With today’s launch of http://arkansas.gov/m, Arkansas is the first state to provide secure payment processing specifically for smartphone users. It's part of the official web site of the state of Arkansas.

Starting today, the Arkansas.gov mobile site features secure payments for three high-volume online government services: inmate trust account deposits; probation and parole supervision and restitution payments; and Pulaski County property tax payments. These mobile applications provide an option for users to access government services and are available on all smartphone operating platforms, including the iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, and Palm, says Claire Bailey, chief information officer of the state of Arkansas.

The state’s decision to launch an optimized mobile version of Arkansas.gov was driven by the growing popularity of smartphone devices in the state. “We recognize that...

MacProVideo.com, a supplier of software tutorial videos for Macs, has launched a new tutorial site called NonLinearEducating.com . This new site will focus on creating cross-platform versions of their software tutorials for both Mac and Windows computers. 

According to company founder and Publisher Martin Sitter, “At macProVideo.com we created a method of teaching through videos called the ‘NonLinear Educating System.’ We’ve proven how effective this system is with our large base of Mac users, and we now seek to roll our educational system out the broader market of Windows PC users as well. With NonLinearEducating.com we’ve designed a cross platform educational environment that will appeal to both Mac and Windows PC users.”

NonLinearEducating.com launches with over 150 different titles and 450 hours of tutorial-videos available for software like Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Word, Final Cut Pro, Cubase, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, and Edius Pro. Tutorial-videos at...

Intego (http://www.intego.com), the Mac security specialist, has released Washing Machine 2, a Mac OS X (10.5 and higher) app that cleans up files left behind by web browsers and other Internet programs.

Version 2, optimized for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"), helps Mac users delete files that take up space or present privacy risks, created by a number of programs that access the Internet. Users can clean files quickly, manually or automatically, and use secure cleaning to ensure that the files can never be recovered, according to the folks at Intego.

Washing Machine 2 can clean five types of items: Bookmarks, Caches, Cookies, Download Histories, and Browsing Histories. It works with most web browsers, and many utilities or other programs that store information without users being aware. It even cleans up after some programs that users would never think are storing data. These files can take up several...

IDAPT (http://www.idaptweb.com) has announced the the IDAPT i4. The US$59.99 charging solution will be available in May in black or white.

It can charge up to four mobile devices simultaneously. It's compatible with over 4,000 mobile electronic devices including the iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, Nintendo DS, PSP, PS3 controller, GPS systems, digital cameras, and Bluetooth products.

The IDAPT i4 features an interchangeable tip system making it completely customizable. It has three charging points and an additional USB charging point, allowing users to charge their electronics without the mess of tangled cords or the need for more than one outlet. Additional features include a “quick release” button that lets you eject the interchangeable tips, LED display light indicating charge status, and an on/off switch.

Though all iPhone games will run just fine on the iPad when it launches on April 3, there are very few iPad-specific titles confirmed yet. But Ngmoco plans to rectify that and has six iPad specific titles in the works.

CEO Neil Young tells "GamePro" (http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/214448/ngmoco-to-release-6-ipad-game...) "between us and (recently acquired iPhone studio) Freeverse, we will have about six or so iPad titles around the launch." He told "GamePro" that the Freeverse-developed space trading title Warp Gate "looks gorgeous" on the iPad.

As for other games, they might do Dropship for the iPad. "That game hadn't performed as well as we'd hoped and it was really easy to do, plus it will look great on the larger screen," Young told "GamePro."

Apple has announced the death of Apple Board member Jerome B. (Jerry) York. York, the chairman, president and CEO of Harwinton Capital, who joined Apple's Board of Directors in 1997.

He was the former CFO of IBM and Chrysler, and former vice chairman of Tracinda. He is widely acknowledged for his contributions at Chrysler and IBM during their turnarounds.
"Jerry joined Apple's Board in 1997 when most doubted the company's future. He has been a pillar of financial and business expertise and insight on our Board for over a dozen years," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "It's been a privilege to know and work with Jerry, and I'm going to miss him a lot."

Jerry York was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1938. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, and received an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Trained as an engineer, York worked his way up through Chrysler to become CFO.

Workamajig (http://www.Workamajig.com) is preparing to release a new WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) forms layout tool for Estimates and Invoices, and a new 'Workamajig Labs' Feature. Also included are enhancements for Safari 4.0.5.

Workamajig is integrated software for ad agencies and others in the creative and design industries. The upcoming version will allow any Workamajig user the ability to drag and drop fields and logos, include and exclude columns, use specific fonts, among many other client-requested features.

Using client feedback, Workamajig is adding a new concept called "Workamajig Labs," where Workamajig will release new features to its Project Management Software, and allow clients to turn these new features on when they're ready for them. What's Workamajig's update includes updates for Apple's Safari web browser version 4.0.4.

All updates are deployed using...

SmileOnMyMac (http://www.smileonmymac.com) has updated TextExpander, a Mac OS X utility that lets users define abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images, to version 3.0.1. The new version improves the behavior of the new "fill-in"
snippets.

A fill-in snippet can have multiple blank fields in the snippet content that prompt for additional information to be entered manually in a window that opens when an abbreviation is typed. The fill-in window now supports Cut, Copy, Paste, and Select All keyboard equivalents. Fill-in snippets can now incorporate automatic date snippets.

The regular cost is US$34.95 for a single user license or $44.95 for a five-pack family license. A 30-day fully-functioning demo of TextExpander can be downloaded at the SmileOnMyMac web site. Upgrades to TextExpander 3.0.1 from earlier versions costs $15. Version 3.0.1 is a free update for registered...

PocketMac, the creator of the original Mac-to-BlackBerry sync solution, has released version 5.0 of PocketMac for BlackBerry (http://www.pocketmac.com/PocketMac_for_BlackBerry.php). It comes with a synchronization engine redesigned from the ground up for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard").

The new engine accounts for the new quicker synchronization speeds, according to Tim Goggin of PocketMac. Also included are simpler, clearer preferences, reorganized to accommodate the way users want to work, he adds.

PocketMac for BlackBerry 5.0 includes two-way sync with the Apple Address Book, iCal, Daylite, Entourage 2008, LotusNotes, iTunes, iPhoto and Stickies. In addition, as part of every sync, PocketMac for BlackBerry will back-up all of your BlackBerry's SMS texts, and your call history. A separate viewer application is also provided so that you...

>Karelia Software has updated its free iMedia Browser (http://www.karelia.com/imedia/), an utility to add the familiar "media browser" experience to just about any Mac application, to version 1.2.2. The upgrade is compatible with Aperture 3, the latest version of Apple's software for professional and semi-pro photographers.

Built from the ground up to resemble the media browser found in several Apple applications, the Karelia iMedia Browser is a stand-alone utility that can be used to access a user's library of photos, sounds, movies, or bookmarks.

The Karelia iMedia Browser allows users to browse their libraries of photos (iPhoto, Aperture, and Pictures folders); music (iTunes library, GarageBand songs, and Music folders); movies (from iTunes, iPhoto, and Movies folders), and bookmarks (from several leading web browsers). It can be activated either from the dock or from a small...

Canto (http://www.canto.com) has released Cumulus Sites, a new product that "bridges web site ease of use with the power and control of Canto Cumulus digital asset management." It offers a live asset delivery platform organizations can stylize to suit their identities, and customize to suit their file sharing and distribution requirements.

Cumulus Sites features a “login-free” mode that offers instant “guest” level access. Common permissions for guests include browsing of approved files, and downloads of watermarked-on-the-fly variants, though any access level can be defined. Cumulus account holders can gain higher access levels through an “anytime” log-in option. User actions can be tracked for usage statistics reporting from within Cumulus.

Sites users can share one or more files using a collection link feature. Links can include passwords and expiration dates, and they may be emailed or even added to...

Amazon.com has announced "Kindle for Mac," a free application that lets readers around the world enjoy Kindle books on their Macs.

The U.S. Kindle Store currently offers over 450,000 books, including New Releases and 102 of 111 New York Times Bestsellers. Kindle books can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC and Mac, and, soon, the iPad. Customers in over 100 countries can go to http://www.amazon.com/kindleformac to download the Kindle for Mac application for free today.

Kindle for Mac features Amazon’s Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. A customer can read some on their Mac, read some on their Kindle, and always pick up where they left off.

According to Jay Marine, director, Amazon Kindle, with Kindle for Mac, readers can:

° Purchase, download, and read...