Apple releases DVD Studio Pro 4.02 Update

Apple today released DVD Studio Pro 4.0.2 Update, which it says addresses isolated stability issues. According to the release notes, the most significant areas addressed are font size in PAL templates, menu duplication when Text Objects are active, simulation of long PAL MPEG2 stream with MP3 audio, and an isolated issue with recognition of certain media. The 6.1MB update requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is available via the web or the Software Update to owners of DVD Studio Pro.

Apple to extend retail store hours, retail VP resigns

Apple is expected to extend its retail store hours by 46 percent in the coming weeks, according to an ifoAppleStore report. Under the plan, stores would operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sundays. Stores are now open about 62 hours a week, compared to 90.5 hours under the new schedule. ifoAppleStore also reports that Apple's retail segment vice-president and COO Bridget Ryan Berman has resigned under amicable conditions. Berman was a 12-year veteran of Polo Ralph Lauren, serving as president of their retail group before taking the position at Apple.

Macworld to stay in Boston despite drop in popularity

IDG, which organizes the Macworld Expo series, said last week that it has committed to holding the East Coast Macworld Conference & Expo in Boston for the foreseeable future. Apple has refused to attend the July Macworld Expo since IDG moved it from New York to Boston. The summer trade show was arguably the most popular event for Mac enthusiasts when it was held in New York. The show traditionally brought major product announcements from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Since Macworld's move to Boston, Apple has used it World Wide Developers Conference or other special events to make important announcements. IDG is likely to continue hosting the expo as long as it remains profitable. "As long as Macworld Expo works, we’ll continue to do it," said David Korse, IDG World Expo President.

iPod, halo-effect behind Q3 earnings surprise...

Apple "extended its string of upside revenue and earnings surprises" in the third quarter, Needham & Company said today in a report for investors. The iPod's continuing popularity was a driving factor behind the better-than-expected earnings. " The two key drivers of the Apple story continued to work—the iPod and halo effect." iPod shipments rose to 6.16 million units, up 616% year-over-year. The iPod "continued to lure Windows users into the Macintosh fold." Mac unit shipments rose 35%, three times the PC market growth rate. "We’re raising our 2005 and 2006 earnings estimates, maintaining our buy rating and price target of $52."

Briefly: BasaOne review, iSongBook, shuffle Sweats...

In Brief: We've posted a review of BaseOne 2.01, an easy-to-use Mac development tool for small to medium-sized web applications.... Tivoli has introduced the iSongBook iPod radio/speaker music system for the iPod (pictured at right).... iMojo today announced the availability of shuffle Sweats: an armband for the iPod shuffle made from absorbent, machine washable cotton.... Headset maker Plantronics has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Altec Lansing Technologies, maker of high-end portable and powered audio systems.... The success of the iPod in Apple's latest quarter is confounding analysts, according to a report that notes that the average selling price fell to $179 (from $191 in the previous quarter and $290 a year ago) and that Apple has increased its points of sale to 25,000 stores--up from 21,000 in the second quarter primarly to the addition of Wal-Mart as an authorized retailer).

Kerio MailServer 6.1 augments antispam, antivirus...

Kerio today announced Kerio MailServer 6.1, which adds Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Spam Repellent and dual anti-virus scanning to its existing spam-fighting tools. Designed primarily for small and medium-sized businesses, Kerio MailServer simplifies email, contact and group calendar management to provide improved collaboration for all types of organizations. Kerio says that version 6.1 features significantly improved underlying email security technology with the addition of SPF, a popular method of email domain authentication. This augments the already included Caller ID, a similar technology developed by Microsoft. The company also said that the new Spam Repellent feature "effectively fights off both spam and viruses by inserting a delay in the SMTP handshake, which causes a virus or spam-sending zombie to give up the connection attempt."

Belkin debuts Wireless G Travel Router

Belkin today announced its new Wireless G Travel Router, a pocket-sized device that lets you wirelessly share a wired or wireless broadband access. The palm-sized Travel Router features 802.11g technology, network security, a wireless networking range up to 300 feet, and backwards-compatibility with 802.11b Wi-Fi networking. The Travel Router can be used as a wireless adapter or an access point. As an adapter, it adds wireless capabilities to a computer so you can use it to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots. In access point mode, the Travel Router expands the coverage area of an existing network. It will ship at the end of August 2005 for $60 and includes a travel kit and a lifetime warranty.

Redco offers Power Mac G5 rack mount

Redco, a maker of custom rack and cabling solutions, has designed a rack mount for the Apple Power Mac G5. The G5-1210 allows one (or two) G5s to be rack mounted standing upright. Redco's vertical rack mount for the G5 is made of 16 and 11 gauge black powder texture coated steel, is easy to install and requires no modification to the G5 case. The space to the right or left of the G5 can either support computer peripherals like external hard drives, CD or DVD burners, and so on. Alternatively, users can vertically mount up to 5 1U rack mount devices. "This [new] version of our G5 Rackshelf now includes Securing Clips to hold the G5 chassis securely onto the shelf bottom. This allows the unit to be used for mobile applications, as well as stable studio environments." The system costs $150.

S&P reiterates "hold" for AAPL on video iPod rumors

Standard & Poor's Equity Research reiterated a "hold" rating on Apple after a report stated that the company may introduce a video iPod by September. "We believe the evolution of the iPod as a platform for video content was largely expected, and market speculation, we believe, started with the introduction of a color screen on the iPods last year," the research firm said. S&P Equity Research stated that music videos were already available on Apple's iTunes music store. "We believe that like the music service, Apple will make money from device sales versus content sales." The research outfit said the Apple is "fairly valued given our view of its strong cash levels, iPod leverage." Earlier, Analyst Henning Wagener of AC Research reiterated his "accumulate" rating on Apple stock.

Apps: Inquisitor, xBack, xSort, ArcadeEngine, ...

• Inquisitor 1.0 (free) is a novel search extension for Apple's Safari web browser that adds live, predictive search features to the standard Web search field in Safari. As you type, Inquisitor offers suggestions to complete your query based on your own personal search history as well as the search history of every Google user. [Download - 165KB]


• xBack v3.5 ($10) is a utility that allows users replace the desktop with a screen saver. "With xBack, you can bring your desktop to life." The latest version adds quartz composer support and a preference for running xBack at a lower priority. [Download - options]


• xSort 1.0.1 ($40) is a Card Sorting tool for the Mac OS X. Version 1.0.1 is a maintenance release, correcting some minor issues. xSort allows users to model and conduct a card sorting exercise in a graphical view that simulates a table with physical cards that can be dragged around. [Download - 1.7MB]


• ArcadeEngine ($50) lets developers create multimedia applications and games, quickly and easily for every major platform. ArcadeEngine makes it easy to animate objects using simple and complex movements, alter movement speeds and detect collisions. [Download - 1.4MB]


• MacLoggerDX 4.1.1b5 ($95) logs into any Telnet or TNC DXCluster and as DX Spots are received, tunes the radio to the spot, looks up the call and displays the DX station on the real time grey line Map with distance and bearing from the station. The new release adds ILGRadio support to Schedules Panel, bandplan.dat for user-configurable band plan, and Volume & Squelch control & tracking to the Kenwood TS-2000 & TS-570. [Download - 10.9MB]

Briefly: AAPL rating, Plaxo for Mac?, shuffle Sweat

In Brief: Analyst Henning Wagener of AC Research has reiterated his "accumulate" rating on Apple stock.... Mac users are looking for a third-party developer to create a Mac client that would sync the Plaxo online contact service with Mac applications and services, such as MS Entourage, Apple Mail, .Mac, iSync, etc. .... Zen Internet, a UK-based ISP is launching a dedicated Apple support team that will offer advice on the setup of internet applications, hardware, connectivity and wireless on Mac OS X Panther/Tiger (as well as provide limited support for older versions of the OS).... Intego, a developer of Mac security products, today announced that it will port all of its Internet security software to be compatible with Intel processors.... Humbled by Apple's success in music, Microsoft is mending fences with the film world as it tries to conquer the home entertainment market..... iMojo has introduced the shuffle Sweat for the iPod Shuffle.

VocalWriter 2.0 music synth sings English lyrics

KAE Labs has released VocalWriter 2.0, an update to the music application that now brings support for Mac OS X, increased vocal polyphony to 20 voices, new PDF documentation and lower pricing. VocalWriter, available as $40 shareware, is "the first" music application that can automatically sing unrestricted English lyrics. It combines an advanced software vocal/instrumental synthesizer with an interactive music editor, offering an MIDI file editor, player and synthesizer in a single integrated environment. "Users simply type the English lyrics for each note and VocalWriter automatically figures out the word pronunciation from its on-line 100,000 word phonetic dictionary as well as determines the syllable timing and synchronization and the required vocal tract model parameters to sing the lyrics.

SpamSweep spam filter for Mac OS X released

Bains Software has released SpamSweep 1.0, a new spam filter for Mac OS X. SpamSweep is an advanced bayesian spam filter with a simple, easy-to-understand interface. SpamSweep seamlessly combines many filtering technologies, including domain and relay blacklists, sender whitelisting, and a bayesian filter to automatically delete spam messages before they're downloaded by your email client. SpamSweep can notify you when you have new good mail by playing a sound, displaying the new messages in a floating window, or launching your email client. The $20 shareware runs on Mac OS X 10.3 or later; a 15-day trial is available online.

WSJ: Apple to sell music videos? Video iPod in Sept?

Apple may be looking to sell music videos as the next step in the evolution of its iTunes Music Store. The company has recently held discussions with major recording companies, seeking to license music videos to sell through the iTunes Music Store, according to a Wall Street Journal report that speculates the negotiations may be a possible prelude to the September introduction of a new video iPod. "Any foray into video would represent a major gamble by Apple that it could translate its smash success in digital music into a broader entertainment franchise. If successful, such efforts could help create a significant new source of income for media companies that are stepping up efforts to distribute video content on the Internet, in part to counteract the growing volumes of pirated movies, television shows and other programs being traded online." [subscription required]