News Archive for 05/10/26

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Briefly: iFill review, Omniweb browser update

10/26, 9:45pm

Grifiin\'s iFill review

In Brief: We've posted a review of iFill, Griffin' utility for filling music with the iPod with music from internet radio stations..... M-Audio has reduced the pricing on its Fast Track Pro audio interface by $50 to $250.... Brookside Baptist Church is producing a two minute weekly video feature optimized for the upcoming Apple video iPod.... Econ Technologies has updated ChronoSync 3.1.1, its automated synchronization and backup application with improved file archiving process and other enhancements.... Thought Equity has releaesd its new Stock Footage Search widget, which can search, view results, and download from its library of broadcast quality footage.... OmniWeb 5.1.2 is a minor update to the Mac OS X web browser, offering an interface localized in English, French, German, and Swedish as well as several bug fixes including support for the recently released Flash 8 browser plug-in.

Apple releases Backup 3.01

10/26, 6:15pm

Backup 3.01 released

Apple today released Backup 3.01, updating the data protection application to address file restoration issues. The update is recommended for all users, according to Apple. Apple said the update specifically addressed restoring files to an alternate location and accuracy of the iDisk progress bar when uploading files. Apple's free Backup application helps identify the most important files for backing up, grouping them together for easy classification as well as automates the process with a scheduler, backing up files to iDisk, CDs, DVDs, FireWire hard drives, network servers, or an iPod. Backup is included with .Mac membership, and is not yet available via the Web.

Creative blames Apple for MP3 player shortage

10/26, 4:55pm

MP3 player shortage

Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs today warned that MP3 players may be hard to find during the holiday season due to a shortage of flash memory chips, and blamed Apple by citing the special deal that the company made with Samsung. "Industry demand for high-capacity flash memory currently outstrips supply and this will impact availability of our 1GB flash MP3 players for the holiday quarter. [...] The shortage of flash memory, according to industry analyst speculation, is primarily a result of a special deal that Apple has secured from a key supplier for the holiday season," McHugh said. Creative posted a bigger loss than expected, partially because Apple has squeezed prices, according to a report from PC Pro.

BenQ unveils 20-inch wide-screen LCD

10/26, 4:10pm

FP202W LCD monitor

BenQ today unveiled its 20-inch wide-screen LCD monitor, featuring an 8ms response time. The BenQ FP202W offers up to 1680 x 1050 resolution, a 600-to-one contrast ratio, and includes a hotkey that allows instant switching between analog and digital signal input. The 43cm in-screen width preserves the content of DVD movies and games in their original format without cropping or compression. Other features include a key for quick image auto adjustment, dual inputs for both D-Sub and DVI-D single, and VESA wall mounting compatibility. The FP202W is expected to be available by the end of the year (pricing was unavailable).

ABC to offer more TV content for iTunes

10/26, 3:15pm

ABC television shows

ABC early next year is planning to increase the number of television shows for iTunes, which are available for viewing on wireless and mobile devices -- such as Apple's fifth-generation iPod. Albert Chang, executive vice president of digital media for the Disney ABC Television Group indicated that efforts are underway to negotiate rights clearances from musicians, actors, writers, and others for shows that Disney does not produce itself, according to a report from imdb.com. "Now when we know a show will be good, we negotiate ahead of time to clear distribution on all platforms. We expect our mobile video subscriber business to reach 14 million in 2009, up from about 200,000 today," Chang said. Disney said it plans to re-launch its Movies.com site with additional editorial content, but without the feature films it originally planned to deliver online, according to the report.

Pixadex 2.0 icon organizer supports Spotlight

10/26, 2:50pm

Pixadex 2.0 released

Panic and The Iconfactory today released Pixadex 2.0, designed to collect, organize, sort, and search thousands of icons. Pixadex 2.0 offers Spotlight-based search features, smart collections, a list view, and nested collections. Other features include a streamlined interface; a search bar; unlimited nested folders in the Collections list; and the ability to import a variety of image formats and instantly convert to desktop icons. Pixadex creates collections that are based on specific search terms such as author, keywords, URLs, and others. Collection icons in the list pane can be customized via copy and paste, and the application identifier can be set in the info window for use with CandyBar. Pixadex is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

Apple lowers refurb iBook, Mac mini pricing

10/26, 2:40pm

Refurb iBooks, Mac mini\'s

Apple has reduced pricing on some its refurb Macs, including its 12-inch iBook; the 12-inch 1.2GHz/Combo iBook (with AirPort Extreme) for $720 and the 12-inch 1.33GHz/Combo iBook (with 512MB RAM) for $800. The larger, refurb 14-inch iBooks are available for $1000 (1.33GHz/Combo) and $1050 (1.42GHz/SuperDrive). Apple has also reduced the price on its low-end, previous-generation Mac mini to $380 (1.2GHz/Combo) and $440 (1.42GHz/Combo). Apple is also offering its refurb 17-inch iMac G5 (1.8GHz/Combo) for $850 as well as its 23- and 30- Cinema Display for $1,100 and $2,100, respectively. All prices include free shipping and Apple's one-year warranty.

Group Logic releases ExtremeZ-IP 4.1 file server

10/26, 2:00pm

ExtremeZ-IP 4.1 released

Group Logic today released version 4.1 of its ExtremeZ-IP v4.1 file server software, designed to provide organizations operating in dual-platform environments with stable and compatible Windows-based file and print server solutions for Mac OS X as well as Mac OS 9. ExtremeZ-IP 4.1 includes major performance improvements, boasting file name searches up to 150 times faster than Services for Macintosh (SFM), and up to 600 times faster than the Mac OS X SMB client. ExtremeZ-IP 4.1 also offers a simplified cluster license scheme, and a new administrator help file format that is easier to maintain. ExtremeZ-IP supports the latest version of the Apple File Protocol (AFP), and the update is free for registered users of version 4.0 with an active maintenance support contract. ExtremeZ-IP 4.1 is priced at $1,350 for a 10-client server pack, and is compatible with Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X 10.2.3 or later.

SCAD offers daily film festival podcasting

10/26, 12:55pm

Film festival podcasts

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) today introduced daily video podcasting of its film festival activities on iTunes. Podcasts will feature festival updates with the latest news and events, two to three interviews with special guests, "man-on-the-street" style interviews from festival attendees, film reviews by SCAD professors, and a calendar of events. The eighth annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design October 29th through November 5th, presents films by studio independent and student filmmakers, as well as workshops and special guests from all areas of the film industry. Daily video podcasts will begin October 31st and run through November 4th. Guests include directors Sidney Lumet and Terry Zwigoff, actors Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Natasha Richardson and James Franco, producer Alan Ladd Jr., film editor and sound designer Walter Murch and animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Tickets and passes to the Savannah Film Festival will be available from the Trustees Theater box office in October for $5 per film.

Soldius1 charges iPod with solar energy

10/26, 12:15pm

Solar iPod charger

Soldius today rolled out the Soldius1 universal solar charger for iPod. Soldius1 charges iPod mini, the new iPod Nano, the iPod Shuffle, and over 250 mobile phone models, including Nokia, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson, Siemens and Motorola, and the new Motorola ROKR iTunes phone. The Soldius1 is the first device of its kind to fully charge iPods and mobile phones, without the need for an intermediary battery or an out-of-the-box charge. The Soldius1 is available with an iPod kit for $100, or for $110 with an iPod and mobile phone kit.

New feature presentations at Macworld Expo

10/26, 12:05pm

Macworld Expo Features

Macworld Conference & Expo today announced the Feature Presentations lineup for the January event. Mac Industry favorites Michael Rubin, David Pogue, Chris Pirillo and Russell Brown will be featured, and topics include: George Lucas revolutionizing filmmaking; David Pogue’s Macworld talk show; the rise of Podcasting; and new features in Photoshop CS. It was also announced today that the Feature Presentations will now be open to all Macworld attendees – those with conference passes as well as those with exhibit hall passes. In previous years, a conference pass was required to attend the Feature Presentations.

Fluid Mask Photoshop plug-in price reduced

10/26, 11:55am

Fluid Mask price reduced

Vertus recently announced that it has lowered the price of its masking and cut-out Adobe Photoshop plug-in, Fluid Mask, to $249. The plug-in cuts out hair, fur, and lattices, and leaves a feathered edge. Features include workflow tabs, opacity control, image information layer control, and a region editor. The image information layer (IIL) can be adjusted to select hard-to-hit edges, or to loose image noise (e.g. high resolution transparency scans). Colors can be assigned to one of three mask types, and selected colors are indicated on the image. Work-in-progress can be previewed, and workspace resolution can be adjusted for larger images. Fluid Mask requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later, and Adobe Photoshop 7.0 or higher.

Briefly: Photoshop TV, Dreamweaver 8 training

10/26, 11:25am

Photoshop TV video podcast

In Brief: Adobe Photoshop TV a new weekly video podcast--with the first episode now available--from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), featuring "The Photoshop Guys:" Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski.... Total Training today announced the availability of Total Training for Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 ($200), which provides an in-depth overview of the company's award-winning web development tool.... BeLight Software, developer of Mac OS X productivity software, launches New Academic Program Pricing with up to 70 percent off its award-winning software: Business Card Composer, Mail Factory and Swift Publisher..... Digital Vision Graphics has posted a series of desktop pictures--in the style of Apple's recent Eminem iPod+iTunes ad--which feature a bright color palette mixed with urban imagery and graffiti.

Miglia releases Evolution TV v2.5 software

10/26, 11:10am

Evolution TV v2.5 software

Miglia Technology today announced that it has released version 2.5 of its Evolution TV software. Version 2.5 has a redesigned interface and includes user feature requests such as 'Timeshift', enabling users to pause, rewind and forward live TV. Version 2.5 also allows users to access and synchronise with the online TV guide TVTV.com in several European countries. EvolutionTV is a USB 2.0 digital video recorder that offers MPEG-2/4 and DivX hardware compression; the software allows users to record TV, schedule recordings, access Online TV guides and more. The device can leverage compression technology to store hours of television programs on a single DVD. It is available for $250 (€210) and requires 1GHz PowerPC G4 and Mac OS X 10.3 or later. The Evolution TV v2.5 software is a free update for current owners of the device.

Globetrotter COMBO EDGE for mobile networks

10/26, 11:05am

Globetrotter COMBO EDGE

nova media today introduced Globetrotter COMBO EDGE, a universal PC-Data Card for EDGE- and GPRS-connections around the globe with support of 850-, 900-, 1800- and 1900 MHz networks. EDGE allows download speeds with up to 236 kbit/s and upload speeds up to 118 kbit/s and will replace the slower GPRS technique within many mobile networks, according to nova media. The card automatically defaults to the GPRS-connection, if no EDGE-compatible network is available. The card bundles Mobile High Speed 3G software along with more than 250 connection settings for automatic setup for many EDGE- and GPRS-networks around the world. Globetrotter COMBO EDGE features a retractable internal antenna and can be left in the PowerBook when not in use (only 4 mm sticking out of the Data Card slot). It is available for €340 and requires a PC-Card slot running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

IBM offers details on dual-core PowerPC 970MP

10/26, 8:25am

Dual-core PowerPC 970MP

IBM says it will continue to focus on both the server and embedded markets, despite Apple's planned transition to Intel-based processors, according to an eWEEK article that provides some interesting details on the new dual-core PowerPC 970MP chips used in Apple's new Power Mac G5s. The report says the 970MP, compared with its 970FX predecessor, will have twice the cache, a wider range of frequency tuning and voltage scaling, as well as the ability to run one or two cores. "...Initial tests showed a 2.5GHz 970MP reaching a score of 1,438 in the SPECint test, with a 2,076 score in the SPECfp test."

Apple adds Chinese music catalog to iTunes

10/26, 8:10am

Chinese music on iTunes

Apple yesterday added a large collection of Chinese music to the US version of the iTunes Music Store. Through a deal with The Orchard, the leading distributor and marketer of independent music in the world, iTunes now features the exclusive western launch of China's No. 1 paid download, "Mouse Loves Rice", along with thousands of other tracks from 20 of China's largest music labels. The Chinese music catalog includes an exclusive digital-only Jackie Chan charity track as well as a diverse selection of music that showcases the latest Chinese hip-hop, rap, rock, traditional and cultural music.

Xantrex Pocket Inverter offers mobile power

10/26, 7:50am

Xantrex Pocket Inverter

Xantrex Technology has introduced the XPower Pocket Inverter 100 and 175, which allow people on the go to conveniently operate or charge a wide range of mobile devices such as a laptop, cell phone, iPod or Blackberry. The XPower Pocket Inverters convert 12-volt DC battery power from a vehicle or airplane into usable household alternating current (AC) electricity, to run laptops, portable DVD players and other mobile devices on the go. In addition to a standard wall outlet, these inverters include an integrated USB power outlet, which is perfect for recharging a cell phone, iPod, Blackberry and other mobile electronic devices. Weighing only 0.5 pounds, the XPower Pocket Inverter 100 is the lightest on the market, and with its slim design, it can easily fit inside a briefcase, vehicle glove box or laptop bag.