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/).

Black Mana Studios has introduced Home 3D, an US$4.99 app for the iPhone and iPad, allowing you to create blueprints, decorate your home, and take a 3D virtual tour inside it.

COPS: High Speed Pursuit , an app from Hands-On Mobile has raced onto the iPhone and IPod touch. Based on the TV show, the $3.99 game allows players to take control of the wheel while trying to catch criminals through car chases and dangerous takedowns.

Future Help Designs has announced BlinkWit! 1.0, an $1.99 game for iPhone and iPod touch users. It's a collection of little games that test the player's memory. Players are challenged to recall and repeat the sequence of flashing game pieces. BlinkWit! players can choose from three game environments.

Apps...

In a new report Phil Leigh of "Inside Digital Media" (http://www.insidedigitalmedia.com), a market research firm specializing in the future of media, said Apple will introduce as-yet-unannounced products to address market opportunities in the digital living room and media and transactional online services. But the Mac will continue to play a big role in the company's future.

In fact, in an interview with "MacNews," Leigh says the Mac itself is going to continue to gain consumer market share -- and then more market share in the business world. It's a trend that's already underway.

"Many families will essentially transfer over to the Mac platform," Leight says. "It will be the best choice for many as it's more digital media centered. Then, gradually, we'll see the Mac gain market share in the office environment as top level execs become Mac users and tell their IT departments to...

A trio of new Take Control ebooks (http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/) provide real-world advice on using Apple Mail on the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, with a focus on device and account integration, and on managing spam. All are written by email expert Joe Kissell

In "Take Control of Mail on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch" (US$10), Kissell takes a practical look at using the Mail app on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. He covers various email account options including: Exchange, MobileMe, and Gmail; helps readers develop a real-world mobile email strategy that integrates with multiple devices and other computers; explains the mechanics of sending and receiving mobile email; and provides troubleshooting advice.

In "Take Control of Apple Mail in Snow Leopard" ($15), Kissell walks readers through the nuts and bolts of receiving, composing, and sending email. He covers advanced...

Smith Micro Software has released Spring Cleaning 11 Deluxe for Macintosh, a suite of utility tools packed into one solution that enables users to clean up, optimize and maintain their Macs with tools that organize files, reduce clutter and completely uninstall unwanted applications.

According to Pauline Shumake, senior product manager, Productivity and Graphics Group at Smith Micro Software, the features and benefits of Spring Cleaning 11 Deluxe include:

° A new QuickBackup feature that enables users to run a simple back up of selected files, as well as monitor files so they are automatically backed up when modified;

° A new MagniFile feature that cmbines a file information viewer and disk usage monitor, which lets users quickly view dozens of properties in text or graph format;

° Improved custom search that helps users find what they are looking for by optimizing the search on two fronts: utilizing a Spring Cleaning custom file-based search or a...

Quirky (http://www.quirky.com/products) has released the Cradle, a community developed iPad lap desk. Its minimalist bent design is constructed of sustainable bamboo plywood, also known as Plyboo. It has an integrated circular plate, made from matte, soft-touch plastic, that allows you to rotate your iPad between portrait and landscape views.

The underside of the US$52.50 desk is lined with a foam cushion with woven covering that rests on your lap for added comfort. The compact Cradle measures 21inches wide by four inches tall by 13 inches deep by a quarter-inch thick.

The Cradle is the 39th product designed and developed by the Quirky community since Quirky’s launch on June 2, 2009. Quirky gives everyone the chance to get product ideas out of their heads and onto shelves. Each week, Quirky’s community collaborates to select and produce one new product idea.

Gameloft, which specializes in downloadable games for all platforms, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary by giving away free iPhone games during its iPhone Happy Hour promotion.
 
For two hours every day, from May 10-21, with the exception of the weekend, one Gameloft iPhone/iPod touch game will be available for free. There will be unlimited downloads allowed during the two hours. Ten different games will be given away during the promotion. The specific title and hours for the giveaway will be revealed daily on Gameloft’s Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/gameloft). The daily reveals will occur at random times so participants are encouraged to follow Gameloft on Twitter to be the first to know.

O'Reilly has released "iPhone App Development: The Missing Manual" by Craig Hockenberry, developer of the Twitterific iPhone app. The book costs US$39.99 and includes illustrated, step-by-step tutorials and real-world examples.

° Get to know the tools for developing your iPhone app;

° Design a great app before you start coding;

° Build a complex app with Xcode and Interface Builder;

° Decide how to brand your app -- then beta-test that brand in the real world;

° Learn the inside scoop on how to get your app into the Apple App Store.

More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596809782 / .

In Japan models of the 3G iPad will be SIM-locked to Softbank Mobile, which has evidently negotiated an exclusivity deal on the device, reports "All Things D" (http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100510/ipad-3g-sim-locked-to-softba...). Softbank is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Japan.

This is a bit surprising since NTT DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada said during an earnings call last month that the company would sell iPad-compatible micro-SIM cards in time for the device’s launch in the country. But "evidently, Apple has been pleased enough with Softbank’s support for the iPhone to tweak the multiple carrier distribution plan it had intended for the iPad outside the states" or "the company has always been open to international SIM-lock exclusivity deals...

Phil Leigh of "Inside Digital Media" (http://www.insidedigitalmedia.com), a market research firm specializing in the future of media, says Apple will introduce as-yet-unannounced products to address huge latent market opportunities in the digital living room and media and transactional online services.

"Since the turn of the century Apple evolved from a secondary computer company into the most potent force transforming media," Leigh says." It is the premier digital media innovator as evidenced by the iPod, iPhone and most recently the iPad. Basically each introduction defined a new product category or enabled an incipient one to 'cross the chasm' into mass market acceptance. More of the same is expected in the future, not only from products but also from transactional services."

Most any business affected by the future of media will be directly impacted by Apple’s future...

There might be a new MacBook Air released this week, according to "Macworld Australia" (http://www.macworld.com.au/news/view/macbook-air-update-this-week-4886), quoting "a well-placed source familiar with Apple inventory levels and product refreshes."

The source says the number, MC516LL/A K87 BETTER BTR-USA, most likely points to a Mac product due to the "BETTER" segment of the product code. "Macworld Australia" notes that this could refer to a 27-inch display, which could be a new Cinema Display or, less likely, a new, high-end iMac.

However, "it looks like there are several thousand on their way to Australia this week, which suggests a major new product," "Macworld Australia" notes. The MacBook Air was last updated in June 2009.

President Barack Obama, a BlackBerry user, "declared war on technology," singling out Apple’s super-popular iPods and iPads for criticism at a commencement ceremony in Virginia, the "New York Post" and "Fox News" (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/10/obama-warns-grads-twitter-ipad...) report.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," Obama said at Hampton University in southeastern Virginia.

Obama described the most popular offerings of companies like Apple, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as "distractions" that are putting unnecessary pressure on the country. He...

MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net) has updated its World Clock Deluxe time tool to version 4.7. In the new version, 96 cities in Antarctica, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam have been added to the World Clock Deluxe database.

The software now supports all-year-round Daylight-Saving Time. Also, Daylight-Saving information for Morocco, Samoa, Western Sahara, and for San Luis, Argentina has been updated.

With World Clock Deluxe you can display multiple clocks in a horizontal or vertical palette, in the menu bar and in the Dock, show Coordinated Universal Time and Internet Time, assign labels and colors to clocks, calculate date and time conversions across different time zones and show the current weather all...