Apple TV: drive upgrade, external USB boot

In Brief: In addition to a step-by-step drive upgrade tutorial (without third-party utilities) for Apple TV, one user has posted video showing Apple's newly launched set-top device booting off an external USB hard drive, using Menu + '-' keys to place the machine into recovery mode. Another user has managed to enable Apple Remote Desktop, the company's remote Mac management utility as well as install Apache, the open-source web server software. Users have also managed to enable SSH and AFP to remotely connect to the device via the terminal and or the Finder (respectively).

iResQ offers Apple TV storage upgrades...

iResQ today announced it has begun offering Apple TV storage upgrades, offering several different levels of hard drive upgrades for customers wanting more storage space for their data. iResQ, which has been performing next-day Mac-related upgrades and repairs since 1994, said that Apple TV upgrades will be performed within 24 hours of receipt at the iResQ repair facility in Kansas City (Missouri). The service will provide each customer with the appropriate shipping materials and pre-paid labels to safely transport the units to and from the shipping facility. Pricing is $210 (80GB/5400 rpm), $260 (120GB/5400 rpm), and $300 (160GB/5,400 rpm)--all of which include overnight pick-up/delivery.

Apple may credit iTunes album purchases

Apple, in conjunction with several music labels, is planning to offer iTunes users credit for songs already purchased when they choose to buy an associated album within a certain time frame, according to the New York Times. Apple's current policy essentially makes customers pay twice for songs purchased individually and then as part of an entire album. The move is likely part of a larger strategy to salvage diminishing sales of entire albums, which is a direct result of consumers' ability to purchase only those individual tracks of interest, rather than an entire album to obtain the one or two songs they frequently want. "I think the album is going to die," said Radar Research managing partner Aram Sinnreich. "Consumers are listening to playlists," he said, referring to mixes of individual tracks. "Consumers who have had iPods since they were in the single digits are going to increasingly gravitate toward artists who embrace that."

Hyatt hotels, resorts offer digital music...

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts today unveiled its new digital download music pilot program that offers unique destination-specific music collections at individual properties in MP3 format that work with Apple's iPod and other portable players. Both Hyatt's Scottsdale and Lost Pines resorts now feature music on property that celebrates the respective destination and showcases international as well as local artists. The tone, style and pace of the music adjusts throughout each day to capture the essence of the environment and guest experience, such as the tranquility of a relaxing morning massage at Scottsdale's Spa Avania or the energy and vitality of an evening at Lost Pine's Shellers Barrelhouse Bar. Hyatt plans to roll out the new program to its properties across North America and the Caribbean throughout this year.

Sprint tackles iPhone, offers 99-cent songs...

Sprint today launched a two-pronged assault on Apple's still unreleased iPhone by releasing both a new phone and an aggressive new music strategy. Confirming earlier leaks, the UpStage is intended to be music-friendly without sacrificing calling ability, as one side features a larger screen and controls for music or videos and the other holds a 1.3-megapixel camera, the more traditional cellphone keypad, and a basic display. Up to 2GB of music can be stored on a microSD card. New in the official announcement is news of a unique battery wallet: inserting the UpStage into the case both guards it against damage and boosts talk time to 6.3 hours, Sprint says. The carrier plans to bundle the UpStage with a 64MB microSD card when it ships in early April at a price of $149 with a two-year service plan.

Call Recorder for Skype 2.0 released

Ecamm Network today released Call Recorder for Skype 2.0, adding support for recording video calls to the call recording software for Skype on Mac systems. The update also adds audio level meters alongside the ability to make annotations while recording. The application adds a simple recording window to Skype for Mac that allows users to automatically save exact reproductions of all incoming and outgoing Skype calls. The calls are saved as QuickTime files that users can convert to MP3 format or split into separate tracks for further editing and podcasting. Call Recorder uses AAC and H.264 encoding for high quality audio and video. The application is priced at $15, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later with Skype for Mac 1.4 or later. Call Recorder for Skype 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later for video recording.

Apple removes FCP crossgrade ahead of NAB

Apple has quietly removed the Universal crossgrade for its Final Cut Pro Studio software from its website. The move comes ahead of the NAB electronic media show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where some industry watchers expect Apple to release an update to its Final Cut Pro software. The crossgrade had been available for 12 months prior to its removal, and "expired" last week, according to one Apple representative. Another source also reports that Apple will likely introduce both Mac OS X Leopard and an eight-core Mac Pro -- Apple's top-end professional desktop system -- to accompany a Final Cut Pro upgrade at the event. Apple has already sent email invites to video production professionals to attend a special event at NAB in The Venetian Hotel and Casino; Apple has in the past consistently unveiled new products or services at such scheduled events.

All Nike running shoes to work with Nano...

Nike executives have confirmed that the company is planning to make all of its running shoes compatible with its Nike+ technology by the end of 2007, allowing runners to track their workouts using Apple's iPod nano portable player. "I think there is a real renewed sort of energy and focus around product," said Nike president and chief executive Mark Parker. Nike's chief made the announcement during the unveiling of the company's third-quarter results, revealing a soft year with some specialty mall stores and a segment that was down overall -- in part due to companies such as Foot Locker and Finish Line reporting degraded sales.

Apps: Morph Age, Contactizer, EasyWMV

• Contactizer 3.1.3 ($120 per seat) helps users manage, share, and organize personal as well as business information. The update adds an option to not produce a warning and always save changes, includes a new people picker shortcut, and adds country as a criteria for contact smart groups. The latest release also brings several bug fixes. [Download - 20MB]


• PasswordWallet 4.0.4 for Mac, PasswordWallet 4.0.3 for Palm, SmartWrap 2.7, and MutantMaker 1.1 ($20, $15, $18, and $40) is a series of free updates to the four applications. PasswordWallet for Mac provides a secure place to store various information such as usernames and passwords; PasswordWallet for Palm serves the same purpose for mobile PDAs; SmartWrap analyzes email as well as text to detect paragraphs and lists, rewrapping that text naturally within a document or message; and MutantMaker helps researchers performing site directed mutagenesis screen potential mutants with restriction enzyme digests, rather than costly sequencing. [Download - 2.3MB, 44KB, 1.5MB, and 1.1MB]


• Morph Age 3.1 ($100) updates the application for morphing and warping images as well as movies. The latest release allows users to render high resolution images at up to 16000x16000 via an improved rendering pipeline. Morph Age 3.1 also brings Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard compatibility and support for Quick Look under Leopard. [Download - 11.6MB]


• EasyWMV 1.1 ($15) converts or resizes WMV, ASF, AVI, MPEG, MOV, FLV, NSV, and VOB files. Resulting videos are saved in the MPG or MP4 formats, and users can tailor the output for iPods using H.264 encoding where possible. Version 1.1 adds support for FLV and NSV video formats, as wella s optimizations for multi-core and multi-processor systems. The application runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. [Download - 3.9MB]


• YummySoup! 1.1 ($20) is a simple recipe management and sharing application, integrating with a user-contributed online library. The update adds support for the Apple Remote in the full screen view with text-to-speech capability, and includes a consolidation button for grocery lists alongside .Mac backup and restore functionality. [Download - 2.1MB]

CyberTouch ships 24" touchscreen monitors

CyberTouch has announced a new line of touchscreen LCD monitors, the Orion 24s. Named after their size, each is in a widescreen 16:9 ratio, and is actually based on an existing monitor from NEC or Samsung. Resolutions up to 1080p (1920x1200) are supported, and CyberTouch has further enhanced the screens with a polycarbonate layer that resists chemicals and abrasions. The professional audience of the Orions is reflected in their mounting options, since they can either be placed on a desktop or attached to a wall using a VESA mount. Serial and USB versions are available, and they are compatible with any current Mac, Windows or Linux system, except for those running Windows Vista. Prices start at $2,880 for the Samsung monitors and $3,450 for the NECs -- wallmounts, however, cost $125 or $185 depending on the particular monitor.

The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff coming to Mac

Aspyr Media today announced that it will publish The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff for Mac, the first The Sims 2 stuff pack to be released to Mac users. Aspyr also said it plans to release other The Sims 2 stuff packs in 2007, followed by The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff in the summer of this year followed by The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff in the fall. "Add excitement to your Sims' family with this all-new collection of furniture, clothing, and décor. Decorate the home with an assortment of cool new furnishings, including upscale living room items and adventurous bedroom sets. Dress your Sims in matching attire for an amusing day out with the family. With 60 new items from castle beds to cruise ship replicas, your Sims now have more stuff for family fun." The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff is currently under development, is expected to hit store shelves in April, and is available for pre-order for $20.

Adium 1.0.2 fixes bugs, improves speed

The Adium Team has released Adium 1.0.2, an update to the free open source instant mesasging client for Mac OS X that supports all major text-based chatting networks. The latest release offers 25 improvements including crash fixes, improved AIM file transfer, enhanced speed in the integrated chat transcript viewer, and improved interaction with iTunes. Additionally, the Adium Project is participating in the 2007 Google Summer of Code, and is accepting student applications until the Summer of Code deadline on Monday, March 26th 2007 at 5:00 p.m. PDT. Students accepted into the Google Summer of Code will receive $4,500 for a summer internship writing open source code. Adium 1.0.2 is available for free, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Wonder Warp releases 'Otis' puzzle game

Wonder Warp Software today released Otis, a freeware puzzle and strategy game for Mac OS X. The new title, whch is based on the classic game known as Chain Shot, offers visual effects as well as multiple levels of difficulty. Players are challenged to remove all of the blocks from the game board b y clicking on groups of two or more blocks with the same color. "Clear as many blocks at once as possible to score higher, but only through careful maneuvering can you clear the entire board." The game is written in Cocoa with a focus on design and interface. Otis 1.0 is available for free, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Koingo releases Alarm Clock Pro 8.0

Koingo Software has released Alarm Clock Pro 8.0, the latest release of the alarm and time management system that can automatically take and email security screenshots. Alarm Clock Pro 8.0 also adds Apple Remote support alongside a live "Chronoindex." Users can configure the software to periodically send security screenshots to an email address, randomize the iTunes playlist, offer reminders abot holidays or special occasions, perform system actions, and automatically send out birthday cards or text message daily tasks to a cellular phone. Alarm Clock Pro 8.0 runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

Mac OS X Leopard nearing 'final candidate'...

Apple's Mac OS X Leopard -- which circulated to select developers -- is nearing completion, according to one analyst report. Shaw Wu of American Technology Research says the developer builds of Leopard indicate that the company is on track to ship the next generation operating system in the "spring" time frame, which runs from March 20th through June 20th. However, the analyst relayed concerns that the company has yet to publicize the promised "secret features" of Leopard. The company is expected to highlight Mac OS X Leopard at this year's annual developer conference in June. "We believe these concerns are over done and believe that Mac OS X Leopard will ship on time in the "Spring" time frame, or Apple's June quarter," the analyst wrote in research note to clients. Apple has also reportedly denied the rumored delays in Mac OS X Leopard.

Apple denies Mac OS X Leopard delays

Apple has denied circulating rumors of delays in Mac OS X Leopard, its next-generation operating system. A report by Michael Gartenberg of JupiterResearch says that Apple has confirmed Leopard will ship in the "spring", contrary a rumor floated by the somewhat unreliable Asian Digitimes publication. Last week, it claimed that Apple was going to delay the release of Leopard--until possibly October--to allow Leopard to support Windows Vista via Boot Camp. "The rumor mill is wrong again," Gartenberg wrote in his blog. The company, however, in February flatly denied delays in shipment of its revolutionary Apple TV set-top until just a few days before launch, despite published reports to the contrary. The much-anticipated device, formally introduced in January at Macworld Expo, was delayed by just over three weeks and began arriving in customers hands last week.

Jobs is "ultimate CEO", worth $16b to AAPL

Apple’s co-founder and chief exec Steve Jobs is described as the “ultimate CEO who matters,” according to a new survey by Barron’s magazine. The annual ranking of top CEOs from around the world identified the corporate leaders who have "top-notch reputations" in the financial community and would be missed by investors if they unexpectedly left their jobs. "The ultimate CEO who matters is Steve Jobs, a co-founder and guiding force at Apple. Jobs' departure probably would result in a greater loss of stock-market value than the loss of any other CEO in the world. Jobs might be worth 20 or so points to Apple shares, roughly $16 billion. No wonder the company last year seemed eager to minimize Jobs' role in Apple's options-backdating problem. Apple continues to out-innovate Microsoft, which spends about 10 times as much on research and development." The report says that 21 of the 30 CEO returned to the list from 2006, while two of those departed, Steve Reinemund of PepsiCo and John Browne (due to retirement). Other prominent chief executives included Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) and Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.).

802.11n wireless upgrade for Mac mini

QuickerTek on Monday introduced new 802.11n wireless networking for Apple's Intel Mac Mini owners. QuickerTek's 802.11n Mac mini upgrade is a complete solution that not only provides an 'n' card, but also provides a second antenna - required to get all of the speed that 802.11n wireless can offer. The company says the wireless networking card is made to the same specifications as the Apple factory 'n' card and installs into the AirPort card slot - replacing the stock AirPort card. The 'n' wireless upgrade works with all 802.11/b/g/n WiFi equipment including Apple AirPort, AirPort Extreme and the latest 802.11n version of AirPort Extreme. The user-installed Mac Mini wireless upgrade includes the 802.11n wireless card, tools and illustrated installation manual - everything users need to complete the upgrade on their own. An Apple-compatible driver installer is also provided. The $180 upgrade is backed with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. (A company-installed option is available for $250.)