Akvis Software (http://www.Akvis.com) has released Akvis ArtWork 3.5. The upgrade introduces the ability to save guiding lines to a file (.direction extension), making it easier to continue editing a photo later. Also, the plug-in version is now 64-bit compatible.

Akvis ArtWork is available as a stand-alone application, as well as a plug-in to a photo editor. The plugin version of Akvis ArtWork is compatible with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter, Corel Photo-Paint, and Paint Shop Pro, ACD FotoCanvas, and PhotoImpact. Akvis ArtWork runs on Mac OS X (10.4 or higher) and Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Win 7.

Akvis ArtWork Home License (plug-in or standalone) sells for US$72. Registered users can upgrade to version 3.5 for free. Just download the program and reinstall it. Use your license key to reactivate the program after reinstallation.

Home users can buy the full line of...

Excel Software (http://www.excelsoftware.com) has updated MacA&D -- a software solution for system analysis, requirements management, software design, code generation and custom reports -- to version 3.1. Enhancements include support for UML 2.2, data flow diagrams, class models and code generation for REALbasic and Objective-C 2.0.

MacA&D 3.1 enables a software designer to draw the 14 major diagram types specified by UML 2.2, including newly added support for Component, Component Structure and Timing diagrams. The Timing diagram can show object states with multiple state lines or shaded areas. Diagrams may contain component objects, classes with ports and required or provided interfaces using ball
and socket notation. Sequence diagrams can have interaction frames with conditional regions.

Data flow diagrams are enhanced to allow links to external child diagrams. A process on...

Someone is going to be in BIG trouble. A Vietnamese site, "Tinte" (http://www.tinhte.com/threads/408209-Ro-ri-MacBook-nhua-doi-moi), that recently got their hands on a (purported) next gen iPhone is claiming to now have obtained a leaked version of a fresh of the MacBook.

According to "Tinte", the MacBook model 7,1 sports a 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, and has a GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with the main memory. It has a 1280x800 pixel widescreen display, a 250GB 5400 RPM hard drive, and 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM.

If "Tinte" isn't pulling our legs, it's likely we'll see an official announcement of the tweaked MacBook next week. Along with a refreshed MacBook Air, perhaps?

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/).

ASK Video Interactive Media, a creator of software tutorials on DVD, has released the Tempo Delay Calculator for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Also available in a free desktop version for Mac and PC, this US$0.99 app allows synchronization of digital delay devices to song tempo. Simply enter the song tempo, choose the note type, and the delay setting is calculated in milliseconds for entry into the delay unit.

Playtainment, the family games label of the publisher RTL interactive GmbH Games Publishing from Cologne, has announced Fire Panic, a $0.99 game for the iPhone and iPod touch. It pits would-be firefighters against a seemingly never-ending barrage of catastrophes needing immediate attention.

Pabusily has introduced PicSea 1.0 for...

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to to institute an investigation of certain digital imaging devices and related software regarding Apple's claims against Kodak over patent infringement. The products at issue in this investigation are digital still cameras, digital video cameras, and related software.

In an online note (http://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2010/er0513hh2.htm) the USITC says that by instituting this investigation (337-TA-717), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC's Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC's six administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination...

Forty-four workers in Suzhou, China, are planning to sue Taiwan-based Wintek alleging they were poisoned while cleaning iPhone screens with a chemical called n-hexane, according to Stratfor Global Intelligence (http://www.stratfor.com/).

At least 62 Wintek workers have been hospitalized since August 2009 due to n-hexane poisoning, a chemical “which can cause nerve damage and sometimes paralysis, the article adds. The US Department of Labor describes n-hexane this way:

"n-Hexane is a narcotic agent; an irritant to the eyes, upper respiratory tract, and skin; and a neurotoxin. Exposure of humans to 5,000 ppm n-hexane for 10 minutes causes marked vertigo; exposure to 1,500 ppm results in headache and slight nausea [Hathaway et al. 1991; Clayton and Clayton 1982]. In industrial settings, exposure to levels exceeding 1,000 ppm have been reported to cause mild symptoms of narcosis [Hathaway et al. 1991...

The latest edition of MacNotables (http://www.macnotables.com/wordpress/), a podcast that serves as home to Mac personalities who will comment on the latest news and opinions in the Mac community, is available.

"Macworld" Senior Editor Christopher Breen recently completed an article on his concerns about the privacy issues generated by the latest revisions to Facebook, and proclaiming that he has left the service. He explains exactly why he left, his decision to deactivate his account vs. deleting it, and why he feels this situation represents a disturbing trend for Facebook.

"MacNotables" panelists include Christopher Breen, Bryan Chaffin, Jim Dalrymple, Adam Engst, Tonya Engst, Andy Ihnatko, Joiner, Ted Landau, Jason Snell, Bob LeVitus, Dan Frakes and Yours Truly. Not all panelists can make all shows due to scheduling conflicts.

Apple is now America's third-largest company by stock market value. Over the past three years, its shares have more than doubled in price, while those ofnumber one, Exxon Mobile, and number two, Microsoft, have fallen slightly. If that trend continues, Apple will be America's largest company by year's end, according to a "SmartMoney" report (http://www.smartmoney.com/Investing/Stocks/apple-may-soon-be-americas-la...).

Of course, just where Apple ranks by size depends on how you define size. If sales are a better measure of economic weight than stock market value, then Apple is No. 42 -- four spots below Dell. However, "SmartMoney" says that may not be a fair comparison as Apple turns 29 cents of each sales dollar into operating profit...

Axure (http://www.axure.com) has nnounced the availability of Axure RP 5.6 for Mac. Previously, the web site and application prototyping tool was available only for Windows.

This release brings Axure RP natively to the Mac with all of the key features of its PC counterpart, including wireframing tools, HTML prototype and Word specification generation, and collaboration. It also includes enhancements that improve the usability and make the look and feel consistent for Mac users, says Victor Hsu, president of Axure.

Axure is making the licenses cross platform while keeping the price for a single user license at US$589. Each license can be used on two computers so a customer can choose to use Axure RP on a PC and a Mac without an additional cost. In addition, the Mac version is a free upgrade for customers who purchased Axure RP after Feb. 1, 2008. Other customers can purchase a maintenance renewal for $149...

Monkey Tools has released Library Monkey 4.0 for Mac OS X (http://www.monkey-tools.com/librarymonkey/) , an update of the app for organizing your iTunes library according to your criteria.

Users can now import their iTunes Database -- including all tracks, metadata, and playlists -- directly into Library Monkey. This feature provides the ability to retain important information created in iTunes, while delivering the management tools that are available only in Library Monkey, says Drayson Nowlan, general manager at Monkey Tools. "Library Monkey goes beyond iTunes and features the powerful and efficient tools our customers have valued for many years."

Also new to version 4.0 is the ability to prune missing files and remove any asset from any library. This solves the problem of managing information when working with continually changing libraries. What's more,...

Active Storage (http://www.activestorage.com) has introduced Innerpool, a new class of RAID storage solution designed to store metadata volumes that are so critical to Media focused SANs (storage area networks).

Featuring a "zero U" design, Innerpool resides inside a SAN's Metadata Controller, yet provides on-board RAID storage via 2.5-inch rotating media drives or performance-tuned Intel SSD drives. Innerpool is installed in pairs, one in each Xsan Metadata Controller and hosts the critical Metadata LUN, rather than tasking the storage systems that host data volumes, according to Active Storage CEO Alex Grossman.

Innerpool is a patent-pending design self-contained RAID system, based on a pair of PCI Express cards, each that hosts a RAID processor, two ports of 4 Gigabit Fibre Channel and two drives that can be either 7200 RPM 2.5-inch drives, or Intel SSD drives tuned to deliver up to...

What do connected cars, e-book readers, smartphones and HDTVs have in common? They have all been radically transformed by connectivity. And in the next decade, driven by both consumer demand and market opportunities, many more connected devices will emerge, according to a new report by the Yankee Group (http://www.yankeegroup.com).

Data from Yankee Group’s Anywhere Consumer: 2009 U.S. Survey indicates that 55% of consumers highly value connectivity in e-book readers, 50% in MP3 players and 40% in HDTVs. But how can device makers distinguish the next big thing from the also-rans? Yankee Group’s new model evaluates 16 CE devices against 10 business and connectivity attributes, and groups the devices into three segments:

° Anywhere Target Devices, like e-book readers and HDTVs, have the most untapped potential.

° Anywhere Impaired Devices, like game consoles, digital cameras and portable...