In brief: An issue with the integration of the iPhoto and Flickr libraries has developed, which can result in users being able to accidentally wipe out entire sets of photos on Flickr. comiXology has meanwhile announced a change in the price of its Comics by comiXology iPhone app, a consequence of Apple now allowing in-app purchases for free iPhone apps.
Apple has stealthily bought an online map firm in what could represent an aid to the iPhone but a split with Google, a search has discovered. A startup company, Placebase, was bought by Apple in July but provided so little attention about the takeover that it wasn't until a check on former CEO Jaron Waldman's LinkedIn profile confirmed the move. Waldman is now part of a "Geo Team" at Apple performing in an unspecified role.
Mytracks4mac has released v2.0 of its flagship application, myTracks, used to read tracks from GPS data loggers and link the information to photographs in iPhoto, geotagging the users images. The application synchronizes with iPhoto, allowing users to drag and drop images directly from iPhoto onto the myTracks dock icon. The program is compatible with a large variety of photo software and utilizes a GPS Logger Assistant to transfer GPS tracks.
Eternal Storms has released flickery 1.5, its desktop flickr client for Mac OS X, featuring new video upload, download and playback. The software allows users to upload photos, and now video, to flickr from iPhoto or Aperture and organize the pictures into photosets or groups. flickery can also resize, crop, rotate and filter photos and it can view and search photos and videos from the flickr database.
Blue Crowbar has introduced its newest iPhoto plug-in, Impression, used to add watermarks to photographs. The watermarks can consist of a company logo, a signature, text, other images and copyright statements. The plug-in automatically imports watermarked photos as copies, preserving the original images quality, and allowing the edited pictures to be uploaded to the web using iPhoto's built-in features.
Apple has produced a minor update for iPhoto, the photo editing and management utility included with iLife. The v8.1 patch is a minor one, introducing new print options such as an order for a 10x13-inch hardcover book. Three new book themes are present as well, including Asian, Old World and Tropical.
Eye-Fi on Wednesday announced it will soon add a Geo wireless SD memory card to its lineup that will be capable of geotagging photos exclusively for Mac computers. The 2GB SD card automatically saves GPS mapping information for captured photos and videos before transferring them to a given computer. It's primarily intended for Mac users and fully supports Apple's iPhoto '08 and '09 as well as MobileMe. As with other Eye-Fi cards, the photos are wirelessly transferred to a pre-selected folder on a Mac over a user's Wi-Fi network.
Blue Crowbar has released v1.5 of its Twitter plug-ins, Aperture2Twitter and iPhoto2Twitter. The plug-ins are used to send tweets and photographs directly from Aperture or iPhoto. The new versions add support for posting videos and pictures to Mobypicture, which integrates with other websites including Flickr, Facebook, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, YouTube, and Vimeo.
Apple on Tuesday released a maintenance update to its image utility, iPhoto 8.0.4. The update addresses a rarely-encountered issue relating to importing photos from earlier versions, which would sometimes cause the program to crash. Other minor bug fixes include corrected references to points of interest and location names that were improperly labeled.
Palm at the D7 event today confirmed that the Pre and likely other webOS phones will sync with Apple software. Running a live demo on stage, Palm's Paul Cousino showed the Pre being recognized in iTunes as a "device" that could sync all but FairPlay-protected music as though it were an iPod. The feature works on both Macs and Windows PCs; on Macs, it can also pull photos from iPhoto and sync those through iTunes.
In brief: A new guide for iPhoto '09 has been release by two columnists from The New York Times. iPhoto '09: The Missing Manual includes information on how to use the new features found in iPhoto '09 such as Faces and Places. A Middle Eastern Apple magazine will now be expanding its publication. Shufflegazine began in October 2008 and was available in the United Arab Emirates but the publisher will now be making it more available across the GCC. Meanwhile, TEKSERVE has release the ninth edition of its Mac FAQ pocket guide. The guide includes troubleshooting tips for problems such as kernel panics and freezing. Customers can order the book by phone for $5 or pick it up in the store for free.
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.
Locr has launched the locr Uploader, an iPhoto plug-in that helps users upload images directly from iPhoto to locr. Users can add single photos, complete albums, descriptions, titles and keywords to the site. The plug-in also recognizes manually-geotagged photos and provides controls for the privacy level and image size of exported files. After a picture is successfully uploaded to locr, the new URL is copied into the iPhoto description for future reference.
Apple has released software updates for Aperture 2, iPhoto '08 and iPhoto '09, along with a firmware update that is designed to extend the battery life of MacBooks. Owners of Nikon D3X and Epson R-D1x digital cameras will now be able to upload RAW-format images to Apple's photo software. The update also addresses compatibility issues with specific cameras and improves overall stability.
The flagship title in the iLife '09 suite is arguably iPhoto '09. The original 2002 version helped to shape the way people store and organize digital photos, and the newest version carries on the tradition of making it fun and easy to generate personal libraries.
Only one real story came out of yesterday's keynote speech by Phil Schiller, write analysts with Needham & Co. Despite the announcement of new versions of iLife and iWork, as well as a 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro, the most important revelation is said to be the switch to DRM-free music and variable pricing at iTunes. Even this may have minimal impact, Needham suggests.
Kensington on Tuesday announced a range of new products, including a hands-free car kit for use with Bluetooth cellphones, its SlimBlade TrackBall mouse and a pair of two space- and energy-efficient notebook chargers. The Bluetooth speaker clips onto vehicle's sun visors and can pair up with three different cellphones and holds three frequently-called phone numbers for each handset. Swapping between the three handsets or dialing any of the pre-programmed numbers is done via pressing a single button. Kensington has integrated noise-cancelling technology for the device that makes calls loud and clear. Two battery packs are included, providing users with 10 hours of talk time.
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.
24x7digital has introduced PhotoCopy 1.0, its new iPhoto to Flickr mirroring utility. The user selects albums in iPhoto for sharing and PhotoCopy then uploads the photos to Flickr and organizes them in matching sets. It also copies metadata like tittles, date and time, ratings, keywords and descriptions. A primary feature of the new software is its ability to mirror the iPhoto folder on Flickr; when images are added to a PhotoCopied folder, the changes are updated automatically on the same folder on Flickr. It also works in reverse, adding images to iPhoto as the Flickr folder changes. It will mirror changes including adding, deleting reordering or editing photos.
Hyperbolic Software has released the latest version of its Tidy Up! duplicate file search utility, meant for iTunes, iPod and iPhoto databases. The update enables searching for a missing song tag, and implements a few bug fixes to prevent the program from crashing. Tidy Up can be used to search for duplicate files, folders and packages, by criteria including type, creator, extension, date, visibility, tag, duration, bitrate and more.
Newly released is the first beta of XBMC Atlantis, an open-source media center application. XBMC Atlantis can run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and the original Xbox, and now also features a version that is bootable from a USB drive or CD. The interface has been updated with a new version of the included Project Mayhem skin, presented in full HD, and on the Mac, the release brings iTunes and iPhoto library streaming.
Apple recently unveiled two new updates: Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.2, and WebObjects Update 5.4.3 for Mac OS X 10.5. The RAW update provides Aperture 2 and iPhoto 08 users compatibility with several new camera models, including the Canon Digital Rebel XS, the Nikon D700, Samsung's GX-10 and GX-20, as well as Sony's A300 and R1. Several Olympus and Kodak models are also covered in the update.
Apple today released software updates for iLife 8.0, the software suite that ships with most Macs. The release is largely aimed at fixing bugs and compatibility issues, although iPhoto 7.14 (77.1MB) includes "new holiday greeting card and postcard themes for use with Apple print products." Also released: iLife Support 8.3 (5.5MB), iWeb 2.04 (36.3MB) and iMovie 7.14 (39.8MB).
Apple on Wednesday continued its slew of updates with the release of its Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.1, which extends RAW file compatibility for Aperture 2 and iPhoto ’08 for the following cameras: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/Kiss Digital x2/450D, Epson R-D1, Leaf AFi 7, Leaf AFi 6, Leaf AFi 5, Pentax K200D, and Pentax K20D. Apple also released critical security updates for Mac OS X Tiger and a massive Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard update that addressed dozens of security bugs.
onOne Software this week announced Essentials 2 software for iPhoto, a collection of four easy-to-use software tools to help correct color, creatively blur a photo for dramatic visual impact, add creative borders and resize digital images for high quality large prints. The software tools, the company says, are based on technology used in the professional level onOne Software Photoshop plug-ins PhotoTune 2.2, FocalPoint 1.0, PhotoFrame 3.1 and Genuine Fractals 5. The Essentials 2 for iPhoto software suite provides users of the popular iPhoto image editing and organizing software with four important plug-in solutions to solve common digital imaging problems.
Apple today unveiled Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.0 for Aperture 2 and iPhoto 7.1.2, which patches a security hole, and adds many RAW formats from several different vendors. The patch fixes a problem wherein Adobe Digital Negative files could trigger a buffer overflow condition, which could allow users to craft malicious image files with the intent of decreasing system stability, or taking control of a computer.
Global Delight Technologies today unveiled Web2 Delight Public Beta 2, a preview version of its video and photo organization and viewing tool. Web2 Delight allows users to locate videos and photos from popular content sharing sites through a single location. Once downloaded, content can be viewed or transferred to iTunes and iPhoto, which can then be distributed to iPhones, iPods and the Apple TV. Global Delight expects to ship the application at the end of March.
Apple today unveiled iPhoto 7.1.3, an update to its photo organization, editing, and printing application, introducing several fixes. Unfortunately, details on the update are very scarce, saying little more than "this update addresses issues with wire-bound books and cards." The update for iPhoto 7.1.3 is available both through the Apple support downloads website and through the Software Update application, located underneath the Apple Menu.
Apple has begun offering customers in Australia as well as New Zealand the ability to create hardcover photo books, glossy calendars, professional cards, and prints from custom photo libraries. The final products are delivered directly to each customer's door, according to Apple. Picture books are priced from A$40, while Calendars and Postcards start at A$27 and A$2, respectively. Greeting Cards are available from A$2.70, and prints start at A$0.30 each.
Eye-Fi recently unveiled Eye-Fi Manager 1.2.5.0, an update to its device management software for the Eye-Fi wireless storage card. The update brings with it iPhoto integration, and increased stability for both Mac and PC users. Users also receive a firmware update, which improves the card's performance when it is in less-than-optimal broadcasting conditions, and enhanced compatibility with Kodak's Easy Share cameras. Existing users are able to upgrade for no additional charge.
No less than 10 Apple inventions surfaced today at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, with three new applications filed alongside seven documents that were officially granted to the Cupertino-based company. Apple's latest inventions include 'Pulldown correction for progressive display of audiovisual recordings,' as well as two patents related to iPhoto that create computer generated mosaics and touch up photos to remove blemishes. Seven previously-filed patents detail technology for DVD Web system, MagSafe, speech synthesis, and more.
Camera maker Kodak has released the first version of its gallery upload plug-in for iPhoto. Once installed, the application simplifies sending photos to the Kodak Gallery website, where family and friends can view them at any time. Photos can be given original names and descriptions, and organized into new or existing albums. Unique to the association with iPhoto is that images with a specified star rating or higher can automatically be marked as favorites on Gallery, saving time in sorting. The plug-in is free and requires Mac OS X 10.3 or higher.
