Booq unveils all-new 2006 Boa laptop bags

Nearly two and a half years after releasing the first Boa backpack, Booq this week unveiled a completely new series of Boa bags that have been redesigned based on feedback from customers. The all-new 2006 Boa Backpacks feature dramatically improved laptop protection, substantially more room, more pockets and a slick new design. The 2006 Boa.XM fits 14" and 15" Apple laptops and is available in either black of beige for $140. For an extra $50, you can upgrade to a Boa.XM "system" package that includes FonePaq and PDApaq accessory cases and your choice of a PowerSleeve or Vyper laptop case. A similarly crafted 2006 Boa.XL backpack retails for $150 and fits Apple's high-end 17-inch PowerBook G4. The Boa.XL, available only in black, also comes in the complete "system" solution for an additional $50. Booq is currently taking pre-orders for the new bags, which it says will begin shipping on June 25th. Also this week, the company unveiled two new "Venom" luxury iPod cases crafted from nappa leather and suede.

Apple products in new Bressi Ranch homes

Homebuilder Lennar’s new communities in Bressi Ranch will include the latest digital lifestyle technology from Apple. The new homes will feature Apple’s iBook G4 laptop computers, loaded with iLife ’05, Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and iTunes. Additionally, the homes are equipped with Apple’s Airport Express with AirTunes -- plus a three-year comprehensive support package. A video showcases the Apple hardware in the new homes.

Briefly: HipTunes, SketchUp 5, Dell cluster, Silo 1.4

In brief: HipTunes is offering iPod and iPod mini cases to go along with Genre Collection's line of designer belts.... The Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec has purchased a 2,024-processor supercomputing cluster from Dell for $7 million, the computer maker said Wednesday.... Strata today announced that Nevercenter’s Silo 1.4 has joined the Strata Connected Partner Program and will be available as part of a special bundle.... @Last Software will be unveiling SketchUp 5 during the Design Exposition in @Last Software booth (# 4427) on Friday, May 20th and Saturday, May 21st.

Maxon releases 64-bit Cinema4D for Windows only

Maxon has released a Windows-only 64-bit version of Cinema4D, its high-end solution for modeling, animation, and rendering, and said that a 64-bit computing is not fully supported with Mac OS X Tiger: "Even though the G5 processors of the Apple Power Mac series are 64-Bit CPUs, 64-Bit applications are not entirely supported by the OS X operating system. Only command line based programs can take advantage of the 64-Bit memory adressroom. Programs with a graphical user interface (GUI) can only run in 32-Bit mode. Therefore we can unfortunately not offer a 64-it version of Cinema 4D for Macintosh." Apple's own developer documentation confirms that 64-bit programming does not extend to all Mac OS X APIs. "Most notably, the Cocoa and Carbon GUI application frameworks are not ready for 64-bit programming. In practical terms, this means that the 'heavy lifting' of an application that needs 64-bit support can be done by a background process which communicates with a front-end 32-bit GUI process via a variety of mechanisms including IPC and shared memory."

Apple joins fight against US wireless patent...

Apple along with four other compuer companies are fighting a US wireless networking patent held by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) that would require them to pay royalties. Dell, HP, Intel, Netgear, and Apple are trying to overturn a patent by the CSIRO, Austrlian Government's research arm, who initiated legal action earlier this year against a Japanese company for license fees. ABC News Online reports that the CSIRO developed "groundbreaking technology in 1996 that allows computers to network with each other without cables. The technology is now built in to most laptop computers and manufacturers pay the CSIRO a licence fee to use it. CSIRO chief executive Dr. Geoff Garrett said the system made it possible to increase the speed of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) by a factor of five."

Metro 6.3 update to deliver many key changes...

Metro is an application for creating and editing music. It features multi-track, sequencing, recording, and MIDI functionality. A pre-release of version 6.3 is now available to Metro users. The new version is a $30 update that improves compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4. Archive menu has been changed to 'Track Operations' which now includes Freeze, Group Freeze, Thaw, Group and Ungroup Tracks. The new Ultra Rhythm Explorer will automatically create "amazingly intelligent drum beats, bass lines and guitar rhythms." It also has the ability to insert notes, record multiple patterns to a track and even insert a random chord progression from your chord progression library. Also introduced with the update is the ability to manage Chord progressions with the library functions save, delete and insert. Additionally, Core Audio Device output names to are now written to Metro documents.

Apps: Realbasic Plugins, ClickScroll, StreamWatcher

• Realbasic Plugins 5.2 (€80) comprises a collection of several plug-ins that extend the REALbasic development environment with over 500 classes and 4 controls featuring around 10000 documented functions. Version 5.2 adds CoreImage classes, an improved DiscRecording class, better compatibility with the upcoming Realbasic 2005, and more. [Download - 18MB]


• ClickScroll 1.3 ($6) from MGU Software offers scrolling without scrollbars. As soon as it is activated, the user can scroll web pages, documents, and virtually anything else by moving the cursor. The new version supports Mac OS X Tiger, scrolling inversion, and more. [Download - 1.2MB]


• StreamWatcher 1.0.1 ($15) is a sophisticated network monitoring application which allows you to see all of the network traffic your computer can see at a glance. Version 1.0.1 adds a "Resolve service names" option, the ability to log captured information to a file, options to pause and resume display of capture information, and bug fixes. [Download - 519KB]


• Xylescope 1.0 ($15) is a tool for "looking underneath the surface" of Web pages. Using Xylescope users can look analyze complex CSS designs with incredible ease. Users can also experiment with third-party sites, without having to download them first. The developer lists the application's current limitations. [Download - 1.0MB]


• WebranX 1.0 (free) allows users to find the ranking of a website on major search engines results pages for a given keyword. WebranX visually indicates your site ranking among the first 100 results of top search engines like Google, Yahoo, Altavista, Alltheweb, MSN, Teoma. [Download - form]


• Galerie 5.10 (free) generates media gallery web pages from iPhoto, GraphicConverter, iView MediaPro, Extensis Portfolio 7 or from any set of pictures and/or QuickTime media files. The new version adds Tiger compatibility, a new application icon, one-step generating of hierarchical multi-level main index pages, and more. [Download - 2.8MB]

Settlement likely in power adapter lawsuit...

Conclusion nears for a class action lawsuit filed against Apple in California over faulty power adapters. The lawsuit claimed that certain power adapters sold with Macs were defective, and failed prematurely. Apple denies the allegations, and does not admit any wrongdoing or liability. A proposed settlement offers a "compromise of disputed claims and does not mean that Apple has any liability for the allegations made by plaintiff." If the Settlement is approved, Apple will pay a cash refund of $35 to Settlement Class Members who provide proof that they own or owned covered adapters that failed within the first or second year following purchase.

Briefly: Piracy value growing, Shure E4c, Yahoo VoIP

In brief: The value of pirated software worldwide increased in value to $32.7 billion from $28.8 billion in 2003, and is expected to climb as high as $200 billion in five years.... Shure today has begun shipping its E4c sound isolating earphones, which combine the "studio quality sound that listeners have come to expect from the E Series with a sleek, lightweight design to complement today's popular listening devices."... Yahoo plans to improve the PC-to-PC voice communications feature of its Yahoo Messenger instant messaging service, replacing the current walkie-talkie technology with a persistent voice connection.... iRiver has launched in Korea the T10, a new sports MP3 player expected to debut in the U.S. this summer.... TEN Technology has upgraded its naviPlay Bluetooth kit for iPod to connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

CodeBlender ships DeepTrouble 2 game title for OS X

CodeBlender Software today released its newest game for the Mac: DeepTrouble 2 is a sequel to its action game: "this time the underwater aliens are fiercer than ever. As the most experienced pilot of the Excalibur '7' series fighter and reconnaissance craft you are tasked with uncovering the dark secret of the underwater aliens and their colony-world. The many different types of enemies will put your combat and strategic skills to the test as you navigate deeper through dangerous underwater passages and enemy territory." DeepTrouble 2 features 11 levels, OpenGL-based graphics, and OpenAL-based sound effects. It runs on Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later and is available for $30.

palmOne's new LifeDrive challenges PocketPC

palmOne today introduced the LifeDrive Mobile Manager, the handheld maker's answer to PocketPC. LifeDrive features a 4GB hard drive and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless. It can edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from Microsoft Office, store and play music, video, and photos, and record audio. It features a 65,000-color, 320x480 Transflective TFT display that can flip between portrait and landscape orientation. The LifeDrive is powered by a 416MHz Intel XScale processor, and costs $500. Unlike devices powered by Microsoft's PocketPC which require third-party software to work with Macs, the LifeDrive is compatible with Mac OS X out of the box.

Mail Factory 2 stores addresses, offers templates

BeLight Software today released Mail Factory 2, a new version of its tool to design and print envelopes, address and shipping labels. The program now includes embedded address storage, advanced Merge Printing functionality, 15 address templates (corporate, personal), support for Canada Post barcodes, and is compatible with Tiger. Mail Factory also prints USPS POSTNET and Royal Mail barcodes on labels and envelopes to help expedite delivery; it correctly formats addresses for more than 50 countries and supports single or batch printing from Mac OS X Address Book, Entourage, Eudora, Now Contact, MS Excel, FileMaker, vCards or tab-delimited text files. Mail Factory 2 is available for $40.

Apple pushes "Digital Campus," adoption increases...

Apple reports that the Apple Digital Campus is being adopted by a growing number of colleges and universities. Apple's Digital Campus program "helps drive innovation and leading-edge thinking that fundamentally make a difference at participating institutions." It provides a "blueprint for implementing innovative technology that transforms teaching and learning." Highlights of the program include: a strong focus on assessment and evaluation, support for collaboration and media rich learning, easy sharing of ideas, and security and interoperability.

New drives offer up to 100GB in compact enclosure

US Modular today announced Dragon Drive - a bus-powered portable external storage drive system available in 20 to 100 gigabytes. Less than an inch high, these ultra-slim high-performance hard drives are the ideal for portable use. According to the manufacturer, the drives are about the size of a paperback. Internally, the device features a compact 2.5" drive. Because the drives are entirely bus-powered, there are no AC power cords or adapters. Dragon Drive comes standard with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire connections. Dragon Drives will be available in June in all configurations, and will be priced from $100 to $280.

CS Odessa ships LeadingProject 1.3

CS Odessa today released LeadingProject 1.3, an update to its professional project management software for Mac OS X. Version 1.3 features advanced resource reporting system that lets users avoid mistakes in resource allocation and control the budget of multiple projects. It also features adjustable reports (for specific time periods), new report wizards, and better MS Project import. LeadingProject 1.3 is available for $250; previous version owners can download the update for free. The company is offering academic discounts, a special cross-grade price for ConceptDraw products users, and a bundle with other applications (for a savings of up to $250).

Electric Rain ships Swift 3D v4.5 for vector 3D art

Electric Rain today released Swift 3D v4.5, a standalone application allowing designers to build and export vector and raster-based 3D animations for Macromedia Flash, as well as FLV (Flash Video), QuickTime, AVI and other formats. In addition to providing vector and raster style video export, Swift 3D 4.5 introduces a host of vector rendering enhancements including pen-style outlines for improved cartoon rendering, adjustable shadow density and color, realistic transparency, render speeds up to 50 times faster, control over outlines at intersections, support for Level 3 EPS and enhanced SVG output. It is available for $230 (electronic or CD); upgrades from v4.0 are $80 and $130 for other versions.

PowerSchool announces version 4.2...

PowerSchool, a division of Apple and maker of student information systems (SIS), today announced the availability of PowerSchool Pro 4.2. The upgrade builds on PowerSchool's advanced offering for the management of Alternative Education Programs (AEPs), particularly Continuing Education programs. With this new version, PowerSchool also offers compatibility with Apple's new Mac OS X Tiger. PowerSchool's cross-platform, Web-based system offers a choice in database sophistication, including the ODBC-compliant, Structured Query Language (SQL) relational database option, PowerSchool Premier.

Navicat 2005 gains new command line, GUI features

PremiumSoft has released Navicat 2005, adding support for SSH Tunnel, a data synchronization feature, and a built-in SQL console. With SSH Tunnel, database users can easily connect to their remote MySQL server without the need for configuring user privileges. Synchronization Manager lets users synchronize data and data structures across databases. A view-builder and built-in SQL console facilitate the creation and editing of MySQL through the command line. Navicat is a powerful mysql frontend that provides extensive functionality for managing and developing a MySQL database. Navicat's interface lets users easily manage multiple databases. Users can copy data by dragging and dropping, connect to remote MySQL server and schedule a backup or restore, data sync and import or export -- all via a graphical interface. Navicat 2005 is $100.

Analyst: subscription music services to dominate

While Apple's iTunes has attracted a 70 percent market share by selling individual downloads of songs and albums, changing market conditions will make subscription-based music services the dominant model for selling online music in the future, a research analyst claims. Strategy Analytics is the latest research and consulting firm to weigh in on the online music debate, stating, "The retail download model popularized by iTunes is costly and inefficient." Martin Olausson, Senior Analyst with the company's Broadband Media & Communications service, said, "As the online music market matures, most consumers will place greater value on having access to a wide range of music instead of purchasing a smaller number of songs." Merrill Lynch believes that Yahoo's entry into the increasingly crowded digital music space may push Apple to offer its own subscription service later this year.

Apple Store offers refurb 12-inch PowerBooks

Apple has added 12-inch PowerBooks to its list of refurbished items available from the Apple Store. The 1.33GHz 12-inch PowerBook, available for $1,300, features 256MB of RAM, a 60GB drive, a SuperDrive, and built-in AP Extreme. Apple is also offering other refurbished 15-inch models: $1,700 (1.5GHz/Combo) and $2,000 (1.67GHz/SuperDrive)--both of which feature a 512MB/80GB config (as well as Bluetooth 2.0 and a backlit keyboard). Two models of the 12-inch iBook are also available for $800 (1.2GHz/CD or 1.0GHz/Combo) as well as two models of the SuperDrive-enabled iMac G5 for $1,000 (1.8GHz/17-inch/80GB) and $1,400 (1.8GHz/20-inch/160GB). Apple is also offering new models of previous-generation Macs: iMac G5s (starting at $1000) and dual-processor G5 desktops (starting at $1,700). Update: Apple has added a previous-generation 15-inch PowerBook (1.33GHz/Combo) for $1,500 and a previous-generation 17-inch PowerBook (1.5GHz/SuperDrive) for $2000.