Sprint has announced the availability of Wireless CapTel by Sprint powered by Raketu, for all iOS-powered devices. The new app increases accessibility of mobile communications for individuals with hearing loss. Wireless CapTel by Sprint allows users to read conversations with real-time word-for-word captions on their wireless phones. Users place a call in the same way they would when using a traditional phone -- by dialing the number directly on the device. The app then connects callers directly to the CapTel service when the phone is dialed. When the receiving party answers, callers can listen to what the other person is saying and also read captions on the phone's display screen. The application can be downloaded on iOS devices from the Apple App Store or iTunes for free with an Everything Data plan. Sprint currently provides Wireless CapTel on select Android devices. Wireless CapTel calls are automatically routed through a captioning service. Users simply give friends, family, and...

Podcast subscriptions have topped the one billion mark at the iTunes Store, To celebrate the milestone Apple highlighting popular shows dating back to 2005 when the podcasting section was first added to iTunes, notes "The MacObserver" (http://tinyurl.com/laglj3m). Featured content in the classics category includes NPR shows "This American Life" and "All Songs Considered," Mondo Media's "Happy Tree Friends" and HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," among others. The one billion subscriptions podcast list is also available through Apple's own Podcasts app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Akvis has releasedAkvis AirBrush 2.0, available as a standalone program and as a plug-in for graphics editors. Available for Mac OS X and Windows, the software turns photos into airbrush paintings. Version 2.0 adds the possibility to create multicolored drawings and offers new presets. The plug-in version is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CC. Registered users of AirBrush can upgrade to version 2.0 for free. A full-featured free evaluation download of Akvis AirBrush v.2.0 is available at the product page (http://akvis.com/en/airbrush/download.php). The software sells for US$49 for the Home version (either plug-in or standalone, all features except color changing), $69 for the Home Deluxe version (either plug-in or standalone, all features included), and $89 for the Business edition (either plug-in or standalone, all features included, for commercial use). One license key allows activation of the software on two computers.

nova media has released nm-CAM, a new software development kit for iOS. Using this kit, the company says apps can display video streams that previously were poorly supported -- or not supported at all. The SDK, dubbed nm-CAM, offers HD video streaming over Wi-Fi and mobile networks. It provides detailed information about the video streams. nm-CAM supports iOS 5.0 and higher. The SDK can be included in any project in just three simple steps, according to the folks at nova media. An Xcode demonstration project is part of nm-CAM. A fully functional free trial version is available from nova media (http://tinyurl.com/l5vuhog)). In the trial version streaming is interrupted every 10 seconds displaying information about the developer. For deployment in one app nova media charges approximately US$395. A license for deployment in up to five apps is available for $989, and an unlimited license will cost you $1,978.

Infinisys has released Screen Studio for Mac OS X. It lets you create original screen savers for the Mac. Screen Studio also comes with a large collection of clip art, including animated After Dark characters like the Flying Toaster, Bad Dog and Boris, so you can make your very own After Dark screen savers. Normally priced at US$29, Infinisys is offering Screen Studio at a special reduced price of $19 until Aug. 10. For more info go to http://en.infinisys.co.jp/product/screenstudio/index.shtml .

Apple says its developer site was hacked, but that the sensitive data on it was encrypted. In a note on the site -- which has remained offline since Thursday -- Apple had this to say: "Last Thursday, an intruder attempted to secure personal information of our registered developers from our developer website. Sensitive personal information was encrypted and cannot be accessed, however, we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed. In the spirit of transparency, we want to inform you of the issue. We took the site down immediately on Thursday and have been working around the clock since then. In order to prevent a security threat like this from happening again, we’re completely overhauling our developer systems, updating our server software, and rebuilding our entire database. We apologize for the significant inconvenience that our downtime has caused you and we expect to have the...

MacXDVD has updated MacX Video Converter Pro (http://tinyurl.com/22ujyvx) to version 4.0.0. The upgrade sports a revamped user interface, 320-plus video and 50-plus audio codecs, more profiles and 32x faster speed. Version 4.0.0 also brings new features including YouTube downloading, video editing, screen recording, photo slideshow making, etc. MacX Video Converter Pro is normally priced at US$49.95. However, MacXDVD is offering it for free until July 25.

"Firefly Online," a social online role-playing game based on the short-lived but cult favorite TV series "Firefly," is coming to iOS and Android devices, reports "Polygon" (http://tinyurl.com/ol4bnq3). Fox Digital Entertainment made the announcement last week at the San Diego Comic Con. Developed by QMXi and Spark Plug Games, players take on the role of a captain, who must recruit ship crew and lead missions, while trading with other players. Interested parties are invited to preregister on the game's web site (https://www.keepflying.com) to find out more information. "Firefly," an American western-in-space drama, was created by writer/director Joss Whedon. The series was set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of the Serenity spaceship. The series only lasted for 11 episodes. However, its fan base clamored for more. It led to one movie ("Serenity"), comics, a role-playing game and now "Firefly Online."

Apple has posted MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0 (http://tinyurl.com/mtqupxc). It's recommended for all MacBook Air (mid 2013) models. The update -- which requires Mac OS X 10.8.4 or higher -- fixes an issue that in rare instances may cause an intermittent loss in wireless connectivity, an issue with Adobe Photoshop which may cause occasional screen flickering, and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback.

Nisus Software has released InfoClick 1.1 (http://infoclick.com), an update of the US$15 email search tool for use with Apple's Mail application. adds new features while addressing some issues. Among the new features are: ° Allows searching by Apple Mail accounts, mailboxes, and folders; ° Negated searches allow finding items that do not contain a particular selector (eg: word, contact, etc). For example, you can negate a search term by typing an exclamation mark before you type the term (eg: "!pluto" searches for all emails that do not contain the word "pluto"); ° Can search for emails in trash folders using a "Trashed Emails" selector; ° Added "Email" menu to the main menu bar with some convenient commands like Reply and Forward. InfoClick lets you navigate through your emails to see the words, contacts, and information within. According to Nisus President and CEO Jerzy Lewak, InfoClick "knows" precisely what words you've used, so there's no guessing; it offers a guided process of...

MuseMini has released the US$129.99 DBoom, a personalized bluetooth portable speaker that features Near Field Communication (NFC), customizable skins to add individuality to each speaker, daisy-chain capabilities to pair with any audio device, and a 12-plus hour battery life. DBoom is the first high-end speaker to offer a perfectly form fitting and customizable skin, giving each speaker a unique look, ays Dean Briones, founder and CEO of MuseMini. Muse Mini gives you the option to choose from a library featuring 1,000-plus designs -- or you can create a custom design. For more info go to www.musemini.com .

Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft are part of an alliance of technology companies and civil liberties groups demanding increased transparency around U.S. government surveillance efforts, reports "AllThingsD" (http://tinyurl.com/ncmfseu) The article says that, in a letter to be published today, the alliance -- whose members include 63 companies, investors, non-profits and trade organizations -- will call upon President Obama and congressional leaders to allow Internet, telephone, and Web-based service providers to report national security-related requests for information with greater specificity. Specifically, they ask that they are allowed to regularly report: • The number of government requests for information about their users
• The number of individuals, accounts, or devices for which information was requested
• The number of requests that sought communications content, basic subscriber information, and/or other information.

FileMaker author John Mark Osborne is teaching his intermediate and advanced scripting courses titled the Philosophy of Scripting. These two courses will be taught in a remote setting via GoToMeeting at half the normal cost. Remote classes are taught twice a week for a total of four hours per week. Osborne says this allows for better absorption of the material as well as the advantage of homework assignments. Philosophy of Scripting 101 will be held Sept. 17 to Oct. 23. Philosophy of Scripting 201 will be held Sept. 29 to Nov. 20. The Philosophy of Scripting courses focus on the single area of scripting and moves from an intermediate to an advanced level over the course of five days. Calculations, relationships and interface design are also covered but only as they pertain to scripting. To find out more information or register for a class, go to http://tinyurl.com/qf9z9v4 .

Logitech has introduced the Logitech Bluetooth Speakers Z600, a designed pair of wireless stereo speakers designed to complement the sleek looks of Macs and other computers. With these speakers you can stream music and other audio from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Three devices can be active at the same time.   Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, playing a game or video chatting, the Logitech Bluetooth Speakers Z600 deliver clear, well-defined audio, says Charlotte Johs, Logitech global vice president of brand development and portfolio for PC accessories. With three drivers in each speaker, this system is engineered to provide superior acoustics for any space, he adds.   The entire top panel of the right speaker is a touch disc. To dial the volume up or down, simply glide a finger around the edge. The other controls -- power, Bluetooth pairing and 3.5 mm input -- are hidden in the back. Specially designed, lay-flat cables run between the speakers and the...

The upcoming ChargeLight USB device at BiteMyApple.co combines a LED flashlight with a portable battery pack. It's compatible with the iPhone, iPad, Android devices and more.  The ChargeLight can charge any USB device anytime, anywhere. It can purportedly last more than a year without ever being recharged. LED lights display the battery level so you will always know when you have power. When the time comes to juice it up, you can either recharge it on the included dock or with a USB adaptor. The user can also use the dock as a charging hub for multiple devices at the same time.  
 Aside from the charging capabilities, the ChargeLight rivals a tactical-grade LED flashlight, says Chris Johnson, founder of BiteMyApple. It’s extremely powerful, and actually maintains 100% of its light power during the entire charge cycle, he adds. 
The ChargeLight is available to preorder on www.bitemyapple.co for US$99.99.  It will begin shipping in September.

iFrogz has launched the Coda Forte wireless Bluetooth headphones. The integrated rechargeable batteries of the headset purportedly deliver 10-12 hours of continuous audio on a single charge. Built-in controls provide volume and track adjustment, as well as one-touch acceptance of incoming calls using a built-in microphone. Coda Forte headphones are available in black, white, blue and pink. They're available online and at select national retail outlets for US$99.99. Coda headphones and Coda earbuds are also available online (http://tinyurl.com/lnov4re) -- $34.99 for the headphones and $22.99 for the earbuds.

TrendNet has released the N600 Dual Band Wireless Router (model TEW-751DR) for US$79.99. It allows you to manage two 300 megabit per second Wireless N bands -- a 2.4 gigahertz band for your everyday devices and a less congested 5 gigahertz band to stream HD content. For additional security, the router's wireless network comes pre-encrypted. A guest network can restrict guest access to the Internet only, shielding personal content on a network from guest wireless users. You can hardwire computers, printers and storage drives to the four Ethernet ports on the back of the router. For more info go to www.trendnet.com .

Lightworks has released Lightworks Author 9, its rendering software for Mac OS X and Windows. New features offer users more post-processing control, with layer export capabilities accelerating time-consuming post-production tasks. Improvements to Image-Based Lighting in Author 9 allow for faster realtime modeling. The new Panorama function facilitates greater user interaction with designs, allowing the creation of 360 panoramic views of a scene. Other enhancements include support for Wrapped Normal Maps, providing a more accurate texture representation. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/kjgxyae .

With temperatures climbing high, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) wants to share some tips with consumers on how to live green and save money on your electric bill this summer: ° GreenerGadgets.org is the destination to learn how to be more eco-friendly with your electronics. Research shows the more you understand the energy use of your electronic devices, the less energy you will use and more money you will save. The Consumer Electronics Energy Calculator at GreenerGadgets.org helps determine how much energy you use based on the number of products you have and the amount of time they are used. ° Look for the ENERGY STAR label or EPEAT-certified product labels when purchasing new electronics. These labels can help identify energy-efficient appliances and other electronics that will save energy and money on your electric bill. Smaller, newer products like smartphones or tablets use far less energy than their ancestors. It costs less than US$1.38 to charge an iPad for an...

FastMac has introduced the FMBDR6x, a single cable solution for burning optical discs with Apple's upcoming Mac Pro. The round, low-profile design of the FMBDR6x allows the device to sit right beneath the pro desktop while maintaining a low profile. The FMBDR6x is a single cable solution for burning Blu-rays discs, DVDs, and CDs. Both data and power are transferred through the built-in USB cable. Built with a durable and sleek aluminum enclosure and non-skid base, it's designed to sit directly beneath the 2013 Mac Pro and take up no additional space. With its slot load design, the FMBDR6x has no tray to get in the way or break off. Just slide your media right in and start burning. The FMBDR6x features next gen quad layer burning support for Blu-rays. This technology allows the burning of discs up to 128GB in capacity. 6x BDR burning (25GB & 50GB discs) and 4x burning for BDXL (100GB & 128GB discs). Dual Layer DVDs, DVDs, and CDs burn quickly and accurately on the FMBDR6x as...

Xojo has released Xojo 2013 Release 2, an upgrade of the development tool for web and desktop apps. This new release contains over 150 changes, including improved IDE functionality, enhanced web support and more sophisticated local documentation. Xojo is a multi-platform, object-oriented development tool that enables developers of all backgrounds to create desktop (OS X, Windows and Linux), web and, soon, mobile/iOS apps. Version 2 sports over 75 enhancements to IDE, 13 OS X Cocoa improvements, and better language reference. Xojo 2013 Release 2 is available for download at http://www.xojo.com/download . It's free to use for learning and development. Deployment licenses are available in the following options: Web (US$400), Desktop ($300), Database ($300), Console ($100), and Xojo Pro ($995), which includes all of the licenses, added priority technical support, and more.

A FBI Ransomware page is "being pushed onto unsuspecting [Mac OS X] users browsing regular sites but in particular when searching for popular keywords," reports "Malware Intelligence." Warnings appearing to be from the FBI tell the victim: "You have been viewing or distributing prohibited pornographic content. To unlock your computer and to avoid other legal consequences, you are obligated to pay a release fee of $300." If you choose to ignore the message (which you should), you cannot get rid of the page. You can see a video on how to remove this Apple ransomware at http://tinyurl.com/lsgqlxx .

Griffin Technology has launched the PowerDock 5, a countertop charging and storage solution optimized for iOS devices. It costs US$99.99 and is available at http://tinyurl.com/b37hsuj . The PowerDock 5 is built to safely charge and store up to five iPads, iPhones or iPods at the same time, from a single power source. Each of the five charging bays five charging bays boasts 10 watts of power. It also has a clear backrest that's purportedly large enough to accommodate an iPad without the need to remove even the largest of cases.

Apple has unveiled Logic Pro X, the most advanced version of Logic Pro to date, featuring a new interface designed for pros, new creative tools for musicians, and an expanded collection of instruments and effects. Logic Pro X includes Drummer, a revolutionary new feature that provides a virtual session player that automatically plays along with your song in a wide variety of drumming styles and techniques, and Flex Pitch, which provides integrated pitch editing for audio recordings. Apple also introduced Logic Remote, an innovative new way to play and control Logic Pro X from your iPad, giving musicians the flexibility to create and mix their music from anywhere in the room. "Logic Pro X is our most powerful version yet, with advanced tools and a modern new interface designed to streamline the process of creating professional quality music," says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Musicians are going to love creative new features like Drummer,...