June 30 - 1:20pm EDT   Typinator 3.5 ($28) is a tool that will type out repeating texts and pictures. Users can set up a list of commonly used words and images, and then set up fragments that can be used trigger each phrase or image. Version 3.4 uses a new expansion technique which allows the software to operate faster than previous releases. The update also includes improved compatibility with XCode, BBEdit and TextWrangler, Eclipse and many Java applications. Additionally, several bugs have been fixed including one that could cause Typinator to forget its license information when synced with MobileMe. [Download - 2.7MB] [full story]

December 1 - 11:50am EST  Entrance 1.3 ($50) is a browser for MySQL database that uses data to draw histograms, line charts and more. Entrance also supports an new data mining feature dubbed "data painting" and an explore tree with drag and drop support for tables, queries and scripts. The SQL script editor also features a built-in error detection feature and lets users edit and run SQL scripts against their data. With the update tabs can now regenerate reports and charts automatically based on timer delays. A new online guide is also available to help users make charts with the software. [Download - 2.7MB] [full story]

August 5 - 11:55pm EDT   SketchFighter 4000 Alpha 1.10 ($20) is a one or two-player game featuring unique hand-sketched characters that look like a teenager's doodles come to life. Version 1.1.0 includes improved scrollwheel and full-screen video support, bug fixes, and an improved registration system. The Universal Binary app also includes an editor that lets users sketch their own backgrounds and create new levels of game play. SketchFighter 4000 Alpha 1.1.0 requires Mac OS X 10.3 or higher. [Download - 8.1MB]. [full story]

July 30 - 8:35pm EDT   Apple has released Lexmark Printer Driver Update 1.1, which includes the latest drivers for the Lexmark line of printers. The 71MB update was released Tuesday and is only visible when a Lexmark printer is connected, or a print queue has been created for an earlier Lexmark driver. [full story]

July 22 - 4:20pm EDT   Sky, a UK-based TV, Internet and phone provider, is reported to soon start offering a subscription-based music download service in collaboration with Universal Music. Unlike other similar services, the downloaded music will be DRM-free, meaning users can freely copy it, share it, burn CDs and play it on all their devices. Sky's service, which the company claims will be the world's first, will initially offer access to hundreds of thousands of songs. [full story]

June 26 - 5:35pm EDT   After several years of Xbox 360 owners having to remain signed into Live to access purchased content on exchanged or repaired consoles, Microsoft on Thursday finally unveiled a DRM Transfer Tool allowing users to play content without a Live connection. Gamerscore writes that the tool provides users with the ability to re-register their games and downloaded content once per year to a new console. The process will not work on movie files, since Microsoft does not consider the content to be "owned' by the user. [full story]

June 25 - 7:50am EDT   Calling its photo-sharing service is a “natural extension of the Macintosh application experience,” Smilebox on Tuesday announced support for the Mac platform by releasing a free application that allows Mac users to download photos, videos and music and offers “seamless” support for iPhoto, iTunes and Photo Booth. Smilebox says it has more than 700 designs and templates for scrapbooks, slideshows, greeting cards, photo-books and post cards. Launched in 2006, Smilebox says it has 2.6 million PC users each month. Users can create and share their own designs, or purchase "premium designs" from Hallmark, Making Memories, Madison Park Greetings, K & Company and Smilebox's ... [full story]

June 17 - 1:20pm EDT   Though servers offering the software are currently buckling and inaccessible to many users, Firefox 3.0 on Tuesday has made its debut with the Mozilla organization looking to set a record for browser downloads. The major new release of the open source Web browser is available today in approximately 50 languages, and is purportedly three times faster than its predecessor, offering "15,000 improvements" including a smart location bar and malware protection. The new Firefox 3 smart location bar, dubbed "Awesome Bar" by Mozilla, adapts to user entries over time. The Firefox 3 Library archives browsing history, bookmarks, and tags, where they can be searched and organized. [full story]

June 16 - 2:25pm EDT   Readers of AT&T's Apple iPhone 3G website, have this weekend been left confounded by information that iPhone 3G data download speeds will apparently be limited to 1.4Mbps, while other devices tout much faster speeds. With the figure also echoed in the official AT&T press release, speculation is that the 1.4Mbps limit is not a website error. With the latest HSDPA cards now offering speeds up to 7.2Mbps, and even iPhone 3G rivals such as Motorola's Moto Q listed capable of 3.6Mbps speeds, it would seem that the iPhone 3G, despite being significantly faster than the first iPhone model, may not, at first glance, live up to its early "3G" promise; it is unclear why the ... [full story]

June 12 - 5:35pm EDT   Yazsoft on Thursday unveiled a stripped down version of its download manager, Speed Download Lite 1.0, offering users a simplified, browser-integrated experience, and also celebrating the release with a 3G iPhone giveaway. The app features the core functionality of Speed Download, with a redesigned, customizable interface, while retaining the app's "turbo-charged" download capabilities. Speed Download Lite 1.0 is available for $20 from Yazsoft. [full story]

June 10 - 6:20pm EDT   TransGaming has announced the launch of an online download portal for Mac games, bringing the same kind of service PC and console owners have known for years. Game Tree Online will complement the firm's Cider Portability Engine, which has allowed publishers to port a number of successful games to the Mac Platform since its introduction in 2006. In addition to providing online purchase, Game Tree Online will provide news and game promotions, and will allow users to post reviews. [full story]

May 30 - 3:40pm EDT   Totus Copy 1.0 utility for transferring data off of a failing hard drive. OS X has a number of safety features built into it's copy functions, if it detects an I/O error or a stalled read the transfer will fail. OS X also gets file information for all files before it even copies the first one. While these are great functions to prevent further damage to a hard drive it makes it very difficult to transfer data. Totus Copy will scan a failing hard drive and recover the files from it onto a separate functional hard drive. It does this by using a very gentle non-intrusive scanning method. [Download - 224KB] BlogAssist 2.2 ($10) tool to help weblog and website editing by making HTML markup ... [full story]

May 22 - 8:40pm EDT   Representing the latest effort to compete with iTunes in the burgeoning movie download space, CinemaNow is now offering a variety of paid content services through Windows Media Center. These include download-to-own movies, priced from $10 to $20; TV shows and music videos are priced at $2. The company claims that download-to-own movies are available day-and-date of retail DVD release, but doesn't mention the breadth of the upcoming library (right now there are about 3,400 feature-length movies in CinemaNow's collection). The service will also offer 24 hour movie rentals priced between $3 and $4. Select Pay-Per-View titles are available day-and-date of retail DVD release. [full story]

May 20 - 6:10pm EDT   TinyBooks v5.0.4 ($50) single-entry bookkeeping and accounting system designed for Sole Proprietors, home and other small businesses, and family finances. It includes a fully non-modal Reports Window offers easy standard and custom reporting and searching. All transactions are easily exportable tother programs as standard tab-delimited text files. With the right (but luckily rarely used sequence of steps) it was possible to put TinyBooks into a mode where mouse clicks would be ignored in the main window. That is now fixed. [Download - 260KB] MacFamilyTree 5.2 ($50) genealogy application. This release significantly enhances GUI and workflow for editing families. Additionally, GEDCOM ... [full story]

April 30 - 4:50pm EDT   The subscription-based digital music retailer, eMusic, launches today in Canada online and in over 80 Best Buy stores and Avis car rental locations. This marks eMusic's first expansion into other markets, as the service has been in operation in the US since 2003 and recently surpassed 200 million downloads, making it the second biggest online music retailer next to iTunes. eMusic offers 3.5 million DRM-free MP3-format songs and audio books, allowing users to burn them to CDs, transfer them to personal MP3 players and make multiple copies for personal use. [full story]