Open QXP7 docs in Adobe CS3

Markzware has released the QuarkXPress To InDesign (Q2ID), a tool to import QuarkXPress Documents into Adobe InDesign v5 (CS3). The tool converts and transforms files created with QuarkXPress on both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh systems, into new Adobe InDesign files. QuarkXPress v3.3 through 7.x files are supported. Q2ID v3 is available for immediate download or on CD-ROM, starting at $200 for new users. Registered users of previous versions of Q2ID v1.x and above can upgrade for $100.

iKaraoke TunePrompter released

Griffin Technology has released iKaraoke TunePrompter, a tool for creating karaoke videos from your existing music library. The product enhances the full karaoke experience of Griffin's iKaraoke, a $50 iPod attachment. It's a freeware application for Mac and PC that lets iKaraoke users make their own free karaoke videos using any song they own. Griffin says "The iKaraoke supplies the music, you supply the words and you can enjoy karaoke with any song, anytime and anywhere. [...] Connect the iKaraoke microphone to your iPod and you're on. iKaraoke removes the vocals from your video, allowing you to karaoke anytime, and anywhere."

iKaraoke TunePrompter released

Griffin Technology has released iKaraoke TunePrompter, a tool for creating karaoke videos from your existing music library. The product enhances the full karaoke experience of Griffin's iKaraoke, a $50 iPod attachment. It's a freeware application for Mac and PC that lets iKaraoke users make their own free karaoke videos using any song they own. Griffin says "The iKaraoke supplies the music, you supply the words and you can enjoy karaoke with any song, anytime and anywhere. [...] Connect the iKaraoke microphone to your iPod and you're on. iKaraoke removes the vocals from your video, allowing you to karaoke anytime, and anywhere."

Briefly: New MBP adapter, Duke/iPhone solved

In brief: Apple has begun shipping a new MagSafe power adapter for the MacBook Pro with the model number MA938LL/A. The new 85W adapter is significantly smaller than the old iteration, appearing physically similar to the 65W adapter included with 13" MacBooks. In early June, Apple debuted a new line of MacBook Pros, some of which include LED-based screens and offer significantly better battery life. The new adapter appears to be compatible with both newer and previously released MacBook Pro models ... Meanwhile, Apple is stating that the Duke University's wireless problem reportedly involving a few Apple iPhones has been resolved. However, according to a NetworkWorld report, neither Apple nor Duke have released any details about the cause of, or solution to the problem. A Duke spokesperson said "We are still trying to get details about this ourselves." Duke IT officials originally claimed that 18,000 requests per second from the built-in 802.11b/g iPhone wireless adapters periodically flood sections of the university's wireless network with MAC address requests, taking down numerous access points simultaneously.

Casio tackles breast cancer with new Exilim...

Casio today introduced a special run of its Exilim Z75 to raise awareness of and help fight breast cancer. The unnamed model is intended to show support for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and will ship a pink version of the camera with a special case featuring the well-known pink ribbon logo and a lanyard with a ribbon of its own. Casio's camera itself is fundamentally the same as the 7.2-megapixel original and includes a 3X optical zoom lens, a 2.8-inch preview LCD, processor-based anti-blur correction, and the company's special features such as an eBay mode for optimized auction images.

Kanguru debuts 'green' external hard drive...

Riding the wave of environmentally-friendly technology, Kanguru has started shipping the Eco Drive external hard disk. Configurable from 80 to 750GB, its main feature is its three power-saving modes: after three seconds of inactivity, the drive steps down to 80 percent power; after three minutes it drops to 10 to 20 percent power, and finally, five minutes cuts levels to 5 to 10 percent. The drive is also compatible with the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) standard, meaning that it has a minimal amount of chemicals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Briefly: iSkin review, huge Apple sign...

In brief: iSkin laptop sleeves reviewed, a nearly 6-foot tall neon Apple logo is for sale on eBay, UK Wrappers introduces a new line of customizable iPhone skins, new smart loops tracks are available and GelaSkins is giving away a MacBook in a photo contest.... We've posted a review of iSkin's new line of laptop sleeves. Available in two sizes, the iSkin SOHO fits the 13" MacBooks or 15" MacBook Pro, and of course, all similarly sized machines. They available in black synthetic leather, with trimmings in a choice of five colors. The red, orange, pink, gray, and blue trim is used for the zipper and decorative stitching. As for the design, the SOHO was met with mixed reactions from my coworkers, not everybody liked it.

AT&T, Google back open 700MHz wireless...

Google is prepared to spend at least $4.6 billion on rights to use the soon to open 700MHz wireless frequency if it means keeping the bandwidth universal, company co-founder Eric Schmidt said in a letter to the FCC today. The search giant's executive said he would be willing to buy at least one part of the spectrum if the FCC's rules for 700MHz service guaranteed that any cellphone, computer, or other device could use the frequency for services such as mobile Internet access without being locked to a particular provider -- a common problem for cellphone frequencies, where carriers are often allowed to limit only their hardware and approved software to work properly. Anyone licensing the 700MHz band would also have to allow sub-licenses and tapping into the service whenever reasonable, Schmidt said.

Zune exceeds 1M sales target...

Sales of the Zune have more than surpassed the one million target the company set for the end of June, according to Microsoft's latest quarterly financial results. Over 1.2 million units of the jukebox have sold between the device's November 14th, 2006 launch and the end of the recent quarter on June 30th. The result represents over 170,000 units per month and should see the Zune reach the 2 million mark by the device's one-year anniversary if the sales rate remains unchanged.

Canadian Board approves iPod, memory tax

The Copyright Board of Canada has decided to allow a levy on iPods and removable memory that will tax Canadian citizens for their assumed transfer of copyrighted content. The Canadian Storage Media Alliance (CSMA) and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) challenged the levy, arguing that the Federal Court had already put to rest a previously proposed tax on digital audio recorders because the levy did not fall within the cited Copyright Act, according to one blogger. The CSMA and RCC contest that the board has no jurisdiction to approve the levy, but the board rejected pleas from the CSMA and RCC to do away with the new tax. The new tax is worded such that it may even include cellular phones and computers, which could extend to cover peer-to-peer downloading.

TuneRanger syncs iTunes on multiple machines

Acertant has launched TuneRanger, a program that syncs iTunes collections across multiple computers. Systems with TuneRanger installed will automatically see each other, allowing users to ensure that all files are available at all times on up to five computers at once. Users can further apply this consistency between Macs and PCs, and with associated iPods, copying from as well as to them. To ensure that disk space is not wasted, users can choose to filter particular songs, file types, licenses and any duplicates. The current Mac and PC betas are on discount for $30; trial software is also available.

Absoft IMSL Fortran Numerical Library

Absoft has released an Intel implementation of the IMSL Fortran Numerical Library, a compilation of mathematical and statistical algorithms from the IMSL F90, Math ans Stat and Fortran 77 collections. Using the Numerical Library is said to save time in program development by reducing original code needed, in some cases by as much as 95 percent. There are over 1,000 algorithms total, addressing areas such as regression, numerical optimization and differential equations. The library is meant to operate with Pro Fortran v10, available in 32- or 64-bit versions; only Mac OS X Tiger is required for the former, but going 64-bit requires Leopard. Pricing for the Intel library starts at $400, but discounts are on offer for those with the PowerPC version.

iChat patent links photos to voices

A new patent application filed by Apple surfaced today that separates the audio data of each participant in an iChat conference into its own track, allowing other software to handle iChat conference data in the same fashion as other audio applications that play multiple tracks. The invention specifically describes linking photos of audio conference participants to their corresponding voices, ensuring that iChat users on Macs, iPhones, and other devices would see a photo of the person speaking at any given time. The patent broadly covers both audio and video aspects of conferences, and is worded to include all manner of conferencing equipment -- including PDA devices and cellular phones. Other Apple patents that surfaced today include a Graphical user interface with improved media presentation, Computer Component Protection, Remote content updates for portable media devices, and a Deferred Shading Graphics Pipeline Processor with "Advanced Features."

Tenon touts iTools as WebSTAR replacement

Tenon has released iTools 8.2.4, an upgrade to its web-based graphical interface for configuring Apache, DNS and FTP connections. The key change is support for the Apache 2.2.4 web server, bringing iTools into line with the latest standard. Some improvements to Apache include improved memory and disk use, file limits beyond 2GB, and enhanced database architecture. The iTools update also carries with it proFTP 1.3, MySQL support extended to DBI and DBD modules, and better support for DNS and Mac OS X Server. Two editions of the program are on sale, one for PowerPC systems and another for Intel machines. Each costs $350.

Ecamm updates iPhoneDrive to 1.1

Ecamm Network has released an update to iPhoneDrive, which opens up the iPhone's functionality. Whereas Apple has locked disk access by default, iPhoneDrive lets users copy files to and from the device, by dragging items in and out of the program's window. Version 1.1 adds substantial interface improvements, such as the ability to reorganize an iPhone's contents, and copy from them by dragging multiple files. The names associated with iPhones are now displayed in the window title, and a bug has been eliminated in which iPhoneDrive wouldn't work if iTunes had yet to sync. The software costs $10 and requires Mac OS X 10.4.10.

Analyst sets $205 price target for AAPL...

Having released some initial predictions on Thursday, analysts with Piper Jaffray have increased their expectations for Apple stock performance and price target of $205, based on both revenue sharing with AT&T and now booked iPhone revenue. The group is predicting additional earnings per share (EPS) of $1.91 in 2009, and potentially as much as $2.49, which would bring the total growth for that year to $7.31. The determining factor will be how many iPhones Apple will be able to sell -- numbers could fall anywhere between 25 and 45 million, but will need to come closer to the latter to meet Piper's estimates.

T-Mobile Germany hosting iPhone images...

T-Mobile has all but confirmed that it will carry the iPhone in Germany, according to a leaked text banner and product shot hosted on its own website. Calling it "the new cult mobile phone" and including an image of the iPhone with the AT&T logo edited out, the carrier's two images reinforce earlier claims of a temporary store listing for the device as well as a direct assertion by the regional newspaper Rheinische Post that T-Mobile had already won a contract to sell the device in the country. The paper had suggested that the iPhone would sell for 450 Euros beginning in November.

Free mobile email comes to iPhone

Cortado has announced that is bringing its free mobile email service to the iPhone. The package includes a personal Cortado e-mail address with professional spam filter, virus protection, and 20 MB of storage space. There is also a specialized Mac OS X application for use in conjunction with the service that allows synchronization with iCal and the address book. The service uses Microsoft Outlook Web Access, and Cortado has published detailed instructions for synchronizing various data pieces with the iPhone, including iCal, mail accounts and more.

New Parallels 3.0 build: smoother fullscreen

Parallels has released Desktop 3.0 build 4560 for Mac OS X, a free minor update to build 4128 (ithe first release of Desktop 3.0). The new release includes better customizability of SmartSelect for easier app/file integration, faster and smoother Boot Camp partition use, smoother fullscreen transitions (no more flickering or lagging redraws), the return of the Parallels Image Tool,a beefed up Parallels Explorer that makes sharing files and working with non NTFS drives easier and more powerful Snapshot manager that gives you greater control over how snapshots are created and deleted. For users without this build of Parallels, an upgrade is $50 and the full version is priced at $80.

Sony CEO calls Jobs 'greedy'...

Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer has described Apple chairman and CEO Steve Jobs as "greedy" according to a New York Post report. Stringer was part of a panel at the Allen & Co. media executive gathering, along with Barry Diller of IAC, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Sergey Brin of Google. Stringer reportedly quipped: "It's funny that Jobs accuses record companies of greed because they want to get paid for music downloads," adding that Job is the "greedy" one because he wants a world where "only he makes money." The Post reports that Moderator Anderson Cooper suddenly changed the subject, but Barry Diller of IAC pointed out the comment, at which point the Sony CEO backed off with a political response.