Disney finds backdating; clears Jobs, Pixar execs...

Walt Disney on Friday announced that it found instances of stock-options backdating at Pixar before the animation studio was acquired, but concluded that no one currently associated with the Company engaged in any intentional or deliberate acts of misconduct. The company's Audit Committee and Board said that Disney will address the additional income tax liability issues facing Pixar employees who hold such options, including participating in programs established by the IRS and the State of California to facilitate the payment of such taxes on behalf of employees. The statement, released on the same day that Apple offered to amend options for employees similarly affected, appears to clear Disney Board member and Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who was cleared of any wrongdoing in a similar investigation by Apple, but was implicated in negotiations for "well-timed" option grant to a high-ranking Pixar executive.

Adobe XMP 4.1 supports CS3, adds libraries...

Adobe has posted a new update to its XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) technology, which allows developers to easily manipulate metadata. The source code for the new Adobe XMP 4.1 has been released under the same open-source license as its previous versions. The company says that Adobe XMP 4.1, in addition to compatibility with CS3, significantly extends Adobe’s past XMP offerings by providing new libraries for developers to read, write and update XMP in popular image, document and video file formats including: JPEG, PSD, TIFF, AVI, WAV, MPEG, MP3, MOV, INDD, PS, EPS and PNG. In addition, the rewritten XMP 4.1 libraries have been optimized into two major components, the XMP Core and the XMP Files.

Briefly: SanDisk, Sisvel settle; new memory...

In brief: SanDisk and Sisvel have settled a legal dispute, SanDisk has begun shipping new SD cards, Other World Computing is demonstrating external hard drives, and the creator of the iPhone "Hello" ad has accepted a position at Rockstar Games. SanDisk has resolved a legal conflict with Italian company Sisvel, which accused the memory maker of failing to license the MPEG codec for its Sansa MP3 players. Products were actually confiscated by German police at the 2006 IFA expo in Berlin, but SanDisk has now acquired an official license and all litigation has been suspended.

Headplay readies virtual 52-inch iPod cinema

Headplay has announced its Personal Cinema System, which may be of particular use to iPod video owners. Composed of three parts, the unit creates the equivalent of a 52-inch screen six feet away through its goggles, serving as an alternative to television viewing or seatback plane screens. What makes the PCS different from other systems is a breakout box dubbed the Liberator, Headplay notes. Besides allowing both computers and TVs to attach to the visor, it has a video decoding engine that plays photos or videos directly from one of several inputs: a Dock Connector handles video directly from iPods, while full and mini USB ports as well as a CompactFlash slot handle input from cameras. RCA and S-Video jacks accept most analog video sources. Headplay anticipates delivering the PCS in June for $500.

Apple offers to fix option tax penalties...

In wake of its option-backdating fiasco, Apple is offering affected employees the opportunity to amend their past options and to receive cash payments for such amended eligible options in an effort to avoid tax penalties. As noted previously, the Cupertino-based company recently announced that certain stock option grants made to employees between 1997 and 2002 were erroneously assigned grant dates that preceded the finalization of those grants and that as a result, the exercise prices of these stock option grants were lower than they would have been if the grants had been dated when they were actually finalized. Questions around Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs role in negotiations of an employment contract with film director John Lasseter and Pixar via a large stock-options grant carrying a 'well-timed' date and federal officials are reportedly investigating Apple's stock grant to Jobs, including an outside lawyer who helped negotiate the offer.

Apple secures no. 34 in BusinessWeek 50...

BusinessWeek 50 - The Best Performers has recognized Apple as a dynamic company that is trying to revolutionize cellular phones the same way it did for music players. The BusinessWeek 50 represents the publication's "best in class" companies from each of the 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500, finding Google at the top of the "Outstanding Class" category. Apple trailed at the 34th spot, but is mentioned for its pioneering effort to "revolutionize the phone" as it stated at the device's debut in January. "Somewhere along the line, Apple went from being Microsoft’s whipping boy to becoming, in some ways, the new Microsoft," BusinessWeek wrote.

PowerBooks from $1,199, iMacs from $849...

Apple is offering refurbished G4 PowerBooks for as low as $1,199, iMacs for as little as $849, and Apple Cinema Displays from $749. The company's PowerBook offerings currently include the 12-inch 1.5GHz PowerBook with 512MB of memory and an 80GB hard drive for $1,199; the 15-inch 1.5GHz PowerBook with 512MB of memory and an 80GB hard drive for $1,249; the 17-inch 1.67GHz PowerBook with 512MB of memory and a 100GB hard drive for $1,599; and the 17-inch 1.67GHz PowerBook with 512MB of memory and a 120GB hard drive for $1,699. The Apple Store Canada is offering refurbished 17-inch 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo iMacs for CAD $1,079 with 512MB of memory and a 160GB hard drive. [click here for Apple Store Canada]

Apps: iPod Reset Utility, Daylite, Yojimbo

• iPod shuffle Reset Utility (free) enables owners of Apple's first- and second-generation iPod shuffle players to reset the models back to their factory settings when iTunes is unable to do so. The process completely erases all music and data, reinstalling iPod Software 1.1.5 on first-generation Shuffles or iPod Software 1.0.2 on second-generation models. [Download - 3.4MB]


• Daylite 3.2.2 ($190 for one user) is a free update to the productivity suite that updates to OpenBase 10.0.5. Daylite 3.2.2 includes new menu items as well as keyboard shortcuts for the calendar, and includes several bug fixes. The latest release also adds the ability to expose additional attributes for contacts, organizations, projects, and opportunities in the Daylite report designer. [Download - 26MB]


• Yojimbo 1.4.2 ($40, or $70 for family-pack) improves the information organization utility, working around a reported issue introduced in QuickTime 7.1.5 that would cause a crash during playback of Yojimbo's "Quick Start" movie. The software enables Mac users to manage information encountered every day at work and home across multiple computers by storing different data types which include text notes, passwords, Web bookmarks, product serial numbers, PDFs, and Web archives. [Download - 17.2MB]


• CrushFTP 4.1 ($30) brings live sorting and advanced search functionality to the FTP, SFTP, FTPS, WWW, and WebDAV server. The application features a Web interface for managing files, and supports virtual servers as well as users and groups with ratios and quotas. The latest revision also offers a new plug-in titled "PreferencesController" that enables users to take snapshots of preferences to be used at specific times of the day. [Download - 5.3MB]


• Rondo 2.5 ($25) updates the MIDI player for Mac OS X, offering native compatibility to Intel-based Mac owners as a Universal Binary. Rondo offers a set of intuitive controls to play, pause, fast forward, and rewind music alongside individual track muting capability. The latest version of Rondo includes an updated look, more realistic pianos, note scrubbing, scroll wheel support, playlist folders, and drag-and-drop support in the music library. [Download - 7.9MB]


• Url Extractor X 1.1 ($45) is a Cocoa program to extract Web and email Addresses as well as URLs in general form files downloaded from the internet and saved on the local hard drive. The update adds drag-and-drop support, as well as expanded support for additional URL types. The latest version also enables users to extract 'generic' emails from within any content. [Download - 142KB]

Apple releases iTunes 7.1.1 for Mac, Windows

Apple today released iTunes 7.1.1, updating its multimedia software for both Mac and Windows systems. The latest revision addresses a stability issue, as well as minor compatibility problems in iTunes 7.1. The Cupertino-based company describes iTunes as "the world’s best way to organize and enjoy your personal digital music and video collection with your Mac. iTunes is also the easiest way to sync music, videos, and more with your iPod." iTunes enables users to create a digital music and video collection by importing personal music CDs or downloading favborite songs and videos from the iTunes Store. The software also supports creating custom playlists and burning playlists to CDs or playing them on a home stereo. Apple's iTunes 7.1.1 update is available for free, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

FastMac ships TruePower laptop AC adapter

FastMac today began shipping its TruePower 65-watt AC adapter designed specifically for Apple's PowerBook G4 and iBook laptops. The TruePower adapter provides constant wattage output that meets or exceeds Apple-Branded adapters, and features a built-in LED alongside a rugged compact design. The accessory is compatible with all PowerBook G4 Titanium and Aluminum (12-, 15- and 17-inch) models as well as iBook G3 and G4s. "Our new TruePower AC adapter is not only smaller than most third party replacements, it's [also] more durable," said Michael Lowdermilk, Business Development Manager for FastMac Performance Upgrades. "It can be dropped, kicked, and even run over by a truck and still work." The company has provided a video displaying the features of its TruePower adapter, which is available for an introductory price of $36 and comes with a 1-year warranty as well as a 30-day money back guarantee.

Virtual Villagers - The Lost Children ships

Last Day At Work and Big Fish Games have released Virtual Villagers - The Lost Children. The sequel to Virtual Villagers: A New Home continues the epic story of the castaways of Isola. Players guide a tribe as they rescue a group of lost children and help them survive new adventures. "Lead your villagers as they solve all new puzzles and hidden mysteries of the western shores of the island. Will your tribe survive?" Players can explore new parts of Isola, find dozens of unique items, experience new surprises each time the game is played, and raise children who resemble their parents. Virtual Villagers - The Lost Children is available for $20 via Macgamestore.com, and requires Mac OS X (specific system requirements were unavailable).

Briefly: MacNN review; Kanguru clones HDs...

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the Smart Alec Backpack from Tom Bihn, Kanguru Solutions has unveiled its Kanguru Clone high speed stand alone hard drive duplicator, and an announcement made at the SXSW claims that indie music labels will soon have a simple way to bypass major music labels. NewTek has released a behind-the-scenes video featuring the creation of visual effects sequences or Warner Bros. movie "300," and Panasonic has begun offering its Wi-Fi phone for use with Skype. MacNN's review of Tom Bihn's Smart Alec Backpack computer bag reveals its flexibility as well as how much the tote can actually carry. The bag features a splash-proof zipper and comes in a variety of colors which include crimson, steel, sage, black, and kiwi.

Samsung, Acer roll out new LCDs

Samsung and Acer have both unveiled new LCD screens, with Samsung offering a pair of SyncMaster monitors alongside a photo frame and Acer producing five new models of its xSeries screens focused on gaming. Samsung's 961BG and 961GW screens are touted as high-performance displays with a 3,000:1 contrast ratio and a 2ms response time. Both screens feature high-gloss material on the outer covers, and include dual-hinged stands. Acer's new line of xSeries lCDs focus on gaming and video with quick response times. The top-end X241Wsd ($600) is a 24-inch 1920x1200 screen with a quick 5ms average pixel response time and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Other models in the new line include the 22-inch X221Wsd ($280), 19-inch x191Wsd ($190), and two standard-ratio displays consisting of the 19-inch x191sd ($200) and 17-inch x171s ($180). Samsung's photo frame includes a 7-inch screen and is said to be Vista compatible with Wi-Fi capability to ease image transfers.

Analyst on Apple TV in digital living room...

Many investors are questioning Apple's ability to carry its formidable digital music lead into the living room alongside the market size of the digital living room, but Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster believes the Cupertino-based company is entering that market with a 10x lead over the next closest competitor -- Microsoft's Media Center. The analyst points to iTunes becoming the de facto "media center" application of choice, and estimates that there are 110 million active iTunes users compared to just 12 million active Media Center users. "We estimate the digital living room market in calendar year 2008 will be $4.7 billion, and we believe the Street is looking for $1.2 billion in Apple TV revenue in calendar year 2008," Munster said. "We are currently modeling for Apple to sell 2 million Apple TV units in calendar year 2007. For every 500,000 additional units Apple sells, it adds $0.02 to our calendar year 2007 earnings-per-share estimate." Piper Jaffray maintains its 'outperform' rating on Apple shares with a $124 price target.

Griffin ships Tuneflex AUX cradle for iPod...

Griffin Technology today announced its TuneFlex AUX is now shipping. TuneFlex AUX is a flexible charging cradle with line-out audio and provides a custom-look, in-car mount that charges the iPod as it plays over the car's stereo. The updated product line now includes an auxiliary-in cable to accommodate the growing segment of auxiliary input-enabled cars. Griffin says TuneFlex AUX creates the high quality of direct, line-in sound on a flexible charging cradle for iPod. The elegant and versatile accessory for iPod is designed with newer automobiles in mind: it plugs into the car's 12 Volt accessory outlet to power and charge an iPod while holding it at a convenient position in front of the dashboard or console. A light at the base of TuneFlex's infinitely adjustable neck shows power status at a glance, while its charging circuitry is equipped with a replaceable auto fuse to keep the iPod safe from power spikes.

Miglia debuts TVMAX+ for PVR, video capture...

Miglia Technology today announced TVMax+, content collection hub, for use with iPod, AppleTV and Apple that allows users to view their favorite shows on every screen in your home, from your living room to your iPod to your Mac. TVMax+ also doubles as a digital TV tuner, allowing users to watch, pause and record TV shows. Touted as the missing link between TV or video content and Apple TV or iPod, the digital hub offers a range of connectivity options, including coaxial and composite S-video inputs to transform any Mac into a personal video recorder; it also offers the ability to capture VHS, camcorder tapes or DVDs at 640x480 resolution.

Dr. Bott, Case-mate offer iPod shuffle case...

Dr. Bott and Case-mate this week announced their new iPod shuffle case as well as a new deal to absorb all current QuickerTek Carry Handles for Apple laptops. The new Signature shuffle is a functional and stylish case for the second-generation iPod shuffle. Available in seven colors, the Italian Pebblestone leather case seamlessly wraps around the shuffle, combining protection, control and fashion. The protective pass-through click wheel provides access to all controls and all features are accessible, including the clip. It also features a keychain attachment enables users to easily take their tunes anywhere they go. The Signature shuffle retails for $12.