News Archive for 08/11/14

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Adobe posts CS4 trials on Web

11/14, 8:00pm

Adobe CS4 trials see web

In promotion of its next generation of graphic and design software collection, Creative Suite 4, Adobe is now offering trial demonstration versions of all applications within the suite. The trial versions allow users to examine applications from the suite, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and others, for a full 30 days in a fully functional manner. Adobe has made the trials available in a variety of localized languages for international users.

RebelTouch covers iPod touch in soft and hard shell

11/14, 7:40pm

RebelTouch case for Touch

On Friday, SwitchEasy announced a range of seven different colors available for the RebelTouch hybrid case for iPod Touch 2G. The total range of colors now offered will be Black, White, Arctic, Devil, Skeleton, Celestial and Red. Along with the new colors, every RebelTouch package will come with: two anti-static screen guards, one microfiber wipe, one Universal Dock adapter, one video dock stand, a connector protector and one 3.5mm headphone adapter. The suggested retail price for the RebelTouch will be $25 in the US and Canada.

HyperStudio returns, supports iLife, webcams, video

11/14, 6:55pm

HyperStudio 5 shipping

Software MacKiev and Roger Wagner have reintroduced HyperStudio as HyperStudio 5, the first new edition of the software in over a decade. The software is used to organize information (stacks) into a structure that supports storytelling, commonly used in education. The new version includes iLife support and includes webcams. It now has live object support, allowing editing of any action, even brush strokes. HyperStudio 5 has advanced graphics effects and text options and has a customizable toolbar, displaying the most frequently used tools.

DealNN: SD memory, WiFi finder, Philips LCD HDTV

11/14, 6:30pm

DealNN: SD memory

Today's DealNN deals include a variety of products ranging from flash cards to LCD HDTVs. Starting at $9 is the Transcend 2GB SD memory card from Abt.com. The Kensington WiFi finder plus is priced at $14 at NothingButSoftware.com. Buy.com is offering the PolkAudio miDock Portfolio iPod speaker system for $37. The James Bond ultimate collectors set on DVD is available at Amazon.com for $89. Lastly is the Philips Magnavox 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV price at $399.99, at SecondAct.com.

USBfever releases Handy Battery Pack for iPhone 3G

11/14, 6:05pm

iPhone Handy Battery Pack

USBfever has released its latest accessory for the iPhone 3G, the Handy Battery Pack. The pack fits around the back of the phone like a case, leaving the buttons, ports, and camera accessible. Two gaps are left near the bottom corners, allowing sound from the speakers to be heard while watching video or listening to music. The charging status is indicated by two LEDs on the front of the battery pack. Users can connect the phone, battery pack, and charging cable at the same time, but cannot sync while the device is attached to the phone.

Apple deals: refurb iPods to iMacs

11/14, 5:45pm

Apple deals: refurb iPods

Apple's online store is currently offering a range of refurbished products from iPods to iMacs. Priced at $39 and $59 are the 1GB and 2GB iPod shuffle, both models are available in green, purple, blue and silver. The 80GB iPod classic is priced at $169 and the 160GB Classic is $249, both models come in silver or black. Twenty inch iMac models start at $999 for a 2.4GHz model with 1GB of RAM and 250GB hard drive and top of at $1,299 for the 2.66GHz model with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The 24-inch models start at $1,549 for the 2.8GHz model with 2GB of memory and 320GB hard drive and go up to $1,899 for the 3.06GHz model with 2GB of memory and 500GB hard drive.

IBM needs $3 millon bond for Papermaster injunction

11/14, 5:15pm

IBM 3mil for Papermaster

Court filings indicate that a New York district judge has ordered IBM to put up a $3 million bond in its non-competition agreement case against Mark Papermaster. Because the court barred him from starting his new job, IBM must provide the money to ensure that he will recover all costs and damages if the injunction is found to be unjust. Papermaster's attorneys also had a chance to respond to the claims and file several counterclaims.

Ubuntu coming to low-power, ARM-based computers

11/14, 5:10pm

Ubuntu in ARM SoC systems

Thanks to a newly announced partnership between chipmaker ARM and commercial Ubuntu sponsor Canonical, Ubuntu Desktop, a Linux-based operating system, will come to low-power ARMv7-based System-on-Chip (SoC) processors commonly used in portable electronic devices. ARM announced the co-operative effort on Thursday, which will enable small computer devices to bring with them integrated graphics processing while using up as little power as possible. The operating system will be optimized by Canonical for specific applications and OEM requirements put forth by device manufacturers.

Xpod intros battery-powered pocketable speakers

11/14, 5:00pm

Xpod pocketable speakers

A tiny speaker system in the form of Xpod Active Sound for portable audio devices was spotted on Friday, measuring in at just over 3 inches long by 1.3 inches wide and 0.33 inches thick. The pair of piezoelectric drivers reproduces sound thanks to a two-channel 770mW amplifier, and power comes from a built-in battery that can be recharged via an included USB cable.

Lawsuit adds cracks to complaint list for iPhone 3G

11/14, 4:45pm

iPhone crack lawsuit

A new lawsuit filed over problems with the iPhone 3G has brought forward the question of casing, documents show. The suit was filed by Avi Koschitzki in a New York district court, and mainly focuses on the common complaint of misrepresenting performance, charging Apple and AT&T with deceiving people about the speed of iPhones on the latter's 3G network. Koschitzki's case is based on "information and belief the 3G iPhones demand too much power from the 3G bandwidths and the AT&T infrastructure is insufficient to handle this overwhelming 3G signal based on the high volume of 3G iPhones it and Apple have sold," according to his lawyers.

Sony Style intros Green Glove TV recycling service

11/14, 4:45pm

Sony Style Green Glove

Sony Style on Friday announced the launch of its Green Glove Service meant to encourage people to recycle their old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs instead of just throwing them into the landfill. The service is available only to those who buy a Sony BRAVIA LCD TV via SonyStyle.com or in Sony stores that is 32 inches or larger and opt for premier home delivery. While dropping off the new TV, the delivery crew will take the old CRT TV from buyers' homes and recycle them.

LG intros 24-inch 1080p HD LCD monitor

11/14, 4:30pm

LG intros 24-inch HD LCD

LG Electronics of Japan on Friday announced it will soon release the W2442PA-BF 24-inch computer monitor with 1920x1080 resolution. The monitor's other specifications include a 300cd/m2 brightness rating and 1000:1 contrast ratio that can be boosted in some scenes to as high as 10,000:1 thanks to LG's dynamic contrast feature. Mid-range tone, or grey-to-grey response time is rated at 2ms, while the black to white transition is specified as 5ms. LG offers users to set the LCD to a 4:3 aspect ratio from its native 16:9.

Keian intros photo frame, printer, MP3 player combo

11/14, 4:20pm

Keian photo frame combo

Japan's Keian on Friday announced the release of its P71-A2-JP product that combines a 7-inch LCD screen with 480x234 resolution with a color photo printer, digital audio player and a USB port that allows users to connect external and flash-based hard drives. The printer can produce images viewers can see on the 7-inch screen at a 300dpi sharpness.

Lenovo intros ThinkPad USB Portable Secure HDD

11/14, 4:10pm

Lenovo intros ThinkPad HDD

Lenovo on Thursday announced the upcoming availability of two versions of its new ThinkPad USB Portable Secure external hard drive. The portable drives are sized at about three by five inches and are less than one inch thick. Available in 160GB and 320GB capacities, they use a numeric keypad to lock out unauthorized users from accessing their contents.

MS e-mails show deep Intel push for Vista label

11/14, 4:00pm

More Vista Capable E-mail

Additional e-mail messages have been published through court filings in the investigation of the Vista Capable logo lawsuit that suggest Intel was applying the highest levels of pressure to lower the system requirements ahead of Vista's launch. Intel chief Paul Otellini reportedly contacted Microsoft head Steve Ballmer ahead of the release to petition the inclusion of Intel's GMA 915 chipset in the logo program, increasing pressure on Microsoft to allow the chipset even though it knew the hardware's video performance would be inadequate for Windows Vista's full Aero Glass interface

Citrix promises remote Windows access for iPhone

11/14, 3:55pm

Citirix apps iPhone-bound

Citrix will bring its XenDesktop and XenApp applications to the iPhone, the company has announced. XenApp is used to virtualize individual Windows programs such as Excel or SAP, which can then be run remotely in a client-server configuration; XenDesktop expands this concept to cover an entire XP or Vista system. For the iPhone the software will be mainly be tweaked to use multi-touch commands, such as pinching and panning.

GlobeSurfer III 3G wireless router supports Macs

11/14, 3:15pm

GlobeSurfer III shipping

nova media has released the GlobeSurfer III, a 3G wireless router for the Mac. The router can link to a mobile network using WLAN (802.11 B and G networks) and gigabit Ethernet to distribute the connection. The router supports up to 7.2Mb/s downloads speeds and 5.7Mb/s upload speeds. It also links to the Internet via WLAN connections at 54Mb/s speeds.

Briefcase, Briefcase Lite update for image support

11/14, 3:05pm

Briefcase apps updated

Hey Mac software has updated the iPhone file transfer apps Briefcase and Briefcase Lite, adding better image handling, and an improved password interface. The software now supports image tiling, reducing images to two megapixels for viewing on the iPhone. The login window now defaults to not remembering passwords, and passwords in the keychain can now be cleared. Also new is an iPhone-based FAQ interface, fixed symbolic link support, and a remedy for a scrolling bug. The new apps are also available on all the iTunes App Stores, after previously being limited to the US, Canada and Europe.

Matrox smart camera uses Atom processor

11/14, 2:45pm

Matrox Iris GT

Matrox has introduced a unique camera that aims to resolve many of the problems of image recognition. Normally known for its graphics cards, the company's Iris GT includes a near netbook-class system with a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 256MB of memory, and Windows CE 6 that let it run apps designed to recognize different content. Users can have it perform simple barcode scanning or more complex tasks like measuring objects and recognizing patterns, including text. It can also compensate for visual artifacts generated by the lens.

iPod triggers Chinese patent infringement suit

11/14, 2:35pm

Chinese iPod lawsuit

Apple and two affiliated companies have been sued in China for patent infringement, according to People's Daily Online. Two Beijing residents, Cai Yaohua and Chen Shaohua, are said to hold a patent for an intelligent audio server; the individuals believe that their technology is being used illegally in iPods, as well as a number of other players. The case will bring Apple, Apple Computer Trading, and Whuan COODOO before the Wuan Intermediate People's Court. The patent in question was applied for in 1996, and finally granted in 2002.

Torque Game Engine Advanced now supports Mac

11/14, 2:35pm

GarageGames engine for Mac

GarageGames has released a beta version of its Torque Game Engine Advanced 1.8 (TGEA) for Mac OS X. Torque's Mission Builder allows creation and editing of terrain, weather, fog, objects, triggers, and mission logic. Users can configure interfaces, write controls, and test the functions from within the GUI builder. A GeoTerrain generator creates algorithmic terrain, with ridge and valley smoothing and altitude shadows. The Atlas Terrain engine is able to scale with faster GPUs, and allows paging management, arbitrary sizes, and shaded water rendering.

EIZO intros 24-inch LCD with DisplayPort connection

11/14, 2:10pm

EIZO intros 24-inch LCD

Japan's Eizo recently introduced the ColorEdge CG242W LCD monitor that offers a 24.1-inch display and offers 1920x1200 resolution. The monitor's colors cover 97 percent of the Adobe RGB spectrum, and is meant to be used with video editing applications that include 3D-look-up table (3D LUT) support. New MacBook Pros use a mini Display Port connection and nothing else, so once an adapter is released, users will be able to add EIZO's LCD as a secondary, external display to the notebooks. Apart from the DisplayPort, there is a DVI connection, and both are HDCP compatible.

Netflix to stop offering HD DVD titles on Dec. 15th

11/14, 2:05pm

Netflix now BD exclusive

Netflix recently informed its subscribers that, starting on December 15th, it would stop shipping movies on the HD DVD high-definition format. This is the final move in the company's backing of the winning HD format, Blu-ray, after Netflix announced back in February that it would stop purchasing movies recorded on the HD DVD format. In the letter to its subscribers, Netflix told them any current HD DVD title will be substituted with the same movie on standard DVD as of December 15th, making the transition seamless and not requiring them to take any actions.

American Airlines to intro Mobile Boarding Passes

11/14, 1:45pm

AA intros QR boarding pass

American Airlines on Thursday announced it will soon introduce digital Mobile Boarding Passes to make the process of getting on their flights less of a hassle and eliminating the need of printing out their passes, saving paper and time. The system uses QR codes accessed from fliers' mobile phones or PDA devices and took effect on Thursday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. On Monday, November 17th, the system will be offered as an option to customers on domestic flights from Los Angeles International and Santa Ana John Wayne/Orange County airports as well.

ezGear launches ezBling for iPod nano 4G

11/14, 1:15pm

ezBling case for Nano 4G

ezGear has launched a new case for the fourth-generation iPod nano, the ezBling Clear Case. Made of semi-crystalline thermoplastic material, the transparent case uses a close fit, and has a repeating diamond-pattern effect which allows a Nano's color to project through. It arrives with a belt clip and static screen protector, and provides access to all of a Nano's ports, plus the clickwheel.

iGala photo frame concentrates on Gmail, touch

11/14, 1:00pm

iGala digital photo frame

Aequitas Technologies is said to be shipping the iGala Wireless Digital Picture Frame, an eight-inch touchscreen viewer with built-in Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi allows access to Microsoft's FrameIt service, which lets people browse news, traffic and weather information. Users can also browse photos on Flickr, but a focus of the device is on receiving Gmail, as the frame can be associated with an account and have photos e-mailed to it from any supporting Internet connection.

Apps: Health Tracker, MediaEdit, MBS plug-in

11/14, 12:40pm

WebCrusher, GrandTotal

Health Tracker 3.3.0 ($20) is a tool for tracking and graphing any health related measurement. Diabetics can keep track of their blood glucose levels and people on diets can track their weight. The software also keeps track of your rate of losses or gains for each measurement, and evaluates how long it should take you to reach a goal, if a goal has been entered. The update features completely redesigned graphs and allows users to copy the graphs to the clipboard to add to other applications. [Download - 7.4MB]

NPD: Wii continues lead, PS3 imroves over 2007

11/14, 12:35pm

NPD Consoles October 2008

A study of October console sales in the US by the NPD Group released today suggests Sony has improved its long-term sales of of the PS3. While Nintendo continues to enjoy a clear lead, the PlayStation 3 saw one of its greatest year-over-year results and saw sales grow 57 percent versus October of last year to 232,400 consoles. The difference wasn't enough to eclipse the Xbox 360's 371,000 systems but represents a tangible improvement for Sony, which has regularly struggled to sell the PS3 due to its high price and a lack of system-selling exclusives.

iPhone gets '80s Mac game, Crystal Quest

11/14, 12:15pm

Crystal Quest for iPhone

Hands-On Mobile has ported a 1980s space-shooter game, Crystal Quest, to the iPhone. Crystal Quest was the first color game for the Mac, launched in 1987, and has been retrofitted with updated graphics. Players fly a spaceship collecting crystals in space, while simultaneously trying to evade enemies that attack from the sides of the screen. Gamers defend themselves with a combination of guns and smartbombs as they try to progress to the next level.

Twittelator Pro 1.5 supports alternate services

11/14, 11:55am

Twittelator Pro 1.5 posted

Stone Design says it has released the v1.5 update to Twittelator Pro, its high-end Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software simplifies the process of posting tweets from a handheld, by means of features like streamlined views, multiple accounts, and the ability to paste images, links and text. Version 1.5 of the app introduces support for another microblogging service, identi.ca, and photo uploads to the Pikchur hosting service.

Zune 8GB drops $50 in aggressive promo

11/14, 11:40am

Zune 8GB Canada Promo

Canadian big-box retailer Future Shop has launched an unusual campaign that sees it drop the price of the Zune 8GB by $50 to just $100. The deal lasts until November 20th for all colors and significantly undercuts both the American and Canadian prices for a device which is still considered current-generation, with the Zune 8GB having received a software upgrade and a more permanent cut to $150 in September.

AllCalc merges multiple calculators for iPhone/iPod

11/14, 11:00am

AllCalc for iPhone/iPod

Bayhoff Software has published AllCalc 1.0, a calculator app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software differs from most other calculators on Apple handhelds by gathering several different functions into one location. In the case of AllCalc, these include tips, wage, sales tax, sales price, amortized mortgage and BMI (body mass index) options.

Samsung Eternity full-touch phone hits AT&T

11/14, 10:45am

Samsung Eternity at ATT

AT&T today grew both its full-touchscreen phone lineup and its small roster of mobile TV phones by adding the Samsung Eternity. A close cousin of the Instinct, the phone carries a 3.2-inch touchscreen with haptic (vibration) feedback and an accelerometer that both auto-rotates the display and lets it play iPhone-like motion-sensitive games. A MediaFLO tuner is built-in to play live digital TV through AT&T's subscription broadcast service.

Moto VE240 comes to Cricket, MetroPCS

11/14, 10:25am

MOTO VE240 announced

Cellphone manufacturer Motorola on Friday announced the new MOTO VE240 handset will soon be available to Cricket Communications and Metro PCS customers. The candy-bar phone promises to bring with it stereo Bluetooth support and MP3 capability with dedicated music keys. The VE240 has a microSD slot, enabling users to add up to 4GB of memory to the handset. Other than via wireless or wired headphones, the built-in speakerphone can playback music, which users transfer to the handset via a USB 2.0 connection.

Google iPhone app to gain voice search

11/14, 10:15am

Google iPhone voice search

A new version of Google's dedicated iPhone search application will add voice search, according to reports. Expected to be released later today, v2.0 of the app should allow people to simply speak what they want to find into an iPhone's microphone, and receive a list of results, with suggested interpretations of what a person said. Searches can include both web and contact results, but there are no voice commands in the software for dialing or e-mailing a person. Instead, users must tap on a contact.

Samsung Saga, Renown made official for Verizon

11/14, 10:15am

Samsung Saga and Renown

Verizon on Friday launched a pair of heavily leaked Samsung phones that each target very different users. The Saga was previously known under its i770 name and is Verizon's closest parallel to the AT&T Epix. It carries Windows Mobile 6.1 and uses both a touchscreen and an optical joystick to theoretically provide the best possible control scheme in a given situation; it also has the still-rare addition of quad-band GSM for calling and basic data roaming outside of CDMA networks.

Nokia: cellphone market to drop in 2009

11/14, 9:50am

Nokia on 2009 Cell Market

Nokia today updated its guidance for the fall and for 2009 to predict a significant downturn across much of the mobile space. The Finnish company continues to expect its cellphone shipments to go up along with the rest of the industry but that both its own growth and world-level business will be slower than expected. Nokia itself now expects its volume in the fall to go up a relatively modest 20 million to a total of 330 million despite the traditional end-of-year spike. The world as a whole is thus likely to move a slightly lower 1.24 billion phones versus the 1.26 billion Nokia says it has estimated earlier.

iPhone comes to Egypt without GPS functions

11/14, 9:20am

iPhone launches in Egypt

The iPhone has launched in Egypt through two separate carriers, reports say. Vodafone has unveiled four different plans, priced at 150, 250, 350 and 550 EGP, respectively. The first includes 150 minutes, 50 texts and 250MB of data. Each of these figures increases through to the last plan, which incorporates 1,200 minutes, 200 texts and 1GB of data. An 8GB phone costs 3,800 EGP, while the 16GB options are 4,450 EGP each.

Microsoft opens online store with downloads

11/14, 8:55am

Microsoft Online Store

Addressing a gap in its site versus Apple and others, Microsoft has opened up the simply-titled Microsoft Store. The site marks the first online location for the company to sell Office and individual apps, Windows, peripherals such as mice, and all Xbox 360 hardware and software in one place; it also brings in factory-stock Zunes that would normally be left to the company's Zune Originals page. Every app or device gets the same level of support as if it were bought elsewhere, Microsoft says.

Dell brings 16:9 Vostro A860 notebook to US

11/14, 8:20am

Dell Vostro A860 in US

Fulfilling an earlier promise, Dell has quietly made the Vostro A860 available for the US. The system is one of Dell's only 16:9 aspect ratio notebooks but, unlike other extra-wide notebooks, is targeted at the entry level that might otherwise consider a netbook; its 15.6-inch, 1366x768 screen is its stand-out feature, while most components skew towards the low end.

NVIDIA to cut GPU prices again?

11/14, 7:35am

NVIDIA Cuts Prices Again

NVIDIA is on the verge of launching even more aggressive price cuts on its graphics hardware in a bid to remain competitive with AMD, companies making third party boards reportedly claim. Following a Jon Peddie Research study showing AMD's ATI Radeon HD lineup increasing marketshare to 40 percent (obtained by Electronista), NVIDIA is said to be expanding on earlier cuts with price for the most competitive cards, including the GeForce GTX 200 series, the 9800 GT and the 9600 GT.

M-Audio to ship 140dB Luna II microphone

11/14, 7:10am

Luna II ships in November

M-Audio has announced an update to its Luna microphone line, the Luna II professional cardioid studio condenser microphone. The new microphone will feature class-A, solid-state electronics and a 1.1-inch, 3-micron, evaporated-gold diaphragm with a brass capsule, and is geared towards capturing vocals, guitar, piano and other musical instruments. It will also include a -10dB pad that allows recording up to 140dB, handling high-intensity sources like kick drums and guitar amplifiers. The Luna II has a switchable low-frequency roll-off filter and each microphone can be matched to a second Luna II for stereo recording.

iPhone apps: Fieldrunners, Topple, Fleck

11/14, 1:45am

Cubix, Lemonade Stand

Fieldrunners ($5) is a tower defense game optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch. Players seek to take control of a field with the use of upgradeable towers and a wide array of tactics and strategies. Players have access to four unique towers each with its own strengths and weaknesses. There are towers designed specifically for a quick build, air defense and ground defense.

Apps: Cocktail, VideoFlash Converter, iWeb Valet

11/14, 12:50am

Together, RbApp

Cocktail 4.2 (Tiger Edition) ($15) is designed to allow access to some of the more complicated functions within the Unix shell. The update allow uses to search and delete corrupted preference files and also includes a searchable database of Mac OS system error codes. The software has also been optimized to improve both the speed and reliability of the software. This release is only for users running Mac OS X Tiger. [Download - 2MB]

Spoilage game turns iPhone into culture war

11/14, 12:15am

Spoilage game for iPhone

IGG Software on Thursday unveiled Spoilage, its first handheld game product for the iPhone, offering users a strategic but casual game play experience. Spoilage supposedly features chess-like strategy, but with checkers-like movement, where the player aims to grow and multiply their bacteria colony to gain control over resources, and eventually the game screen. Game play is initially simple, with strategy eventually defining more thorough, but still quick, rounds.