Apple has rolled out iOS 6.1.4 for the iPhone 5. According to Apple it sports an "updated audio profile for speakerphone."
To update your iPhone 5 to iOS 6.1.4, open Settings -> General -> Software Update and tap Download and Install when the update appears. You can also connect your phone to your computer and apply the update from iTunes, or download it manually at http://tinyurl.com/bebc5jb .
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Build-to-order iMac options from Apple's official online store now include either 256GB or 512GB of flash storage for both the 21.5- and 27-inch iMac models, reports "AppleInsider" (www.appleinsider.com).
Until now the 21.5-inch iMac hasn't been offered with dedicated flash storage options. Your choice was the standard 1TB traditional hard drive and a $250 Fusion Drive option. As for the 27-inch iMac, the only flash drive available previously was a 768GB option that cost an additional $900. All iMacs in default configurations are advertised to ship within 24 hours from Apple's online store.
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Reggie Ashworth has announced VidConvert 1.4.3, an update to his video converter for Mac OS X. The app now has German and Russian localizations for the first time. Also, .trp files can now be added as input and the maximum video bitrate has been raised.
VidConvert is a video converter designed to make converting your videos simple and easy. The software will convert just about any type of video into one of the many popular formats of today.
VidConvert requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It costs US$7.99 for a single user license. A demo is available for download at the product web site (http://www.reggieashworth.com/vidconvert).
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Paradigma Software has released database and reports tool, Valentina Studio 5.2 and the enterprise reports and database server, Valentina Server 5.2, for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Valentina Studio 5.2 lets you manage, query and administer databases including MySQL, Postgre, SQLite and Valentina DB. Valentina DB 5.2 ADK allows developers to build applications with XCode /Cocoa, LiveCode, C/C++ and all major development environments and more. Version 5.2 offers:
° New JSON format text-based dump of Database, Table and SQL results, as a simple dump or as an export;
° The ability to execute in the SQL Editor several SELECT queries at once and have the results appear in separate tabs;
° The capability to show a list of all supported SQLite Extensions;
° Improved Favorites so now you can more easily modify, order and change saved Favorite SQL Queries;
° MariaDB support, which has been added to existing MySQL support;
° Utilization of...
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FileWave has released version 6.0 of its Systems Management Suite with new features and updates for deploying, managing and maintaining a diverse environment of devices and operating systems, including OS X, iOS, Windows and Linux.
Inventory is now built into FileWave, integrating asset and license management. Version 6.0 also features improved mobile device management with optional cloud-based profile storage for enhanced scalability. Other new features include a new web-based, self-service Kiosk Application (iOS 5 and 6 compatible) for a more engaging user experience, and improved tiered administration, that allows for department and classroom level control. For more info go to www.filewave.com .
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According to "The Wall Street Journal" (http://tinyurl.com/ccg3yns), Apple and Samsung are bringing their smartphone war to the Pentagon. The Department of Defense is expected in coming weeks to grant two separate, security approvals for Samsung's Galaxy smartphones, along with iPhones and iPads running Apple's latest operating system, the article says quoting unnamed "people familiar with the matter."
These moves would boost the number of U.S. government agencies allowed to use those devices. Both companies have been pushing hard to win over U.S. defense agencies, some of the government's most security-conscious customers, notes the "WSJ." That market is small and still largely dominated by Research In Motion's BlackBerrys, "so the new security approvals won't likely translate into any immediate, big sales or new customers," the article adds.
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Apple's total iPad shipments were 19.5 million units from January to March, and the iPad mini accounted for 12.5 million units, according to "DigiTimes" (http://tinyurl.com/d85pwgs). This shows that "the 7- to 8-inch segment has already become the mainstream of the market," the article adds.
The second-generation iPad mini -- expected to sport a Retina display -- could make an appearance as soon as August, says "DigiTimes," quoting unnamed "sources from the upstream supply chain." "As tablet players are turning their focuses from the 10-inch segment to 7-inch for the second half of 2013, sources from the upstream supply chain believe the competition between Apple iPad mini and 7-inch Android tablets will become fiercer than before," the article adds.
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Investors have scooped up US$17 billion in Apple bonds, the largest offering in corporate history. The proceeds will be used to help fund the company's ambitious plan to return value to shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payouts, notes "CNET" (http://tinyurl.com/c3wlbpn).
The bond sale comes on the heels of Apple's plans to double its capital return program, which involves spending an additional $55 billion in dividend payments to investors. Apple also said it would be spending an extra $50 billion in repurchasing company stock along with increasing its quarterly dividend.
The bond offering was split up into six parts with varying maturity dates. Apple benefited from historically low interest rates, which are set by the U.S. Treasury, notes "CNET."
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CleverFiles has released Disk Drill 2.0, an update of the free data recovery software for Mac OS X. The upgrade adds a streamlined interface, new methods of lost partition recovery and the ability to rebuild the catalogs of HFS+ partitions that won't mount correctly.
Disk Drill features Quick Scan that recovers files that have been accidentally deleted and helps in less severe data recovery cases. Deep Scan looks for files based on their structure. Disk Drill's Search for Lost Partitions feature offers a way for any file systems still recoverable on a disk. Bonus features include Disk Image Backup, S.M.A.R.T. data monitoring, Live Preview of found items, Portable Mode and more.
Disk Drill is compatible with any Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or newer (including Mac OS 10.7 and is 64-bit ready. Disk Drill 1.5 basic is free and is available worldwide from the CleverFiles website (http://www.cleverfiles....
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Monotype Imaging Holdings -- a provider of typefaces, technology and expertise for creative applications and consumer devices -- has enhanced its Fonts.com Web Fonts service to provide greater flexibility and choice to creative professionals. The new Master subscription plan brings together the company’s Web font solution with unlimited access to more than 7,000 desktop fonts.
Combined with Monotype’s Typecast application for designing with Web fonts in the browser, the master subscription is an industry first that provides a comprehensive solution for working with type throughout the digital and print design processes, bringing unparalleled value to customers, says Chris Roberts, vice president and general manager of Monotype’s e-commerce group. The Fonts.com master subscription liberates designers to put type first, and to experiment with, and benefit from, the widest possible typographic palette, he adds.
The Fonts.com Master subscription plan, which Monotype...
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Bensoftware has announced SecuritySpy 3.0.4, an update to the multi-camera video surveillance software for the Mac. The new version includes support for more network cameras as well as t improvements to media streaming from network devices.
SecuritySpy boasts features such as motion detection, real-time compression of multiple video and audio feeds, and network video and audio streaming, SecuritySpy is designed for demanding video surveillance applications. The software supports a variety of network cameras and video servers, including the popular ACTi, Axis, Panasonic, Sony and Vivotek ranges, as well as FireWire, USB, and PCI video input devices.
SecuritySpy features motion detection, which can be used to trigger recording as well as email alerts and audio alarms. The built-in web server allows remote viewing of live video and audio, previously captured footage, as well as configuration of the software, from over the internet using a web browser or a mobile device...
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Other World Computing (OWC) has announced the OWC Envoy Pro EX solid state drive solution. Designed in anodized aluminum to match modern Macs and PCs, the Envoy Pro EX easily into a coat pocket, backpack, or briefcase for high performance storage and/or backup capacity.
Inside the Envoy Pro EX is a SandForce Driven OWC Aura Pro 6G SSD that offers real world sustained reads up to 436MB/s and writes up to 429MB/s. The USB 3.0 interface can bus-power the drive so an AC power adapter isn’t required.
The OWC Envoy Pro EX is available immediately in two configurations: the 240GB Envoy Pro EX for US$319.99 and the 480GB Envoy Pro EX for $599.99. For more info go to http://www.macsales.com .
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Apple, seeking to help finance a $100 billion capital reward for shareholders with borrowed money, is selling its first bonds in almost two decades in what may be the biggest U.S. corporate offering on record, reports "Bloomberg" (http://tinyurl.com/cyfujku).
The article notes that Apple intends to issue debt as soon as today, including floating-rate notes maturing in 2016 and 2018 and fixed-rate securities due in 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2043, according to a regulatory filing. Proceeds may help the company avoid repatriation taxes on its $102.3 billion of funds held overseas as CEO Tim Cook returns an additional $55 billion to shareholders through 2015 to compensate for a stock that’s been hammered by signs of slowing growth.
"You’ll see a meaningful amount of interest,” Ashish Shah, the head of global credit investment at New York-based AllianceBernstein LP, which oversees $256 billion in fixed...
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Wacom has announced the Cintiq 22HD touch, a new addition to its expanding interactive pen display portfolio, now featuring multi-touch. It's due in May for US$2,499. You can order it at select reseller locations and Wacom's eStore (https://store.wacom.com/us/).
Combining multi-touch with Wacom's pen technology, the new Cintiq 22HD touch offers an immersive on-screen experience and a more intuitive and natural way to work, according to the folks at Wacom. Additional features including a 21.5-inch, full HD display, an ergonomic rotating stand and 16 customizable ExpressKeys.
The Cintiq 22HD touch is Mac compatible and works with touch savvy applications such as Corel's latest Painter 12.2 update and Autodesk's Mudbox and Sketchbook Pro. It offers a wide-format, full HD LCD with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and 16.7 million colors.
The adjustable stand allows for real display rotation,...
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A federal judge has set new trial dates in November to decide whether US$450.5 million of damages awarded by a jury to Apple in a patent dispute with Samsung should stand, reports "Reuters" (http://tinyurl.com/dyl9kkb).
In March, Judge Lucy Koh slashed a $1.05 billion jury award by more than 40% and set a new trial to determine damages. On Monday the judge ordered that the new trial on damages should take place between Nov. 12 and 18.
This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.
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Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show the transfer of a number of patents from Kodak to Apple has begun, with the letter taking ownership of several patents covering aspects of digital photography, reports "AppleInsider" (http://tinyurl.com/c7dth6b)
The patents in question -- 8,432,479, 8,432,472, 8,432,456, and 8,432,461 -- cover measurement of range using a zoom camera, displaying and sharing digital images, and wireless sharing of digital images via a network. "Apple will likely put the patents to use further protecting from litigation its bestselling line of iOS devices, as well as its Mac computers," notes "AppleInsider."
In 2011 Kodak offered to sell 1,000 patents related to digital photography. The company had been losing money despite its efforts to convert from film to digital photography.
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Realore has announced All My Gods Free for Macintosh, a free trial version of its god-sim strategy game. It requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 and is available at the Mac App Store (http://tinyurl.com/d9wx3t9).
Here's how the game is described: "All my Gods allows players to immerse into the atmosphere of Ancient Rome and play as a young aspiring godling. The mission is to develop into a mighty Roman god and build a great Empire. With the release of All my Gods Free players have a chance to feel what it's like to be a Roman god without paying a dime.
"The game begins when one of the oldest gods, Saturn, decides to retire and wants his son to take his place. Other Roman gods decide that first Saturn's heir has to prove that he is worthy of their trust and divine powers he is about to receive.
"All my Gods is a city-building god-sim strategy that allows players to immerse into the atmosphere of...
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SeedCode has announced GoZync 3.172. A collaboration between SeedCode and Geist interactive, it's an update of the unlocked framework that lets developers add synchronization to FileMaker Go solutions, enabling their users to work offline.
The latest build of GoZync speeds up synchronization by pulling data down to mobile apps even faster. Also, since GoZync is unlocked and written solely in FileMaker Pro, it is easy to add this speed boost to existing deployments by replacing a few scripts, according to the folks at SeedCode.
Build 3.172 is a free update for existing users. For new users the cost is depends on the version you by. You can find details at http://www.seedcode.com/cp-app/ste_cat/gozync#licenses .
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MaxUpgrades has announced the SSD SATA Module with heat sink for the iMac 2012 models. It's available in an US$99.95 single SSD drive kit and a $119.95 dual SSD drive kit.
SSD SATA Module with heat sink for iMac 2012 Models enables the iMacs to use dual standard 2.5 inch Form Factor SSDs, or an SSD + HDD configuration. It also fulfills RAID 0 or RAID 1 requirements of identical SSDs of same capacity, make and model,with the highest capacity and maximum Performance SSDs available in standard 2.5-inch form factor (such as the Crucial 960GB M500 Samsung 840 Pro series.) For more info go to www.MaxUpgrades.com .
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Kingston Digital has released the MobileLite Wireless. the next generation of the innovative Wi-Drive portable wireless storage device for Apple iOS and Android devices.
The new reader is enhanced as it wirelessly streams movies, music, photos and documents from USB Flash drives, microSD (with included adapter) and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, says Craig Tilmont, wireless products business manager, Kingston. MobileLite Wireless also serves as an emergency mobile charger when the user’s phone battery gets low.
Use is as simple as plugging in any USB Flash drive into the USB port to watch and share movies or view and share files wirelessly on mobile devices. The SD/SDHC/SDXC slot enables sharing of images with friends and family by removing the card from a camera and plugging it directly into the MobileLite Wireless. The included adapter allows the same access and sharing for microSD cards used in many mobile phones and tablets.
MobileLite Wireless also serves as an...
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Apple has won a court ruling that it doesn’t infringe patent claims brought by intellectual property licensing firm Golden Bridge Technology, reports "Bloomberg" (http://tinyurl.com/bltvnws). The company sued Apple in 2010 over patents for boosting connections in mobile networks.
U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson in Wilmington, Delaware, also canceled a jury trial that was scheduled to begin today over two patents for 3-G network communications held by Long Branch, New Jersey-based Golden Bridge. Golden Bridge sued Apple in 2010 over patents for boosting connections in mobile networks.
"The record evidence remains consistent with the finding of non-infringement," Robinson wrote in an order April 25 affirming earlier decisions on the patent descriptions, notes "Bloomberg."
Golden Bridge plans to appeal.
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Lifeware Solutions has announced Deluxe Moon Pro 1.0, a lunar cycle application for Mac OS X (10.6 or higher). It costs US$0.99 and is available at the Mac App Store in the Education category (http://tinyurl.com/cezw5cz).
Featuring an animated interface, Deluxe Moon Pro provides comprehensive information on the Moon, moon phase times via animated interface and multiple interactive tools to explore the Moon. The app includes specific gardening advice based on the current moon phase, precise times of the moon phases, animated Zodiac circles, moon horoscope, calendar and more.
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Winter Wolves has released Bionic Heart 2 for the Mac. It's a "deep and dark, sci-fi visual" novel/game told from four points of view.
Here's how Bionic Heart 2 is described: "Take control of Luke, Tom, Tanya and Tina. Each character has their own personality, complete with quirky traits that could potentially whip the story straight into a plot twist. Bionic Heart 2 is the only visual novel featuring a scene with TWO talking brains! The game also features beautiful manga artwork, a full original soundtrack, and meaningful choices that will have repercussions on the whole universe."
You can download the demo and buy the game from Winter Wolves website at www.winterwolves.com/bionicheart2.htm . It costs US$19.99 to purchase.
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Universe Software has updated pdf-Office Professional, the PDF form creation software, to version 11. Created PDF forms can be saved locally without restrictions in Adobe Reader XI completed, or be sent as an email attachment.
Additionally, AdobeLifeCycle created PDF forms that can't stored in the reader XI can now be read in and saved again. In pdf-Office Pro 11, editing has been enhanced to provide word processing functions, such as indents, even hanging, tabs, etc. These functions are also available in text boxes, offering professional text formatting. Further improvements have been adapted in almost all program areas.
The pdf-Office Professional interface is similar to that of Microsoft Word. Texts can be entered directly, while form fields, graphics, etc., can be positioned by drag and drop. You can add form fields with additional calculations or JavaScript to the template. Forms created in pdf-Office Professional can be shown using a launcher for Acrobat Reader...
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Apple will challenge a November 2012 jury verdict that awarded $368 million in damages to Nevada patent-holding company VirnetX, a filing with U.S. regulators showed -- as noted by "Macworld" (http://tinyurl.com/bwfn5qv)
In a Form 10-Q filed this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Apple said it had not yet recorded the millions owed to VirnetX on its balance sheet. "The Company is challenging the verdict, believes it has valid defenses and has not recorded a loss accrual at this time," Apple said in the SEC filing.
VirnetX filed its lawsuit against Apple in August 2010. The company claimed that Apple’s FaceTime and Message, a video chat application and SMS text-replacement, respectively, infringed on four of its patents.
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