Small Tree unveils EasyAoE for network backup...

Small Tree Communications recently unveiled the EasyAoE, a new software product that allows users to efficiently use a Serial ATA drive over an Ethernet network for backup and storage purposes. The application reportedly simplifies the backup process, allowing less experienced to effectively ensure their data is safe. Small Tree Communications is selling EasyAoE for $150, with a five user license available for $500.

iSoftPhone 2.2 shows missed calls in dock, more...

Xnet Communications today unveiled iSoftPhone 2.2 for Mac, a free update to its telephony application that allows users to place phone calls over the internet, introducing a few new features and bug fixes. The new version uses a new Dock icon that indicates when a call was missed, and also prompts users before quitting. A major crash was resolved for Mac OS X 10.4 users, which occurred when calling from the iSP address book. iSoftPhone 2.2 sells for $35 for new users.

Briefly: Piano Wizard review...

In brief: We have a review of Piano Wizard, a game that teaches piano, Apple is 11th in Web traffic, a new MacHeist bundle has debuted, and a promotion offers Sonicfire Pro 4.5 for free ... We've postd a review of Piano Wizard, a game that approaches learning to tickle the ivory in an innovative way. Piano Wizard makes whiling away the hours feels less like torture and more like gaming fun. Although the software is aimed at children, adults can certainly learn to play the piano with it too. The first screen includes buttons to set up your keyboard, watch demos, enter Easy Mode or Premiere, if you bought that version, and to check for updates.

Apps: Speed Download, Interarchy

• Speed Download 5.0.2 ($25) download manager designed to be a unified hub for almost all downloading and file transfer activities. This release fixes the following issues: Transparency in the floater retained after SD restarts; SD no longer prompts about a component update after each restart; SD remembers changes to the toolbar visibility after each restart; a bug that could potentially cause SD to crash after completing a download. The new release has also updated SD Enhancer for better performance and compatibility. [Download - 7.7MB]


• Interarchy 9.0.1 ($60) Download/upload tool for FTP, FTP/SSH, FTP/SSL-TLS, HTTP, HTTPs, WebDAV, WebDAVs, iDisk and Amazon S3. Includes Growl Support and transparent File Encoding with File Converters. This release adds a brand new protocol built upon SSH, numerous enhancements to the product's interface and more. [Download - 6.6MB]


• MMRegEx 0.5.0 Beta 2 ($35) a FileMaker Pro 7+ plug-in that brings the power of Regular Expressions to your calculations. With this plug-in, you can perform searches and replacements on text using "patterns" instead of "literal" text. For example, you could use the search pattern "gr[ae]y to search for any instance of "gray" or "grey" in a text field. This is the first official release of this plug-in to the public. [Download - 3MB]


• FmPro Script Diff 1.15 ($100) stand-alone utility which compares, edits, searches and stores FileMaker ScriptMaker scripts - external to the FileMaker database. FmPro Script Diff 1.15 is an updated version fixing a screen redraw issue on MacOS X Leopard (10.5). This maintenance release also fixes an issue with the display of sorted Diff Results. [Download - 4.1MB]


• FTPit Pro 2.0.0 Beta 2 ($65) a FileMaker Pro 7+ plug-in that uses FTP to transfer files to and from your computer. It is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3.9+ and any version of Windows that FileMaker Pro 7+ runs on. Use it to upload static web pages to a website, upload database backups to a offsite server, download database upgrades from a centralized server, or write a complete FTP client within FileMaker Pro itself. [Download - 3.9MB]

Patents: optical scrolling Mighty Mouse, more...

The US Patent and Trademark Office today published five Apple patents that have been granted: one for the Mighty Mouse, an iPod lanyard, a Digital-to-Analogue Converter, an Exceptional Situation Manager, as well as one for a device which has yet to be seen in an Apple product. According to the report, the device could be a media player, storage device, or other mobile device. Other theories could indicate the device to be a "smart" media remote, an updated design of the iPod nano or Shuffle, among others.

Naked Case covers iPhone, allows touch...

Case-Mate today unveiled the Naked Case for the iPhone and iPod touch, giving users a hard transparent case that covers the entire iPhone, but still allows for interaction with the screen. Case-Mate says the case uses an electrostatic membrane on the screen portion to pass electrical pulses through to the touch screen, protecting the screen, while not inhibiting its usefulness. The Naked Case is available for $35.

Politicians: Google manipulated 700MHz auction...

Google deliberately manipulated the outcome of the FCC's recent 700MHz auction, three US Representatives have alleged. Republicans Cliff Stearns and John Shimkus, along with Democrat Eliot Engel, said at a hearing today that Google unfairly managed to obtain an open wireless network without having to win it, by promising to bid at least $4.6 billion on the 22MHz block if the winner was forced to allow open (third-party) access. Evidence of this is claimed to be bolstered by a recent Google blog post, in which officials admit that open access was a key priority during bidding.

DLO VentMount secures iPhone to car vents, belt...

DLO today unveiled the VentMount case in two versions, one for the iPod touch, and the other for the iPhone, allowing users to secure either device to their car air vents. The case can rotate so that users can switch between Cover Flow and such. VentMount also includes a belt clip, so the device can be removed and quickly attached to a belt for transportation. DLO is currently shipping the VentMount for $25, and is available from the company's website.

Comcast pushes P2P 'Bill of Rights'...

Cable and Internet provider Comcast, in tandem with peer-to-peer tech company Pando Networks, says it is launching a new industry initiative in order to address conflicts relating to P2P file sharing. Dubbed the "P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities," it would see the creation of a document addressing "best practices" for both ISPs and filesharers themselves. The companies hope to gradually involve other parties, such as experts, media producers and other ISP or P2P companies; controversially, they have no present intentions of involving public interest groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Sanyo intros ultra-bright portable projectors ...

Sanyo on Tuesday announced the addition of two new portable multimedia projectors to its T-series line-up, the PLC-ET30L and PLC-XT21/L. With 1400x1050-pixel (SXGA+) resolution and 4200 lumens brightness, the ET30L offers consumers a less costly alternative to pricey 1080p projectors. The XT32/L, meantime, is a value-priced 1024x768 (XGA), 4,000 lumens unit that replaces the company's volume XT20. Both are meant for use in classroom, boardroom or other areas where significant ambient light might be necessary.

GeForce 8800GT for older Mac Pros released

The long-awaited NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT upgrade for Mac Pros has been released. The graphics card features 512MB of dedicated GDDR3 memory, uses the PCI Express interface, and includes two dual-link DVI ports, and is capable of driving up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays. It requires a Mac Pro (bus speed 1.33GHz) with PCI-Express. The card is priced at $280 and can be purchased as a standalone, user-installable item or as a build-to-order option for Early 2008 Mac Pros through the online Apple Store. Controversy ensued when Apple introduced this upgrade card as an option available exclusively to newly purchased Mac Pros in January. At the time, users presented research that shows the cards should be backwards compatible. Apple is now making the kit available, in supported fashion, to all Mac Pros with a bus speed for at least 1.33GHz.

Tesco to offer web music, video store...

British grocer and retailer Tesco today said it would launch Tesco Downloads, its own attempt at a digital music and video store. The service will follow the cue of Amazon, Wal-Mart, and other similar stores with a web-based interface and initially plans to offer about 3.3 million songs; about 1.6 million of those will be available in unprotected MP3 versions that should work with iPods and other devices that don't support the protected Windows Media Audio format of other songs on the store.

Nisus Writer Pro 1.1 Preview available now...

Nisus Software has announced the upcoming release of Nisus Writer Pro 1.1 Preview, the latest version of the company's alternative word processor. This release adds several new features including Comments, Mail Merge, Go to Page, and more. Also added is a Large Caret option, as well as several additions and enhancements to the Nisus Macro Language. Nisus Writer Pro 1.1 will be available later this Spring for only $80. A CD version is available for an additional $10. A three license Family Pack is available for $100. Nisus Writer Pro uses the same core as Nisus Writer Express, but sports several additional or expanded features including a Table of Contents generator, indexing, bookmarks. There's also attribute sensitive search, that allows you to locate items in documents based on their formatting.

fring beta offers VOIP, IM for iPhones...

fring on Tuesday today became the latest VoIP application to be made publicly available for Apple's iPhone. The fring beta software, which requires a "jailbroken" iPhone (the company uses "opened" as its euphemism), enables users to talk, chat and interact with other fring users and all of their online communities, using their iPhone’s WiFi connection. A light, sneak preview R&D version of the popular mobile VoIP application, developed in conjunction with the Holon Institute of Technology academic research labs in Israel, is now available for use on the iPhone. According to the company, the pre-release version is designed to gather feedback from users; the final version is due for launch later this year.

Seagate marks first target in flash memory lawsuits...

Seagate has begun the first of what may be several lawsuits against makers of flash memory, show filings from the US District Court in San Francisco. It has accused STEC, formerly known as Simple Technology, of violating four patents it owns, connected to the creation of flash memory -- should it win, Seagate could be granted an injunction against STEC products as well as unspecified damages. Seagate CEO Bill Watkins argues that compensation would be well-due, as it has invested heavily in developing technology for SSD drives, and it has tried to persuade other companies to license its patents.

NPD: Amazon MP3 has no impact on iTunes...

Amazon's highly-touted MP3 store has had little to no effect on the success of iTunes, according to a new analysis by The NPD Group. A study conducted by the group reveals that just 10 percent of all purchasers at Amazon MP3 are converts from Apple's service, with the rest either switching from other stores or else are new to direct-download music. This comparatively new audience is a "healthy indication" that other stores don't necessarily have to draw customers away from iTunes to grow, says NPD entertainment analyst Russ Crupnick.

PwnageTool 1.1 adds custom content support...

The iPhone Dev Team has released a new update for its PwnageTool, bringing the software up to v1.1. The program is used to hack into iPhones and iPod touches, opening access to third-party native applications; in the case of the iPhone, users can also gain access to unofficial cellular carriers. The update has several new features, among these support for custom packages, as well as custom logos. The BootNeuter.app file is automatically deleted now, eliminating some unnecessary manual maintenance.

Apple, Starbucks launch Pick of the Week...

Apple and Starbucks on Tuesday announced a new collaboration, dubbed Pick of the Week. The program offers Starbucks customers free music and music videos, downloadable from the iTunes Store. According to the companies, the content will be available through Pick of the Week download cards, provided at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations in the United States. The cards will be good for 60 days from the date a song is named "Pick of the Week," and allow customers to get a complimentary (though pre-selected) song or music video.

iHome iP99 radio for iPhone launches at Brookstone...

Retailer Brookstone on Tuesday announced it started taking orders for the iHome iP99, a docking radio designed to work specifically with Apple's iPhone. The company claims the iP99 is the first product that will allow the iPhone to play music through its speakers but still retain phone functionality. iHome says it achieved this thanks to shielding that eliminates interference. The iP99 is also compatible with all docking iPod models.

Bejeweled receives modern iPod update...

Following its brief removal from index pages, PopCap's famous Bejeweled game has officially returned to the iTunes Store (link). The new version is fully compatible with modern iPod nanos and classics, as well as the fifth-generation iPods that the title initially supported. Players are faced with a field of gemstones, and must rearrange them to make matches of three or more in the time provided while new stones are continually added.

Microsoft finishes Danger takeover...

Microsoft today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Danger, bringing the Sidekick maker entirely into the larger company. Danger will now become a core component of the new Premium Mobile Experiences group at Microsoft and will be part of the Mobile Communications group inside of the Entertainment and Devices division. The freshly acquired company's founders now report directly to Roz Ho, corporate VP for the Premium Mobile Experiences group and former head of the Macintosh Business Unit.

O2, Carphone to cut 8GB iPhone price by £100...

The price of the 8GB iPhone is set to fall dramatically in the UK beginning Wednesday, according to reports. Starting on that date, the cost of the phone will drop a considerable £100, to sit at £169 ($335). The deal lasts until June 1st, and is applicable under any O2 tariff. The 16GB iPhone should remain unaffected, priced at £329 ($652).

NAB: Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme adds HDMI, more...

Blackmagic yesterday unveiled a new DeckLink HD Extreme at NAB 2008, an update to its PCI-based video capture card, adding support for HDMI and 3Gb per second SDI. The card allows users to switch between SD, HD, and 2K formatted video for capture and editing purposes. Users can also connect S-Video, PAL, NTSC, and analogue component video sources to the card. DeckLink HD Extreme is selling for $1000 from Blackmagic.

NAB: Blackmagic debuts USB Video Recorder, more...

Blackmagic Design recently unveiled several new video interfaces at the NAB 2008 conference, the USB-based Video Recorder – available in consumer and professional versions – and a large scale 8U rack-mount SDI router. The Blackmagic Video Recorder offers consumers the ability to capture video directly to H.264 through component or S-Video onto their computer. The consumer USB Video Recorder sells for $120.

First Look: Data Rescue II hard disk recovery...

No matter how careful or experienced you may be, you will lose files eventually, either by accident or through a hard disk failure. When you lose files through an accident, such as deleting a file by mistake, you can often retrieve that file by dragging it out of the Trash. However, if you lose a file through a hard disk failure, your files are usually gone for good unless you have a special data recovery program like Data Rescue II from Prosoft Engineering.

Mac clone maker vows to fight Apple's EULA in Court...

The Miami-based Mac clone vendor Psystar says that Apple's restrictive licensing terms violate US antitrust laws and wants to fight the Cupertino-based company in xourt. Psystar's cheap Mac alternative, which hit the Web on Monday and brought down the company's Website, costs about $399, but when run with Mac OS X Leopard represents a direct violation of Apple's end-user license agreement, which forbids third-party installations of Leopard, according to InformationWeek. A Psystar employee told the publication that they believe Apple's terms violate U.S. monopoly laws. "What if Microsoft said you could only install Windows on Dell computers?" the employee said. He also claimed that the company would continue sell the OpenMac system, despite the apparent violation of Apple's EULA.

Apple TV Software 2.0.2 offers Flickr update, fixes?...

Apple on Monday released Apple TV Software 2.0.2, an update to its set-top box software that brings (undocumented) bug fixes along with a single discoverable feature: it adds a viewable gallery of your contact's favorites photos within Flickr -- in addition to the previously available ability to view a contact's publicly available photo-streams. Some users also report faster menu and/or networking performance: one user on Apple's discussion boards reports getting better network connectivity with some 802.11n networks.