Forums: Battery trouble, LED, iPhone apps

Forums roundup: Members are discussing reports of continuing MacBook battery capacity problems despite the recent update by Apple.... Similarly, another MacBook owner is reporting their battery not being recognized at all, reports indicate the only solution is replacement.... Other users are discussing Apples announcement that LED backlighting is coming to Macs, posing the question whether or not it is worth waiting for.... Other members are discussing the plea for help by one user who says they lost all their user settings randomly, now wondering how to get them back.... Meanwhile, other members are responding to the question asking what applications they want to see for iPhone that were not included in the initially announced launch line-up.

Greenpeace lauds Apple on greening changes...

In response to Apple CEO Steve Jobs' letter on the topic of the company's environmental plans, the activist organization Greenpeace -- one of Apple's most outspoken critics -- has responded with a statement of its own, generally favorable in tone, but with some reservations. The group praises two of Apple's decisions, specifically its plans to phase out polyvinyl chloride and brominated fire retardants by 2008; these chemicals are said to be polluting dump sites in the Asian continent.

App4Mac releases wKiosk Browser 5.0

App4Mac has released wKiosk Browser 5.0, a Web browser based on Apple's Safari engine that presents online and offline content (such as HTML, Flash, videos, etc.) in a full-screen interface suitable for public access terminals. Users can send email directly from within the browser, and administrators can lock down wKiosk to restrict access to the operating system or unwanted websites. Version 5.0 overhauls many aspects of the software including Favorites, the HTML engine, and the preferences interface. The update also optimizes code for systems running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or 10.4.9. The full application is priced at $70 and requires Mac OS X 10.3; a trial download limits users to one hour of browsing and prevents password protection for preferences.

Apple to ship Macs with LED backlighting...

Apple CEO Steve Jobs today in an open letter to the public revealed that the Cupertino-based company is aiming to unveil its first Macs with LED backlight technology some time this year, confirming reports from earlier this year. LCD displays with LED backlighting consume less power, provide better color uniformity, make for a thinner design, and negate the need to include Mercury in the manufacturing process. "We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007," Jobs wrote. "Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays." The announcement foretells of liquid crystal displays with lower power consumption, improved color uniformity, and thinner LCD designs that should fit nicely into Apple's goals as an innovative company that produces some of the most competitive devices on the market. [corrected]

Jobs reveals greener Apple, future plans...

Apple chief Steve Jobs today published an open letter discussing the company's current and future environmental concerns in response to rising pressures from environmental groups as well as shareholders. "Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products," Jobs wrote. "Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas." The executive covers the removal of numerous toxic chemicals in Apple products, as well as a revamped recycling program for iPods moving forward. Jobs goes on to outline the company's recycling plan for its Mac systems, and projects recycling rates by weight in years to come. [updated]

Lexar ships new solid-state ExpressCard drives

Memory specialist Lexar has released its new ExpressCard SSD (solid-state) drives made for convenient backup and memory expansion on laptops with ExpressCard 34 slots, such as the MacBook Pro. Unlike most flash drives, each of the storage cards ships with automatic backup software, allowing specific files and folders to be copied on a daily, weekly or monthly timetable. The software can also recognize multiple computers and will only copy based on the settings unique to a computer's particular ID. Compatible with Mac OS X, Windows Vista users will also be able to treat the drives as removable ReadyBoost caches for increased system performance in place of normal storage. Models with 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB of space are said to be available today with the former two being priced at $130 and $200; no price has yet been listed for the 16GB product. [via DailyTech]

LightZone 2.4 adds new vibrance, RAW tools

Lightcrafts has released LightZone 2.4, the latest revision of the company's easy to understand photo editor. Created by photographers, the software is designed to ease the process of bringing out true tone, color, and contrast frequently "hidden" in digital images with a single slider. Changes in the latest release include a revamped ToneMapper, a new vibrance control to create more vivid color, and a black & white tool to convert images as desired. A new RAW adjustments tool aims to improve image quality, and a noise reduction tool with a new user interface is faster as well as easier to use. LightZone 2.4 full is priced at $250 while the basic version sells for $150. LightZone 2.4 requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later.

Digital Future releases TextSpeech Pro...

Digital Future has released TextSpeech Pro, its text-to-speech software for Mac OS X powered by Cepstral technology. The software converts text in U.S. English, U.K. English, Spanish, Canadian French, and German to speech on PowerPC as well as Intel-based Macs. TextSpeech Pro reads books, documents, emails, and PDF as well as Microsoft Word documents aloud in various voices with special effects. TextSpeech Pro Deluxe is priced at $60 through today, after which the price will rise to $120. TextSpeech Pro Basic is available for $30 though today, or $100 starting May 3rd (specific system requirements were unavailable).

HD DVD key posting triggers rebellion...

Digg.com has been at the center of a backlash, according to the company's co-founder Kevin Rose. The voting-based news site started a controversy when posts were made linking to Boing Boing's posting hexadecimal code for the AACS decryption key used by HD DVDs, which effectively allows programs to play the normally protected movie format. The company initially tried to suppress the submissions by deleting posts and associated comments, citing requests by intellectual property holders to take the information down or else risk legal action.

Mindjet to ship MindManager 7 in May...

Mindjet has unveiled MindManager 7 Mac (site not updated), the first upgrade of its visualization software designed to accelerate the work process and save time. The latest release for Mac systems offers a new way to select topics by rules, which users can save and apply as filters. MindManager 7 Mac brings printing enhancements that allow users to print large maps across multiple pages and add headers as well as footers or borders to printed maps. The software features enhanced import and export capabilities for OPML, HTML, Text Outline, and more. English and German versions of MindManager 7 Mac are due to ship May 30th for $130, with upgrades priced at $70 (system requirements were unavailable).

Apple, Full Sail to offer "Project LaunchBox"

Apple in conjunction with Full Sail media college is set to announce "Project LaunchBox" this Friday. The new project is designed to put Apple hardware and professional software directly into the hands of more than 4,000 students across six different disciplines of study. Students will receive a MacBook Pro laptop loaded with software specifically geared toward their degree, and will receive instruction that combines 50 percent lecture and 50 percent hands-on activities that enable students to learn as well as practice immediately as they are trained for the industry. Apple's vice president of worldwide Education will kick off the event with 100 Full Sail students in a starting class, celebrating with political officials as well as business leaders and Full Sail president Garry Jones.

Memorex intros rugged 2007 TravelDrives...

Memorex this morning launched its TravelDrive 2007 of flash drives. The new edition takes its cue from jack-knives with a swiveling design that keeps the storage safe; when closed, the memory sits in a soft-feel outer shell that provides an extra layer of protection. The memory portion is also given a metallic color to help sort multiple flash drives visually rather than by text labels, as well as a wrap-around LED to prevent removing the drive while it sends data.

Apple revamps ProCare, adds One to One...

Apple today updated its retail services, changing its ProCare membership by removing training, but adding a separate One to One training program and new free Personal Shopping service, which offers a dedicated Mac Specialist to "explore and test-drive products to find out which ones are best for you." Apple new $99 per year ProCare service offers the ability to schedule appointments for technical support at the Genius Bar up to 14 days in advance, setup and transfer of old files with every new Mac purchase, a yearly tune-up and keyboard/monitor cleaning, same-day service at the Genius Bar (and QuickDrop repair without any appointment), and backup consultation.

Altec-Lansing unveils iPod mini-theater...

Speaker creator Altec-Lansing on Wednesday released the inMotion iMV712, a new speaker dock for the iPod that transforms into a small-scale home theater. Owners of the fifth-generation Apple music player can play videos on a large, 8.5-inch LCD embedded in the front of the system. Any Dock Connector iPod can take advantage of an enhanced sound stage, says the company. A four-inch subwoofer enhances the bass reponse compared to most speaker docks; the three-inch satellites also use Altec-Lansing's Sound Field Expander technology to widen the typically narrow stereo effect of all-in-one units.