Briefly: iTunes for Australia, DragThing celebration

In Brief: Apple was prevented from launching the Australian version of its popular online music store last Thursday by one unnamed major record company that refused to sign an agreement in time.... TLA is celebrating Ten Years of DragThingn with "A Short History of DragThing - Ten Years Of Tidying Up Your Desktop" with various bits of trivia and previously undisclosed secrets as well as a limited time $10 discount offer.... Extensis has posted a Tiger compatibility matrix for its products and is working to provide full compatibility for all of the affected products.... For now, halo effect exists primarily as a theory in the minds of executives and some analysts, but evidence is emerging that it is becoming a real phenomenon, according to The Washington Times.... Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen will be on hand at the SoHo Apple Store next Tuesday night, as part of the Made on a Mac filmmakers series where they will discuss using Final Cut Pro.

Apps: CodeWarrior, TouchCAD, MMEmail, iBiz...

• CodeWarrior Development Studio 9.5 (free update) is a maintenance release of the CodeWarrior Development Studio for Mac OS tools. The 9.5 update includes bug fixes to the IDE, C/C++ compiler and MSL. The 9.5 update improves compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4. [Download - Web installer]


• TouchCAD 3.5 ($800) is a combined 3D modeling and unfolding program focusing on the ability to generate complex 3D shapes and converting them into physically buildable models. New features include image unfolding, support for stretch unfold calculations, user interface improvements, and more. [Download - 12.9MB]


• MMEmail Preview 1.0 ($35) is a dialog based FileMaker Pro email plug-in. MMEmail has a built-in email window which allows the end-user to compose an email message as if they were using a normal email client. [Download - form]


• iBiz 2.4 ($30) is an intuitive time-billing and invoicing application with Address Book and iCal integration. Version 2.4 now offers Tiger support, in addition to a new iBiz Dashboard widget. [Download - form]


• Cyberduck 2.4.5 (free) is a FTP and SFTP browser for Mac OS X users. The new release adds Tag to the list of supported editors, and fixes a bug where no permissions were set on transferred files when the connection closed unexpectedly. [Download - 4.3MB]


• Intaglio 2.3 ($90) is a Mac OS X Tiger update for the Quartz drawing application. The new version adds a Spotlight importer, Automator actions, support for new Quartz features in Tiger, LinkBack server capability, Improve zoom and scroll options, and more. [Download - 2.7MB]

MakeMusic! ships Finale SongWriter

MakeMusic! today announced released Finale SongWriter, the latest addition to its family of innovative music notation software. Finale SongWriter allows users to quickly and easily compose and arrange music, hear their work and print premium-quality sheet music. Created for songwriters of all levels, it allows notes to be entered via a computer keyboard, a MIDI keyboard, or by importing MIDI files; users can also add key and time signatures, lyrics, chords, guitar fingerboards, markings and musical instructions as well as automatically generate two- and three-voice harmonies and drum grooves. Users can create and edit guitar and bass tablature, save MIDI files and create MP3 files. The $50 software bundles over 129 professional instrument sounds along with a free professional software synthesizer.

Apple releases Bonjour for Windows, SDK available

Apple has released Bonjour for Windows, its networking protocol that allows users to easily network a Windows computer to an existing network or create instant networks of multiple devices without any additional network configuration. The software runs on Windows 2000/2003/XP. Bonjour, formerly known as Rendezvous, enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on networks--without the need to enter IP addresses or configure DNS servers. The open protocol has been submitted by Apple to the IETF as part of the ongoing standards-creation process. A Bonjour SDK is also available for Windows develolpers. (The software and SDK was previously available using older 'Rendezvous' moniker.)

Chicago Sun-Times: Apple shatters Windows with Tiger

Andy Ihnatko says that Apple has 'shattered Windows with Tiger' in his latest column in the Chicago Sun-Times: "Apple's acting like a bunch of jerks about how much better they are at these things than anybody else. I mean, they're really rubbing Windows' nose in it with this one. Which is hardly sporting, but it's undeniably Good News for users....Clearly, the folks at Microsoft have their work cut out for them. The next edition of Windows won't ship until 2006 -- maybe -- and while the company certainly has the sort of smart and creative talent pool that's required to produce such an OS update as jubilant and successful as Tiger, is that part of the company's nature? Every past edition of Windows emphatically indicates the answer is no."

DLO debuts Action Jacket for iPod shuffle

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) today introduced the DLO Action Jacket for iPod shuffle. The Action Jacket for iPod shuffle is a cushioned neoprene case featuring a built-in belt clip that allows for 180-degree rotation of the shuffle and a slender workout armband that also secures the shuffle during any physical activity. It features a clear, vinyl screen that completely covers the iPod shuffle controls and the sturdy belt clip offers the user the option of wearing the shuffle on their hip or belt, bag, shirt, pocket, almost anywhere. The DLO Action Jacket for iPod shuffle costs $25 and is available immediately.

Deja Vu 3.1 supports Tiger, versioned backups

Propaganda Productions has released Deja Vu 3.1, an update to the simple preference pane used to backup files, folders, and volumes. The utility allows you to perform scheduled or manual backups of important folders, or even make a bootable clone of your entire system. Version 3.1 brings Tiger compatibility, new support for versioned backups (i.e., archiving older versions), and the ability to wait for a specific period of inactivity. Users can backup folders, clone any disk, archive changed/deleted files, perform backups manually, connect to remote servers, mirror contents of folders, and more. It is avaialble for $25 ($35 for a household license). It runs on Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

PodGear offers iPod shuffle speaker/docking station

PodGear today announced the launch of Shuffle Station, a speaker system and charging dock for the iPod shuffle. Shuffle Station delivers stereo sound, runs from four AAA batteries, and will also charge the iPod Shuffle over USB. Alternatively, the device can be plugged into a power outlet if available, offering music playback and charging. The Shuffle Station is similar to products offered for the iPod and iPod mini, but claims to be the first such solution for the iPod shuffle. At a price of £35, the Shuffle Station is "only £15 more expensive than the Apple AC USB charger, making it an extremely attractive package." The device "folds flat for storage on the move." The entire PodGear portable speaker range is available now for purchase.

Briefly: Cinematize2 review, iChat issues, ...

In brief: We've posted a review of Cinematize2, a utility for extracting video and audio segments from DVDs, ... Enbaling UPNP on a wireless router may help alleviate iChat bandwidth issues experienced by some users after upgrading to Mac OS X Tiger, according to posts in Apple's support forum, ... Ars Technica has posted "A History of the GUI," an article that looks at the development of the GUI since its inception, ... The release Mac OS X 10.4, also known as Tiger, "should be noted ruefully by the Windows majority," ... REAL Software announced today the company has acquired SQLite-based database technology developed by SQLabs.

Apps: Popcorn, iDive, iListen, HotApp, Mail Fixer...

• Popcorn v1.0.2 ($50) updates Roxio's utility that allows users to easily make high quality copies of (non-encrypted) DVD movies. It adds Tiger compatibility, DVD-R dual layer support, close Caption and DVD player fixes, AppleScript support, and Transcoder performance improvements. It features Toast burning technology, video compression, flexible extraction options, multi-channel audio, and a disc labeler. [Download - form]


• iDive 1.3 ($70) is a free update to the digital video management application; it brings a dedicated Spotlight plugin providing the ability to instantly search for specific clips using the entered annotations, a new clip preview icon associated with the new metadata files, and the ability to double click on a .clip file to launch iDive and select the clip for viewing. [Download - 5.3MB]


• iListen 1.6.8 ($100) offers many enhancements including new features to support Mac OS X Tiger. The new version allows users to access Spotlight and Automator applications by voice; it also introduces new Transcription AppleScript commands and a description field in the Command Editor to enter comments about how the command should be used. Upgrades are $40.


• HotApp 1.9 ($15) brings Tiger compatibility to the keyboard utility that offers the ability to launch applications, search your Address Book, start the screensaver, copy/paste repetitive text, and more using keyboard-commands. It improves support for Tiger, offers a new option to hide dock when activating application, adds backup/restoration settings, and incorporates improved internal data structures. [Download - 1.8MB]


• Mail Fixer 1.0 (free) allows users to theme Mail.app in Tiger. Users can use completely new button skins, as well as icons, to give Mail.app a new appearance. It includes a complete theme that gives Mail.app an appearance similar to Safari/Finder. A simple to modify theme format allows users to create custom themes. [Download - 680KB]


• RapidWeaver 3.1.1 ($35) is a free update that improves stability for FTP and .Mac publishing as well as brings better cross platform browser compatibility. The next-generation web design application can help users easily create professional looking web sites using a host of page styles--each of which are compatible with XHTML and CSS standards. [Download - 6.1MB]


• Count PDF Pages Automator Action 1.0 (free) is an automator action for generating PDF page count reports. "This tool can quickly create a tab delimited list of all your PDF files with their page counts! You can then use a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel to format your catalog into a professional table of contents." [Download - 100KB]

FileControl identifies changed files

Derman this week released FileControl, a new program that determines which files have been installed, downloaded or changed in a specific time frame. The application allows users to specify which folders and volumes will be analyzed for changes, and which files and folders are to be ignored during analysis. Users can filter/search the reported changes by date range and/or name content. It is also possible to inspect and reveal changed items and export changes as text or XML. FileControl can be purchases for $22. A trial version is also available.

Devon updates freeware, launches PDF2RTFService

DEVONtechnologies today released updates to its freeware file find application EasyFind and Mac OS X services HotService and WordService. EasyFind 3.4.1 displays the results with striped background for better readability and fixes some bugs. WordService 2.6 adds support for styled text as well as new and revised commands for stripping attachments and links from rich text and for reformatting oddly formatted text. In addition to activating keyboard shortcuts in Cocoa applications without having to open the Services sub-menu at least once, HotService 2.0 now makes the Services menu accessible through a new top level menu next to the Window menu. Devon today also launched PDF2RTFService, an new filter service that allows all Cocoa applications that can read RTF files to open PDF, PostScript and EPS files as styled and paginated rich text documents.

Apple files SEC Form 10Q for March quarter...

Apple yesterday filed its SEC Form 10Q, which discloses information about the company's financial performance during the March quarter. The company revealed details about the capitalization of software development on Tiger and FileMaker, restructuring charges, its new performance plan for management, lease payments, flagship store expenses, reimbursements to Jobs for 'business expenses', retail growth, iPod and Mac sales numbers, retail investments, and several new lawsuits and updates on other legal proceedings.