running Android OS, such as the Google Nexus One, Verizon Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Incredible.
The calendar app included on Android-powered phones syncs with Google Calendar. To sync with a Mac or Windows PC, Mark/Space had to develop their own Android calendar app. Fliq Calendar is their full-featured calendaring app designed especially to synchronize with calendars from Outlook and iCal. Fliq Calendar works with The Missing Sync to keep calendar events updated and in sync between a phone and computer.
In...
PEMDAS 2.0 Calculator Widget for Mac OS X released
Michael Filippone has released PEMDAS 2.0 (http://donkeyengineering.com/pemdaswidget/), an update of a free scientific calculator widget for Mac OS X (10.5.8 and later). The first major update to PEMDAS 1.1, which won the 2007 Apple Design Award for Best Dashboard Widget, Runner-Up, the latest version offers refinements and expanded features.
Version 2.0 features a new, sleeker keypad and equation history view, and adds a third, mini-view, which reduces the view to just equation and answer. The equation history view has been redesigned, and now displays equations with their results directly below, as well as a list of all variables in the current session.
Nearly the entire interface has been re-written in response to user feedback, says Filippone. Every aspect of its graphical user interface, keypad layout, use of color, typography, display and entry fields, and keyboard shortcuts contribute to the usability of PEMDAS, he adds.
Yojimbo for Mac OS X gets maintenance update
Bare Bones Software (http://www.barebones.com) has released Yojimbo 3.1, an upgrade to the information organizer for Mac OS X. It's a maintenance release that includes fixes for reported issues.
Version 3.0.1 is a free upgrade for registered users of version 3.0. For new users Yojimbo is available at a suggested retail price of US$39 for an individual license; $69 for a family-pack license for up to five people in a single household; or $29 for an educational license. All licenses provide for synchronization of multiple computers.
All registered Yojimbo 2 customers are eligible to receive a free upgrade to version 3.0. Any registered customer with Yojimbo 1.0 through 1.5.2 may purchase an upgrade to Yojimbo 3 for $20, including individual, family and academic licenses.
Vitamin-R update adds new charting features
Publicspace.net has announced Vitamin-R 1.35 (http://www.publicspace.net/Vitamin-R/index.html), an update of its Mac OS X compatible productivity tool for creative professionals. The new version adds charting of productivity and concentration levels over the course of one or several weeks allowing people to detect patterns in their work habits.
Vitamin-R is a collection of tools and techniques for managing attention and maintaining motivation. According to the folks at publicspace.net, it complements the task capturing and organizing features of modern to-do list managers by forcing you to concentrate fully on one task a time and keeping distractions at bay. It breaks down large, vaguely defined tasks into a series of short "time slices" of between 10 and 30 minutes, each with specific and actionable objectives.
Vitamin-R provides you with the "Now & Later Board," complete with FastType magic, to give you a place to quickly dump all those things that go through your head and...
Typinator 4.2 compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.5
Ergonis Software (http://www.ergonis.com) has released Typinator 4.2, the latest version of its tool for auto-typing text and auto-correcting typos system-wide across all Mac OS X applications. The new version is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.5.
It also offers improved compatibility with third-party applications like iTunes 10, 4D, Outlook 2011, and others. Typinator 4.2 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or newer, and Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard") is recommended.
Typinator can be purchased on the Ergonis Software web site for $19.99 for a single user license. A family pack for installation on up to five computers is $29.99. The upgrade to Typinator 4.2 is free for anyone who purchased Typinator in the last two years.
Wolfram Research releases Mathematica 8
Wolfram Research has released Mathematica 8 (http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/), the latest version of its flagship computation, development, and deployment platform that introduces the concept of linguistically controlled computing.
Integrating technology of Wolfram|Alpha, the Mathematica-powered computational knowledge engine, makes it possible to enter math or data calculations in plain English and get immediate answers or start an extensive analysis, according to Wolfram CEO Stephen Wolfram. Free-form input is a new entry point into the Mathematica idea-to-deployment workflow, but Mathematica 8 adds a major new endpoint too: generation of C code and standalone executables.
Using Mathematica, organizations no longer have to rely on separate tools for prototyping and deployment, but can complete the entire workflow with one integrated tool, says Wolfram. But he says that even with these major enhancements at either end of the workflow, the most significant additions in...
MacTech releases Office for Mac 2011 benchmark results
"MacTech" has released the results of its extensive benchmark study of Microsoft Office for Mac 2011. The goal was to see how well the new Office applications performed compared to Office 2008 and 2004 across a variety of configurations.
The large suite of about 1000 tests was performed comparing the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac. The purpose of the testing and the article are to answer the questions "How well does Office for Mac 2011 run compared to Office 2008 and 2004?"
"MacTech Labs has been doing product evaluations and testing for over 25 years. Our focus is to help those in the industry not only in making tough decisions, but with real-world answers. In this case, we wanted to help people understand how the new Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 performs," says Neil Ticktin, editor-in-chief/publisher, "MacTech Magazine." "These tests clearly accomplished their goal and will aid decision makers in understanding what to expect out of Office 2011 compared to Office 2008 and 2004."...
