'OS X for Hackers at Heart' from Syngress

Syngress Publishing today announced the publication of "OS X for Hackers at Heart," written to show hackers how to torque the most powerful features of Mac OS X for wireless networking, wardriving, software development, penetration testing, automation, and more. Sections of the book cover such topics as adding interfaces to create a multi-interface firewall or router, simulate a switch, add 802.3ad interface aggregation, or provide another media type; using the Mac as a router; and wardriving with a Macintosh. Other sections of the book depict configuration and usage of the KisMAC WLAN discovery tool; penetration testing with Mac OS X; using automator, AppleScript, and the bash shell to automate tasks; and more. OS X for Hackers at Heart is available for $50.

Akvis offers Coloriage 2.0 plugin for Mac

Akvis recently launched a Mac version of its photo colorization plugin: Coloriage 2.0 creates natural-looking colorization in a "quick and entertaining manner," saying that it works equally well for coloring of portraits, landscapes, fashion, and still life. The plugin offers options for skin, sky, verdure, and tree color patterns to help users to select realistic colors for their picture. "Apply your creativity and you will find a wide variety of other usages for the software. You can create colorful backgrounds out of ordinary dull pictures, you can apply AKVIS Coloriage to get rid of the red eye effect, to make selective color correction, selective desaturation and colorizing, etc." Version 2.0 adds Undo/Redo buttons, Mac support, and a Color library translated into 8 languages. It is compatible with Photoshop v5, Photoshop Elements v1, and GraphicConverterX v5.6. it is $100 for personal use and $250 for a business license.

Apple CEO wanted Intel move 5 years ago...

In a recent interview with News.com, Freescale Semiconductor CEO Michel Mayer told of his company's evolving business model and revealed that Apple CEO Steve Jobs wanted to switch the Mac to Intel processors over five years ago. Freescale Semiconductor is one of the 10 largest microchip manufacturers in the world, but Mayer said the company is in the midst of an "evolution of existing businesses" that will distance it from the personal computer market. When asked if he was present five years ago during the discussions when IBM convinced Apple to adopt the G5, Mayer said "in my previous job, I ran IBM's semiconductor business. So I've seen both sides of the Apple story, because I sold the G5 to Steve [Jobs] the first time he wanted to move to Intel."

Apps: Screen Mimic, Pronto Survey, MBS

• Screen Mimic 1.0 ($25) records to Macromedia Flash (SWF) files, allowing easy distribution of recorded files over the internet. The application allows users to record demonstrations of software, create web-ready walkthroughs of complicated tasks, and more. Screen Mimic also offers the ability to capture a selected area of the screen, a particular window region, or the entire desktop. [Download - 488KB]


• Pronto Survey 1.1 ($60) creates multi-page surveys on a designated website without requiring any programming knowledge. Surveys are created in PHP, can handle various question types, and store results in either a MySQL or PostgreSQL database. Version 1.1 enhances survey branching to support multiple rules per survey page, offers customized validation messages in each question, and more. [Download - 9.2MB]


• A Better Finder Attributes 3.9 ($10) updates the Finder enhancement utility, improving speed and reliability when reading EXIF shooting date and time of digital pictures. The application can change the modification date and time, creation date and time, set the creation date to the time that a digital camera picture was taken, lock and unlock files, and show or hide file extensions for particular files.


• KidsBrowser 3.3 ($30) allows children to surf the Web without the risks of being exposed to harmful or pornographic websites. The update offers new options for parental control, better Javascript support, improved favorites management, new interface themes (seven are integrated), and better compatibility with all versions of Mac OS X. [Download - 8.7MB]


• MBS 5.4 ($55) comprises a collection of several plug-in parts which extend the REALbasic development environment with over 500 classes and four controls featuring over 11,000 documented functions. Major additions to the plug-ins include updated LCMS classes, improved Eyeone support for REALbasic, Netter support of Linux and Mach-O targets, and more. [Download - 20.2MB]

MacSoft ships Zoo Tycoo 2 for Mac

MacSoft today announced that the Macintosh version of Microsoft's "Zoo Tycoon 2" has begun shipping. The Mac version includes a bonus DVD featuring film segments and trivia from the National Geographic "Totally Wild" series. "Zoo Tycoon 2 is a wildly fun game in which you build and operate your very own zoo. The game cranks up the excitement with 3D first-person views that get you up close to the highly detailed giraffes, tigers, crocodiles, elephants, and more than 25 other types of animals in your zoo." It features new building tools and objects, photo mode options, easy terrain altering options, rivers, a new zoom mode, and improved 3D graphics." Zoo Tycoon 2 features the "Zoo Guest mode," allowing players to walk around and enjoy the game from a first-person point of view; and "Zookeeper", which allows players to experience new interaction with animals. The $40 title, which requires Mac OS X 10.2.8, will be available in stores this week.

PodShop iDrops remove scratches

PodShop today launched a new iteration of iDrops, its all-in-one cleaning, polishing, and scratch removal solution specifically designed for use on the plastic/acrylic surfaces of Apple's iPod (all models) and other products. iDrops works on iBooks, eMacs, iMacs (G3/G5), Mac minis, and Power Macs (G3/G4). The solution is a two-ounce bottle of "liquid health" for plastic/acrylic surfaces that features a dropper top, providing mess-free use when repairing and restoring blemished, scuffed, or scratched hardware. iDrops can also be used on the plastic/acrylic surfaces of CD/DVD media, cell phones, Game Boy, PSP, and numerous other items. The new product includes a new bottle, dropper, label, and updated iDrops solution. iDrops is available for $15.

Eovia ships Carrara 5 in French, English

Eovia today released the international English and French language editions of Carrara 5, its 3D animation, modeling, and rendering solution. Both Carrara 5 and the more extensive Carrara 5 Pro present a suite of 3D modeling, animation and rendering tools with an enhanced user interface. The update includes Poser 6 support in Eovia TransPoser 2; improved Poser 6 support with Carrara's new native importer; translucency for more realistic lighting effects; inclusion/exclusion list for lights; replication of volumetric objects (such as clouds); smoothing of multiple objects; and more. Carrara 5 is available for $250, while Carrara 5 Pro is priced at $550. Upgrade pricing starts at $100 and $170 for standard and pro versions, respectively.

GoDaddy services unavailable to Safari users...

Domain registrar and hosting service GoDaddyis apparently serving blank pages to Safari and Opera users who attempt to access sites using its domain forwarding and masking service. The company is blaming Apple as the source of the problem, and with nowhere to turn, Mac users are flocking to Apple's support forums to discuss the issue in-depth. The problem seems to have started around November 26th, and while initially a blank page with no source code and no errors is displayed, some users note that loading the address in Firefox or Internet Explorer first will allow Safari and Opera to view the page contents after refreshing. GoDaddy support is apparently directing hosting customers to contact both Opera and Apple support to report the "bug," and claims no responsibility. Users say Apple support has thus far been unresponsive, while Opera support is available on a pay basis which deters many users from seeking aid. [updated 12/8]

Lego Star Wars demo now available for Mac

Aspyr today announced that its Lego Star Wars demo is now available for the Mac. The demo allows users to play a full level of the game, reliving events from Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Players can control over 30 characters, from Anakin Skywalker or Yoda to Darth Maul and General Grievous. "Drop in/drop out" two player co-operative play allows a second player to join in or leave the action at will, while players use the force to move and transform LEGO objects, overcome obstacles, and defeat enemies. The game features authentic audio from Skywalker Sound, as well as a "Free Play" mode that allows play with unlocked characters anywhere, and the ability to switch between them at will. Lego Star Wars is available for $27 from Amazon.com, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later. [updated]

Hubbell rolls out new Mac mini mounts

Hubbell Automation today introduced two new means to secure a Mac mini virtually anywhere, the Mini mount Universal and Mini mount Shelf (shown at right). The Mini mount Universal is a wall-mount apparatus designed to hold a Mac mini system in almost any orientation, and is optionally available with a backlighting kit to illuminate the computer once installation is complete. The Mini mount Shelf mounts the Mac mini beneath nearly any table, desk or shelf. Both models are constructed from .25-inch clear cast acrylic, and offer unhindered access to all ports on the system. Mini mounts boast easy installation--two wood screws for the Universal mount and four screws for Shelf model. The Mini mount Universal is available for $50, or $70 with the backlighting kit. The Mini mount Shelf is available for $50, and ships with a power supply mount.

Barcode grocery scanner with Bluetooth...

IntelliScanner today launched the IntelliScanner Kitchen Companion 100, its barcode scanner and software bundle for grocery shopping and nutrition/recipe management that features Bluetooth wireless technology. Kitchen Companion is powered by an internet-enabled database of over 300,000 grocery items that includes the name, brand, category, shopping section, and size of products scanned. Users can print a categorized shopping list, or send the list to an iPod, Palm, or cell phone. The bundle offers advanced quantity management, scan in/out capabilities, consumption history, physical location tracking, custom searching, dynamic shopping lists, and nutrition information from the USDA. Kitchen Companion 100 is available for $280 to Bluetooth-equipped computers running Mac OS X 10.3 or later, while a "tethered" USB model for use while at a computer only is available for $180.

Briefly: MacNN reviews; EarBuddy's; CS Odessa

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the Diamondback Mouse from Razer ($60, shown at right), an optical mouse that can travel over almost any surface, as well as a mat ($40) that offers two different usable surfaces.... MacNN has also reviewed EarBuddy's from EarBuddys.com ($5), a pair of inexpensive in-ear headphones with thick covers that come in seven muted colors.... CS Odessa has implemented a new toll-free telephone number for customers from the USA and Canada, in an effort to expand its technical support and sales assistance.... MagneticTime today unveiled MT1 software for iPod ($50) and other mobile audio players, which converts emails and Microsoft Word documents to MP3 sound files that can be played on the devices.... Etymotic Research today announced that its 6i Isolator earphones ($150) are available in black, as well as the original white.

Apple sells 100M iTunes songs in Europe

Apple today announced that it has sold 100 million songs in Europe, saying that an iTunes user in Belgium has won its Europe iTunes song promotion. The 100 millionth download in Europe, downloaded by Ken Reist, was Mozart's album "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute). Reist was awarded a 17-inch iMac G5, a 30GB iPod, a 10,000-song gift card for the iTunes Music Store, and two tickets to see Robbie Williams in concert. Apple initially launched the store in Europe in June of 2004 and within 18 months has sold over 100 million songs.

Tiger's Core Image effects for Adobe InDesign

RogueSheep today released Magma Effects 1.0, a plug-in for Adobe InDesign CS and CS2 on Tiger. Magma Effects makes available the rich functionality of Apple's Core Image technology directly within the InDesign application. Users can apply a variety of image-enhancement and stylizing effects to any bitmap image placed in Adobe InDesign. Users can make simple adjustments such as modifying the brightness or contrast of a photo or composite two images together using one of several blend operations. It offers access over 100 image filters that ship with Mac OS X Tiger. In addition, users can also save time by storing filter effects in a preset for later use. RogueSheep Magma Effects 1.0 is now available for $50 and requires Adobe InDesign CS/CS2 and Mac OS X 10.4.1 or newer.

Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga ships...

Matrix Games has released Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga, a new release of the Star Chamber game title, its highly acclaimed hybrid board and trading card strategy game set in a sci-fi themed universe. Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga features enhanced graphics and an improved user interface, new maps, new cards, new sound effects, four player games, a tournament drafting system, and many minor adjustments to improve the game. The engine for managing online play is based on the critically-acclaimed The Lord of the Rings Online Trading Card Game. The digital download of Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga is now available for $30, while a boxed version will be available within a week.

MacSpeech offers ScriptPak for iMovie HD...

MacSpeech has released a new ScriptPak for iMovie HD. The new ScriptPak installs over 75 commands into the company's iListen speech recognition program, which allows the user to do virtually anything by voice in iMovie they would normally do using keyboard shortcuts or menus. This replaces the previous iMovie ScriptPak, which was compatible with iMovie 3. "You can crop, move the Playhead, split tracks, and much more – all by voice," said MacSpeech Chief Evangelist Chuck Rogers. "Adding this to iListen is like giving the home movie editor their own production assistant." The ScriptPak for iMovie HD is available immediately for $10 and requires iListen 1.6.5 or later.