Apple unveiled iPhone OS 4 software at a special event at its Cupertino, California -- and released a beta version of the software to iPhone Developer Program members. And, yes, it will include multitasking. Sweet.

The iPhone OS 4 beta release includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,500 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and over 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer, according to Apple. At today's event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said new features include multitasking for third party apps; Folders to better organize and access apps; improved Mail with a unified inbox, fast inbox switching and threaded messages; enhanced Enterprise support with even better data protection, mobile device management, wireless app distribution and more; Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform; and iBooks, the ebook reader and online bookstore recently debuted on the iPad.

iPhone OS 4’s new multitasking offers...

Jonathan Yarmis, senior analyst at Ovum, a research consultancy that's part of Datamonitor Group, says that sales of 300,000 iPads on the first day of the device's launch just isn't good enough.

"The first troubling sign is the fact that you can still get an iPad today," he said in a research note -- as noted by "InformationWeek" (http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/management/showArticle.jhtm...). "They didn't sell out."

He says that Jobs & Company have, in the past effectively managed inventory to create shortages. Such lack of availability supports the perception that a product is in high demand and presumably stokes the desire of potential buyers, says "InformationWeek"

Yarmis attributes the lackluster launch in part to disinterest in...

Blizzard Entertainment (http://www.blizzard.com) says its real-time strategy game, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, will be available both in a standard edition and in a limited-release Collector's Edition packed with exclusive bonus materials.

Players who purchase either edition will be able to play online for no additional fee through the new version of Battle.net, an online gaming destination for Blizzard Entertainment gamers. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will be available on DVD-ROM for Mac OS X and Windows (XP/Vista/7).

The standard edition will sell for a suggested retail price of US$59.99 and will also be available shortly after release as a download through the online Blizzard Store. The special Collector’s Edition package, which is priced at $99.99 and will only be available at retail stores, will include bonus items in addition to the game disc.

Justin Long, the "Mac" in the popular, award-winning "Get a Mac" ads, tells the AV Club (http://www.avclub.com/articles/justin-long,39870/) that it may be time to move on from the long-running series of advertisements.

"You know, I think they might be done," he says. "In fact, I heard from John, I think they’re going to move on. I can’t say definitively, which is sad, because not only am I going to miss doing them, but also working with John [John Hodgeman, who plays the "PC"]. I’ve become very close with him, and he’s one of my dearest, greatest friends. It was so much fun to go do that job, because there’s not a lot to it for me. A lot of it is just keeping myself entertained between takes, and there’s no one I’d rather do it with than John."

Mophie (http://www.mophie.com) has released the US$79.95 juice pack air, a rechargeable external battery for the iPod touch. The form-fitting case purportedly delivers seven additional hours of power to iPod touch devices in a choice of metallic red, blue or gunmetal black colors.

The juice pack offers the convenience of an extended battery life and the protection of a case, all with an ergonomically designed, soft-touch, non-slip rubberized finish, according says Ross Howe, sales and product development director of Mophie. An included USB cable enables you to simultaneously charge and sync your iPod touch to iTunes without having to remove it from the juice pack air.

Intelligent power distribution instructs the iPod touch to always drain out the juice pack first. When you're done with the juice pack air for iPod touch, simply detach the case and you'll still have a fully charged iPod touch. An...

SmartSound Software (http://www.smartsound.com), which makes customizable, royalty-free music, will be releasing the latest in library music on April 12 at the NAB 2010 Show in Las Vegas.  The Voxation Series will feature lyric-based vocal music from bands and musicians in a SmartSound format that automatically edits length, arrangement and mix at the hands of any video or audio editor.

Each song on these albums is delivered with the instrument tracks and vocals on separate layers.  With the customization control in SmartSound’s Sonicfire Pro software, video editors can now manipulate these songs to make the instruments and vocals automatically fit to the changes in the video.

The first album in the Voxation Series features the tunes and lyrics of singer/songwriter Brady Harris.  The second album features the Indie Pop/Rock band, Steep, from Germany.  SmartSound is working with a growing number...

Digieffects (http://www.digieffects.com) will launch three new products next week: FreeForm 3D Mesh Warp, FreeForm 3D Displacer, and Damage 2.0. Attendees at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 12-15, can stop by the Plugin Pavilion, booth SL4228 to meet with representatives from Digieffects.

All new plugins, as well as Camera Mapper, Falloff Lighting and Aged Film will support native 64-bit applications. New products include:

° FreeForm 3D Mesh Warp: developed by Mettle Communications and available for US$99, Digieffects FreeForm 3D Mesh Warp adds a third dimension to the built-in After Effects mesh warp tool. Users can select how many rows and columns to divide the image into, then manipulate the control tangents to create cylinders, curves, ribbons, folding cards, and an infinite amount of three dimensional shapes.

° FreeForm 3D Displacer: developed by Mettle Communications and...

Tension Software has updated TS Calc (http://www.pomola.com/products_tscalc/tscalc.html), a Mac OS X app for solving mathematical models applied to technical problems of various types, to version 1.1.3. It's a maintenance release that fixes some bugs.

TS Calc is a document based application and its documents can be realized and used as calculation models for a specific mathematical technical problems. These documents can also be distributed as pre-made solutions for various type of technical problems with all the requested equations inside and all the variables pre-inserted with acceptable range already set.

A TS Calc document contains a series of equations and a list of variables and constants used by the equations. The user can insert different input and see the output generated by the TS Calc document using the equations solving the problem....

EditShare (http://www.editshare.com), maker of cross-platform collaborative editing and shared media storage systems, has announced the the availability of version 6.0 of its Storage Series and XStream shared storage solutions.

Part of EditShare's Complete Collaboration product line, the shared storage solutions offer project and media sharing for Final Cut Pro and Avid editors. EditShare's user management tools are designed specifically for post and broadcast workflows. The 6.0 release boasts performance and workflow enhancements, including simplified media management, optimizations for DPX workflows, and support for dual port 10-Gigabit Ethernet cards, according to Andy Liebman, founder and CEO, EditShare. He says highlights of the new Storage Series and XStream Version 6.0 release include:

° With Version 6.0, users can enable DPX optimizations on a per-Media Space basis, and choose specific...

Scosche (http://scosche.com) has announced two new additions to its iPad accessory line: reVIVE II Dual USB Chargers for home and car.  Each of the two reVIVE II chargers features a 2.1 Amp (iPad) and 1 Amp (iPhone or any other USB powered devices) port so iPad users can power their new iPad and another handheld device imultaneously from one wall outlet or car power port. 

Should users confuse the two USB ports the iPad will charge slower in the 1A port and other devices will simply charge at the same rate in the 2.1A port. No devices would be damaged by mistakenly plugging the wrong device into the wrong port and the ports are clearly labeled to help avoid any confusion, says Kas Alves, executive vice president of Scosche Industries.

The reVIVE II chargers will retail for US$24.99 (car) and $29.99 (home) and are available now for pre-order. They'll ship in late spring.

The two chargers join the...

Apple is expected to have an end-of-the-year net cash pile of around US$48 billion, according to Macquarie analysts. Macquarie (http://www.macquarie.com/us/index.htm) is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services.

What's more, Macquarie analysts expect the company to have around $75 billion in net cash by the end of 2012. Sounds good, right? However, "The Wall Street Journal says it's an "enviable, but difficult, position."

"The problem here is that that the forecast year-end net cash figure is around the same size as the current equity base–and 14 times the net PP&E–so it’s very hard in practice for Apple to put all its cash to work internally," the "Journal" says. You can read their analysis at...

The latest edition of "MacNotables" (ttp://www.macnotables.com/wordpress/), a podcast that serves as home to Mac personalities who will comment on the latest news and opinions in the Mac community, is available.

Mac and iPhone expert Ted Landau talks about his experiences (so far) with the iPad. He discusses why Apple will release iPhone 4.0 so soon after the iPad launch, his thoughts on pre-iPad-launch curmudgeonliness, the iPad "want vs. need" scenario, the iPad vs. netbook debate, iPad app prices, jailbreaking the iPad, and more. Landau also names some favorite iPad apps and wraps up by helping the hold-outs decide whether they should buy an iPad.

"MacNotables" panelists include Christopher Breen, Bryan Chaffin, Jim Dalrymple, Adam Engst, Tonya Engst, Andy Ihnatko, Joiner, Ted Landau, Jason Snell, Bob LeVitus, Dan Frakes and Yours Truly. Not all panelists can make all shows due to scheduling conflicts.