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

Macintosh and iPhone software updates and announcements for August 13, 2008:

• Like Thought has announced Opacity Express 1.0, their easy to use editor for screen graphics, exclusively for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Opacity Express is a slimmed down, more affordable version of Opacity. It includes most of the powerful features from Opacity—such as vectors, layers, variables and factories—in an even simpler interface. By leveraging the power of Core Animation and Quartz, Opacity Express combines all of the tools artists need to create beautiful images for icons, applications and the web.
• Techno-Grafik and Zisser Software have announced iTaskX 2.5, which provides Mac OS X users a powerful, cost-effective and MS Project compatible project management solution.
• iPresentee, a developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, has released iWeb Themes 2.0 to be used with Apple’s Web site building application, iWeb. iWeb Themes 2.0 includes five new themes: Green, Sky, Leaves, Red and Sport. The new themes join iPresentee already released iWeb Themes 1.0 and iWeb Themes for Business 1.0. Five new high quality, easy to modify, great-looking and elegant iWeb themes will help to create a website in just a few minutes.
• 65bit Software today announced the launch of the latest version of their database publishing solution for Adobe InDesign, EasyCatalog. EasyCatalog increases InDesign productivity by providing dynamic, two-way, linking of data from a CSV file, XML structure or ODBC database to text or images in InDesign documents. EasyCatalog CS3 3.0.7 adds support for a new module that allows users to work with complex, structured, data.
• Mobile phone users can now make cheap calls to the USA and Canada for just US$0.015 per minute, from anywhere in the world. This is the result of global mobile operator Truphone’s first minutes “bundle,” Tru Saver, which offers iPhone and Nokia handset owners 1,000 minutes to the USA and Canada for only US$14.99 per month.
• Revnjenz (pronounced: Rev-En-Genz) are fast, sleek, and sporty street racers that come to life once kids have entered their personalized “Secret Code,” which is hidden on the back of the collectible drivers license. Once the child reveals the “Secret Code”, they can enter it into the Revnjenz website that will then create a “virtual” version of the vehicle pictured on the front of the driver’s license. The child will then be able to enter into Revnjenz to race and play games to earn BoostBucks (virtual money) to “trick out” their ride.
• KeynoteUser has announced the release of Gradient Pack ‘08, a theme pack for lazy Keynote users. Sporting six brightly colored, gradient backed themes in all the standard, and HD presentation sizes, Gradient Pack ‘08 was built to save time. Complete with matching charts and objects, and utilizing the Keynote 08 image placeholder system, there’s no need to spend valuable time creating a look from scratch.
• Show your true colors with the new line of Naked Cases from Case-mate, now available in four different colors. The New Naked Cases include full touch-through access via an electrostatic membrane that protecs your screen, a thick acrylic shell for added protection, a sturdy “click-snap” back clasp, enlarged cutouts for easy access to controls and smoothed edges to match the contour of the new iPhone 3G.
• macProVideo.com, a leading supplier of software tutorial-videos, has announced the release of a new 3-hour Sibelius tutorial called Sibelius 101: Core Sibelius.