MiniBank storage for AirPort, Mac mini

Miglia has begun shipping the MiniBank hard drive, available in 320GB or 500GB configurations. The drive is similar in size to an AirPort Extreme N Base Station, fitting neatly under the base station (as an AirDisk) or Mac mini if desired. Both units utilize 7200 RPM hard drives and include three FireWire ports and and 3 USB 2.0 ports. They also feature quiet, fanless operation, are stackable (with the AirPort Base station and Mac mini, as well as themselves) and come with 2-year warranties. The 500GB unit is priced at £144.00 or just under $300, and the 320GB unit is priced at £101.00 or just over $200.

ATTO intros new SAS host adapters

ATTO Technology has announced the ExpressSAS H380 and H308 SAS host adapters, additions to its existing family of SAS adapters. The H380 and H308 models use the PCI Express Intel IOC340 I/O Processor with integrated XScale to deliver claimed transfer rates of up to 3 Gigabits per second per port. The units also allows users to connect to both SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) and SATA II (Serial ATA) devices. Both units feature a low-profile design, and the ExpressSAS H380 offers connectivity through two external x4 MiniSAS SFF8088 connectors, while the H308 model utilizes two internal x4 MiniSAS SFF8087 connectors supporting up to 256 devices when connected through SAS Expanders. Each of the eight ports on the ExpressSAS adapter is capable of delivering up to 300 megabytes per second performance. ATTO officials said "(That's) enough to handle the most demanding applications such as 2K and 4K film, multiple layers of complex, uncompressed real-time effects, and high-definition video editing." The new ExpressSAS host adaptors will be generally available this fall. Pricing information was not disclosed.

Performance benchmarks for new iMacs...

PrimateLabs has posted a series of benchmarks for the new Core 2 Duo-based Mid-2007 iMacs. The site tested a an iMac (24-inch Mid 2007) with an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4GHz, 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM and Mac OS X 10.4.10 (Build 8R4031) against previous generation iMacs (24-inch) with Intel Core 2 Duo processors at 2.33GHz and 2.16GHz. Overall, the new 2.4GHz iMac posted a score of 3243, compared with 3049 for the older 2.33GHz model and 2898 for the older 2.16GHz model. Unfortunately, the article neglects to do any graphics benchmarking with the new ATI cards that are included in the Mid-2007 iMacs.

Apple investors vote on options backdating...

A round of votes on shareholder proposals concerning executive compensation and options backdating at Apple show increasing investor desire for regulation of the way company managers are paid, and the methods by which they are awarded option grants. Although the measures failed to carry a majority, some of the proposals -- calling for links between stock performance and executive pay, a ban on options backdating, among others -- garnered 40 percent or more of the share votes, meaning they held strong appeal among investors other than those who originally broached the proposals.

Blast Miner adds new block types, 40 levels...

Cryptic Sea has released a major update to Blast Miner, enhancing its physics-based action strategy game with loads of new features and a polished interface. The upgraded Blast Miner includes 40 new levels, adds two new "spin" and "metal" block types, and awards players with medals depending on how much cash was used to complete a given level. The update further offers eight different endings for each campaign that depend on a player's total budget, and includes "living" gold with facial expressions that react to what is happening at any given moment. Blast Miner now also provides players with a full editor to make complete custom levels as well as campaigns, and offers a single level/level solution loader to send friends puzzle solutions. Blast Miner for Mac is priced at $20, and the update is free for existing customers (system requirements were unavailable). [images]

MacBook Pro update improves Motion support

Apple today released a software update for its MacBook Pro notebooks (2.2GHz, 2.4GHz models only) that provides important bug fixes and improves stability with Motion 2 as well as Motion 3. The update follows a slew of prior patches offered by the Cupertino-based company to improve compatibility between its own software applications, and comes on the heels of two additional updates for its top-end professional Mac Pro desktop systems as well as its consumer-oriented iMacs. Apple's MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1 is recommended for all owners of 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz MacBook Pro models, requiring Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later.

Apple offers iMovie HD 6 with iLife '08

Apple is allowing iLife '08 owners to download iMovie HD 6 for free, which may appease a crowd of upset Mac users gathering on various forums across the internet to protest the company's removal of important editing functionality in iMovie '08. Apple's own support forums are bustling with complaints from Mac owners who need or had grown used to the enhanced functionality that the previous version of iMovie offered. Apple's decision to offer iMovie HD 6 as a free download to all iLife '08 customers provides those users accustomed to more advanced editing tools with the familiar functionality they need to continue their work, while allowing new Mac users to learn the simplified new iMovie '08 application.

Ford prices Sync car audio for iPods and Zunes...

Ford today confirmed launch and price information for its Sync in-car audio system for portable media devices. The in-car audio system will be available for 12 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury car models at a price of $395 and is based on Microsoft technology that uses voice recognition, the steering wheel, or center column controls to control playback of iPods and Zunes without requiring a bulky external adapter. The system is intelligent enough to drill down towards individual albums and songs, Ford says. Built-in Bluetooth will also pair with most any cellphone to enable hands-free calling.

Apps: TimeCache, Immutation, SkootBuddy

• TimeCache 7.0.3 ($30) time and expense billing application. It offers tracking of all computer activity, can use Apple Address Book entries for client contact information, can produce charts of billable time and expenses, and can import from and export to iCal calendars. The new release fixes a bug with using the mouse to enter data and another bug with the display of payment amounts on unsaved invoices. [Download - 13MB]


• Immutation 1.0.0 ($10) a Core Image-based application that concentrates on the chaining together of Core Image Units. This release updates the user interface based on customer feedback. The new user interface allows more Image Units to be displayed at a time. Quickgigs is running a promotion (no purchase necessary) to give away an iPhone (or equivalent value in iPods) to a random person drawn from the first 1,000 customers. [Download - 848KB]


• SkootBuddy 1.0 (free) Cocoa-based front end to Skoot, large file transfer software for OS X. The developer says "Now, be warned that this is beta quality, so if your use of the software causes your computer to fry itself into oblivion, causing power to go out in your neighborhood, scaring an attractive 20-something holding a golf-club to pause in mid-swing so that her metal driver acting as a lighting rod attracts lighting that subsequently strikes her and her beer-drinking buddies, it is not our fault." [Download - 5MB]


• beaTunes 1.2 ($25) an iTunes add-on that analyzes the color, tempo (BPM) and language of your songs, intelligently creates playlists of matching songs, lets you blog about your playlists, and more. Version 1.2 adds a track identification feature for songs without artist or title information. This is made possible through acoustic fingerprints provided by MusicIP's MusicDNS service. [Download - 10.5MB]


• Code Collector Pro 1.0 ($30) application for storing code snippets. Key features include Smart Groups: Helps users keep their snippets organized; Snippet Sharing: Snippets can be exported to a single file to be shared with other Code Collector users; Customizable Syntax Coloring: Snippets are colored depending on their language; TextMate Bundle Support: Expand the syntax coloring and language support by adding TextMate Bundles. [Download - 1.9MB]

'Vista Capable' lawsuit given go-ahead...

A Seattle court had ruled that two complaints against Microsoft's Windows Vista marketing campaign can proceed to court. District Court judge Marsha Pechman denied a Microsoft dismissal petition, which claimed that plaintiffs Dianne Kelley and Kenneth Hansen lack the standing necessary for a lawsuit. The two have accused Microsoft of deceiving customers through its "Vista Capable" campaign, which attempted to assure computer buyers that their system would be able to run Vista even though it was bought before the January launch.

Quark to open office near Apple

Quark has announced company is expanding its operations with a new Silicon Valley office nearby Apple Inc's headquarters. Opening in the third quarter of 2007 in Santa Clara, California, the center will be home to an expanding team of sales, customer support personnel and product developers. Company officials said "By establishing a presence in Santa Clara, Quark aims to attract top talent in order to develop and deliver the industry’s most cutting-edge publishing technology to customers worldwide. With the addition of product development capabilities in this new office, Quark is continuing its practice of reinvesting more than 25 percent of its revenue in software development, which is above industry average."

iPhone touch-screen troubles addressed

Apple is quickly addressing cases of iPhone touch-screen troubles as users continue to report that part of the screen becomes unresponsive. Owners of problematic iPhones are comparing failing touch-screens in numerous cases, concluding that most phones are losing touch sensitivity in a half-inch strip that spans the width of the phone when it is held vertically, according to AppleInsider. Apple is working hard to replace faulty units, according to several customers, and is offering rental iPhones while the three-day repairs are underway. Many iPhone owners were unable to fix the issue by resetting the software, and some cleaned their handsets using Apple's recommended method but were still left without touch functionality within the dead area.

iPhone getting Apple-distributed games?...

It looks like iTunes is already setup to retrieve and transfer Apple-sanctioned games (presumably binaries and not Web apps) to the iPhone. DownloadSquad reports that, after digging through the iTunes localization strings, they found the following entry: "/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */; "4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?"; "4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";" These text entries seem to indicate that Apple will, at some point in the future, begin selling games designed for the iPhone through iTunes, which can then be readily synchronized to the device.

iPod/iPhone ambient recording patent...

Apple has filed a patent potentially indicating that audio recording capabilities may be coming to the iPod and iPhone. The patent posits an equally intriguing ability: passing external sounds through the headphones instead of audio from the device. In other words, a user could flick a switch that would shut off any music or any other audio, and instead pick up a voice or other ambient audio and pass it through the headphones, meaning the listener would not need to remove any earpiece to hear the ambient sound. For example, a jogger approaches an intersection and switches to external audio in order to stay alert while crossing the street. Pieced together, these elements could lead to the ability for a user to be listening to music on their iPod/iPhone, while simultaneously recording ambient sound.

Zen Wav reaches US, undercuts iPod price...

Creative has unofficially begun shipping the Zen Wav to US stores. Only available at first for Singapore, the American version is unchanged and adds built-in stereo speakers to the formula of the Zen V Plus, doubling as a portable boombox at the office or when headphones aren't available. The American Wav also holds on to the proprietary acoustic stand that boosts the speakers' performance by reflecting the sound outwards. Hardware such as the FM radio, line-in recording, and a voice microphone have also crossed over without changes, as have photo and video viewing.

New iMac receives CNET Editor's Choice

Apple's newly released aluminum and glass iMac has received a CNET Editors Choice award for its best-in-class design and solid-feeling thin keyboard. "The new Apple iMac desktop offers more performance and features than many Windows-based PCs; robust iLife '08 digital media suite," said CNET reviewer Rich Brown. "Unless you're a gamer or an upgrade enthusiast, we can think of very few reasons not to make an iMac your next desktop." Brown points to a lack of publicly available upgrade information to Apple's forthcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard as one of the few downfalls of the new machine, and describes iPhone support as "anemic." "Unlike Sony's, HP's, and others' all-in-one efforts, no other vendor comes close to Apple's near-seamless aesthetic." Apple unveiled the new machine on Tuesday during a special event held at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, CA.

Apps: Trampoline 2.1, Guitar Combos 1.1.1

• Trampoline 2.1 ($20) is a utility designed to provide Mac users with their personalized core set of tools directly beneath the mouse cursor with the press of a hotkey. Trampoline 2.1 adds the ability to drag-hold an icon over a folder to open a new trampoline of that folder, thus allowing users to drag onto icons inside folders in the trampoline. The update adds a setting to show a file's label color, ensures the "Show In Finder" and "Get Info" menu items use Path Finder if that software is running and turns on "Enable Reveal in Path Finder for third-party applications" in Path Finder's preferences. [Download - 2.8MB]


• Guitar Combos 1.1.1 ($170) is a free update to the amplifier emulation software that adds a versatile tape deck with high-quality time-stretching. Guitar Combos is a series of three amp emulations -- consisting of Twang Combo, AC Box Combo, and Plexi Combo -- that offer studio-grade sound quality. Guitar Combos 1.1.1 allows for convenient audio recording and playback directly within the software, as well as an integrated metronome for guitar practice. The update also runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary. [Download - [form]]


• Speed Download 4.1.13 ($25) is an easy to use download manager designed to serve as a central unified hub for nearly all download and file transfer activities. The update is optimized for Mac OS X 10.4.10, improves WEBDAV support, and enhances stability while boosting performance throughout various portions of the application. Speed Download 4.1.13 is available in English, Polish, German, Norwegian, Russian, French, and Italian languages. [Download - 6.9MB]


• Tidy Up! 1.2.9 ($30) updates the duplicate finder and disk tidiness utility for Mac OS X, adding a new filter in the miscellaneous pane of the search window to report folders that contain only empty folders. The latest release fixes a bug where the software could fail to report empty folders after a trash or move action, and repairs an issue that could cause a crash when the users chose the Strategy Wizard. [Download - 8.4MB]


• Jotter 1.2 ($10) is a simple note taking application designed to provide simplicity without complicated interfaces or unnecessary features. The software supports Rich Text as well as images and URLs in notes, and can quickly create a note from the clipboard. Jotter 1.2 works with Apple's Spotlight search technology and includes several new preferences which include a default note font as well as the ability to turn off title underline/coloring styles. The latest release also allows users to sort the Jotter menu by name or by date modified. [Download - 892KB]


• CNS Audit 0.5 ($100) enhances the audit trail plug-in for FileMaker Pro that allows users to add an Audit Trail to a FileMaker Pro database within minutes of installation. The latest release is a full working version of the plug-in, which allows users to immediately begin logging databases. The plug-in developer promises to ensure that every feature addition will remain compatible with the 0.5 preview version. [Download - 3.3MB]

Creative blames Q4 losses on iPod, Zune...

Creative, most famous for its sound cards and media players such as the Zen V Plus, is blaming newly-reported fourth-quarter losses on competition from Apple and Microsoft. Losses in the period ending June 30th amounted to $19.3 million, a substantial increase over the $12.7 million lost in the same period last year. Sales have fallen 28 percent to reach $165.2 million. The company attributes this primarily to the continuing dominance of the iPod, which holds 68.9 percent of the US market, but additionally to the introduction of the Zune, and more recently Microsoft's price cuts to clear out stock. Despite it being a new product, the Zune currently holds 2.5 percent of the market.

DEVONagent 2.2 brings workspaces, Bonjour

DEVONtechnologies has made available the v2.2 update to DEVONagent, its combination browser and web research program. Key to the new version is the addition of workspaces, which allows a user to save a collection of currently-open webpages for later re-opening. The software now also displays web services on the local network through Bonjour, and provides access to both workspaces and services through a Dock menu. Other changes include better blocking of advertising, and the ability to read XML-based Office documents. DEVONagent requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 and costs $50.

Fujitsu promises 1.2TB notebook drives...

Fujitsu's research labs today said they had developed a new process that could quadruple the level of storage in notebook hard disks in the relatively near future. While today's drives rely on perpendicular magnetic recording almost exclusively to top out at 300GB, A joint development between the electronics maker and the Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology has developed a new process for making aluminum oxide nanoholes that are "ideally" ordered in patterns on the hard disk platters, allowing for much finer-grained recording of individual data bits over a large surface when combined with perpendicular technology.

Belkin launches TuneCast 3 FM transmitter...

Accessory maker Belkin has launched the TuneCast 3 FM transmitter, used to broadcast audio from any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack, but specifically from iPods: any generation of mini, nano or shuffle is supported, as well as full-sized iPods from the third generation onwards. The TuneCast runs on frequencies between 88.1 and 107.9MHz, and is powered by either removable batteries or a car adapter, rather than the player's own supply. The currently-selected frequency is displayed on an OLED screen. Belkin is selling the transmitter for $50.

Creative prepping Xdock for iPhone?...

Creative should soon be producing its first iPhone-specific accessory, according to hints the company's American chief Craig McHugh provided during the company's latest quarterly results call. The company only recently began producing its first iPod-specific accessories but is reportedly developing a version of its Xdock that would be fully compatible with the iPhone, allowing it to pipe audio to a stereo or to wireless receivers. It was unclear whether the update would be a genuinely new design or an updated version of today's model that would be certified to work with the Apple cellphone without causing interference or requiring that the handset switches to airplane mode.

Movies, TV shows imminent for iTunes UK?...

Sources within Apple are claiming that the company is finally set to offer video downloads through the UK iTunes Store. While Americans can currently download TV shows for about $2 an episode, or movies starting at $10, videos have been conspicuously absent from other iTunes Stores around the world, even those in English-speaking countries. The Apple leak reports that this will be remedied within two weeks, as UK videos are essentially ready for sale, waiting only for Apple to make them visible within the iTunes software. No specific movies or TV shows have been suggested as launch titles.

Briefly: new iMac take-apart, RAM upgrades...

In brief: The iMac Mid-2007 has been disassembled, Apple posts Mac OS X version/system charts, Trans International is shipping RAM for the new iMacs, e2Sync has qualified e2Entourage for use with the iPhone and a new SpaceNavigator, Poser 7.0.2 bundle has debuted ... Kodawarisn has posted disassembly photos of the newly released (Mid-2007) iMac. The shots show the unit's back side, the glass panel on the front of the screen being lifted off, and finally the resulting innards of the machine. You can clearly see the front speakers, exposed optical drive and other components that reside behind the front casing of the new iMac.