Digital Foci to debut Image Moments 6 at PMA...

Digital Foci today promised to introduce its Image Moments 6 IMT-062 (site not updated) high-resolution digital photo frame at next week's Photo Marketing Association Conference (PMA) in Las Vegas. The new frame displays photos on its 5.7-inch digital LCD screen with what Digital Foci claims is the highest pixel resolution on the market. The Image Moments 6 IMT-062 is a smaller, lower cost version of the Image Moments IMT-081 8-inch digital frame that features a contemporary brushed chrome design with polished chrome highlights. The Image Moments 6 enables owners to display photos directly from virtually any digital camera memory card without a computer, and includes a USB port to support external storage devices. The new frame is priced at $160, and is slated for shipment in June of this year.

Vodafone: iPhone to benefit mobile carriers

German-based Vodafone chief Friedrich Joussen expressed his approval of Apple's iPhone, saying that the device will have a positive effect on his company's business because it will set new trends for the downloadable mobile music market. Those new trends, Joussen said, will bring greater revenues for mobile carriers, according to iPhone World. The executive believes that Vodafone itself will benefit from its investment in UMTS-enabled network development, and several Vodafone executives have publicly expressed interest in becoming the exclusive iPhone distributor in Europe.

Briefly: review; Apple hiring in Sydney...

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the Sony DRX-803UL-T DVD Rewriteable drive, Apple has posted job offerings on its website to hire staff for its forthcoming retail store in Sydney, iLuv offered an early look at its i185 video dock for Apple's video iPod, and Microsoft still faces looming fines for failing to comply with demands to give third-party software developers fair access to Windows code. Sony's DRX-803UL-T DVD Rewriteable drive ($120-150, shown at right) boasts 18x DVD+R burning capability within an elegantly designed enclosure designed to complement pro Mac systems. The device offers one B-style USB 2.0 interface alongside two FireWire 400 jacks. Users can orient the drive horizontally with four rubber feet pre-installed on one side or vertically with an included clear plastic stand to minimize desk space usage.

Highpoint debuts PCI-Express 4x RAID controller

Highpoint today revealed the RocketRAID 2314 PCI-Express 4x RAID controller, a 4-port device that supports RAID modes 0, 1, 5, 10 and JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks). The controllers party-piece includes support for port multipliers, which allow users to connect up to five drives at once to each of the device's four ports for maximum array capacity (using 750GB drives) of 15TB. the RocketRAID 2314 supports Hotswapping and hot plugging, as well as S.M.A.R.T monitoring connected disks to track their status. The card also offers automatic array rebuilding alongside staggered drive spinup and boot capability from an array. the RocketRAID 2314 is priced at $145, and is expected to ship in mid-March.

Refurb iMacs priced from $949, RED nanos

Apple is offering refurbished Intel Core Duo iMacs from $949, Core 2 Duo iMacs from $1049, and current generation (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPod nanos from $169. The Cupertino-based company's reconditioned iMacs include the 17-inch 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo model for $949 with 512MB of memory and a 160GB hard drive; the 17-inch 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo model for $1,049 with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive; the 20-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo model for $1,199 with 512MB of memory and a 250GB hard drive; the 20-inch 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo edition for $1,299 with 1GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive; and the 24-inch 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo edition for $1,699 with 1GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive. Price-conscious customers are also able to purchase refurbished 4GB and 8GB current-generation iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPods for $169 and $209, respectively.

Apps: Peek-a-Boo, Alice, DasBoot, Xslimmer

• Peek-a-Boo 2.6 ($20) is a utility designed to monitor and manage processes that focuses on clarity as well as flexibility. The update adds a new system information view as a small floating window that shows system-wide CPU usage, memory usage, and virtual memory status. Peek-a-Boo 2.6 also includes several minor updates and fixes. [Download - 1.2MB]


• Alice Patch 1.1.2 (from $12) updates the 3D game title challenging players to navigate a twisted version of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. Alice 1.1.2 runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, and fixes an issue with garbled or sped up sound when altering sound settings. The update also repairs some miscellaneous sound panning issues, as well as potential crashes when loading a level or switching resolutions while playing. [Download - 6.22MB]


• DasBoot 1.0.2 (free) enables users to create a bootable diagnostic device that contains custom utility from any third party boot CD. The update includes new documentation, as well as a frequently asked questions document. The latest release also incorporates filtration to prevent the usage of an unsuitable boot disk, and includes several minor bug fixes. [Download - 11.1MB]


• Default Folder X 3.0.4 ($15) is a free update to the utility enabling users to enhance Open and Save dialogs. Default Folder X 3.0.4 improves compatibility and corrects issues reported since version 3.0.3, supporting unmodified function keys as hotkeys and hiding the toolbar while users resize a file dialog. The update no longer tries to mount servers or disk images that are offline, and correctly remembers recent folders that contains items opened by Spotlight. [Download - 6.4MB]


• Xslimmer 1.2.2 ($12) is a disk saving application that removes the version of code contained in Mac applications that isn't needed on the Mac running the software. When run on Intel Macs, Xslimmer removes the PowerPC version of the application in question. PowerPC-based Macs conversely removes the Intel-based code. The update adds the ability to strip architecture code as well as unwanted language localizations, providing more disk space than previous iterations. [Download - 1.7MB]

AKVIS Retoucher plug-in 2.5 improves installation

AKVIS has released Retoucher plug-in 2.5, enhancing the software designed to restore damaged photographs with minimal effort. The plug-in removes surface defects such as scratches, water spots, flakes, and stains automatically, according to the company, and enables users to remove date stamps as well as logos or small irrelevant details. The latest revision of Retoucher plug-in feature a new installation and activation method on Mac OS X. Retoucher includes a feature to reconstruct the lacking parts of a photo using the information contained in the surrounding areas, enabling users to restore a torn photo or photos with parts missing in some cases. The update is available for free to registered users, and licenses are priced at $90. Retoucher plug-in 2.5 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Meizu's iPhone clone to cost less than iPhone...

Meizu's miniOne will borrow even more directly from Apple's iPhone interface than expected, even as the company trims its pricing. The handset is to feature a contact list and text messaging virtually indistinguishable from the iPhone, including elements such as the side column of letters for faster navigation. Meizu unveiled the MiniOne in mid-February, which at the time was described one one MacNN reader as a "visual carbon copy" of Apple's iPhone. The company claims it has established pricing well below the iPhone: a standard edition with a camera and 4GB of storage will cost as little as $310, with an 8GB variant costing $400 (vs. Apple's $499 4GB model and top-end $599 8GB version). A basic version of the MiniOne without the camera will retail for even less -- $195 and $285 for 4GB and 8GB, respectively. Meizu said it may unveil an external camera attachment for the basic version, and the phone is due to ship by the end of the year.

Shadow 3 adds file-level selection

NewTech Infosystems has released Shadow 3, updating the software that enables automatic, continuous backup of photos, music, data, and video files to nearly any attached storage device. The latest release offers file-level selection, support for file backup as well as sharing of backup devices, and an auto delete option. Shadow 3 also features an enhanced user interface, custom file type filtering with include/exclude options, and enhanced device support for USB flash drives as well as NAS devices. The Dragon Disc enabled version of Shadow adds support for all optical media types including DVD-RAM and Blu-ray (on Windows systems only). Shadow 3 requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later, and is priced at $30.

Briefly: DRM removal call backfires; DNA visualizer...

In brief: A digital music gathering rejects Steve Jobs' views on DRM, DNA visualization software drops in price, and Disc Makers introduces Blu-Ray tower duplicators. Apple CEO Steve Jobs' attempt to call for the removal of DRM has backfired, according to panel members at a conference yesterday. Speaking at the Digital Music Forum East conference, multiple participants in the discussion specifically criticized Jobs' open letter, calling it a "red herring" that distracted from the real issue of Apple's FairPlay copy protection shutting out other stores and device makers. Pro-DRM panellists argued that at least some form of digital rights management was needed for online sales.

VMWare Fusion beta supports 3D graphics, Leopard...

VMware today released a second beta of its virtualization software that allows uses to run other operating systems, including Windows, from within Mac OS X. VMWare Fusion Beta 2 brings experimental 3D graphics support, snapshots to rollback virtual machines when recovering from bad software installs or viruses, and improved support for Windows Vista. The software, an alternative to the Bootcamp solution offered by Apple, enables users to both install and run operating systems while running Mac OS X; Bootcamp, on the other hand, requires users to choose a single OS on startup. Fusion offers support for Windows XP/Vista as well as Linux and Unix distributions.

Macs are 'the ideal platform' for SMB...

Macs are the "ideal platform" for small businesses, according to a Computerworld column that says Apple appears to be targeting this new market with advanced but accessible features in its release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard as well as its marketing pitch. "In many ways, Mac OS X is an ideal platform for small businesses and offices," the publication says. "It is easy to install and set up, often requires little technical support to maintain, and remains free of many of the virus and malware problems that plague Windows PCs. All of this should be appealing for a business with anywhere from a handful to a few dozen employees that cannot afford full-time IT staff."

EA offers game tracks, music via iTunes

Electronic Arts today announced that its music from its best-selling games will be available for purchase from the iTunes Store. Linked from a special section on the company's website, users can jump directly to an iMix of the music from their favorite EA game on iTunes. "From Madden NFL to Burnout to Need for Speed, every song that can be heard in the game can now be purchased on iTunes including exclusive mixes, non-album cuts and previously unavailable international tracks. Today marks the world debut of the unforgettable version of The Doors’ Riders on the Storm that Snoop Dogg remixed exclusively for Need for Speed Underground. The songs are live in North America today and will be available soon throughout Europe," the company said. EA says it will continue add songs, scores, themes, beats and ringtones from EA game franchises past and present including NBA LIVE, FIFA Soccer, Command & Conquer, Medal of Honor, NASCAR, SSX, Battlefield and more.

Gizmac ships hard-shell iPod nano case

GizMac today revealed its new Titan Clear iPod nano case for the second generation iPod nano, made from polycarbonate the case features a beveled opening for comfortable clickwheel access and a thin film covering over the clickwheel itself for protection. Gizmac claim that the Titan Clear doesn't interfere with oversized earphone and dock connector plugs due to the placement of the ipod within the case. Additionally the Titan Clear is supplied with a carabiner clip, armband, 360-degree belt clip and a lanyard. The Titan Clear iPod case is available now and is priced at $25.

Apple updates Backup, DVD Studio Pro

Apple has released Backup 3.1.1, an update to its backup software for members of its paid .Mac software. The update, highly recommended by Apple, addresses issues with backup and restore with external drives, memory management, and restoral of bundled file types. .Mac members can get the update by selecting the Backup icon on the .Mac website and via Automatic Software Update to .Mac members who have already installed a previous version of Backup. Apple has also released an update to DVD Studio Pro, its professional application for making DVDs. According to Apple, DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2 provides important bug fixes and addresses compatibility issues with DVD Studio Pro 4.1 HD DVD projects and Toshiba HD DVD players. DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2 also updates the Disc Description Protocol (DDP) 2.1 to DDP 3.0 and the Cutting Master Format (CMF) 1.0 to CMF 2.0, which is required for HD DVD replication. Apple says the update is recommended for all DVD Studio Pro 4.1 users.

Apps: SuperDuper, MacFamilyTree, Groupcal

• SuperDuper! 2.1.4 ($30) adds support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to the system recovery software. SuperDuper! 2.1.4 enables users to schedule backups, offers additional imaging options, provides more control over shutdowns, and immproves AppleScript support. The update also includes Growl support, as well as a readable complete task-based user's guide. [Download - 2.7MB]


• MacFamilyTree 4.4.0 ($50) is a modern genealogy application for Mac OS X that features a new major topic with report functionality. A kinship report lists all related persons to the currently selected family, and a kinship report shows all relatives and names them up to the sixth generation. The update also improves HTML export, and includes minor fixes as well as full support for Unicode. [Download - 11MB]


• Groupcal 3.80 ($55) brings Microsoft's Exchange calendars to iCal. The update adds the ability to capture Exchange-based file attachments, improves invitation panel behavior, and adds a warning to turn off iCal syncing in Entourage if that application is installed. The latest release also adds detection and instructions, and fixes a bug where the organizer of an event could be lost. [Download - [form]]


• Awaken 3.1 ($9) is a digital alarm clock for Mac OS X designed to wake up users by playing music or podcasts from an iTunes library, or via any of its built-in alarm sounds. Awaken 3.1 adds the ability to create alarms using more than a dozen built-in alarm sounds, and offers an entirely redesigned user interface with the ability to rate songs playing at alarm time. [Download - 3.8MB]


• SteamTRAIN 2.1.1 ($20) updates the Mac-only steam locomotive and train simulator, making the act of driving a train more challenging and perilous. A new railroad clock keeps track of schedules, and the simulation software supports day as well as night driving taking into account such concepts as fuuel consumption and changing grades. [Download - 2.9MB]


• Calcline 1.1.2 ($20) evaluates mathematical expressions with parentheses, nesteds function and variables. The latest release offers better management of calculation, ensuring that pressing return always recalculates the content of the input string. The update also improves management of new variable creation, and includes several bug fixes related to variable calculation. [Download - 344KB]