Kinivo has released the BTH240 Bluetooth-connected headphones. The on-ear wireless headphones provide hands-free calling via a built-in noise canceling microphone.

Kinivo’s BTH240, which boasts a foldable design, operates using an integrated rechargeable battery, which provides up to 10 hours of continuous active audio or 200 hours when on standby mode. In addition to extended battery life, it automatically pauses music when a user receives an incoming call. To recharge the BTH240, simply plug the headphones into the included micro-USB charging cable and connect to your computer or wall outlet.

Kinivo’s BTH240 headphones are available for US$29.99 on Amazon.com and Kinivo.com.

Apple has announced that customers have downloaded over 50 billion apps from the AppleApp Store (excluding re-downloads and updates). Customers are downloading more than 800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month, the company says.

The 50 billionth app was Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, which was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio. He received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate this historic milestone.

"Apple would like to thank our incredible customers and developers for topping 50 billion apps downloaded," says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers. We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years."

The App Store opened in July 2008 with 500 apps. Since its introduction, Apple’s...

"Bloomberg" (http://tinyurl.com/bzodlrd) reports that the Pentagon risks exposing itself to hackers by opening its communications networks to Apple and Samsung smartphones and tablets, according to cybersecurity officials.

The Pentagon plans to give employees the flexibility of connecting devices such as Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones and Apple iPads to unclassified networks -- a market long dominated by BlackBerry. However, this will create more vulnerabilities to cybersecurity breaches, Pat McGarry, principal systems engineer at Ixia, a network security company, told "Bloomberg."

"It is a debacle, a disaster waiting to happen," he said. There is no technology that would make Apple and Samsung smartphones and tablets immune to new malicious software known as malware, McGarry added.

However, Mark Orndorff, a program executive officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency, told "...

Apple has released iMovie 9.0.9 for Mac OS X 10.7.4 or later. It addresses issues where iMovie does not recognize video cameras connected to your Mac.

iMovie 9.0.9 also improves compatibility with projects imported from iMovie for iOS and includes stability improvements. It's available at the Mac App Store or at http://tinyurl.com/aohgjqf .

WD has released its My Passport Ultra line of portable hard drives, which combine additional layers of data protection with USB 3.0 connectivity in a slim, compact design and four color choices.

Available in 500 GB, 1TB and new 2TB capacities, My Passport Ultra portable hard drives have built-in WD SmartWare Pro backup software with Dropbox integration, hardware encryption and password protection. A protective pouch is included with the My Passport Ultra to help shield it.

My Passport Ultra portable hard drives are protected by a three-year limited warranty and are available from the WD store at wdstore.com and at select retailers and distributors. The My Passport Ultra 500GB has a manufacturers suggested retail price of $99.99 USD, and the My Passport Ultra 1TB is $129.99. (The 2TB version is due later this year.)

Managing Editor (www.maned.com) has released MEI Portico 2.5, the latest in the Adobe development partner's lineup of solutions for publishers.

MEI Portico lets publishers create custom branded user interfaces for their mobile and tablet apps. The new version of MEI's custom storefront software lets app publishers present content items other than traditional folios in their apps.

The Portico experience management platform can support a wide range of non-folio content, like FaceTime sessions and Google Maps to cross-promotional items like referral URLs to iTunes Store downloads and rich media ads, making apps powered by Portico more than just a collection of folios, according to Brett Kizner, MEI's director of new product marketing. For more info go to http://tinyurl.com/d9hqzxc .

D-Link is shipping a new line of AC Routers with the availability of the Wireless AC1750 Router (DIR-868L), Wireless AC1200 Router (DIR-860L), Wireless AC1000 Router (DIR-820L) and Wireless AC750 Router (DIR-810L). They have street prices of US$169.99, $149.99, $119.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Offering next-generation Wi-Fi speeds, D-Link’s latest 802.11ac Routers deliver a range of wireless speeds and price points for creating a reliable and strong Wi-Fi home network ideal for HD video streaming, online gaming, and multiple user activities, says Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems.
 
The Wireless AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router and Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router deliver speeds of up to 1750Mbps (N450Mbps+AC1300Mbps) and 1200Mbps (N300 + AC867Mbps) respectively. In addition, the Wireless AC1000 Dual Band Cloud Router offers speeds of up to 1000Mbps (N300Mbps + AC650Mbps) and the Wireless AC750 Dual Band Cloud Router...

Expeditions: Conquistador, a tactical role-playing game, will be available for Mac, PC, Mac and Linux systems on Steam on May 30. It will also be available on GOG.com, Gamersgate and several other platforms.
 
Here's how Expeditions: Conquistador is described: "Playing as a Spanish Conquistador, the player has to lead his or her party through the untamed wilderness of the New World, making hefty decisions along the way. Decisions that could significantly alter the course of history. The game project was financed through Kickstarter, and developed by the Danish development studio Logic Artists ApS. bitComposer will market Expeditions: Conquistador worldwide. 
 
"Expeditions: Conquistador offers the player in single or multiplayer mode the opportunity to conquer an unknown continent, or to fight on the side of the indigenous people as they defend their homeland from the invaders. This will require not only tactical skills in battle, but also diplomatic finesse...

EditShare has released the Field 2, its next-generation portable shared storage solution with integrated asset management.

The turnkey platform includes file ingest, advanced project sharing/bin locking, and archiving capabilities in an all-in-one, high-performance and rugged chassis. Designed for on-location shoots, ENG trucks and remote offices, the new Field 2 is durable, light and compact and meets airline carry-on regulations.

With an optional integrated Flow SDI ingest card, users can record up to two channels of HD in industry-standard codecs such as XDCAM-EX35, Avid DNxHD and DVCProHD. Flow’s edit-while-capture capability lets users start editing the moment they begin recording.

With an optional lightweight expansion unit, a single Field 2 configuration can scale to 32 terabytes. And using the integrated EditShare Sync Tool, users can send data from a remote location back to home base over a simple Internet VPN connection. For more info go to...

Reggie Ashworth (www.reggieashworth.com) has announced AppDelete 3.2.9, a new version of his application deletion utility. The upgrade has been optimized for Mac OS X 10.7, supports new languages and more.

You can drag any item that can be uninstalled onto AppDelete: spplications, widgets, preference panes, plugins, screensavers, etc. You can also activate AppDelete in many ways: dragging items onto main window, onto dock icon, selecting in menu, right-clicking using AppDelete workflow, dragging from Launchpad, and throwing items in the trash. When the preview screen appears you can uncheck any items you would like to exclude.

You also have several choices: delete the items, log only the items, or archive (copy) the items to a .zip file for safekeeping or reinstall at a later date. The items you delete will be moved to the trash and arranged in a folder so that you can see exactly what was...

Last week Apple informed its tech staff that major changes to the AppleCare and AppleCare+ service programs will be enacted starting this fall, "with a broadening of current policies likely to cut costs and make the service more attractive to consumers," according to "AppleInsider."

The article says there will be changes to the way repairs for iPhones will be handled. In addition, employees will have access to advanced diagnostics tools that can remotely assess hardware issues and relay the data directly to technicians, according to "AppleInsider." Finally, Apple will reportedly reconfigure its paid AppleCare service as a subscription model, or introduce a new tier, which will be attached to a customer rather than a specific product.

The new in-house repairs are to be rolled out across the U.S., with international support coming online soon thereafter. Apple expects to save nearly $1 billion per year with the change in policy. Read more at...

Foundry376 has announced Spark Inspector, a tool that brings realtime introspection to the world of iOS development. It's available for download immediately (www.sparkinspector.com/).

Here's how the folks at Foundry376 described Spark Inspector: "Apple provides great developer tools, but interface bugs can be tricky to uncover. The Spark Inspector changes the game with an entirely new debugging perspective: a stunning, three-dimensional view of an app's interface that updates in real-time as it runs. Pan and zoom around your interface to reveal how layouts are structured, and unearth bugs quickly using Spark's powerful display options. Fine-tuning views?

"The Spark Inspector mimics Interface Builder, and allows you to preview adjustments to your app's views in real-time. Make runtime modifications to everything from button frames to CALayer shadows and transforms, right from the Inspector's...