Font Tools 6.0 adds font detection

Veenix has released Font Tools 6.0, an update to the font utility adding document font detection, activation, and exporting. The latest iteration of Font Tools also features a text "greeking" generator feature. Font Tools scans documents for font usage and quickly activates all the necessary fonts, or exports them for output services. User can also create type books of entire font collections with customizable layouts without activating the fonts beforehand. Font Tools 6.0 is available for $50, and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

Briefly: MacBook shutdowns addressed?

In Brief: Apple has tacitly acknowledged the continuing problem of MacBook shutdowns--which have been documented by MacNN readers, one user who claims to have isolated the issue, and by the user site MacBookRandomShutdown.com: the company has posted a short note in its knowledgebase asking affected customers to contact AppleCare... AppleInsider says that service providers are to repair the laptops with matching logic board and heatsink set (expected later this week), but that all "business-critical" MacBook repairs through its Austin, Texas repair depot for a faster turnaround times.... CNET has posted a comparison between the two upcoming operating systems: Vista, meet Mac OS 10.5 Leopard which includes a video covering some of the new features in a recent release of Vista. [updated]

Apple's new iMacs offer more and less

The new 24-inch iMac has a few surprises, including an an upgradeable graphics card (through the use of a MXM PCI Express connector), a FireWire 800 port (thus reducing the number of available FireWire 400 ports to one), an improved 24-watt speakers (twice that of its 17- and 20-inch iMac siblings), a better NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card, and new 2.1 surround; meanwhile, users note that Apple's low-end 17-inch iMac, which is available at the lower price of $999, trades features for the the lower price when compared to the higher-end models--including offering a low-end integrated Intel graphics card (rather than the ATI GPUs used in the other models), a Combo drive (rather than a SuperDrive in other models), a smaller 2MB Level-2 cache (vs 4MB in other models), and no Bluetooth or Apple Remote. Readers note that the low-end $999 iMac is simply the previously available education-only model with a faster processor. [updated]

Apple to launch movies with Disney only

With the launch of the much-anticipated Amazon.com's Unbox movie service today, more information has surfaced on the rumored movie offering from Apple. Amazon.com is believed to have most -- possibly all -- of the major studios in its corner, while Apple is only guaranteed to have Disney as part of its full-length movie offerings. The other major studios are likely to join iTunes some time in the next year, according to Variety.com. Pricing is to blame for Apple's possible one-studio deal, according to the report, because Amazon.com agreed to studio demands with pricing for digital offerings, which are expected to range between $9.99 and $19.99. Apple has pushed for fixed pricing on digital movie sales just as it did for musical tracks on its iTunes Music Store. Apple earlier this week was rumored to have compromised on digital movie pricing with Hollywood studios, splitting the difference between asking prices of both sides.

Apple, Hollywood "split the difference"

A new report says that Hollywood studios and Apple reached a compromise over the cost of digital movies by splitting the difference, and while the compromise could cost both sides millions of dollars, it may not be enough to reach more users. The report follows a slew of other reports that indicate that Apple is prepping its own digital movie service. Apple will reportedly charge $15 per movies, after the studios wanted to charge $20 and Apple wanted to charge $10, according to researchers at the Diffusion Group in Dallas. "The decision will likely cost both sides millions of dollars. Only 14% of broadband households would be interested in an iTunes movie service if the films cost $15. At $10, almost 1 in 4 homes show interest, TDG found in surveys. The firm's report on the viability of an iTunes service also suggests that Apple will hit a home run if, as AppleInsider speculates, it announces next week a wireless video accessory for the iPod to beam movies to the TV set," MarketWatch reports.

Apps: ChronoSync, ClickPix, Sound Byte

• ChronoSync 3.3.2 ($30) automatically synchronizes files and folders between notebook and desktop volumes, and can schedule automatic simple backups of important files. Version 3.3.2 enables users to designate the archive location, and supports backups to one volume as well as archiving older files to another volume. The update includes several bug fixes related to copying files to specific volumes like WebdaV, SMB, and Apple systems running Mac OS X 10.4.x. [Download - 4.9MB]


• ClickPix 1.0 ($10) enables users to easily create desktop pictures based on selected photos from the Web. Clix Pix automatically arranges selected pictures into a mosaic, and can apply special effects using Mac OS X CoreImage. The software also offers picture frames in various styles such as postage stamp, star, and cross effects. [Download - 1MB]


• Sound Byte 3.1.0 ($24) is designed as a computerized cart machine for computers, functioning similarly to the cart machines used at radio stations in the past. Users can select up to 75 recordings per rack (screen), and assign each to a button. The software also supports playlists to play multiple recordings in a particular order. [Download - 1.5MB]


• Art Files 1.1 ($50) collects Adobe Illustrator documents, linked images, and fonts for graphics files via point-and-click. The update runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, fixes a bug that caused documents dragged onto the collection list from being collected, and more. [Download - 1.24MB]


• CoverScout 2.1 ($20) updates the album cover art discovery software with a new advanced search function, an integrated size slider, and new contextual menu items. The search function is extended, allowing users to to locate entire albums in addition to individual artists. The size slider shrinks and expands the preview size of discovered artwork. [Download - [form]]


• Name This Tune 1.0 (free) is a simple game designed to test users' knowledge of songs in their iTunes library. The game plays 10 seconds of a song chosen at random from the selected playlist, offering a popup menu that contains five song names, one of which is the correct answer. [Download - 1.9MB]

Apple launches print ad campaign...

Apple has launched a major print campaign for its products that will appear in the September 8th issue of Entertainment Weekly, as well as other major magazines across the U.S. The white detachable insert features a cover asking consumers "what's the difference between a Mac and a PC?," an inside cover describing Apple's view on the basic differences between the platforms, and a back cover displaying quotes from industry names regarding Apple's products. The third page includes a detachable 14-page folded booklet with an iMac on the cover that includes informational pages covering iChat AV, iMovie, iPhoto, iWeb, Dashboard, GarageBand, Microsoft Office compatibility, and more. [updated, images included]

Briefly: touch patents; screensavers

In brief: Apple has filed for its multi-touch sensing patent, revealing more details (Part 1, Part 2) concerning the company's multi-touch technology following its other multi-function device patent published this morning.... Plasq today released 10 free screensavers for Mac OS X 10.4, in a set titled "sqreensavers" that range from abstract vector colored shapes to panning pastoral scenes.... The Parallels image of the Fedora Core Linux distribution for MacBooks is up to date and working, according to Ramsinks.com.... Newer Technology today lowered pricing of its miniStack USB and miniStack V2 with FireWire external hard drive enclosures.... PlateSpin today launched the first rentable software for server consolidation and virtualization, which is starts from $1 per server per day.

Four-wheeled robot uses Mac mini

One hobbyist and a partner recently developed a four-wheeled robot as part of a MacMod design challenge that uses a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Mac mini as the core of its control system. The robot features an interactive camera, IR sensors, and motor controls to steer around obstacles. The Mac mini has developed a small but loyal following of hobbyists who have taken advantage of its small shape for car computers and other tasks that would be impossible with larger systems. Hobbyist James Mullins also took advantage of the computer's included Apple Remote, IR port, and WiFi to give users an easy way to manually navigate the vehicle, which has a 7-inch touchscreen mounted on the back for direct control, according to Electronista.

Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro, Leopard...

Parallels today announced that it is making available the Update Release Candidate (RC) for Parallels Desktop for Mac, the first solution that enables users to run Windows and other operating systems alongside Mac OS X on any Intel-based Mac without rebooting. The update RC, which is free for all Parallels Desktop users, adds support for the recently released quad-processor Mac Pro towers outfitted with up to 3.5GB of memory. The update RC offers full compatibility with the developer builds of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard," as well as experimental guest OS support for the beta builds of Windows Vista, the next generation of Microsoft's Windows operating system which is due to ship in early 2007. The final release of the update is expected in the next few weeks; the full version is priced at $80.

Create online videos from MS PowerPoint

LecShare has released LecShare Pro, which allows users to add audio to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to create QuickTime movies, MPEG-4 Video files (Video Podcasts), Accessible HTML, and Microsoft Word documents. Users can either record audio through a microphone or import an audio file. The software allows users to create a fully captioned QuickTime movie from a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, recorded audio, and a transcript. Users can also include a transcript in the Lecturer's Notes and automatically synchronize the transcript with the audio. It can also include a browsable Table of Contents and can create Web Pages with embedded audio that meet Section 508 standards and WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as well as quickly create a Microsoft Word document containing images of all the slides from a PowerPoint presentation. Individual licenses may be purchased online for $70 (a limited LecShare is available for $40).

Multi-touch sensing patent part 2...

The second part of Apple's "Hand held electronic device with multiple touch sensing devices" patent reveals more details concerning the company's multitouch technology, including a two-handed handheld like an ebook and a device embodiment that is entirely touch sensitive.

UBS raises target, sparks AAPL rally

Shares of Apple are up nearly 3 percent to a 4-month high, ahead of the September 12th "Showtime" event and after an analyst upgrade and prediction of new digital living room products. MarketWatch reports that UBS analyst Benjamin Reitzes has increased the target price on Apple stock, saying that he expects Apple to make "a major move into the digital home" which may have the potential to multiply its revenue streams. Reitzes said the move could also result in higher sales of Mac computers, according to the report. Reitzes, reiterating his buy rating on the stock, raised his price target to $92 from $80 and increased his fourth-quarter earnings estimate to 50 cents a share from 49 cents and his revenue forecast to $4.65 billion from $4.63 billion. For 2007, Reitzes now expects profits of $2.70 a share (up from $2.65) and revenues of $23.9 billion (up from $23.7 billion). Apple stock was last up $2, or 2.9%, at $72.01, the highest price seen since May 9.

Apple's multifunction handheld patent

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today published Apple's patent application titled "Multi-functional hand-held device," depicting a cell phone capable of functioning in multiple modes. The front of the multifunciton handhel in Apple's new patent is described entirely as a touchscreen, with ports for power and data communications likely residing on the bottom of the device. The sides are to remain button free to prevent accidental activation, while the top might well house power and hold switches. The document was originally filed in March of 2006, and likely holds clues to Apple's upcoming special event scheduled for September 12th, according to MacNN Patent Blogger Neo. Industry watchers believe the company is set to unveil a new full-length movie service via its iTunes Music Store, and that the widely rumored "iPhone" will make its debut along with a revamped widescreen video iPod. The patent describes an electronic device that can function as a cell phone, music player, video player, game player, camera, GPS receiver, "hand top," and a remote control as well as describes the device functioning in multiple modes with the potential of a changing user interface.

First public beta of NeoOffice Aqua 2.0

The NeoOffice project has released NeoOffice Aqua 2.0 Beta 3, the first free public beta of NeoOffice 2.0 offering Mac OS X users a native Office suite without the need to install X Window System. The project is a port of the OpenOffice.org codebase to native Mac OS X APIs (Application Program Interfaces) and toolkits, integrating with the Mac OS X core. Previous beta releases were available to members of an "early access" program designed to fund the development of NeoOffice, according to NewsForge. OpenOffice.org 2.0 is largely supported by Sun Microsystems, and is an X11 binary requiring the X Window System to run. NeoOffice makes use of a fully native Aqua interface that integrates with Mac OS X features such as the clipboard, drag-and-drop functionality, and Spotlight. NeoOffice 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later, and is available for free. [corrected]

Sony debuts HDR-FX7 three-chip camera

Sony today introduced its HDR-FX7 prosumer video camera, featuring three-chip sensor technology. The new 1080i-capable camera features Sony's ClearVID CMOS sensor, which uses three chips to improve transfer rates and visual quality when combined with an enhanced imaging processor, according to Elecetronista. The new model offers burst shooting, which can play back six seconds of footage in 24 FPS slow-motion, and can take 1.2-megapixel still shots during live video capture. The three-chip sensor also improves power consumption, according to Sony, with up to eight hours of recording time possible using an optional high-capacity battery. The camera uses a 37.4-748mm lens with a 20X optical zoom and a digital extension feature that promises 30X total zoom without degrading the picture. The HDR-FX7 will be available for pre-order from the SonyStyle HandyCam site on September 8th for $3,500.

Briefly: reviews; MacBook Pro handle

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the iLuv ($50) -- a rechargeable lithium polymer battery for iPod -- as well as the MP3 Shower Radio with Fog Free Mirror ($30, shown at right) from Princess International.... QuickerTek is offering 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro owners who purchase the MacBook Pro Transceiver or Connect products a $25 discount on a carry handle.... The creative team behind Photoshop User magazine and Layers magazine today released the Adobe Illustrator Techniques newsletter, a how-to periodical specifically tailored for users of Adobe Illustrator.... Bright Path Solutions today announced the list of speakers for its fall 2006 FrameMaker user conference in Austin, Texas.... iProng has posted instructions on how to keychain an iPod shuffle for free, using scissors and a cigarette lighter.

Apps: rooSwitch, RAW Developer

• rooSwitch 1.1 updates the profile switching application, bringing faster switching, per application preferences and new support for AppleScript and Automator. rooSwitch allows you to manage multiple profiles for almost any applications data by simpling dragging the application on rooSwitch. Version 1.1 offers the ability to move files instead of copying them as well as per-application preferences. rooSwitch 1.1 requires a Mac with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher and is available as a Universal Binary. [Download - 1.5MB]


• RAW Developer 1.5.4 ($100) updates the RAW image conversion software for Mac OS X. Version 1.5.4 adds support for the popular new Canon Digital Rebel XTi and Nikon D80 models. This update also fixes an issue with the loading of thumbnails from some Sony DSLR-A100 images and fixes an issue with the hot/dead pixel filters specific to Intel processor based systems. It supports Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is a Universal Binary. [Download - 4.5MB]


• Smooth Operators 1.0 ($15) is a complete solution for learning, practicing, and testing the order of operations. An interactive lesson teaches the math concepts thoroughly, and students can practice by clicking on operators in the correct order, or use test mode and type in the answers. "Students can learn, practice, and test their skills, all with one software package. Smooth Operators helps make learning easy, it provides a convenient and effective method for practice, and testing is challenging." [Download - 2.8MB]


• The Missing Sync for Palm OS 5.1.1 ($40) is a free update to the software for syncing your Mac to the Palm OS. The 5.1.1 release addresses issues for users who subscribe to Google calendars, fixes various category issues with Mark/Space's conduits that handle Address Book and iCal data, improves exception handling, supports custom field ordering for Garmin iQue devices and introduces other minor bug fixes and improvements. It requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. [Download - 24MB]


• MBS plug-in for REALbasic 6.3 ($55) is a collection of several plug-in parts which extend the REALbasic development environment with over 500 classes and 3 controls featuring over 11000 documented functions. Version 6.3 adds Universal support (requires RB 2006r4 to be used), new BlowfishMBS for encryption, and supports UUIDMBS for unique IDs as well as many other small fixes. The plug-ins require REALbasic 4.5 or newer. Commercial licenses are about $100. [Download - 34MB]

Apple retail chief to speak Sept. 12th

Apple's chief of retail Ron Johnson is scheduled to speak to analysts at the fourth ThinkEquity Annual Growth Conference following the Cupertino-based company's special announcement on September 12th. ThinkEquity analyst Jonathan Hoopes believes the company will debut new iPods as well as an iTunes movie download service, according to Macworld UK. Johnson will likely discuss how Apple's retail presence can help execute its future strategy, following the expected product announcements. Both Apple events are to take place on the same day as Dell's own analyst meeting. "It appears Apple CEO Steve Jobs wants to steal Michael Dell's thunder," said Hoopes. ThinkEquity has issued a "buy" rating on Apple shares with a price target of $90, and believes Apple retail stores are a true asset to the brand. "Apple is perfecting a next-generation retail experience and we believe the stores are core to Apple's establishing a premier consumer electronics brand."

e frontier ships Anime Studio 5

e frontier has released Anime Studio 5, a 2D animation and cartoon creation software. Anime Studio utilizes a unique and revolutionary "bone rigging" system, which the company says is "normally found only in 3D graphics software that streamlines the animation workflow, reduces production time, and saves money by requiring a smaller team of animators than normally used in animation." Anime Studio, previously known as "Moho, "empowers digital artists of all skills and levels with the ability to animate. Anime Studio makes exporting to the web and other popular movie formats easy. I expect users to share their home made animations on popular viral sites like YouTube.com and portable devices like Apple's Video iPods," a company representative said. Anime Studio will be available for $50, while Anime Studio Pro is available for $200. It is available to free to educational institutions as part of the company's Lab Pack Program, and available to educational users for $30 (Pro version is $100).

CS Odessa releases ConceptDraw 6.1

CS Odessa today released ConceptDraw 6.1, a new version of its diagramming software package that brings soft shadows, smart objects highlighting and the addition of a number of business related shapes libraries. Version 6.1 offers the ability to select an object and then drop a shadow onto the canvas, as well as add corresponding shadows to the other objects with which it intersects. ConceptDraw Basic, an internal scripting language, has also undergone extensive improvements with new functions for Shape, Paint and Page objects that control object ordering, filling color and shadows. It also improves Smart Objects functionality, adds five new libraries for floor planning, and features other usability improvements, including remembering the last used folders for opening and saving files, preserving the last used format for Save As dialog and being able to select objects in a group by using the Tab button. ConceptDraw 6.1, available in English, German, French, and Spanish, is a free upgrade to v6 owners. The Professional version is $300, while the Standard version is $150.

Iomega's new UltraMax 640GB RAID storage

Iomega today announced the new UltraMax 640GB Desktop Hard Drive, providing Mac users with secure, high-capacity storage in a rugged enclosure that complements Power Mac and Mac Pro series of computers. The drive features a variety of RAID settings as well as a built-in Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) hub for future expansion. In addition to the default mode of RAID 0, which stripes data across two 7200-RPM SATA hard drives, other RAID drive settings includes 'spanned' (both hard drives are treated as a single volume) and 'simple' (two separate volumes). Users can manually adjust a RAID switch to turn off the RAID configurations and use the drive configured as JBOD (i.e., one large volume). The Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive, preformatted with Apple's HFS+ file system for Mac OS X users, is a stackable, metallic grey enclosure with a mesh grill and offers three interfaces: FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0). In addition, it provides users with an integrated three-port Hi-Speed USB hub. UltraMax 640GB will ship later this month for $450 with FireWire 400/800 and USB 2.0 cables.

New templates in RapidWeaver 3.5

Realmac Software today announced a new version of RapidWeaver 3.5, its easy-to-use and powerful website building application that allows anyone to create and publish professional-looking websites in minutes. Now available as a Universal application, the release offers new German and French localizations, SFTP publishing, improved interface with a new "Theme Viewer," the ability to drop shadows/borders, smaller file creation (by up to 70 percent), and an enhanced blog style along with seven new professionally designed themes. The software is now available in English, French, partial German localization, and Japanese, while an Italian and full German localization will follow shortly, according to the company. The application offers advanced features such as the ability to mix HTML and WYSIWYG, the ability to produce valid "XHTML strict" code, unlimited submenus, live PHP rendering, an open plugin system for third-party extras, and mobile/print CSS templates. RapidWeaver 3.5, a free upgrade for all users, is available for $40.

Bare Bones ships BBEdit 8.5...

Bare Bones Software today released BBEdit 8.5, a significant upgrade to its HTML and text editor for the Macintosh. Offering more than 160 new features and improvements (as well as a price reduction), BBEdit 8.5 brings changes to streamline navigation and ease discovery of features. Version 8.5 features "code folding," an enhanced Clipping system, a significantly improved toolbar/interface, integrated support for Ruby, SQL, and YAML, improved language support for object-oriented JavaScript, a better FTP/SFTP browser, transparent support for saving/opening compressed files, and a greatly revised Preferences interface featuring an integrated search for function parameters. In addition, the company added HTML to its "Text Factories" (automated text processing functions) and incorporated PCRE 5.0 with extended Unicode properties, named subexpressions, and other regular-expression enhancements. BBEdit 8.5 is now available for $125, almost $75 below its previous retail price. Registered owners of BBEdit 8 can upgrade for $30, while owners of BBEdit 7 and older can upgrade for $40 (it is free for any purchase this year).