Apple has released iMovie 8.0.6, an update of the video editing component of the iLife suite. Apple says the update improves reliability when working with videos from Aperture and is recommended for all users of iMovie '09.

You can obtain the update via the Software Updates component of the Mac OS X Systems Preferences app.

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/).

Nickelodeon announced the launch of several new apps for the iPhone and iPod touch based on its most popular television properties and leading online games; Nick Kids' Choice Awards (free), A to Z With Moose and Zee (US$1.99), Diego Snowboard Rescue ($1.99), Sky Storm ($0.99), High School Cheerleader ($1.99), Dora Saves Crystal Kingdom-Rainbow Ride Lite (free), and Go, Diego, Go: Musical Missions Lite (free).

Cloud-based backup/sync service SpiderOak has announced its first mobile application for the iPhone. The program allows users to access any of the files uploaded to SpiderOak across any device, open personal and guest ShareRooms, and email any individual file (via link) using the iPhone mail client. The free application was designed to work...

Comm-Unity Networking Systems has released POP3it Pro 4.1.8 (http://www.pop3itpro.com/), an update of the email downloading and importing plug-in for FileMaker Pro. The upgrade fixes some bugs and brings full compatibility with FileMaker Pro 11.

POP3it Pro allows you to connect to a POP3 Email Server and download email directly into your FileMaker Pro database. The plug-in also allows you to import email directly from the mailbox storage files of email clients like Thunderbird, Eudora, and Apple Mail.

This version is a free upgrade for anyone with a 4.x license. All you need to do is download the latest version and install it. Your existing registration and settings will be imported into the new version.

For new users a single user license for the client version of POP3it Pro is US$65. To use the server edition of POP3it Pro, you'll need to purchase at least a 10-user license for $319....

Pioneer (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com) has released a new line of 7.1 channel AV receivers that offer A/V control via the iPhone and iPod touch. The VSX-920-K, VSX-1020-K and the Pioneer-branded flagship receiver the VSX-1120-K, offer enhanced iPhone and iPod touch control and functionality, are 3D capable with the advanced version of HDMI and feature wireless Bluetooth audio streaming for Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Additionally, Pioneer today announced availability of its iControlAV App, which turns compatible iPhone and iPod touch into a fully functioning remote control for the Pioneer receiver, on the Apple App Store. 7.1 channel models deliver expanded iPhone functionality with the top two models featuring the company’s first app for their home entertainment products and Bluetooth Audio Streaming for wireless devices.

The new line of 7.1 receivers are iPhone certified...

MyService (http://www.myservice.com) has announced a new 1TB hard drive upgrade for the MacBook Pro. These new Scorpio Blue drives by Western Digital are the largest mobile drives available.

MyService has these drives in stock and the complete upgrade service is US$345. The price includes the new 1TB drive, round trip shipping, professional installation and data transfer.

Your old hard drive is returned to you and can be used for backups. Since MyService is an Apple Authorized Service Provider, the 1TB upgrade won't void your Apple warranty. These drives are slightly higher than standard 2.5-inch drives but fit perfectly in all Unibody MacBook Pros, the 13-inch MacBook Unibody and the 17-inch (Silver Keyboard) MacBook Pro, according to the folks at MyService.

The iBookstore for the iPad will feature the Gutenberg Project catalog for free, according to the AppAdvice web site ("http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/03/exclusive-ipad-ibooks-features-gutenberg-project-library/).

The Gutenberg Project (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) is a free online digital library supported by volunteers. It already includes over 30,000 free eBooks from the public domain.

The iPad will come with an iBookstore app. will feature books from major and independent publishers. The free iBooks app lets you buy books from the iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. Just tap it to start reading.

Ooyla (http://www.ooyala.com), a provider of end-to-end video platform applications and services, says it will support full video delivery to iPad when the Apple product launches on April 3.

Ooyala's integration with iPad will help newspapers, magazines and other publishers create rich and engaging iPad experiences for their readers, all managed with the same Ooyala video platform they use for their web site, says Bismarck Lepe, president of Product at Ooyala. The company already helps publishers deliver video directly to the iPod touch, iPhones and other connected devices.

An intelligent video embed lets the Ooyala player automatically recognize each device and adjust video quality and format for the best possible viewing experience, Lepe adds. This intelligent video embed has been a part of Backlot, Ooyala's video publishing platform, for over a year.

Publishers who already deliver video to...

AdMob (http://www.admob.com) -- which stores and analyzes handset and operator data from every ad request in its network of more than 15,000 mobile web sites and applications -- says that, in February, smartphones accounted for 48% of its worldwide traffic/

That's up from 35% in February 2009. The strong growth of iPhone and Android traffic, fueled by heavy application usage, was primarily responsible for the increase, AdMob says. Although the share of feature phone traffic in AdMob’s network declined from 58% o 35% year-over-year, absolute traffic from feature phones still grew 31%.

Mobile Internet devices experienced the strongest growth of the three categories, increasing to account for 17% of traffic in AdMob’s network in February. The iPod touch is the top mobile Internet device and is responsible for a vast majority of this traffic; other devices include the Sony PSP and Nintendo DSi. Highlights...

Second Gear (http://secondgearllc.com) has released Today 2.2, an update of the US$15 Mac OS X application for managing iCal events and tasks. The new version adds support for viewing and creating data using Microsoft Exchange, the collaborative email and calendaring solution used in many businesses.

Exchange supports requires taking advantage of Mac OS X 10.6's native Exchange support in iCal and Mail. Today 2.2 also has several small user interface enhancements. For example, hovering over an event's title will now display its location and calendar colors are now apparent when creating new events or tasks.

Today distinguishes between different events based on the calendar color you define in iCal. Assign a keyboard shortcut, and you can toggle Today's visibility in a split second. Adding new events and tasks can be accomplished in the same way. You can also schedule next week's meeting or a...

Xsilva Systems (http://www.xsilva.com/explore) has released LightSpeed 3.0, an update of the multi-user Point of Sale (POS) system built exclusively for Mac OS X. The upgrade features a new point-of-sale screen, new features for multi-store retailers, including a new solution called Multi-Store Pro, and expanded support for Xsilva’s e-commerce solution, Web Store 2.0.

Built on a scalable OpenBase SQL foundation, it offers sales, service, tracking and purchasing tools that employ SQL searches, natively multi-user operation and "intelligent" workflows. LightSpeed also features administration and reporting tools. Pricing starts at US$749.

LightSpeed is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher.

Existing users of LightSpeed will receive upgrade license keys for LightSpeed 3.0 if they had a valid support and upgrade...

Last week Apple Board member Jerome B. (Jerry) York died from a brain aneurysm. And according to the "Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870426650457514193392147604...), he wasn't happy with the way Apple CEO Steve Jobs handled his past illnesses.

The article says he had strong feelings about the way Jobs handled disclosures about his leave of absence for health reasons in January 2009. In an interview with "The Wall Street Journal" last year, York said he almost resigned when told of the seriousness of Jobs's illness. York felt Jobs should have publicly disclosed his health problem three weeks earlier in a news release that announced his decision not to appear at the Macworld trade conference, he adds.

York said the concealment "...