MacSoft boxes Tradewinds Legends for retail...

MacSoft today unveiled a retail boxed version of Tradewinds Legends for the Mac, a game that revolves around a fantasy far-eastern ship-faring theme. Previously only available as a download, over seven million people have downloaded the game. Tradewinds Legends puts players in the role of an enterprising captain, choosing from one of five pre-made characters, or designing their own. Players then travel the 10 kingdoms, solving over 100 tasks, and trading and fighting legendary heroes like Sinbad. MacSoft is selling Tradewinds Legends for $20, and is available in retail stores nationwide.

100 song give-away on Japanese iTunes store...

Apple today announced a promotion for Japanese iTunes customers, saying that 10 winners will be chosen from entrants from now until January 8th that will win 100 free iTunes songs – a value of approximately 19,000¥. SetteB.IT reports that Japanese users interested in the promotion can apply using the online registration form, located on Apple's Japanese iTunes website. The promotion doesn't appear to be offered in any other country, and while the prize is a generous one, only 10 winners will be chosen from a country with over 127 million residents.

LiveSet Generator for LightWave released...

NewTek today released LiveSet Generator for LightWave, a free plug-in for LightWave 9 that facilitates the authoring of computer generated virtual sets. LiveSet Generator for LightWave provides a simple solution for the creation of custom, photo-realistic virtual sets. The software is designed for use with LiveSet, the proprietary virtual set technology found in NewTek's TriCaster STUDIO, Portable Live Production System, and VT[5] Integrated Production Suite.The LiveSet Generator for LightWave is available for free, and requires LightWave 9.

Default Folder X 4.0 adds Leopard integration...

St. Clair Software today released Default Folder X 4.0, a major upgrade to the utility for enhancing Open and Save dialogs under Mac OS X. The latest release brings a new modern interface to complement Apple's recent changes to Mac OS X, and leverages Leopard's QuickLook technology to provide previews that users can zoom in Open dialogs alongside the ability to add Spotlight comments in Save dialogs. Default Folder X 4.0 is priced at $15, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Spector for Mac supports Leopard, provides keylogging...

SpectorSoft today began shipping Spector 3.1, a new version to its internet monitoring and surveillance software. The company says that Spector is the only such software available for Macs, and that it now supports Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Spector is designed to take periodic screenshots – from seconds to minutes apart – and store them on the hard drive for later viewing. In addition to screen monitoring, Spector can also log keystrokes, allowing parents to view all chats, emails, and websites that were visited. Spector for Mac is available from several retailers, including the Apple store, for $100, with an upgrade for users of previous versions for $50.

Buffalo rolls out 32GB TurboUSB jumpdrive...

Buffalo on Wednesday became one of the first companies to offer a 32GB flash storage stick that should be both portable and quick. The SHD-U32GS fits 32GB of data into the same space as the company's existing 16GB version while maintaining the same speed. In-house technology known as TurboUSB boosts transfer speeds 20 percent past other external flash drives, Buffalo claims. The U32GS is also ruggedized and includes both a clip and a switch to prevent an accidental data wipe.

MoboVivo, Orb bring streaming content to iPhone...

Two new software-as-a-service media-sharing products are currently in development for iPhone and iPod touch users, MoboVivo and Orb. MoboVivo is a commercial service that has recently finalized iPhone and iPod touch support, allowing users to "Buy and Sync" television shows directly to their device. The service offers multiple channels, such as MoboDiva, MoboDocs, UrbanVivo, and various lifestyle and entertainment channels. The service is also available to a number of different players and gaming consoles from companies like Archos, Microsoft, and Sony. Episodes are available from the service for $2, and the company says that it is the first to make paid TV downloads available to Canadians.

Facebook opens platform, enlists Bebo...

Social network site Facebook today announced the early stages of open access to Facebook Platform, the underpinning for the company's web application service. The company will let its existing platform serve as a reference for other sites and will allow competitors to license the company's proprietary tags and similar code, though the cost if any of a license has yet to be revealed. Expanding the code will let developers writing for Facebook export their web applications to other sites without having to significantly rewrite the code for another platform, the company says.

Next Windows to get multi-touch...

Microsoft's next version of Windows will support complex multi-touch features, according to a claim by company test engineer Hilton Locke. So far referred to only as Windows 7, the operating system will receive a Windows Technology update that should allow multiple points of contact and significantly more complex input options than the iPhone. Users of the Apple handset will be "blown away" by the additions to Windows, Locke hints without providing specific details.

Google offers iPhone-friendly Picasa photo sharing...

Google today continued its Web service optimizations for Apple's iPhone with the release of a new iPhone interface for Picasa, the company's photo-sharing site. According to the company's blog, one Google developed decided to revamp the site for the popular device when found that it had "some very cool AJAXy features," which unfortunately were designed with a "desktop web-browsing experience in mind." On the heels of its homepage revamp for the iPhone, the new Picasa interface offers easy access to albums, displays pictures with comments, and includes an easy search feature. The iPhone-friendly interface offers slideshow options as well as both landscape and portrait support (like all webpages).

Analyst: 2nd gen iPhone, Apple TV in '08...

Goldman Sachs published a new note for its clients indicating that, based on its checks with industry contacts, Apple will be delivering a second-generation iPhone and a second-generation Apple TV in 2008. Saying that the second-generation iPhone is in the "final design phase," analyst David Bailey claims that the new device will have a similar form-factor to the current model, but may sport different aesthetics and might include 3G capabilities. In addition to the significant new iteration, Bailey thinks that Apple might release a minor revision earlier in 2008 with expanded memory.

RocketRaid 3520 gets Mac support...

HighPoint Technologies has updated the RocketRAID 3520 based on the IntelR IOP341 I/O Processor to support Power Mac G5 and Mac Pro systems with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard). The RocketRAID 3520 is an x8 PCI-Express 8 port RAID controller. The IntelR IOP341 I/O processor incorporates an Intel XScaleR processor, which provides open, full-function IOP based RAID, including enhanced hardware acceleration for the RAID 5 and RAID 6 feature sets to deliver maximum throughput speeds of over 600MB/s for Read/Write operation. The RocketRAID 3520 connects up to 8 internal SATA hard drives and supports RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and JBOD).

New GameTap player released for Mac, PC...

GameTap today announced a new game player that expands the GameTap experience for broadband-enabled Macs and PCs, launching games more quickly while making it easier to search for as well as discover games. The faster GameTap player includes updated community features like the Buddy Hub, which makes it easier to find as well as talk to and play games with friends online. Gold level subscription plans are available from $5/month, with new subscribers receiving the first month for $0.99. The player requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Hordes of Orcs 'tower defense' game released...

Freeverse today released Hordes of Orcs, a new 3D 'tower defense' strategy game featuring wave after wave of successively stronger orcs. Players strive to defend a human village from hungry orcs using walls and lethal towers as they emanate from what the elders call "The Glowing Portal of Really Bad Things That We Should Have Bricked-Up a Long Time Ago." The game is priced at $25, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Samsung ships Wi-Fi sync photo frame...

Samsung today rolled out the SPF-83V, its first photo frame to offer a wireless sync feature. The 8-inch LCD incorporates an 802.11g Wi-Fi connection that will pull photos across the Internet from any site or service with an RSS image feed, such as Flickr; Windows Live members with a photo gallery also have access, Samsung notes. The feature keeps the frame stocked with images regardless of where and when the photos have been uploaded.

Briefly: Apple 10th top site; iPhone helps EMI...

In brief: The Nielsen Company has ranked Apple as the no. 10 top website in the U.S., major record label EMI is promoting a music-based movie on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, FileMaker says users downloaded more than 100,000 copies of its Bento personal database in less than 30 days, and TotalView Technologies' MemoryScape has received Supercomputing Online's 2007 Product of the Year Award. Nielsen's year-end look at the most popular trends among Americans during 2007 found that Apple ranked no. 10 in the top 10 websites, garnering nearly 44 million average unique visits monthly.

Commander: Europe at War ships...

Freeverse has begun selling Commander: Europe at War, a new grand strategy game developed by Firepower Entertainment and Slitherine Software. Players take charge of the European Theater during World War II, controlling Allied or Axis armies in regions as far away as the Urals, North Africa and even the United States. Gameplay is hex- and turn-based, and models factors such as morale, terrain, logistics and strategic weapons; units can also be improved through the recruitment of the Commanders of title, who provide special bonuses.

NewerTech drops price of Guardian MAXimus...

NewerTech today announced new lower pricing on its Guardian MAXimus FireWire and USB2 external RAID 1 storage device. The Guardian MAXimus received a Five Star Rating in the December 2007 issue of Photoshop User magazine, according to the company, and serves as a plug-and-play "live activity" backup solution. Writing the same information in real-time to two separate drives produces a mirrored copy of all data, protecting up to 1TB of data on dual SATA drives with transfer rates of up to 100MB/sec. The Guardian MAXimus comes in seven different configurations ranging in price from $320 to $900.

iPhone leads list of TIME's Top 10 Gadgets...

The iPhone has been chosen as TIME Magazine's number one gadget of 2007. According to the prominent American publication, the iPhone has "changed the way we think about how mobile media devices should look, feel and perform." It has an attractive body made out of glass and steel, the magazine says, and the touchscreen interface is "loaded with eye candy." TIME is especially appreciative of how it combines features like a two-megapixel camera with iPod functionality, and how it lets users quickly tap into local Wi-Fi networks.

Helio Ocean gains more advanced YouTube app...

Helio this morning announced it would add a dedicated YouTube program for the Ocean, becoming one of the few outside of Apple to receive a customized YouTube client. The Pantech-made, dual slider phone receives the ability to not just browse videos either in landscape or portrait view but also to contribute; users can rate videos and add comments but also upload contributions taken using the Ocean's built-in camera. Uploaders can customize the title and tags for a video but also take advantage of the Ocean's GPS unit to geotag videos, pinpointing the location for later use at a site such as Google Maps.

MacPractice EMR for chiropractors released...

MacPractice today released MacPractice EMR for chiropractors (site not updated), an application designed to provide more efficient electronic versions of the forms chiropractors use. MacPractice EMR eases the process for chiropractors who use MacPractice DC with MacPractice EMR to customize the forms provided by MacPractice, and aids users in creating new forms. The software is available for an introductory price of $1,500 plus $500 annually for support and updates through December 31st (system requirements were unavailable).

TV shows arrive at Canadian iTunes Store...

As rumored would happen, the Canadian iTunes Store has today added TV shows (iTunes link), marking the first paid video content on the site beyond music clips or Pixar's short films. Content remains fairly limited, concentrated around four shows each from CBC and CTV: CBC videos include episodes of programs like Little Mosque on the Prairie and the Rick Mercer Report, while CTV is carrying programs such as Corner Gas and Degrassi: The Next Generation. Shoppers can also choose from a handful of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon shows, as well as select Stanley Cup finals games provided by the NHL.

Toshiba lays groundwork for 100Gb flash...

Toshiba on Wednesday revealed that it has developed a new design process which should greatly increase the capacity of flash memory for future storage. Known as double tunnel layer technology, it brackets a layer of silicon nanocrystals that help store memory between a pair of tunnel oxide layers that help control the flow of electricity in and out of the silicon; as the tunnels are only 1 nanometer thick, this helps move to smaller manufacturing processes -- as small as 10 nanometers -- that can pack more data in the same space, according to Toshiba. It also improves the overall speed of writing or erasing data.

.Mac: No. 2 seller in Apple retail, next big thing?...

Apple's second hottest seller this year has been little more than an empty box, since the company's retail stores are selling large amounts of the .Mac packages – largely due to the integration of the service with Mac OS X and iLife. Computerworld reports that the .Mac retail box, which contains a serial number on a slip of paper and empty space for the most part, has been leaping off shelves at the Apple stores. According to NPD research analyst Chris Swenson, this could indicate a growing trend with software developers, offering a boxed idea or service, rather than distributing software for users to install on their machine.

SwitchEasy, USBfever offer new iPod cases, gadgets...

SwitchEasy has introduced a bevy of cases for Apple's various devices during the holiday season, while USBfever unveiled a few different accessories geared towards iPod and iPhone users. The Capsule case for the iPhone heads off SwitchEasy's offerings, featuring a hard, duo-tone polycarbonate plastic frame with a built-in lock, with a hard coated protective membrane for the screen. The separately-available VisionClip for the case allows users to holster the iPhone, face-in, while still providing a small cutout allowing users to see who is calling them. The Capsule for iPhone and VisionClip sell for $30 and $15, respectively.