Appletell | Apple, Mac, iPhone, iPod | News, Rumors, Reviews, How-Tos

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod/iPad product updates and announcements for February 5, 2010:

• Macintosh
• iPod

Macintosh

• Ashlar-Vellum has announced the release of Service Pack 2 for Graphite version 8, their software for 2D/3D precision wireframe drafting. Graphite offers extremely powerful, precision wire-frame drafting with the elegant ease-of-use that makes it productive even when only used occasionally. Running on Mac and Windows, Graphite provides an interface that lets creative people get the job done without worrying about how to run their software.
• CoreMelt has announced there is only only three days left in their Show Us Your Pixels Competition. Submissions will be accepted until end of business on the 8th February 2010. Winners will be chosen on Feb 10th 2009. The Grand Prize winner will be chosen randomly from the five best entrants in each category of entrant. The grand prize is a Sumatran Adventure Trek with Rainforest Rescue to help support their rainforest salvation projects.
• Walrus Group LLC, has announced they have extended their distinct approach to presentation themes into Microsoft’s PowerPoint software, launching a new website, OfficeDocsPro, and announcing the immediate availability of five premium themes for PowerPoint 2008. The five inaugural OfficeDocsPro Themes are built for THMX, the newest PowerPoint theme standard and first introduced in Microsoft Office 2007 and Office:Mac 2008.
• TypeDNA will introduce the world’s first standalone creative font plug-ins developed specifically for Adobe’s CS suite. TypeDNA’s Plugged-in solution seamlessly integrates directly into Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, significantly enhancing font capabilities. During installation each font is analyzed, characteristics are determined and from this data a unique signature is generated. The easy to use interface provides several unique tools that complement the design process. Tools include “Similar Fonts (find fonts by similarity)”, “Font Harmony” (find header and body font combinations), “Attribute Filters” (filter by weight, width, optical size and italic angle) and SmartChoice (let SmartChoice help choose a font).
• With screen sharing, Mac users can control the mouse and keyboard of one computer while sitting at another computer across the room or on the other side of the world. In a new ebook, Take Control of Screen Sharing in Snow Leopard, networking expert Glenn Fleishman walks readers through the steps for identifying, configuring, and using the screen-sharing option that best meets their needs. For those who want to get the most out of Apple’s MobileMe-based Back to My Mac file- and screen-sharing feature, Fleishman has also written a companion ebook, “Take Control of Back to My Mac.”
• Primera Technology, Inc., has announced its BravoPro Xi-Series Disc Publishers (DP-PRO Xi-Series in Europe, Scandinavia and Middle East). BravoPro Xi-Series Disc Publishers are new and improved versions of Primera’s award-winning BravoPro Disc Publishers. With their built-in high-speed recorders, direct-to-disc printing and fast robotics, these desktop units automate the process of burning and printing quantities of CDs and DVDs.

iPhone/iPod/iPad

• Digiarty Software has announced Pigs vs. Wolves 1.0, an addictive TD game for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Pigs vs. Wolves presents a new generation TD game in the 2D world with unexpected challenges. adopt different strategies to defense the wolves’ attack for each level by generating gold coin, choosing characters, using defensive props, and more. Fifteen species of pigs are involved in this war, each with a unique play style.
• SoundTouch Interactive has released Sound Touch 1.01 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This is a brand new app offering a precious looking interface that little kids love. Using audio, images and photographs, Sound Touch teaches small children about the sounds of life without them realizing they’re being educated. There are three categories; animals, transportation and musical instruments and each has twelve different items within their category.
• FlySoft has released SMS-BOX for Lovers 1.3 for iPhone and iPod Touch users and people in love. The app contains cards and SMS messages for every occasion and has a selection of more than 500 sentimental, funny and sexy notes, along with many other categories. It comes with dozens of cards and hundreds of ready-made messages covering pretty much any situation or occasion. SMS-BOX for Lovers is perfect for quickly and easily expressing loving sentiments on St. Valentine’s Day.
• Kylinworks has released Cube Master 1.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The app provides regular gameplay as well as step-by-step instruction and a tutorial for those interested in learning to master the often frustrating Rubik’s Cube. The Cube Master interface offers hints that follow a user’s moves, so successful completion of the puzzle is possible. The app can forecast plays based on where the puzzle is at that moment then guide the player forward.
• Oceanarc Ltd. has released MusiDash 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users who like listening to music. The multi-utility app has amazing graphics which mimic a car dashboard, while providing an easy method of finding and playing music while on the move. MusiDash functions go beyond the obvious by also displaying on one screen the current time, the device’s battery charge level and signal strength.
• Digiarty Software has announced Graves Robber 1.0, a brand new 3D RPG zombies-shooting game for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Graves Robber is designed with a silky smooth 3D environment, featuring different control schemes to suit your style. The Intuitive touch-screen controls and dazzling burst effect will bring you to a real war between Sara and the zombies. Multiple powerful weapons and equipment are provided for you to increase your attack and defense ability.
• Interactive Studio has released Let’s Discover Animals 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This app is new, offering a fun way for toddlers twelve months and older to learn what twenty different animals look and sound like, as well as how to name them in one or all three available languages - English, French or Spanish. Let’s Discover Animals is also good to use for some extra cuddle time with little ones.
• Houdah Software has announced ACTRocket 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. ACTRocket is a web search accelerator. It allows for quickly searching the web as well as individual web sites. Through the use of shortcuts, it makes selecting a search engine easy and fast. ACTRocket comes pre-configured with many popular search engines as well as a large selection of web sites. You may add your own favorites and assign shortcuts too.
• Humble Daisy has highlighted a new article documenting how to use SonicPics to easily post trip reports from Macworld Expo 2010. SonicPics is their new tool for creating and narrating custom photo slide shows. It makes it easy to add images from the iPhone’s photo library or camera, arrange the photos however you would like, and then record a voiceover narrating the images as you swipe through them.
• Isayonline Services has announced Mario and Friends, a very simple application that allows you to play sounds from video games from the 90s on your iPhone. Nostalgia guaranteed. Mario and Friends distinguishes itself from the similar apps by offering sounds from various games (about sixty) such as Super Mario Bros, Mario 64, Mario Kart, Street Fighter, and the classic Zelda. The app will continue to evolve depending on user requests (they are working to add Sonic sounds for the next update).
• EasyMix hiphop is the only mixer or DJ application on Apple’s App Store that allows anybody to mix high quality and professional sounds on iPhone/iPod touch for just 99 cents. No music or computer skills needed, it will get your friends dancing to your mix in no time.
• Tatem Games and Geleos Media Inc. have announced the release of iGibbets game for iPhone/iPod touch.  It’s easy, entertaining and exciting game. You’ll have to make an effort to save people’s life. You would just need accuracy, skills and unique logical experience. The controls are very simple: put your finger on the bow and direct the arrow to the required point. Sounds easy but time is limited. Go ahead!
• Nuclear Nova today announced updates to both its GL Golf and Rocket Golf franchise. GL Golf is now on its tenth major revision, which adds the option to download six new courses. In addition, GL Golf now offers a new method to read putting greens, and takes up 20% less hard disk space. Rocket Golf also adds an additional course and improves thirteen previous holes. Both games have had numerous minor enhancements and minor bugs fixed.
• Cute Logic has released Lexo and Lexo LE, fun and addictive word games for iPhone and iPod touch. Lexo features simple, yet challenging gameplay in which players unscramble mixed up letters to reveal a hidden word. Players can choose between four different game modes and can opt to play with words from 3 difficulty levels. Lexo tracks the player’s progress and can display a host of statistics as they work their way through the game.