June 11 - 3:10pm EDT   In brief: The Mac U has released a new video designed to help customers become more familiar with the latest release of iMovie. The video includes approximately 90 minutes of content and covers topics ranging from organization to editing. Mophie has announced that its latest small-form case and external battery combo will be fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS. The case is claimed to be one of the smallest external batteries available, and add an additional 4.5 hours of 3G talk time. Meanwhile, a new petition has been started, in an attempt to see the tabs-on-top feature returned to Safari 4. The feature was introduced in the Safari 4 beta, but ultimately removed. [full story]

June 4 - 4:55pm EDT   Using Mac OS X's Software Update feature, Apple has released updates to several key pieces of software. Among these is Digital Camera Raw 2.6, which extends RAW format support within Aperture 2.x and the '08 and '09 editions of iPhoto. Compatible cameras now include the Nikon D5000 and the Olympus E-30, as well as Canon's EOS-500D, Rebel T1i and EOS Kiss Digital X3. [full story]

April 29 - 9:55am EDT   Samsung on Wednesday updated its camcorder line with two new standard-definition camcorders that boost both the aesthetics and performance. The SMX-C10 and SMX-C14 both have the same Touch of Color visual trick on their bodies as Samsung's newer HDTVs to produce a unique, gradual shift between black and red. They also bring the Active Angle lens of the HD-capable HMX-R10 to let users hold the camera at a more natural angle while pointing in the right direction. [full story]

April 14 - 5:35pm EDT  Apple today released updates to consumer movie editing application iMovie as well its professional photography application Aperture and remote administration tools for Mac OS X Server installations. iMovie 8.02 fixes an issue with projects having a size of 0KB where attempting to open these projects would cause iMovie to quit unexpectedly at launch. According to Apple, the update also addresses a problem where full-screen mode could not be accessed on some systems. Apple's Aperture 2.1.3 update improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including the display of thumbnails on import and image rotation. The free update is recommended for all users of Aperture 2.3 ... [full story]

April 2 - 10:35pm EDT   Sanyo on Thursday said it had started shipping its combination photo and video Dual Camera Xacti line. The series is headlined by the FH1 and HD2000, which can both shoot 1080p video in H.264 while capturing 8-megapixel photos, carry 10X lenses, and both slow motion video as well as burst photo modes that take advantage of large memory buffers. The CA9 and WH1 (pictured) capture movies in 720p but are waterproof and snap 9-megapixel still shots, while the CG10 and TH1 have the same video resolution but 8-megapixel stills and either an extra-small (CG10) or horizontal (TH1) form factor. [full story]

March 26 - 5:15pm EDT   Apple has released maintenance updates for iPhoto, iWeb and iMovie, along with general support updates for the iLife and iWork '09 software suites. The iPhoto 8.0.2 update improves overall stability, while addressing minor issues in Faces, Places, photo sharing, slideshows and other parts of the software. The download weighs in at 87.86MB. The iWeb 3.0.1 update is 14.23MB in size and fixes issues related to publishing to an FTP server and other minor bugs. iMovie 8.0.1 is a stability and usability fix, and is contained in a 24.53MB file. [full story]

March 19 - 4:10pm EDT   Elgato on Thursday announced it has added 1080p compatibility to its original Turbo.264 USB video conversion dongle, resulting in the Turbo.264 HD. The new product is now much faster than its predecessor, and still allows users to convert videos into the H.264 format that is compatible with portable electronics such as iPods, iPhones, the Apple TV and Sony's PSP and similar devices. Besides resolution, it also adds support for HD camcorder formats such as AVCHD as well as MPEG-2- and MPEG-4-encoded HD content. The Turbo.264 HD automatically detects AVCHD camcorders and moves the recordings in standard- or high-definition to selected source devices. [full story]

February 21 - 12:25pm EST   In brief: Toolfarm a source for professional visual effects and motion graphics plug-ins has announced that it has acquired Pluginz. ToolFarm views this acquisition as a natural step in growing their site into a one-stop shop service. MacNN readers are now being offered a 30% discount on several video tutorials from Computer App Training. The latest releases include tips and tricks on working with iMovie '09 and Photoshop CS4. Separately, Macuarium, a spanish Mac news site, is celebrating its tenth anniversary and has released a special icon pack for its readers to celebrate. [full story]

February 17 - 3:50pm EST   Two versions ago, iMovie HD 6 offered powerful video editing for novices. For iMovie ‘08, Apple completely rewrote the program to focus on making video editing simpler, but at the sacrifice of its more sophisticated editing features. When users howled their disapproval, Apple quickly made the original iMovie HD app available as a free download. Now with iMovie ‘09, Apple has combined the simplicity of iMovie ‘08 with the powerful editing capabilities of iMovie HD. [full story]

February 10 - 7:45am EST   Google may have consciously stripped multi-touch input from its Android mobile operating system solely to avoid a conflict with Apple over patents, a member of the Android development team claims. The iPhone maker reportedly asked Google not to use multi-finger input and, according to the source for VentureBeat, was granted its wish. The exact reason isn't known, though Apple has both the incentive of an early competitive advantage as well as patents that might have forced it either to negotiate a patent license or else challenge one of its closest partners in court. [full story]

November 23 - 4:05pm EST   Conventional wisdom would have had Pure Digital's Flip camcorders wash out because of their limited features, but it's precisely this which has led them to seemingly overthrow the budget camcorder market. Their dead-simple controls and narrow focus have made them ideal for a generation growing up on YouTube and video blogging. The Flip Mino HD promises to do the same for high-definition video and with even simpler editing. But does it live up to this promise? We find out in our full review. [full story]

November 12 - 12:00am EST   Pure Digital today launched its response to a recent wave of ultra-simple HD camcorders from newer rivals with the launch of the Flip Mino HD. The camera matches the 720p widescreen, fixed zoom capture of most of its opponents but opts for a built-in 4GB of flash memory rather than the SD cards of others. This gives it an hour of storage for HD out of the box in the Mino HD's native MPEG-4 format, which also makes most videos relatively portable both to web video and to video editing tools, including iMovie. Pure estimates about two hours of battery life with the extra demand from the improved footage. [full story]

September 3 - 9:00am EDT   Sanyo this morning upgraded its Xacti camcorders with the North American version of the E2. This second generation of the company's hardened camera improves the recording performance and will capture 640x480 H.264 video at up to 60 frames per second and snaps up to eight-megapixel still shots, including at up to five continuous frames per second. It also brings live face detection and a specialized underwater mode that adjusts the colors to avoid some of the tinting that occurs in pool or shallow dives. [full story]

August 20 - 8:00am EDT   Casio today began its prelude to the Photokina show with three new Exilim cameras for the US and elsewhere, two of which introduce a new automatic image tuning feature. The Zoom series tops out with the 10.1-megapixel EX-Z300 and the 9.1-megapixel EX-Z250, both of which include a new Makeup feature: the optional setting can dynamically improve the look of faces in portrait shots by either eliminating blemishes or reducing the impact of long shadows. They can also automatically correct overly dark faces or stitch together three shots to simulate a long exposure time. [full story]

July 9 - 8:40am EDT   Samsung on Wednesday updated its MX series camcorders with a refresh targeted at the web and portable players. The SC-MX20 effectively replaces the earlier MX10 and adds a Web & Mobile mode that records H.264 video in a 640x480 format that can easily be transferred to video websites such as YouTube; it also lets users record home video that doesn't require transcoding to work with iPhones, iPods, and other H.264-aware devices. [full story]