July 1 - 6:05pm EDT   In brief: We have posted the second part of our review of Steinberg Sequel, the Vue 3D Environment Competition 2008 has been announced, fmDataGuard has announced its "First Anniverary Sale," and there is a newly announced DEVONthink 2.0 upgrade grace period ... We have posted the second part of our review of Steinberg Sequel. The tool allows you to record using a MIDI controller or through an external microphone, which is very similar to GarageBand. We recorded live audio from a microphone and it worked well. The intuitive design worked as we thought it would. Cutting and arranging segments of recorded material is also similar to GarageBand. You can move segments freely ... [full story]

July 1 - 5:40am EDT   Nova Media has released the latest version of its quick-dial/quick SMS cell phone-to-Mac integration application, Phone Plugins 2.1. The application allows users to easily link their Mac to their phone via Bluetooth, and with 'one-click', send a text message to that number from any application in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Phone Plugins 2.1 brings compatibility with over 165 cell phones, including the latest models from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. Feature changes in 2.1 include the addition of visual confirmation of sent SMS messages within OS X, a unique 'one-touch' Bluetooth connection wizard (that does not require a Mac restart), and also the addition of 'dial ... [full story]

June 17 - 3:35pm EDT   Nova Media has released Phone Plugins, a utility that allows one-click dialing and text messaging from any application in Leopard. Users of OS X Tiger were able dial cellphones connected over Bluetooth, but Apple removed that feature in OS X 10.5. Nova claims the utility not only restores that lost functionality, but improves on it as well. The Berlin-based developer says the Phone Plugins include a Bluetooth wizard to connect cell phones in one step. Users can call or send a text message to any number within Address Book or other applications using the “services” menu. [full story]

June 11 - 1:40pm EDT   Despite a series of conflicting news releases, Vodafone has confirmed that there will not be a pay-as-you-go version of the iPhone 3G available in New Zealand. NZMac.com first spotted the confusion in statements from Vodafone and Apple New Zealand which announced both contract and prepaid versions of the iPhone in various press releases. Vodafone cleared things up this morning, saying only the contract versions will be available in New Zealand and Portugal beginning in July 11. [full story]

June 6 - 11:55pm EDT   Apple has a window of opportunity to make a significant impact on the mobile TV market with it's imminent launch of the 3G iPhone around the world, according to the latest report from Analysys Mason. Market research shows that many iPhone owners have accessed TV and video content, with greater frequency than subscribers using other types of mobile handsets. If a new iPhone based on AT&T faster "3G" network is announced during next week's Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) it could mean big things for the mobile TV market. [full story]

June 5 - 5:55pm EDT   iToner 1.0.7 ($15) iToner lets you easily transfer your own MP3 or AAC audio files to your iPhone, and enjoy them as custom ringtones. The new release has fixes for iTunes compatibility. iToner should no longer prevent iTunes from removing iTMS ringtones. It also fixes a crash when syncing with iPod touch from iTunes and includes various fixes and enhancements. [Download - 7.2MB] Neverwinter Nights 2 Update 1.12 ($50) Role-playing game set in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms, tMac OS X. In the game, you play a character whmatures from peasant tfull-fledged herin an attempt tprotect Realms against grave threats. You can build a character that suits your style of play - ... [full story]

June 3 - 7:45pm EDT   In brief: We have posted a review of Incipio Leather iPod and camera cases, Digital Foci offers Custom Framer Program, Robosoft to develop for 3G iPhone, HTML snippets set for Typinator debuts ... We have posted a review of Incipio Leather iPod and camera cases. The camera case, unlike most portable camera cases, has no frills, fuss or pockets. It is simply a hard leather box with a fold-over lid. The case clips onto your belt or pocket with an attached black hard plastic clip. The top flap secures with a magnet. This is a quick shot solution, i.e. the camera is always at your fingertips to whip out with one top flip and pull. The case does have a cut out on top through ... [full story]

May 14 - 12:25am EDT   Philips is preparing to launch two high-end touchscreen phones - the X800 and Xenium X-Connect - which feature large color screens and several luxury features. The X800 offers users a tri-band GSM/GPRS platform, which uses a 2.9 inch touch screen to display information, with a screen resolution of 240 by 400 pixels. It also features handwriting recognition, a 2MP autofocus camera, a MicroSD slot, Bluetooth, and an office document reader. Battery life for the unit sits at 850 hours standby, and 8 hours of talk time. [full story]

May 7 - 11:30am EDT   Samsung on Wednesday announced the release of its newest bar-style smartphone, the i200. The tri-band GSM phone is aimed at business professionals with its use of the Windows Mobile 6.1 OS with Office Mobile. For wireless data transfer or Internet capability, the i200 supports HSDPA and EDGE data networks. [full story]

May 5 - 1:40pm EDT   American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu has reversed a prior downgrade on share's of Apple Inc, changing his rating on the stock to from Neutral to Buy. Wu's downgrade came right before Apple's blowout March quarter, in which the company announced record revenues on surging Mac sales. Barrons quotes Wu: "We overestimated the potential negative reaction on the quarter and in hindsight should have moderated our near-term posture rather than downgrading. While AAPL shares will likely remain volatile and may offer a better entry point, we need to align our rating with our longer term view on fundamentals." Wu has set a $210 price target on Apple's stock. Barrons also ... [full story]

April 30 - 2:10pm EDT   In brief: We have a review of PowerPhones Pro headphones, RAM upgrades for the new iMacs are available, a guide to FileMaker-driven Web sits debuts, and an iPod cord wrap for tangle-less headphones has been released... We have posted a review of the PowerPhones Pro headphones, which ship in a simple easily recyclable cardboard box, but inside the earphones are tucked in a stylish silver case. A velvet storage bag and an extra set of flanged silicone ear buds for smaller ears are carefully packed under foam in the case. For the price, I expected a second set of each size in a zip-lock bag, as are found in many other comparably priced earphones. The unique PowerPhones ... [full story]

April 10 - 4:50pm EDT   For the longest time, the three most popular ways to make phone calls was through a landline, a cellular phone, or a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system such as Skype. Landlines offer near-perfect reliability and sound quality, but with varying costs and limited mobility. Cellular phones offers mobility but at the cost of high fees. VoIP phones offer mobility with unlimited free calls anywhere in the world, but are often restricted to calls placed to other VoIP users. If you want to use a VoIP phone to call a landline or cellular phone, the charges jump up dramatically. Fortunately, there’s now another calling alternative called magicJack. [full story]

April 7 - 2:55pm EDT   In brief: We have a review of the Tannoy i30 iPod speaker system, Apple refreshes the "Macintosh" trademark, a 36-hour iPhone programming marathon takes place and iSync phone plugins gets new device support ... We have posted a review of the Tannoy i30 iPod speaker system. This heavy-duty speaker system has an oval shape that is flat from the front view, but extends the oval in the back, complete with an inset hidden handle. The clean front design has not a button to be seen; so all the controls are on the small remote. The front is graced with two non-removable gray grills that cover 4-inch iCT, Inductive Coupling Technology , speakers and an iPod dock, under which ... [full story]

April 7 - 10:55am EDT   LG Electronics on Monday announced the global launch of the third LG Black Label Series handset, yet unnamed by the company. LG reveals the new phone will utilize the latest smart phone technology including a 5-megapixel camera in the slimmest body in the industry, which prompts us to believe it will be similar, if not identical, in spec to the KF750 slider first seen at CeBIT. Carbon fiber and tempered glass will also be part of the phone's design. [full story]

April 3 - 1:55pm EDT   Griffin Technology has announced ClearBoost, a protective case for iPhone with a built-in booster antenna. Thee polycarbonate case claims to offer greater coverage and faster downloads as well as the protection from bumps and scratches. Griffin says the ClearBoost for iPhone is the first of a family of antenna boosting cases based around the "ClearBoost technology." The company says the case works by capturing more of the available wireless signals and passing it to the internal iPhone antenna. ClearBoost for iPhone, priced at $30, is available now. [full story]