News Archive for 08/10/27

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KeynotePro updates Tokyo RPG for Pages '08

10/27, 11:40pm

Tokyo RPG ships for Pages

KeynotePro has released Tokyo RPG for Pages '08, updating its Pages templates for Pages '08 compatibility. Arriving in a Pro and a standard version, it also expands the on the original designs with more templates that are better suited to desktop publishing. The brochure templates have also been updated for easier use and a horizontal brochure has been added. The pro version also expands into business card templates, meeting notes, project proposals and report templates.

Study: Mobile users want fingerprint authentication

10/27, 11:10pm

Mobile fingerprint scan

A recent consumer survey commissioned by fingerprint sensor manufacturer AuthenTec indicated that the majority of mobile phone users want fingerprint authentication on future devices. As mobile devices offer more advanced capabilities, including financial transaction functions, the desire of customers to heighten the level of security has also increased. Fingerprint sensors have become more commonplace in other electronics devices, especially notebook computers.

M-Audio unveils M-Tron Pro virtual instrument

10/27, 10:40pm

M Auidio M Tron Pro

M-Audio has unveiled the GForce M-Tron Pro virtual instrument that emulates sounds from classic synthesizers of the '60s and '70s, such as the Mellotron. The 3.5 GB sound library features over 200 sample sets, including 19 from the original M-Tron tape banks which were remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. Over 700 patches and 45 brand-new tape banks have been included, along with editing controls and synthesizer parameter adjustments.

Fission 1.6 audio file editor saves iPhone ringtones

10/27, 10:15pm

Fission 1 6 update

Rogue Amoeba has released the latest version of its audio file editing utility, Fission 1.6, which can now save iPhone ringtones. The program is claimed to offer lossless editing of MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF files. The iPhone ringtones can be created from any audio file source supported by Quicktime. After the file is opened, it is cropped to the appropriate length, and then exported into the iTunes library with all needed parameters, ready to sync with the device.

LivingSocial.com releases app for iPhone

10/27, 9:40pm

LivingSocial iPhone app

LivingSocial.com has released a LivingSocial app for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows users to access and publish content in a similar way to the parent site. Users can create book, album, movie, beer, restaurant, or game reviews and add pictures to them in real-time. The app also allows each friend's library of items to be browsed. The profile can be synced with the corresponding accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Orkut, and hi5.

iPhoto 7.1.5: better print quality on books, more

10/27, 9:15pm

iPhoto adds better prints

Apple on Monday unveiled iPhoto 7.1.5, a new update to the company's photo organizing and editing tool, wherein enhancements were made to various print services within the application. While the description is more indicative of changes in the new version, it simply states that iPhoto 7.1.5 improves the print quality of books, cards, and calendars, when products are purchased through the iPhoto printing service.

Safari Bookbag for iPhone allows book downloads

10/27, 8:20pm

Safari Bookbag for iPhone

Safari Books Online has announced Safari Bookbag, an app for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows downloading of chapters or full book PDF files. Users can sync their device with the "My Downloads" library from a Safari Books Online account. The PDF files can then be accessed by tapping on the title of the book. When an internet connection is available, the files can be downloaded from within the Bookbag application, where they will be stored for later access.

Microsoft intros cloud-based Azure Services Platform

10/27, 8:00pm

Microsoft Azure platform

Microsoft has introduced Windows Azure, the foundation to its cloud-computing architecture that will allow companies to create software and services that can be accessed from centralized data centers. The platform will directly compete with similar ventures from competitors, including Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Google's library of internet tools. Developers can create applications that exist "in the cloud," accessible from anywhere in the world. The release marks a transition for Microsoft from the reliance on desktop software and further into the realm of Web-based technologies.

iPhone 2.2 adds App ratings upon deletion

10/27, 5:55pm

iPhone 2.2 adds app rating

As Apple prepares v2.2 of the iPhone operating system, a new screenshot indicates that the company is inserting a rating dialogue before users can delete an application from their device. Greek language site iPhone Hellas reports that attempting to delete an application directly from the device yields a popup window, offering the familiar five-star system, as well as a "No Thanks" button for users who are not interested in supplying feedback about the app.

FTPit Pro 2.0 goes final, fixes bugs

10/27, 4:50pm

FTPit Pro 2.0 goes final

Comm-Unity has posted the first completed version of FTPit Pro 2.0, its plug-in for FileMaker Pro. The software enables FTP transfer from within FileMaker, eliminating the need to turn to a secondary app whenever updating website and/or database files. If needed, developers can also use the plug-in to write an FTP client of their own, again without leaving FileMaker.

Casio intros handset with 8.1MP camera, 3.1-inch OLED

10/27, 4:50pm

Casio intros 8.1MP handset

Casio, in conjunction with KDDI AU, on Monday announced the upcoming release of the EXIFILM-series W63CA flip phone that features one of the most advanced cameras in the industry, with an 8.1-megapixel camera carrying a nine-point autofocus and a wide-angle mode. The CDMA handset also sports a 3.1-inch, 480x800 OLED screen that rotates in the same fashion as a tablet PC's screen and can be left facing outside so users can enjoy streaming video provided by the phone's 1Seg support in Japan.

NAVist III brings near-PC functionality into cars

10/27, 4:35pm

NAVist III car computer

Seoul-based HS Networks is showing off a car navigation and entertainment system at tradeshows that can play movies and audio tracks on CDs and DVDs, and perform functions usually associated only with entertainment PCs. The NAVist III is a double-DIN receiver that houses a removable hard disk drive and has a DVD optical drive. Users interface via a 7-inch screen that will show the contents of a DVD or an optional rear-view camera, or photos stored on the HDD or an SD card. DivX-encoded video files are also supported.

Cowon O2 touch player comes to US

10/27, 4:30pm

Cowon O2 Comes to US

Cowon today has quietly launched an Americanized version of the O2, its most recent video-oriented touchscreen player. The device is a close cousin of its Korean original and carries a 4.3-inch, 480x272 display as well as the processing power to decode 720p video in some formats. Although it denies the use of the T-DMB TV tuner that would only work in Korea, the O2 continues to support relatively exotic formats that include Monkey Audio and OGG as well as video formats like Matroska and MTV. Several common formats are likewise supported and include both AAC and H.264.

Quark Publishing System supports InDesign, InCopy

10/27, 4:15pm

QPS supports InDesign

Quark explains that it has expanded the support of Quark Publishing System, its workflow companion software for QuarkXPress. QPS should now support both QuarkCopyDesk and Adobe InDesign, and by consequence, Adobe InCopy. The newly-supported apps should thus be able to operate under the same workflow, for instance allowing check-in through the same software, and assignment of InCopy articles from within InDesign.

Dell website leak shows two Pharos smartphones

10/27, 4:15pm

Dell intros Pharos phones?

A false start on Dell's website revealed the computer and monitor maker may soon get into the smartphone game as well with a pair of Pharos-branded smartphones, the Traveller 117 and 127. While the phones have disappeared since making their short-lived online debut, their specifications were revealed so we know what to expect if and when they do come to market. Manufactured by Inventec, the devices feature access to 7.2Mbps HSDPA networks, assisted GPS capabilities and Windows Mobile 6.1 with the Microsoft Office Mobile suite.

Wal-Mart may carry T-Mobile's G1 for $149

10/27, 4:05pm

Wal-Mart May Get T-Mo G1

Wal-Mart may soon carry T-Mobile's G1 at a significantly lower price than T-Mobile itself, a slip to Engadget shows. The Android-powered smartphone is reportedly set to ship to the retailer about a month after its official debut and would cost just under $149 on a two-year contract, or at least $30 below the official $179 price point. It's not clear whether Wal-Mart would carry all colors, though the existing black and brown are likely candidates.

UK's Orange to get HTC Touch HD exclusively

10/27, 4:05pm

Orange gets HTC Touch HD

One of the UK's wireless service providers, Orange, announced on Monday it will carry the upcoming HTC Touch HD exclusively in the country until 2009. The news follows on the footsteps of Germany's O2, which announced earlier it would offer the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional-based smartphone starting in early November, the same time period announced by Orange. Apart from the Orange handset's support of the carrier's mobile TV service, the specs are similar to the reference Touch HD model, including the capability of accessing the Internet over the carrier's high-speed HSDPA data network.

Storyist 1.5 adds word count, time tracking, backup

10/27, 3:50pm

Storyist 1 5 update

Storyist Software has announced the latest version of its writing software, Storyist 1.5, and sponsorship of National Novel Writing Month's Night of Writing Dangerously. The update now offers word count and writing time tracking, with options to set specific goals for a session or project. Users can now set the program to automatically back up projects every day, week, or month, with a new window for managing the backup files. A user's guide is now available for learning the program features.

T-Mobile G1 illegally being sold in China for $550

10/27, 3:40pm

G1 sold in China for $550

The T-Mobile G1, released in the US just last week is reportedly already being illegally brought into and sold in China for RMB 3,999 (about $550), a marked increase from the $180 it is selling for through T-Mobile in the US with a two-year contract. The handsets are making their way over from the US, and have been doing so since October 26, and are being sold in Beijing's Zhongguancun, or what is known as China's Silicon Valley. The report originally came from China's DoNews daily, which added that the handsets can be unlocked for another RMB 500 ($73), allowing buyers to use them on a network other than T-Mobile's.

Bell, Solo Mobile holiday line-up revealed

10/27, 3:30pm

Bell, Solo holiday line-up

A Monday report from BGR lists upcoming handsets Canadian wireless provider Bell and Solo Mobile will launch in time for the Christmas shopping season. The same report alleges Bell will sell a Motorola handset in 2009 running the Android OS that debuted in the T-Mobile G1. Apart from Bell getting a slew of handsets that include such high-tech smartphones like the BlackBerry Storm plus HTC's Diamond and Touch Pro, the provider will also introduce new plans.

Gates making plea to FCC on white space?

10/27, 3:20pm

Gates Plea to FCC

Bill Gates is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission directly to bring a quicker end to the debate over white space mobile Internet access, Microsoft revealed today. The executive is making a personal call directly to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell to dissuade him and others from delaying a decision on permission to use the special white space frequencies, which sit in between regular licensed airwaves and promise to supply open and potentially free long-range wireless data.

PDO releases TopSkins for iPod nano 4G, Touch 2G

10/27, 3:00pm

TopSkins for new iPods

PDO says it has released new TopSkin cases for the iPod touch 2G and nano 4G. The Touch case features a textured protective layer that covers the whole device, leaving just the screen and sensor exposed; the dock connector and earphone jack are accessed by opening flaps. Buttons are likewise covered, but can still be used. Bundled with the package are a lanyard and screen protector.

Verizon-brand Samsung femtocells spotted at FCC

10/27, 2:20pm

Verizon Ubicell at FCC

Verizon will soon join Sprint in offering a femtocell option for its cellphone owners, an FCC filing shows. A Samsung Ubicell branded with the carrier's logo has turned up at the American regulator and performs a similar function as Sprint's AIRAVE by creating a local CDMA hotspot that uses the Internet connection for . The Verizon edition, however, appears to include an optional GPS receiver to find the Ubicell's position.

Nokia's entry-level 2600 candybar now at AT&T

10/27, 1:55pm

Nokia 2600 ships at AT&T

Nokia's basic candybar handset, the 2600, is now available for purchase at wireless provider AT&T. The GSM/EDGE device has a 1.8-inch display with a 128x128 resolution and can browse the Internet thanks to a Media Net interface, as well as launch into IM chat with support for mobile versions of AOL, Windows Live and Yahoo Messenger. The handset also has MP3 ringtone support, a VGA camera, Bluetooth 2.0 and a built-in speakerphone.

ASUS' upscale Eee PC 1002HA spotted

10/27, 1:40pm

ASUS Eee PC 1002HA Seen

ASUS is planning yet another 10-inch netbook that takes the Eee PC further up the ranks, according to a German leak. The 1002HA appears to be a restyling of ASUS' one-time flagship the 1001HA that borrows design cues from the S101: the curved and pseudo-brushed metal external shell, front-mounted speakers and more compact shape recall the higher-end system. A switch from a six-cell to a two-cell battery is also said to drop the weight from 3.2 pounds to 2.6 while contributing to a smaller overall size.

Apple to open new UK, Arizona, Washington stores

10/27, 1:40pm

UK, Ariz., Wash. stores

Information has been disclosed on three new Apple Stores, beginning with one in the British capital of London. Apple has announced an October 30th, 9PM opening for its White City store, located in Westfield London on Ariel Way. The first 1,000 people there will receive a free t-shirt, and Apple is attempting to lure in more customers with the chance of winning a new MacBook and a silver iPod nano. The shop is Apple's 20th location in the UK.

Motorola intros pair of MOTONAV GPS systems

10/27, 1:05pm

Motorola intros MOTONAV

Motorola on Monday announced the release of two new portable navigation systems, the MOTONAV TN20 and MOTONAV TN30. The entry-level MOTONAV TN20 provides turn-by-turn directions via its 3.5-inch touchscreen and speaks street names out loud. It includes over one million points of interest and maps for the continental US from NAVTEQ, which can be searched and displayed in either two- or three-dimensional views. A built-in sensor will adjust the display's colors to make it suitable for nighttime operation.

GeForce 9400M to dominate notebook graphics?

10/27, 12:55pm

GeForce 9400M prospects

Apple's latest MacBooks are poised to lose their graphics advantage in short order, a new report suggests. Acer, ASUS, Dell and HP have confirmed plans to launch notebooks with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M integrated graphics chip, which has been described as substantially faster than many other integrated chips currently in use. Some of these companies claim that the 9400M could spread to as many as 20 percent of Intel-based notebooks, branching out from MacBooks, which were the first with the technology.

First Look: Bento 2, personal database

10/27, 12:25pm

Bento 2, personal database

For years, the most popular Mac database has been FileMaker. While FileMaker has a reputation for being powerful and easy to use, it’s also geared more towards commercial developers, cross-platform development, or people who need heavy-duty data processing. If your database needs are much simpler, you could still use FileMaker, but you might find the program a bit more complicated than necessary. You could also use the Address Book, which comes with every Mac, but you might find that too limiting. For an easy database that’s also powerful enough for more than trivial tasks, consider FileMaker’s Bento 2.

iPod only 14.2 percent of Apple Q4 revenue?

10/27, 12:10pm

iPod earnings a fraction?

Sales of the iPod have become only a small portion of Apple's revenue stream, claims Bullish Cross. Reflecting on Apple's fourth-quarter financial results, the site notes that company revenue grew approximately 75 percent year-over-year, if revenue deferred through GAAP procedures is taken into account. Under these conditions, the iPod -- frequently cited as the reason for Apple's rebirth -- has dwindled into comparative insignificance, representing only 14.2 percent of revenue for Q4 2008.

AUO shows 15-inch multi-touch panel, more

10/27, 11:55am

AUO 15in Multi Touch Panel

AU Optronics today revealed a handful of new displays that it hopes will bolster portable devices. Although the company has already developed multi-touch displays, the Taiwan-area firm says it has developed a new 15-inch LCD with the technology built into the cells of the panel itself. The screen uses image sensing to recognize input and so is both responsive to not just fingers but light pens. AUO says this and new 12-inch and 4.3-inch panels with similar features could be used to add multi-touch input to notebooks and larger handhelds.

Apps: TimeTable, MConvert, iWatermark, iKey

10/27, 11:35am

OmniDiskSweeper, TimeTable

TimeTable 1.5 ($15) allows users to analyze and total the number of hours recorded in iCal. It can also find trends by searching the details of events and viewing the average, minimum and maximum times spend on projects. The update has added a new expandable to do drawer and an option for exporting "to do" information to text and CSV. The update has also fixed a problem that caused no-numeric characters in the hourly rate field to cause TimeTable to crash. [Download - 1.5MB]

Cox plans cellular service for 2009

10/27, 11:15am

Cox Cell Service in 2009

Cox Communications on Monday said it would launch its own cellular service in 2009 that would make it one of the first new national providers in the US in years. The format of the expansion hasn't been made public but will see Cox offer both voice and data service on its network that includes tight integration between phones and the company's cable service.

Second AirPort Extreme roaming fix released

10/27, 10:55am

Second AirPort roaming fix

Only days after the 2008-003 update, Apple is now seeding a second software patch for its AirPort Extreme router through Software Update. The 2008-004 release once again targets a problem with Intel Macs running Mac OS X 10.5.5, in which people had issues with AirPort connections while roaming in large Wi-Fi networks. Apple has not said what the 004 iteration changes, but it is likely a fix to unexpected implementation errors.

Aliph Jawbones in blue, pink hit Best Buy

10/27, 10:40am

Jawbone Blue and Pink

Aliph today launched a pair of new color variants for its second-generation Jawbone headset. The Babbling Blue and Rambling Rosé (light pink) hues are meant to fit in with the fashions of men and women and support the existing black, gold and silver colors of the Bluetooth headset.

Apple posts WWDC footage on iTunes U

10/27, 10:30am

WWDC footage on iTunes U

Months after the actual conference, which occurred in early June of this year, Apple has posted iTunes U videos for a variety of the WWDC 2008 development sessions. The clips are only available to Premiere members of Apple's Developer Connection program, but include some 57 iPhone videos, 92 Mac clips, and 56 IT-related pieces. iPhone topics cover areas such as networking, game development and the Interface Builder, while Mac topics include the likes of Cocoa tips, Aperture plug-ins and the creation of media apps.

RED preps "incredible" Epic, Scarlet updates

10/27, 10:25am

RED Epic Scarlet Updates

Greater-than-HD camera maker RED will unveil a major new direction for its upcoming Epic and Scarlet cameras on November 13th, company chief Jim Jannard says in a new update on the company's strategy. While not detailing the changes, the executive describes the new programs for the video cameras as "incredible" and believes many will call the changes a "scam" based on the capabilities of the new models.

iPhone could hit $99, rule smartphones

10/27, 9:40am

Needham on 99 iPhone

Apple has the room to cut the price of the iPhone to where it could take command of the smartphone market, analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham Research says today in a research note. The financial expert estimates that the average, unsubsidized price of an iPhone 3G in the summer was $666 and so would give Apple a nearly 50 percent gross margin on each sale as well as a heavy subsidy from AT&T of $450. Both give Apple a large amount of space to adjust its price and could see the phone maker drop the price of an 8GB iPhone to $99 while still supplying a comfortable 42.3 percent margin.

Dev Team nearing iPhone 3G unlock?

10/27, 9:25am

iPhone 3G near unlocking?

An unlocking solution may finally be nearing completion for the iPhone 3G, an update from the unofficial iPhone Dev Team indicates. The group has posted a video, demonstrating a newfound ability to perform custom app execution on the iPhone's PMB8878 baseband chip. The hack relies on a special tool created by the Dev Team, launched by running a special AT command after having gained access to the iPhone via SSH. At this point users can display a list of tasks, though these have not been identified.

Verizon growth slower than AT&T in summer

10/27, 8:55am

Verizon Q3 2008 Results

Verizon today reported quarterly results that reveal the company's wireless business growing at a slower rate than AT&T. The carrier claims to have added 2.1 million net new customers but notes that about 630,000 of these came from the buyout of Rural Cellular earlier in the year, giving the company an actual growth rate of 1.5 million new customers versus AT&T's net 2.0 million without similar deals; about 120,000 of the Rural Cellular customers will have to leave due to an exchange deal.

iPhone apps: OurStage Radio, SonicVox, Recycler

10/27, 8:15am

A Haunted Halloween, P!nk

OurStage Radio (Free) provides users with access to music from independent and emerging artists across a variety of genres. As users are presented with different tracks they are able to rate them. OurStage will then take these ratings and will develop a list of personalized recommendations.

Windows 7 to get device hub, animation API

10/27, 8:15am

Windows 7 Pre-Beta Leak

Microsoft's formal unveiling of Windows 7 at the Professional Developer Conference on Tuesday will show several key infrastructure changes, journalist Mary Jo Foley has revealed ahead of the event. The replacement for Vista aims to solve a common Windows problem of integrating with peripherals through Device Stage, a central repository for external devices; users will have a central location to manage and sync cameras, cellphones, media players and other hardware supported by the platform.

Google Earth for iPhone 2.0 now available

10/27, 2:05am

Google Earth for iPhone

Google has released Google Earth for the iPhone [not active yet]. The free iPhone software available now from iTunes, displays the same high-resolution imagery as the desktop version for over half the world's population and a third of the world's land mass. The software allows you to tilt the device to adjust the view of the mountainous terrain as well as show the Panoramio layer to browse the millions of geo-located photos. Users can also view geo-located Wikipedia articles, locate themselves on the map using the device's Location services, and search for cities, places, and businesses with Google Local Search. It is available in English, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. It works on the both the iPhone and iPod touch and requires the iPhone 2.0 software. [iTunes Store link]

Netflix to stream movies to Macs using Silverlight

10/27, 1:25am

Netflix streaming to Macs

Netflix, the online movie rental service, is launching Mac support for internet streaming movies utilizing Microsoft's Silverlight, a web-browser plug-in that features animation and audio-video capabilities similar to Adobe's Flash software. The deployment of the capabilities will start with a small number of subscribers, expanding to all subscribers by year's end. Silverlight features cross-platform and cross-browser support, as well as Play Ready DRM, a pivotal factor in Netflix being able to stream copy-write-protected content to subscribers on both Macs and PCs.

Griffin's iTalk recorder captures high quality audio

10/27, 12:10am

iTalk for iPhone available

Griffin Technology has released iTalk Recorder for the iPhone and iTalk Sync for the Mac, allowing users to manage recordings using the iPhone or second generation iPod touch. The software gives users the ability to stop and start recordings, play recordings back, chose good, better or best quality levels and manage multiple recordings. iTalk Sync, running on a user's Mac, offers drag-and-drop transfers of recordings from the iPhone to the Mac via Wi-Fi.