Briefly: RCT 3 trailer; free GarageBand loops

In brief: Apple has posted a trailer for Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, an action game by Aspyr Media that began shipping yesterday.... Subscribers to Apple's .Mac service reportedly received 100 free loops for GarageBand last night.... Purchasers of new seats of Runtime Revolution Studio, or customers who renew or upgrade to Studio through December 2nd will also receive licenses for Valentina XCMD 1.12 for MacOS and Windows.... Apple has posted a review of "The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer" in the games section of its website.... eEye Digital Security noted that a remotely exploitable flaw exists in various versions of QuickTime on all Windows operating systems that allows arbitrary code to be executed.... The copy-protection software used by Sony BMG appears to harbor code from an open source project, raising questions about copyrights.... Miglia has updated the software for Evolution TV, a device that allows users to watch, pause, and record TV on a Mac.

This week: Financial, bold moves, software...

This week word came that Samsung Electronics is expected to sign a long-term contract with Apple, which could be worth several hundred million US dollars. The same day, Apple announced that it will open three new US retail stores on November 19th. Wednesday, Andrew Neff of Bear Stearns raised his price target on Apple's stock to $70 from $58, and raised his earnings estimates even as the firm maintained an "outperform" rating. This propelled the stock to an all-time high--up more than 4 percent to $68.84. Thursday Credit Suisse First Boston research analyst Robert Semple maintained a "marketweight" rating on the PC hardware sector, but maintained an "outperform" rating on Apple, saying that Apple's product cycles make the company preferable amid a slowing growth industry. Today, ComputerWorld posted a glowing review of Apple's new Power Mac G5 Quad. "For anyone in the broadcast, sciences, music, print and photography industries, I have some advice: Place your orders now."

Forums: ATI X800; PB defect; iPod dead pixels

MacNN Forums roundup: Members discuss the possibility of Apple offering entry-level Power Mac towers.... PowerMac users talk about the new ATI Radeon X800 XT video card.... PowerBook owners continue to discuss the issue of horizontal lines appearing on the machine's display.... One iPod user shares his experience with his new 5G iPod, which had a dead pixel already.... iMac fans speculate about when the Intel-based version of the machine will be announced.

Media Buddy offers portable photo storage...

Digital Foci today introduced Media Buddy, its portable digital photo storage solution featuring a hard drive and media card reader in a brushed anodized aluminum casing. Media Buddy functions as an external hard drive when connected to any computer, and acts as a portable MP3 player on-the-go. The built-in memory card slot copies and stores photos directly from any digital camera card, without the need of cumbersome cabling. Media Buddy is available in Powder Blue, Arctic Silver, and Pearl Gray colors with 30GB ($230), 40GB ($250), 60GB ($290), 80GB ($350) capacities. Media Buddy ships with Ulead Photo Explorer image management software, a USB cable, earphones, an AC adapter, a Lithium-Ion battery, a carrying case, a resource disk, and the user's guide.

Smaller iPod shuffle coming in colors?

Apple may introduce a new iPod shuffle--smaller than a pack of gum--and possibly in multiple colors as early as January. American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said Apple's preparation for the product refresh was probably behind its recent move to add Hynix as a third supplier of NAND flash memory chips, according to a report from AppleInsider. Wu believes storage capacities and price points will remain similar to current offerings, according to the report. American Technology Research maintained its "Buy" rating for Apple with a price target of $66 for the company.

Briefly: MacNN reviews; NBC P2P; jewel clip

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the invisibleSHIELD for iPod ($25, shown at right), Protective Solutions' protective case manufactured from a material developed to protect helicopter blades.... MacNN also reviewed ConceptDraw MINDMAP 4 ($200), CS Odessa's mind mapping software.... Tunewear today announced jewel clip ($50), a "charming" heart-style cable winder for the iPod and other portable audio players.... zCover today announced its gloveOne series ($35) of fashionable silicone protective cases for the Motorola ROKR iTunes phone.... Thought Equity today released iPod demo reels for free download.... Fondantfancies.com has unveiled Thrupp 1.2 ($15), an update to its application that lets iTunes users sync their library to any kind of MP3 player.... Diversified Multimedia has released the Video Vault ($40) for Microsoft Windows users, its new software that transfers video and DVD files from a computer to an iPod.

ComputerWorld, BusinessWeek review new Macs

ComputerWorld has posted a glowing review of Apple's new Power Mac G5 Quad. "For anyone in the broadcast, sciences, music, print and photography industries, I have some advice: Place your orders now," writes reviewer Yuval Kossovsky. The pricing is "a bargain when considering the additional processor cores -- and the fact that a comparable Wintel configuration is almost double the cost." Meanwhile, BusinessWeek has reviewed the new iMac G5. "The updated desktop boosts its already impressive credentials with some nifty tricks, user-friendly features, and the odd gimmick." Columnist Stephen Wildstrom has one key criticism, however: "The only serious flaw in the new iMac is that the Power PC-based G5 processor is showing its age," he writes. Wildstrom also points out that TV connectivity is a bit lacking at this point due to technical limitations in the cable industry.

Apple offers refurb Power Macs, iPods

Apple has added more refurb Power Mac G5s to its Apple Store. The single-processor 1.8GHz G5 is $1,100, while a refurbished dual-2GHz is $1,550, and the refurb dual-2.3GHz is $2,000. Both the 23- and 30-inch models of refurbished Apple Cinema Displays are available for $1,100 and $2,100, respectively. Apple's AirPort Express for streaming music from your Mac to a stereo system or speakers, is also available again for $100 (along with refurb AirPort Extreme cards for $70). Apple-certified iPod minis are available in silver, pink, blue, and green for $200, while a 40GB Refurbished iPod with Dock Connector is $270 (with FireWire cable) and a 30GB color iPod is $250.

Apps: Front Row, B4 II, Platypus, SpotMeta

• Front Row 1.0.1 (free with new iMacs) updates the software that controls iTunes, iMovie, DVD playback, iPhoto, and QuickTime movie trailers. The update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for browsing music, photos, and videos. [Download - 4MB]


• B4 II 2.0.1.003 ($230), from Native Instruments, reproduces the sound of the B3 Organ and its rotary speaker cabinet. Features include a tube amplifier modeled after the original rotary speaker amp, a selection of classic speaker cabinets, an expanded user interface, and more. A demo is now available. [Download - 53MB]


• Platypus 3.2 (free) creates application wrappers around scripts that can be run from the graphical window environment. Version 3.2 allows editing environmental variables via an interface pane, Python syntax checking, bug fixes, and more. [Download - 1.3MB]


• SpotMeta 53 beta extends Apple's Spotlight search facility by adding Spotlight-searchable meta tags to any file or folder. SpotMeta does not modify the contents of any files, and the extra metadata added to files is network-accessible. [Download - 285KB]


• EdGCM 2.5 (free) incorporates a major new visualization package (EVA 1.1beta), which provides line plotting, 2D array mapping, and access to climate variable data from within one application. EVA is a user-friendly interface, built on top of the widely used scientific visualization software, that allows EdGCM users to create images of all EdGCM climate model output. [Download - 44.9MB]

Firm reports on new iTunes security flaw

A security research company has reported on a new security flaw in various versions of iTunes, following disclosure earlier this week that iTunes 6 had fixed a flaw in the Windows version (the actual update had been released in September). The "critical vulnerability" could allow a malicious user to remotely take over a user's computer, according to a warning issued Thursday by eEye Digital Security. The firm said that a remotely exploitable flaw exists that allows arbitrary code to be executed in the context of the logged in user. The company said that severity was "high" due to the possibility of remote code execution, but did not provide details on which versions were affected, although both Mac OS X and Windows versions are affected, according to the report.

Daystar debuts 1.92GHz PowerBook G4 upgrade

Daystar Technology today announced it is completing development of the first XLR8 PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) CPU Upgrade. The PowerBook G4 upgrade dubbed, "XLR8 MAChSpeed PowerBook G4," is scheduled to ship next month. "Like the XLR8 MAChSpeed G4 Pismo, Lombard, Titainum and iMac Flat Panel CPU upgrades, the PowerBook G4 upgrade will be a full system upgrade, requiring the user to send their PowerBook to Daystar for installation." While pricing and final specifications are expected to be announced closer to the actual product release date, the company says that xBench 1.2 benchmarking scores jump from high 20's to nearly 50, surpassing the fastest PowerBook G4 to-date. The upgrade will feature factory installation via Apple Certified Technicians, shipping with Daystar's custom boxes and prepaid FedEx shipping options, and compatibility with Classic and Mac OS 10.3.5/10.4.3.

Lawsuit alleges iTunes, iPod violate patents

A new lawsuit against Apple claims that the company's iTunes software and iPod music device violate two patents issued to Premier in 2001 and 2004. The Illinois firm Premier has sued Apple in a Texas District Court for violating two patents (6,243,725 and 6,763,345) it received and is seeking a jury trial as well as undisclosed damages from Apple: "These patents, claimed Premier, have been incorporated into iPod, iTunes and PC product lines. The first of the patents is a list building system granted in June 2001 for building an inventory of audio, musical, and audio visual works. The second is also for a list building system, granted on July 13th 2004. The PC product lines include the iBook, the Power Book, the Mac Mini, the iMac and the Power Mac, when packaged or pre-installed with iTunes software."

Books help switchers, musicians choose Mac...

Two new books were released today, "Take Control of Switching to a Mac"--written to guide switchers through the process of making the decision to swap from a Microsoft Windows system to a Mac, as well as which Mac to choose--and "Making Music on the Apple Mac"--depicting the decision-making process of choosing the right Mac for the home studio. Topics of Take Control of Switching to a Mac include choosing the right Mac model, setting up the Mac, choosing the appropriate Macintosh applications to replace common Windows programs, and moving data--documents, email, address books, and Web bookmarks--to the Mac. Making Music on the Apple Mac contains a section about setting up a studio and configuring the audio and MIDI interfaces for optimum performance, as step-by-step detail how to record with GarageBand. Take Control of Switching to a Mac (93 pages, Scott Knaster) is available for $10 as a PDF document online. Making Music on the Apple Mac (113 pages, Keith Gemmel) is available for $15.

Apple's COO Tim Cook joins Nike Board...

Nike today announced the appointment of Timothy D. Cook, Apple's chief operating officer (COO), to the company's board of directors. Cook is the board's 11th director, nine of which are independent, and is expected to serve on the compensation committee of the board, according to Nike. "Tim's diverse professional background spans from global manufacturing to general management," said Philip H. Knight, Nike, Inc. founder and chairman. "His global technology knowledge combined with his experience at one of the world's most recognized brands will make Tim a great asset to our board. We look forward to his contributions to Nike."

Service to bypass Apple, offer music for iPod

One company claims to have reverse-engineered Apple's FairPlay DRM and will begin offering consumers the option of purchasing songs that can be played on the iPod, a PC, or other digital devices. The service, which would bypass Apple and iTunes' copy-protection, would store the rights in a cental place, allowing users to easily re-download their songs or even share songs depending on the purchased rights: "The key is getting around Apple. Come December, Navio will launch a new version of its service that will finally allow music companies to sell songs that will play on iPods without going through Apple’s iTunes store. How will Apple react to this news? 'I think they will go ballistic,' Roever predicts, before adding, 'There is nothing Apple can do to prevent this.' (Like RealNetworks before it, Navio has reverse-engineered the iPod’s Fairplay software so that Navio can deliver copy-protected songs in a format that will play on the device.)"

iTunes dominates UK online music market

Numbers show that Apple's iTunes music service is growing as the most popular destination to purchase music. The Register reports that Apple's iTunes Music Store has a larger share of the UK digital music download market than the rest of its competitors combined. Citing September figures from London-based researcher Xtn Data, the reports says that iTunes' marketshare in in the UK is 54 percent, while the next closest competitor, Napster, has only 10 percent of the market. The survey found that long-time UK music provider Wippit is No. 3 with 8 percent with MyCokeMusic (six percent), MSN (five percent), and CD Wow (four percent), rounding out the top music providers (respectively), according to the survey of more than 1,000 British consumers who buy music online and offline. Virigin Digital and HMV, retailers who recently revamped their online offerigs, have 3 percent and 1 percent of the UK market, respectively, while Tesco and Woolworths, both of whom entered the UK download market in the autumn of 2004, have each managed to take only two percent of the market.

Apple disputes EMI's new iPod DRM claim

The EMI Group record label said music from its copy-protected CDs will soon play on Apple's iPod digital music players, but Apple is already disputing this claim, reports TMCnet. For more than a year, the anti-copying technology loaded on some major label compact discs has been compatible only with Windows-based computers, with no support for Macs or iPods. This is about to change, according to EMI: "Apple is nearly finished with the technical work necessary to enable consumers to transfer music from content-protected discs to their iPods," the label said in a statement detailing its copy-protection plans. But Apple disputes EMI's claims: "The information EMI provided regarding iTunes and iPod compatibility with Macrovision's technology is not true and we have no idea why EMI made this statement," Apple said in a statement.

New Bluetooth wireless trackball debuts

Chwang Yi Company today announced The Ball, which it says is "the world's first" Bluetooth wireless trackball. "The Ball is the result of a two-year design effort, and represents an entirely new approach to the concept of a 'trackball.' With a robust wireless system based on leading Bluetooth v1.2 standards, an elegantly small physical size and design, and a basic two-button plus scroll wheel control layout, The Ball sets a new standard for simplicity and ease of use for trackballs." The Ball easily pairs with any Bluetooth wireless enabled Mac running Mac OS X 10.2.3 or higher and includes rechargeable AAA batteries, a USB-powered mini docking/ charging cradle, and an on-off switch for power conservation. It will ship on December 5th for $70.