iPhone security slammed at Black Hat...

Charles Miller, who first discovered an iPhone vulnerability that was patched by Apple in the iPhone 1.0.1 update, slammed the iPhone's general platform security during a presentation at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas this week. Saying that his hack was not an isolated incident, Miller labeled Apple's security practices as poor, claiming that they have left the entire OS X platform (both the Mac and the iPhone) vulnerable.

Briefly: Bluetooth mice review, iPhones for $.99...

In brief: Radtech BT600 and BT100 Blueooth mice review, iPhones to be on sale for $.99, Yet another IM client for the iPhone, Summer pricing on Rex Paks announced, and MacSpeech has certified a new wireless mic for use with iListen ... We have posted a review of the Radtech BT600 and BT100 wireless mice. The BT600 is a full-size 5-button wireless mouse with scroll wheel, priced at $60 USD. The mouse is comparable to some of the other wireless mice available. We also tested the BT100, which is a much smaller mouse that fits better in small hands but does not look as elegant as the BT600. The BT100 is also $10 cheaper and is made to carry around. For another $10, you can purchase a rigid clamshell zippered case for the BT100. Both mice have 800 dpi optical tracking, which makes them very precise for most daily work.

Refurbished MacBooks $949, iPods from $49

Apple's online store is once again offering reconditioned black and white MacBooks as well as various iPod models at discounted rates with free shipping. The company promises customers that the items are as good as brand new purchases, and includes a standard one-year Apple warranty with every refurbished item sold. Apple's reconditioned consumer notebooks currently include its white 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo MacBook with 1GB of memory and an 80GB hard drive for $949; as well as its black 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive for $1,299. The Cupertino-based company is also selling refurbished iPod nanos in 2GB (silver only), 4GB (silver, green, blue, and pink models available), and 8GB capacities (black only) for $99, $149, and $199 respectively. Apple's second-generation iPod shuffle is also available in 1GB capacities (silver or pink) for $49.

Apple quietly improves iPhone with update...

Several days after Apple's first iPhone firmware update, owners of the cellular handset continue to report changes in their usage experiences for the better. Despite the company's claim that the update only plugged security holes and included minor fixes, iPhone owners insist that the device is much more pleasant to use after installing the new firmware. According to users posting to Apple's Discussion boards, the update has fixed some calculator bugs and ensured that VPN (Virtual Private Network) security and password settings are remembered between sessions.

Color calibration for Apple Cinema Displays...

Integrated Color Corporation has announced that its ColorEyes Display Pro monitor profiling software now supports the full range of Apple monitors, including the Apple Cinema Display as well as the MacBook, MacBook Pro and tje iMac. The color profiling tool works with most colorimeters and spectrophotometers on the market today and features two unique interfaces - one for the amateur and one for the more advanced user - giving those advanced users the tools and features they want while also providing a wizard-based interface to assist novice users. It also includes iterative gray balance measurements as well as L* gamma support for visually linear profiles. In addition, ColorEyes Display Pro sports profile verification to test monitors, profiles and instrument accuracy. It's priced at $175.

First native non-Apple iPhone app released

Independent software developers have successfully created the very first full-fledged native iPhone application, complete with its own icon on the iPhone menu and a user-interface that is not powered by Web 2.0 technology. The application, called MobileTerminal, is terminal emulation software developed without an official Software Development Kit (SDK) from Apple. Google Code is hosting the application and so far Apple hasn't moved to take down the rogue software as it has with previous hacks involving its closely-guarded Mac OS X operating system. The lack of movement on Apple's part could signal a certain tolerance for true third-party application development, or may only prove to be an incubation period for forthcoming actions on the part of the Cupertino-based company.

Google to offer free ad-based phone service?...

Google's reported self-branded phone may be only part of what the company has planned for phone service in the US, says a report from the Wall Street Journal. The company is now purportedly not just designing a phone in a Boston studio to be made by HTC but also has long-term plans for a service of its own; the service would be funded by targeted ads and could offer subscriptions for free, the tip claims.

Deliver2Mac adds Chicago 1930

Deliver2Mac has begun selling downloads of Chicago 1930, the RuneSoft real-time strategy game. Players join a campaign as either the Chicago police or the Mafia, who in the former case have to protect the public and interrogate witnesses, while the latter get to fight both police and rivals, as well as hush up any bystanders. Combat requires smart tactical thinking, and can involve weapons ranging from baseball bats to through to Tommy guns. The game runs on Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and costs $30.

Hardware video conversion for iPod, Apple TV...

Miglia has announced the VideoExpress, a device about the size of a standard Apple remote that can convert video for the iPod, Apple TV and other Sony PSP using hardware-based encoding. Miglia claims that the VideoExpress will encode into h.264 video up to 5x faster than real time export, and it also does not require any processor time from your Mac, allowing other operations to proceed normally. It's accompanied by a drag-and-drop application that requires you to pick the destination and the quality, for example 'iPod High Quality.' In addition there is a separate QuickTime plugin that allows you to export from any supported application.

Reel Deal Card Games comes to Mac OS X

Virtual Programming today released Reel Deal Card Games, its new gambling game that offers a variety of sub-games. The title brings Hearts, Spades, Canasta, Bridge, dozens of Solitaire games, and over 70 other mini-games to Mac card game enthusiasts. "The smart, vivacious opponents will help you learn how to play, or test your various skills with multiple levels of intelligence. You can progress through the secret areas of the Prize Vault and Mall to unlock hundreds of items and surprises. You can even play this game on-line with other players from around the world Jump on board the PhantomVP epidemic sweeping the country!" Reel Deal Card Games is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Puretracks opens to Macs, MP3s...

Online music store Puretracks today announced a major expansion of its MP3 store, taking advantage of EMI's recent decision to offer protection-free music to Canadians. As with options available from Amazon and Apple, the new store allows buyers to optionally download DRM-free versions of any song available from the label, allowing them to be loaded on to the iPod and any device that supports MP3s. The universal format also allows Mac users to buy any content from the web-based store.

Apple iPhone coming to Best Buy stores...

Apple and Best Buy are planning to bring iPhones to some of Best Buy's nationwide outlets in the next 4-6 weeks, according to sources. Meanwhile, the retail chain plans to expand the number of its stores that sell Macs to 300 by the end of 2007. When the expansion is complete, Best Buy will be selling nearly 80 percent of Apple's entire product offerings in about 40 percent of its own outlets across the U.S. AppleInsider reports that the two companies, which launched a pilot program to test the prospect of selling Apple goods in just seven Best Buy stores last year, will start by expanding Mac distribution to 200 locations by the end of September.

e-On to ship Vue 6.5 at SIGGRAPH...

e-on software will be debuting releases 6.5 of Vue Infinite and Vue xStream for 3DS Max, Cinema4D, LightWave, Maya and XSI at next week's SIGGRAPH conference in San Diego. Vue Infinite and Vue xStream are the company's flagship solutions for the creation of natural 3D environments. The new releases will be free for all Vue 6 Infinite and Vue 6 xStream owners. Vue 6 xStream starts at $900, and Vue 6 Infinite starts at $700 (Nodelocked Licenses, Download Versions).

Adobe Design Achievement Awards...

Adobe has announced the winners of its 2007 Design Achievement Awards. The accolade honors the most talented and promising student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, and computer artists from the world's top educational institutions. More than 2,500 students from 30 countries competed in the annual program. In the Animation category the winner was Axel Broetje of Braunschweig University of Art in Germany for "Fische und Schiffe," an animated silhouette film for children. Broetje writes: "I created all characters, objects and backgrounds in Adobe Illustrator working from basic black geometric elements. After that I imported paths from the characters and objects into Adobe After Effects and Maya. Everything was animated scene after scene in After Effects and Maya."

iPhone gives mobile industry new direction...

Apple's iPhone is about to disrupt the cellular phone industry, according to one report, with data from one survey suggesting that up to 16 percent of those planning to purchase a mobile handset in the next six months will acquire an iPhone. The news comes after the iPhone launch on June 29th, which shattered AT&T's sales record and swamped stores across the U.S. with eager customers. A survey from ChangeWave conducted among 3,003 members of the ChangeWave Alliance last month suggests that Apple's entry into the mobile market is causing a virtual upheaval in the industry, according to a report from Macworld UK.

iSkin ships Cerulean X1 in-ear buds...

iSkin today officially launched its Cerulean X1 earbuds geared towards audiophiles. Their in-canal design offers passive noise cancellation with three sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure a solid fit. Inside, the earphones are built with an emphasis on balanced audio rather than bass; the 9mm neodymium drivers are each housed in a bass-enhancing chamber to amplify the power of portable media players but are otherwise neutral enough to deliver clear high frequencies and a detailed mid-range, iSkin claims.

Samsung power cut may trigger flash crisis...

Samsung may face a major supply issue with flash memory in the wake of an accidental power cut, the company told the press on Friday. An interruption in power near one of the company's Seoul, Korea plants has forced the company to halt production at six of the factories that produce the NAND flash used by cellphones, portable media players, and other devices. The company estimates that its losses could tally over $54 million, while the immediate (non-contract) price of a standard chip has already climbed 9 percent as a result of the event.

Aspyr releases Game Agent 1.5 update

Aspyr Media today released an update to its Game Agent application, a free utility that allows Mac gamers to easily match their computer hardware with the system requirements of Aspyr's game titles. Game Agent automatically identifies which games run on the current system and determine necessary upgrades for any other Aspyr games if needed. The software also lets users see which games will run on current Mac models Apple sells for those users looking to purchase new hardware. New features in the latest release include an updated game directory, identification for games with Universal Binary support, recognition of the Intel GMA 950 graphics processor as well as Mac OS X 10.4.10, and the addition of "Runs on My Mac" as well as "Universal Games" sections to the sidebar. Current Game Agent application users will receive the update automatically the next time the software runs, according to Aspyr.

QuarkXPress 7.3 updater released...

Quark has released the QuarkXPress 7.3 updater, a maintenance release to its professional design software that provides new localized user interfaces in European Portuguese, Finnish, Croation, Hungarian, and Russian languages. The latest release increases the number of languages supported by QuarkXPress to 18, and addresses the most frequently reported issues identified by QuarkXPress users. The updater is available as a free download, offering hyphenation and spelling support for Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Latvian, Estonian, Icelandic, and Slovak.

Sound Guy debuts ReSpatializer plug-in

Sound Guy has released the first version of ReSpatializer, a VST/Audio Unit plug-in that lets users test and alter panning, surround-sound and general spatialization. These elements are displayed in a simple graphical interface, where users can also tweak spreading, channel gain, and mute or solo selection. Processing options include low-frequency effect tools, synching to the host tempo, and output to as many as eight channels in formats such as Dolby, DTS and ITU. Simulated surround is created by converting full-scale spatializations into stereo or binaural mixes. ReSpatializer is a Universal Binary for Mac OS X 10.4 and costs $100.

MacBook Wi-Fi "hack" wins "Pwnie" award...

The controversial MacBook Wi-Fi vulnerabilities demonstrated at last year's Black Hat conference have won an award for the most overhyped bug. Security researcher David Maynor claimed to have discovered vulnerabilities that could compromise MacBooks via wireless networking, but the acclaimed security flaws affected only older versions of Mac OS X as well as third-party wireless driver software that never shipped with a MacBook from Apple. "In the end, the only public information about Maynor's Wi-Fi vulnerabilities are hype, denial, a media frenzy, and a patch that may or may not have been based on Maynor's findings," said judges of the first ever "Pwnie" awards. Maynor and Jon "Johnny Cache" held the demonstration one year ago yesterday in response to a "Mac user base aura of smugness on security."

Survey: iPhone already impacting cellular...

The release of the iPhone is already beginning to skew the demographics of the cellphone industry, just a little over a month after its release, according to a ChangeWave survey. The group found that of those surveyed, the iPhone by itself had taken a one percent market share, and it was the cellphone of choice for 16 percent of those planning to buy within the next six months. This figure is said to be higher than for any other manufacturer; the same can be said for customer satisfaction, with 77 percent of iPhone owners saying they were "Very Satisfied" with their purchase. By comparison, only 50 percent of RIM Blackberry owners had the same answer.

PDO releases iPhone screen protector package

PDO, formerly known as PodsPlus, has released its first screen protectors for the iPhone. As with others, they are foremost made to protect against scratching; PDO's are also, however, promoted as being anti-glare. The protectors further cover the entire front of the iPhone, with the exception of the speaker and the Home button. The package includes an extra microfiber cloth, which should be used on the screen before applying of one the two supplied protectors. Cost is set at $9.

8Gb flash troubles cause Apple supply switch?...

Manufacturing problems with flash memory for iPods and iPhones may have triggered an emergency switch in suppliers from Hynix to Samsung to help cover supplies for the holiday season, say sources from memory producers in southeast Asia. Hynix is said to have encountered problems producing its latest multi-level cell (MLC) flash storage due to the combination of the denser, more complex memory format and a very small 60 nanometer process, forcing Apple to consider Samsung as an alternative. The problems began in June and could persist until September, the sources claimed.

Briefly: iPhone parts store, Shuffle parody...

In brief: An iPhone parts store launches, Micronet debuts a 48-Port Gigabit Web Smart Switch, a game development contest is underway, and a parody demonstrating the "iPhone Shuffle" has been posted ... iFixit has launched an iPhone Parts Store that sells every part needed to repair your iPhone including batteries, displays, case components, logic boards, and more. There is also a free guide that features clear pictures and detailed instructions for replacing any part in the iPhone. Installation instructions are tailored to allow the removal and replacement of any component, including the rear panel, headphone jack, battery, logic board, and display assembly. The guide also shows you how to secure your iPhone by removing the internal camera, important because many secure facilities do not allow cameraphones.

Apps: Diet Sleuth, Cyndicate, PhotoFixLens

• Diet Sleuth 5.0.0 ($35) a nutritional database and personal health logbook. For each day, you select the foods you have eaten, and the number of servings of each. Diet Sleuth will automatically calculate your caloric intake, fat grams, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, cholesterol, along with sodium, potassium, and calcium. This version adds graphs of your daily intake of calories, fat, carbs, and 33 other nutrients, as well as your weight. [Download - 3MB]


• Cyndicate 1.0 ($30) provides full access to RSS and Atom syndication feeds in a familiar Mail-like interface. Users are able to manually sort and automatically filter articles into folders and with smart folders. It also features custom article display through an advanced template system using HTML and CSS and easy posting to social networking sites like Digg, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon with ShareThis. [Download - 3.1MB]


• PhotoFixLens 2.1 ($70) works as a plug-in to correct zoom and wide-angle distortion such as barreling and pin-cushioning imperfections in an image due to lens optics inside Photoshop / Elements / PaintShop / PhotoPaint and more. Version 2.1 includes several important improvements such as the ability to correct perspective distortion. Additional tools eliminates lens vignetting and fringing effects. [Download - 8.6MB]


• Aabel 2.3 ($345) statistical and exploratory data analysis, scientific graphing, and thematic mapping. The new release has a choice of user-defined multipliers for scientific notation to allow varying formats accepted by different scientific journals and major enhancements to existing features with emphasize on improving worksheet operations and fixing glitches in window-related operations. [Download - 17MB]


• LicenseKeeper 1.2 ($20) organizes all of your important software license information, helping to prevent the loss of valuable investments in software. The 1.2 release introduces a new interface and several new features intended to make tracking your software licenses easier. For instance, you can now update an application's information with a click of a button. It is a free upgrade to all registered LicenseKeeper users. [Download - 1.9MB]