News Archive for 05/08/09

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Open-source internet TV software for Mac OS X

08/09, 5:00pm

Internet TV for Mac OS X

The Participatory Culture Foundation today announced the release of DTV, its new open-source internet TV software that is designed to make watching videos from RSS feeds easy. Currently Mac-only, the developer said that both Linux and Windows versions are in development. DTV leverages the podcasting model, but is specifically oriented around video content. Subscription to channels with the built-in channel guide makes finding content simple, and integration with BitTorrent enables convenient download access of super-high resolution video without bandwidth hassles. To get "Mac people flexing their skills on the project," a prize of $1000 will be awarded to the person who submits the best interface which is then used by DTV. Additionally a $300 prize will go to the designer of the best logo. DTV, now in public beta, is free and requires Mac OS X 10.3 and QuickTime 7. (Broadcast Machine R14, also open-source, is software that can easily publish video files to website, offering the option of using torrent technology to reduce or eliminate bandwidth costs.

Apple solution chosen for coverage of Tour de France

08/09, 4:10pm

Apple at Tour de France

UK-based ITV covered Tour de France, a three-week cycling event, using Macs and other Apple technology, according an article posted by Apple. As Lance Armstrong made history with an unprecedented seventh consecutive Tour win, a London-based "dream team utilized a "dream workflow" that included Apple Xsan with four 5.6TB Xserve RAID systems, giving the team over 20TB of storage at DVCPro 50 resolution. The team used Final Cut Pro and PictureReady! to quickly produce results while footage was still being recorded. "PictureReady! sort of 'deceives' Final Cut Pro into thinking it is working with a closed QuickTime file. It allowed us to cut out the traditional digitizing process and access material before digitizing was complete. We ran three copies of the application on three Power Mac G5s, all of which could be in record at once."

Jobs keynote, major announcements at Apple Expo?

08/09, 3:25pm

Apple Expo Paris

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is scheduled to present the opening keynote address at this year's Apple Expo (September 20th to 24th), according to an AppleInsider story from last week. Confirmed by an analyast quoted in another web report today by TMO, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu expects Jobs will use the Paris expo to make significant announcements "beyond just new iPods." Wu said these could include music subscriptions, video and the iTunes mobile phone. In a research note released to clients this week, PiperJaffray said the Paris show would likely deliver an iPod mini with color screen or larger capacity iPod shuffle music player.

Apps: myBattery; Astro IIDC; RBUnit; RBrowser

08/09, 3:20pm

myBattery, Astro IIDC

myBattery 1.0 (free) reads data about notebook-batteries (iBooks/Powerbooks), and gives live feedback about the battery. myBattery will display a warning if the wrong charger is used, and displays the current charge of the battery as well as current maximum capacity related to the original capacity. [Download - 73KB]
Astro IIDC 2.2 ($50) is Astronomy, Microscopy and High Speed Scientific image acquisition software. Version 2.2 adds support for external frame trigger for Machine Vision applications, flicker removal for 50Hz and 60 Hz light sources for Microscopy and Medical usage, direct support for ActiveWire USB IsoOptical Board for controlling servo motors, improvements in image alignment capabilities, faster throughput and a few bug fixes. [Download - 2.9MB]
RBUnit 2.0 ($50) is a unit testing framework available for REALbasic. Version 2.0 features a completely redesigned testing API, designed for ease of use. Online help with a tutorial to get started and full source code for the framework is included with the Professional Edition. Additional features include built-in assertions with default and custom messages, test timings that enable performance analysis of REALbasic code, and more. [Download - 416KB]
RBrowser 4.1.0 ($35) offers easy-to-use FTP/SFTP remote file management, file transfers and folder synchronization. New in version 4.1.0 is stability bugfixes, working site aliases, site preference conversion bugfix and archive/compress functionality. Basic SFTP functions are offered for free. [Download - 1.7MB]
PC-Mac Password Vault 4.3 ($20) is the latest version of a simple and practical password manager for MacOS, Linux and Windows. This version offers new methods to transfer username and password information to a web browser (or other application) including drag-and-drop and timed-paste, as well as a number of minor enhancements and bug fixes. [Download - 4.1MB]

Apple fails to patent iPod interface

08/09, 3:00pm

iPod UI patent rejected

Apple has failed to patent its iPod software interface, following three-year-long patent application process, which could allow its competitor to build similar-style GUIs for their own MP3 players. AppleInsider reports that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a final rejection for Apple's patent application, which lists Apple vice president Jeff Robbin and Apple chief executive Steve Jobs as two of its primary inventors. "Standing in Apple's way appears to be a prior filing by inventor John Platt, who submitted a patent application for a similar software design for a portable device in May of 2002 -- just five months before Robbin submitted his claims on behalf of Apple."

iPodWorld debuts PodPod, folding portable speakers

08/09, 2:50pm

iPodWorld debuts PodPod

iPodWorld recently introduced PodPod Companion speakers, portable fold-away speakers that deliver 800mW of clear, sharp sound. The "self-powered" device does not require batteries and plugs directly into the iPod headphone jack. PodPod is compatible with all iPods (photo, mini and shuffle), has built-in cable management and can stand on any surface. A travel case is included, PodPod ships for £20.

Mac OS X developer cashing in with Apple

08/09, 1:05pm

OS X developer cashes in

Bertrand Serlet, the Frenchman who played a critical role in creating Mac OS X, is cashing in as Apple's stock continues to rise. Exercising his stock options last year, last July alone Serlet made $3.2 million in net gains from insider stock transactions, according to Thomas Financial. Serlet totaled $7.6 million in the past year from sales of Apple shares obtained through stock options. Apple's stock more than doubled in the past year from $15 per share at the beginning of late August to the $38-$43 range when Serlet began exercising his options in mid-July, according to The Mercury News. Utilizing his compensation plan, Serlet was able to purchase stock options for $9.25 per share and sell them at market prices for quadruple his cost. Serlet told CNET in September that he is a proponent of open-source software and maintains that Apple's software security benefits from a great number of eyes examining its source code.

Image Tricks offers free image editing for Tiger

08/09, 12:30pm

BeLight Image Tricks

BeLight Software today released Image Tricks, a free image editor for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The application lets Tiger users apply the special effects that were previously only available in advanced image editors. Image Tricks is based on Apple Core Image filters and includes about 35 Image Units, including blur, distortion, stylize filters, and tile effects. Other features include iPhoto integration, color adjustment filters, effects filters (crystallize, bloom, gloom, etc.), and cropping tools. "The app works like a charm for blistering-fast image editing in realtime." Image Tricks is also available as a plugin for the updated versions of BeLight Software programs.

Aspyr to ship LEGO Star Wars on August 22nd

08/09, 12:25pm

LEGO Star Wars goes \'gold\'

Aspyr today announced that the Mac version of LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, which allows players to re-live the most memorable scenes from the prequel Star Wars film trilogies as unique LEGO characters, has been declared 'gold master'. The title is scheduled to begin shipping Monday, August 22nd: "For the first time ever, one of the world’s most successful film series meets one of the world’s favorite toys in an epic new video game. LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game features a game world and characters built from virtual LEGO bricks that allows gamers to play through the whole story of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." It will ship for $30 and requries Mac OS X 10.3.8 and a 1.2GHz G4/G5.

Dvorak: Could Apple let OS X run on all PCs?

08/09, 11:05am

Dvorak on Intel OS X

In his latest opinion piece, columnist John C. Dvorak speculates about a scenario where Apple allows owners of regular PCs to install and run Mac OS X for Intel. "A few weeks ago there was some site claiming that Apple was actually going to get a custom x86 chip designed specifically for the Mac OS, to make it impossible for the OS to gravitate toward white boxes [...] There is no question that this would be a boneheaded move, and as I see more and more chitchat about the possibilities, I'm now convinced that this is all a publicity stunt and the Apple community is being used—once again—by the company's marketing department." Dvorak says "this is kind of how Napster went from a few thousand users to a few million users overnight during the crackdown."

Briefly: iChat interviews, keyboard guides, ....

08/09, 10:15am

iChat interviews by CNN

In Brief: CNN has begun an experiment that uses iChat AV to conduct face-to-face interviews.... Mac Musician site MacJams.com has released a Buyer's Guide for new mac musicians looking to add a MIDI keyboard to their audio setup.... Native Instruments announced that Kontakt Experience ($120), its instrument collection specifically designed for Kontakt 2, is now available in stores worldwide.... macProVideo has announced Mastering Final Cut Pro 5, a downloadable video tutorial program.... Digital-Tutors, today announced the availability of the "Particles and Forces in XSI" training kit.... Peachpit has released Keynote 2 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide ($22) and .Mac: Visual QuickStart Guide ($20).

Mossberg: Microsoft outclasses Apple's Mighty Mouse

08/09, 9:50am

MS beats Apple design

Technology guru Walt Mossberg says that Apple's Mighty Mouse takes a backseat to Microsoft's new Wireless Optical Mouse 5000. Despite other glowing reviews, Mossberg says that the Mighty Mouse faces clashing design ideals that make it harder to use than competing products: "But in a stubborn homage to the old dogma, Apple designed the Mighty Mouse so it looks like, and can work like, a one-button mouse.... Microsoft's new model is cordless, like most modern, premium mice. Apple's Mighty Mouse is tethered to the computer with a cord, like most low-end models." The review criticizes Apple's implementation of the dual-click system using a single-button mouse: "I found that the design makes right-clicking slower and clumsier than on a typical Microsoft or Logitech mouse with real buttons.... I found that right-clicking with the Mighty Mouse was unpredictable. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. We needed to press the right side repeatedly to get a single right click, slowing us down and annoying us, well, mightily."

PowerLogix offers 2.0GHz PowerForce G4 CPU upgrade

08/09, 9:30am

2.0GHz G4 CPU upgrade

PowerLogix today announced immediate availability of the 2.0GHz Single Processor PowerForce G4 7447A processor upgrade card for desktop Macs. The 2.0 GHz PowerForce G4 7447A utilizes the latest, fastest available FreeScale PowerPC 7447A and includes 512K of on-board L2 cache. The card features an on-board thermal sensor and realtime thermal monitoring as well as Dynamic Frequency Switching (DFS) for significantly reduced power demand. The upgrade is compatibile with the Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics (Sawtooth), Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver and Quicksilver 2002 models and supports both Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X 10.3.5 and higher. It is immediately available for $400 from Other World Computing. In addition, OWC offers a 1.8GHz single-processor PowerLogix PowerForce G4 upgrade for $340 and dual-processor version running up to 1.8GHz starting at $420.

iPodNN: Logitech speakers, FID headphones, Canada tax

08/09, 9:25am

Logitech speaker for iPod

iPodNN roundup: Apple Canada will soon begin processing refunds for Canadian customers who paid tariffs for buying digital audio players.... First International Digital (FID) has introduced its irock 5.1 theater sound USB headphones..... Analysts say that Creative Technology's future remains uncertain as the company is prepared to report a loss for the June quarter.... Both new Nokia handsets and Sony Ericsson's new Walkman phone are designed to compete with Apple's iPod.... Apple has moved a step closer to launching its long-awaited iTunes online music store in New Zealand by assuming control over the itunes.co.nz domain name.... Logitech today introduced two new speaker systems designed specifically for portable music players, including the mm50 portable speakers for iPod (pictured at right).

Logitech offers two new portable speaker systems

08/09, 9:15am

Logitech mm50 for iPod

Logitech today announced expanded its mobile music product offering with the introduction of two new speaker systems designed specifically for portable music players. The Logitech mm50 portable speakers for iPod (pictured at right) and the Logitech mm28 portable speakers for other MP3 players. The mm50 for iPod offers customized iPod features, high-quality sound, and a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The speakers simultaneously recharge the iPod battery as well as the speaker battery when powered by the included AC adapter. The speaker battery lasts up to 10 hours per charge, according to the company. It is expected to ship next month for $150.

Messenger for Mac 5.0 gains tabs, new UI, security

08/09, 9:10am

Messenger for Mac 5.0

Microsoft has announced Messenger for Mac 5.0 in response to the "enterprise need for enhanced Mac instant messaging." The new version of improves the "consumer IM experience" as well as enabling corporate IM with support for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005. Messenger for Mac 5.0 introduces tabbed viewing, "a new approach for Mac customers who use instant messaging for work and for play." Users may simultaneously access corporate and personal Messenger accounts and set a unique user status on each. Support for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 enables enterprise customers to IM in a security-enhanced manner via the corporate tab with colleagues inside and out the network.

Lemkesoft releases GraphicConverter 5.7

08/09, 9:05am

GraphicConverter 5.7

Lemkesoft has released GraphicConverter 5.7, an update to the popular graphics utility for Mac OS 9/X. It adds new quick cropping functions, , direct icns export, a temporary visible grid, bsb/psf import, export as favicon, improved trim functionality, and several other improvements and bug fixes. The utility imports more than 190 graphic file formats, exports to more than 75 file formats, offers batch conversion options, can perform slideshows, offers both basic and advanced image manipulation, supports JPEG200, and more. The shareware is available for $30.

Review praises Mighty Mouse for scrolling, design

08/09, 8:55am

Mighty Mouse review

Bob LeVitus has written a short review of Apple's new Mighty Mouse for the Houston Chronicle in which he praises the device for its scroll ball and "seamless" design. "What I like best about Mighty Mouse is its scroll ball, which is sort of like a traditional scroll wheel, but better.[...] It's fast, precise, easy to get used to and by far the best scrolling mechanism I've tried. It's superb for working with large documents in programs such as Adobe Photoshop and iPhoto." LeVitus says he does, however, agree with some popular criticisms of the mouse. "The fourth button, the one you squeeze, feels awkward to me." Moreover, "I'd prefer that it were wireless instead of connecting via a USB cable."

Sonnet upgrades high-performance SATA PCI controllers

08/09, 12:05am

Tempo-X eSATA updated

Sonnet Technologies today released upgraded Tempo-X eSATA line of high-performance Serial ATA (SATA) host controllers. The company has added support for 3 Gigabit SATA II drives and Windows XP. The Tempo-X eSATA 4+4 ($200) features 4 internal plus 4 external ports, while the Tempo-X eSATA 8 ($300) features 8 external ports; both offer flexibility in connecting additional data storage capacity in both Mac and Windows environments. These host controllers’ ports are independently capable of transferring data at up to 300MB/s, and can achieve much higher transfer rates when connected drives are grouped in a striped RAID array. Tempo-X eSATA cards also utilize the PCI-X interface to take advantage of its enhanced performance capability, while retaining backward compatibility with standard PCI slots. They are compatible with Mac OS X 10.2 or later.