Briefly: Booq Boa Slimcase review...

In brief: We have a review of the Booq Boa Slimcase, the book Take Control of iWeb '08 has shipped, an REM music video available is available now through iTunes and "Easter mEgg Hunt" hunt for Mac software participants have been announced ... We have posted a review of the Booq Boa Slimcase. The series of bags supports laptop sizes ranging from 13 to 17 inches, and fit Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops. The Boa Slimcases are available in portrait and landscape formats. The two models and three sizes per model are designed for the professional who wants to carry only the basic necessities of computing. This $115 bag fits 13 to 15" laptops, while the other more expensive models fit the 17" MacBook Pro portables.

Study: 50% of phones playing music by 2011...

Fully half of all phones shipped in the world will be music-capable within three years, according to a study by MultiMedia Intelligence. The research group estimates that while the cellphone market will largely remain flat, with 941 million phones being sold in 2011, about 50 percent of those devices will have at least some level music playback. This includes both high-end devices as well any phone that offers at least support for non-ringtone music files and a memory slot, the company said.

First Look: Safari 3.1...

With the release of version 3.1 of Safari for both Mac OS X and Windows, Apple’s browser has grabbed bragging rights for the fastest, most compatible, and fullest featured browser on any platform. Given these claims, Safari 3.1 seems like the hands-down winner. Since Safari is free, Mac OS X and Windows users have nothing to lose by trying Safari. The real question is whether Safari lives up to its extravagant claims.

DOJ approves Sirius/XM merger...

The proposed merger between Sirius and XM took a major step forward today with tentative approval by Department of Justice. The government agency's ruling notes that the threat of a monopoly isn't likely as their satellite radio services compete against many other formats besides themselves, including iPods and HD Radio. A combined entity would have no chance in the market if it tried to raise prices, the Department said. The statement also dismisses claims by HD Radio that a merged Sirius and XM would exclude competing technology from car stereos and other equipment.

NEC introduces NP-series mobile projectors...

NEC announced the release of two mobile projectors on Monday, the NP100 and NP200, aimed for use in small or home offices and developing businesses. Both look nearly identical and feature Texas Instruments’ DLP technology that allows for a 1,300:1 contrast ratio. The NP100 has just SVGA (800x600) resolution, while the NP200 increases that sharpness to XGA (1024x768) for computers and other high-resolution sources.

Seagate CEO threatens SSD suit, trashes Air...

Seagate may pull a lawsuit as its trump card if solid-state drives (SSDs) threaten to undermine its conventional hard drive business, company head Bill Watkins has said in a new interview with Fortune. The executive alleges that both Intel and Samsung are violating patents dealing with the interaction between computers and storage and that a formal complaint could follow that would either force them to change their technology or else compensate Seagate for their purported infringement.

Apps: CardRaider, NetFinder

• CardRaider 2.0.2 ($20) utility for recovering photos and movies from digital camera memory cards. Recovered images can be sent directly to iPhoto. It can even find photos and movies on damaged or reformatted media cards that don't show up in the Finder. In addition to JPEG files, CardRaider will detect and recover professional "raw" formats, as well as MPEG, AVI, and QuickTime Movie files.The new version adds support for recovering additional pro formats including Hasselblad H3D (3FR), Epson Raw (ERF), Leica Raw, and Mimiya Raw (MEF). It also fixes an issue with recovering some Kodak Raw (KDC) formats. [Download - 2MB]


• NetFinder 3.1 ($25) website and general file management and automation tool for remote servers and local files. It supports a number of protocols including FTP, FTP SSL/TLS, SFTP, WebDAV to name a few. QuickLook support for viewing files in NetFinder. Hit the space key to toggle. 10.5 only. [Download - 8.1MB]


• MacLoggerDX 4.3.4 ($95) logs into your favorite Telnet or TNC DXCluster and as DX Spots are received, tunes your radio to the spot, looks up the call and displays the DX station on the real time grey line Map with distance and bearing from your station. The new release adds a Kenwood TS-60 Driver and Icom IC-718 S-Meter, Audio and Squelch support.[Download - 12.8MB]


• Colorspace 1.9 ($30) universal color picker for web developers and designers. The application can be hidden in the task bar (requires Java 1.6) and lets you pick colors from anywhere on your screen. The new release has a context.js script rewrite, tray icon responds to single click (requires Java 1.6), some changes to the shutdown system, Mac OS X Quit no longer cancels system restart. [Download - 4.8MB]


• DX Toolbox 3.3.0 ($25) radio propagation / conditions analysis and forecasting tool for amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners, and other radio enthusiasts. This version adds: HTTP Proxy support for those behind a firewall, a graph of the Planetary Kp Index. Can now copy the Grayline map to the clipboard. Automatic setting of the UTC offset. Updated for the new Space Environment Center URL which affects data for the Proton and Electron Flux graphs. [Download - 5MB]

Memorex offers iWake iPod clock radio

Memorex has begun shipping a new clock radio for various iPod models, includin the iPod Touch, Classic, nano and mini. The device, dubbed iWake, features a digital AM/FM radio, dual alarm function and a gradual volume increase for the alarm. There's also a clock backup capability that is invoked in the case of a power failure -- that function requires 2 "AAA" batteries (which aren't included). Other standard features include a snooze function. The iWake powers and charges any iPod with dock connector. The iWake clock radio is priced at $80.

Sony, Warner close to MySpace Music deal?...

Two major music labels are close to signing a deal for the rumored MySpace Music online store, say sources talking to the New York Post. Both Sony BMG and Warner Music are reportedly near the end of talks that would make their catalogs available the service, which is still expected to offer paid MP3 downloads as well as ad-subsidized free streams of music and videos. The feature is also now said to have downloadable ringtones through a deal with News Corp.-owned (and MySpace sister company) Jamba.

Google sets sights on mobile 'white space' broadband...

Google has submitted a new proposal to the FCC to develop so-called white-space frequencies in the US, reports say. The frequencies lie in the spectrum between channels 2 and 51 in the television range, but are used by neither satellite nor cable providers; Google, one of the members of the White Spaces Coalition, is proposing that the FCC authorize the use of the space for a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans," according to a letter by company lawyer Richard Whitt.

Toshiba ships low-cost 128GB SSD...

Toshiba is about to ship its 128GB solid-state drive, the first SSD from the company and the first it says to offer the speed of faster drives with the storage of slower models. The 1.8-inch drive uses the same multi-level cell (MLC) process as the flash memory used in portable music players but also relies on a new controller that boosts its speeds well past the sometimes slow speeds of these cheaper drives. As promised, the unit can read at 100MB per second and writes at 40MB per second, making it faster than many 2.5-inch, notebook-sized drives.

iLuv ships Bluetooth-enabled i399 speakers...

After some delay, iLuv has announced that it is finally shipping its i399 iPod speaker dock. The system produces 45W of RMS output across 2.1 channels, and can both play and charge an iPod at the same time; "most dockable iPods" are supported, excluding those of the first three generations. The Shuffle and other sound sources are supported through an auxiliary 3.5mm input, and an integrated FM tuner supports up to 20 presets.

IntelliTouch ships Eos wireless iPod speakers...

Having announced it at the CES expo in January, IntelliTouch is now shipping its Eos wireless iPod speaker system. At the core is a base station, which provides 2.1-channel sound, using at its source any iPod or iPhone with Apple's standard USB dock connector; owners can alternately pipe in sound from the Shuffle, and other devices such as computers, through an auxiliary cable input. Output is enhanced through SRS WOW! technology.

LG LCD adds up to 6 displays via USB...

Hoping to offer a new alternative to notebook owners and others forced to use only one or two displays, LG on Monday took the wraps from its Flatron LX206WU. Larger than its Samsung equivalent, the 20-inch screen shares the ability to output video using solely a USB connection rather than requiring DVI or VGA output from a video card. The technique allows as many as six of the wide LCDs to run from a single PC, with even notebooks supporting the extra space through a powered USB hub.

Flowing Pennies 1.0 aims at simple finance...

Clarkwood Software has released the first incarnation of Flowing Pennies, a personal finance application. The software attempts to simplify use as much as possible; it concentrates solely on the amount of money flowing in and out of a person or family's budget, displaying all information in a single view. Adding and editing entries is handled through a simple footer bar, which also lets users specify how something was paid for.

Images of iPhone App Store leaked?...

Apple may have inadvertently revealed ongoing testing of the App Store for the iPhone and the iPod touch, a popular hacking site claims. One contributor notes that while experimenting recently with the v2.0 firmware, he inadvertently managed to enter the App Store, instead of receiving the normal "cannot connect" message. Found inside were two web applications, including the well-known iPhone version of Facebook; it is speculated that Apple is doing live testing of the Store, and using placeholders in advance of the first truly native applications.

Fujitsu 1st with 320GB, 7200RPM mobile drive...

Fujitsu is claiming a performance advantage today by introducing the largest-capacity fast notebook drive yet available. The MHZ2 BJ series holds the same 320GB as all but the most capacious 2.5-inch hard drives but spins at 7,200RPM versus the normal 5,400RPM. Combined with 16MB of cache, the extra speed reportedly provides a more desktop-like level of performance without the sacrifice in capacity dictated in the past.

Adobe ships Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac...

Adobe on Monday began shipping Photoshop Elements 6 software for Macintosh. Photoshop Elements 6, announced at Macworld Expo in early January, features new Photomerge technology that lets users create a group shot by simply choosing and combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots. Version 6 also includes a new Quick Selection tool that snaps to the edges by simply clicking and dragging over a specific area and offers three editing modes, tuned for different levels of experience, including the new Guided Edit mode that walks beginners through various image improvement steps. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered spaces and new tabs for easy access to various functions. Other enhancements include an improved conversion tool that converts color images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.