Apple previews new .Mac email UI...

Apple has posted a preview of its upcoming .Mac interface overhaul, which will make the paid web service look like its propietary email application built for Mac OS X: Mail.app is bundled free with every Mac and offers users the ability to download, sort, and organize both POP and IMAP-based email on the desktop. The overhaul will apparently bring the Mail.app UI to the Web, offering an indentical look along with similar functionality, such as drag & drop functions for single and multiple email, a three-pane interface to preview messages without leaving the window, section-based refreshes to reduce complete page loads, quick-reply functions to easily respond without leaving the window, a built-in, fully integrated Address Book, message flagging, and keyboard shortcuts.

Forums: Apple economics, Front Row pros

Forums roundup: Members are discussing the value of a new iMac in comparison to the Mac Pro line of workstations.... Other users discuss the lack of an IR port on the Mac Pro, explaining that professionals like to relax with Front Row too.... Another user puts forth some cost efficient ways to invisibly protect an iPod.... One member looks for answers as to just how upgradeable the iMac actually is.... Meanwhile, another user shares their experiences with a dead-on-arrival MacBook.

Apple updates refurb iMacs, eMacs, LCDs

Apple has updated its refurbished iMac, eMac, and Cinema Display offerings. The apple store is currently offering its refurbished 17-inch iMac 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo ($949) with 512MB of memory and a 160GB hard drive; and its 20-inch iMac 2GHz Intel Core Duo with 512MB of memory and a 250GB hard drive. Refurbished eMacs include the 1.25GHz model ($569) with a CD-ROM, 256MB of memory, and a 40GB hard drive; the 1.42GHz model ($639) with a Combo Drive DVD-ROM/CD burner, 256MB of memory and an 80GB hard drive; and the 1.42GHz model ($799) with a SuperDrive DVD/CD burner, 512MB of memory, and a 160GB hard drive. The company's refurbished Cinema Display flat panel monitors with aluminum enclosures include the 20-inch display featuring an optimal resolution of 1680x1050 for $599; the 23-inch HD display boasting a 1920x1200 optimal resolution for $849; and the 30-inch HD display with a whopping 2560x1600 optimal resolution for $1,699.

Briefly: new Apple patents; HDV seminar

In brief: The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has published Apple's newly granted patents which include a "computing device with dynamic ornamental appearance;" a "method and apparatus for forming and dispatching instruction groups based on priority comparisons;" "Depopulation of a ball grid array to allow via placement;" and two design patents for a "Media device" as well as an "Icon for a portion of a display screen".... Video 4 Musicians is joining Apple and Lowel Lighting to present a free HDV-focused seminar that will teach users the tools and techniques required to create live performance footage, music videos, and behind-the-scenes content.... RingCube claims its new MojoPac software allows users to convert free space on a removable drive -- even an iPod -- into a fully functional Windows XP environment when plugged into another XP system.... TECSoft is set to offer its "no-tears, hands-on" introductory AppleScript training for users with no prior programming experience starting this fall.... Quark today announced that the Metro International newspaper has chosen to adopt QuarkXPress 7 across its entire global network to produce free daily newspapers.

StuffIt Standard v11 now available...

Smith Micro Software today released StuffIt Standard Edition 11.0, a Universal Binary release of the bundled compression solution that provides native support for Intel-based Macs, and features a number of improvements to its core compression engine. The improvements deliver faster compression and decompression speeds--especially on dual-processor or dual-core Macs--according to the company. Version 11 expands the Zip format support in the Finder, supports the creation of encrypted Zip archives and provides Mac users with the ability to open "strong encrypted" Windows Zip archives that originated on a PC. StuffIt's improved Zip compression technology permits users to create Zip archives that are smaller than those created by the Finder, while retaining full compatibility with all existing Zip applications on both Macs and Windows-based computers. StuffIt Standard Edition 11.0 is $50. Registered users can upgrade to StuffIt Deluxe for $30, or upgrade to StuffIt Standard Edition v11 for $15 (through March 31, 2007).

CalDigit adds Mac Pro support

CalDigit today announced that it is shipping its PCI-e controller cards and SATA II RAID products with Mac Pro support. The company's FASTA-4e PCI Express card works reliably in Apple's new Intel-based Mac Pro systems, and its FASTA-4e SATA card supports any port multiplier -- up to 20 drives -- or SATA Dumb boxes. "We know many Mac Pro users have been waiting for such a SATA solution," said Jon Schilling of CalDigit. Any CalDigit customer requiring Mac Pro support that purchased a FASTA-4e card/S2VR storage system can download the latest driver for free.

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, Pro App updates

Apple today released Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, an update to the company's professional video editing application. The Universal update, available as a 28MB download provides important bug fixes and compatibility updates for certain Canon, Sony, JVC and Panasonic devices as well as "addresses effects compatibility issues and video format compatibility, and resolves long-standing issues with video scope performance and audio output." The company also released Pro Applications Update 2006-02, which addresses several issues with underlying frameworks and shared components for Apple’s professional applications and is strongly recommended for all users of: Final Cut Studio 5.1, Final Cut Pro 5.1, Motion 2.1, Soundtrack Pro 1.1, DVD Studio Pro 4.1, LiveType 2.1, Compressor 2.1, Apple Qmaster 2.1, and Final Cut Express HD 3.5.

Centrify consolidates authentication...

Centrify today announced Active Directory integration for Oracle, DB2, Sybase, and Informix databases as well as SAP R/3- and NetWeaver-based applications running on UNIX and Linux systems. The company's Centrify DirectControl allows organizations using Microsoft Active Directory to centrally manage user authentication across a wide range of heterogeneous systems and Web-based applications while also controlling access to popular databases and packaged applications such as Oracle and SAP R/3. Users gain single sign-on to all key systems, applications, and databases they require access to, regardless of the organization's underlying IT infrastructure. Centrify DirectControl is available on more than 80 operating system versions and Web applications, and is available now as a beta release. The final release is due to ship in December of this year. Pricing will be announced when final versions are shipped.

Intel offers $1m to challenge Mac mini...

At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Intel CEO Paul Otellini today offered a $1 million reward to the first computer manufacturer to develop a small, style-oriented PC using both Intel's Core chip and Viiv home theater technology. Otellini discussed the advancements in case design made possible by the lower power consumption of his company's Core processor, saying that smaller and more stylish PCs are needed to advance beyond the current standards of design. Although the Intel executive did not explicitly name Apple's Mac mini desktop system when announcing the competition, the design closely matches most of Otellini's criteria. He notably allowed Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller to make an unprecedented guest appearance before the competition announcement to explain how the Core architecture has helped Apple's design process, according to Electronista.

Intel talks quad-core, 45nm technology...

At his keynote at the Intel Developer Forum, company CEO Otellini discussed new details around the company’s plan for delivering the industry’s first quad-core processors for PCs and high-volume servers. As reported previously, the first processor, targeted at gamers and content creators, will be ship in November and be called the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor, instead of the previously anticipated "Intel Core 2 Quadro." The quad-core chip will feature a dramatic 70 percent performance improvement over today's Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, according to the company. In addition, Intel's CEO touted a Core 2 Duo challenge and was joined on stage by Apple exec Phil Schiller, who talked about innovating using Intel's Core-based line of processors.

Apple's Schiller on stage at Intel IDF...

Apple exec Phill Schiller jointed Intel CEO Paul Otellini on stage at Intel's Developer Forum in San Francisco, where he discussed how Apple has been able to innovate with sleek form factors and leverage the Intel Core family of processors across their entire computing product line. It was the first ever appearance of an Apple executive at IDF. Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, touted Intel's Core architecture and performance of the new Core-based chips and explained how the Core architecture has helped Apple's design process, following Intel's $1 million Mac mini design challenge. Schiller said it was "just the beginning of the things that Intel and Apple can do together to bring to market the best computers that consumers and professionals have ever seen," according to one report. Otellini also looked ahead to Intel’s next-generation 45nm technology, which he said was on track for production in the second half of 2007. Otellini disclosed, for the first time, that the company has 45nm products already in development across desktop, mobile, and enterprise segments. In addition the chip giant's CEO, struggling to fight off AMD's growing marketshare, touted power efficiency and said it would ship the first quad-core processors for desktop PCs and high-volume servers in November.

EZQuest's Pro Studio RAID SATA storage

EZQuest has introduced a new line of Pro Studio Raid SATA storage solutions, which includes three models: Dual Multi-Lane, Single Multi-Lane PCI-Express and PCI-X. Designed for content creation professionals who have outgrown their current array of external FireWire drives, the storage solutions are available in Single-Channel 1.28TB, 2.0TB, 3.0TB, and Dual-Channel 2.56TB, 4.0TB, 6.0TB versions. Featuring four (4) or eight (8) hot-swappable 3Gb SATA II drives, the new solutions support complex and intensive 28/96 multi-track audio projects, by using innovative Multi-Lane technology. Dual-Channel is capable of delivering over 560MB/s sustained data throughput, while PCI-Express offers over 240MB/s and PCI-X delivers over 200MB/s sustained data throughput. All systems support 24-bit, 96kHz audio, DV25/DV50 and 720P HD and RAID 0/1/5/10/50 or JBOD as well as include a 3-year limited warranty. The Pro Studio Raid storage solutions are available now: Single-Channel systems are: $2,000 for 1.28TB capacity; $2,800 for 2.0TB capacity; and $3,750 for 3.0TB capacity. Dual-Channel systems are: $3,000 for 2.56TB capacity; $4,770 for 4.0TB capacity; and $6,630 for 6.0TB capacity.

Microsoft debuts Wallop social network...

Microsoft today launched Wallop, its unique approach to social networking websites that offers an innovative graphical-interface to personalization tools and interactive elements as well as traditional social networking features such as groups, network affiliations, blogs, music, photo galleries, messaging, profiles, etc. Launched as an invitation-only network, Wallop uses personalization features along with its graphical Flash-based interface to begin a new genre of ad-free social networking--driven only by the sale of personalization tools from its marketplace. "Central to Wallop's business model will be Adobe Flash developers and designers who will sell their personal creations on Wallop's marketplace," the company said. "Now Flash experts, who have been responsible for many of the most innovative Web concepts, can make money doing what they love without any of the business hassle."

4GB SD, 16GB CF media at Photokina...

Both SanDisk and Kingston today announced high-capacity 4GB Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) cards. SanDisk's announcement came from the Photokina trade show, boasting write speeds of 9MB/sec and read speeds of 10MB/sec for the new portable storage card. Sandisk said the cards target digital photography enthusiasts with 5 megapixel or higher resolution digital cameras, and promised to bundle its MicroMate USB 2.0 card reader with the cards ($220) when they ship in October. Kingston announced that it will begin producing its new SDHC Class 2 card ($200), and enhance the functionality of its existing 15-in-1 Reader to support growing storage demands. Kingston will back its new card with a lifetime warranty, promising transfer speeds up to 480Mbps.

Runtime Revolution 2.7.4 released...

Runtime Revolution today released Revolution 2.7.4, updating Revolution Media, Revolution Studio, and Revolution Enterprise. The release includes 49 features and improvements, including a hover icon that allows users to highlight objects when moving the mouse over them. Other new features include proportional resizing, multi-line tooltips, the ability to insert data into the middle of an XML document, and the ability to add a cancel button to a progress bar when zipping or unzipping items using the built-in revzip feature. Runtime Revolution is offering a free three month trial of its one-year update program, as well as a 50 percent savings for purchasing customers. Revolution Media is available for $50, Revolution Studio for $300, and Revolution Enterprise for $900 (system requirements were unavailable).

Cha-Ching Beta money manager released

Three Mac developers have released Cha-Ching Beta, a new money management application that provides a simple overview of money coming in and out. Users can tag each transaction with keywords such as "bill," "food," "impulse buy," and more. The Universal software also tracks pending transactions such as IOU's, bills, and invoices. Apple iSight integration allows users to photograph items for insurance or tax purposes, and the application integrates with iCal as well as Address Book. Cha-Ching supports custom "Smart Drawers" to filter through the transaction library by title, keywords, amount, and more. Cha-Ching Beta is available for $15, though the price will rise to $25 when the application is officially released in non-beta form (system requirements were unavailable).

Briefly: Sirius Stiletto; FuzzySharp

In brief: Sirius has introduced the Stiletto 100 (pictured at right), its first live portable satellite radio with Wi-Fi capability.... FuzzySharp Technologies has licensed patents covering advanced 3D graphics invented by Dr. Hong Lip Lim during his research in Australia for his PhD thesis from ATI Technologies.... Sigma today released two new camera models that take advantage of the 14 megapixel digital SLR unveiled today by Foveon.... Speck today announced that it will begin shipping its new cases for Apple's second-generation iPod nano on September 27th.... Nokia has released a suite of N-series media phones, some of which are capable of playing music.

FormRouter supports Mac OS X, Linux...

FormRouter today announced new support for non-Windows environments including Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, and Unix. FormRouter's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution enables non-technical subscribers to deploy intelligent PDF, HTML, Flash and other form formats in minutes with no servers and no programming. Upon submission, completed forms, optional attachments and entered data are routed securely to an electronic data store located on the form owner's desktop in near real-time. The FormRouter Client Tool enables one-click, secure download of form- collected data directly to popular database formats or text files. The Mono Project provides the necessary software to develop and run .NET client and server applications on Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, Windows, and Unix.

LaCie unveils 500GB d2 SATA II hard drive

LaCie today unveiled its d2 SATA II 3Gbits Hard Drive Series, new desktop hard drives with interface speeds up to 3Gbit/s--twice as fast as LaCie's first-generation SATA I 1.5Gbits drives. LaCie d2 SATA II 3Gbits Hard Drives Series offer up to 500GB on one disk and utilize the newest SATA drives with Native Command Queuing and a 16MB of cache for increased performance. In addition, the 500GB drive has a smart fan that shuts off when not in use, according to the company. The sleek and compact d2 case can stand vertically to save desktop space, be laid horizontally to stack multiple drives, or rack-mounted to fit into an audio/video setup. LaCie d2 SATA II 3Gbits Hard Drives are available immediately from LaCie direct and will be widely available via LaCie's specialized dealer network later this month. The drives, which include LaCie Backup Software, are available in capacities of 250GB ($150), 320GB ($180), and 500GB ($280).

TOLIS ships BRU LE 1.3 for Intel Macs

TOLIS Group has released BRU LE 1.3, an upgrade to the company's backup and restore solution for Mac OS X. Version 1.3.0 delivers improved functionality, ease-of-use, and performance as well as native support for Intel-based Macs. Version 1.3 includes a new "QuickBackup" mode, multi-threaded design, enhanced disk to disk (D2D) file management support, support for sending task mail through an intermediate mail server, dramatically improved tape I/O performance for newer tape technologies such as SDLT, LTO-3, and SAIT, improved administrative authentication, and Universal Binary support. The QuickBackup mode simplifies immediate backup needs by allowing users to drag and drop files, folders, or complete disk volumes from the desktop, select the backup media, and click the "Start Backup" button; while enhanced disk archive management provides automatic date and time stamping within the archive. Current LE technical support customers will be upgraded for free and will be provided new licenses. Upgrades for non-support customers are $70. Pricing starts at $700 (server + 2 clients). Additional clients start at $50.

Scandinavian iTunes talks progress...

Negotiations between Apple and Scandinavian governments over iTunes restrictions have made "surprising progress," according to Norway's official consumer advocate. "Our meeting was much more constructive than I expected it would be," said Bjorn Erik Thon, director of the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman's office. "We argued and did not agree on a lot, but we discussed all issues." A final resolution to the dispute may require Apple to change its iTunes business model in Norway as well as several other Scandinavian countries, according to the International Herald Tribune. Representatives from Sweden, Denmark, and Finland attended the meeting, all of which have laws similar to Norway to protect consumers, and all have agreed to follow Norway's lead.

Foveon unveils 14.1 megapixel X3 DSLR...

Foveon today announced the release of its 14.1 megapixel X3 DSLR image sensor, the highest resolution X3 sensor available, according to the company. The new sensor -- which provides a 40 percent increase in pixel count over the previous X3 DSLR sensor and will ship in the Sigma SD14 camera -- incorporates design as well as process enhancements that improve performance at long exposures and high ISO speeds. Foveon claims that its proprietary X3 technology is the only image sensor technology that stacks red, green and blue pixels vertically, increasing the information density of the recorded image while simultaneously eliminating the color sampling artifacts found with other image sensors.

FileMaker unveils two K-12 resources...

FileMaker today announced two new resources designed to improve school productivity as well as performance for K-12 administrators, teachers, and technology coordinators. The FileMaker School is an online resource that showcases many innovative examples of how actual schools are using FileMaker Pro solutions that impact school operations, student performance, and professional development. FileMaker School solutions are grouped into six major categories which include student information; teacher desktop; curriculum management; personnel and professional development; school operations; and special education. A second resource, the FileMaker K-12 Advocates program, provides avid FileMaker K-12 users with a live online forum available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for networking with colleagues and helping advance best solution practices within the K-12 field.

Mini mount with backlighting debuts

H-Squared today announced that it has spun out its mount business into a new company, and unveiled a new Mini mount for Apple's Mac mini systems. The new bracket allows users to mount the Mac mini in nearly any orientation -- on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. The latest design is stronger than previous models, but features a lower profile when looking at the Mac head-on. Optional backlighting is once again available, featuring a single LED with an on/off switch inserted into the mount while drawing power via USB. A channel behind the mount provides ample room for cables to drop behind the mount when mounted on a wall, and provides ample clearance for a shelf-mount application. The new Mini mount allows full access to all ports regardless of how the Mac mini is mounted, and features 1/4-inch acrylic with a new round-over edge. The latest Mini mount ships for $55 with backlighting or $40 without, and is available in clear only.

MacProVideo offers Reason tutorials

MacProVideo.com has released "Reason 203: REX & FX," a Propellerhead tutorial video program demonstrating how to create REX files and add Reason's built-in DSP effects. More than just a quick tour, the tutorial demonstrates the "how" and "why" of using Reason's DSP effects. Users learn how dynamic range compression works, and see why it is best applied to beats, guitar, and other sounds to make them cut through the mix. The video also offers in-depth coverage of vocoding, phasing, flanging, delay, and reverb. Reason 203: REX & FX is available via direct download as well as DVD for $40 (coupon code for 10 percent off: reason103-pmnn).

Free Autocorrection for TextExpander

SmileOnMyMac has released a free autocorrection snippet file for use with TextExpander, the customizable typing timesaver tool. TextExpander lets users define abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images. The autocorrection file contains over 100 common typos and misspelled words. An incorrect spelling functions as a trigger, and is replaced with the correction when typed. TextExpander features the ability to insert standard greetings, text, and signatures including formatted text and pictures as well as can save keystrokes by typing simple abbreviations to get long snippets. In addition, users can insert the current date and time in any format you prefer, type special characters without launching the special characters palette, position the cursor wherever you want in your expanded snippet, and more. It is available in English, German, French, Japanese and Italian for $30 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

iStockphoto offers Aperture 1.5 plugin

iStockphoto, a community-powered marketplace for stock photography, illustrations and videos, today announced a new plug-in for Aperture 1.5, the latest version of Apple’s post-production tool for photographers. This tool allows iStockphoto artists to use Aperture to manage and tag their images, and batch-upload them directly to iStockphoto.com. The plug-in automatically pulls keyword and metadata information from Aperture, streamlining photographers’ workflow and saves them time, the company said. “iStockphoto is home to more than 25,000 photographers and we think Aperture is the perfect image workflow production tool for these artists,” said Bruce Livingstone, CEO of iStockphoto. “By using our new plug-in for Aperture, our photographers have the ability to batch-upload their images directly to our site with all the right tags in place, greatly simplifying and streamlining the entire process.” The iStockphoto plug-in takes advantage of Aperture 1.5’s new plug-in API, and can be downloaded for free.