Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPhone , iPod touch , iDevice Apps , Mac Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod/iPad product updates and announcements for March 4, 2010: Macintosh iPod Macintosh app4mac has released Projector 2.0.8 , an update to their powerful project management application for Mac OS X. Projector provides all the tools you need for professional project management. It is designed to keep track of tasks and calculate a project’s cost. Projector is an easy-to-learn, cost-effective tool that simplifies project scheduling. Projector is also coming soon on iPad and iPhone. Cocoamug Software has released CosmoPod 4.2.1 , an update to their bright application for Mac OS X. CosmoPod is a one-click simple extension to Apple Safari browser that helps you saving and converting internet media content to your Mac, iPhone, AppleTV or iPod. It’s just like an extra Download window for your media. CosmoPod supports most popular web video formats, including FLV, DivX, WMV, MMS, RM, and RTSP. This update mainly improves the application capability to easily import DVD.

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Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPhone , iPod touch , iDevice Apps , Mac Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod/iPad product updates and announcements for March 1, 2010: Macintosh iPod Macintosh Divine Fiat has announced The Complete Set , their entire collection of high quality themes for Apple’s Keynote presentation software. All 14 themes are now available for 60% off the individual theme set price. This is a collection representing great variety and value. Every theme comes in both standard and Widescreen formats. Each theme also includes extras such as fully customizable icon objects, custom texture and color palates and video tutorials. SimpleLeap Software has released Cram 1.3.4 , an update to its popular flashcard and multiple-choice testing study app for Mac OS X. Cram is perfect for students, teachers, or anyone else looking to prepare for any subject matter on their Mac with flashcards and practice multiple-choice tests. Cram features multiple study modes, and the ability to share test material with friends. Version 1.3.4 updates with new easy installer and minor bug fixes. Keynote Zone has announced KeynoteZone Collection 7 . All the best of Keynote Zone themes are now available for special price. Keynote Zone Collection 7 includes seven HD version themes.

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Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPhone , iPod touch , iDevice Apps , Mac Software , Originals Macintosh and iPhone/iPod/iPad product updates and announcements for February 18, 2010: Macintosh iPod Macintosh Calf Trail Software, LLC has released Photon Star 1.0 , a helper application for iPhoto that lets a user rate pictures via a surprisingly efficient process. Designed for use with an Apple remote or keyboard, its workflow provides a fast and fun way to help users better enjoy their best pictures. The user may choose an iPhoto album containing unrated photos, and Photon Star presents the photos in an uncluttered rating interface that may even be made full screen. SeedCode has introduced their new calendar extension for FileMaker Pro 10 . Their fastest calendar yet, this is also their most portable and is easily pasted into your own FileMaker file. The popular calendar is now completely rewritten to take advantage of FileMaker 10. The calendar’s graph and layouts are now simple enough under the hood to paste into your own file, while adding the sophisticated behaviors that users expect in a professional scheduling solution. iPhone/iPod/iPad Toktumi, Inc., has announced that the VoIP-enabled version of its calling app Line2 , Version 2.0, has been approved by Apple and is now available on iTunes to new and existing customers. Line2’s Wi-Fi capabilities allow international travelers to place and receive calls while overseas without incurring voice or data roaming charges. Using Line2, Calls to any number back home will be free, as will calls to other Line2 users, wherever they are worldwide. Calls to international numbers start at $0.02 per minute, whether calling from home or abroad. Blyx comes from a universe that is colorless and dull, and the poor little bugger could use some help. This is where you come in

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Section: Rumors , iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPhone OmniVision has announced a new image sensor that reportedly really steps up the quality. The new 5 megapixel sensor can shoot in RAW with its back-illuminated CMOS design. It also has enhanced support for video, something your next iPhone would really like to have. Might I remind you that OmniVision is rumored to be supplying Apple’s next generation iPhone with a 5MP image sensor. Is this it? You might not know a thing about RAW, but you likely know you want it. RAW can be thought of like film. It needs to be processed, but it’s the best quality you’re ever going to get out of that image

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Filed under: Hardware , Rumors , Apple , Interviews As the clock ticks slowly towards the introduction of the Apple tablet, a lot of people are speculating on what the device design will be like. TUAW recently spent some time interviewing Aaron Vronko, Service Manager for RapidRepair . RapidRepair, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has repaired and provided parts for all sorts of electronic gadgetry over the last six years, but Apple iPhones and iPods make up the bulk of their business. As an expert in the technology used in Apple’s products, Vronko has gleaned information from various sources — including component suppliers, industry trends, and just plain rumors — and has come up with his best estimate of what we’ll see in an Apple tablet. What will it be used for, and what kind of OS will it run? Aaron’s comments in this area mirrored my personal thoughts about the tablet. “It just doesn’t make sense as a ‘larger iPhone’,” said Vronko. “Considering the size and the expense of the device, the tablet will need to converge towards light productivity functions and replace a netbook or compact laptop. To do this, the device must be able to run Office-type apps that are accessed in a meaningful way, and the only way a tablet can do this is through easy user input. People buy solutions, not devices, and the tablet is going to have to fulfill a need that the target market has.” Aaron continued, saying “User input will have to be the biggest surprise from Apple. Perhaps we’ll see 3D gestures for more useful input, or some sort of split on-screen touch keyboard. The virtual keyboard was the real innovation of the iPhone; the tablet needs to bring this to the next level.” Continue reading Talking tablets with Aaron Vronko of RapidRepair Talking tablets with Aaron Vronko of RapidRepair originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for December 17, 2009: Macintosh Synium Software has announced Foodurama for Mac OS X. Foodurama helps you keep track of what you eat. Not only does Foodurama log all the dishes and beverages you’ve had today, but it also suggests what to eat to ensure a balanced diet. No matter whether you’re trying to stay in shape or regain last year’s physique, Foodurama will enhance your awareness. Foodurama immediately saves all data and incorporates it in its calculations. iPresentee has released iWeb Themes for Business 6.0 to be used with Apple’s Web site building application. iWeb Themes for Business with flash is an outstanding solution, combining iWeb and Flash into one great product. The package includes five new superb themes animated with flash: Black Stallion, Business Bubble, IT Solutions, Night Club and Stage. This version also includes five ordinary themes with static backgrounds. They can be easily customized, and still retains the perfect design. Jumsoft has released Mail Stationery 3.0 , its stock of templates for Apple Mail. Mail Stationery offers 100 new, premium-quality stationery templates. In addition to the traditional line of greetings, invitations, newsletters and other purpose-oriented categories, users will find two fresh sets with distinct design themes; Ink Sense and Cardboard Gallery. Designed specifically for Apple’s e-mail program, the Mail Stationery series offers a creative and versatile approach to composing e-mails. Be.ez is proud to announce a new addition to their popular LArobe Allure line of protection sleeves for notebooks: LArobe Allure Red Kiss .

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It’s been a double-edged sword, this no-Flash-on-the-iPhone business. On the one hand, we don’t get the complete Internet. On the other hand, the web pages we do get are less likely to crash or drag-along at a snail’s pace. And really, who wants to see yet another “Smack the monkey” banner ad? Just as we bemoaned the lack of MMS functionality, some of us complain endlessly about the absence of Flash support on the iPhone. But following a demonstration at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference, it looks like we may see that software giant’s Flash competitor, Silverlight, appearing on the iPhone in the not too distant future. Reporting for Betanews.com , Scott Fulton writes: It was an impressive demonstration, once they got it working: H.264 video streaming wirelessly (and slowly, at least during the caching sequence) using Microsoft’s Silverlight video streaming, to an Apple iPhone… You’d think Apple would have stood firm against Microsoft at least as aggressively as it has against Adobe, if not more so. How did this happen? We asked Microsoft User Experience Platform Manager Brian Goldfarb last week at PDC 2009, and the answer was a huge surprise…followed by some caveats. But it contained these four amazing words: “We worked with Apple.” OK, quick recap for those of you who don’t know what Silverlight is all about. Silverlight was launched by Microsoft in 2007, and provides a toolset developers can leverage to build rich multimedia and interactivity into websites. In this sense, it’s like Adobe’s venerable Flash. But unlike Flash, Silverlight content is based on a flavor of XML which means…well, it all gets very nerdy from here on in, so I’ll stop there. The take-home message is that, for the most part, Silverlight is a more modern, powerful and less crash-tastic alternative to Flash.

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Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 25, 2009: Macintosh DataMind Srl has announced Jade Plugin 2.0 , their digital image processing plugin for Apple Aperture. Based on DataMind’s highly acclaimed digital image processing applications, Jade and Beryl, Jade Plugin implements state-of-the-art algorithms to enhance color, contrast and dynamic range and remove red-eye effect. Jade Plugin is an easy-to-use image enhancement tool that will automatically improve digital images directly in Aperture. Pariahware, Inc, has announced Shoo Apps 1.1 , an update to its menu bar utility for Mac OS X. Shoo Apps allows per-application granularity for hiding inactive applications in order to help keep your workspace uncluttered. With Shoo Apps, the user can choose to have all inactive applications hide at the same time or give each individual application its own interval. Options for hiding range from hiding immediately to not hiding at all. VolnaTech has released NimbleKit SDK , an update to their software development kit for the iPhone platform. NimbleKit allows to develop iPhone applications much quicker using just HTML and Javascript. You have good ideas for iPhone software but you don’t know Objective-C? No need to spend time learning how to use complicated tools, just start development from a template. NimbleKit is well documented and sample code is available. The developers of Mac Games have announced Zen Stones , a new release of their logic puzzle game for Apple computers. Zen Stones incorporates match three elements with strategic placement of smooth stones

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Not every touchscreen device is alike – or liked, according to new survey findings. Although 54 percent of Western European cell phone users think touchscreens are a nice idea, the number of touchscreen owners who say they’ll buy another slips below that 50-50 mark to 47 percent. Apple iPhone owners are among the device owners most

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Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 28, 2009: Macintosh IntelliScanner Corporation has announced IntelliScanner Comic Edition 200 , the smart barcode scanner and software package that automatically organizes comic book collections and other media items. It automatically identifies comic books by issue number, providing full details like the title, date, writer, penciler, inker, and more. IntelliScanner bundles an award-winning USB barcode reader and comic database software, making it easy to track and inventory collections. CTM Development has announced FoxTrot Professional Search 2.5 , an update to their popular networked document indexing and retrieval solution for Mac OS X. Developed with law firms, media and mobile professionals in mind, FoxTrot Professional Search helps locate documents and their contents using multiple categorization of search results, ranked by relevance. Utilizing the latest Cocoa technologies, the application works directly with PDF, HTML, word processing, e-mail and rich-media metadata. Xeric Design has announced EarthDesk 5.1 , an update to its award-winning, real-time dynamic desktop map for Mac OS X. EarthDesk 5 was entirely rewritten in Cocoa, adds many new features and is compatible with both Leopard and Snow Leopard. Version 5.1 adds a new cloud contrast control, fixes minor bugs and has several internal improvements. EarthDesk replaces your static desktop with an image of the Earth showing current sun, moon and city illumination, and more. ExactCODE GmbH has released ExactScan 2.8 , a major update to their modern and easy-to-use scanning software Mac OS X.

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