SpeedDial for Skype streamlines VOIP...

NHANDZ has released SpeedDial for Skype, which works with the popular VOIP service, Skype (owned by eBay), allowing users to use Skype remotely, away from their Macs. SpeedDial lets consumers create keyboard shortcuts or "hotkeys" for making, answering and hanging up calls using only a keyboard. SpeedDial offers built-in speed dial settings for answering and hanging up calls, and a simple interface to automatically create speed dials for anyone on their Skype contact list or to add new speed dial contacts. The softwre is available for Mac OS X 10.2 or later and costs $7. A 30-day free trial is available as well.

Excel ships MacA&D OSX 2.0

Excel Software is now shipping MacA&D OSX 2.0, an engineering tool for system analysis, software models, code generation, reengineering and customized project reports. The new release adds system models, time simulation with dynamic charts and graphs to its suite of software engineering capabilities. Other enhancements include team dictionary and requirement documents for concurrent team development, a project scrapbook, flow, store and external entity detail dialogs for structured analysis & design and new project reports. MacA&D can model and simulate systems driven by cause and affect, including financial, production, inventory, biological, chemical, thermodynamic and workflow systems. MacA&D OSX 2.0 is available in Standard ($500) and Developer ($2000) editions.

Apps: ContactPage, MailSteward, uGrabIt

• ContactPage 2.0 ($90) is an XTension that automates the creation of contact sheets of images with captions. ContactPage 2.0 offers a new user-interface, incorporates several new features requested by users, and is compatible with the recently released QuarkXPress 7. [Download - 1.7MB]


• MailSteward 7.4 ($50) updates the email archiving solution for Mac, utilizing the SQLite 3.3.5 database engine. Reply to email now places the body text into the clipboard so that it can be easily pasted, adds the ability to set and/or buttons for searching, supports deletion of attachments, and allows users to set a default font. [Download - 872KB]


• Painter's Picker 2.1 ($16) places an interactive color wheel in nearly every Mac OS X application, adding the ability to choose related colors directly within the standard color picker. The update brings native compatibility to Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, along with a new PDF-based manual and several minor changes. [Download - 2.6MB]


• uGrabIt (€10) captures and records video clips from almost any device. The software supports both FireWire as well as USB devices while offering users the ability to customize dimensions, select a desired codec, and specify a suitable framerate. [Download - 2.52MB]


• SQLiteManager 2.0.6 ($40) updates the SQLite database management tool, adding new "InstantQuery" technology for faster queries, full SQLite2 and SQLite3 support, and complete REALSQL Server support. SQLiteManager 2.0.6 also adds the ability to browse tables/views/indexes, as well as the option to rename tables and add columns to existing tables. [Download - 5.5MB]

IOGEAR debuts UWB Hub & Adapter Kit

IOGEAR today introduced its new Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology-based UWB Hub & Adapter Kit, designed to eliminate cables in workplaces and living rooms without compromising file transfer speeds. IOGEAR's Hub contains four USB 2.0 ports enabling connectivity to devices such as printers, scanners, MP3 players and external hard drives. Users wirelessly connect their laptops or PCs to the Hub up to 30 feet away with the included USB adapter, which supports transfer speeds of up to 480Mbps/sec. The kit is based on WiMedia's Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM), a Wireless Personal Area Networking (WPAN) technology for transmitting data quickly and with low power consumption. IOGEAR will display the UWB Hub & Adapter Kit and preview its upcoming UWB products at COMPUTEX Taipei 2006, held in Taiwan June 6-11th, 2006, at booth #901. IOGEAR has told MacNN that the product will be available in Q3 of 2006 (pricing was unavailable). [updated]

Apple to unveil 8GB iPod?

Industry sources suspect that Apple may unveil a new 8GB flash-based iPod based on further NAND flash orders. Sources say the industry will likely break out of its low point as Apple books considerable capacity at chip makers, according to DigiTimes. Both of the leading Korea-based chipmakers -- Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor -- have received more orders from Apple, and DRAMeXchange noted in mid-May that Apple had ordered considerable 2Gbit NAND memory at Samsung. Apple in November of 2005 announced long-term agreements with Hynix, Intel, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and Toshiba to secure the supply of NAND flash memory through 2010. The Cupertino-based company planned to pay a total of $1.25 billion for flash memory components over the following three months, and word came in early April of 2006 that Apple had agreed in December to buy 40 million gigabytes of flash memory chips from Hynix last year alone.

Xara may release Xara Xtreme for Mac

British company Xara is developing its Xara Xtreme all-in-one drawing and photo manipulation package for Mac OS X as well as Linux, according to one MacNN reader. The software features direct action tools; drag-and-drop support; solid object dragging; anti-aliasing; PDF export; a clipart gallery; and a bitmap tracer. Xara Xtreme offers single click auto-enhancement; crop & rotate functionality; red eye removal; "magic" undo; access to third-party plug-ins; and photo compression. The application is currently only available for Microsoft Windows, but provides drawing tools alongside animation capability, Dreamweaver integration, image slicing, and more. Xara Xtreme is priced at $80, and requires Windows 98/Me/2000/XP.

Briefly: Skype tutorial; MBP temps

In brief: One blogger has posted a step-by-step tutorial describing how to connect remotely to another computer over the internet using Timbuktu Pro and Skype.... An avid Mac user has posted a video on YouTube of a MacBook Pro with temperature readings at various points on the notebook.... FileMaker today announced four new authorized FileMaker training companies in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas and California.... Architosh has reviewed SketchBook Pro 2 ($200) from AutoDesk, which was acquired as part of the company's purchase of Alias.... Architosh has also reviewed the Wacom Tablet Graphire4-640 ($200, shown at right), which features a wireless mouse and a two-button customizable pen.... Apple has added a new section about Macs at Work to its website.

Maplesoft ships Intel-native Maple 10

Maplesoft today announced a native Intel-based version of Maple 10, its flagship product for solving complex mathematical problems and creating rich, executable technical documents. The company said that Maple users operating on the Intel-based Mac platform will benefit from significantly reduced start-up times, improved speed in rendering 2-D mathematics, and real-time 3-D plot manipulation that is both faster and smoother. All of the capabilities of Maple are fully supported, affording Intel-based Mac users access to all of the same features that PowerPC-based Mac users enjoy. "Individually, Apple and Intel offer industry-leading products," said Maplesoft CEO Jim Cooper. "In combination, they enable Mac users to experience the full power of Maple 10. With new levels of speed and responsiveness, Maple is proud to provide the highest level of computational power in math modeling today." The native Intel Mac version will be available in "early June."

Guidance, WiebeTech enhance FastBloc2

Guidance Software and WiebeTech today announced a partnership to enhance the FastBloc2 write-blocker series by adding USB host compatibility and support. Investigators can examine any target IDE or SATA drive by attaching the FastBloc2 FE (Field Edition, shown at right) to a host via a USB port, and while a FireWire-compatible host computer is no longer required, it is still an option with the enhancement. The FastBloc2 FE allows investigators to attach the suspect drive directly to FastBloc2, and then connect the device to a laptop computer using either USB or FireWire ports. The FastBloc2 LE (Lab Edition) offers an internal write-blocked docking station for hard disk drives via a provided FireWire compatible host controller, which fits into the desktop computer bay to provide convenient access to power and an IDE port from the front of the unit. Both models require Mac OS X 9.1, 9.2 or Mac OS X (pricing was unavailable).

Apple offers students free iPod nanos

Apple is offering college students a $179 rebate good toward any qualifying iPod when they buy a new MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Power Mac G5 system. The offer is available from any participating Apple Authorized Campus Reseller from today through September 16th, 2006. Students will receive a mail-in rebate for up to $179, which can effectively pay for a 1GB iPod nano. The company is touting its Macs as "the perfect college companion," reminding consumers that its Macs can run Microsoft Office and allow users to video chat or build a blog. Additionally, students can use their education discount to save even more when purchasing Macs and iPods.

Styrateg: new turn-based strategy game

Rake In Grass today announced the released of its second game for the Macintosh: Styrateg is new and challenging turn-based strategy game with strong RPG features from a fantasy medieval world. "The heavy clouds on the horizon gather as there are troubled times to come. The kingdom of a wise king is in danger. Legions of unearthly adversaries come from the unknown to spread the plague and disease across the ancient kingdom. Your investigation and actions will take you through many adventurous quests in deep forests, hot deserts and frozen icebergs. You and your party will look for the clues to solve the mystery in ancient monasteries, countryside villages and blood bathed battlefields." Styrateg is available as a Universal Binary for PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs for $20. It requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

Briefly: Atlanta store; Ars on rentals

In brief: Apple has opened its latest retail store in Atlanta, Georgia, and Technology Wrap is offering photos along with details regarding the new Studio Bar.... Ars Technica has posted a look at the movie rental industry and where it stands today, checking a list of 70 movies for availability at two local stores.... David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox owns five iPods, but won't use them to track his hitting because they are "simply too small...." MacPips has released "MacPips Loop Pack 1" for GarageBand, a collection of 125 royalty-free real instrument and software instrument loops.... Babya today began shipping Babya AU Host for Intel Macs, a Mac exclusive Audio Unit host featuring Core Audio.... Marina's high-nrg fitness is offering the Marina Audio Workout Center with iPod workouts, music for iPods, a mix & match menu, and thousands of workout combinations.

Microsoft denies rumors of iPod rival...

Microsoft has denied rumors that it had teamed up with several other companies to challenge Apple's dominance in the Japanese portable music player market. Last week reports circulated that the software giant was collaborating with eight other companies including Toshiba, Victor, NTT, and others to develop a portable audio/video player for the Japanese market. "The announcement that came out of Japan this week was simply about the Japanese launch of Windows Media Player 11," a Microsoft representative said, according to PC Magazine. "Due to translation issues the announcement was misconstrued to sound like Microsoft was developing a rival to the iPod; that's just not the case."

Mac SlingPlayer delayed by 90 days...

Mac SlingPlayer, which was originally slated for release in the second quarter of 2006, has been pushed back 90 days to September. The software enables Mac users to watch and control their home television from an internet-connected Mac anywhere in the world, and a public beta release will be available for download in late August, according to Zatz Not Funny. The company stated: "Ultimately, we recognize that many Mac users have high standards for digital media products, and we are working hard to ensure we will meet and exceed those standards with the upcoming SlingPlayer for Mac. Unfortunately, while it's probably not exactly what you wanted to hear, I hope you understand just how tricky some things are to manage for a small company. Bottom line is despite our initial intent to deliver a Mac OS X version of the SlingPlayer in Q2'06, we are moving our target to Q3'06."

AssistiveWare offers speech solutions...

AssistiveWare today announced that it has partnered with Acapela Group to bring two new high quality speech solutions to Mac OS X: Infovox iVox and VisioVoice. In collaboration with AssistiveWare, Acapela Group has created Infovox iVox, an application that allows the naturally sounding, high-quality voices of the Acapela Group to be used in any Speech Manager compliant application on Mac OS X including applications such as TextEdit and AppleWorks, as well as many educational titles. Infovox iVox, which will be distributed worldwide by AssistiveWare, can also be used with Tiger's built-in VoiceOver screen reader; however, non-English users also need VisioVoice to hear all the VoiceOver menus and messages in their own language. Both products are expected at the end of June for $200 (US), $360 (Scandinavian), and $220 (Other European languages) or in a bundle with VisioVoice for $250 (US).

WD's My Book Pro Ed. external storage

Western Digital today introduced My Book Pro Edition, the newest model in its external storage solution that combines three interfaces: FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0. Targeting small office and home office (SOHO) power users who require large capacity and high-performance external storage, the solution features backup and system recovery software and is available in capacities of 250GB and 500GB. It features intelligent drive management, such as SmartPower automatic power on/off, Safe Shutdown and LED activity lights. It bundles EMC Retrospect Express backup and system recovery software with a customized setup wizard, allowing users to backup and restore a single file or an entire system in a few simple steps. My Book Pro Edition's unique, book-shaped silver enclosure stands vertically for a tiny footprint in an enclosure that employs shock protection and an ultra quiet fan. It is available for $220 (250GB) or $350 (500GB) and requires no additional software CDs to install: "It simply self-installs when connected to a computer and automatically and safely powers on and off with the computer to which it is linked."

MaxExpress SATA solution for G5 Macs

MaxUpgrades today announced MaxExpress, a Serial ATA II PCI-Express Host Controller with two SATA II internal Ports for PCI Express-based Power Macintosh G5 computers. The company says that MaxExpress each SATA Port is capable of transferring 3Gb/s and features Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Non-zero offsets NCQ, Out of order data delivery NCQ, and FIS-based switching with Port Multipliers. MaxExpress is offered with MaxConnect internal hard disk drive mounting solution for G5 Power Macintosh (PCI Express), a CPU Bay internal storage expansion assembly, that enables three additional disk drives to be housed in the lower CPU bay of the G5 Power Macintosh Series. The 2-port SATA controller (along with CPU assembly) is available now for $140, while the 4-port controller (along with CPU assembly) is $270.