Apple igniting digital music standards war?...

Apple's move to embrace DRM-free tracks from EMI via its iTunes Store has begun a digital music standards war, according to BusinessWeek columnist Arik Hesseldahl. "If I were an employee of Microsoft and involved with its confusing digital-music efforts, built around its highly DRM-protected WMA format, I'd be sweating right now," Hesseldahl said. Apple boss Steve Jobs was likely purposely ambiguous about his preferred file format in is open letter titled 'Thoughts on Music.' "[Jobs] didn't mean selling unprotected MP3s, but unprotected AAC songs," the columnist noted. "The decision will have important long-term effects, especially as more labels follow EMI's lead." Microsoft, which initiated a 'PlaysForSure' branding program to ensure widespread compatibility of players and DRM-protected musical tracks, quickly abandoned its own program in favor of launching its own Zune player and Zune Marketplace. That move, coupled with Microsoft's WMA format -- which is expensive to license -- will make the open AAC format much more attractive to device makers, according to Hesseldahl.

iPulse 2.1.8, Twitterrific 2.0 released...

Iconfactory today released iPulse 2.1.8 and Twitterrific 2.0, enhancing the Mac OS X monitoring utility and the client for reading as well as posting to the Twitter network Twitterrific, respectively. iPulse is designed to let Mac users quickly get a feel for what Mac OS X is doing under the hood via a unified and customizable interface. The update fixes several bugs -- including reporting process information, properly displaying network statistics when disconnecting from a VPN, and localization -- and supports up to eight processor cores as well as the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system. iPulse 2.1.8 is a free update for registered users, requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, and is available to new users for $13. The Twitterrific 2.0 update is available for free.

Apple denies spying on Apple TV hacks...

Apple on Thursday afternoon denied allegations that it was undoing hacks on the Apple TV. A company spokesperson asserted that Apple has a resolutely hands-off approach to the media hub, choosing not to monitor or control user habits through users who allow the device on to the Internet. Owners can modify both the hardware and software as much as they like as long as they understand the risk of voiding the warranty, Apple said.

Now expands staff, Nighthawk to ship in '07...

Now Software is expected to release its 'Nighthawk' cross-platform group calendar and contact management software later this year, and announced the addition of three new employees to its development and operations departments to help realize that goal. "With NightHawk, we're not only building a completely new software platform, we're also improving the way we develop software, and how we function as a company," said Now Software president John Wallace. The Nighthawk calendar & contact module will be available for $150 per license, and owners of Now Up-to-Date & Contact 5.0 and later will be able to upgrade for $70 per license when Nighthawk ships.

ImpactGames releases PeaceMaker game

Macgamestore.com today announced the release of PeaceMaker, ImpactGames' unique strategy game for the Mac. "PeaceMaker challenges you to succeed as a leader where others have failed. Experience the joy of winning the Nobel Prize or the agony of plunging the Middle East into disaster. PeaceMaker will test your skills, assumptions and prior knowledge. Play it and you will never read the news the same way again." The game is inspired by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to ImpactGames. PeaceMaker serves as two games in one, enabling players to take the role of the Israeli Prime Minister or the Palestinian president. Three difficulty levels of 'calm,' 'tense,' and 'violent' are determined by what players bring to the table. The game is available for $20 via Macgamestore.com, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

IFF to offer limited edition Apple TV

Tech Superpowers has teamed up with the Independent Film Festival of Boston to provide "The Titanium Package," a festival package that includes a new Apple TV combined with the all-access Chrome Pass that allows access to all film screenings and parties. The Apple TV set top box device streams content wirelessly from a home computer into the living room, displaying photos or playing music and video on a modern TV. The device is priced at $299 from Apple, and ships with a 40GB hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video. The IFF Boston 5th Anniversary Limited Edition Apple TV comes pre-loaded with 17 full-length films and shorts from the past five years of the festival, and will be available for individual purchase at the festival for $350.

iPods soothe tempers in Holland...

The iPod nano has been turned into an unusual form of stress reliever, according to a news report from the Netherlands. The southeast city of Maastricht handed out iPod nanos to its 280 sanitation workers two weeks ago, hoping to improve their moods by letting them tune into music during their shifts. The giveaway had been prompted by numerous complaints sent to city council that accused the workers of becoming increasingly unruly, harassing the local populace for seemingly trivial reasons.

"Some days they would yell at me for the way I placed my trash container," said shopkeeper Christian Van Rijn.

Lightbox XMP export for Aperture ships

Lightbox Software today released Lightbox XMP (site not updated), an export plugin for Apple's Aperture post production photography software that provides full XMP export support. The plug-in supports everything from creating sidecar XMP files for referenced master images containing IPTC and EXIF metadata to embedding XMP data -- including ratings and keywords -- into exported images. XMP allows third-party programs such as Adobe Bridge to view metadata from Aperture in a standards-compliant format. Lightbox XMP is available as a free download, though the author encourages donations to further future plug-in development. Lightbox XMP requires Apple's Aperture software.

OWC offers 8-core Mac Pro memory upgrades

Other World Computing (OWC) today began offering Apple-qualified memory upgrade modules for the new 8-core Mac Pro system that Apple launched yesterday. OWC also announced lower pricing for memory on the existing Mac Pro quad Xeon models, with FB-DIMM 667MHz DDR2 72-bit ECC fully-buffered memory upgrade modules available in matched sets of 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB for up to 16GB of total memory. OWC Memory Upgrade Kits provide fully-tested memory modules that meet or exceed all Apple specifications, and utilize true Apple-qualified heat spreaders. Each kit is backed by OWC's lifetime advance replacement warranty, and the company offers a cash-back rebate of up to $145 per set of Apple factory memory. OWC's memory upgrades for the 8-core Mac Pro come in 1GB ($159.75 per GB), 2GB ($118.75 per GB), and 4GB ($128.06 per GB) capacities.

Apps: Yasu; World Clock Deluxe; xTime

• Yasu 2.0.6 (donation) simplifies a variety of system maintenance tasks which would normally require using the Terminal, such as clearing logs, or scheduling cron scripts. Version 2.0.6 is a minor update, mainly enabling a time-out for version checking if a user is offline. The program is also better at validating registration info, and will disable the Donate menu once the software is registered. Yasu requires Mac OS X 10.4. [Download - Size Unknown]


• World Clock Deluxe 4.4.6 ($16) displays several times from around the world in a vertical or horizontal palette, or in the Dock or menu bar. Users can also fetch weather reports from anywhere they are available. The v4.4.6 update addresses changes to Daylight Savings Time as observed in Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Jordan, Mongolia and Syria. The app is a Universal Binary and can run in English, Dutch, French, German or Italian. [Download - 1.7MB]


• xTime Planning & Inventory 1.1 ($100/100) are, respectively, programs for managing employee schedules and keeping track of company equipment and supplies. Both programs have received the same general updates, including Spotlight support, the ability to copy and paste tasks, and improved performance on Intel Macs. Translations for French and Italian have been released as well. [Download - 5.5/5.3MB]


• EZConstrain 1.0 (free) is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator, and creates a floating palette which makes it possible to view, change and reset the Constrain angle without going into the General Preferences dialog. Some other features include a graphical display, customizable preset angles, and the ability to instantly zero or reset the plug-in. Only Illustrator CS2 is supported at the moment. [Download - 877KB]


• Japanese-English Dictionary 1.0 ($25) is based on the EDICT Dictionary File, which has approximately 110,000 entries. Users can copy and paste words out of the dictionary, and search for specific Japanese grammatical abbreviations, such as quasi-adjectives or adjectival nouns. For extra convenience the program has an Iconize feature, which shrinks it into a small window that remains on top of others. The app is a Universal Binary for Mac OS X 10.2. [Download - 41.9MB]


• TanManager 2.3 (free) stores the transaction numbers (TANs) used by many online banking services, saving the need to look them up each time an account is accessed. Each transaction is dated in a log, and the next TAN is automatically copied to the clipboard. Among a variety of smaller enhancements, v2.3 allows the selective deletion of used, unused or any and all TAN data. The Mac OS X version requires 10.1 or later; an older program for Mac OS 8.1 is also available. [Download - 3MB]

Ascent 1.3 supports Google Earth "fly-by"

Montebello Software has released Ascent 1.3, an application for Mac users designed to help cyclists, runners, and hikers train better by organizing activity data to present it in useful ways. Ascent enables users to download activity data directly from GPS into the software and immediately begin analyzing the data as it is presented in various graphical or textual formats. An "animation" feature lets users replay the activity to review performance in detail during any segment. The update supports opening any Ascent activity in Google Earth to use the "fly-by" mode, and can export activities to kml files. The software exports activity latitude/longitude values to text files, automatically checks for updates, includes a simplified drag-and-drop installer, and enhances the "summary" view. Ascent 1.3 is priced at $35 (system requirements were unavailable).

H-Squared ships tvTray Apple TV mount...

H-Squared, creator of the popular Mini mount clear mounting bracket for Apple's Mac mini, has unveiled the tvTray Apple TV mounting system. The tvTray takes design cues from other H-Squared mounting products, and offers multi-directional mounting that rotates to aim the Apple TV in almost any direction. The shelf mount enables users to mount the Apple TV on nearly any horizontal surface, or secure the device to the underside of a shelf to place the set top box in an entertainment center. Power cables are inserted through the keyhole, and the standard 75mm and 100mm mount hole configuration allows users to secure the tvTray to any device that supports the VESA mounting standard. The tvTray is made from acrylic with a channel for cables in the wall-mount style, and is priced at $35.

Vista awareness doing little for sales...

The heavy publicity surrounding Windows Vista has had little effect on computer buyers, according to a recent Harris survey. While an ad blitz nearly doubled recognition of the new Microsoft OS from 47 to 87 percent between December and March, the number of existing users who intended to upgrade had actually dropped over the four-month period, only 12 percent had said they would upgrade to the OS within the next year.

"Vista promised better performance, reliability, security, and a revolutionary user interface - but it appears consumers looking to upgrade are not ready to buy into the promise," said Harris VP Milton Ellis.

Briefly: Apple patents; free Poser exporter...

In brief: Apple has filed for four patents ranging from audio status information to network printing systems, e frontier is offering a free exporter for Adobe Poser 7, and Teacup Software began the sale of its Table Styles and CellStyles plug-ins to enhance support for Adobe InDesign CS3. MacService has introduced a new storage upgrade service for the Apple TV starting from $200, and Agiggle.com has launched the first daily series of high resolution comedy video podcasts designed for Apple TV. A new patent filing from Apple surfaced today describing "Audio status information for a portable electronic device." The new patent will likely enable an iPod or iPhone to communicate to users when the battery is running low.

Best Buy deal may feature Apple boutiques...

Apple's new, expanded distribution deal with Best Buy may increase the effective number of distribution points for Macs by 10 percent and bring new boutique layouts to showcase Apple products. Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said that while the growing presence of Macs and other Apple products at Best Buy will not affect the firm's outlook for Mac sales in the June or September quarters, the strengthening relationship will bring higher visibility, including boutique-like Apple stores in some locations. Best Buy, which sold Apple TV one week ahead of other retailers, announced it would increase the number of retail locations stocking Macs from 57 today to about 200 by this fall.

Ubercaster podcast production suite released...

E.R.S "Pleasant software for the people" has released Übercaster 1.0 after a lengthy period of private beta testing. Übercaster is designed as a complete production suite for podcasting on Mac systems that allows podcasters to prepare, record, cut, and release shows without overloaded and bulky recording environments. The software supports live audio recording, auto ducking, effects, chapters for enhanced podcasts, ID3 tags, album cover art, and MP3/AAC/AIFF encoding. Übercaster 1.0 is available for $80, and requires Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later.

TechRestore offers pre-upgraded Apple TVs

TechRestore today announced that it has begun offering pre-upgraded Apple TV systems that are pre-configured with storage upgrades of up to 160GB. The 160GB units allow for up to 200 hours of video storage, 36,000 songs, or 100,000 photos, according to the company. Apple began shipping its Apple TV set top box in late March for $299 with a 40GB hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video. The device wirelessly streams media from a computer in the home to the living room, where it connects to newer TV sets. Users control the Apple TV via a tiny remote control that ships with the unit, and can access all iTunes content on a full-sized TV with on-screen menus. TechRestore upgrades are priced from $400 (80GB) to $500 (160GB), and the company includes a 1-year warranty on upgraded Apple TV systems.

QuarkXPress 7.2 improves Job Jackets, more

Quark on Thursday released QuarkXPress 7.2, the latest update to its popular software for graphic design and multi-channel page layout. Available as a free download to all existing QuarkXPress 7 customers, the QuarkXPress 7.2 updater provides performance improvements and addresses customer input as well as bring support for Windows Vista and Quark XPert Tools Pro (the popular suite of QuarkXPress XTensions), and new language support, including user interfaces in five additional languages — Czech, Greek, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Turkish. Also included in the update are usability enhancements to Job Jackets, a unique workflow feature that provides quality control and facilitates collaboration for anyone involved in a creative job. In addition, version 7.2 enables users to specify resolutions for different types of objects, specifically vector graphics, drop shadows, and blends and also supports Kodak’s new CMM that adds Black Point Compensation. A free 30-day demo of the "Universal" $750 application is available online (upgrades are $250).

Apple's new Mac Pro uses special-run Xeon...

Apple's updated Mac Pro uses a special version of Intel's Xeon workstation-class processor, the semiconductor company said in an e-mail note. The 3GHz quad-core CPU at the heart of the fastest system is currently an unannounced model that sits at the top of the company's performance range and is presently used only by Apple.

"We are indeed shipping a 3.0GHz Xeon version [and] expect to see faster gigahertz speeds for our high-end [Core 2] Extreme PCs very soon, too," said Intel's Bill Kircos. "For now, the product is in limited production and Apple has chosen to adopt it. We will introduce another 3.0GHz Xeon SKU later on as well."