Marware (http://www.marware.com) is shipping the Eco-Envi carrying case for the iPad. It retails for US$49.99, is available in black and white and is made of "eco-leather."
You slide your iPad into the Eco-Envi, and the Velcro closure keeps it secure, while the soft protects it from scratches. The carrying case comes with Marware's lifetime warranty.
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Grantwood Technology has released an updated RunWallet (http://grantwoodtechnology.com/runwallet/), an $11.99 armband product designed to carry IDs, emergency contact information, bank cards, credit cards, car keys, car remotes, house keys, hotel keys, cash/coins during exercise, with the added ability to carry the iPod shuffle or anything else that can be clipped to it.
The RunWallet is a soft, neoprene arm wallet that can accommodate the above items in a secure Velcro closure. Each RunWallet consists of a flexible armband strap that can accommodate both large and small arms.
As a fitness wallet, the RunWallet can be attached to the supplied armband, or can be attached to your shoe, attached to a belt or placed in a pocket. New to the RunWallet is a lanyard to fold over to use as needed. It also has a clear front face which allows items to be clipped to it,...
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Napatech (http://www.napatech.com) has announced what it says is the world’s first 2x10 Gbps Intelligent Real-time Network Analysis adapters based on PCI-Express Gen 2 with the introduction of the NT20E2 Capture adapter and NT20E2 In-line adapter products.
The NT20E2 In-line is designed for applications that require both capture and transmit in real-time, such as Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) and Policy Enforcement applications operating at 10 Gbps line-speed. This is complemented by the NT20E2 Capture adapter, which provides full 20 Gbps packet capture throughput over the PCI-Express Gen 2 bus.
The NT20E2 Capture and In-line adapters provide a list of features for pre-processing, off-loading and accelerating network appliance performance. Both products are based on a low-profile form factor with SFP+ modules and PCI-Express Gen 2. Contact Napatech for pricing.
Dekorra has updated EasyDraw (http://www.eazydraw.com/whatsNew.htm), its vector drawing app for Mac OS X, to version 3.4.1 The new version adds support for the required page size for iPad development.
It provides proper drawing size support for the main icon, Apple App Store icon, small icon and launch screens for the iPad and iPhone. EasyDraw 3.4.1 also provides a few new features and minor bug fixes for the recently released version 3.4.0, which introduced SVG support.
Version 3.4.1 requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
EasyDraw 3.4.1 is a free upgrade for licensed owners of EazyDraw version 3.x license and a US$35 upgrade for owners of EazyDraw version 2.x. For new users the cost is $95 for the downloadable version.
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An update of the EveryMac site (http://www.everymac.com) features complete specs (and a handful of Q&As) on the brand new MacBook Pro line and additional Q&As covering the iPad, iPhone, and more.
Estimated current retail pricing also has been updated sitewide. Additionally, the By Year, By Processor, By Case Type, and By Capability Mac specs listings have been updated, as have Mac manuals and Mac benchmarks. Finally, EveryMac's Ultimate Mac Comparison, Ultimate Mac Timeline, and Ultimate Mac Lookup features all have been updated too.
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Mariner Software (http://www.marinersoftware.com) has released MacJournal 5.0, the latest version of the journaling software. It adds a "None" option to the settings for smart journals so you can set up a smart journal where none of the listed checks are true.
For example, the entry does not contain a certain tag. English-only until localizations can be updated.
MacJournal 5.2.1 is now available for download and requires Mac OS 10.4 or 10.5. It costs US$34.95 for the download version. Registered MacJournal 3 and 4 customers can upgrade for $19.95 on the Mariner web site with their serial number. Version 5.2.1 is a free update for registered users of version 5.x.
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Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps announced. You can find 'em at the Apple App Store (http://www.itunes.com/appstore/).
The Quadsphere has released Icarus-X 1.0, a game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. It's an US$1.99, full 3D vertical shooter with downloadable replays, so that you can enjoy watching the best players in the world turn the game inside out. There's also a Slow-Motion Practice mode to learn the more difficult patterns at your own pace.
Discovery Channel and Hands-On Mobile have announced the Deadliest Catch App is available on the Apple Appe Store for $3.99. The app, based on Discovery Channel's show, Deadliest Catch, challenges iPhone and iPod touch users to survive harsh weather and freezing temperatures as they try to fill the crab tanks by the end of the season.
ToldTwice has produced ToldTwice-Free SMS Reminders, a $0.99...
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Hamrick Software has released Vuescan 8.6.26, a new version of the VueScan software for Mac OS X that's designed to let users produce better digital images from color snapshots, negatives, slides and documents. The new version adds more info to Release Notes for each scanner and fixes some bugs.
The Standard Edition of VueScan costs US$59.95 and the Professional Edition is $79.95 for a single user license. Multi-user licenses are available. A fully functional, trial copy of VueScan is available for download from the Hamrick web site (http://www.hamrick.com).
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Yellow Lemon Software has updated FolderGlance (http://www.scsc.no/products/folderglance/), a utility for browsing files and folders directly from the Finder's contextual menus, to version 2.6.6. The new version adds the ability to create new files to the root context menu, as well as in folders you browse to.
FolderGlance 2.6.6 requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later. It costs US$20, though version 2.6.6 is a free update for users upgrading from version 2.6 or later.
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You can now use your iPhone or iPod touch to "pay for lattes, pastries and other items at more than 1,000 Starbucks locations," reports "Computerworld" (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/348055/Starbucks_Tries_Mobile_Pay...).
In these select stores, you can pay for your coffee using just the Starbucks Card Mobile app on your iPhone or iPod touch. Enter your card number and your device will display a barcode you can use the same way as your Starbucks Card to make purchases.
You can download the Starbucks Card Mobile app free at the Apple App Store.You can find a list of participating stores at Target, Seattle or Silicon Valley by going to http://www.starbucks.com...
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Apple has announced a Headphones with Remote Replacement Program (http://www.apple.com/support/headphones/replacementprogram/). The company says it's determined that the Apple Headphones with Remote included with the iPod shuffle (third gen) may fail under certain conditions.
Apple says a "very small percentage" of iPod shuffle owners have experienced this issue. These headphones were included with the iPod shuffle made between approximately February 2009 and February 2010.
If your headphones stop working or work intermittently, Apple will replace them, free of charge, for two years from date of purchase. Symptoms of the affected headphones include: controls are non-responsive or work intermittently; unexpected volume increase or decrease; and/or unexpected playing of voice feedback.
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The week's "MUG Event Calendar" is filled with special guests and presentations.
Apple Senior Systems Engineer Dave Marra will be making an appearance at a regional computer festival, and Apple Systems Engineer Aaron Davis will make the first of several appearances on his iPad tour in Washington D.C. In a rare double-header presentation, Paul Kent will join Ted Landau at a California group, while author Jeff Carlson will do a virtual presentation to an Ohio group, and Chuck Joiner will be the guest auctioneer at a Pennsylvania’s annual auction. James Lee of Tropical Software will visit a Florida group and Peter Christianson of Strider Software will be featured at a California group.
Of course, the iPad is on everyone’s list, but other topics in this week’s schedule include a seventh anniversary Final Cut Pro User Group celebration, iWork, Mac security, home automation, security, MobileMe and the just-released Adobe Creative Suite 5.
"The MUG Event Calendar" can...
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Palm has started handing out "golden handcuffs" to the key executives who've not already jumped ship, in what could be the run up to an acquisition announcement, reports "The Register" (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/19/palm_handcuffs/).
One key executive who's already left is Michael Abbott -- the man credited, in large part, with creating WebOS, the article adds. His last day will be next week, as explained in a Securities & Exchange Commission filing from Palm.
The filings also detail incentives of up to US$250,000 for key executives, including operation chief Jeff Devine and CFO Doug Jeffries, if they choose to stick with Palm.
The move comes as Palm purportedly explores options for its survival including an attempt to find a buyer. Analysts and investors viewed the loss of Abbott as yet another setback for Palm,...
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Another day, yet another lawsuit. Apple is countersuing Kodak, claiming the company's devices copy the technology that it uses in Macs, iPhone, iTunes and Photo Booth involving image processing, energy management and memory design.
Apple wants all Kodak devices that violates two of its patents (6,031,964 and RE38,911) to be banned from being sold. The countersuit was filed in the California Northern District Court.
In January Kodak filed lawsuits against Apple and Research In Motion Limited (RIM) alleging the infringement of Kodak digital imaging technology. The Kodak complaint, filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), specifically claims that Apple’s iPhones and RIM’s camera-enabled BlackBerry devices infringe a Kodak patent that covers technology related to a method for previewing images. Separately, Kodak filed two suits -- also in January -- against Apple in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York that claim the infringement of...
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Gomez (http://www.gomez.com), which specializes in web site and application performance analytics, says that the iPad is proving surprisingly swift when it comes to web browsing.
In fact, the new Apple tablet often outperforms netbooks -- perhaps its closest rival product category -- when it comes to interacting with a majority of popular web sites, according to the research group. In preliminary results, Gomez said that 74% of the pages, on what it determined to be the top 50 most visited sites by iPad users, loaded faster on the iPad than on netbook computers in the U.S.
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MacPractice -- the developer of MacPractice MD, MacPractice DDS, MacPractice DC, and MacPractice 20/20 -- has launched new iPad integration solutions that allow dentists to use MacPractice DDS, DR (Digital Radiography/Photo) and EDR (Electronic Dental Record) on an iPad.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with requests from dentists who want to use MacPractice DDS and MacPractice Endo on an iPad,” says Mark Hollis, president of MacPractice. “The interface solutions we have tested make it possible for dentists to use this incredible device to chart existing conditions and treatment, enter visit notes and review x-rays and photos with a patient in the treatment room.”
Besides qualifying its MacPractice iPhone Interface for use on the iPad, the new iPad interface solutions leverage collaborative technologies to make the total functionality of MacPractice DDS available on an iPad, including EDR, prescriptions and e-Prescribe, scheduling and more. The new MacPractice for iPad...
Connectivity solutions provider Gefen has released a newly redesigned fiber optics-based extender, the USB-400 Fiber Optic (http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=9133). This US$1,599, long-range 4-port USB 2.0 hub powers multiple hi-speed peripherals at distances up to 1640-feet (500m) from the computer, enabling a reliable remote workstation.
The Gefen USB-400 FO extender provides a high-bandwidth method of extending up to four USB 2.0 devices, including printers, keyboard/mouse, cameras, hard drives and DVD burners, enabling complete connectivity when operating in the field. The solution is designed for professional applications as it offers invulnerability to electromagnetic and radio signal interference.
The USB-400 FO operates through compact sender/receiver units, with the sender connecting to the computer, and the receiver...
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SMEStorage, the multi-cloud data access provider, has released the first beta of a Mac Cloud Drive (http://www.smestorage.com/?p=static&page=clients_and_tools#Mac), which enables up to 10 commercial storage providers to be accessed directly from a virtual drive in Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.
"This drive enables users to access their cloud storage files directly from their shell or Mac file manager," says SMEStorage CEO Ian Osborne. "The drive brings cloud computing directly into the Mac OS with over 10 popular Cloud Storage vendors supported, including Amazon S3, Google Docs, Microsoft SkyDrive and RackSpace Cloud Files."
Just remember: beta software is unfinished software so use with care.
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PureCM (http://www.purecm.com/) has announced the latest version of their software configuration management solution, PureCM 2010--1. This new release includes a range of new and enhanced features to support agile application lifecycle management (ALM).
PureCM 2010-1’s agile planning capabilities fully support working with project releases, iterations and backlogs, linking these to configuration management to ensure that any rescheduling is fully reflected. 2010-1 also automates task tracking, making parallel development easy by matching tasks to releases.
Another enhancement is support for isolated features. When starting work on a feature, PureCM Professional automatically creates a feature stream and maps the developer workspace against it, avoiding the need for a developer to create a branch manually. Also, PureCM Professional automatically updates features with any changes from their parent...
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On the new "MacVoices" (http://www.macvoices.com), Eric Boehnisch-Volkmann of DEVONtechnologies looks at the power and capabilities of DEVONthink, an information manager for the Mac.
He explains why managing documents in DEVONthink is easier and more effective than a Finder-and-Spotlight-based system, the file types they support, importing methods, and the sharing and search capabilities. There are several versions of DEVONthink; Boehnisch-Volkmann explains the differences, and also comments on why they asked Mac expert Joe Kissell to author the new book, "Take Control of Getting Started with DEVONthink."
"MacVoices" is an Internet show and podcast that delivers in-depth discussions with the most influential people in the Mac industry, as well as "the individuals who are out there making it happen on the front lines of the global Apple community," according to host Chuck Joiner.
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According to info on the Apple Online Store, the company will ship 3G-enabled iPads in the US by May 7, although there is still no news on European availability of any model. Last week Apple blamed surprisingly strong US demand" for pushing back the international launch of the iPad by a month.
The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model.
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Apple has reportedly has started development of the second generation iPad using the same design concept as for the iPhone 4G, and will use an OLED panel, according to sources in the component industry.
Apple is said to be aiming to launch the device in 2011, but a Digitimes Research (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100416PD211.html) senior analyst said the cost of OLED panels are much too high for the iPad. He pointed out that OLED panels' high price will still be the major obstacle for them to be adopted in the iPad in 2011.
Kuo noted that the current price of the 9.7-inch LCD panel for iPad is about US$60-70, but the price of a 9.7-inch OLED panel is about US$500. He said the price gap is unlikely to narrow significantly in 2010 or 2011.
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Another day, another lawsuit. Apple is being sued by denying warranty service to its iPod and iPhone customers based on data supplied by allegedly inaccurate liquid sensors, reports "InformationWeek" ("http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/app-security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224400647&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All).
Apple began including liquid contact indicators (LCI) in its iPods and iPhones in 2007 and also added them to its MacBook and MacBook Pro computers in 2008. The company uses these sensors to determine the eligibility of devices for repair under warranty.
Devices brought in for service that have been damaged by water or some other liquid are not covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty or the company's AppleCare Protection Plan. The lawsuit filed last week alleges that Apple "uses [the LCIs'] false-positive readings to avoid its [warranty] obligations..."
The plaintiff in the case, Charlene Gallion of San Francisco, had two iPhones cease...
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Apple has bumped Google out of first place as Silicon Valley's most valuable company. With the total value of its publicly traded stock at US$224 billion, up 107% from a year ago, Apple now has a market capitalization greater than all but two companies in the U.S, Exxon Mobil and Microsoft, reports the "Silicon Valley Mercury News" (http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_14900422?source=rss&nclick_check=1).
Last year, amid the worst recession in decades, the company recorded a 39% ncrease in profit to $9.4 billion. That was the highest profit earned by any company in the SV150, according to the "Mercury News." Apple's revenue grew 20% percent to $46.7 billion, returning the company to its standing as Silicon Valley's second-largest by revenue, a ranking it hasn't held for 23 years.
The "...
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Marware is shipping the Sportfolio Bandit for iPad (http://www.marware.com/products/iPad/Sportfolio-Bandit). It's made of neoprene and is lined with a plush interior and sports an outside pocket for accessories and a leather accent band that doubles as a hand strap for carrying.
The Sportfolio Bandit is available in three color combinations: silver with a light blue leather accent band, silver with a white leather accent band or black with a black leather accent band. It retails for US$34.99.
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