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/).

Zidware has announced My Colorz & Shapes, their newest educational iPhone app to join My Alphabet, My Numberz, Matheroids and ABC Invaders into the Nanoschool Kids series of personal learning for children. My Colorz & Shapes (US$0.99) offers a way for preschoolers to learn basic color and shape recognition.

TAS Productions has released Sleeping Pill 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod touch devices. The $0.99 app is specifically designed to help you sleep.

GeeThree Softwar has unveiled their first iPhone/iPod game, ImageQuest 1.0. It's a $0.99 pictonym puzzle game in which the player is asked to find the single word that links together a group of pictures. The challenge is to quickly identify the pictures, and keeping the question category...

Hot on the heels of an announced release date (Saturday, April 3) for the iPad, Apple's stock has hit a record high of US$219.70, besting a previous high of $215.59, which it hit on Jan. 5 of this year.

Before today, Apple has been trading in a range between $190 and $215 since last October. Apple’s market cap is approaching $200 billion (it's $199.17 billion).

macProVideo.com (http://www.macprovideo.com) has released a new core training tutorial for Spectrasonics' new Trilian Bass Synth.

This new title is called “Trilian 101: Core Trilian” and is produced by a veteran educator and synthesist named Jonathan Perl. It's available now for both HD download (US$39.59) and for streaming in macProVideo.com’s Online Tutorial Library (to which you can subscribe for $25 per month).

Trillian is a bass machine with a large set of articulations and gestures that combine together utilizing Round Robin technologies to the programmer the ability to create the most realistic bass parts and outrageous bass sounds imaginable.

Smaato (http://metrics.smaato.com), a mobile ad optimizer and mobile advertising company has revealed its latest metrics to the global, mobile advertising market. It says Apple devices have dipped below the average Index of 100 and Windows Mobile has edge ahead of its rival for the first time -- though not universally.

The February metrics of Smaato show the worldwide CTR Index (click through rate) by operating system, the fill rates of mobile ad networks worldwide and for the USA as well as the worldwide ad network response time. With these Metrics Smaato has unveiled for the first time the CTR Index by operating system and the fill rates for South-East Asia.

Smaato’s metrics are based upon 35 mobile ad networks and over four billion ad requests served in the Smaato network of more than 3000 registered mobile publishers in February. The metrics show two strong performing networks with 90% and...

Critics are questioning the Alberta government's decision to spend more than $200,000 to hand out free iPod touches to passengers on a promotional train during the recent Winter Olympic Games, reports the "Global Calgary" (http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/technology/Alberta+Olympic+iPod+giveaway+...)

"It's a little bit over the top to spend that much money handing out free iPods," NDP Leader Brian Mason told the publication. "I just feel a little bit annoyed that my tax dollars went to provide a great party to people I don't even know."

Don Boynton, Travel Alberta's spokesman, said the iPod touches were essentially media kits. The province bought 1,400 at a total cost of $276,000.

Apps & More Software Design has released Job Timer (http://www.appsandmore.com/job_timer.html), a task time tracking and reporting solution designed to be run by Script Timer, its script, Automator workflow, and application scheduling utility for Mac OS X.

Job Timer can automatically keep track of the time spent on files belonging to any number of specific jobs, with no need to have to remember to start or change timers. The user can then schedule Job Timer to produce a report that will show the amount of time each job to be tracked was active, both cumulatively and since the previous report. This makes it easy to assign billable hours.

Job Timer can also keep track of, and report on, the time specific applications are the frontmost application. This provides a way to, for example, determine how much time was spent in a web browser or chat program as part of...

ExactCode has updated its ExactScan Pro (http://www.exactcode.de/site/products/exactscan/) scanning software for Mac OS X (10.4 and higher) to version 2.10. The upgrade sports a new TWAIN Bridge to enable third party applications to utilize ExactScan's built-in drivers and image processing.
Additionally, the new version adds automatic color detection, automatic source selection and more OCR languages. ExactScan 2.10 is currently in beta, and will be available as free update for ExactScan 2 users at the end of March.

ExactScan includes built-in drivers for over 180 document scanners, including devices from Avision, Kodak, Oki, Visioneer and Xerox. Together with the Spotlight indexing services built into Mac OS X since 10.5 ("Leopard") this features form a document management solution suitable for small-office and home-office (SOHO) environments. What's...

Zenopolis has released Tiptoe 1.0 (http://www.zenopolis.com/software/tiptoe/), a privacy application for Mac OS X. It brings a "private browsing" like feature to all sorts of applications, enabling users to run these apps without a trail of their actions being stored.

The ability to reset (remove) existing privacy data is also included. When using applications on their Mac users often leave behind a trail of information about what they have been doing. This can include recent items, history and cache. While this information can be really useful, users may not want it stored on a shared Mac. With Tiptoe the user can choose to open supported applications with privacy so no trail is left behind, but the previous, useful, information they want to keep is left untouched, according to the folks at Zenopolis.

Tiptoe also enhances existing browser privacy. For the...

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/).

Vlingo has launched a new iPhone app that allows users to send voice-powered emails and text messages. You simply speak and send. Unlike speech recognition apps that offer a single use only, Vlingo delivers up to six voice-powered features including: email, SMS Paste, social site updates, maps and voice dial. The Vlingo for iPhone app is free and includes voice dial, search, maps, Facebook and Twitter update functionality. The new email and SMS Paste messaging features can be added to the app for US$6.99 each, or both for only $9.99.

Ratrod Studio, with the collaboration of pro skateboarder Mike Vallely, has shipped Mike V: Do or Die. This skateboard video game costs $4.99.

Mindwarm has released SwipSwap 3.0, an update of the free iPhone/...

New Potato Technologies (http://www.newpotatotech.com) has introduced FLPR, a new accessory and app that transforms iPhone and iPod touch into a universal remote control. FLPR lets users control multiple electronic devices -- including televisions, cable and satellite boxes, stereo systems, lights, ceiling fans and just about anything else that uses an infrared remote control.

It's available this month from Best Buy stores nationwide and online at the New Potato Tech web site for US$79.99. After purchasing the FLPR infrared interface and popping it into the iPhone/iPod touch dock connector, users download the free FLPR app from the Apple App Store. Once the app is launched, choose the device “type,” select “brand,” “name it” and “use it.” It’s that easy. FLPR comes pre‐programmed with over 14,000 remote control codes, including all major electronics brands.

FLPR purportedly has a database...

Booq (http://www.booqbags.com) has unveiled the Boa skin XS for the iPad. It costs US$29.95 and is available in five colors: turquoise, yellow, violet, "sand" and black.


The Boa skin XS weighs 0.41 pounds and measures 10.7 x 8.66 x 0.7 inches. It's designed to offer protection for your iPad on its own or in conjunction with another bag, backpack or purse. Neoprene skin protects your gear from scratches and scuffs, while the rigid base provides impact protection from drops or mishaps.

The base is wrapped in Twylon for optimum durability, The Boa skin XS's neoprene expands to accommodate additional accessories, power cords, batteries, etc.