IconBuilder 8.0 creates icons in Photoshop, Fireworks

The Iconfactory has released an update its plug-in filter for creating icons with Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks: IconBuilder 8.0 has been re-designed from the ground up in Cocoa. Version 8.0 allows designers to create icons up to 1024 x 1024 pixels in size for both the Mac and Windows operating systems; the ability to save Multiple File Formats with a single click; support for both standard or customized layout grids and presets; and new verification tools. It also supports adjustable alpa thresholds when creating 8-bit resources, revised/expanded documentation, new keyboard shortcuts, and more. IconBuilder 8.0 is available today for Mac OS 10.3.9 or later for $80. Upgrades are free for purchases after April 1 and $30 for others.

Apps: iPartition, StoryWritingAssistant, TidyUp

• iPartition 1.1.2 ($50) is a disk utility allowing users to repartition HFS+ disks quickly and easily without losing data. iPartition works with all types of hard disks including removable media, such as Iomega Zip disks and external USB/FireWire drives. [Download - 1.9MB]


• StoryWritingAssistant 1.0 ($40) makes it easy to produce well thought-out fiction by taking formatting concerns away from the user. StoryWritingAssistant provides the ability to add notes and to-dos at any level of the text, as well as a place to keep track of characters and their appearances. [Download - 993KB]


• TidyUp! 1.1.2 ($30) searches out duplicates in the iTunes and iPod songs databases. TidyUp! requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later and iTunes 4.0 or later, and is Mac OS X Tiger compatible. [Download - 1MB]


• FTP Suite 4.1.2 ($80) is a collection of classes and code modules which allows REALbasic applications to implement the FTP protocol. New in version 4.1.2 is a bugfix that prevented StartGetDirList and GetDirList from working properly, as well as three new "smart" commands: AbortTransfer, RestartGetSingleFile, and RestartPutSingleFile. [Download - size]

Steve Jobs the next NAR CEO?

Inman News today announced their top 10 candidates to head the National Association of Realtors, declaring Steve Jobs of Apple the top contender due to his innovative nature. According to the report, the NAR is in the process of selecting the final candidate who will succeed Terry McDermott as the group's chief executive officer. Yoda came in at number seven behind Senator Hilary Clinton. Still, considering Apple's recent growth trend fueled by the iPod halo effect, this notion proves interesting. Apple has recently opened stores in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, Arlington, VA, Braintree, MA and London. Further tidings come from overseas, China, New Zealand and Japan feed the fire. All humor aside, Steve Jobs has without a doubt rekindled the spirit of innovation.

QLogic adds Mac OS X support to Switches, HBAs

QLogic today announced that their SANblade Fibre Channel HBAs (host bus adapters), SANbox switches, and SANsurfer software now support Mac OS X and the Xsan file system. QLogic's SANBlade HDA's boast 1.7 million hours between downtime and come with a five-year warrenty, while the SANbox 5200 recently won Storage Magazine product of the year. SANsurfer HBA device drivers, HBA management software and switch management software offer the capability to manage HBAs, switches and disk arrays from a single console.

Briefly: Powerbooks; Pittsburgh Apple store

In brief: Dozens of readers are reporting a problem with the lower memory slot in newer aluminium PowerBooks, where installed RAM is not recognized by system and a petition has been created.... One reader noting an upcoming Apple Store in Pittsburgh (PA)--in the South Hills Village Mall in the southern suburbs of Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon.... Yahoo has begun testing a new feature which will search through millions of songs offered by online music services such as iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster.... The Apple Developer Connection has posted an introduction to open-source scripting on Mac OS X.... The Mozilla Foundation has launched the Mozilla Corporation, a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary.... Readers report that Quicken 2005, released earlier this week, has some compatibility issues with Mac OS X Tiger, causing application crahses, as confirmed by Intuit tech support; Intuit has not acknowledged the issue or provided a resolution.

MCE iBook SuperDrive upgrade supports "Dual Layer"...

MCE Technologies today announced a new slot-loading 8X DVD-Recordable internal SuperDrive upgrade with both DVD+R DL ("Double Layer") and, for the first time in an iBook drive, DVD-R DL ("Dual Layer") support for Apple's iBook G3 and iBook G4 laptops. In addition to recording to 4.7GB DVD-R/RW and 4.7GB DVD+R/RW media at up to 8X speed, the MCE 8X SuperDrive can write to DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media, recording up to 8.5GB of information at up to 4X speed on a single side of this media. The MCE 8X SuperDrive upgrade with Dual/Double Layer support carries is available immediately for $200.

Jobs 'super-excited' about iTunes for Japan...

Apple's Steve Jobs, who launched iTunes for Japan earlier today, said he was "super excited" about the service: "The future looks very, very bright for the iPod in Japan," he said during the launch event. Jobs reminded users that while Sony shipped 2 million PSP digital music players last quarter, Apple shipped more than three times as many iPods--nearly 6.2 million in total for the second quarter of 2005. While the service launched to much fanfare, offerings from Japanese artists on Sony labels aren't available on iTunes, though a deal may soon be in the works, according to a Sony representative who said that Sony is currently in talks with Apple, but has yet not reached an agreement.

Sony PlayStation 3 'Cell' processor to support OS X

A new posting on Sony UK's website indicates that the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) may be compatible with the Mac OS X. The article in Sony's magazine says that the company has not finalized an operating system for the PS3, which is expected next year, but may be further delayed into 2007. The PS3 gaming device will use a new multi-core 3.2GHz Cell processor developed jointly by IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba will support a variety of operating systems, such as Linux or Mac OS X Tiger. While many rumor sites have speculated that the Cell processor could run Mac OS X, this is the first time Sony has officially mentioned support for Mac OS X. Sony's website says the PS3 is expected to offer optional hard drives of up to 80GB or 120GB, but that it "remains to be decided whether the standard version of the PS3 will come complete with a hard drive. The operating system has also yet to be clarified. The integrated Cell processor will be able to support a variety of operating systems (such as Linux or Apple's Tiger)."

Apple absent from annual best-brands survey

Sony and Dell toppped the annual Harris Poll, which asked 2,339 U.S adults to rate the their three brands. Apple didn't even make the top 10, according to the recently released results; industry competitors such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard as well as several car companies and Coca-Cola were among the top cited brands. The poll simply asked the adults to provide a brand without providing a suggested list. Sony topped the poll again for the sixth consecutive year, while Dell and Kraft each moved up a spot to second and third spots, respectively. Coca-Cola, Ford, Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Microsoft, HP, and Procter & Gamble, rounded out the top 10. Harris said that the figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the US population.

FileMaker launches web resource for ad community

FileMaker today launched a new resource web page for creative professionals within the advertising community and also said its free Creative Pro Starter Kit, available online as a try-before-you-buy product, includes several solutions which enable creative, business, traffic and production professionals to discover how FileMaker Pro 7 can be used to "more effectively and efficiently manage client details, job status, digital assets, time sheets and project activities." It includes ClientTracker, Praesto Jr. (job and client tracking), Asset Tracker (digital asset management), Job Time Tracker (time tracking solution), and JobCharge Timesheet (collecting and managing hourly charges). The Creative Pro Starter Kit was released last November as a free product, while FileMaker Pro 7 is $300; upgrades from v6.0 are $150.

Color iPod mini may be Apple's 'home-run' product...

Apple enthusiasts, analysts, and industry-watchers have been speculating that Apple will introduce a new video-enabled iPod this fall; however, at least one analyst believes that Apple's 'home-run' product will be an iPod mini with a color screen and that the video iPod will not be released this year. In its most recent note to clients, Piper Jaffray maintained an "outperform" rating with a $52 price target on Apple, saying that it expects the company to launch a number of new products by the end of the year--in time for the holiday season and possibly as early as Apple Expo in late September. Forbes.com reports that the firm believes Apple will debut a higher-capacity iPod Shuffle and color screen iPod mini. "In our view, a color screen iPod mini would be a home-run product for Apple in the upcoming holiday season."

Columnist says Apple sales dropping, Vista will rule...

Industry pundit Rob Enderle says that both Linux and Apple are unlikely to benefit if Microsoft's Windows Vista is a Dud, according to his latest column. "In the end it will come down to Microsoft and their partners' ability to build and sustain demand. If they can't -- and either Linux or Apple can address their current shortcomings -- they could lose share. This is unlikely. What is more likely to happen is that people will just stick with what they are running. Under that scenario it is very likely the press coverage for Microsoft will look a lot like the press coverage now does for Sun. If they can drive a massive sales event for Vista, Apple might take a significant hit, the PC market would get a lot healthier, and AMD, in particular, would get a nice shot in the arm."

Briefly: Henrico switch, BT offers songs, free loops

In Brief: Henrico County has decided that its residents should get first shot at the iBooks and has delayed the iBook firesale.... Creative yesterday launched a video-enabled MP3 player, in an effort to "outclass" and better compete with industry leader Apple.... Northern Softworks today released its updated free Alaska Desktop Photo collection, a collection of scenic Alaskan photos edited for use as Mac OS desktop pictures.... Ars Technica has posted photos of the inside of Apple's Mighty Mouse, saying that the "top half of the mouse contained the most interesting features to examine."... Internet provider British Telecom is offering free iTunes songs (and a discount on iPod hardware) to new broadband customers until October 23..... MacJams.com has announced it will give away a new, free collection of over 20MB of Apple-format audio loops each of the next five weeks.