Canadian Thinking about Taxing iPod ?

The Canadian Private Copying Collective—an association of composers, recording artists, publishers, and record labels—is asking the Copyright Board of Canada to re-introduce the controversial “iPod Tax” fee into the sale price of MP3 players in Canada. They are talking about and depending on the size of the mp3 palyers, anywhere between $7.00 and $75.00 CDN.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Bill Gates

Bill Gates to Newsweek: “Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally.”

Oh, really?
Prouve it I Dare you...

Apple talking iPhone games with EA?

Apple may launch a range of iPhone games titles in collaboration with EA, others. Speculation continues at games on the Apple TV also.

iTunes not exclusive online Beatles song seller

A Fox News report nixes the notion that Apple has secured exclusive online seller status for tracks from The Beatles, and speculates on a royalty as part of the Apple v Apple settlement.

Chaotic releases Media Rage 3 major update

Chaotic Software today announced the release of Media Rage 3.0, a major upgrade of the company's collection of tools for media enthusiasts using Mac OS X. Great App.

iSkin offers mPrints--personalized iPod cases for promotional use

iSkin now offers iSkin mPrints enabling businesses, charities, artists and organizations of any kind to order an iSkin product inscribed with their corporate logo, website address, tagline or other branding information. The imprinted iPod cases or Apple keyboard covers can be used as corporate gifts, promotional handouts, event marketing tools, cause reminders, and for other branding and publicity purposes. Great Concept.

Turn your iPod into a bootable toolkit with SubRosaSoft DasBoot (FREE)

SubRosaSoft is pleased to announce DasBoot--a new addition to their line of freeware utilities for Mac OS X computers. Do you have a shiny new iPod in your pocket? Or perhaps a flash drive or small portable hard drive? Now you can turn it into a Mac OS X diagnostic, repair, and maintenance tool. DasBoot allows you to take any third party boot CD (such as those shipped by SubRosaSoft.com Inc, Prosoft Engineering Inc, Alsoft Inc, or Micromat Inc) and quickly create a bootable diagnostic device.

Disco 1.0 released

DiscoApp.com today announced the release of Disco 1.0 for Mac OS 10.4. Disco is disc burning app that allows users to accomplish more complex burning tasks with minimal effort. Following an immensely successful initial beta period, the final release of Disco introduces new improvements, features, and fixes such as a redesigned disc naming system, fully rewritten Discography database engine, improved Unicode support, and much more.

MP3tunes offers unlimited free online music storage

MP3tunes.com now offers free unlimited online music storage through Oboe Locker, its online repository of your music.

Adobe brings Flash video to phones

Video will be included in the next version of Adobe Flash Lite software for mobile phones.

PeaceMaker game simulates Israeli-Palestinian conflict

ImpactGames has released PeaceMaker, a new game that puts you in the role of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, trying to find a peaceful and lasting resolution to their conflict.

TUNEWEAR announces the new Red color case series

TUNEWEAR(tm) announces the new Red color case series of high quality
nappa leather cases "PRIE TUNEWALLET micro RED", "PRIE Ambassador for
iPod nano RED". PRIE TUNEWALLET micro RED and PRIE Ambassador for
iPod nano RED will be available in March 2007.

[RED series]
The RED series adds a new color variation on our already popular
PRIE TUNEWALLET micro and PRIE Ambassador for iPod nano. As with
the previous models, the RED series is made from the highest quality
smooth nappa leather and the color is perfectly suited for the
iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition. All models in the RED range
include TUNEFILM, a clear protective film that covers the front of
the iPod for extra protection.

On Line Film Competition

After the success of its first two contests, Filmaka has launched its third contest ‘Mistaken Identity’. Submissions are accepted till 27th February 2007.
www.filmaka.com

Filmaka.com Announces the Start of Contest #3!

February's topic is "Mistaken Identity," and all 1-3 minute films must be uploaded by
midnight PST, February 27, 2007. The annual grand prize is a feature film contract.

Filmaka.com is a new online competition, juried by award winning filmmakers including
Werner Herzog, Neil LaBute, Paul Schrader and Wim Wenders, and founded by leading
independent producers and financiers. Filmmakers have a new chance to enter each month, and submissions are accepted in 10 different languages.

Apple adds Lionsgate films to iTunes catalog

Apple today announced that movies from Lionsgate Entertainment will be available for purchase and download from the iTunes Store starting today. iTunes can now purchase films, such as "Terminator 2," "LA Story," "Basic Instinct," "The Blair Witch Project" and "Dirty Dancing". The companies said that more than 150 titles are expected to available soon.

Apple TV Shipments Pushed to March

ThinkSecret posts a brief blurb that the Apple TV's ship date has been pushed back to the beginning of March.

DRM Round-up

The most interesting Mac news today is from no less than Steve Jobs himself, author of an extraordinary short essay about the state of DRM in the music industry. It’s extraordinary not just because of what he says, but also the mere fact that he’s saying it this way. He must really have wanted to get this off his chest.

In the essay, Steve reveals some surprising details:

However, a key provision of our agreements with the music companies is that if our DRM system is compromised and their music becomes playable on unauthorized devices, we have only a small number of weeks to fix the problem or they can withdraw their entire music catalog from our iTunes store.

He’s also refreshingly candid about the nature of the DRM business:

The problem, of course, is that there are many smart people in the world, some with a lot of time on their hands, who love to discover such secrets and publish a way for everyone to get free (and stolen) music. They are often successful in doing just that, so any company trying to protect content using a DRM must frequently update it with new and harder to discover secrets. It is a cat-and-mouse game.

What’s more:

And Apple might benefit by charging a small licensing fee for its FairPlay DRM. However, when we look a bit deeper, problems begin to emerge. The most serious problem is that licensing a DRM involves disclosing some of its secrets to many people in many companies, and history tells us that inevitably these secrets will leak.

Finally, Jobs makes his point, and it’s the simple truth:

Though the big four music companies require that all their music sold online be protected with DRMs, these same music companies continue to sell billions of CDs a year which contain completely unprotected music. That’s right! No DRM system was ever developed for the CD, so all the music distributed on CDs can be easily uploaded to the Internet, then (illegally) downloaded and played on any computer or player.

Apple doesn’t care about DRM. Apple sees no benefit in it. If the the big four music companies could collectively see the light and agree to sell downloadable music DRM-free, just as they sell music on CDs -

Apple will embrace this wholeheartedly.

What’s Steve telling us with this open letter? Several things, I think:

He’s really annoyed with the music industry right now
He’s fed up with people moaning about iTS DRM - it’s only there because the stupid industry insisted on it. He’s tired of having to defend something he thinks is a waste of time
He wanted to say this now, to get it out in the open and get the discussion started. It couldn’t wait until the next keynote
Further comment on this:

Ian Betteridge:

If Apple is serious about wanting to sell unprotected music, then I’d be interested in know why it’s not doing so for bands and albums that have already answered Jobs’ request in the affirmative.

The Register:

But Jobs thinks this is unfair: customers are served well in the current market, by competing manufacturers, each with their own “top-to-bottom” proprietary systems, he argues.

iPodObserver:

So, his argument goes, Apple must keep FairPlay as an Apple-only solution in order to meet its obligations to the labels.

Macworld:

Why does the music industry fear DRM-free downloads? They fear file-sharing, of course–piracy. But that’s silly, because piracy is well-established by this point; we’ve had almost a solid decade of high-volume media piracy. The vast majority of the songs that you can find on iTunes and the other services are available through file-sharing networks, if you know where to look. And for every pirate site or technology that’s destroyed by a phalanx of intellectual-property lawyers, two more sprout up in its place.

This is far from being over, Jobs as sparked a mind revolution forcing the DRM issue. Remember that regardless of your opinion on the subject make sure that you voice it by sending email, snail mail or any other form of communication to the branch office or head office of your favorite record label. As a consummer you and only you have the power to ask and get what you want; Just my 2 cents ...

Samsung Announces iPhone Contender

Samsung has unveiled a new phone designed to take on Apple's iPhone, due to be released in June of this year.

Samsung's new Ultra Smart F700, will sport a touch screen interface as well as be able to play audio and video files. The unit will support a 2.78" screen with a maximum resolution of 440 x 240 pixels and measure approximately 4" in length by 2" inches in width and about 0.66" in depth..

In a released statement, the company mentioned that its unit will feature a pull-down QWERTY keyboard and support for 3G technologies, specifically the HSDPA protocol (which features speeds of 7.2 megabits per second) as opposed to the iPhone's slower supported EDGE protocol.

Apple Store Planned for Australia

Apple Inc. has plans for expanding its retail presence into Australia with one store in Sydney, and possibly a second in Melbourne.

March will see OSX 10.5, iLife '07, and iWork '07

Development of Mac OS X 10.5 is wrapping up faster than many at Apple even anticipated, and at present, a release can be expected as early as late March same goes for iLife and iWork '07.

Two Bucks for 100 Mbps 802.11n Enabler

The AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n is now shipping. The software enabler required to update existing Macs that have 802.11n technology built in is included with the base station, and can now also be purchased from the Apple Store for $2 (see "Two Bucks for 100 Mbps 802.11n Enabler," 2007-01-22). All Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors (except the 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac) or Xeon processors can be updated to 802.11n, including Mac Pro desktops.

Will The Beatles be on iTunes ?

Rumors are flying that Apple may have secured the first direct-download rights to the Beatles' music catalog, and that Apple Corps. will launch the music on Valentine's day via the iTunes Music Store with three months of exclusive access iTunes-only access.

Apple TV Specs?

AppleInsider claims to have nailed down the specs of the recently-announced Apple TV. Along with previously known specifications, the Apple TV is said to include the following hardware assortment:

- 1 GHz Pentium M, 2 MB L2 Cache

Further more we have been following a open exchange of ideas on a "board" as to weather the new Apple TV will be running Quick Time, so far the answer is NO !

Apple Q1 2007 Financial Results Webcast

Apple will be broadcasting their Q1 2007 Financial Results on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 2pm PST (5pm EST). Apple's 1Q 2007 ran from October to December 2006, and there are some indications that Apple's iPod and MacBook products did extremely well....

The Apple iPhone: One More Thing...

Where are the games...?
Maybe it's because rumours wnats that the V. of OSX that will run the iPhone is under 500 Mb
It clearly a case of Wait and See!

Early Office 2008 Screenshot Gallery Posted

The folks over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have posted a quick gallery of screenshots for Microsoft's upcoming Office 2008 programs. The gallery features images of the new look, updated core art graphics and shows improvements in Excel as well.

Gaming News

Blizzard Entertainment released Tuesday the long-awaited Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft, the company's amazingly successful MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). The expansion officially hit stores shelves Tuesday morning, with many retail stores holding midnight sales for those who couldn't wait. Add a few more days if you are in Canada...

Freeverse today announced that it is making the hit game, Wingnuts: Temporal Navigator a free download for the Mac community. See how the Wingnuts saga began and witness the first appearance of the diabolical, (and slightly off-kilter) Baron Von Schtopwatch in this Mac arcade classic. With over 30 levels of action, Wingnuts will provide hours of free fun for all Mac gamers. Ian Lynch Smith, President of Freeverse said, "The original Wingnuts is a great game, and we're very pleased to be giving it away to Mac users everywhere. We've had a great year, and we just want to say a big thanks for all the support we've gotten from the Mac community". A trailer for Wingnuts can be viewed here: www.apple.com/games/trailers/wingnuts/
The game can be downloaded from the Wingnuts 2: Raina's Revenge page here: www.freeverse.com/wn2/

Also from Freeverse an update to Lineform, the drawing and illustration program for Mac OS X. A Universal application, Lineform is designed for artists looking for a more manageable and less costly modern alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Lineform is the recipient of a 2006 Apple Design Award.

And finnaly and still from Freeverse, announcement that Paul Davidson of Japan, has won the $1,000 grand prize in the Lineform Art Contest. The contest, to create the best work of art using only the Lineform Mac drawing application was first announced on November 14th. The grand prize winning entry as well as the runner's up can be viewed here:
http://www.freeverse.com/lineform/contest/

Lineform is a light, intuitive, and lightning-fast Universal vector drawing program. It is a professional tool that rivals the power of Adobe Illustrator at a fraction of the weight, learning-curve and expense.

More information on Lineform and links to download the trial version may be found at:
http://www.freeverse.com/lineform/

Adobe Illustrator CS3 shaping up to be most significant release in years

Yes it's all true Adobe will release it's new flag ship application Illustrator CS3 very soon, stay tuned for more....

Apple to release iWork '07

Apple's launch of iWork '07 next week is expected to be touted as one of the company's more significant product launches of the year, most notably due to the addition of a new spreadsheet application.

Microsoft Office get up date

Microsoft last week released Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.3. The update improves security throughout the suite; improves compatibility with Rich Text Format (RTF) documents created with Office Word 2003 for Windows; corrects calculation of standard deviation in PivotTable reports within Excel 2004; fixes an issue in Entourage 2004 that caused events after 11-Mar-07 to be displayed.

Bare Bones release multiple up dates

Bare Bones Software released updates to three of its applications. The company's flagship text editor BBEdit 8.6 improves Java and TeX handling, and adds support for the Markdown structured text format (which we use to produce TidBITS), including text coloring, folding of document structural elements, and previewing the results within BBEdit. Great Stuff!

iPhone is so great; Yes but.....

Yeah we where amoung the many that went "ho the iPhone is so great " when presented by Steve Jobs, now that the dust has settle here is a few pluses and minus about the proverbial product:

Pluse
- Ahead of it's time
- Slick design make it to look nothing like a phone
- Running OSX
- Sensors, sensors, sensors
- The after market will soar with cases and accessories
- Every major will publish a book e. i. iPhone the missing manual
- WiFi BlueTooth
- 4:3, 16:9 Ratio

Minus
- Not a Word about it's Canadian entry
- Looks nothing like a phone: we wonder how it's gonna feel on a long conversation
- The batteries; 5 hours ? Here we go again....
- Will it become as complicated as the iPod when the batteries die to get it service?
- And at what cost?
- Sensors are notorious to get out of wack if bumped or drop.....
- If the basic model is $499 USD imagine how it will translate in CDN Dollars.....
- It also means that when the batteries are dead you will loose access to everything; cell phone, Music etc.
- If you loose it or it gets stolen it also means you loose everything...
- Can you let's say lock the unit like a cell phone or a iPod.....

Autodesk Releases Maya 8.5

Universal Binary update adds Python scripting, Nucleus module
by Dave Nagel Autodesk today releases Maya 8.5, the long-awaited Universal Binary update to the high-end 3D suite. The new version also adds in some workflow, performance, scripting and creative enhancements. It ships today, with a Personal Learning Edition set to follow in the spring.

TUNEWEAR announces "PRIE TUNEWALLET micro"

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro is a smart and stylish leather carrying case
designed to keep your iPod nano together with the cash and cards you
need for an active life. As with all TUNEWEAR cases, this case has
high-quality stitching and the soft nappa leather will become even
softer with age. It matches both casual and formal styles. PRIE
TUNEWALLET micro is designed for use with both iPod nano 1G and 2G.

The card pocket inside can fit approximately 15-20 business cards.
Alternatively, this space could also be used for holding credit
cards, membership cards or cash. The case folds back for easy access
to the pocket. The shape of the case allows you to wrap your earphone
cables around it for easy storage when not in use. KeepTUNEWALLET
micro in your bag or put it on your desk and the next time you are
ready to listen your earphone cables will be tangle-free.

With your iPod nano tucked away inside of TUNEWALLET micro, you still
retain complete control of all click wheel functions. Likewise, the
iPod nano screen is unobstructed. For added protection against small
scratches and dirt, TUNEFILM screen and click wheel transparent
protective film protection is included.

An eyelet hole on the side of the case gives you the option of using
a wallet chain to attach your case to a belt loop on your pants.
(chain not included)

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro is available in 4 color models: B/R (black
leather/red stitch), B/W (black leather/white stitch), W/W (white
leather/white stitch), and Sienna (caramel brown leather/golden
yellow stitch).

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro
http://www.tunewear.com/english/product/tunewallet_micro/

TUNEWEAR announces "PRIE TUNEWALLET micro"

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro is a smart and stylish leather carrying case
designed to keep your iPod nano together with the cash and cards you
need for an active life. As with all TUNEWEAR cases, this case has
high-quality stitching and the soft nappa leather will become even
softer with age. It matches both casual and formal styles. PRIE
TUNEWALLET micro is designed for use with both iPod nano 1G and 2G.

The card pocket inside can fit approximately 15-20 business cards.
Alternatively, this space could also be used for holding credit
cards, membership cards or cash. The case folds back for easy access
to the pocket. The shape of the case allows you to wrap your earphone
cables around it for easy storage when not in use. KeepTUNEWALLET
micro in your bag or put it on your desk and the next time you are
ready to listen your earphone cables will be tangle-free.

With your iPod nano tucked away inside of TUNEWALLET micro, you still
retain complete control of all click wheel functions. Likewise, the
iPod nano screen is unobstructed. For added protection against small
scratches and dirt, TUNEFILM screen and click wheel transparent
protective film protection is included.

An eyelet hole on the side of the case gives you the option of using
a wallet chain to attach your case to a belt loop on your pants.
(chain not included)

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro is available in 4 color models: B/R (black
leather/red stitch), B/W (black leather/white stitch), W/W (white
leather/white stitch), and Sienna (caramel brown leather/golden
yellow stitch).

PRIE TUNEWALLET micro
http://www.tunewear.com/english/product/tunewallet_micro/

TUNEWAVE FM TUNEWEAR announces the "TUNEWAVE FM"

TUNEWEAR(tm) announces the "TUNEWAVE FM" complete FM transmitter set
for the iPod series for use in the car, outdoors and at home.
TUNEWAVE FM will be available in February 2007

TUNEWAVE FM is the complete FM transmitter set for the iPod. Included
are a FM transmitter, 12V car charger adapter and USB charging and
syncing cable.

The high quality FM transmitter lets you play an iPod wirelessly on
a car stereo, home stereo or outdoor portable radio. It's easy to
use. Just plug the FM transmitter into the dock connector on your
iPod and tune it to an FM radio frequency. Use the dial on the side
of the TUNEWAVE FM transmitter to fine-tune to the nearest 0.1 MHz
frequency (between 88.1 to 107.9 MHz). The blue LED backlight makes
it easy to see when using at night or in dark places.

The 12V car charger adapter with USB cable allows for charging the
iPod from a 12V cigarette lighter socket. Charging the iPod and
listening to music at the same time means that you can enjoy the
iPod on a long drive and keep the battery fully charged when you
reach your destination. Inside the car charger is a safety fuse for
protecting your iPod against power surges.

With the USB cable you can also connect the iPod to a computer
without removing the TUNEWAVE FM transmitter. Use the USB cable to
charge the iPod and sync it with your computer.

TUNEWAVE FM connects via the iPod dock connector and is compatible
for use with iPod 5G, iPod nano (1G and 2G), iPod 4G, iPod color
display, iPod photo, iPod mini and iPod 3G*.

*Note that the FM transmitter is compatible with iPod 3G models but
the 12V car charger adapter and USB cable are not compatible for
charging iPod 3G.

TUNEWAVE FM
http://www.tunewear.com/english/product/tunewave_fm/

MyTVpal.com officially launches broadband video on demand service for TV

MyTVPal.com is ready to launch a new video on demand service for TV starting with “North America’s Best Independent
Animated Shorts”. The 84 minute animated short compilation feature film will be made available free for a limited time via user paid targeted advertising has started on January 1st.

MyTVPAL.com delivers DVD and HD quality streaming movies instantly on demand via a high definition IMX 1020 HD set top box directly to a television set. No downloading or PC is required in this process.

Unlike most movie download service providers that only offer sub- DVD quality picture and sound not compatible with most home theater receivers, MyTVPal.com will provide full DVD 720X480 resolution for standard definition video with AC3 sound – thus delivering the DVD home theater experience over the Internet. This service is currently being made available in North America to anyone with a broadband connection.

MyTVPAL.com is now also making available 100 movie trailers prior to the release of its movie subscription package offering
coming in January 2007. Titles include Born To Win staring Robert De Niro, If Tomorrow Comes starring James Franco, Wake
starring Martin Landau and Gale Harold, and classic thrillers like Night of the Living Dead, and Corrupt Lieutenant staring Harvey Keitel. These films along with many other titles can be viewed for a low monthly subscription fee.

MyTVPal.com is aiming to be the largest video service provider in North America with a goal of obtaining up to 100,000 DVD quality and High Definition video titles and producing a channel line-up that will range from 700 to 1000 plus channels. This will include sports, news, music, entertainment, film, and other programming genres from around the world. On the backend, MyTVPal.com is planning to scale service to millions of users by using MatrixStream’s patent pending xms video on demand technology in 34 data centers across the US connected via a fiber network. Those interested in taking a test run may download a free PC Player at www.mytvpal.com.
For more information please visit www.matrixstream.com.

Safari Tricks

We all love Safari that is a given but how about a few modifier keys to help you love it even more....
Here we go:
-To force a Bookmarks entry into a new window (or tab), hold down the Command key prior to selecting the Bookmarks menu. The Command key need only be held down while you click the Bookmarks menu; once the menu is onscreen, you can release the Command key. Now when you select a bookmarked site from the menu, it will open in a new foreground window (or tab). To force it to open in the background instead, hold down Shift and Command prior to clicking on the Bookmarks menu.

Now you hae even more reasons to love Safari

Sonnet release new line of products

Sonnet Technologie release a whole new line of products. Highlight include, Tempo™ SATA E2P Serial ATA Host Adapter;
2-Port PCI Express Card Supports Up to 10 Drives, FireWire and USB Adapter Cards for PCI Express, and Fusion™ R400Q Rack Mount SATA Drive Enclosure; 4-Bay, 1U Enclosure Features Quad Interface and SATA Port Multiplier.
Find all the info. at : www.sonnettech.com

Sonnet Tempo E4P gets 4 AMUGs out of 5!

The Sonnet Tempo E4P provides a cool running, energy efficient, high performance SATA PM host adapter that passes SMART data to Mac OS X so that users can monitor hard drive temperatures and check the SMART status of their hard drives. No other 4-port SATA PM host adapter for the Apple Mac Pro currently provides all of these features. The capability of the Sonnet Tempo E4P to connect up to four SATA PM enclosures and to utilize multiple E4P cards to expand storage performance even further makes it a clear winner for Mac Pro upgrades. Mac Pro users that are looking for a hard working SATA PM host adapter that works well with individual SATA hard drives or large striped RAID sets will find the Sonnet Tempo E4P is an excellent choice.

Find out more at: http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/sonnet/mac-pro/

RadTech announces improved ScreenSavrz® for Notebooks in vibrant new colors

RadTech™, makers of iPod® and mobile computing accessories and more, today announces a significantly improved fabric composition for its industry-leading ScreenSavrz for Notebooks line of portable computer LCD display protection, cleaning and restoration solutions - now available in six vibrant new hues. These products are a must for all Lap Top owners, they are functional and great looking plus they are price to sell. See them at:
http://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreenSavrz.aspx

Econ Up-date it's line of products

Econ as just release up-date to it's fine line of products.
chronoSync, Imagecaster Daychasser and Portraits & Prints all get the Universal Binary treatments.

They are all available at : http://www.econtechnologies.com

Do yourself a favor and discover Econ fine line of products.

Quicken 2007 lacks Universal appeal

Intuit's decision to release a major update to Quicken that doesn't run natively on Intel-based Macs is a puzzling move -- and one that will have more than a few Mac users questioning the company's interest in this platform. What a Joke!

The Intel switch pays off

If you were wondering a year ago why Apple picked Intel as its processor supplier, Monday's release of the Mac Pro provided the answer. Yes it's a great time to be a Mac owner.

Leopard Sneak Peak

Apple has posted a sneak peak at Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" following the keynote demonstration at their WWDC. A few of the new features include Time Machine, Spaces and Dashcode along with updates to the current applications. Have a look.

iStopMotion supports Apple Remote

Boinx has added Apple Remote support to its iStopMotion application, which lets users capture time lapse photography or do stop motion animation the Mac. This is a great exemple of a great software made even better.

Yahoo introduces improved video service

Yahoo launched a new video search and sharing site, in hopes of capitalizing on the growing popularity of online video.

Apple cuts prices across entire Cinema Display line

Apple yesterday reduced the prices of its Cinema Display line by at least $100.

Apple issues Mac Pro security update

Apple has released a security update for its new professional Mac Pro systems, which debuted on August 7th at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Security Update 2006-004 for Mac Pro.

Mac Gaming:MacSoft to Publish Age of Empires III in September

MacSoft on Wednesday announced that it will publish the best-selling Windows game Age of Empires III for Mac OS X. Shipping at the end of September, the game will be a Universal Binary that runs on PowerPC- or Intel-based Macs. Yeah!

Adobe Updates InDesign CS2

Adobe has updated InDesign CS2 to version 4.0.4, fixing indexing, transparency, shortcuts, text, fonts, scripting, inline graphics and other problems, as well as launch issues. It can be downloaded from the company's web site.

Clunk Click Announces Online Mac Backup Service

Clunk Click announced the immediate availability of OnLine Pro for Macintosh OS X, an online data backup service, on Wednesday.

Xcode Adds 64-bit Support, More

Apple quietly updated its Xcode application development tool suite to version 2.4 during the World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. How cool is that? Very cool!

Nokia Announces Plans to Take on iTunes

Cell phone maker Nokia will launch its own online music store next year. Will it be call, iNokia ? Tunes Nikia? Good Luck!

Beta Update of Parallels Desktop Released

Parallels on Tuesday issued the Beta version of an update to Parallels Desktop for Mac, which enables Intel Mac users to run Windows within a window in Mac OS X. This is getting sick!

Voice Candy 1.1 Adds Real-time Effects

Potion Factory announced the immediate availability of Voice Candy 1.1 on Tuesday. Voice Candy applies special audio effects to the recordings on your Mac. Got to love that one.

iTunes Offers Exclusive Dylan Album

Apple and Columbia Records have teamed up to offer Bob Dylan's new album, Modern Times, as an exclusive pre-order through the iTunes Music Store; So I guess (and you can sign along) That the Time They are changing...

FontAgent Pro Update Adds Intel Mac Support

Insider Software announced FontAgent Pro 3.3 and FontAgent Pro Server 1.2 on Tuesday. The updates add native support for PowerPC and Intel-based Macs to the font management tools.

Mac Gaming :MacFun IntroducedCasual Game Site

MacFun introduced a new Web site for casual Mac gamers called MacFun.com on Monday. The site features family-friendly puzzle, strategy, word, arcade, and card games for Mac users at all skill levels. Great Concept.

2 x 2-Inch Hard Drive

SmartDisk Corp. on Monday introduced a two-by-two-inch external USB 2.0 hard drive
that comes in 6GB and 8GB capacities.

Warner to Team With Apple For Albums on DVD

Warner Music Group plans to bundle albums with videos, song remixes, ring tones, photos, and other media on DVDs, and is working with Apple to apply digital rights management (DRM) to the music, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Virtual PC is Dead, Universal Version of Messenger on the Way

Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit (MBU) on Monday said in a statement provided that it "has made the decision not to move forward with a Universal version of Virtual PC at this time." In addition, it said that Microsoft Messenger for Mac 6.0, shipping "later this year," will be its first Universal Binary application.

Apple Debuts More New Leopard Features

In addition to Time Machine, Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" promises a slew of other new features, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who outlined some of them during his WWDC keynote Monday morning. They include Boot Camp, better Spotlight searching, virtual desktops, CoreAnimation, Universal Access improvements, and Mail, iChat, and Dashboard improvement.

Apple's New Time Machine

Apple is adding a powerful new file backup and restoration feature to Mac OS X 10.5 called Time Machine.

Apple Announces Intel-based Xserve

Apple announced the Intel-based replacement for the Xserve during Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote presentation on Monday.

Apple Intros the Mac Pro

Apple on Monday unveiled the G5 Power Mac successor, the Intel-powered Mac Pro, during CEO Steve Jobs' keynote to kick off this week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)

Aple Release Security update

Apple last week posted Security Update 2006-004, which patches a number of potential vulnerabilities. Some updated components include AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) Server, Bluetooth Setup Assistant, Bom (which handles archive files), fetchmail, and gunzip. A number of image-related problems have been addressed as well that could enable malformed images to crash the computer or execute code. Also, changes in LaunchServices, OpenSSH, telnet, and WebKit deal with connecting to malicious servers

Flying Meat releases VoodooPad 3

Flying Meat today announced the release of VoodooPad 3.0, the latest version of its desktop wiki and note taking application. New features in this release include: tabs, full screen editing, palettes, search improvements, support for super big documents, Linkback, embedding PDFs and other files, script plugins, custom shortcuts, merging and splitting documents, custom text styles, and more. In addition, the company is now offering VoodooPad 3.0 Pro, which offers triggers, custom meta data pages, a built in Web server for sharing documents with friends or co-workers, and document level encryption.

Sid Meier's Civilization IV for Mac Hits Store

Aspyr Media today announced Sid Meier's Civilization IV for Mac has arrived in retail stores. The title was developed for the Mac by Aspyr Studios, Aspyr's internal development team, under license from 2K Games. "Sid Meier's Civilization IV comes-to-life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world that expands the gameplay experience. This latest installment takes the franchise to new heights with the addition of new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization, all-new easy to use mod capabilities and various multiplayer modes and options." Civilization IV for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later.

Extensis releases Suitcase Fusion Universal

Extensis today released a free update to Suitcase Fusion, the company's next-generation, single-user font manager. This update adds native support for Intel-based Macs and PowerPC systems. It also adds support for Apple's Migration Assistant and enhanced AppleScript support for Suitcase Fusion. Additionally, Suitcase Fusion now includes a Competitive Products Manager feature for eliminating unexpected font management issues and has added a Transportable Font Vault for empowering moveable backups of a user's font library, including custom metadata. Suitcase Fusion 12.1 is immediately available via download from the Extensis Web site, and is free of charge for registered Suitcase Fusion users.

Quick Bytes for June 29

Jobs to Keynote WWDC '06, Preview Leopard

Announced in a press release this morning, Steve Jobs will headline a group of Apple's top brass to preview OS X 10.5 "Leopard" at the Worldwide Developer's Conference beginning at 10:00 a.m. PDT on August 7.

Intel Quietly Ships 2.33 GHz Core Duo

Intel has begun shipping Core Duo T2700 series (2.33 GHz), the company's latest and greatest "Yonah" derived CPU (via DailyTech). It is currently expected that this will be the last Core Duo release before the mobile Core 2 Duo. Still no sign of a 3 GHz Core Duo....

Leopard To Include iChat-To-Phone?

According to AppleInsider, iChat 4.0 (to be included with Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard") will include the capability to call traditional phone lines, much like existing VoIP top-dog Skype and betas from Microsoft and Google.

MIT Tech Review Reports a A Record-Breaking Camera Chip

This new imaging advance packs 100 million pixels into a picture.

Apple Starts eMac Repair Program

Apple recently launched a special repair program for eMacs that are suffering from video and power-related problems.

Microsoft to Enter Business Phone Market

Microsoft plans to extend its reach into the business telephone market as early as June 2007.
Imagine; "Your call could not be completed since you need to up date your software to Service Pack 2" Just a joke!
With Bill staying at home now, he needs more than ever to call the "Office" Again just a joke!

Mac Gaming News - Aspyr Ships Civilization IV

Aspyr Media, Inc. announced that it has started shipping the strategy game Civilization IV.

Marware Protection Pack for MacBook Available

Marware announced the immediate availability the Protection Pack for Apple's new MacBook on Tuesday. A smart package for smart MacBook owners.

France Charges Virgin with Music Piracy

A French court has found Virgin guilty of selling a song online without permission of the copyright holder. Here we go again, it's seems that it's the story of Virgin since it's creation...

PDFpen, ChronoSync, iSync See Updates

SmileOnMyMac, Econ Technologies, and Nova Media on Wednesday updated their PDFpen, ChronoSync, and iSync plug-in applications.

QuickTime 7.1.2 Update Addresses iDVD Issue

The update notes say simply that QuickTime 7.1.2 addresses an issue previewing iDVD projects.Apple is still, however, recommending the update for all QuickTime 7 users. The update is 51.4MB, and can be found through the Software Update control panel.

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.4.7

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.7 Tuesday evening, delivering numerous improvements and fixes to the operating system. Meanwhile, Apple's first Intel-based Xserve may be announced in the very near future.

Apple to play integral role in Best Buy Mac sales

Apple will staff Best Buy locations selling its computers with its own employees in a similar fashion as the company has done with its displays at many CompUSA stores.

FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced arriving soon with Intel support

FileMaker, Inc. is currently wrapping up development of FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced, sources familiar with the application's plans have disclosed. The upgrade will mark the first Universal Binary of the database application, a feature the Apple subsidiary originally planned for version 9.

Apple Moving Fast on the Stain Book Problem?

AppleInsiderStainBook problem we reported a few weeks back.


Report about one MacBook owner took complaints about his notebook's discoloration and "odd fan noises" directly to an employee at the company's Brea, Calif. retail store and was pleasantly surprised with the response.

"He didn't even look at the MacBook to see the discolorations, he just gave me a new one," the customer wrote in a post on Apple's MacBook support forums. "I was so impressed that I used the money I was planning on using to pay restocking fees and invested into the applecare 3 year warranty."

It's good to see Apple addressing this. Hopefully, the next revision just won't have the problem, period. It's not like this is new -- I had a G3 iBook 900 Mhz that did the same thing. Remember -- non-acetone nail polish remover.

Apple's Pro Applications Updated

Apple today released numerous updates to its Pro Applications via its Software Update Utility, and on the Web.

GarageGames releases Torque Game Builder

GarageGames today announced the release of Torque Game Builder and Torque Game Builder Pro for Windows and Mac OS X platforms. "Built upon the definitive technology of the popular 3D Torque Game Engine, Torque Game Builder features animated sprites, flexible tiles, special effects system, state-of-the-art collision, real world physics, and hardware-accelerated 2D rendering. Combined with these powerful features, the easy-to-use editors for interface creation, effects, tiles, level building, and packaging make Torque Game Builder approachable by anybody with the desire and drive to make a game.

Apple Post iPhoto 6.0.4 Update

Apple has posted iPhoto 6.0.4 via its Software Update utility and on the Web. This update to iPhoto contains a variety of new Greeting Card and Postcard themes for use with Apple print services, including invite and thank you card designs for summer parties, weddings, birthdays, etc.

Avid to ship new Media Composer family June 21

Avid Technology today announced that it expects to ship the new family of Media Composer products on Wednesday, June 21. Introduced in April at NAB 2006, the new Media Composer family is now available to editors in a range of configurations, including a software-only application, which offers portability and the option to add hardware acceleration as required. All products in the Media Composer family feature version 2.5 software, which delivers improved dual-platform functionality, with the addition of broad HD capabilities and real-time multi-cam support on Mac OS X.

Civilization IV for Mac shipping June 26

Aspyr Media today announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization IV for Mac (US$49.99) will begin shipping on June 26.

Opera 9 Web browser released

Opera Software today announced the release of Opera 9, the latest version of its free Web browser.

Apple releases Shake 4.1 Universal, lowers price

Apple today announced the release of Shake 4.1, the first Universal version of its compositing software, and cut its price substantialy.

Apple in talks to offer movies at iTunes

According to a story in Daily Variety yesterday, Apple is in talks with most of Hollywood's studios to offer movie downloads on iTunes, notes Reuters. "Citing unnamed sources, Variety said iTunes might begin offering film downloads by the end of 2006, but currently a price on iTunes is a sticking point in negotiations. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs is said to want one flat price of US$9.99 per movie, whereas studio executives want a range of prices that mirrors videos and DVDs.

iListen Goes Mac Universal Binary

iListen goeas Universal Mac Binary with the release of Version 1.7 of this Speech Recognition, and it still comes bundle with a noise canceling microphone.

Quick Bytes for June 19

Parallels Desktop released for Intel Macs

Parallels Inc. has released virtualization software for Intel-based Macs. The product, called Parallels Desktop, is designed to enable newer Macs to run Windows and other operating systems concurrently with Mac OS X.

Rumors goes wild about info. leak regarding new iPod

Hon Hai exec spills beans about new "none-touch" iPod
An article in the China Post quotes Terry Gou, Chairman of Hon Hai (one of Apple's major manufacturing partners), as saying that Apple is about to release a new iPod line which will make use of a "none-touch" concept. This was not clarified but sounds like it could possibly be referring to a new iPod . Again it's a wait and see situation.

Colorado Rockies use iPod to win Games

Here is an interesting read on CNN about how the Colorado Rockies baseball team uses the Video iPod to help them win games. Check it out here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/06/16/ipod.homework.ap/index.html

The Omni Group Debuts OmniDazzle Mouse Cursor Enhancer

The Omni Group have introduced OmniDazzle, a collection of mouse pointer plug-ins that enable users to illuminate a section of their display with a virtual flashlight, leave pixie dust trails behind them as they work, and more. A demo is available.

iListen 1.7 Adds Intel Mac Support

MacSpeech announced the immediate availability of iListen 1.7 on Monday.

Skin Teams with Paramount Pictures to Release Nacho Libre Skins for the iPod

iSkin Inc., a leading provider of iPod accessories, proudly presents two limited Special Edition Nacho Libre iSkins to accompany the exciting summer release of the Paramount Pictures'/Nickelodeon Movies' film, Nacho Libre. The sleek silicone Nacho Libre skins for the iPod nano and iPod Video features designs based on the movie's colorful lucha libre inspired graphics.

Constructed of water- and scratch-resistant silicone high-grade, in black/red and light blue/red versions of the successful eVo3 and iSkin Duo designs, the Nacho Libre iSkin protectors are precision molded to provide fun, form-fitting protection and style to enhance the look of the iPod nano and iPod Video. Color-coordinated earphones will also be available at the online store. The Nacho Libre iSkin protectors offer ultra-clear screen protectors to safeguard the user's iPod screen and smooth scrolling. Also included is a removable rotary belt clip to keep the iPod firmly secured to the user during even the wildest tag team match.

Nacho Libre stars Jack Black as Ignacio (Nacho), a cook by day in a Mexican orphanage, who moonlights as a Lucha Libre wrestler to raise money for the orphans in this comedy from the creators of "Napoleon Dynamite" and the writer of "The School of Rock."

"Nacho Libre will introduce filmgoers to the popular world of Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling, with its masked luchadores. Fans will have great fun with these Special Edition Nacho Libre iSkins which are inspired by this extraordinary film," said Rina Espiritu, Marketing and Special Projects Manager at iSkin.

Additional product information can be found online. Visit www.nacholibre.com and www.iSkin.com

Inside Mac and Mac Minute to Deliver "Inside Mac Minute" Radio Program

Inside Media Networks (http://www.insidemedianetworks.com) a new media broadcast, consulting, and
digital production company serving entrepreneurial content producers, today
launches a daily Macintosh technology radio news program and Podcast in
partnership with Stan Flack’s http://www.macminute.com website. Inside Mac
Minute will be hosted by industry veteran producer, Dina Orlando. Dina joins
the Inside Media Networks team as Executive Producer of Inside Mac Radio &
TV. She will also join Scott Sheppard, CEO and Executive Producer of all
Inside Media Networks original content programs, as news anchor for the
Inside Mac Weekly Radio program heard live on San Francisco Bay Area’s
1220-KNTS station each Saturday and Sunday from 1-3PM Pacific Standard Time.