iPod proof-of-concept virus created...

Researchers at a Russian-owned security firm, Kaspersky Lab, claim to have developed the first virus designed to infect an iPod itself rather than a connected computer. Called "Podloso," the virus is actually a proof-of-concept designed to test the vulnerabilities of the player, and as such poses no immediate danger to iPod owners, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Infection requires two deliberate steps: users must first install a copy of the Linux operating system, and then install the virus, which contaminates essential files.

Helios updates cross-platform disk utility...

Helios Software has released its mkisofs cross-platform disk image utility that enables flexible disk image creation for file archives as well as backups of critical files. The utility supports system snapshots, cross-platform archives, legal preservation, platform independent file transfer, and simple backups. The company has extended the open-source utility by removing size and format limitations, making it a more flexible tool for creating data archives as well as custom universal disk format (UDF) images. Mkisofs is scriptable for automated tasks, including scheduled backups, and is usable interactively via 'hot folders.' Helios' mkisofs backup utility is available for free (system requirements were unavailable).

iPods for every Michigan child?...

Democrats are proposing that iPods and other MP3 players be given to every child in Michigan, according to an editorial in the Detroit Free Press. The party's state house speaker Andy Dillon suggested the idea as part of a larger spending bill, suggesting that it would help students learn. The idea has already triggered a major controversy in the state for the cost it would inflict on the already ailing government, taking $38 million away from Michigan's budget when the territory faces a $600 million deficit this year and an even greater $2.1 billion gap in 2008.

Apps: AudioLobe, Sandvox, Diet Sleuth

• AudioLobe 1.3 ($20) enhances the application that provides audio speed and pitch processing on Mac OS X Tiger systems. The latest release automatically includes new items added to the artist name playlist in a new column generated from iTunes data. The update also allows users to add multiple tracks to the playlist in one action, and updates the preferences panel. [Download - 1.5MB]


• Sandvox 1.1.2 ($50, $80 for Pro edition) brings an improved iMedia browser as well as enhanced video management for WMV and QuickTime files to the website building application. Sandvox 1.1.2 features faster, more efficient processing of high-volume photo pages and collections, as well as a font collection of Web-safe fonts within the Font panel. The update improves the overall speed of working with documents, images, audio, and video. [Download - 22.5MB]


• Diet Sleuth 4.9.0 ($35) enhances the nutritional database and personal health logbook for Mac and Windows, adding options to duplicate a food in the food editor and print out food as well as recipe nutrition information. The latest release also features improvements to the user interface, and includes several bug fixes. [Download - 3.4MB]


• ChromaKeys 1.0.1 ($50) is designed to quickly remove or mask portions of an image. The update includes several bug fixes, allows users to modify key values, and displays only image files when attempting to import an image. The latest release also includes minor updates to tooptips, and incorporates release notes into the help subsystem. [Download - 6.4MB]


• HoudahGeo 1.0b4 ($35) is a public beta version of the geocoding application for Mac that allows users to link photos to the location where they were taken. Users can publish the information to Google Earth, or write the data to EXIF tags. HoudahGeo supports "pinning" photos to their locations for browsing photos within Google Earth. The application requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later. [Download - 4.2MB]


• Sound Byte 3.3.0 (from $40) improves the software designed to turn a Mac into a "cart machine" for playing sound recordings. The latest version of Sound Byte adds support for the Apple IR REmote, as well as the ability to select the sound output device. The update also provides options to select cut-in, cut-out, and fade-out times for tracks. [Download - 4MB]

Fortune 500 company considers using Macs

Despite Apple's historical tendency to shy away from the enterprise IT market, the company's new Intel-based Macs have begun turning heads at big businesses looking to accommodate a broader spectrum of users. An IT manager of a Fortune 500 company is considering purchasing Macs for mainstream enterprise deployment, according to PC Magazine, as well as for its graphics and advertising departments. Traditionally Macs have remained mostly in the desktop publishing and graphic design departments of larger companies, due in part to a lack of business-level software alongside non-compatibility with Windows systems and Apple's lack of enterprise support. At least two of these factors are no longer proving a barrier to large companies, however, and the prospect of running Microsoft Windows on a Mac to accommodate fresh college graduates with experience on Apple systems is tantalizing to at least one IT manager.

WSJ: trial software ruins Windows PCs...

The overwhelming amount of advertising and trial software installed on modern Windows PCs is killing the user experience, the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg wrote on Friday. The columnist noted that his new Sony VAIO SZ and most other Windows PCs come preloaded with large quantities of third-party programs that help subsidize the system's cost but which frequently harm its performance and pop up interfering dialog boxes. Security software also created problems by forcing interested owners to deal with configuring and scanning their systems before they can actually be used.

TidyUp 1.2.5 adds user's manual, fixes bugs

Hyperbolic Software today released TidyUp 1.2.5, an update to the duplicate finder and disk tidiness utility for Mac OS X. TidyUp 1.2.5 enables users to search for duplicate folders by name, date modified, date created, label visibility, empty folders, folder contents, and more. The software also features a security system that ensures at least one copy of the duplicate file remains on the disk, and offers undo functionality for copied or moved items with the ability to restore trashed files prior to emptying the trash. The latest revision adds a user's manual to help search for duplicates, changes the way it compares the content of mail messages, and fixes several bugs. TidyUp 1.2.5 is priced at $30, runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Virtual to ship gambling, RTS games in '07...

Virtual Programming and PhantomEFX have banded together to release Mac versions of PhantomEFX's Reel Deal Casino High Roller and Reel Deal Slots - Mystic Forest gambling games. Virtual Programming also announced that Europa Universals III -- a turn-based strategy game that puts players in control of building a European empire -- is slated for release in the second quarter of 2007. Championship Manager 2007 is nearing its release as well, challenging players to manage budget, purchases, information, and tactics to manage a football team. Reel Deal Casino High Roller and Reel Deal Slots are priced at $20 each, while Championship Manager 2007 will be available for $40. Pricing for X3 Reunion and Europa Universals III was unavailable.

SplashShopper list manager released

SplashData has released SplashShopper, its smart list manager that tracks stores as well as prices to ease the process of shopping for various goods. The application is designed to help users manage lists of groceries, gifts, to-do's, wines, music, movies, and more. SplashShopper allows users to view, edit, and print shopping lists with support for unlimited lists. Each list can include different categories, custom fields, and icons. QuickLists make recurring shopping lists easy to create, and users can assign items to multiple stores as well as track per-store prices. SplashShopper is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. The company has also released its SplashID password manager to safely store and organize usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, PINs, and more. SplashID is available for $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

Fastmac debuts slim Blu-Ray drive upgrade...

Fastmac today launched what it claims is the first and only Blu-Ray optical drive upgrade for Apple's PowerBook, iBook, and MacBook Pro laptops. The new slimline, slot loading drive uses one of the fastest and most compatible Blu-ray mechanisms to provide up to 50GB of storage on one disk, according to FastMac, without sacrificing compatibility with standard DVDs and CDs. The new drive supports reading, writing, and re-writing to single and dual layer Blu-ray media at 1x speeds. The drive upgrade is scheduled to ship within 10 days, and is available for pre-order with an introductory price of $800. Each drive carries a 1-year warranty and a 30-day money back guarantee.

Briefly: review; laptop battery hack...

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the Canvas Sport Portable Case from Speck Products, PCLaunches.com has detailed a new laptop battery hack, and DivX Stage6 -- a website allowing content creators to distribute high-definition video to PCs as well as consumer electronics devices -- has re-launched with a new look and feel. Dover Studios has released a new visual effects training DVD titled "Maya: Shading Networks," and Hammacher Schlemmer has begun selling a new media player known as the Portable Video iPod Enlarger and DVD Player. Speck's Canvas Sport portable case ($40, shown at right) is a Converse sneaker-looking sleeve for Apple's MacBook portable with thick canvas surrounded by a solid white rubber edge. The bag features a soft felt-like interior to cushion the MacBook inside, while reinforced sides offer protection against concussions.

Authors already prepping iPhone guides...

Although the device in question has yet to be released, authors are already readying help books for the iPhone, spottings on Amazon have shown. Famed Houston Chronicle columnist Bob LeVitus and co-author Ed Baig are already said to be developing iPhone for Dummies, according to a new entry, and have also provided a brief outline explaining how it will help newcomers to the device, including using the camera and safeguarding private data.

Professional bloggers are also taking their first steps into writing books for Apple's new handset, the early product pages show: both Jason Chen from Gizmodo and Adam Pash of Lifehacker are reportedly involved in creating a book titled How to Do Everything with Your iPhone that should offer similar content.

Sticky Windows 2.0 boasts new style

Donelleschi Software has released Sticky Windows 2.0, a utility that extends the tab browsing experience to the desktop. Sticky Windows shrinks windows into tabs when they are dragged toward the edge of the screen, providing users with a clutter-free workspace. Tabs are created by dragging windows to any side of the screen, and removing tabs consists of dragging them away from the edge of the screen to re-display the window. The update features "Manual" and "Automatic" tab types, with file drag-and-drop support. A new style and new visual effects accompany a new code base that is more reliable and faster than previous versions. The latest release also runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary. Sticky Windows is priced at $15 -- down from $20 -- to celebrate the new release, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Rogers picks up 3G card for Macs, Vista...

Rogers Wireless today opened up a new choice for subscribers to its 3G wireless network by launching the Option GT Max. A PC Card adapter for older notebooks, the GT Max packs a tri-band HSDPA radio to connect at download speeds up to 3.6Mbps on Rogers' HSDPA network -- with the possibility of an upgrade for 7.2Mbps through software, according to Option. Fallback support for EDGE and the older-yet GPRS exist for territories where the faster HSDPA standard isn't active, and a butterfly-style antenna stows inside the card to keep it safely plugged in when the host notebook put in a bag or backpack.

VMware Fusion for Mac Beta 3 released...

VMware has released VMware Fusion for Mac Beta 3, updating the software that enables users to run any PC application on an Intel-based Mac alongside Mac OS X without rebooting. VMware Fusion for Mac Beta 3 offers greatly improved performance via disabled debugging, support for Apple's Boot Camp software, and a 'Windows Easy Install' feature that simplifies the installation of Microsoft Windows. VMware Fusion for Mac Beta 3 is available as a free download for users interested in testing the software, and supports Apple's forthcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (system requirements were unavailable).

eMusic could profit from Apple's deal...

Online music shop eMusic may stand to benefit from Apple's deal to drop DRM on EMI music, according to Crave. Although iTunes will only begin offering protection-free music beginning in May, eMusic has depended on unguarded MP3 files as part of its business model. The decision by EMI could draw attention to eMusic's subscription-based service, which offers a set number of downloads per month.

The move may also pave the way for the store to sell its first music from a major label. EMI has so far refrained from announcing any deals beyond that with Apple but has openly invited other stores to adopt similar plans, including for different music standards such as MP3 and WMA.