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Apr 16
Intego: HellRTS Backdoor can allow malicious remote users to...

Intego (http://www.intego.com), a Mac security specialist, says it's has discovered a new variant of a malware for Mac, called HellRTS, which, when installed on computers running Mac OS X, opens a backdoor that allows remote users to take control of infected Macs and perform actions on them.

Intego identifies this backdoor as OSX/HellRTS.D, a variant of an early Mac OS X malware first spotted in 2004. HellRTS, built in RealBasic, and a Universal Binary able to run on both PowerPC- and Intel-Based Macs, is able to perform a number of operations if installed on a Mac.

It sets up its own server and configures a server port and password. It duplicates itself, using the names of different applications, adding the new version to a user’s login items, to ensure that it starts up at login. (These different names can make it hard to detect, not only in login items, but also in Activity Monitor.) Intego says...

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Apr 16
iFixIt offers teardown of new 15-inch MacBook Pro

The iFixIt site has offered a teardown of the new 15-inch MacBook Pro (http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Core-i5-Teard...). It doesn't look any different than its predecessor, but Apple has made quite a few subtle tweaks within their latest professional laptop. Here are some highlights of the teardown:

° As usual, there's a sticker warning against removing the battery. Por qué, Apple? The printed manual that came with the machine shows you how to replace RAM and hard drive. The battery is just three screws and a connector away from being able to be replaced.

° For some odd reason, Apple has stopped using five-point Torx screws found on other MBP 15-inch Unibodies in favor of Tri-Wing screws. Perhaps the sound of a thousand technicians crying out in unison...

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Apr 16
MYStuff update for Mac OS X adds one-click Internet searching

Minder Softworks has updated MYStuff (http://www.mindersoftworks.com/products/mystuff), a "stuff manager" for Mac OS X, to version 1.3. The upgrade adds one-click internet searching for manuals and images, and CSV import.

Combining features of PDF managers and home inventory programs, MYStuff adds additional features, and gives users a way of filing and finding their information. It makes it easy to file and find information about the things you own, according to the folks at Minder Softworks. You make a new record, and key in what you bought, where you bought it, how much you paid and how you paid for it, warranty information, and other key data. Then you can add an unlimited number of files to the record: a scan of the receipt, photos of the item, a PDF of the manual, and anything else you'd like to add. What's more, MYStuff's MYInbox feature allows users...

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Apr 16
AudioBook to MP3 Converter for Mac 1.02 released

AudioBooktoMP3.com has released AudioBook to MP3 Converter for Mac 1.02 (http://www.audiobooktomp3.com), an update of the tool that converts audio books from iTunes to MP3, AAC or WAV for playback on any MP3 player. It's a maintenance update with some tweaks and bug fixes.

It converts purchased audiobooks to MP3 or AAC files from iTunes on Mac OS X. AudioBook to MP3 Converter uses a "virtual CD-RW" to automate the process of burning and ripping an audio book. It works with iTunes and Virtual CD burning technology to convert audio books to keep users on the legal side.

AudioBook to MP3 Converter for Mac is available immediately for $29.95. Version 1.02 is a free update for registered users. A demo is available for download. AudioBook to MP3 Converter requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and iTunes 8 or higher.

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Apr 16
The Devil’s Playhouse premieres on the Mac, iPad, PC,...

The curtain has risen on Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse with the premiere of the first episode, entitled "The Penal Zone," on Macs, iPads, PCs and the PlayStation 3.

Here's how the game is described: "Telltale’s landmark series returns for the biggest, best looking, most bizarre installment yet as the dog and rabbit detective duo battle an onslaught of fearsome villains bent on acquiring the source of Max’s newfound psychic powers."

With new episodes releasing monthly, season passes are available now for the full five game series for US$34.95. The PC and Mac version can be downloaded at http://www.samandmaxgames.com/thedevilsplayhouse.
 
Also available on the iPad, The Penal Zone was a launch title for Apple’s new tablet device and is available now for the introductory price of $6.99 on the Apple App Store.

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Apr 16
Graph Paper Maker for Mac OS X updated to version 2.2.0

Black Cat Systems has updated Graph Paper Maker (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/graphmaker.html), Mac OS X software for creating custom sheets of graph paper, to version 1.6.0. The latest version adds the ability to set the background color of produced charts, as well as plot marker points on graphs with logarithmic, hydraulic, and probability axes.

With Graph Paper Maker, you can control the graph characteristics. X and Y axis can independently be set for linear or log scale, and scaling. Youc an select from a dozen standard paper sizes, or custom create your own. Graphs can be saved as PDF files, and you can choose whatever color you want for the lines. Also, you can specify independent line weights for the X and Y axis lines.

Graph Paper Maker costs US$19.99, though version 2.2.0 is a free update for registered users. It...

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Apr 16
InPreflight for Adobe InDesign adds Snow Leopard support

Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has updated InPreflight Pro -- its quality control, packaging automation and preflight reporting solution for Adobe InDesign -- to version 2.7. The new version features a revamped user interface and addresses some minor issues.

InPreflight provides a preflight solution for service providers, printers, ad agencies, designers and publishing houses. It gathers information about document fonts, colors and links and lets users locate potential problems according to preflight presets. The software is also a packaging automation solution that allows users to preflight and package multiple documents. Among other abilities, it can collect all files into one folder, eliminating the need to collect the same links multiple times for each design. In addition, InPreflight lets users print graphic preflight reports and save them as fully searchable interactive PDF files, providing an...

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Apr 15
Fable Sounds ships Broadway Big Band Kontakt 4 Player Edition

SONiVOX (http://www.sonivoxmi.com), on behalf of Fable Sounds, has announced the availabliity of the latest version of the Broadway Big Band virtual Instrument for Mac and PC systems. It's designed to let you accurately portray contemporary jazz, blues, pop, and rhythm 'n blues woodwind, brass, and rhythm instrument’s playing techniques in a playable virtual instrument plug-in.

By integrating the Broadway Performer technology directly into the Kontakt 4 Player via Kontakt’s l scripting engine, this new version of Broadway Big Band is designed to simplify use as well as add greater control over expressiveness. For the first time Broadway Big Band users will be able to use Broadway directly in their DAW environment without having to use any virtual MIDI cabling or more elaborate midi routing.

Fable Sounds is offering a special cross-grade price for registered users who wish to cross-grade to the new...

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Apr 15
Spiderweb Software updates Avernum 6 game for the Mac

Spiderweb Software has updated Avernum 6 for Mac OS X (http://www.avernum.com/avernum6/index.html) to version 1.0.3. Avernum 6 is the final game in the epic Avernum series. This upgrade fixes a handful of bugs and balance issues.

Avernum 6 is set in the world of Avernum, an enormous series of caves far below the surface of the world. Here's how the game is described: "Avernum is a world underground. It is a nation of people living in an enormous warren of tunnels and caverns, far below the surface of the world. Once a prison colony for rebels and thugs, it is now a wild frontier, full of adventurous souls looking for wealth, fame, and magical power.

"And then the Blight came. Almost overnight, the mushrooms Avernum needed to feed itself withered and died. Then the denizens of the low tunnels, the savage, reptilian Slithzerikai, emerged. Sensing weakness, they...

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Apr 15
Apple tops Bloomberg BusinessWeek's '50 Most...

For the sixth consecutive year, Apple has topped the list of Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s annual special report, “The 50 Most Innovative Companies,” produced in collaboration with partner Boston Consulting Group.

Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Toyota Motor round out the top five. For the first time since the rankings began in 2005, the majority of corporations in the Top 25 are based outside the U.S. and 15 of the Top 50 companies are Asian -- up from just five in 2006. China’s rise is biggest. A year ago its only representative was computer maker Lenovo Group, at No. 56. This year Greater China is tied with Asia’s postwar powerhouse, Japan, thanks to showings by BYD (8), Haier Electronics (27), Lenovo (29), China Mobile (44), and Taiwan-based HTC (47). Just ahead of General Electric in seventh and eighth places are newcomers LG Electronics of South Korea and BYD, with Korea’s Hyundai Motor claiming a spot at No. 22.

Boston Consulting Group’s annual survey of top executives...

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Apr 15
iPad causing 'radical paradigm shift ' in...

The iPad is causing the entertainment, publishing and information industries to undergo a radical paradigm shift in their methods of delivering entertainment and information to consumers, according to a new report from Rider Research (http://www.riderresearch.com) of Baton Rouge, La.

The impact started on day one, says Geoff Whiting, who prepared the report.. Apple said it sold over 300,000 the first day the iPad went on sale in the U.S. and that over one million iPad apps were downloaded. With the iPad, Apple has created a leisure media device that consumers can use thoughout the home: for reading books, playing movies and music or as an instruction manual for home repairs or cooking, Whiting says.

"Studios, TV networks and magazine/newspaper publishers are no longer limited to immobile TV sets, mobile phones with tiny screens or PCs that place entertainment in a secondary role," he adds...

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Apr 15
iPhone/iPod/iPad apps for April 15

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/).

The Center for Biological Diversity has unleashed Wild Calls for the iPhone, a free app designed to increase awareness of the plight of endangered species worldwide and to spur people to take action to protect wildlife. It allows users to receive a randomly selected endangered species sound each week (or more frequently if users choose) via push notification.

MobileFolk has announced OrangePanel 1.0, a free paid surveys app for the iPhone platform. It allows users to complete surveys and earn cash and rewards on the go.

Bulkypix, has has unveiled a new action-puzzle game, Saving Private Sheep, for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's a $2.99 "physics-based puzzler that combines logic, dexterity and strategy to achieve victory."

Cause...

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Apr 15
MacPractice announces iPad solutions

MacPractice -- the developer of MacPractice MD, MacPractice DDS, MacPractice DC, and MacPractice 20/20 -- has announced the launch of new iPad integration solutions that allow doctors and dentists to use all MacPractice products on an iPad to leverage the efficiency and ease of use of Apple’s latest innovation to streamline care, save time and reduce the risk of data entry errors.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with requests from doctors who want to use MacPractice on an iPad,” says Mark Hollis, president of MacPractice. “The interface solutions we have tested allow doctors to use this incredible device in a patient encounter, enter the visit data into MacPractice EMR and have access to medical and dental images, prescription history, etc. literally at their fingertips at the point of care.”
 
Besides qualifying its MacPractice iPhone Interface for use on the iPad, the new iPad interface solutions leverage collaborative technologies to make the total functionality of...

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Apr 15
Native Instruments introduces Paranormal Spectrums

Native Instruments (http://www.native-instruments.com) has introduced Paranormal Spectrums, a new Kore-powered instrument that creates "mysterious and unsettling" sonic atmospheres.

For use with Kore 2 and the free Kore Player, it's designed as a resource for suspenseful film and game scores in the horror, thriller and mystery domain, and is also suitable for dark electronic music styles. Based on atmospheric field recordings, unusual sampled sounds and intricate synthesizer programming, Paranormal Spectrums offers an assortment of evocative pads and sinister soundscapes, as well as intense mallets, flutes, bells and synth sounds.

It takes advantage of the integrated engines of Kore 2 and Kore Player. It also combines the advanced sampling features of Kontakt with the versatile synthesis functions of Massive and Absynth and the sound processing capabilities of Guitar Rig to...

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Apr 15
Quark joins RIXML.org as an associate member

Quark (http://www.quark.com) has become an associate member of RIXML.org, a consortium of buy-side, sell-side, and vendor firms committed to the development and implementation of the first open standard for investment research.

Quark offers Quark XML Author, an XML authoring tool that allows anyone to create XML content directly in Microsoft Word. Quark XML Author can be configured for RIXML so that research analysts and other non-technical professionals in the financial services industry can create RIXML content easily, without having an understanding of XML coding.
 
As an associate member, Quark says it brings more than a decade of experience in XML authoring, including extending the usability of XML and advancing XML standards. Quark will help advance the RIXML specification through direct participation in RIXML workgroups to discuss trends, solve issues, and develop future releases of the...

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Apr 15
Apple rises from 71 to 56 on Fortune 500

Apple now sites at 56 on the Fortune 500 list, "Fortune" magazine's annual ranking of America's largest corporations. That's up from 71 on the previous year's list.

"Fortune" says Apple's profits are up 12.5% from 2009 and that, as of March 26, the company has over $53.8 billion in asssets. The top 10 on the list are Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobile, Chevron, General Electric, Bank of America Corp., ConocoPhilips, AT&T, Ford Motor, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and HP.

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Apr 15
HoudahGeo update for Mac OS X supports Aperture 3 Places

Houdah Software (http://www.houdah.com/) has updated HoudahGeo, a geocoding solution for the Mac, to version 2.5. The new version brings full integration with Aperture 3 Places.

HoudahGeo costs US$30 for a single-user license for new users. Version 2.5is a free update for registered users. HoudahGeo requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher.

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Apr 15
Speck announces wave of iPad cases

Speck has offered up a full line of cases, bags and other new solutions for the iPad. Pricing ranges from US$24.95 to $49.95.

The first three offerings, the PixelShield sleeve, PixelSleeve Plus carrying case and ShieldView anti-glare protective screen films for iPad offer optimum screen and device protection. Also coming are CandyShell cases, Fitted Hard Shell Cases, SeeThru and SeeThru Satin cases and PixelSkin for the iPad. For more info go to http://www.speckproducts.com .

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Apr 15
PlusTek announces workgroup scanner with integrated flatbed

Plustek Technology (http://www.plustek.com/usa) has announced the new SmartOffice PL1530 scanner, Plustek's newest ADF scanner with an integral flatbed. It will go on sale next month with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$349.

The SmartOffice PL1530 features two USB ports that allow the scanner to be shared between two computers for business users who want to save money and space. It's bundled with business card reading software and a suite of document management and scanning applications.

Documents can be scanned with the flatbed or ADF and sent to either computer with the press of a button. Multi-page documents can be scanned on both sides to be processed into electronic searchable PDF files.

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Apr 15
MacForensicsLab gets speed boost, more with version 3.0

MacForensicsLab (http://www.MacForensicsLab.com) has updated their self-titled, computer forensic suite, MacForensicsLab, to version 3.0 The new version offers new features, more stability and speed improvements.

The latest version of MacForensicsLab features redesigned core functions. Speed improvements make all tasks faster than ever, says MacForensics CEO Marko Kostyrko. Some operations were benchmarked to run up to 12 times faster then the previous version, he adds. New 64-bit operation helps to maximize speed and take full advantage of newer Mac's Intel processors. What's more, MacForensicsLab has redesigned memory allocation algorithms to prevent system freezes due to memory leaks or inefficient memory distribution by the operating system. 

MacForensicsLab is priced at US$1,195 for licensed law enforcement and $1,495 for private industry. Upgrade pricing is available for owners...

| Read more »
Apr 15
Apple looking for engineer for iPad video capture

It’s "a sure thing that the iPad will get a camera in its second generation," according to the "Cult of Mac" site (http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-is-hiring-ipad-camera-engineer/38256). There’s already an empty, iSight-shaped slot in the iPad’s frame and Apple is looking for a performance QA engineer to work on still and video capture in the iPad Media department.

At the "Jobs at Apple site" (http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=1&method=mExternal.showJob&RID=47818...), it says: "The Media Systems team is looking for a software quality engineer with a strong technical background to test still,...

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Apr 15
Steve Jobs is entrepreneur most admired by teenagers

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple, is the entrepreneur most admired by teenagers, according to a new survey by Junior Achievement USA (http://www.ja.org), the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

In a poll of 1,000 12-17-year-olds, 35 per cent thought that Jobs was more impressive than Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg or television host Oprah Winfrey, reports the "Telegraph" (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7593141/Steve-Jobs-is-entrep...). Zuckerberg was the favorite of 10% of respondents, and Winfrey the...

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Apr 15
Tidy Up for Mac OS X tidied up to version 2.1.5

Hyberbolic Software (http://www.hyperbolicsoftware.com) has released Tidy Up! 2.1.5, the latest version of their disk, file and folder processing utility for Mac OS X.

Tidy Up! can find duplicate files and packages using any criteria. Version 2.1.5 improves the search for content within email messages of Mail. Now it will find messages even if they differ by the number of spaces at the end of the message.

Tidy Up 2.1.5 requires Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") or higher. Upgrades from version 1.x are $20, and upgrades from version 2.x are free.

| Read more »
Apr 15
Dr. Bott releases mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters

Apple's newly released MacBook Pro models now support audio output via their mini DisplayPort, and Dr. Bott's mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters fully support this new feature. With these adapters, a single HDMI cable can transmit both audio and video to your LCD-TV or LCD-display.

Older Macs with a non-audio mini DisplayPort can achieve the same result by using the Dr. Bott Audio and mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter Pro. This adapter combines digital audio and digital video to a single, unaltered HDMI signal to pass to the display via HDMI cable.

All Dr. Bott HDMI adapters for mini DisplayPort support HDCP copy protection. They're plug and play; no driver installation is necessary.

The US$29 Mini Display Port to HDMI Adapter is designed to connect your flat panel display or LCD-TV with HDMI-Port to a computer equipped with a Mini DisplayPort. It supports audio output on the MacBook Pros released this week.

The $99Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter Pro w/...

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Apr 15
vjoon announces full support for Adobe Creative Suite 5

vjoon (http://www.vjoon.com) says its cross-media publishing platform, K4 6, will be compatible with Adobe Creative Suite 5 in the second quarter of 2010.

With its explicit workflow features for multiple output channels, content management for multimedia, and automation of exports for digital publishing, K4 version 6 complements the latest Adobe creative software by "providing an ideal platform for creative teams to collaborate," says vjoon CEO Andreas Schrader. He adds that, in K4, content isn't simply reused for different channels, but is adapted to the different demands of specific media and devices, including web sites, print publications and handheld devices such as the iPad and Amazon Kindle.

| Read more »
 
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