Flickr client for Mac allows editing, uploading, more...

Eternal Storms Software on Monday unveiled a public beta for Flickery, a new Flickr image client for the Mac that allows Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard users to browse, view, upload, manage, and comment on photos. Flickery features a minimalist interface, which can show several photos, or just a one-up approach in either full-window or full-screen. Eternal Storms Software is running a public beta of the software from now until June 30th, and is currently free to try.

Fisheye aspect correction for Aperture...

Image Trends on Monday unveiled Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In for Aperture, a new plug-in designed to allow users to correct ultra-wide angle distortions in pictures, providing a straight perspective. Similar to the company's plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Fisheye-Hemi removes spherical distortion caused by wide-angle lenses, but still retains the overall field-of-view so that details are not omitted. Image Trends is selling Fisheye-Hemi Plug-in for Aperture for $30.

DAZ Studio 3D Bridge released...

DAZ Productions has released the full edition of its DAZ Studio 3D Bridge for Photoshop plug-in after a beta period earlier this year. Compatible with Photoshop 7, CS, CS2 and CS3, this new plug-in allows DAZ Studio users to automatically apply 3D imagery and artwork to any Photoshop project. The DAZ Studio 3D Bridge for Photoshop allow users to view 3D scenes as Photoshop layers, change objects and figures simultaneously, render directly into Photoshop, import, export and modify image maps and textures onto 3D models in Photoshop, composite 2D and 3D content seamlessly and access DAZ's full library of quality 3D content

SpaceExplorer 3D mouse now supports OS X...

3Dconnexion has announced that its SpaceExplorer 3D mouse is now supported by Mac OS X 10.4.6 and later, allowing Mac users to use the tool to navigate through popular 3D application workspaces. By pulling, pushing, tilting, and spinning the SpaceExplorer's 3D mouse cap, designers can move through 3D scenes and worlds without stopping to select commands. A subtle increase or decrease in cap pressure accelerates or slows motion, enabling precise micro-adjustments. The device also sports function keys to program highly-used functions and keyboard modifiers, as well as an ergonomically designed palm rest for a comfortable command console.

XSKN corroborates iPhone design with case...

Amid leaked designs of the 3G iPhone, iPod accessory manufacturer XSKN has unveiled silicone sleeves that corroborate a design that has been leaked from several sources, featuring a rounded, tapered backside. While not an official notice by any stretch of the imagination, it certainly seems to support earlier reports of the much-discussed plastic-backed design. The cases ship in 13 vibrant color combinations, and are available for $25.

Sybase sets sights on corporate iPhone e-mail...

Enterprise developer Sybase has plans for its own proprietary iPhone e-mail software, Reuters reports. The company's CEO, John Chen, says that an iPhone application should be released "soon," and certainly before the end of 2008. It will let people access corporate e-mail with the same amount of security available on other phones, such as Palm's Treo or RIM's BlackBerry.

Apple market share at 66% in premium PC bracket...

Apple's overall market share for computers sits at around 14-percent, but when narrowed down to only contrast sales of higher-end PCs costing over $1000 – since only the venerable Mac Mini typically costs less –that number skyrockets to 66-percent. eWEEK's Joe Wilcox writes that the NPD analyst group discovered that as the PC desktop market is down about 25-percent, with laptop sales flat, Apple has seen 45-percent growth in desktops, and 50- to 60-percent growth with portables.

Briefly: BlackBerry Curve 8330 review

The Curve 8330 essentially paints the complete picture for the BlackBerry -- it's the last of RIM's current lineup to cross over to CDMA networks. It's also the first Curve to offer 3G networking and so promises to make a big splash among users wanting "real" Internet access and messaging in a small and relatively inexpensive smartphone. That it fills an important gap is undoubtable; the real question is whether it can appeal to more than its usual crowd and compete against both other messaging phones and a new wave of high-end feature phones. Click through for our full review of the phone available with Sprint, Telus, and Verizon.

Palm likens self to Apple, sees OS in 2009...

Palm considers itself to have strengths associated with Apple, the company's chief financial officer Andy Brown said this afternoon at JPMorgan's yearly technology conference. The manager notes explains that Palm, like Apple, is one of the few companies to design both its phones and the operating system underneath, allowing the Centro maker to design one with the other in mind. The use of Windows Mobile on some Treo smartphones is primarily to improve margins on developing phones, Brown says. First-party software is still seen as the company's "core expertise."

Movistar gets semi-exclusive iPhone launch in Spain...

Telefonica Movistar will carry the iPhone in Spain through a temporary exclusivity arrangement that will last several months without interference from competitors such as Vodafone. Sevenclick reports that although neither Apple nor Telefonica would say which device it would introduce into the country – between the current and potential third generation iPhone – it would hold on to the device for three to six months before competitors would be allowed to sell it.

TouchTunes pushes Usher with iTunes pre-order

TouchTunes is giving away iTunes material as part of a multi-pronged promotional strategy, according to an announcement. Visitors to bars and other public places can now queue Usher's "Love in This Club Part II," from one of TouchTunes' digital jukeboxes; by agreeing to submit an e-mail address, they can pre-order Usher's new album on iTunes with three bonus tracks, and meanwhile download the single, plus the original "Love in This Club" music video. The album otherwise goes on sale May 27th.

Piper: iPod sales may make unusual gains in Q2...

Apple's iPod sales may see an unusual boost during the second quarter of the year, say analysts with the research firm Piper Jaffray. The group argues that results from the first month of the quarter, collected by NPD, point to approximately 10.5 to 11 million iPods being sold by the end. If so, this would represent a 1 percent quarter-over-quarter growth, instead of the 6 percent sequential decline (to 10 million iPods) predicted by historical trends. Piper itself has previously estimated sales of 10.2 million iPods.

Teclast T50 offers multi-touch, gets review...

Teclast has begun offering one of the few media players beyond the iPod touch to supply a multi-touch display, according to an update from a firm picking up the device. The T50 shares a very similar software interface to that of the Apple player and recognizes multi-finger input: swipes with two fingers zoom through images. The interface is also sensitive enough to recognize flicks and other quick gestures for scrolling through lists.

ASOCS intros cell chip with software modem upgrades...

ASOCS on Monday announced the MP100, which it calls the world's first wireless Multi-Communication processor able to run three wireless interfaces at the same time. The ModemX core in the chip allows software support to simply be uploaded for such features as Wi-Fi, HDTV, GPS or the latest data networks. Apart from hardware cost savings and reduced power consumption, ASOCS' chip would allow OEM manufacturers to simply upgrade the software instead of selling new phones to enable new-generation data networks such as 4G or WiMAX.

Seagate announces Showcase DVR extender range...

Seagate today at the 2008 Cable Show announced a new product that will add to the storage capacity of DVRs. The Showcase range will at first include a 1TB capacity drive, which will allow users to keep up to 200 more hours of HD programs. All Showcase drives will support eSATA-capable DVRs including devices from Motorola, which worked with Seagate on developing the products.

Phone sales decline, BlackBerry makes gains...

A failing economy is beginning to have serious impact on the US cellphone market, says the NPD Group. For the first time since it began recording such figures, NPD writes that sales dropped in the first quarter of 2008 to 31 million, a decline of 22 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago. There has also been a substantial shift in marketshare, with Chicago-based Motorola continuing to dominate other companies, but slipping from a control of 35 percent to 27.

X-GEAR free to AmpliTube 2 Live, StealthPlug owners...

IK Multimedia has announced that its AmpliTube X-GEAR software is now a free for owners of AmpliTube 2 Live or the StealthPlug. The StealthPlug is guitar-to-USB cable, and costs $130; Live is available either bundled with the Plug or solo, but when used with X-GEAR supplies Tuner, Stomp, Amp, Cabinet and Rack effects, including extra Amp and Cabinet modules. Controls such as Ambience are added to Cabinets, and increased automation is possible.

iPass biz Wi-Fi comes to Win Mobile, iPhone...

iPass on Monday announced that its iPassConnect and Mobile Office services now officially support Windows Mobile 6 phones. The addition lets owners of supporting smartphones with Wi-Fi access hotspots on both their individual and work accounts without first turning to a computer. Adding the support could be crucial for workers traveling abroad, who may either exit a 3G cellular coverage area or face roaming charges, the company says. Over international 100,000 hotspots already tap into iPass today and include those run by Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott hotels as well as those run within McDonald's and Starbucks.

ITV website adds Mac compatibility

British TV broadcaster ITV is officially supporting Macs for web-based viewing, it has announced. The network lets users watch a number of programs online, such as Coronation Street, Britain's Got Talent and Pushing Daisies; until recently however users were forced to use Windows, and ideally Internet Explorer. The site now runs on Firefox 1.5 and 2, as well as Safari; the key difference is that these require Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in, which operates similarly to Flash. Mac owners must be running Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later.

JVC launches YouTube-friendly SD camera...

Stepping out of its normal camera launch schedule, JVC today launched the Everio GZ-MS100 camcorder in the US. The standard-definition camera is JVC's latest to run solely on SD cards for storage and weighs just 0.6 pounds thanks to the lack of moving parts. The switch not only allows easy offloading to a computer through USB or an SD card reader but also proves central to the camera's YouTube feature. On Windows PCs, an Upload button automatically sends recorded footage to a CyberLink app for posting to the Google-run website; any user can also use the button to limit recording to 10 minutes and fit within YouTube's limits.

AUO demos curved LCDs, new touch panels...

AU Optronics today at the SID Display expo showcased a number of advances it believes should advance LCDs for handhelds. The highlight is the world's first curved LCD, according to the company: a new thinning technique allows the company to produce a screen with a 100mm (3.9in) radius that not only arcs but which has even backlighting across the entire display. The invention could mean a generation of devices with LCDs where they were previously difficult or impractical, such as wristwatches or instrumentation built directly in-dash for cars. AUO doesn't say when it expects the technology to reach shipping products.

soundBlade 1.2.2, Sonic EQ le ship...

Sonic Studio has released new versions of two of its audio engineering programs, beginning with soundBlade, its production suite based on Core Audio. It records four-channel digital sound at 192k, and is capable of premastering and real-time editing, with support for AU and VST plug-ins as well as external inputs and outputs such as Pro Tools, and Sonic's own NoNOISE and reNOVAtor. The new v1.2.2 patch is free, and is said to include "hundreds" of optimizations and stability fixes. Purchased as a whole the software costs $1,495.

Manpower 1.0 simplifies Unix help...

Utility maker Code by Kevin has released a new tool for Mac owners running a Unix shell, Manpower. The program assists with the "man" command, which describes the purpose and usage of various built-in Unix tools; this however is limited to a fixed font size, and a single pane of text at a time. Manpower claims to improve on this by expanding to a three-pane interface, similar to an e-mail client.

KTF, NTT DoCoMo working on joint iPhone launch?...

Two Asian countries may be engaging in an unusual deal in order to secure the iPhone, according to rumors. Japan's NTT DoCoMo and South Korea's KTF are said by Telecoms Korea to be in talks for a joint release, though the reason for combining the pair's efforts is unknown. The two countries do however rely on W-CDMA broadband, as opposed to the HSPA the 3G iPhone is expected to use in regions such as Canada and the US. It may thus make sense for KTF and DoCoMo to cooperate on a shared iPhone format.

MS to buy Yahoo search, then Facebook?...

Microsoft's proposed partial deal with Yahoo may see a buyout of the company's search platform in a bid to create a new, alternative challenge to Google, according to tips from those purportedly aware of the negotiations. Rather than buy out all of Yahoo or else strike a license deal, Microsoft will buy Yahoo's core search business and may complete a transaction as early as this week.

Apple pushes for ringbacks, 3G music sales?...

Apple hopes to make a major push into mobile music in time with the launch of the 3G iPhone, say sources speaking with the New York Times. In addition to expanding the number of songs that qualify as ringtones, the company allegedly hopes to introduce ringback tones that play in place of the typical dial tone. Apple also wants to overcome earlier limits and start selling iTunes songs over cellular networks rather than limiting access to Wi-Fi connections, according to cited music label officials.