Proof-of-concept Bluetooth exploit...

Internet security and privacy firm Intego has released a security memo regarding a proof-of-concept exploit (site not updated), Inqtana.d Bluetooth, which provides attackers with a root account on affected Macs. The exploit, which has not yet been seen in the wild and is unable to compromise up-to-date installations of Mac OS X, is installed on a Mac OS X system via Bluetooth from a computer or PDA running Linux. Mac OS X 10.3 and Mac OS X 10.4 systems that are not up to date with Apple's latest security fixes are vulnerable, and Bluetooth must be active. Bluetooth file transfer need not be enabled, however, and the attacking computer must be within Bluetooth range. "This exploit is installed from a Linux system, and exploits an rfcomm security hole in Bluetooth software. Unlike previous versions of Inqtana malware, no user interaction is required."

BlockHeads Clash action game released

Outside The Box Software has released BlockHeads Clash, an action-based arcade game designed for up to four players. The game boasts 12 stages and three unique worlds with multi-player co-op play as well as battle modes. "Venture to a strange place inside cartoon labyrinths where the only weapon is your head - literally. Using your foursquare noggin, you can send foes tumbling or even break the very ground beneath them. The labyrinth's deadly hazards and obstacles present ever increasing danger, not to mention the enemies whose right-angled heads are bigger and deadlier than yours." The game is available for free (system requirements were unavailable).

Briefly: review; SlingPlayer; iPodResQ

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the AHS615 Gaming Headset ($80, shown at right) from Altec Lansing, an accessory combining stereo headphones with a built-in microphone.... Slingbox owners eagerly awaiting the Mac OS X client may find themselves treated this Halloween, according to an official blog post at SlingCommunity.com.... iPodResQ has begun servicing the second-generation iPod nano, offering the same 24-hour turnaround as offered for other iPod models.... Setteb.it has posted a preview of MacExpo (in Italian), offering photos of the event which is scheduled to take place tomorrow in London.... Big Nerd Ranch has released the first 2007 date for its cornerstone class, Cocoa Bootcamp, which is scheduled for February 5-9th, 2007 in a luxury retreat outside Atlanta, GA.... CryptoCard today announced that it was awarded the maximum rating for performance, ease of use, and security in a Federal Computer Week (FCW) product review, highlighting its security solutions designed to work with Mac, Linux, and Windows systems.

"Image Moments" digital photo frame...

Digital Foci today introduced its new redesigned "Image Moments" digital photo album frame, enabling users to display and share photos directly from digital camera memory cards on a selection of decorative interchangeable picture frames. Users can insert any digital camera card into Image Moments to view photos on the 8-inch color LCD screen, and the device includes an easel leg supporting either landscape or portrait positioning. Image Moments also allows users to create custom frames with its proprietary adapter ring design, according to Digital Foci. The company will begin taking pre-orders for Image Moments ($230) starting October 30th, with additional frames priced at $20 each.

Primera ups Disc Publisher capacities

Primera Technology today introduced its ADL-Max Disc Autoloader, increasing disc capacity from 50 discs to 325 discs for the Bravo II and 100 discs to 350 discs for the BravoPro Disc Publishers and AutoPrinters. The ADL-MAX Disc Autoloader attaches to any of Primera's Bravo II or BravoPro Disc Publishers, utilizing robotics to transport discs from the four integrated input bins into as well as out of the burning and printing mechanisms of the Bravo II or BravoPro. With ADL-MAX, Bravo II's capacity increases from 50 discs to 325 discs, while BravoPro's capacity increases from 100 discs to 350 discs. The ADL-MAX Disc Autoloader is already shipping for $2,000.

Diabetes management app goes Universal

ToThePoint Software today released 1-2Tracker 1.0, a re-design of its original Type2Tracker application designed specifically for people with Diabetes. The software allows users to track and graph blood glucose tests as well as weight on a daily basis. 1-2Tracker helps people with diabetes keep food and exercise logs via a journal, storing links to diabetes-related resources such as websites and documents for later retrieval. The update runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, offering numerous additional features and bug fixes. The new release stores medication, exercise, and food logs in a separate drop-down window, and adds the ability to archive data. 1-2Tracker 1.0 requires Mac OS X 10.0 or later, and is available for $15.

Objective-Basic combines BASIC, Cocoa

KBasic Software today released Objective-Basic 1.0, a new development tool for Cocoa that combines BASIC with Cocoa. The application serves as an integrated development environment (IDE) with support for modern BASIC syntax, an interface designer, and the ability to extend native Objective-C classes using inheritance. Users can access Objective-C with C and Carbon or Cocoa to create small and fast native executables without runtime dependencies as Universal Binaries. The software comes with complete documentation, and offers truly Objective-C object orientation as well as backward support for Objective-C and C. Objective-Basic 1.0 Personal edition is available for free, while the Professional version ships for $35. Both versions require Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later.

Checkout public beta released...

Madebysofa has released Checkout public beta, the new point of sale software for Mac users designed a full featured business application. Checkout features instant search capability alongside a wide variety of keyboard shortcuts to ease use and minimize time spent on the computer. The software is designed to handle quick checkouts in retail stores; detail personalized quotes, order, and invoices; and manage stock as well as purchases. Checkout is the only Intel-native point of sale system for the Mac, according to the company, and the first commercial release is slated for shipment in the fourth quarter of 2006. The Checkout public beta requires Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later (pricing was unavailable).

MATLAB beta comes to Intel Macs

The Mathworks has released Matlab beta with support for Intel-based Macs, bringing support for Apple's latest systems for the entire Matlab and Simulink families -- with the exception of Virtual Reality Toolbox. Matlab is a high-level language and interactive environment that enables users to perform computationally intensive tasks faster than with traditional programming languages such as C, C++, or Fortran. Matlab integrates with the M-Lint code analyzer to provide continuous code checking, and supports regular expression features such as evaluation of Matlab expressions to perform dynamic matching or replacement of text. The beta software requires Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later with at least 510MB of memory and the X11 X server for Mac OS X.

Quadrium flame grows "flame fractals"...

Gandreas Software has released quadrium flame, an application designed to create and animate "flame fractals." The software combines a wide variety of mathematic transformations with an interface that allows users to actually "grow" an image, according to Gandreas. Users interactively build an image by combining 24 different transformations and attractors, including support for 3D transformations. Quadrium flame provides live feedback as users directly manipulate the flames, and supports warping images with 37 different topologies which are usable globally or on a per-flame basis. The application can color each flame individually or as a gradient with five different schemes, and offers a gradient editor for customization of flame gradient color. Quadrium flame is available for $40, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Annoture bridges Aperture, iView

Tow.com has released Annoture 1.0, a metadata bridging solution for Aperture and iView MediaPro software that enables users to transfer annotations between iView MediaPro catalogs and Aperture projects. The update adds support for iView 3.x and Aperture 1.5, offering German localization as well as speed improvements when copying from iView to Aperture. Annoture can confirm before copying annotations, ignore file extensions when copying annotations from iView to Aperture, and overwrite existing annotations in the destination image with those of the source image. Annoture 1.0 ($15) requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later, Aperture 1.5 or later, and iView Media Pro 2.6.4 or later.

Apple's Intel Xserves slip to mid-Nov...

Apple's new Intel-based Xserve workstations, announced in August, are now available for pre-order at Apple's store, but are not expected until mid-November. Originally expected to ship in October, Apple's Xserves are used in small business and to build many of the world's top supercomputers. The company is offering many BTO options for its quad-core (using two 64-bit Dual-Core Intel Xeon "Woodcrest" processors) server offering, with processor speeds ranging up to dual-core 3GHz for additional $1799). The $2,999 base configuration includes a two dual-core 2.0GHz Xeons, an 80GB SATA drive, and 1GB of RAM (2x512MB), Combo drive, and an ATI Radeon X1300 with 64MB of VRAM. A version without graphics is $50 less. The new Xserve also offers two open eight-lane PCI Express slot for dual Gigabit Ethernet ($199), U320 SCSI card ($199), or 2Gb Fibre Channel ($499) expansion options. Apple also offers a second hot-swappable 650 watt power supply option for $199,.

Briefly: Aussie iTunes, 750GB BTO drive

Briefly: The iTunes Store in Australia is celebrating its one-year anniversary by offering six birthday gifts, including music from five different Aussie artists and an audiobook version of Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One.... Apple is now offering a 750GB hard drive option ($399 option, 5-7 business days for shippping) on its new 24-inch iMac; it is also available on the Mac Pro for up to 3TB of storage using four drive bays, but not other iMac models.... Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak gives Steve Jobs credit as the driving force behind the conception of Apple, but he doesn’t think Jobs would have met with success if it hadn’t been for him.... Southern California MacFair attendees can drop off all their obsolete electronics at the ease e-waste recycling truck on Saturday, November 4 held at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.... Microsoft and various PC manufacturers have finally solidified earlier plans to offer a free or discounted upgrade to Windows Vista for buyers of select Windows XP machines.

Betas of Adobe Flex Builder 2, Flash Player

Adobe has offered a prerelease of Adobe Flex Builder 2 for Macintosh, an update to the development software. The IDE for rich internet applications (RIA) includes "robust coding and debugging tools that enable developers to quickly build rich client-side logic as well as intelligent code navigation that allows users to easily understand source code and root out underlying issues." The company also said the application includes intuitive visual tools allow designers or developers to easily create rich, more usable application interfaces with a customized look and feel. Flex Builder for Macintosh has all of the same features as its Windows counterpart, Adobe said on its website; it runs on both the PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs on Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later. Beta versions of both Flex Builder 2 for Macintosh and Flex Builder 2 Eclipse Plug-in are publicly available as well as public beta of Flash Player 9 Update (Universal), which adds support for Linux and fixes a variety of issues, including those for Safari and Apple's Rosetta environment.

iPod will dominate Zune, cell phones...

Microsoft's forthcoming Zune player will not significantly impact Apple's iPod market share, according to a new report. Market research firm JupiterResearch, which released a new report this week, also concluded that mobile phone players were not a threat to Apple's iPod dominance because most customers were not interested in wireless music downloads and said that handheld media player shipments are expected rise nearly triple in the next five years. Based on survey and its own analysis of the market, research firm JupiterResearch on Tuesday said that Apple's iPod won't lose significant market share in the next 12 to 18 months even as Microsoft introduces a competing music player. "