Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 20, 2009:

Macintosh

• Cloud Engines, Inc. has unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today, giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
• Celmaro has announced Minco 1.0, a innovative, minimalist lightweight time tracking solution for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It fully integrates with iCal and allows to write time logs in self specified formats to the file system. Minco can also visualize the daily spend time in iCal and hereby allows sharing with others. Minco comes with four standard preconfigured and customizable adapter for iCal, the file system, iChat and Adium.
• Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.5 (Leopard Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. This version adds ability to clear data detectors and QuickLook caches as well as contains many other important improvements and bug fixes. The update is highly recommended for all users of Cocktail (Leopard Edition). Cocktail is an award winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X.
• Macintosh users have been able to store “managed information”—calendars, contacts, podcasts, and so on—on their Macs for years. Today’s challenge is to sync that information to other devices and locations so that its owner can access the data anytime, anywhere. The latest addition to the Take Control series, Michael E. Cohen’s “Take Control of Syncing Data in Snow Leopard,” explains how to sync data to and from a Mac, with advice for readers who have never tried syncing before and for those who need to solve syncing problems or work in complex environments.

iPhone/iPod

• SWIMMAN, Inc., known for waterproofing the Apple iPod Shuffle, has done it again! Now SWIMMAN has waterproofed the in-line controls on Apple’s earphones for the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle, Nano, iPhone and iTouch. By waterproofing the control capsule from the inside out, SWIMMAN has taken the impressive concept of Apple Earphones with in-line controls and turned them into the ultimate all-environment accessory.
• Adamcode has released Christmas Gifts List 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. The Gifts app allows consumers to input the wish lists for everyone on their holiday shopping list, and each person can be assigned a target budget amount as well. As gifts are purchased and prices stored in the application, the easy to use interface lets you see how much money is left in the budget for each individual. Turn on the locking feature and your lists are kept secure behind a unique PIN number.
• StuckPixel, Inc. has introduced Monster Bash 1.0, their new arcade game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface, Monster Bash is a fun, challenging, and addicting game based on the classic whack-a-mole genre but adds a fresh new twist. It features both Arcade and Freeplay gaming modes, and sure to keep children and adults alike entertained for hours on end.
• IconsBerlin today released a 300 set of icons suitable for iPhone app developers. This royalty-free icon collection is similar to the App Store’s categories, and covers 24 different categories, including such genre as books, business, education, finance, games and 19 others. The right iconography prevents the app from being rejected during the app review process. Customers receive free updates of every collection extension for the period of one year after purchase.
• GoWare today released Grandma’s Remedies from Italy 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The app is favored by people looking for a cheaper, more natural way of doing everyday things. Each home remedy offers a time-honored solution to a problem, using ingredients and items that most people have on hand. Although Grandma’s Remedies may be Old World, every one of them can still be easily and successfully used today.
• Marware has announced free, personalized engraving is now available for the iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 2G, iPod nano 5G, and other Apple accessories purchased from the Marware Website. Marware is now offering customized case options on select products and free shipping. Custom engraving is perfect for personalizing a gift, recognizing the value of an important business relationship, or as a great corporate promotional giveaway.
• Francis Dierick has announced Reject for iPhone and iPod touch. Reject helps to stop dead-end meetings in their tracks. By violently shaking the application the user can make his opinion abundantly clear and crack up any meeting. Reject uses the power of irony to help the user make a statement. The App is mostly intended to be used in high-pressure team environments whenever the mood needs a little lightening up.
• Coladia has announced Secret of the Lost Cavern Episode 1 for iPhone and iPod touch. Secret of the Lost Cavern is an episodic adventure game that plunges the player into an inspiring journey that takes place during the Paleolithic period in prehistoric time, 15,000 years B.C. The gameplay and each puzzle were redesigned to take unique advantage of the touch capabilities of the iPhone. 3D graphics and videos were also optimized for an unparalleled visual quality on mobile devices.
• Ever wanted to step into the DJ booth and get the party started right? Then “Bust a Move”, do the “Wild Thing” and pour the “Funky Cold Medina”, as Delicious Vinyl DJ puts you in control of the dance floor.  Delicious Vinyl and Ten23 Software are proud to announce that Delicious Vinyl DJ, a new music rhythm game for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available for download exclusively on iTunes.
• In preparation for the 2010 Winter Games, Sunshine Maps Inc. has designed SeeWhistler App, an intelligent mobile map for athletes and visitors. SeeWhistler for iPhone and iPod Touch gives you interactive, fully searchable mobile access to the best that Whistler has to offer…with up-to-the-minute discounts.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 19, 2009:

Macintosh

• TheMacBundles has begun a 2-week survey of the users visiting its website so that it can gather additional feedback about the software users are most interested in. This feedback will be utilized when planning future bundles. Each week the users that choose to complete the brief survey automatically will be entered into a weekly drawing to receive a free copy of the following month’s bundle.
• Xeric Design has announced EarthDesk 5.1.1, 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 5.1.1 fixes a stubborn bug that caused partially downloaded cloud images to be displayed, resulting in a milky white area across the bottom portion of the map.
• Apimac has announced Compress Files 5.0, their compression tool for Mac OS X. Compress Files enable Mac users to create Zip compressed and encrypted files; XAR archive files, 7zip and 7zip crypted archives, TAR archives; Gzip compressed archives; Bzip2 compressed archives and compressed and encrypted disk images. The new release primarily adds Mac OS X Snow Leopard Services support letting user access via Services menu to compress and archive commands associated with files and folders.
• BKeeney Software has announced Task Timer 4.2.5, an update to their time management software for Mac OS X and Windows. Task Timer is an easy-to-use project management tool that tracks time spent on an unlimited number of projects and tasks down to the minute. Version 4.2.5 is a maintenance release for improved performance and increased functionality. The dock and status menus are now hierarchical for Mac OS X users.
• Uncomplex gmbh today released Mailplane 2.1, their popular Google Mail client for Mac OS X. Acting as a site-specific web browser for Google’s Gmail, Mailplane is a fully-fledged mail client for the desktop. It integrates the Gmail web interface into the Mac experience, offering users the best of both worlds. Version 2.1 sports new features, including multiple email signatures and support for inserting images and offline Gmail lab features.
• Agile Web Solutions has announced 1Password 3, its award-winning password and identity manager for Mac OS X. Over one year in the making, 1Password 3 is the most significant upgrade in company history, and adds over 50 fantastic new features and enhancements. These new features and enhancements were fused with a gorgeous new interface and full 64-bit support for Snow Leopard.
• Springy v1.6 is a powerful archiving utility for Mac OS X. Springy integrates seamlessly with the Mac OS X and includes some very useful features. Users are able to see the contents of an archive or disk image without extracting any file from it, and/or extract files of choice from an existing archive, as well as previewing them. All tasks can be done via Drag and Drop using Finder-alike application or through system Services Menu in Snow Leopard or Finder contextual menu plug-in Leopard and earlier.
• Electron Zen has released Quantum 1.3, a free update to its space arcade game. Quantum is a fresh new take on the classic game of Asteroids, with a black hole relentlessly pulling everything into its inky maw. The player must account for the black hole’s gravity when moving and shooting. Version 1.3 adds two new artifacts to pick up, slower ship rotation for easier aiming, and a number of gameplay tweaks. It is a free update for registered users.
• Elixir has announced Dashing, a highly polished RapidWeaver theme. Dashing provides a stylish site design with many great theme variations and stunning graphics. In a relatively short period of time, Dashing makes it easy to build a website, for business or fun. It is a great choice for creating a business site, small or large, portfolio, blog, personal site and much more.
• Tyme Machines has announced the release of its fully sculpted 3D Cullen Crest USB thumb drive. The drive has a memory capacity ranging from 4GB to 16GB and is pre-loaded with the entire official New Moon Soundtrack for easy plug and play.
• Learn how to design and develop distributed web services in Java using RESTful architectural principals and the JAX-RS specification in Java EE 6. With RESTful Java with JAX-RS by Bill Burke, you’ll focus on implementation rather than theory, and discover why the RESTful method is far better than technologies like CORBA and SOAP.

iPhone/iPod

• Modern Geek has released Our Secrets 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Our Secrets gives you access to real people’s secrets and an opportunity to share your own anonymously with the features you want. Secrets can be read by category, rating, date shared, number of comments, number of times shared and by user favorites. Is there something that you want to get off your chest? You never know what secrets you’ll read. It might be a surprise that other people share similar secrets to you.
• iStart Japanese! is the long-awaited iPhone and iPod Touch Application aimed at beginner-level learners of Japanese. The App is produced by Mirai Japanese, the Japanese-language specialists of Mirai Language Systems. There is simply no better way of learning Japanese.
• Independent game developer group Touch Foo today released Soosiz 1.1, a free version of its highly acclaimed 2D platforming game. In Soosiz, the player assumes the role of a hero, running and jumping around different surfaces and obstacles, rescuing his friends, killing monsters and collecting coins. Since its release in October, Soosiz has received glowing reviews by critics and many have already titled it as one of the best platforming games for the iPhone and iPod touch.
• RaiX UG has released 3D Aquarium 1.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. This ultra realistic and interactive app is the perfect solution for people who don’t have the time, room or money for a live pet. It’s also a good way to ‘test the waters’ before taking on the responsibility of pet ownership. With a choice of three different aquariums and various fish and fish tank accessories, users get a very life-like experience, which includes the feeding and caring of their virtual fish.
• Plaid World Studios LLC has announced Mouse House 2, the sequel to the popular puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch. Use your best-laid plans to puzzle your way through 40 new and colorful levels. All of your favorite traps and critters are back to challenge and entertain in the exciting follow-up to the original hit game. Mouse House features intuitive touch based controls. Touch the screen to make Mouse move a space in that direction, or hold your finger down to keep him moving.
• Independent game developer Mundue LLC has announced the release of its latest game, reMovem Christmas Edition, a themed version of the wildly popular iPhone puzzle game reMovem. The Christmas Edition adds fanciful artwork and seasonal sound effects, while retaining the original game’s successful clear and simple interface. The addition of online high scores and global leader boards is sure to make this a hit for players of all ages.
• Marware has announced the EcoJacket for the iPod nano 5G, the latest eco-conscious slim, Eco-Fabric case, is now shipping. The EcoJacket for iPod nano 5G is made from 100% cotton canvas, wth a belt clip on the back. This soft, stretchy Eco-Fabric feels better, is better for the environment, and keeps your iPod secure while providing access to all the functionality and features of your nano.
• Portable Arts has released iCarol 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Just in time for the holidays, iCarol lets users send virtual Christmas Carols to other iCarol and non-iCarol users. Users can select friends from their contact lists or type in emails to send a virtual Carol. Friends with iCarol will be able to view lyrics, hear the music, and see either a slideshow of holiday images or a virtual yule log. Non-iCarol owners can still get Carols in their eMails.
• G.M.Y.C. Applications has released Yachts 1.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Yachts contains photos and statistics for 50 of the largest and most expensive pleasure yachts in the world. Each yacht has a rank that is based on size, price and amenities and all are guaranteed to be amazing examples of what happens when wealthy people try to out-do each other. Yachts is getting scooped up by yacht enthusiasts, as well as by consumers wanting to see how the other half lives.
• MultiEducator has introduced Builder Pro 1.0, their new builder’s calculation, formulation and reference tool for iPhone and iPod Touch. Builder Pro includes parts of the International Building Code, Mechanical Code, Electrical Code, and the ADA code. It combines all of the formulas of MultiEducator’s Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC professional programs and adds specific calculations used by builders and developers.
• Derek Clark has announced Swipe Ruler 1.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Swipe Ruler introduces a fast and convenient way to measure items for a close estimation of length. Perfect for window shoppers and garage sale browsers, Swipe Ruler uses the accelerometers in your phone to measure flat surfaces from a few inches up to several feet. Click the ruler, touch the screen to begin, and slide the app along the surface to measure. Then touch the screen to stop measuring.
• Daisyamerica LLC and Adelante Consulting Inc. have announced The Third Advent 1.0, an ebook application by Gregoire de Kalbermatten for iPhone and iPod touch. The Third Advent takes the reader on a journey through 6000 years of politics, economics, philosophy and religion, to bring forth a message of hope for the future that is as practical as it is profound. The author contends that we are on the threshold of a complete transformation.
• To help protect you against the lurking nasties of disease, Proporta has developed the Antimicrobial Silicone Case with SteriTouch for iPhone 3G/3GS. Crafted from a super-tough silicone skin that guards against scratching and impact damage, the case is covered with an antimicrobial coating to protect against germs and bacteria. Available in black and grey, this stylish and lightweight case doesn’t just look after your iPhone, it looks after you in the bargain.
• Alawar Entertainment has announced that The Treasures of Montezuma 2 [iTunes App Store link], the sequel to its popular gem of a game, is now available to iPhone and iPod Touch owners worldwide. Return to the jungle in this all-new match-three game with more levels, more challenges and more fun. Power up totems and unleash special powers by making multiple matches of the same colored token. Then, rack up a high score by activating Score Frenzy with a series of insanely fast matches. As players progress thorough the game levels, they will construct the ancient capital of the Aztecs, collect precious crystals and learn the secrets of their magic.
• Twitter rolled out Geotagging of Tweets and Project ReTweet today, and Twittelator Pro 3.3.1 is the first iPhone twitter client to take advantage of these cool features. Geotagging allows users to optionally attach a latitude and longitude to each tweet. You can tap the tweet to see a map of where it originated or use the Nearby search to find tweeters near you or any location on the planet. Twittelator also lets you create the new official ReTweets, as well as monitor them.
• Rightsscale has announced the Cure Visual-Kei app, a collaboration with the Japanesque rock and visual styling magazine “Cure”, a Visual-Kei magazine in Japan for many years. Visual-Kei is the most popular genre of Japanese music and culture from Japan that links to anime, manga, games, cosplay, etc.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 18, 2009:

Macintosh

• Global Delight has released an update to its Mac screen-capturing tool, Voila. This popular productivity and creativity enhancement tool is now fully compatible with Snow Leopard, leveraging the performance of the new operating system besides working on Leopard OS X. This release also incorporates user requested features such as Copy-Paste, Spotlight and more, along with polishing of some of the existing features.
• Ringce has announced Slammer 1.0, an update to their designer’s layout and geometry utility for Mac OS X. Suitable for graphic designers, web and application developers alike, Slammer is a universal layout tool which can be used as an overlay on top of any application while tweaking a design. Make blueprints by sectioning a canvas using grid systems, fibonacci series, golden sections or harmonious sections. Version 1.0 introduces themes, and many new user-requested features.
• CampSoftware has released QuickCode AutoUpdate 1.0.1, the first in a series of QuickCode products to be released for FileMaker Pro. QuickCode AutoUpdate makes it simple to automatically install FileMaker Extensions from your FileMaker Server rather than having to install the Extensions manually at each workstation. In four easy steps, a FileMaker Developer can add automatic installation of the FileMaker Extension that are required to be used in any FileMaker solution.
• SmileOnMyMac has released DiscLabel 6.2, an update to its award-winning CD/DVD label design software for Mac OS X. The update adds 10 new free templates in the Holidays and Celebrations category. Mac users can stretch their holiday budgets by creating attractive custom CDs and DVDs for everyone on the gift lists. Start with a pre-designed template, or make your own; over 160 professionally-designed template sets included.
• publicspace.net has announced A Better Finder Rename 8.40, an update to its popular file, music and photo renaming utility. A Better Finder Rename is a sophisticated tool that caters for the full range of file renaming tasks encountered by the modern creative professional. The new release simplifies the use of its advanced “Rename from File List” feature which allows files to be renamed according to data originating in external databases, Excel worksheets or from other external sources.
• BKeeney Software has announced Slideshow Magic 6.1, an update to its presentation software for Mac OS X and Windows. Slideshow Magic is easy-to-use and great for online photo albums or business presentations. Version 6.1 has better system compatibility with Snow Leopard and Microsoft Windows 7. Using the latest in multimedia technology, your compiled video has the ability to be uploaded to the Web, shared with users on other platforms, and even burnt onto a DVD.
• Retina-X Studios, LLC has announced the immediate availability of AceSpy for Macintosh computers. Using this new spy technology, users can silently monitor everything their child or employee does on the computer and Internet. AceSpy Mac brings to OS X the same technology used by AceSpy for Windows for over six years. AceSpy Mac runs in total stealth mode and no mentions of the program are shown on the Desktop, Dock, Applications Folder, Force Quit Applications menu or Menu Bar.
• Early registration for the 2010 FileMaker Developer Conference, to be held in San Diego, is now open and available for a limited time at $200 off the full conference price, FileMaker announced today. The $200-off registration offer expires May 21, 2010. The 15th annual FileMaker Developer Conference, Aug. 8-11, 2010 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, is the world’s largest gathering of corporate and independent FileMaker developers, consultants and trainers.

iPhone/iPod

• Davander Mobile has announced that their fourth software package, CatPaint, is now available. CatPaint is an immersive and multi-sensory experience, wherein you can put adorable cats on top of your photos. Also, they mew. With just a few touches, you can take a photo, cover it with cats, and send it off to your friends and family.
• Modern Geek today has announced Geek Reply 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. The geek is in the form of Geek Reply and it answers all those common replies and everyday questions whether you’re at work, home or on a date. The app ships with 50 pre-loaded replies but you can also add your own replies and share them. Geek Reply allows you to record and modify your voice to share with others, and even rate shared replies; the higher the rating the higher on the category listing it appears.
• The latest version of the Hello Vino iPhone app contains new features, including the ability to share pairings and wine brand recommendations to users’ social networks through Twitter and Facebook. The inclusion of new wine pairings for the holiday season, occasions, and popular dishes offers consumers several options for enjoying food and discovering new wines. Over 300 varietals and styles of wine are currently available by taste preference, or region.
• QuinnScape has announced Packing Pro 3.0, their popular packing and travel organizer app for iPhone and iPod touch. In celebration of the first year anniversary of the official launch of Packing, Quinn Genzel is offering special discounts for both of his Packing and Packing Pro travel apps for the holiday season. Packing has been continuously updated and improved, and remains arguably the most flexible, powerful, and feature-rich dedicated packing app on the market.
• Kuyi Mobile has released Card Drop 1.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Card Drop is the new millennium version of solitaire, but don’t worry; it is definitely not your grandmother’s card game. This app is a souped up version of that old classic. Solitaire on steroids, if you will. The addition of social networking to the already fast-paced, popular version of solitaire includes Twitter integration, which is a big hit with gamers.
• j2sighte has released A Doodle Flight 3.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. A Doodle Flight is a flying war game that combines the simplicity of a doodle app with the fun and challenge of air combat. It is the first app ever that allows people to draw or import their own flying game piece. To add to the improved, more personal user experience, A Doodle Flight now has an integrated OpenFeint community feature, which lends stronger score keeping and player communication to the app.
• Marware has announcd its thinnest case to date: the MicroShell for iPod touch 2G is now shipping. The MicroShell for iPod touch 2G provides the ultimate in low-profile protection with less than 1mm in thickness. The color versions of the MicroShell have a beautiful metallic look with a smooth rubberized finish. The clear version is ideal for showcasing the iPod touch 2G. This sleek, ultra-slim half-shell case is perfect for protecting the iPod touch in a pocket.
• Sit-Net SA has released MyPsy 2.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The only psychological profiler app in existence, MyPsy is the culmination of twenty-five years of research. Although it is primarily utilized by companies in the hiring process, it’s also an invaluable tool for personal use. MyPsy compiles the answers to a series of questions that are designed to target the psychological make up of a potential employee, volunteer, or partner.
• After the success of Shift, Fishing Cactus has releases its 4th iPhone game: Minim. Find most games offering more and more? In Minim you start with more but end with less…if you have the skill. Become a MINIMalism expert in no time.
• Brave, Inc. has brought three new apps to the iPhone and iPod touch: KERA vol. 1 (Japanese Street Fashion Magazine), Maid Akiba Style (Housemaid illustrations and voices of Tokyo and Akihabara) and Ryoko Kobayashi Photograph collection “Bisyoujyo kurabu [ Ingene ] Vol.01.
• Command Guru has announced the first iPhone Reality Show live streaming event, starting December 6 thru 12, 2009. Broadcast live from BigRock headquarters, Cocoa guru Aaron Hillegass will lead a team of ten international developers with the goal to develop a new iPhone application in 7 days from start-to-publish on the App Store. The new iPhone app be a free and open source, sexy social network application. So that everybody can contribute, live interaction with the Developers via Twitter.
• Version 2 of JoinMe—a Friend Locator useful when you are about to meet someone—is now available. With JoinMe, you can see where he/she is and his/her movements in real time until you meet. This version keeps the same philosophy as the previous one.; a simple 1:1 tracking and respectful of your privacy (no information of where your friends were last sunday, and, most of all, the invited person has to always accept all requests).
• SearchTrends is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. SearchTrends displays real-time search trends for Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Twitter, and lets you search on these terms from right within the app. SearchTrends is a great new way to stay up-to-date on popular search terms, news and events. Instead of relying on news sources, you’re keying off of what people around the world are talking about.
• Sunstorm Interactive has announced the release of Run Razzle Run, an exciting new game that takes players back to traditional arcade action. You might have already met the little, cute rat named Razzle in other game by Sunstorm: Rescue Razzle. This time he’s on a high wire run through the city full of hungry birds of prey. Players must take the rambunctious rat from one end of the city to the other and direct Razzle to jump up, jump left or jump right to avoid the pestering pecking of the black crows.
• Textbooks are among the top expenses for college students, following only the costs for room and board and tuition, and their prices have been rising faster than inflation for the past 2 decades. What’s a student to do? Bigwords.com, the leading college textbook price comparison website, will soon be launching a new iPhone App for textbooks which helps students sell their textbooks online, in most cases generating a return of up to 75 percent on the initial cost of the books!
• Edovia today announces NumPad 2.0, the wireless numeric keypad for iPhone and iPod touch. Transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless numeric keypad with NumPad. If you use a Mac with OS X v10.4 or later, NumPad does not require any additional software on your computer. It connects through Screen Sharing, so setup is super easy. That USB cable gets in the way? No problem. NumPad can be used upside-down to keep things out of the way.
• If you’re familiar with the indie iPhone game hit, Slingshot Cowboy you’ll know this award-winning game has already achieved over 2.5 million downloads and continues to attract tens of thousands of global players daily. Now the game that pits players against unwitting cows and ill tempered bulls has released a brand new ad-free version that’ll keep you shootin’ till the cows come home.
• Foodoku is an exciting and funny new variant of the classic Sudoku game where you have to solve puzzles full of cute little creatures. Like in a classic Sudoku game you have to fill the empty places of a puzzle with the missing creatures. Every row must contain one of each creature. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Foodoku contains four different difficulty levels, 100 puzzles and 5 different creature sets that make the game more challenging and entertaining.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 17, 2009:

Macintosh

• Snarb.tk today announced Everplay Public Beta, a preview of the successor to their popular iTunes controller Cover Stream. A light weight, stand alone media player, Everplay plays music from your iTunes music library as well as from Last FM online radio services.  It lets you browse, search and play your iTunes music library and playlists in one simple, beautiful and easy-to-navigate Cover Flow window. All this without launching iTunes.
• Apparent Corporation has introduced Barcode Producer 5.6, now available as a cross-platform product for Mac OS X and Windows. Barcode Producer is Apparent’s award-winning barcode generation suite aimed toward graphic designers and industry professionals. Barcode Producer 5.6 delivers support for the Code 93 symbology, an enhanced version of Code 39 with high density printing support.
• Christian Kienle today has announced Ebbinghaus 3.0 for Mac OS X. Ebbinghaus is an easy-to-use flash card application with a beautiful iTunes-like user interface. Organize your cards in decks, folders and smart decks. When selecting a deck, its cards will be shown in a table. Each card has a progress indicator so that you see your overall performance at a glance. Ebbinghaus was a German psychologist, who invented the learning curve.
• Dejal Systems, LLC has announced Caboodle 1.3.4, a lean, clean, snippet machine to store and organize useful tidbits of text, images, PDFs, and more. Caboodle is elegantly simple, but includes some innovative and useful features. Arrange items in an outline-like hierarchy, and include both structured fields and free-form text and pictures. Version 1.3.4 improves performance by storing attachments separately from the main data file, and includes a number of other fixes and improvements.
• Apps & More Software Design, Inc. has announced Script Timer 2.6.2, a Snow Leopard compatible version of its popular script, Automator workflow, and application scheduling utility for Mac OS X. Script Timer can schedule the execution of AppleScript, Perl, and shell scripts, as well as applications and Automator workflows. The application ships with more than half a dozen sample scripts that illustrate its use, including examples of Finder and third party application scripting.
• Urban Design Limited has announced Qu-s 1.5. With Qu-s, using Stickies like notes that have the facility to create numbered lists, check boxes or bullet points, you can structure your ideas and develop and explore how these strands of inspiration come together. By utilizing the Desktop, or by making your notes floating, it keeps what you need at your finger tips. Version 1.5 is now a universal 32/64-bit executable fully compatible with Snow Leopard.
• TeamViewer GmbH has released the beta version of TeamViewer 5. Already recognized as a premium desktop sharing solution, TeamViewer 5 brings a host of innovative features, including the latest VoIP and video conferencing technology, to their proven, user-friendly remote software.
• The Sims are off on an adventure of a lifetime! The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that The Sims 3 World Adventures Expansion Pack, the first expansion pack to the best-selling PC game of calendar 2009, The Sims 3, is available at retail nationwide and for digital download today for the PC and Mac. The game will be in stores worldwide in 60 countries and in 22 languages this week.
• FileMaker, Inc. has announced the Bento 3 Holiday Pack, a free, fun and easy way to get organized for the holidays that works with Bento 3, the popular personal database from FileMaker that is as easy to use as your Mac. Whether the task is planning holiday parties or organizing gift lists, the Bento 3 Holiday Pack makes it easy.
• RadTech has announced the STM Sonic Stylish 15in Laptop Messenger Bag, a retro-styled bag that combines modern materials, rugged hardware and a dedicated laptop cell. Sonic’s distinctive style offers uncompromised protection for a laptop computer, while also affording plenty of space for books, folders and accessories. The fixed, thickly-padded laptop section surrounds your computer in high-density shock absorbing padding. Sonic’s roomy interior allows you to pack in everything else you need, without compromise.

iPhone/iPod

• Handjoy has announced a contest in which everyone will win. There is only one rule; write anywhere on the internet, “I want Gelex for free!” and they will make it happen. People can write this message on their blog, Twitter account, in YouTube comments, on various discussion forums or anywhere else, where Google can record it. Gelex is an iPhone/iPod Touch game for both casual and hardcore players that combines physics elements with the traditional match 3 concept.
• Racer has been updated to v1.2.1. New game modes can be played, cool sport cars can be chosen, and iTunes music from your library can be selected during your extreme highway driving. Also, a few bugs have been fixed and art enhancements have been made. Racer keeps its simplicity, fun and addictive gameplay.
• Happymagenta has announced Net Scan 1.3, an update to their popular network scanner for iPhone and iPod touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s peerless capabilities, Net Scan will effortlessly scan hosts or network ranges on the Internet or LAN for running services as well as dig for other useful information. The utility can scan by either IP address or any network range for hosts and services and run in several different modes. Version 1.3 sports many new features.
• 24x7digital today has introduced TimesTables 3.0, an educational title for the iPhone and iPod Touch which teaches the basics of multiplication with an emphasis on learning the times tables and becoming very fast at recalling multiplication facts. The 3.0 update has a revamped user interface and adds multiplication flash cards, skip-counting apple orchard, and multiuser profiles.
• ASD Soft Company has published ASD Poker, featuring the classic 6-Card and Russian Poker. They are based on real casino games, and tested and approved by experienced casino players. High-quality graphics and nice sound effects conjure up the atmosphere of a real casino.
• ASD Soft Company has published Kill Hill, a funny addictive shooter! Mr. Hill Wates has occupied the house, turned all the residents out of it and barricaded himself there. As you are the very hero to save the residents, you need to shoot the villain, appearing in the windows. The weapons here are heavy boots, tomatoes, eggs and creamy cake. The game features 20 levels, which become more challenging as you progress. The more you strike the target, the more points you get. In case of failure, you lose one of 5 lives. Be careful! Don’t shoot a penguin appearing in the windows from time to time, otherwise you will lose 1,000 points!
• Niles Technology Group has announced Essay Writing Wizard 1.2 for iPhone and iPod touch. The Essay Writing Wizard tools brings essay writing and critical thinking skills into the pockets of high-tech students. In order to find the best application for a student’s assignment, Niles Technology Group has setup a quick app selection tool where students can email their assignments in and receive a list of app tools that meet their particular needs in less than a day.
• AdrenalineApps has announced CrashSpace 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Working in conjunction with the CrashSpace website, CrashSpace App helps anyone get repair quotes for their damaged vehicle. Users enter information about their vehicle and upload photos of the damage. Local body shops within a 25-mile radius are notified of the user’s repair request. Users then logon to CrashSpace to review the quotes and communicate with the body shops.
• Findhorn Press Ltd. today released Wisdom Cards 1.0 by Diana Cooper & Greg Suart for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The app provides portable advice, guidance and inspiration for people on the go by assisting them tap their own internal wisdom. Biding by the recommended daily usage helps build a steady stream of guidance and synchronicities. Findhorn Press is one of the world’s leading independent publishers in the fields of spirituality, healing, and self development.
• Mail Point GmbH today releases Amateur Models 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Mail Point GmbH has designed Amateur Models in a way that once the images have been downloaded allows fans to view the professional quality photos offline. The steamy snapshots can then be used as wallpaper, with new photos available daily.
• zinc Roe has announced Tickle Tap Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Tickle Tap Apps is a new series developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids. They are designed to help children ages three to five practice key skills and learn about sounds, numbers, colors, patterns and shapes. They help children improve concentration and motor skills via simple tap and touch controls.
• Gotow.net has announced Layers 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Layers is a powerful painting tool for the iPhone that allows you to draw on multiple layers-taking your mobile painting experience to the next level. Use up to five layers in your drawings and create a masterpiece with ten high-quality brushes and extensive undo. Version 2 is a major upgrade to Layers featuring a new smudge tool, a redesigned tool palette, and a revamped photo import panel.
• Cramzy has announced 1,001 Murphy Laws 1.1 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Loaded with tens of hundreds of these funny and ridiculously true universal laws of how life really works, this is a great collection to have in your pocket. Perfect for social gatherings and personal entertainment the app is sure to enjoy people for days. Cramzy has also released a free demo version of the app, so people can try before buy.
• Westbright has announced Zombies 1.0, a simple turn-based board game for the iPhone and iPod touch. Zombies is based on the old classic Daleks game. Wipe out all the zombies. Collect and cast spells and more. Users can choose either male or female player. Suitable for the entire family, Zombies features include comedy sounds and a fun soundtrack, beautiful cartoon graphics.
• You now have instant access to all the hottest trailers for movies, games and more, with the release of TrailerSpy Mobile, a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch. TrailerSpy Mobile has been designed to provide users with a quick and easy way to access all of the latest trailers as soon as they hit the internet. This is the ultimate resource for movie buffs, TV aficionados, hardcore gamers, or anyone else who wants to have a huge library of trailers at their fingertips.
• Appetizer Mobile has released Cover Up for iPhone and iPod touch. Cover Up gives women the discretion they need when nature calls. With five different noises to choose from, Cover Up can help save face in those potentially awkward situations in the office place bathroom, public restroom or at the new boyfriend’s house.
• Ready and live, App Store users will now be able to download and update their current version of the 80’s arcade classic, Pang, to include online leader boards (challenge your friends and become the world’s best bubble burster) and achievements (unlock achievements by reaching high scores in Infinity Mode, Pang’s most brutal game mode).
• Marware has announced the EcoSleeve for the iPod nano 5G, the latest eco-conscious slim, Eco-Fabric case, is now shipping. The EcoSleeve for iPod nano 5G is made from 100% cotton canvas. This soft, stretchy Eco-Fabric feels better, is better for the environment, and keeps your iPod secure while providing access to all the functionality and features of your nano. An environmentally friendly solution, the EcoSleeve for iPod nano 5G protects your iPod with a custom fit.
• Clickgamer’s new music game, DJ Nights: Global Tour for iPhone and iPod touch, is now available in the App Store. DJ Nights gameplay involves rhythmic tapping, shaking and even virtual turntable scratching as the player tries to keep time with the beat. The game innovates on iPhone and iPod touch as when players miss a beat, that note is not played.
• Griffin Technology Inc., has announced a partnership with community-centric online apparel store Threadless. The Griffin+Threadless Co-Op Initiative combines clever original art and case design to produce a line of accessories.
• Classic Media, a global media company with a portfolio of some of the world’s leading family and pop-culture entertainment brands, has announced that it has signed a deal with games publisher Mastertronic and developers Codemonkeys to bring a Casper’s Scare School game to the iPhone and iPod Touch handsets. Spooky Sports Day is available now on digital download from Apple’s App store (UK). Based on the popular series aimed at kids aged 6-9yrs and currently airing on Boomerang (UK), the game challenges users to a series of ‘spooky’ sporting events as the Scare School celebrates its annual Spooky Sports Day. Gamers control the games using the iPhones touch screen and accelerometer.
• How steady are you? How responsive? How cooperative? For the first time, these intangibles can be measured through an application. Download Balince today and find out just how balinced you are.
• Chillingo has announced the release of its genre-defining new role-playing game, Ravensword: The Fallen King [iTunes App Store link]. Developed by Crescent Moon Games, the fantasy epic offers a unique experience to iPhone and iPod touch owners. “Ravensword offers a game experience unlike anything seen before on the iPhone and the iPod touch,” said Chillingo’s Head of Publishing, Johnny Coghlan. “Fans of adventure and fantasy have understandably been waiting for a game like this. The wait is over – they can dive into an adventure that they may never want to end.”
• Riff Raters is an iPhone app that lets musicians record and share their riffs with the world. Listeners rate and comment on the music they hear, helping to determine which riffs make the Top 25. Riffs are “short repeated melodic phrases,” usually lasting no more than twenty seconds—like a musical “tweet.” Musicians can record original riffs on their iPhone/iTouch with any instrument.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

A new report out of Bloomberg is stating Apple may have been in in negotiations with AdMob about purchasing their company weeks before Google acquired them for $750 million. A purchase of AdMob—which makes their money in the mobile advertisement business—by Apple would have furthered the competition currently going on with Google, a company dominating search advertisements. With the Android and iPhone competing, there’s no wonder that both Apple and Google feel as if having the technology to make advertisement money off of their platforms would be even more beneficial for their companies. After all, AdMob advertisements already appear in a lot of third party applications on the iPhone, so if Apple could integrate this into the SDK somehow, they’d be ready to rake in some cash.

However, this may not be the only reason Apple would want AdMob. For instance, there have been many rumors that the Apple Tablet device (which is rumored itself) would come with an ad supported version to lower the cost. Also, recent patents out of Cupertino describe technologies that could use ads to freeze devices for an amount of time or even tie into an operating system. With a company such as AdMob, these could be even easier to implement. And let’s face it, there’s a lot of money to be made here with the ever-increasing amount of people purchasing smart phones and accessing the Internet on the go. It could certainly get interesting if Apple and Google start competing on another front.

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 16, 2009:

Macintosh

• TheMacBundles has announced that a new weekly special has been posted to its website. The new offer features the highly rated iPrint utility. iPrint extends the printing capabilities of OS X via a system-wide keyboard shortcut that it adds to OS X. With iPrint installed, users instantly can print or save to PDF just the text that they want in virtually any program. People who order the weekly special also can receive an immediate discount off of the already low price of the November bundle.
• Cynical Peak Software has announced Rivet 2.3, their application for streaming video, music, and photos from Mac OS X to the Xbox 360 or PS3 over their home network, including movies, TV shows, music, photos, and podcasts. Users can now easily enjoy all of their media on their big screen TV from the comfort of their living room. Version 2.3 expands device support, enhances thumbnail support, and performance optimizations.
• Just About Managing, Ltd, has announced SimCap 1.0, the simple iPhone Simulator screen capture utility. With a single button click, SimCap allows iPhone developers to grab screenshots for the App Store and create professional quality demonstration videos and walkthroughs with ease. Created by experienced iPhone software developers, SimCap was designed specifically to counter the shortcomings in the current crop of available tools.
• MacFlite Software has announced Trip Plan 1.0.12, an update to their popular trip planning application for Mac OS X. Designed specifically for aviation professionals, Trip Plan is a trip planning solution for pilots. It features detailed information for airports around the world, with a database of over 24,000 landing facilities and heliports worldwide. Along side the airport and FBO information is hotel, transportation and catering info.
• Apparent Software has announced the launch of MacGraPhoto bundle that gives Mac users 7 premium graphics applications for the price of one or even for free. Applications in MacGraPhoto bundle will satisfy most of imaging needs of any Mac user: image editing, applying effects, format conversion, batch processing, vector drawing, geo-tagging photos, framing them or even creating posters and postcards.
• Dandy Code has released Marketplace 1.2, their popular Craigslist searcher for Mac OS X. Marketplace can search all Craigslist regions, categories, subcategories and supports all the filters the website has. Users can save their favorite entries to return to later or leave Marketplace running and it will refresh searches automatically and notify users when new results are found. Version 1.2 brings many new features and bug fixes. Users can now filter down to the sub-region level.
• Vela Design Group has announced VelaClock Deluxe 2.2.1 and VelaClock 2.2.1, Dashboard widgets for Mac OS X. VelaClock is a world clock widget with a highly configurable user interface. Users can quickly display the time of sunrise, sunset, or twilight, duration of daylight, moonrise, moonset, phase of moon, time zone information and more. VelaClock Deluxe 2.2.1 is currently the number one widget on Apple’s Top 50 Dashboard Widgets list.
• Reinvented Software today has announced Together 2.3 for Mac OS X. Together is an application for storing, previewing, editing and searching all kinds of files. Version 2.3 introduces many improvements to almost every part of the application and takes advantage of new technologies introduced in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Further improvements have been made to include additional information in the list of items, content searching, smart groups, tag bundles and file management.

iPhone/iPod

• Sugarware Technologies has announced iCoin Canada 1.0, a Canadian dollar money counter for the iPhone and iPod touch. iCoin Canada counts Canadian coins and bills by letting users tap, swipe and shake their iPhones. It lets users quickly and easily sum up their Canadian pocket change, and familiarizes visitors, newcomers to Canada, and youth with their Canadian currency. iCoin Canada comes in both a full version and a free Lite version.
• atPurpose Technologies has announced rsrc.atArchive, their new community driven article website for iPhone developers. Designed for developers, rsrc.atArchive aims to bring together existing iPhone development info into one easy and convenient-to-use online resource. Users may submit links to articles, tutorials, blogs, as well as news, projects, and utilities. Visitors to the website may search the content and categories, comment on stories and even vote on their favorites.
• Ivan Karpan and Evgeniy Lebed have announced the Christmas sale of GlobeMaster and GlobeTipping, their applications for iPhone and iPod Touch. GlobeMaster is an offline world-wide travel guide featuring 1400+ cities in more than 260 countries, including 4100+ photos, tips calculator and advisor, units converter and much more. GlobeTipping is a tip calculator and advisor.
• ePapyrus Inc. has announced PDF-Pro Reader 1.3.1, a significant upgrade to its popular mobile PDF reader for iPhone and iPod Touch. Version 1.3.1 features a new Text Reflow View mode which increases the readability of PDF documents. This function allows users to extract only the text from the PDF document that they are reading. PDF-Pro is built on the powerful and proven PDF engine from ePapyrus Inc. that has been marketing its PDF products worldwide.
• Markus Biernath has released Photo Diary 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The app provides all the security of a private diary, along with a lot of fun features. Photo Diary can be used to share photos, location, icons and notes on Twitter or by email for a fully functional sharing experience, while the password protected journal allows users to keep some things private.
• Francis Dierick has announced BibleThumper for iPhone and iPod touch. BibleThumper allows atheists to keep the most funny and irrational Bible verses right in their pocket. With the BibleThumper App on their iPhone, an atheist is always ready to confront fundamental Christians or have a little fun among friends. BibleThumper randomly displays interesting Bible verses. The user can shake the app to see a fresh verse.
• Treascovery has released Here IM v1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Nicknamed HIM, for short, the app appeals to modern mobiles who want everything they need in one application. It offers portable GPS locating and photo emailing, which is great for general communication or for when you’re lost.
• Bowers Technologies, Inc. has introduced iWatch USA 1.0, their new threat awareness and prevention application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities, iWatch USA serves to empower citizens to help make their community safe from potential terrorist activities. It identifies nine different types of suspicious behavior and activities, a checklist of items to provide law enforcement, as well as helps determine the appropriate entity to contact.
• Happymagenta has announced Spyglass 1.2, an update to their popular digital compass and HUD display for iPhone 3GS devices. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities, Spyglass turns any 3GS iPhone into a real-time digital spyglass and heads-up display with a live compass, GPS information, as well as tilt horizon—right over the live feed from the built-in camera or a map. Version 1.2 adds new overlay filters for cool military-styled effects and auto-rotated maps.
• Marware has announced the SportShell Convertible carrying solution for the iPod nano 5G is now shipping. The SportShell Convertible for iPod nano 5G is 3 cases in 1 and merges versatility with elegant, cross-functional design in a single product. The clear polycarbonate shell has a smooth finish, and by using interchangeable parts, the SportShell Convertible offers a full range of carrying options.
• VenticentoStudio has released iAccounts 1.1, a revolutionary password manager for iPhone and iPod touch. iAccount’s flexy-record technology allows users to customize each record on their needs. iAccount also features high-speed integration with the company’s free iBackup application providing backup and restore over wi-fi networks, for Mac and Windows. The software comes with 20 different field types and with flexy-record technology users can even add their own.
• DigitalDeejay has announced Mix.Dj for iPhone and iPod touch. Mix.Dj gives you access to thousands of mixes from DJ’s around the World in one click. Listen to more than 15,000 mixes straight from your iPhone, streaming whenever and wherever you want, all via WiFi or 3G. Choose from 16 pre-programmed moods and genres; One choice and Mix.Dj takes care of the playlist for you. Mix.Dj allows you to create your own playlist simply by selecting your favorite mixes for playback.
• Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today announced the Harry Potter: Spells app is now available from the App Store. The app, based on the Harry Potter films, will transform Muggles everywhere into fledgling wizards, casting spells at their opponents to stun them with Stupefy! or disarm them with Expelliarmus! The Harry Potter: Spells app is the only official Harry Potter game available on the App Store.
• Finally there’s a way to scientifically measure a person’s attractiveness and all it takes is a photograph and an iPhone. Fit or Fugly allows iPhone users to calculate how attractive a face is. The application uses Fibonnaci’s golden ratio, which is based on symmetries via key anchor points on a human face: eyes, ears, chin, mouth and nose. Symmetry has been accepted as the measurement to discover a human’s attractiveness.
• Auman Software has announced zooSpelling Preschool 1.0, their latest educational application for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed to support early literacy achievement, zooSpelling is an interactive game that teaches preschool and kindergarten-aged children how to read, spell, and pronounce more than 130 high-frequency sight words. The application has 18 different zoo animals that correspond to the 18 levels of spelling difficulty.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Provides: Writing/drawing tablet functionality on your MacBook multi-touch trackpad
Format: Download
Developer: Ten One Design
Minimum System Requirements: MacBook with multitouch (or a Wacom tablet), Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Pogo Sketch (or similar soft-tip touch device
Price: $6.95
Availability: Now
Version Reviewed: 1.4

This is certainly an odd little program. Its complete reason for being is to increase the functionality of Ten One Design’s Pogo Sketch, a soft-tip touch device designed mainly for iPhone use. Why would you want such a pen? Well, so you can use your iPhone while wearing gloves, to prevent your screen from getting greasy, for increased precision when typing, and so on. But Autograph has nothing to do with the iPhone. Rather, this application turns the Pogo Sketch into a MacBook peripheral.

Launching the app reveals a small gray box.

Using the Pogo Sketch, you can now doodle on your MacBook multi-touch trackpad. Draw a little picture, if you like, but the main selling point here is the ability to quickly and easily add your signature to a document. Well, somewhat easily, anyway. The software lags behind your pen stroke, and looking at the screen while signing on the trackpad is a bit awkward. So although you can sign your name, it’ll be a pretty clumsy autograph you’re sending out there.

There are a few preferences you can tweak, such as the stroke width and writing velocity, and you can choose to have your signature/drawing saved as a PNG or PDF to the desk or automatically added to the currently active program.

Launching Autograph doesn’t pop up the interface. Rather it simply places it in the menu bar for you to activate via the mouse or a keystroke combo. I found it useful to have the app launch on startup, but even that’s not necessary if you rarely use it. Either after you add your signature, the program fades back into the background or you can just shut it down altogether.

So, how often do you need to sign computer documents? Do you already have a Pogo Sketch? Do you have a Wacom tablet that provides this functionality, more or less? These are all questions you have to ask yourself when considering whether you need Autograph. It’s a decent app at a great price and it does exactly what it says it will, albeit in a sloppy fashion. I don’t mean that Autograph itself is sloppy; it’s actually quite clean and streamlined. Rather, using this method, it’s hard to not be sloppy when trying to sign your name. Thankfully, you can at least indicate whether you’re right or left handed, and have the app ignore hand placement if you actually brush the touchpad with your palm.

If you’ve got a Pogo Sketch and a MacBook, you may as well grab Autograph. It’s only $7.00, after all. But I wouldn’t use this as incentive to buy a Pogo Sketch unless you know you’ll get touch device use out of it, too. (And you will, if you have an iPhone or iPod touch; the Pogo Sketch is quite a handy little device.)

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Provides: Word processing
Developer: Hog Bay Software
Minimum Requirements: Mac OS X
Cost: $24.95 (30 day free trial available)
Availability: Now

Word processing was the original “killer app” of the personal computer. For those of you over the age of twenty, be glad you never knew a world where you had to type important documents (term papers, etc.) and making a mistake meant retyping the whole page (Liquid Paper being akin to spray painting over a dent in your car and convincing yourself no one would notice.

Still, just because computers made editing simpler doesn’t mean that writing comes any easier. In fact with wireless networking and the rise of social media, it’s become harder as there are more distractions to pull you away from the page. “I think I’ll just pop over to Wikipedia to check out this topic. Wonder if there’s any e-mail. Oh, hey I just got an @reply on Twitter.” It’s easy to lose your focus.

WriteRoom is a simple word processor: so simple, in fact, that all you can do is write because it takes over your entire screen, with your text floating in the middle of it. Other applications are hidden in the background. WriteRoom features two modes: plain and rich text. In the latter you can bold, underline and italicize, as well as set color and fonts. But I prefer the default plain text interface; it’s totally Spartan and truly gives you no distraction, no mental offramps from getting your words down quickly and efficiently. Other viewing options include seeing invisible characters (like spaces and paragraph marks), and wrapping your words per page (which adds a border if page count is part of your goal). Dropping your cursor to the bottom of the screen gives you a word count. You can also configure the text and background color, the scale, and the font itself to whatever size is more comfortable for you.

Once you’re done writing, you exit the fullscreen mode by hitting Escape or Command+Enter. Your document is presented in a more conventional SimpleText-like window where you could copy it into another word processor for final formatting (like, say, Final Draft for Screenwriting).

As a word processor, WriteRoom doesn’t offer anything that you can’t get for free—but as soon as I tell my friends who are or want to be professional writers about how it takes over the whole screen and helps lock out distractions, their eyes light up. Is that worth $24.95? You’ll answer that yourself with either a puzzled look or a “God, yes!” For me, it was very much the latter.

WriteRoom may be based around a gimmick, but it’s a really good one. Someone once said “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” I can’t remember who it was exactly.*  Maybe I’ll just pop over to Google to find out. Oh, hey, look a whole website of quotes about writing. I think I’ll just spend a few minutes here before I really buckle down and finish these projects that need my attention. Oh, hey, a friend of mine just popped up on Facebook…

*Thomas Mann

Full Story » | Written by Bill Stiteler for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 13, 2009:

Macintosh

• Mac Games and More has announced the release of a new Mac game called United States of Pool, which is a set of billiards game that allows you to travel across American stopping off in various cities to play a match of 9-Ball pool and more. In order to advance to the next city, players are required to earn a minimum number of points and win the game against their opponent.

iPhone/iPod

• Gee Logic Software Co., LTD has released Video Poker: Jacks or Better 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Video Poker is a simulation of video poker machines featured in casinos. It is based on Jacks or Better variant. Video Poker is a casino card game based on Five-card draw poker first appeared in the mid-70s, and has been popular among casinos throughout the world since. If you’re a Video Poker fan, this will be a perfect companion for your iPhone and iPod touch.
• 24x7digital today has introduced TeachMe: Kindergarten 1.0, their new children’s learning game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. TeachMe: Kindergarten is an educational app which teaches four different age appropriate subjects to kindergarten aged children: sight words, addition, subtraction and spelling. Parents can select which subjects they want, set different difficulty levels, and even choose specific questions.
• Clickgamer’s Genius Defense Force—a brain-training game for iPhone and iPod touch—is now available on the App Store. In Genius Defense Force, players must add, subtract, multiply and divide their way to victory. The full campaign offers 30 action-packed levels appealing to contestants of any age and skill level, with players receiving a performance grade after every stage.
• Plaid World Studios has announced the release of Mouse House 1.1.5 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Use your environment to block stingers and wind your way to the top of the house. Guide the heroic Mouse through 57 levels of challenging and addictive puzzle fun. Mouse House has been continually updated since it’s initial release, adding new levels and user requested features. The most recent update added music, a level select screen and multiple save slots.
• Marware has announced the Eco-Runner armband case for iPod nano 5G. The Eco-Runner is the newest addition to our environmentally friendly cases for the iPod nano 5G. The Eco-Runner keeps your iPod secure, provides comfort for an active lifestyle, and helps reduce your carbon footprint. The Eco-Runner is available in black, blue and pink Eco-Prene and comes with Marware’s Lifetime Warranty.
• Dan Russell-Pinson has announced Furballs! 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Furballs! is an addictive new game that combines two popular game genres of path-drawing and match three into one package. It features original music, sound effects and over 150 levels of ever increasing difficulty. Using the familiar tap and draw control system, you must guide the colorful furballs through space to make matches.
• David Ross Software has announced Whimsy Animals 1.0, a simple kids jigsaw puzzle game for iPhone and iPod touch. Explore sixty beautiful animal photos and sounds by completing simple jigsaw puzzles. Practice hand-eye coordination, recognize shapes, and learn about scale while unveiling a world of animals, domestic and wild, baby and adult - all with their fun and unique sounds. Great to play with your kid or to give them for a plane or car ride or at a restaurant.
• PerfectTune is the latest guitar tuner to hit the iTunes AppStore. The team at 31tone Research and Development have rethought the concept of a tuner for stringed instruments from the ground up, creating a custom ultra fast pitch detection algorithm, especially suited for strings and a revolutionary user interface, that not only shows an overview of all strings at the same time, but also allows easy use of a wealth of different tunings.
• Alakazapps has announced Magic Beer Bottle 1.0, a beer simulator that literally comes off the screen. After demonstrating what looks like a normal iPhone ‘beer app’, the performer of the trick can literally pluck the top off the bottle—it becomes real in their fingertips. Beer simulators have existed since the dawn of the App Store, Magic Beer Bottle takes the concept to the next level.
• Freeverse’s Flick Fishing has been updated to version 1.4.1. Announced for the anniversary of the popular virtual fishing game’s release, the newest update introduces a limited-time Cake celebration and is available this weekend for 99c! In addition, Flick Fishing now works seamlessly with Plus+ integration and introduces recapture of Named fish for endless challenges.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 12, 2009:

Macintosh

• Wondershare Software has issued its first professional audio/video converting software—iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac—which is specialized in making free iPhone ringtones. Its simplicity and powerful functions will benefit Mac users by creating special, personalized, free ringtones that cannot be done in iTunes.
• RAGE Software has announced WebCrusher 1.6, a major update to the website optimizer for Mac OS X. WebCrusher is a utility for anyone to reduce their website’s load time, providing a better experience for their visitors and customers. WebCrusher scans entire websites to intelligently remove all unneeded code, making websites load as fast as possible in a web browser. Now users can simply drop their website onto WebCrusher and let it quickly remove all unneeded code from their webpages.
• Minder Softworks has announced MYStuff 1.2, an update to their handy “stuff manager” for OS X. MYStuff was developed to help people eliminate the paperwork clutter associated with the things they own, and take advantage of manufacturer’s warranties. User can store information about the things they own as images, PDFs, and as manually-entered data. Version 1.2 adds an iPhoto browser palette and improved performance for large databases.
• One of Snow Leopard’s new features is the integration with most current scanners. That means Mac users no longer need to install custom software to use their scanner. What’s the benefit for Prizmo 1.2 users? From now on, they can combine their scanner with Prizmo’s image processing features and the OCR engine supporting 10 languages. Everything is integrated.
• KeynotePro has announced the introduction of Copenhagen for Keynote ‘09. Copenhagen was designed from the ground up to balance high-impact, aggressively modern styling with a restrained sense of order. We began with a fractal-inspired foundation - extrusions of color and shape that explore symmetry and chaos through the use of implied space - and explored the interplay of narrative elements within to create a distinctively playful design with an unmistakably professional edge.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced PDF Checkpoint 1.1.3, an update to its PDF workflow automation solution. Remarkably fast, PDF Checkpoint preflights, exports as images, splits and reduces size of multiple PDF files, and allows to route files according to preflight results. PDF Checkpoint is for users who need a fast and affordable workflow solution in situations where hi-end tools are not required. The new version introduces support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

iPhone/iPod

• Hunter Research and Technology has announced Cover Match 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Cover Match is a mesmerizing new match game that uses album art from a user’s music library. Using a classic arcade format, Cover Match starts off slow with just a few album covers to match, then heats up with unlimited levels of randomly sorted cover art. Cover Match offers billions of memory-testing game possibilities.
• MobilEaZe, LLC has announced PayItForward 1.3 for iPhone and iPod Touch. PayItForward is a one of kind application helping to spread some kindness in our world. The application utilizes the Apple Push Notification System to provide users with weekly random acts of kindness designed to be simple, fun, and sure to brighten a strangers day. Users can track their progress directly from within the application by marking tasks as completed.
• Embraceware Software has announced Awaken 1.2, an update to their popular digital alarm clock, sleep timer, fullscreen clock and flashlight for for iPhone and iPod touch. Wake up to music on your iPhone or iPod touch or any of the dozen built in sounds. Set the volume and screen brightness to slowly fade in to ease you out of sleep. Choose from a selection of 6 fullscreen clock styles. Works great as a night table or desk clock. Supports both portrait and landscape modes.
• Byte Squared has announced Files2, its file manager application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Files2 enables users to transfer files between their iPhone and a desktop computer and view them from within the Files2 app. It also provides tight integration with Google Docs and MobileMe iDisk. Users may create local folders and organize their files by copying or moving them between folders. Files and folders may be transferred between the iPhone and a desktop computer over the local wifi network.
• Penpower Inc. has announced WorldCard Mobile 1.0 their new business card reader for iPhone devices. WorldCard Mobile is a business card recognition system and contact management tool for the iPhone 3GS. It instantly recognizes the captured data from business cards and sorts it into organized fields. The new technology also allows for higher quality images than previously possible, thanks to the auto-focus and high resolution camera that is currently available only in the iPhone 3GS.
• TapMode has announced Battery Gauge 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Battery Gauge takes into account all of a user’s normal iPhone or iPod Touch activities. Each task uses a different amount of charge and Battery Gauge intuitively figures it out. Battery Gauge knows how long an individual needs for each task and gives accurate estimates on whether or not the user has enough charge left to complete them.
• Livestream, a leading live Internet video platform, has announced the immediate availability of its free service for streaming live to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Using Livestream Procaster, users can stream live from their webcam, video camera or even broadcast their PC or Mac desktop. Livestream producers can start streaming live to the addressable iPhone and iPod Touch audience over 3G or Wi-Fi connections, with less than five minutes of setup.
• Freeverse has released the first update to the helpful iPhone and iPod Touch magnifying app, Eye Glasses. The app will now feature a new, sleeker frame with capability to rotate between landscape and portrait modes.
• WebIS has announced the release of DeepFish 1.5, a unique email search application for the iPhone. DeepFish has one simple purpose; search your IMAP-based email accounts easily and quickly. DeepFish is fast, memory efficient, and is designed to behave properly in high latency EDGE and 3G networks. DeepFish provides a very simple interface, yet offers options that let you customize its behavior to your needs. Reply, Forward, Flag emails. See all your flagged emails in one search.
• Two new ebooks in the Take Control series—“Take Control of Your iPhone Apps” and “Take Control of iPhone OS 3”—provide an in-depth look at the iPhone and its core apps. These practical, hands-on guides walk readers through the most effective ways to use numerous features and help readers avoid problems. Most of the information is also applicable to the iPod touch, and the differences are called out. “Take Control of Your iPhone Apps” lists for $10; “Take Control of iPhone OS 3” lists for $15. Both books are available from individually and in a discounted bundle.
• Sunstorm Interactive has announced the launch of their new iPhone and iPod Touch game: Rescue Razzle. In Rescue Razzle, players are challenged to rescue the helpless little Rat named Razzle that has found himself locked in a cage at the top of a stack of wooden crates. The mission is to break the wooden crates one after another, lowering Razzle safely to the ground!
• Highway to Health has announced mPassport Paris, a new iPhone application that helps English-speaking expatriates and travelers access medical care in Paris. It was developed in-house at HTH Worldwide, a global health and safety services company.
• Cardo Systems, Inc., a market leader in the field of wireless Bluetooth communications for motorcycle helmet headsets, has announced the launch of its new product: the Scala Rider Q2 Multiset. The Multiset retail box includes two ready-to-use, enhanced Scala Rider Q2 wireless headsets for hands-free and safe bike-to-bike communication (up to 500m/1640ft) as well as for hands-free conversations when paired with mobile phones.
• Toughturtle LLC has released FirePlace 3.0, an update to their hit utility app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and was selected by Apple as an iTunes Staff Favorite. FirePlace is the go-to App for an instant romantic setting on that special date, to relax on a cold fall/winter night, or whenever. FirePlace is a virtual fire for your iPhone or iPod touch, but with a whole host of new features to give users a more customized and relaxing experience.
• Glazed eyes…flushed cheeks…soulful sighs…Yes! It’s someone enjoying a little romance. But on the subway? Now that ebooks are migrating to portable devices like Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Digital Reader, romance is read on the go just about anywhere you have time to kill. Even Apple has turned its ubiquitous iPhone into a reader by offering books as Apps. And romance fiction readers seem to love it.
• Vitaliy Pronkin has announced availability of FingerDancer 1.3 for iPhone and iPod Touch. FingerDancer is very simple yet addictive fast paced game. The goal of the game is to touch colored circles continuously appearing and disappearing on the screen. Different types of circles require touching them differently to score points. And the faster player reacts and more objects touches at the same time, the more points he gets.
• With simple gameplay, Miniheli is one of those games made to keep your fingers stuck on the touchscreen for a long time. The objective is simple. Just keep your heli up in the air without crashing into the rocks, manage your fuel, and gather some refills along the way in order to go as far as possible. Or as far as your skill lets you go.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

MacHeist, purveyors of the popular MacHeist Bundle, have a smaller yet sweeter deal available for today (Thursday, Nov. 12th) only: six applications available free of charge when you register with their site.

The applications are:

• Shovebox by Wonder Warp Software, an app for quickly storing “text, images, URLs, and more.”
• Write Room by Hog Bay Software, a full-screen writing application designed to reduce distractions.
• Twitteriffic by IconFactory, the premium (ad-free) version of the popular Twitter client.
• TinyGrab, a screenshot utility.
• Hordes of Orcs by Freeverse Software, a tower defense game.
• Mariner Write by Mariner Software, a word processor with the ability to open Word documents.

As of this writing, the applications are free for the next 5 hours, which puts the expiration at about 11pm, EST.

Download the MacHeist nano bundle.

Full Story » | Written by Bill Stiteler for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 11, 2009:

Macintosh

• Ohanaware has announced HDRtist 1.1, a free update to their HDR Photography software for Mac OS X. HDRtist creates HDR photos and tone maps them in a single step. Its workflow has been designed to be effortless in operation, and to provide visually pleasing results. Version 1.1 not only includes some bug fixes, speed gains but also Automatic Image Alignment. HDRtist is a great tool to have for dramatizing dull photos, livening dark photos and much more.
• iPresentee has released Keynote Motion Themes 8.0 for Apple’s Keynote presentation software. New Keynote themes package includes: Brilliance, Shining Waves, DNA Chain, Space Drops and Live Mosaic themes. Each theme consists of different high quality animated backgrounds and features up to 22 different layout schemes. Creating the right design is the first step to a perfect presentation. These templates can be used for business presentations, slideshows, seminars, and for school lectures.
• be.ez has announced the LE rush notebook bag collection custom-fit for MacBook Pro 13.3” and 15.4” models. The LE rush features a lightweight, slim, and stylish design available in 3 color choices: LE rush Black Coffee, LE rush Lime Park, and LE rush Lagoon Dream.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced BatchOutput DOC 2.0.6, an update to its popular output automation solution for Microsoft Word on Mac OS X. In addition to batch printing, the software allows to carry out powerful professional PDF production directly from Word eliminating the need for time consuming post-processing. Users can split Word documents into single PDF files, reduce file size and optimize resolution and compression. The new version introduces support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

iPhone/iPod

• Spinal Apps has announced Pairopix, a customizable game of matched pairs. This take on the ubiquitous game of concentration adds a personal touch with customizable image sets from your iPhone / iPod Touch Photo Albums and/or your iPhone’s camera. Pairopix taps into two favorite pastimes; games that challenge your mind, and looking at your own photo albums. Whether you’re riding the subway or waiting for an appointment, time flies when you’re matching up pix of your kids, your pets, or…? Get creative with up to 20 custom image sets to go with the 4 standard sets that Pairopix provides.
• Insurgent Games has announced that Skeleton Key, a unique iPhone puzzler, has been updated and is available in the App Store today. The update includes OpenFeint integration, bringing global leaderboards and achievements to the game, and it now has support for iPhone OS 2.2.1, for iPod Touch users who haven’t upgraded.
• Intego has released their important November 11, 2009 Security Memo. Intego has identified this as iPhone/Privacy.A, allowing hackers to connect to any jailbroken iPhone whose owners have not changed the root password. Hackers using this tool will install it on a computer, then let it work. It scans the network accessible to it, and when it finds a jailbroken iPhone, breaks into it, then steals data and records it.
• Galarina has released free versions of GeoLogTag and PhotoToMac for iPhone and iPod Touch. GeoLogTag offers an all-in-one geotagging solution for photos taken with any digital camera. GeoLogTag Free keeps logged locations for 2 hours instead of 90 days. PhotoToMac transfers photos taken with an iPhone and saved photos over WiFi to a Mac shared folder. PhotoToMac Free transfers the photos with a lower resolution than the full version.
• Man0mio has announced the re-launch of the Commodore 64 Emulator, developed in corporation between Manomio, Commodore Gaming and Kiloo ApS. It features original Commodore 64 game graphics and SID sound, auto-save, realistic joystick and beautifully crafted C64 keyboard, portrait and landscape play, vertical and fullscreen gaming (auto rotate for iPod users), unique retro-feeling gameplay, and eight classic games with more on the way.
• Noidentity has announced MoneyBook, the simple and elegant way to track and manage your finances on the iPhone and iPod touch. MoneyBook provides your budget at a glance, and expense tracking at your fingertips.
• PressOK Entertainment has announced the first major update for the America’s Next Top Model iPhone game. Based on the wildly popular and long-running reality show, America’s Next Top Model is the trendiest title on the App Store, packed with fresh and exciting competitions for hours of on-the-go entertainment.
• 2XL Games has announced that both of their award-winning mobile offroad racing games have received updates. 2XL ATV Offroad has been upgraded to version 1.01 and 2XL Supercross has been upgraded to version 1.1 and both continue to feature incredible graphics, tight controls and dirt-shredding action.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 10, 2009:

Macintosh

• Pangea Software, Inc., has announced the release of Bracketeer 4, the latest version of their popular photo Enfusing application for Mac OS X. Bracketeer is a utility for photographers who take multiple “bracketed” exposures of a scene in order to capture a more complete range of shading in their photographs. Traditionally, bracketed exposures are used to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images that can be Tone Mapped down to an image that a computer monitor can display. Tone Mapping is a slow and cumbersome process which usually results in somewhat surrealistic images.  Bracketeer, however, provides an alternate method to Tone Mapping called “Enfusing,” Enfused images are created directly from the bracketed source images, so no HDR image is ever created.  The results are much more realistic than Tone Mapped images, and processing time is much faster.
• Indev software has released MiniMail 2.0 with Snow Leopard support and new flexible miniature windows features. Indev has worked hard to prepare MiniMail for Snow Leopard and implement new features. We are excited about developing MiniMail further and are certain that our current and future improvements will make MiniMail an even more essential part of streamlining your time managing email with Apple’s Mail.app.
• The Enterprise Desktop Alliance has announced an ongoing series to help enterprise IT departments integrate Macs with their Windows Server-based environments. The webcasts cover Mac integration topics at a level that is useful for administrators and managers and helps them to set strategy and to implement tactical solutions. Subsequent webcasts will address topics that were identified by the IT community as important issues in Mac integration.
• Emantras is giving away an Apple Magic Mouse for the best quote for their game Lucky Me. Send in a quote which they can use to describe someone’s luck. The whackiest and funniest one will get the reward.
• Jumsoft has released Keynote Backgrounds FX 4.0, a collection of 35 skillfully crafted motion backgrounds for Apple’s presentation software. Devised to enhance presentations and set a desirable mood, Keynote Backgrounds subjects vary from futuristic imagery and lab utensils to flashes of lights and splashes of color. Keynote Backgrounds FX movies are prepared for looping to allow infinite playback for all backgrounds.
• Group Logic has announced MassTransit 6.1, an easy-to-use file transfer solution, a powerful tool for high volume transfers and automated tools for system-to-system file transfers. MassTransit provides a single tool for defining and enforcing file transfer access rights and for monitoring all file transmissions. Version 6.1 includes a new, easy-to-use web portal for occasional users, a completely redesigned user interface for power users and a number of new enterprise infrastructure features.
• Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.6.1 (Snow Leopard Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. This version addresses an issue in which Cocktail may unexpectedly quit while clearing Mac OS X 10.6.2 system caches. The update is highly recommended for all users of Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition). Cocktail is an award winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X.
• Tyme Machines, makers of licensed USB drives, has announced the release of its Series 1 sculpted 3D Star Wars character USB thumb drives.  The drives are sculpted replicas of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Storm Trooper and Yoda.  Available for sale now, they range from 4GB to 16GB for $29.99 to $59.99.
• Vestax and algoriddim today announced the release of Spin, a brand new all-in-one bundle of digital DJ hardware and algoriddim’s djay 3 software. djay 3 seamlessly integrates with the user’s iTunes library and transforms the Mac into a complete DJ setup, while Vestax’s hardware replicates the control and physical sensation of mixing and scratching on actual records. The bundling of Vestax’s DJ MIDI controller and algoriddim’s djay 3 provides a powerful solution for all DJs, from beginner to pro.
• Today, Withings has announced Twitter integration into its first-of-its-kind WiFi Body Scale. As the world’s first WiFi connected personal weight scale, it automatically records the user’s body weight, lean & fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to their secure webpage and/or free Withings iPhone application, WiScale. Now, with this new added feature, users can set up alerts to automatically post their updates to Twitter accounts, further motivating them by sharing their progress with followers.
• The Scout Laptop Shoulder Bag is the perfect combination of style and function—a rugged and sophisticated multi-purpose laptop shoulder bag that’s perfect for work and play. Get back to basics with scout- one click of the heavy duty buckle gives you access to the laptop section (with a secure flap), your documents and folders, utility pockets for accessories and a secure zippered pocket for a wallet, mobile or iPod. Water resistant, light weight canvas gives scout a rugged look and feel and STM’s new shoulder padding gives a comfortable carrying experience, even when the bag is full to the brim.Scout’s laptop section is made from high density padding and cushioned felt lining, so your laptop is as secure inside the bag as you are wearing it.
• Combine style and function with STM’s Latte Laptop Shoulder Bag, a slim, chic shoulder bag designed to cushion your laptop as you carry it from anywhere to everywhere. Latte protects your laptop from the inside out. Internally it’s surrounded with cushioned felt and high density padding; from the outside it’s disguised in a sleek, contemporary shoulder bag. A zippered pocket has space for a wallet and phone, and other external pockets allow for cables, papers and essentials.

iPhone/iPod

• Jelly Car 2 [iTunes App Store link], the sequel to the top downloaded driving platform game, launched this weekend and already has skyrocketed to the number one paid App position on iTunes. What’s new for Jelly Car 2? The beloved squishy car is back with more than 30 new levels, new power-ups and three new modes. Jelly Car 2 also features a new custom level editor for creating your own puzzles complete with ramps, wheels, levers and more, in addition to new Sticky Wheels for driving up walls and a Balloon Ability for floating out of trouble.
• Go!TOKYO provides train map, exit information, Google Maps, off-line maps (English and Japanese) for certain areas and information on which train car to get on to get to the nearest exit and transfer points. It covers all the subway stations and JR Yamanote Line.
• Outside Ventures has announced Beauty Minder 1.0, their new beauty organizer for iPhone and iPod Touch. Beauty Minder enables you to take complete control of all your beauty events. Never miss an appointment, while maintaining all key contacts in one beautiful place. Features include Google maps, direct dial and email, expense tracking, reminders, and calendar function. Beauty Minder is fully customizable to enable you to track other events, including health, wellness, and fitness.
• Just in time for the holiday season gift rush, yoox.com has announced the launch of a new iPhone app, an interactive mobile shopping application available for free via Apple’s App Store. The new application, Yoox.com Style Gift Guide, was developed in-house by Yoox Group’s Technology team and offers consumers the chance to explore yoox.com’s selection of fashion & design gifts anytime, anywhere, and ship gifts to friends and family worldwide. This is the second foray for yoox.com into the world of mobile e-commerce, after the successful launch of yoox.com web fashion shopping application for iPhone and Android in April.
• The Dropbox iPhone app can now be yours (for free) from the App Store. It’s now 3.0 compatible too! Also in the works is an update to the app that includes optional passcode locking, better handling of images and more. For all you non-iPhone users, fear not! They’ve got some more mobile magic on the way.
• Tumble Jumble [iTunes App Store link] has launched onto Apple’s App Store for iPhone and iPod touch! The game is a colorful physics-based puzzler, with players employed by the Intergalactic Rodent Removal Company. Defy the laws of physics to rotate and drop a variety of block-shaped rodents into containers while avoiding lasers and dangerous enemy critters. Further amazing physics-altering power-ups will keep you on your toes! Cut-scenes and stylish vector animations reveal Tumble Jumble’s madcap storyline throughout more than 60 challenging levels.
• Sunstorm Interactive has announced WW2 Beachhead 1.0, their fast-action arcade game iPhone and iPod touch game. WW2 Beachhead features amazing graphics and dynamic war-time sound effects in which players have to defend their position against overwhelming enemies. Players must use precise aim and fast reflexes to suppress the attacking waves and win the chance to fight another day.
• Just in time for the holiday season, Broken Thumbs Apps has announced that Santa’s Run is now available in the iTunes App Store! Easy to learn, but difficult to master, Santa’s Run will be sure to get you into the holiday spirit and bring you hours of joy as you help Santa deliver presents across the globe. And, while playing the game, enjoy our original, catchy Holiday jingles and colorful backgrounds.
• Griffin Technology Inc., has announced a collaboration with Chilewich l Sultan LLC, the design innovator of modern vinyl textiles. The result is a collection of accessories, co-branded: Griffin + Chilewich.
• Aboveground Systems has announced the arrival of DaVinci’s Secret Machines on the iTunes App Store. The unique puzzle game challenges players to piece together a variety of the famed artist’s original designs, and features multiple solutions for every level. With its emphasis on imaginative play, puzzle gamers, creative types and inventive “tinker-ers” will all enjoy this title.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 9, 2009:

Macintosh

• Conceited Software has announced HealthNut 1.0, a diet aid and calorie tracking application for Mac OS X. HealthNut comes with thousands of built-in food items, each with predefined nutrients and energy values. Browsing this huge database is as easy as opening the HealthNut bar and typing a few characters. HealthNut remembers everything you’ve eaten and lets you review diet changes by jumping days, or years, back.
• Independent game developer Enkord, Ltd. has announced Zodiac Tower 1.91, its new action puzzle game for Mac OS X. Zodiac Tower is a unique match-3 puzzle game. Uncover the secrets of ancient Zodiac Tower and solve all of its fascinating puzzles. Explore a just uncovered ancient continent searching for valuable treasures and Relics. Zodiac Tower features 2 game modes, includes over 100 mysterious levels with 10 Mechanism parts to uncover.
• Geeksuit has announced Client Folder Maker 3.5, a significant update to their popular folder creation and management utility for Mac OS X. Client Folder Maker is a simple to use, general purpose folder creation and management tool for the busy desktop publisher, prepress operator or web designer. It allows the user to set up a hierarchy of folders once, then re-create that hierarchy anywhere in the filesystem with just a few clicks from the Finder.
• Disk Doctors has announced that its Norcross, GA Data Recovery Center is offering a flat rate for one week only. Any Hard drive shipped directly to or dropped off at their Norcross, GA lab will benefit from this steeply discounted special. This Super Special does not vary with drive size, operating system, or type of drive problem. Offer is good only at Disk Doctors, Norcross, GA Service Center.
• XChange UK has announced a new unprecedented promotion which offers users of any other 3D software product the opportunity to own the powerful, new Strata Design 3D CX. The offer gives users the chance to move to 3D design with an affordable and intuitive solution. With an interface that Adobe users will recognise, Design 3D connects to a user’s creative toolset with links to Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash.
• Reggie Ashworth has announced AppDelete 3.0.1, an update to his popular application deletion utility for Mac OS X. With a simple Drag & Drop, AppDelete will uninstall anything along with all of the associated items. Mac users will no longer have to hunt through their system to find and delete these items manually. AppDelete is a must-have utility for beta testers and the perfect companion to any Mac fanatic’s toolbox.
• The Mac Sale’s latest bundle comes to a close on the 13th, so this is your last chance to get an amazing bundle for a silly price. The apps in this bundle are HoudahGeo, MacJournal, CrossOver Games, Picturesque, Morph Age Regular, Searchlight, Vinoteka, iMaginator, Opacity Express and Stor. Read interviews with the 10 developers involved in this bundle and check out the rest of the software in the deal.
• Online video tutorial site MacSupportCasts is excited to celebrate their streamlined, easily navigated new look by giving away a free membership each week until the end of the year, plus a 32gb iPod Touch, a 16gb iPod Nano, a iTunes gift certificate, and two serial numbers for 1Password from Agile Web Solutions. According to Lead Caster Larry Pollock, MacSupportCasts’ easy-to-use video tutorials just got even easier to use, thanks to the recent homepage redesign.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced BatchOutput Server 4.2.4, an update to its output workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. Originally developed for a major publisher in the U.S., the software automates InDesign output by processing files from hotfolders. BatchOutput Server offloads printing and exporting to PDF and PostScript to a central system leaving operator workstations free from the output process. The new update adds support for Snow Leopard and improves error reporting.

iPhone/iPod

• Zurich-based cyclus.ch has announced WorkLog 2.1, an update to their popular time tracking utility for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, WorkLog is a powerful and easy-to-use time tracking tool. It supports user definable custom fields for each category, client or project. Logging time with WorkLog can be as simple as pressing Start to initiate a task and pressing Stop when done.
• Muli Mobile has announced Snob-O-Meter 1.0, the social personality test for iPhone and iPod touch. Snob-O-Meter is a personality test designed to poke fun at the egos of users and their friends. Do you have Facebook friends who aren’t real friends? Do you tailgate others unprovoked? Users are scored based on their answers to questions. Users can also rig the test for their friends to expose those who deserve it!
• Very Alien Productions has introduced Geometrics 1.0, their new geometry education and productivity app for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone interface, Geometrics is a powerful tool to construct and then calculate the area and perimeter of both regular and irregular two-dimensional shapes. Geometrics joins Very Alien’s very successful first app, Trigonomics, which is currently featured on the App Store in the New and Noteworthy section.
• Nor Eagle has announced Insulting Monk 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Insulting Monk features a hand-animated monk delivering humorous insults whenever he is touched. It is also possible to give the monk a smacking when you’ve had enough of his venomous tongue. Users can now carry an insult-spewing monk with them at all times. The app is classified as an entertainment app and the title character is eager to share his insults with anyone willing to part with their hard earned buck.
• Coresoft has announced Blood Beach 1.0, a simulated World War 2 game for iPhone and iPod Touch users. As much research as is humanly possible has gone into giving Blood Beach a true-life feel. Weapon firing, flight attack patterns, audio sounds, enemy behavior, ammunition and weaponry are all based on actual real life models. There are twenty different missions to be completed and users can keep track of their scores, as well as compete against others, online.
• Active Gaming Media Co., Ltd. has launched Barkeep 1.0, the new iPhone/iPod Touch app for drinkers. As a first-of-its-kind application, Barkeep has casual drinkers, recipe collectors and wine connoisseurs alike excited about the capabilities. With Barkeep, you can access a database of drinking recipes and add your own. Personalize it with your own photos, notes and dates.  Barkeep keeps track of all your drinking information in an easy-to-use format.
• Pingo, the prepaid international calling service from iBasis, has introduced Pingo EZ Dial, a new smartphone application that delivers automatic access to discount international calling rates for users of popular mobile devices including the iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and phones using operating systems such as Nokia Symbian, Windows Mobile and Google Android.
• Dive into a tranquil undersea environment with the newly updated iPhone application, MyReef 3D Aquarium. The new portrait display function allows users to view their fish tank vertically as well has horizontally. Paired with the ability to play music from the iTunes music library, the portrait setting enables users to watch beautiful tropical fish while listening to music on an iPhone docking station. The update also includes five exotic new fish species: the Threadfin Butterflyfish, Royal Gramma, Orange FireFish, Clown Trigger, and Porkfish. To celebrate the new update, MyReef 3D Aquarium will be available for a limited time for 99 cents in the iTunes App Store.
• Have you ever been involved in a steamy online romance? What would you do if your secret love letters were uncovered and published for the world to see? New media publishers First Fifteen are releasing the provocative e-mails of a true-life online love affair carried out 14-years ago during the advent of the Internet; published as a series of four tantalizing Appisodes to be enjoyed in the privacy of your own phone.
• M.O.C. Interior Designer, LLC has released Mark On Call 2.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch, a major update to the incredibly popular interior design app. Now room designs can be published and stored on the Web where owners of the application can peruse the new Rooms Gallery, an aggregated area of all users’ published rooms. From directly inside the app, users can download, customize and apply the room designs of others to their own personal space.
• Bitnotic Mobile has announced Octavian 1.1.0, an update to their music theory app for iPhone and iPod touch. Octavian makes musical scales and chords instantly accessible to musicians of all skill levels. It is an essential musical reference tool for any musician, student, composer, songwriter, pianist, keyboard player, or hobbyist. Version 1.1.0 now features high-quality piano sound playback, so that users can listen to scales and chords as they explore them.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 6, 2009:

Macintosh

• SpeedRunGames has announced that Grappling Hook for Mac OS X and Windows is 50% off this weekend. Grappling Hook is a first-person action puzzle / platform game, where you use a grappling hook to overcome various challenging obstacles by performing incredible moves and fast combinations of daring tricks. The game features 30 dynamic, animated, and unique levels, 30 achievements and 240 challenges.
• Troll Touch has announced touchscreen systems for the new 21.5 inch and 27 inch Apple iMacs and the 13 inch Unibody MacBook laptop. All systems feature analog resistive touchscreen technology and 12 bit touchscreen resolution. Standard warranty is one year, extendable to three years. The iMac systems are available as both a fully integrated, Troll factory installed internal package or a user-Installable, external “SlipCOVER” touchscreen system.
• Macworld has released the Total Snow Leopard Superguide, the latest installment in its popular series of tutorial books. Macworld’s team of experts take you inside Apple’s latest update to the popular Mac OS X operating system: Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6. Snow Leopard is an OS X update unlike any in recent memory. Inside these pages you’ll find all the information you need to install Snow Leopard smoothly and get started with its most important new features.

iPhone/iPod

• Appliya Studio has announced a partnership with the The Art Festival of Street Children, a humanitarian effort supporting poverty-stricken street children worldwide. Appliya has developed an iPhone application that gives users a new way to support this outstanding charity. This app is an innovative donation method, and a sign of the future of charitable donations.
• Riptide Games has announced Gravity Sling 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Gravity Sling is an inertia based puzzle game where the player must use the gravity of nearby planets to sling the astronaut through space and safely back to the space shuttle. Gravity Sling incorporates the popular OpenFeint platform enabling integrated leaderboards and achievements throughout the game.
• Independent developer Brice Milliorn has announced the sale of JBMJBM, LLC. This is a well established company whose sole purpose is creating consumer applications for the iPhone platform. The business is currently listed for sale on eBay as a 10 day auction. 87 apps in all, some of his best-selling applications are Friday Night Lights, iSpy Game, iReferee, iSexyRef, iSexyRef2, Pro Rodeo Fan, Sit Up Counter, Shake 2 Count & several College oriented apps for sports enthusiasts.
• OutOfTheBit has announced Checkers! 1.2.4, their versatile and highly customizable game app for iPhone and iPod Touch. OutOfTheBit, turns an age old favorite into a versatile, modern gaming experience. Checkers! four different playing rules, drag and drop playing, choice of three languages and varying graphic features makes Checkers! a unique application for gamers everywhere.
• Big Blue Clip has released Gas Log - MPG Fuel Tracker 1.5 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Gas Log - MPG Fuel Tracker keeps track of gas and mileage for multiple vehicles, all in one convenient spot. You always have your mileage and expenses at hand, which you can view by trip or year, break downs per vehicle or as totals. Via an easy to use interface, individuals enter their data into their iPhone or iPod Touch, rather than stuffing receipts into pockets or something similar.
• Readdle has announced the release of Scanner Pro 1.1, new version of their popular iPhone application that transforms the device into portable scanner. Version 1.1 introduces highly anticipated Evernote integration that lets people convert printed documents, receipts and even handwritten notes into searchable information accessible from anywhere. Scanner Pro is available on the App Store to the new customers and as a free upgrade for existing users.
• Macsoftex has announced iAlcohol 1.1, an update to their blood alcohol content app for iPhone and iPod touch. Intuitively easy to use, iAlcohol determines the level of alcohol in a person’s blood and calculates the required break in driving. The formula calculates the influence of factors on the duration of the phases of alcohol intoxication, providing 90% accuracy. The application will help you choose a suitable drink and the amount you are allowed to consume within this interval of time.
• Independent game developer Glenn Corpes has announced Ground Effect 1.0, developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Ground Effect is a unique 3D, classic arcade-style racer inspired by ekranoplan technology wherein craft fly on a cushion of air at breakneck speeds. Utilizing the platform’s trademark accelerometer as well as touch controls, Ground Effect boasts amazing graphics and incredibly smooth frame-rates as well as a host of gameplay features.
• Use your iPhone or iPod touch to write a message in the air with the magic of POV (persistence of vision). Move the iPhone in front of your friends or your camera and your message magically appears into the air. You can have a message with an unlimited number of characters and in any color. Be creative and make original photos for any occasion or simply to say hello to a friend or family.
• Infinite Labs has announced their winter line-up by releasing Mover 3.0, an update to the critically acclaimed iPhone data transfer app. Version 3.0 adds video transfer support.
• Apple’s gotten the world hooked on portable music, pictures, and videos. One thing they haven’t delivered, though, is an easy guide for getting the most from your sleek little entertainment center. That’s where this book comes in. J.D. Biersdorfer and David Pogue come to the rescue with the latest edition of their chock-full-of-tips, full-color guide: the world’s most popular iPod book. iPod: The Missing Manual (O’Reilly, US $19.99), now in its 8th edition, provides a no-nonsense view of the latest iPod line, including the tiny Shuffle, the video-capable Nano, the high-capacity Classic, and the Wi-Fi-enabled Touch. With crystal-clear explanations and easy-to-follow color graphics, the book provides expert guidance on all of the amazing things you can do.
• Jokemaster and industry pioneer Al Lowe has released an update for his latest venture, Al Lowe’s CyberJoke 3000™, currently available for download on the iTunes App Store. Comedy fans can listen to over 110 of Al’s favorite jokes, with more updates on the way. Experience Al’s unique sense of humor in a collection of gutwrenchers that will entertain you and your friends for hours on end.
• 365 Puzzle Club [iTunes App Store link] is the new number puzzle game App from Connect2Media containing thousands of Sudoku, Tenpenki and Kakuro puzzles, making it the only puzzle game you’ll ever need. Pit your wits against fresh puzzles every day in a variety of modes.
• Zinc Roe Games has released Tickle Tap Apps: three preschool apps for iPhone and iPod Touch. Sound Shaker is a delightful and hilarious sound making game, Sort Slider is a mesmerizing shape matching game and Count Caddy (makes counting rewarding).
• Sunstorm Interactive has announced the launch of their second iPhone and iPod touch game: WW2 Beachhead [iTunes App Store link]. It is a fast-action arcade game with amazing graphics and dynamic war-time sound effects in which players have to defend their position against overwhelming enemies.
• The World’s Hardest Game can now be played on the iPhone and iPod touch. Avoid Impact with Impending Blue Balls. Keep your Red Square away from the Blue Balls, and pick up yellow balls on your way to the Green Zone or you’ll die! And trust us, you’ll die. A lot. As in often. But even if you beat it, how many times did you die? The lowest score wins that battle.
• App Popular, LLC has announced App Popular 1.0, their new all-in-one solution for navigating the application universe for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Users can now share, monitor and track every iPhone application available in any of Apple’s 77 online App Stores. Features include social networking utilities to share apps via email, tracking functionality to monitor price changes, App Store rankings, App Popular rankings, categorization tools and more.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 5, 2009:

Macintosh

• Arten Science has announced ContaX, their new CRM for individuals, clubs and small businesses. ContaX will let you store, view, interact and communicate with your contacts, customers, prospects and suppliers more easily and efficiently than ever before. It features an elegant, intuitive user Interface and seamless integration with the other R10Office products. Your database can be stored wherever you like, including hosted and/or synchronized services such as iDisk and DropBox.
• Jumsoft has announced Aperture Themes 2.0. Aperture Themes allows Mac users to explore new ways of communicating their love for photography, and offers an extensive collection of design options for arranging their photos and pictures in Web galleries. All 16 themes were developed by a team of skillful designers with originality and sophistication to evoke a mood of professionalism and excellence. Version 2.0 features ten new styles added to the six designs from the previous version.
• Mariner Software has announced its latest product offering—a software and hardware bundle containing the popular digital documents manager, Paperless, with Fujistu’s ScanSnap S300M mobile scanner or the S1500M sheet-fed scanner. Paperless seamlessly integrates with both ScanSnap scanners, creating efficient and easy-to-navigate organization.
• Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.6 (Snow Leopard Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. This version adds ability to clear data detectors and QuickLook caches, as well as several new QuickTime X and Apple Mail settings. The update is highly recommended for all users of Cocktail (Snow Leopard Edition). Cocktail is an award winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X.
• IntelliScanner Corporation has announced their new IntelliScanner Comic Edition 200 is now shipping worldwide in custom metal lunchbox packaging. IntelliScanner Comic Edition 200 is a 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.

iPhone/iPod

• Traveling around the world to experience exotic foods and local life in different countries, how many language tools you have to bring? The answer is one. You only need PixTalk. One picture is worth a thousand words, and PixTalk carefully selects 100 pictures that could tell almost everything needed when traveling. You simply have to point at the pictures to indicate what you need.
• Matrix Knowledge Management Pty Ltd has announced the launch of V Phone, a new application that lets iPhone users make VoIP calls and send SMS messages over IP. Rather than locking iPhone users into working with a single VoIP provider, it lets users choose between multiple providers of their choice for voice calling. With an intuitive, attractive user interface and simple installation, the V Phone makes it easy for anyone to save money and start getting more out of their mobile or cell phones.
• Rosebrae Technology has released Clocks - Multi Time Zone Alarm Clock 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  Clocks is a distinctive fusion between a world clock and a bedside clock which combines all the functionality expected of both types of application in one place. Perfect for business people and other frequent travellers, Clocks allows users to keep track of the time in many places at once, whilst doubling as a gorgeous LCD display for bedside clock use.
• Quapps Interactive has released MagiCam - Augmented Reality - Photographs with props for iPhone devices. MagiCam allows users to take live photographs with added props such as ghosts, UFO’s, Beards and the big fish that got away. Using MagiCam, users are able to scale, rotate, move and blend several props over their camera and take ultra realistic photographs. Version 1.0 has 18 props with 1.1 offering camera roll editing as well as live, many more props and a camera timer mode.
• TapFactory has released Stick It 2.1 for iPhone and iPod touch. Stick It is an iTunes Top 100 Utility App that allows you to quickly and easily take notes, customize their look, and create beautiful wallpapers for your lockscreen to function as quick reminders. Create fully customized notes with over 20 note styles, over 30 backgrounds, and plenty of fonts to choose from. Stick It will automatically save your notes so you can pick up where you left off. Email your notes directly from the app.
• syncRage has released Sorty 1.1, morphing two concepts to create new gaming excitement for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Although it has a basic concept that involves rapid relocation or chaining of colored balls, the speed and split second strategizing involved seems to be very pleasing to syncRage customers. Bejeweled and Tetris may have been the inspiration for Sorty but there’s nothing old school about the app.
• Improve your mental capabilities in a fun way with infeCCt. Enter the mysterious temple ruins and solve the ancient puzzles by connecting all tiles—a challenge made harder by impassable blocks, intersections and tunnels. If you are to solve all the tricky challenges, you will not only have to think ahead, but you will also have to train your brain to apply what you’ve learned to new situations. Want to train your brain? Get infeCCted.
• Shiny Development Ltd. has announced Balloons!, the new iPhone app that lets you launch virtual helium balloons and track their progress around the world. Choose a balloon, attach your photo and message to it, then launch it into the sky. It then drifts around the world where it gets caught by other users. They add their own photo and message and send it on its way again. Where will it go? Who will it meet? How far will it travel? Balloons! the world just got smaller.
• After bringing the Artusi cookbook, Dreams&Lotto, Forex Alert, the Constitution and Italian Law Codes to your iPhone, Intermundia has introduced Project OperaM. Opera-lovers and newcomers alike will have the chance to download 24 applications from iTunes with librettos of the most famous operas.
• Beamer—a community developed, iPhone case with a built in light—has been released. This light can function both as a flash for your iPhone’s camera as well as a light to brighten things up when necessary. Dropped something under the table, squinting to read a menu in candlelight, can’t find your keys, or just frustrated by those dark mobile photos? Beamer is the case that shines.
• The OtterBox Commuter Series interactive case for iPhone incorporates three tough, yet sleek layers of impact-absorbing materials which combine to completely safeguard your device. First, a self-adhering transparent film covers and protects the touch screen. Next, a firm silicone skin completely encases the iPhone’s housing. And finally, a one-piece, molded polycarbonate shell snaps tightly over the whole assembly.
• Chillingo and Tetraedge Games have announced the availability of Jules Verne’s Secrets of The Mysterious Island [iTunes App Store link] for iPhone and iPod touch on the Apple App Store. Secrets of the Mysterious Island is the sequel of Return to Mysterious Island launched earlier this year. For approximately 700MB, the player will find out the end of the adventure of Mina, a sailor who finds herself stranded on the shores of a wild and apparently uninhabited island somewhere in the South Pacific.
• Logos Bible Software has released a free iPhone app designed to help people get more into Bible study than ever before. Unlike most Bible related iPhone apps, which are merely Bible readers, the Logos Bible Software iPhone app delivers tools and resources to help you study the Bible with your iPhone or iPod Touch in ways never before implemented on a mobile device.
• RingtoneFeeder has announced distribution of audiobooks in the same format as its popular ringtones and Dynamic Albums. The first title is The Caffeine Collection, which is a collection of audio short stories covering a wide variety of genres produced by Steve Saylor and is available via RingtoneFeeder. RingtoneFeeder is an innovative approach to ringtones offering a subscription model which automatically installs new original ringtones on the iPhone via iTunes every week.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 4, 2009:

Macintosh

• TheMacBundles has announced the release of its November Bundle. TheMacBundles provides users with the best software bargains on the platform while also providing developers with an exceptionally high percentage of the revenue produced from the sale of their software. The November bundle contains 12 outstanding and diverse titles and will be available for 4 weeks. All titles in the November bundle work with OS X 10.6.
• This year, Mac-users can send out their Christmas greetings conveniently via Mail. Following the overwhelming success of our Stationery Pack Greeting Cards, Equinux is pleased to announce the release of Season’s Greetings Vol. 2—a collection of 22 wonderfully festive greeting cards for Mail in Leopard and Snow Leopard.
• Macware has announced MacTuneUp 3.6, a free update to the leading Mac disk utility software. MacTuneUp quickly discovers and fixes problems, restores hard disk space, creates bootable disk backups, and maximizes Internet and network connections to squeeze the best performance from your Mac. Easily prevent system instability and speed up your Mac with a few simple steps. Snow Leopard users can update by downloading the updater from the Macware support center.
• Boinx Software has released iStopMotion 2.1, an update to its wildly popular stop motion animation and time lapse software. iStopMotion 2.1 features markers–a convenient new way to structure the timeline–and improves compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. It is the first Boinx Software product to provide a full Japanese localization. The update is free and strongly recommended for all iStopMotion 2.x users.

iPhone/iPod

• 1 pixel. 4 colors. That’s a minimum. Alexandre Minard has announced Minima for iPhone and iPod touch. Change your color to survive in the jungle of pixels? Yellow, pink, violet…make the right choice at the right time. 10 different levels are waiting for you. Would you be able to thwart the trapped pixels? Go and compare your score to the rest of the world in the world web ranking. That’s a Minima.
• Sean Maher has released Dead Panic: Survival 1.1.3, an update to his zombie game for iPhone and iPod touch. The undead are back with a vengeance. The updated game offers more playing modes, a new arsenal of kick-ass weapons, and a new set of twists and challenges to overcome. It also offers players a survival mode with unlimited waves of those persistent, shambling flesh-eaters.
• The Right Bite, Inc. today introduces The Right Bite 1.0, their revolutionary behavior modification & weight loss tool for iPhone/iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, The Right Bite achieves weight loss results differently than alternative diet/programs. Based on proven scientific research, the system helps users lose weight by controlling the pace of their eating rather than typically focusing on what they eat.
• Energize Software has announced Christmas Experience 1.2, an update to their multi-game Christmas iPhone app. While listening to holiday music you can decorate a snowman, play Christmas hangman, solve a puzzle, and tilt your device in one of eight directions to hear different holiday sounds. Create your own snowman with 30 pieces that utilize pinch and rotate gestures, as well as save, load and replace up to 9 different snowman creations.
• Fore by Cobra is a pretty special game; it not only looks amazingly detailed, but it plays just so well on the iPhone using the touch and accelerometer control to perfection. On top of that, peer-2-peer multi-player adds a new dimension to the game along with fully integrated Plus+. Oh, and if you pull off a hole in 1 or any other great shots, the game automatically saves these for you to replay your best moments.
• JL Software has announced Edition 1.65 of their popular Handbook of High-Risk Obstetrics for iPhone or iPod touch. Version 1.65 adds ultrasound images of fetal anatomy and H1N1 Flu information. Handbook of High-Risk Obstetrics is a new and original reference source for the medical student or resident physician who needs a comprehensive yet concise guide to perinatal care. The Handbook covers all major areas of high-risk pregnancy, and is cross-referenced and indexed with over 3600 search keywords.
• Ivan Karpan and Evgeniy Lebed have announced GlobeMaster 1.1.1, an update to their popular travel guide for iPhone and iPod Touch. GlobeMaster is an offline world-wide travel guide featuring 1400+ cities in more than 260 countries, including 4100+ photos, tips calculator and adviser, units converter and much more. It offers a wealth of information, such as traditions, rules of behavior, ways of getting in, out and around, how to stay healthy and safe and more.
• Sony Creative Software has announced the availability of 1,000 Ringtones, a DVD containing ringtones grouped into three categories: music, sound effects, and spoken words and phrases. Users can select tones for incoming calls, emails and text messages. Developed for iPhone users, the 1,000 ringtone files are included on the DVD in the popular .m4r and .mp3 formats, and are ready for immediate use without any additional fees, downloads or editing after the initial product purchase.
• Chillingo and MusiGames have announced a deal to publish DJ Nights games for iPhone and iPod touch via Chillingo’s mass-market brand, Clickgamer. The first release in the series—DJ Nights: Global Tour—will showcase world-famous electronic music stars including, Emilio Fernandez, Tom Cloud and Tiësto when it releases later this year.
• A new twitter account—@3WordAppReviews—sums up iPhone and iPod Touch apps in just three words. The service aims to make it quick and fun to learn all you probably need to know about many iPhone apps. Each tweet contains a link to the app, and a link to a full review, when available. The feed will have one new review each day, and might increase the daily number of reviews in the future.
• TimeStream Software has turned the iPod Classic, iPod nano and iPod Video into eReaders with its popular Notescast titles. Installing to the “Notes” feature found on nearly every iPod in use world-wide today, Notescasts are interactive books on the iPod, each containing up to hundreds of pages of digital copy linked to related photos and additional text.
• iSkin Inc. has introduced the latest evolution in its line of its trend-setting solo iPhone 3G/3GS protectors: the glamorously elegant iSkin solo FX Special Edition (SE). The iSkin solo FX SE debuts with a brilliant new look and feel thanks to a luxurious outer surface treatment, which combines an elegantly understated matte finish with a subtle embossed designer pattern. This elite edition of the solo line-up is available in three exclusive color options designed to enhance the iPhone’s natural beauty: Onyx (black), Cosmo (pink) and Ice (white).
• TechPad Productions has announced that an expansion pack based on the video game Overlord II is now available for iMEvil for iPhone and iPod Touch on the Apple iTunes App Store. TechPad Productions worked closely with the team at Codemasters, publisher of Overlord II, to create the expansion pack, which is exclusive to iPhone. The pack is an optional free update for those who already have the iMEvil application on their devices.
• JustPurePics.com, a development studio delivering personalized easy to use photo gallery packages for iPhone and iPod Touch, has recently released a new amazing application: Beauty Unleashed. Beauty Unleashed features selected works by a world famous photographer, Paul Buceta, whose pictures frequently appear on the pages of Glamour, Playboy, Penthouse and a number of other glossy publications.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 3, 2009:

Macintosh

• Apparent Software today is proud to announce Cashculator 1.0, a new kind of personal finance application for Mac OS X. Cashculator is a Mac way to track a cashflow. It is a different kind of personal finance application - instead of focusing on the past and logging previous transactions, it focuses on future by forecasting your financial situation. It allows making better decisions regarding your personal finance or small business. Version 1.0 is first release of the application.
• Macware has announced DiskTools Pro 3.5.1, a free update of its popular Mac utility suite for OS X. Version 3.5.1 supports Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later, including Apple’s new Snow Leopard. DiskTools Pro is a total system utility for the Mac, and the only one that allows you to schedule when to perform important tasks such as file defragmentation, backup and bad sector repair in a single, easy-to-use interface.
• Yazsoft has announced Playback 1.2, an important update to their zero configuration media server for Mac OS X. With a focus on ease-of-use, Playback allows anyone to share their media with any Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or other supported UPnP compatible device. Playback can also share media stored in folders or even make entire disks available to a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. By default, Playback will share almost any content on the users system. Version 1.2 includes many new improvements.
• SuperMegaUltraGroovy and toastycode have announced the immediate availability of TapeDeck 1.3, an update to their popular audio recorder for Mac OS X. Answering the requests of many professional and hobbyist users, version 1.3 adds the ability to record full-quality audio using lossless compression. Recordings from TapeDeck will preserve their full fidelity when dragged into Garage Band, Logic Pro, or any professional audio application that supports ALAC audio.
• Malkinware has announced Reference Tracker 1.5, an update to their academic reference manager and research tool for Mac OS X. Reference Tracker documents store all the citations and references in an essay, research project, or book and creates reference lists in a variety of formats when needed. Version 1.5 adds support for the newly updated APA 6th edition and MLA 7th edition referencing styles.
• XChange UK has announced a new exclusive PitStop Pro 09 Competitive Upgrade from FlightCheck Pro or FlightCheck Designer. This competitive upgrade gives existing users of FlightCheck Professional or FlightCheck Designer the opportunity to upgrade to the power of PitStop Pro 09 and save. PDF has become the standard for delivering press-ready files and PitStop Professional allows users to make minor edits to a PDF job at any stage.
• Karelia Software has released Karelia iMedia Browser 1.2.1, a free utility that adds the familiar “media browser” experience to just about any Mac application. The new 1.2.1 version provides full compatibility for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, adds Brazilian Portuguese and Russian Localizations, and fixes several other issues. A stand-alone utility, the Karelia iMedia Browser lets users quickly and easily browse and drag photos, music, movies, and bookmarks into most applications.
• newPCgadgets.com has introduces The Rail, a new cable management product for the iMac. The Rail is a stylish cable organizer designed to match the look of your iMac. Designed from polished steel, The Rail attaches directly below the center slot on the iMac pedestal. The Rail holds up to 8 small cables in the stainless steel wire clips. Larger cables like the power cord are held in the center section. Easily stores cables for future use and fast access on the sides. Excess wires can be wrapped around the posts. The Rail is available for $24.95.
• Emmy Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced the release of Flip Boom All-Star, an easy-to-use animation software for teens and up. Flip Boom All-Star offers exciting features that will engage users and allow them to use animation to communicate with their friends.

iPhone/iPod

• To help promote the ringtone creation software PocketMac RingtoneStudio 2 for iPhone, PocketMac is giving away a legally, factory-unlocked iPhone 3G. In addition, second and third prize winners will win a $50 and $15 iTunes gift card, respectively. The contest is structured so existing fans of PocketMac RingtoneStudio will help talk it up and recommend it to their friends. That is, the more copies of PocketMac RingtoneStudio sold during the month of November, the cooler the prizes get.
• mLab emantras has launched their first paid iphone app called Lucky Me lite. It’s a game which rates your luck and gives a score as well as a Lucky quote which can be shared on Facebook.
• IvySkin has announced the SmartCase, a new iPhone 3G/3GS accessory that brings a premium power and protection experience to iPhone owners. It offers IvySkin’s newest Glass Touch-Thru case called Quattro-T4 bundled with the new Quattro battery. This advanced power distribution system enables the iPhone to receive an additional 200% battery life. The SmartCase includes the SmartPac, Quattro-T4, USB cable and full manufacturer’s warranty.
• RemObjects Software, LLC has introduced Data Abstract for OS X, their new framework for Mac and iPhone developers. Data Abstract allows developers to concentrate on data presentation and business logic without having to worry about the intricate details of dealing with the underlying database. As a fully native OS X framework, Data Abstract was designed from the ground up to fit in with the tools that Mac and iPhone developers use, such as Xcode, Cocoa and Objective-C.
• TimeStream Software has turned the iPod Classic, iPod nano and iPod Video into eReaders with its popular Notescast titles. Installing to the “Notes” feature found on nearly every iPod in use world-wide today, Notescasts are interactive books on the iPod, each containing up to hundreds of pages of digital copy linked to related photos and additional text.
• Independent software developer Eknath Kadam has introduced Grammar Express: Tenses 1.0, his new grammar and course testing application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities, Grammar Express: Tenses is a complete course in mastering English grammatical tenses. This guide contains over a 100 pages of lessons with several examples, and serves to help improve the understanding of tenses and make use of correct form of verb.
• Extropia Games has released Bar Defender exclusively for the iPhone and the iPod touch. Bar Defender boosts castle defense games to an entire new scene. It’s going to be easy for gamers to identify with the bar fly who is threatened by the system and is struggling to hold on to the only place he feels safe: his favorite bar. Each level achieved, Bar Defender rewards gamers with more powerful weaponry and an even more audacious enemy, inciting them to polish the screen clean and shiny every time the game is afoot.
• MultiEducator has announced the release of Electrical Pro 1.0, their new information calculation tool for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Building on the success of Electrical Formulator, the Electrical Pro program adds 35 essential charts to the 100 electrical formulas in the standard Electrical Formulator. It also includes parts of the National Electric Code. The application has been designed from the ground up to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface.
• Orb Games has released Kamikaze Race 1.0, an exciting racing/action game for iPhone and iPod touch. The game puts players into a seat of an extremely fast car, amidst the busy road, with jammed accelerator pedal and brakes that refuse to work. Players have to survive as long as possible, challenged to earn achievements and to compete against other players in online leaderboards.
• Halloween has come and gone, but there are still zombies lurking in the dark, ready to eat your brains! Welcome to Zombie Dash, a top-down dungeon crawler where players can defeat the undead using the handy trackball control mechanism, as well as magic spells which can be cast with skill and dexterity via intense multitouch control. Trapped in a tomb infested with ghoulish pursuers, players must search for treasure and most importantly a key to the next level.
• VFSoftware LLC has announced Beat the Swine ‘09, the first iPhone app to raise monetary donations for H1N1 relief. VFSoftware LLC will donate to the CDC Foundation’s H1N1 relief fund for all downloads, increasing donations as a player’s score goes up. Similar to the classic Asteroids, Beat the Swine ‘09 has a medically inspired theme and updated pandemic information, making it the first to target gamers to help combat the spread of Swine Flu.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for November 2, 2009:

Macintosh

• Ringce has announced Slammer 0.9.6, an update to their designer’s layout and geometry utility for Mac OS X. Suitable for graphic designers, web and application developers alike, Slammer is a universal layout tool which can be used as an overlay on top of any application while tweaking a design. Make blueprints by sectioning a canvas using grid systems, fibonacci series, golden sections or harmonious sections. It features rulers, a magnifier and a color picker to help further refine any layout.
• Mo Media has launched Custom Headers by M, a service to help those who are building template style websites but lack the skills to create an extraordinary header. Experienced Photoshop designer Karen Kaufman of Mo Media considers the design being used, then works with the customer’s image, logo and text to create a look unique to any website. Clients can check out the gallery of customizable designs, or commission their own.
• RemObjects Software, LLC has announced RemObjects SDK 1.1 for OS X, a significant update to their popular networking framework for Mac and iPhone developers. RemObjects SDK makes it easy for developers to create networked applications that communicate with each other. Version 1.1 sports improved APIs and allows for the creation of SOAP clients for both the Mac and iPhone platforms. Developers can easily have their applications talk to virtually any web service that uses SOAP.
• Readdle has announced ReaddleDocs 1.6, a new version of their popular document and file management solution for iPhone and iPod touch. Version 1.6 adds a professional PDF document viewer that supports full text document search, password protected documents, navigation through embedded PDF bookmarks and handling large PDF files. ReaddleDocs combines a number of powerful document viewers, network file server, web storage client, web browser and file manager within a single application.
• Ben Software has announced the release of RemoteSight 1.0, a new product for video and audio streaming over a network. RemoteSight can stream video from a variety of devices, such as the built-in iSight cameras included in many Macintosh computers. Designed to be part of a video surveillance system, RemoteSight integrates seamlessly with SecuritySpy, the premier multi-camera video surveillance software on the Macintosh platform.
• Eltima Software today announces Flash’In’App promo campaign. Starting from today, with each purchase of Flash’In’App you get a license for Flash Optimizer for Mac for free. Flash’In’App is a Cocoa framework for managing Adobe Flash movies in any application on Mac OS X. Flash Optimizer allows compressing SWF files up to 60-70% as it offers total control over each and every optimization algorithm.
• Mac Bundle Box has launched Mac Daily Box, a new sister site to its unique quarterly software promotions bundle. Mac Daily Box is a Deal-A-Day on Mac Software. Every day at midnight, a new application will be posted to Mac Daily Box at a heavily discounted price. It will remain discounted for twenty-four hours until the next promotion is published on the website. Mac Bundle Box will continue to do its discount bundle promotions, but on a less frequent basis.
• Nova media today announces FoneSync, which synchronizes contacts and calendars with Samsung phones. The new synchronisation tool offers relief for those who could not synchronise their contacts and calendars with Mac OS X before. FoneSync supports the most recent Samsung phones and sports a clean and easy to use interface. It is possible to restrict the synchronization to single address book goups and/or calendars as well as to define the time frame of the calendar sync.
• Vinotekasoft has announced Vinoteka 1.5, a major update to their ultimate wine cellar management solution for Mac OS X. In a unique and gorgeous interface showing bottles, cellars and tasting notes, Vinoteka brings the best wine cellar management experience to Mac users. Customizable and user-friendly, straight-to-the point and nevertheless very professional, Vinoteka is the ultimate companion every wine lover needs. The new major version 1.5 sports many new feature improvements.
• Veenix Technologies has announced TypeBook Creator 1.9, its highly acclaimed Macintosh font specimen book and font sample sheet creation software for graphics professionals. The new version has been updated to support Mac OS 10.6. Additionally, specimen layouts were recoded using Apple’s latest font and text imaging technologies, Core Text, several new customization features and options were added, and more.
• Apparent Software has announced Cashculator 1.0, a new kind of personal finance application for Mac OS X. Cashculator is a Mac way to track a cashflow. It is a different kind of personal finance application - instead of focusing on the past and logging previous transactions, it focuses on future by forecasting your financial situation. It allows making better decisions regarding your personal finance or small business. Version 1.0 is first release of the application.

iPhone/iPod

• LukPlus has announced Hyakkiyagyo, a Japanese style 3D shooting game in which the player becomes a shrine maiden. The game features two methods of attack—magic circle and shot—and you won’t die even if you recieved enemy’s attack.
• Hydrix has released Roto, a new and original solitaire game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Roto is a challenging and addictive game developed by international best seller Dr. Reiner Knizia. Roto was designed from the ground up for the iPhone. The rules are simple so anyone can play, but mastering all the challenges and planning ahead to use the best possible combinations is harder than it may seem.
• Hot Chili Apps GmbH has announced C@rds Master 1.1.2, an update to their free mobile eCard utility for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, C@rds Master is an easy-to-use yet sophisticated postcard creation and delivery tool. C@rds sets includes 10 topics for nearly every occasion to create and generate individual and fancy digital postcards.
• Technical Made Easy has announced the release of Easy Stitch 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Now anyone can learn Embroidery, Knitting and Crochet using their iPhone and iPod Touch. Easy Stitch provides step-by-step instructions with full color illustration for learning Crochet, Embroidery and Knitting. Included with each category are descriptions of various materials, supplies, tools, conversion charts from U.S to Metric and Tips & Tricks.
• Marware Inc has announced the SportShell carrying solution for the iPod touch 2G is now shipping. This low profile, three-piece shell case is made of resilient polycarbonate with a smooth rubberized finish. The sturdy 360-degree ratchet clip ensures that the iPod touch stays securely on a belt or strap. Use the SportShell with or without the clip, or without the back piece for showing off the Apple logo.
• The iTunes App Store has just received a heavyweight addition to its roster of games, as Speed Bag: Urban Gym [iTunes App Store link] is now available for download. Speed Bag: Urban Gym offers the most authentic boxing experience found on the iPhone/iPod touch. Whether you are new to the ring or a boxing professional, Speed Bag: Urban Gym simulates what it is like to hit the bag wherever you go.
• Pong Double is a new take on an old classic. But Pong Double is so much more, and with the extra play modes, it will keep you playing for a very long time. There is an online high score list where you can compete with the rest of the world.
• appsNminded has launched Jonesing Daily 1.0, a coupon app that highlights and promotes exclusive and hip on-line shoppes that were only known to trendy insiders and fashionistas. Jonesing Daily offers not just a coupon but exclusive deals. Hip online shoppes such as Terra Plana, Viv & Ingrid, GoGo Gear, Fuz, Stanton James, Tucker Paisley, Moby Wrap, blabla kids and Josh Jakus are just a few of the featured retailers.
• iLounge has debuted the brand-new 2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide, the latest in its multi-million-downloaded series of publications. The 200-page Guide is available immediately as a free, hassle-free download from iLounge, and will be featured at the iLounge Pavilion of the January 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Coinciding with the release of the 2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers’ Guide, iLounge’s sixth annual guide to Apple’s top media players, accessories, and software, the editors of iLounge proudly announce the winners of the prestigious iPod + iPhone Best of the Year Awards. From cases to speakers, games and applications, the Awards spotlight top picks across major Apple hardware and software categories, and were selected by iLounge’s editors without any influence from advertisers, Apple, or other interests. Recipients were selected purely on the basis of merit from thousands of candidates, and represent the outstanding efforts of small and large developers from a variety of different countries.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 30, 2009:

Macintosh

• ZiggySoft has announced iWeb Valet 2.3.0, the tool to enhance and upload iWeb pages. iWeb Valet widgets give you the power to add new interactive widgets to your web pages. It is both easy to use and incredibly powerful, adding many features to iWeb sites and you don’t have to know anything about programming or web-authoring languages such as HTML or Javascript. Version 2.3.0 includes the ability to have unique meta tags on all pages, a new Falling Snow Effect widget, and more.
• Crunchyroll and Boxee have announced a partnership to provide Anime and Asian drama fans an even easier and convenient way to watch their favorite shows anytime they want from their living room couch. With the largest online collection of legal Anime and Asian entertainment, Crunchyroll has quickly grown to become a fan favorite website with over five million unique registered users. Using Boxee’s free downloadable software, fans will have an even easier way to stream all their favorite anime, k-dramas and more from the Internet onto their televisions. The best part is that Boxee provides users the ability to navigate Crunchyroll’s videos with a simple remote control from the comfort of their couch or bed. Additional bonuses include the ability for fans to share what they are watching with friends and social networks.
• The Mac Sale has announced their latest bundle, containing 10 great Mac apps, interviews with the developers and even a song! The Mac Sale should again provide a great deal for customers and importantly, a fair deal for developers. The apps in this bundle are HoudahGeo, MacJournal, CrossOver Games, Picturesque, Morph Age Regular, Searchlight, Vinoteka, iMaginator, Opacity Express and Stor.
• Anawiki Games has announced the immediate availability of Spooky Runes, the Halloween twist of their bestselling game for Mac OSX. Spooky Runes is a puzzle-driven game offering a polished, addictive game-play. Spooky Runes features exceptional music and superb effects that remain this games hallmark. Avalon invaded by ghosts, ghouls, bats and scary cats is fun and spooky. Spooky Runes takes you to an enchanting world of magic and mystery you won’t want to leave.
• KennettNet Software has announced Clarus 1.5, an update to their pet management solution for Mac OS X, now with a companion iPhone app. Perfect for maintaining insurance and medical records, vet bills, and expense receipts, Clarus was specifically designed to manage a pet’s life and paperwork, all in one convenient, easy-to-use utility. And if Spot just happens to go missing, printing a bold missing poster that includes his photo and basic details with reward only takes seconds.

iPhone/iPod

• IK Multimedia has announced the release of two new applications for the iPhone/iPod touch: GrooveMaker Electro and Drum ’n’ Bass (D’n’B). These complete the range of available GrooveMaker applications with two new style-based apps that allow anyone to create and share non-stop Electro and D’n’B tracks for DJing, remixing, multimedia and movie soundtrack compositions on the go, in real-time, just like a professional DJ or music producer.
• Scholastic Media has the answer for fans of The 39 Clues this month with a limited time promotion for its latest iPhone app - The 39 Clues Madrigal Maze. On November 3rd, in conjunction with the new release of Book #6 of the New York Times bestselling series, the company will offer the iPhone app for just $1.99 on iTunes through November 17th.
• Corduroy Enterprises has announced Portfolio - Local and International Stocks 1.0, their new iPhone app that greatly simplifies the task of tracking a portfolio of stocks. Portfolio takes the clutter and complexity out of stock tracking, and focuses on the information you really need - the total and change in your portfolio’s value. For everyone from professionals to mum & dad investors, Portfolio is an easy to use, uncluttered tool to track their share portfolio and watchlist.
• Pocket Oinko is a virtual pet living inside your iPhone or iPod touch. Instead of having to take care of him like all other virtual pets, Oinko has a mind of his own. You can suggest actions, but ultimately he’ll decide what to do. You can either obsessively stalk him and observe his daily routine, or help him out and receive bonus points in return. Use these to buy food and toys for Oinko to play with.
• BigSprocket, LLC has announced Tourneys 1.1, an update to their popular poker tool for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed for the Internet poker player, Tourneys puts the schedules of upcoming tournaments from the most popular Internet poker sites in the palm of your hand. It allows players to quickly find out what games are coming up on each site, without having to log into that site’s software.
• Rapid Turtle Games has announced Mr. Puzzle Genius, a brain challenging and addictive 3D puzzle game. For each level, front, side and top 2D views are given for the goal 3x3x3 cube. The player needs to create a 3D 3x3x3 cube with the basic building pieces; cube and prism in that way to create front, side and top views as in the goal 2D views. Mr. Puzzle Genius comes with 3 difficulty levels ranging from Novice to Expert each with 20 puzzles.
• Marware has announced the SportShell Convertible carrying solution for the iPod touch 2G is now shipping. The SportShell Convertible for iPod touch 2G is 3 cases in 1 and merges versatility with elegant, cross-functional design in a single product. It offers a polycarbonate shell with a smooth rubberized finish. By using interchangeable parts, the SportShell Convertible offers a full range of carrying options.
• LifeFocus Apps has announced LifeFocus 1.2, an update to their popular tasks and goals utility for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities, LifeFocus gets the information users need quickly so they can focus on getting things done. Whether users desire a basic task list or prescribe to the Getting Things Done methodology, LifeFocus can be personalized to meet any need.
• Ofijo has announced Halloween Mayhem 1.0, their new pumpkin saving Halloween game for iPhone and iPod touch. Halloween Mayhem is a small but very funny and addictive game in which your goal is to crush as many skeletons as you can before they reach the Halloween Pumpkin. Something has awaken and now it’s after your beloved pumpkin! You cannot let anything happen to it!

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 29, 2009:

Macintosh

• Redcort Software has announced Virtual TimeClock ‘09 Release 3, their industry leading time and attendance software for Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows computers. Virtual TimeClock is available in both Pro and Network Editions. The new Virtual TimeClock software release brings the ability to add notes to employee timecards, full Snow Leopard and Windows 7 compatibility, and more than two dozen software enhancements.
• St. Clair Software has announced the release of Default Folder X 4.3.2. Default Folder X enhances the file dialogs in all Mac OS X applications. It provides fast navigation to your files, convenient previews, integrated Spotlight tagging, and more. Version 4.3.2 addresses issues with Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, as well as enhancing Default Folder X’s ability to see which folders you’ve used recently.
• Acapela Group and AssistiveWare have announced the release of Infovox iVox 2.0. Infovox iVox 2.0 offers Snow Leopard compatibility, significantly improves performance and responsiveness and adds a number of new voices for the following languages: Arabic, French, German, Flemish, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Turkish. These voices work with virtually any Speech Manager compliant Mac OS X application, including VoiceOver, Preview, TextEdit, VisioVoice and ConvenienceWare GhostReader.
• Eternal Storms Software has announced the immediate availability of flickery 1.6. flickery is a unique desktop flickr client for Mac OS X 10.5 which combines the flickr photo-community with the ease-of-use and elegance of Mac OS X. Easily upload photos and videos to your Flickr photostream, organize items in photosets and groups, browse Favorites, and more. flickery 1.6 features trimming options for videos, batch-editing of items and the use of CoreLocation on Mac OS X 10.6.
• TidBITS Publishing Inc. has just released the free Take Control of VMware Fusion 3,” by Joe Kissell. The 142-page ebook, sponsored by VMware Inc., provides real-world advice on the best ways to install, configure, run, and maintain Windows on a Mac with the new virtualization software VMware Fusion 3. Customers may download the ebook for free or order a print copy for $12.99.
• MacUpdate has introduced MacUpdate Desktop 5, a powerful application that enables users to keep all their Mac software up-to-date with unparalleled ease and accuracy. MacUpdate Desktop brings the convenience of automatic software updates to every Application, Widget, Screen Saver, and Preference Pane. Designed from the ground up to take advantage of the newest Mac OS X technologies, MacUpdate Desktop is a class-leading solution packed with features.

iPhone/iPod

• I-play, Oberon Media’s publishing division and the world’s leading multi-platform casual games publisher, today launched Bubble Town 2 for iPhone and iPod touch. Based on the wildly successful online arcade game that has captivated millions of players through Facebook, MySpace, PC download and mobile, the highly-anticipated Bubble Town sequel for iPhone is now available in the Apple App Store.
• Stone Design has released Twittelator Pro 3.3.1, a free upgrade to its top-selling iPhone Twitter client for iPhone and iPod touch. Twittelator Pro packs the most features into a Twitter client, mobile or desktop. Version 3.3.1 includes many new features as well as embraces new Twitter features in October. Twittelator Pro was recently featured at the top of the Summer’s Hottest iPhone Apps in an Apple/AT&T full page ad in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today.
• Off-by-One Mobile has released AutoTrafego 1.1.1, a free special Halloween Edition of their isometric traffic management game for iPhone and iPod touch. This Halloween Edition takes place in a specially crafted scary graveyard while still offering the same quality of professional artwork and polished effects as the original game. An original spooky soundtrack ensures that the immersion is complete.
• Galarina has released PhotoToMac 1.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch. PhotoToMac transfers photos taken with an iPhone and saved photos over WiFi to a Mac shared folder. The photos are transferred in full resolution and multiple photos can be transferred in batch. PhotoToMac requires no cables, no internet connection, no browser and no emails. The only requirement is that the iPhone or iPod Touch is on the same WiFi network as the Mac.
• iLuv has announced the availability of the iMM183 Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock with NOA/S.A.M.E Weather Hazard Alert, a CES 2009 Best of Innovations Honoree, to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPod fans. The digital dual alarm clock brings rich sound combined with dual dock options and a Weather Band Radio with NOAA emergency alert system to your bedside for $149.99 MSRP.
• Super Happy Fun Fun and Play Mechanix have announced the release of Big Buck Hunter Pro for the iPhone and iPod touch. Available just in time for whitetail hunting season, Big Buck Hunter Pro is the latest way to play the phenomenally popular 3D arcade hunting experience anytime, anywhere. Millions of players already flock to the 10,000+ Big Buck Hunter arcade units nationwide each week, and the iPhone platform will enable long-time franchise fans and new players to experience the world’s #1 arcade hunting game on the touch screen for the very first time.
• Scosche Industries has announced the availability of its powerFUZE line of home and car USB charging systems. The powerFUZE Pro is the signature model and is both “Made for iPod” and “Works with iPhone” certified, and allows users to carry just one charger for all their USB based devices when traveling.
• ooPixel has released a new iPhone game called Samegame Gravitized. It’s available on App store for $0.99 during the first week or two. The price will go up to $1.99 afterwards. In Samegame Gravitized the goal is to remove groups of blocks of the same colour. The more you remove, the more points you will gain, just like in all Samegame or Match three variations.
• PlayHaven today launched its innovative platform enabling virtually any iPhone game developer to instantly establish a community presence online and in-game for free. For the first time, developers can now easily claim their game communities to start directly communicating with their fans, while creating word-of-mouth buzz with iPhone gamers everywhere. PlayHaven’s online universe of communities has an aggregated audience across more than 15,000 games in the iPhone App Store.

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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. ExactCODE continues to provide automated and intelligent document scanning for the Macintosh. Version 2.8 adds support for several portable document scanners, including the all-new Avision AV50F, as well as other popular devices such as the Visioneer RoadWarrior or Xerox Travel Scanner 100. OCR quality, PDF compression and accuracy are further improved as well.
• iPresentee has released iWeb Themes 6.0 for Apple’s popular web site building application. iWeb Themes 6.0 includes five new remarkable themes animated with flash: Personality, Simple, Town, Violet and WildLife. In addition new package of themes includes five ordinary themes with static backgrounds. iWeb Themes with flash is a new outstanding solution combining iWeb and Flash into one great product.
• XChange UK has announced a free Adobe InDesign Server and Automating Adobe Creative Suite 4 seminar. On 23rd November at Adobe offices in Regents Park London, users can learn how implementing InDesign Server can automate the design, layout and typographical abilities of Adobe InDesign CS4. In addition, there will also be demonstrations of Switch solutions from Enfocus that provide configurable automation of Adobe CS4 applications for a variety of publishing environments.
• Karelia Software has announced Sandvox 1.6.5, the award-winning website building application for Mac OS X. This is a maintenance update, free to all registered users. Through the entire month of November, Karelia is offering a promotion where Mac users can get a free license to Sandvox Pro by purchasing one year’s worth of web hosting from either A2 Hosting or Server Logistics via the links on the Karelia Hosting Comparison Chart web page.
• SkypeCap has announced SkypeCap for Mac 3.6, an update to their Skype video and audio session recorder for Mac OS X. With a focus on ease-of-use, SkypeCap for Mac allows recording of audio and video conversation from Skype to video and audio files. SkypeCap for Mac saves your Skype sessions so that you could hear and watch them again later or share them with someone else. It fully integrates the process into the Mac experience by allowing human interaction during recording and conversion.

iPhone/iPod

• Appliya Studio, a provider of customizable template platforms for the creation of iPhone applications, is holding a photo contest for Halloween 2009. Contestants only need to submit their best Halloween photos to Appliya Studio, and the winning photos will become part of free iPhone apps that will be available worldwide.
• Codium Labs, LLC has released Babelshot 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Babelshot allows automatic real-time translation of printed text using the iPhone’s camera. Busy professionals and foreign travelers can use Babelshot to instantly translate items like restaurant menus, hotel booklets, product manuals, or snippets from books and newspapers. Babelshot incorporates innovative image processing algorithms coupled with state-of-the-art Tesseract Optical Character Recognition engine.
• iWater Flow, now available on iPhone and iPod Touch, brings out the child in you. Use the jets of water and tilt the game to place the rings on the spikes. Test your dexterity with this reproduction of the water toys you played with as a child. The controls are the same, and you will soon be reaching your top scores again.
• Fluttr from indieSpring tasks you with saving a butterfly from an explosive end by sweeping aside flowers, poking away bees and pinning up spiders. Easy to pick up and play, with quick, fun gameplay paced gently in a unique artistic setting. Fluttr is built upon the torque iT2D platform from GarageGames, and is also available as a free download for PC & Mac.
• IGG Software has announced iBank Mobile 1.1 for iPhone and iPod touch. iBank Mobile harnesses the power of the desktop version of iBank for Mac to check account balances, enter transactions and categorize expenses, even in foreign currencies. Designed to sync seamlessly with the full edition of iBank, iBank Mobile also works as a separate, stand-alone app for handheld finance management. Version 1.1 adds running balances to transactions, as well as several other enhancements and fixes.
• Graphiclife has announced Tweetspotting 1.0.1, a powerful Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Tweetspotting allows you to browse tweets from all over the globe. Explore any location and find out what people are thinking, doing and saying. Tweetspotting also includes a real-time friend tracker that will help you find and follow your friends. Tweetspotting will automatically post your current location to the Twitter servers while you’re on the move.
• Marware has announced the Sport Grip for the iPod nano 5G, their newest lineup of slim silicone cases. The Sport Grip provides smooth, stylish, slip-free silicone protection for the ultimate soft carrying solution. The Sport Grip for iPod nano is slim, comfortable, and is made with an antimicrobial additive. The Sport Grip allows for easy access to all iPod nano buttons and ports, and comes with Marware’s Lifetime Warranty.
• Legacy Effects, one of Hollywood’s most respected special makeup and animatronic effects companies, brings its famed design skills to the small screen of the Apple iPhone and iTouch with the release of its first iPhone App, iMut8r. The new App allows users to take photos of friends and family and transform or “mut8” them into their own custom versions of classic creatures and monsters.
• Gendai Games has announced the introduction of the GameSalad Membership Program and the conclusion of the iPhone Early Access Beta Program. Members of the GameSalad Membership Program now have the ability to publish their GameSalad-made games to the iPhone at the cost of only $99 per year for an Express membership. The GameSalad Membership Program features two tiers of membership: the $99 Express membership intended for casual and prosumers, and the $1999 Pro membership intended for studios and professional developers.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 27, 2009:

Macintosh

• There are only three days left to purchase the new MacFriendly Bundle of 12 applications for Mac users. The Bundle represents a savings of over 85% off the list prices. Additionally, two bonus applications will be added to the bundle for all customers when 1000 bundles have been sold. The latest version of each application is included in the bundle.
• Jumsoft has announced Keynote Objects FX 4.0 for Apple iWork. Keynote Objects FX is an excellent collection of 150 high-quality 3D images. The strikingly realistic images can be added to presentations as well as text documents to lend them a touch of authenticity. The subjects in Keynote Objects FX 4.0 range from classic furniture and flowers to gift boxes, and the latest selection includes 50 brand-new objects, including many options for sports enthusiasts and leisure-themed objects.
• Agile Web Solutions today announced 1Password 3 public beta, its award-winning password and identity manager for Mac OS X. Over a year in the making, 1Password 3 is the most significant upgrade in company history, incorporating years of customer feedback and new innovation. Version 3 adds ground-breaking features like 1PasswordAnywhere which allows users to view their 1Password information on any computer with a modern browser.
• St. Clair Software has announced HistoryHound 1.9.7, its fast, efficient multi-browser utility for searching the contents of web pages and RSS feeds. Version 1.9.7 broadens HistoryHound’s capabilities with support for the latest versions of Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome. It also adds the ability to search pages pointed to by webbookmark, webhistory, and webloc files, and improves speed and robustness as well.
• Macvide has announced FlashVideo Converter 3.6, an update to its professional Flash to Video conversion utility for Mac OS X. The FlashVideo Converter is a powerful and versatile program for converting any flash video file to one of many popular video formats including iPhone/iPod mp4, Mobile 3gp and MPEG2. FlashVideo Converter able to convert all FLV and SWF files with ActionScript support.
• Second Gear has released Today 1.8.2, an update to its flagship productivity application Today. Version 1.8.2 wraps up several small bug fixes for existing users on Snow Leopard. Today makes it easy to get a one day snapshot view of your upcoming events and tasks in a compact window. Adding new events and tasks is just as easy. You can quickly schedule next week’s meeting or a quick task in Today. No iCal required.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced Instant Backup 1.6.5, an update to its simple and very affordable solution to securely back up selected data on-line and locally. Instant Backup is designed to back up the most important and sensitive active projects - the ones users don’t want to take any chances with. And FTP backup assures that the data won’t be lost in the case of theft, fire or flood. The new version adds support for Mac OS X 10.6 and addresses some usability and connectivity issues.
• Booq, a leading brand of premium laptop carrying cases for creative professionals, has unveiled the Viper rush work-in laptop case. Viper rush is a hard-sided case designed to keep up with your fast-paced day at work, at home, and everything in between. Available at booqbags.com and retailers throughout the country, booq combines sophisticated design and functionality to deliver high-quality bags and cases for the next generation of ambitious professionals.
• Macgamestore.com has announced the release of Macinarium on its web site. Created by Amanita Design, Machinarium is an award-winng point-and-click adventure game by the team that created the critically acclaimed web games Samorost and Samorost2. Machinarium world is populated only by robots of various forms and functions. One of the most interesting places in this world is old, rusty and legendary city of Machinarium where the game takes place.
• Brothers Ian Gillespie and James Gillespie, developers and partners in IGG Software, will personally present IGG’s finance management applications, iBank and iBank Mobile, in demonstrations at four major Apple retail locations this November. Demonstrations of iBank will focus on ways the app can streamline users’ personal money management, including importing data from other Mac or PC finance apps and more.

iPhone/iPod

• PixTalk is a photo communication tool for all travellers. It is also the only language tool you need for travel. PixTalk carefully selects 100 pictures that could tell almost everything needed when traveling. What you have to do is point at the pictures to show what you need.
• MotionDrum is a drum simulator that lets you drum by simply waving your iPhone or iPod Touch in the air. No tiny buttons to tap; just take your device in hand and air drum in one of four different directions. You can choose from a multitude of drum and percussion sounds, as well as sound effects and beat box samples. Use it at parties, concerts, or anywhere else that serious air drumming is required.
• Zoo Games, Inc. has announced that Groovin’ Blocks—the popular puzzle/rhythm game hybrid first seen on Wii—is now available on the iTunes App Store. Like its console predecessor, the game features addicting puzzle action centered around high-energy original music. The portable version will feature all-new levels and new songs to keep you rockin’ on the go. Presented with a minimalistic style, the gameplay is easy to learn, but to become a Groovin’ master, players will need quick wits and the ability to keep a beat. Luckily, the game’s auto-save feature makes this a perfect title for those small blocks of time that iPhone gamers live for. With a perfect balance of casual action, Groovin’ Blocks will be livening up lunch breaks and dull commutes this fall.
• Geospace and developer RogueSheep today announced the WORD SPIN game for iPhone and iPod touch is available from the App Store. The WORD SPIN App combines the elements of popular word games, crossword puzzles and word searches into a portable game for iPhone and iPod touch. The app is a great way to sharpen language skills by identifying words and anagrams from two to eight letters in length. For decades, the Original WORD SPIN has been both entertaining and challenging for everyone from kids to scholars.
• Creaceed today released Vocalia 2.1 speech recognition on the App Store. In addition to English, French and German, Version 2.1 adds Spanish, Italian and Dutch and updated CeedVocal SDK for iPhone speech recognition. Thanks to Vocalia, people owning an iPhone v1, 3G or a 2nd generation iPod Touch have access to speech recognition features like on iPhone 3GS. Vocalia is based on CeedVocal SDK, the speech recognition technology developed by Creaceed for the iPhone.
• WebIS Inc. has announced a major update to its Calendaring/To Do application for the iPhone, Pocket Informant. This release adds push alarms, calendar filtering, automatic sync, optional mini-text-in-month view, improved performance and stability, and much more.  Pocket Informant offers Calendaring and To do management in one easy to use application and is the premiere Personal Information Manager for iPhone, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices.
• Drinking budget down these days? Got a $5 bill burning a hole in your pocket?  In desperate need of a drink? Well, APPSolute Media and Lush Life Productions have a solution to all of your problems. Step 1: Download Happy Houred from your iPhone or iTouch (for FREE). Step 2: Search for specials near you. Step 3: Find Mr. McPints in Austin, TX offering $2.50 vodka tonics for the next hour. Step 4: Redeem your $5 for 2 tasty beverages.
• Sunstorm Interactive Inc. today announces Real Deer Hunting 1.0, their first hunting game for iPhone and iPod touch. Real Deer Hunting tests players’ skill, patience, and persistence as they find themselves in realistic locations, using all the tools of the trade to bring in and bag that elusive monster buck. Building on the style and knowledge of over 50 value games and hunting simulations, Real Deer Hunting provides the most realistic hunting experience available.
• Just in time for Halloween comes the “iFreak” iPhone and iPod Touch application for Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. “iFreak” allows fans to join the freak show. Users can take a photo and transform into their favorite freak from the film, including the bearded lady Madame Truska, Loafhead, Gertha Teeth, Mr. Tiny, Wolfman, Rhamus Two-Bellies, Evra Von, and Larten Crepsley. Users can mix and match characters and add endless features until they are completely satisfied, save it, and share it. The “iFreak” application also contains a gallery of photos from the film and the official trailer.
• Bikini-babes, zombies, bombs, music, bloodshed, slingshots; never before has a single game combined all of the essential elements into one unified whole. But now, Smort brings us Bikini Zombie Babes. They come in wave after wave. They are scantily clad. And yes, they are trying to eat your brains. The alien invaders have cloned one of the most beautiful women on the internet—Marina Orlova of hotforwords.com—and they are ready to do battle:

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 26, 2009:

Macintosh

• Regular Rate and Rhythm Software have announced Rowmote Pro 2.2, a major update to their complete remote control solution for Mac OS X and Apple TV. Rowmote Pro emulates the Apple hardware remote control, providing application-specific controls through a consistent interface, while also featuring a multitouch trackpad and keyboard. Version 2.2 adds direct control over Movst, OpenOffice Impress, and PandoraBoy and expands the wireless keyboard to include function and arrow keys.
• Open Door Networks Inc. has announced that it is now shipping a major update to its DoorStop line of Internet security products for Mac OS X. The update focuses on features and information for Apple’s new Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) operating system as well as the iPhone, and adds a Twitter stream and other customer-requested items.
• app4mac has released SecretBox 2 for Mac OS X, iPhone and iPod touch. SecretBox allows you to keep your secrets in a safe place. It uses the industry standard 256-bit AES encryption to protect your data. The new version bring a new user interface, a major rewrite of the code, an improved security and more options for import/export. Most people will use SecretBox for personal use, but businesses can also use SecretBox for managing software licenses.
• Freeverse announced an update to Sound Studio’s Monbots, free automation tools available for the popular audio editing and sound creation Mac application developed by Felt Tip Software. Monbots are now compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Monbots are a collection of absolutely free automation tools that help you perform complex tasks on multiple sound files. Examples include the Clean & Convert plug-in, which scrubs your audio clean with Noise Gate and Dynamics Compression; Mastering Console, which makes your audio sparkle using Equalization Curves, High and Low Pass Filters, Reverb, Fade and More Cowbell; Bookend Audio, which lets you add an intro and outro; and Stitch, which does the dirty work of combining multiple audio files together with none of the hassle.
• Gracion Software LLC has released Gracion Enclose 1.1 for OS X. Gracion Enclose sends large files without the limitations of email attachments. Files dragged to Enclose are uploaded to the server of your choice (such as MobileMe or your web server) while creating a templated email in one step. To receive a file, recipients don’t need to visit a special web site or install software. They simply click a link in each email to display or download the file through their own web browsers.
• Mac-Chi has announced WhoPaste 3.3 which features flexible multi-user licensing. The new WhoPaste licenses can be installed on any supported Mac, can be transferred to another Mac, and can even be remotely deactivated. All current WhoPaste customers can upgrade their original license to a new license at no charge. WhoPaste is a powerful front-end for Daylite, Google Contacts, Entourage, and Address Book.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced LinkOptimizer 4.1.6, a maintenance update to its popular workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer allows users to reduce InDesign job size and speed up processing by eliminating excess image data, performing essential image adjustments and converting file formats. The new version addresses several performance and stability issues related to settings presets, user interface and image processing.
• QuickerTek has announced a new Dual USB device which can run at 802.11a which is 5.8GHz and 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz. This USB device adds high speed wireless to any Mac with an open USB port running at least 10.4.x through 10.6. The 802.11a standard is the highest speed wireless available anywhere, working with 5.8GHz provides up to 300Mbps twice as fast as 802.11n which provides up to 130Mbps.

iPhone/iPod

• Ocarina Spirit v2 brings an exciting new feature—the ability to play more than 20 different sounds of instruments, like the guitar, the piano, the Indian sitar, the harmonica, the bass, the violin, etc. It also features a completely revised interface with intuitive icons and the ability to record the song you are playing. Available for the iPhone and iPod touch 2nd gen, Ocarina Spirit v2 is free for a short time only.
• Elements2Dance has announced songvoo 1.1, their updated iPod music player app for iPhone and iPod Touch. This update adds many groundbreaking features including Facebook integration, shape gestures, 15,000 theme combinations, Intro-Outro skipping, and a streamlined interface. songvoo serves as a great iPod companion for both casual user and music professionals alike, or anyone who has a large, constantly changing music collection to stay on top of.
• Nanaimo Studio has introduced Idea Organizer 1.0, their new free-form note taking and organizer utility for iPhone and iPod touch. Developed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, Idea Organizer is a simple yet powerful tool that lets anyone quickly record their ideas, reminders and notes in whatever form that suits them the most. It aims to be the perfect tool to safe-keep clever ideas, gift reminders, school or meeting notes, and more.
• Press Start LLC has announced 4Notes 1.0, their taking application for iPhone and iPod touch. 4Notes offers a combination of features which allow users access to their notes from anywhere, including their iPhone/iPod touch, the internet, and their email. With fast syncing, real-time search, the ability to email notes, and more, 4Notes is an incredible application for anyone wanting a better note taking experience on their iPhone/iPod touch.
• Volutopia has launched SculptMaster 3D 1.1.0, a major update to world’s first digital sculpting and painting application for iPhone and iPod touch. Previously only seen on high-end PCs, SculptMaster 3D brings full volumetric sculpting capabilities to mobile devices, allowing artists to experiment and sketch on the go. Using the export features, work can be easily continued later on a computer, enabling a whole new level of productivity.
• Vocalia, Creaceed’s speech recognition application for the iPhone, is now available in 6 languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish.
• Independent software developer Steve Glinberg has announced KidCalc 1.6, an update to his popular animated math flash cards and learning game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s peerless interface, KidCalc helps teach math to children, ages 3-8 years, using Halloween themed graphics, engaging animations and voice-overs by a child. KidCalc is now four apps in one, including animated math flash cards, math drills, counting games, and an animated calculator.
• Former NFL player Tony Mandarich has launched BoxScore Babes, the ultimate NFL fan application, providing a live, streaming NFL score feed alongside images of bikini, fitness, and lingerie models. Check out the pictures in gallery mode, with 9 images on the screen, or scroll through the images in full-screen mode. Each image is downloadable to your iPhone or iTouch. Want to find your team’s score fast? Just click on the “score” button to see a full page of current scores.
• Over 1.5 billion iPhone apps were downloaded from Apple’s App Store in just one year. iPhone for Programmers gives you everything you’ll need to start developing great iPhone apps quickly and—once you’ve joined Apple’s fee-based iPhone Developer Program—to get them up and running on the App Store.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 23, 2009:

Macintosh

• Calf Trail Software today released Geotagalog 1.4, their innovative tracklog based geotagging utility for Mac OS X. Geotagalog enables precise iPhoto Places support with any digital camera. It automatically combines digital photos with location data from a GPS tracklog. Version 1.4 brings significant performance improvements and better control over which files are imported into iPhoto.
• Arten Science has announced that ooSooM is now available for free of charge for Mac OS X and Windows. ooSooM is a Todo Management and Secure Digital Filing System. The idea behind ooSooM is simple. ooSooM does not attempt to force a predetermined methodology. It features a very free and open format allowing you to use it however you like, but with enough structure to ensure that once logged, information can retrieved easily and readily.
• Independent author Andrei Doubrovski has announced Elements+ 1.0, his new enhancement patch for Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. Elements+ is a handy add-on that unlocks the undocumented advanced functions in Photoshop Elements featured in the latest versions of Photoshop. The unleashed features can be accessed via dedicated dialog boxes. The kit includes smart filters, vector masks, and many more advanced tools normally hidden under the hood.
• MacFriendly has released their new MacFriendly Bundle of 12 applications for Mac users. The Bundle represents a savings of over 85% off the list prices. The bundle includes the latest version of each application. Additionally, two bonus applications will be added to the bundle for all customers when 1000 bundles have been sold. The MacFriendly Bundle provides an unprecedented selection of high quality software at unprecedented low prices.
• Programming in Objective-C 2.0 LiveLessons, Part I is the world’s first complete video training course on the fundamentals of Objective-C, the programming language at the heart of Mac OS X and iPhone development. Bestselling author and trainer Stephen G. Kochan provides the new programmer with a step-by-step, hands-on introduction to the Objective-C language and the fundamentals of object-oriented programming. The course does not assume any previous programming experience, and includes many detailed, practical examples of how to put Objective-C to use in everyday programming tasks.

iPhone/iPod

• Appnoose Ltd has released ITGO, Interval Trainer GO 1.1, an update to their dedicated interval signaling application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Version 1.1 features a flip function on the ratio setting as requested by some customers. This new feature enables additional workout timings for greater flexibility while performing workouts. ITGO was specifically designed to offer advanced user controlled signaling while playing user-defined fast/slow interval song playlists.
• 99Games has announced the release of its brand new game, Fish Fun, for the iPhone. Fish Fun is an exciting game where the motive is to keep your fish alive by avoiding bigger fish and making your fish grow by eating smaller fish. The player must go through 30 levels, unlocking other characters and gaining power-ups along the way. The game can be played in accelerometer or hot corner mode. It includes three fascinating Mini Games in addition to the main game play for short bursts of play.
• Tunewear has announced today it is now shipping VisualDock, an AV docking station with remote control for iPhone and iPod. Complete with S-video and line outputs, easily set up and enjoy movies, photos and music stored in your iPhone or iPod by simply connecting VisualDock to a television or stereo.
• BeBop Games has announced the first person to solve their What is this App? game for iPhone and iPod touch. As its name suggests, the puzzle challenges users to figure out its identity. Meredith Kenaston became the first person to solve What is this App?, solved 29 days after its release. The puzzle tests trivia, logic, math, and lateral thinking skills as well as the user’s common sense.
• Blue Lightning Labs has announced a sale on their popular iPhone application Mathemagics, an application for learning to mentally calculate math problems at phenomenal speeds. For a limited time Mathemagics is on sale at more than 60% off. Mathemagics 1.1 contains 20 different math tricks for multiplying, dividing and squaring numbers faster than many people can use a calculator.
• Alta Vida LLC has announced a sale on Babelingo, their language translation utility for iPhone and iPod Touch. For a limited time the app is on sale at more than 70% off. Containing 11 languages, with 110 unique language combinations, Babelingo is an easy-to-use phrase book communicator, allowing anyone to show a professionally translated phrase to a foreign language audience. Phrases are displayed in a large and beautifully rendered script, easily read from a distance.
• GameFly, the number one video game rental service, has announced the launch of its GameCenter App on the App Store. Available for free, the GameCenter App gives iPhone and iPod touch users access to information on more than 5,000 video games across all major platforms including up-to-the minute news, videos, screenshots, release dates, user reviews, gameplay controls, cheats, codes and more.
• Old and young, most are aware of the risk that comes with running wild on the streets Halloween night. So, with the sweet, spooky taste of last year’s Halloween Sale still lingering, once again Speck is preparing your gadgets for the big night with 50% off all their clear, white, black, purple and orange-colored cases. That means, starting today, you can start lining your goody bag with any of their cases in these five ghoulish shades.
• The 3rd Annual Virtual Goods Summit, the premier online gaming event for companies and individuals involved in the virtual goods space, today unveiled a lineup of new additions to their program, including an iPhone panel, five new speakers and two new lectures. The updated program comes in the wake of new research that projects the virtual goods market will grow to $1 billion in 2009, making the 3rd Annual Virtual Goods Summit a must-attend event, not only for those in the industry, but for anyone involved in the business of gaming or social networking.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 22, 2009:

Macintosh

• BKeeney Software, Inc. has announced Task Timer 4.2, with major changes to its time management software for Mac OS X and Windows. Version 4.2 is a maintenance release for improved performance and increased functionality. There are several bug fixes in version 4.2, including improvements to the events and project/task editors. Task Timer is an easy-to-use project management tool that allows users to track time spent on an unlimited number of projects and tasks.
• Storyist Software is celebrating National Novel Writing Month with some special offers for Mac users who strive to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Storyist Software will give everyone who participates in NaNoWriMo’s Night of Writing Dangerously fundraiser a free copy of Storyist 2. NaNoWriMo participants who are unable to attend the write-a-thon can get Storyist 2 for 25% off. Storyist 2 is a powerful story development tool for novelists and screenwriters.
• Blue Crowbar Software has released Impression 1.1, an update to the watermark plugins for iPhoto and Aperture, Apple’s photo editing and management applications. Impression provides a simple way to add a visual watermark to your photos from within iPhoto or Aperture. With a watermark, you can add your company logo, a signature or a copyright statement to the photos that you’re posting on the internet. Version 1.1 adds three frequently requested features and fixes a few smaller issues.
• Yazsoft has announced Speed Download 5.2.7, an important update to their popular download manager for Mac OS X. Speed Download 5 redefines the Mac OS X download manager by combining four amazing products: a turbo-charged download manager, a fully featured secure FTP client, a file sharing utility with full encryption, and complete .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity, into one small and easy to use application. Version 5.2.7 sports tighter integration for downloading YouTube videos and more.
• Vemedio has released Snowtape 1.3, a major improvement update to their internet radio recording solution for Mac OS X. Snowtape the easiest and most intuitive software for recording internet radio. Snowtape enables the user to quickly find and record his or her favorite music, add album artwork and export it right into iTunes. Version 1.3 adds Windows Media streaming technology and export to MP3.
• Mac users looking for up-to-date documentation on nearly anything relating to managing user accounts or sharing files from a Mac can now turn to two new ebooks in the Take Control series. In “Take Control of Users & Accounts in Snow Leopard,” author Kirk McElhearn explains why a Mac has user accounts, as well as how to set them up, manage them, and use them within a single Mac in various real-world scenarios. McElhearn particularly looks at configuring accounts for children or in a small computer lab. In “Take Control of Sharing Files in Snow Leopard,” networking guru Glenn Fleishman helps readers decide if they should set up a local Mac as a file server or use an Internet-hosted option. For those interested in setting up a local file server, Fleishman walks them through picking out hardware, setting up file-sharing services, configuring accounts, using accounts, and much more.
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning’s Daemon Moon Rising Live Event runs in-game from October 22rd through November 2nd. Damon Moon Rising tells the tale of a fiendish sub-cult of Chaos artificers who have bound savage daemons into innocuous carnival masks and smuggled them into the Empire. The Halloween Live Event will feature the Daemon Mask event quest, a new Daemonball Rally Public Quest, a special Realm vs. Realm scenario, and treats both fair and foul!
• FCP World today announces Blu-ray Templates for Final Cut Studio 2009, its first product for video makers. This is new collection adds 60 additional Blu-ray templates to the Final Cut Studio package, greatly enhancing options for Blu-ray disc production. The templates are fully animated, high-quality looping backgrounds, and work with FCP 7 and Motion 4 and are localized for Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.
• Third Street Software, Inc. has announced Sente 6.0, the popular academic reference manager for Max OS X. Sente 6.0 introduces a number of important enhancements, including synchronized libraries, hierarchical reference tagging, PDF markup and more. Originally released in 2004, Sente is in use by students, faculty and researchers in most major academic institutions around the world.

iPhone/iPod

• Twisted Technology has announced Travel Games Ultimate Edition 1.0, their new game suite for iPhone and iPod touch. Travel Games Ultimate Edition is five games in one app providing popular titles like Slug Bug, Scavenger Hunt, Rock-Paper-Scissors, License Plates and Hidden Pictures. This unique collection of games has been developed to engage multiple players so everyone can get in on the fun.
• MotionObj has announced SimplyTweet 2.5, an update to their full featured Twitter application for iPhone and iPod touch. SimplyTweet combines a fast, simple user interface with a rich set of features. The update adds support for TextExpander, application-wide landscape support, Mute support, performance improvements and many other tweaks. It supports advanced functionality such as mentions and direct messages push notifications, themes, photo search, and photo and video posting and much more.
• Lucky Me is a series of chance based games/activities that combine luck, intuition, and a wee bit of smartness. Click, shake, tap, pinch, and squish your way into gauging your luck. At the end of the activities, let the karmic software tell you which direction your luck is headed.
• Grantwood Technology, LLC has announced the release of the tuneband for iPod nano, an armband product designed to comfortably secure the iPod nano in place during exercise, including Nike iPod compatibility. The tuneband is compatible with the 5th generation of the iPod nano and is available in six colors. Each tuneband consists of a comfortable and flexible armband strap that can accommodate both large and small arms with a durable silicone skin.
• PRG Consulting has announced My Christmas Gift List 1.0, their new Christmas list organizer for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. My Christmas Gift List was specially designed to help you organize your Christmas shopping. This shopping list manager is the perfect tool to take care of all your shopping for the Holiday season: starting from contacts, budget to ideas and gifts, organize your Christmas shopping in the most efficient and enjoyable way.
• ASD Soft has announced Bikini Lines 1.1, an update to their popular puzzle game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface, Bikini Lines is an extremely addictive challenging game featuring 20 levels with gorgeous girls. The aim of the Bikini Lines is to drag and arrange similarly colored balls in lines to remove them. As they disappear, fabulous photos of sexy models are revealed.
• Abundant Creature and Finger Food Studios have announced Yoga Teacher 1.0, their premiere Yoga App for iPhone and iPod touch. Yoga Teacher features a unique full real-time 3D interface allows students of Yoga to learn how to perfect and optimize their Yoga postures in an interactive, highly visual environment. Yoga Teacher also maintains a log of user progress over time so that you can track your progress and understanding as your studies continue.
• Skyworks has announced another fun and addictive application: Boardwalk Games. Step right up and try your skill at winning prizes at your favorite boardwalk/midway attractions. Boardwalk Games combines 3 of your favorite carnival games on a scrollable nighttime boardwalk so you feel like you’re right there, in the middle of the fun. What’s more exciting is that you can win prizes at each attraction based on your score! The prizes get stored in your Prize Booth, which is like a Trophy Room of how well you did at the carnival.
• Just in time for Halloween, Paramount Digital Entertainment has released Pet Sematary for the iPhone and iPod touch, a top-down, tap-to-kill arcade game inspired by the classic horror film. In Pet Sematary, a grief-stricken father buries his son in an ancient animal burial ground, where it is said everything laid to rest there will come back to life. But the burial ground is for animals only; when the animals and his son rise from the grave, they have a new hunger for human flesh. Players in Pet Sematary take on the role of a lone hero uninterested in becoming cat food. Perched on the rooftops, players will shoot down undead animals by tapping them one to four times as they race across the screen to feast on innocent townspeople.
• iSkin Inc. today launched two new great ways to protect and compliment the recently released iPod nano 5G: the sleek and sophisticated iSkin Duo and the elegantly fashionable iSkin Vibes.
• iSkin has released the iSkin DuoBand: the ideal solution for people with active lifestyles who want to protect and enjoy their iPod nano while on-the-go or during exercise.  Unlike other armband solutions, the iSkin DuoBand allows users to conveniently slip their iSkin-protected iPod nano into the armband accessory—and back out again—without the hassle of having to remove its silicone protector.
• Vuzix Corporation is shipping the Wrap 310 worldwide. The game-changing Wrap 310 challenges the status quo of traditional video viewing devices by looking and feeling like normal sunglasses. The Wrap 310, featuring twin high-resolution video displays and projecting a 55-inch screen at 10-feet is now available through Vuzix.com and a number of other retailers and distribution partners.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 21, 2009:

Macintosh

• Ortelius map illustration software for Mac OS X provides a welcomed solution with its introduction of Linear Select. Ortelius is a vector-based drawing program made especially for map design and presentation. It offers a creative solution for floor plans, landscape plans, scaled drawings, and a wide variety of high quality custom map graphics. Linear Select is a new drawing tool for highlighting and selecting portions of linear features and automatically inserting labels, styles, and symbols.
• Code 42 Software Inc. has launched a new version of its CrashPlan backup software. This update offers new controls to enable users to maximize protection for more recent files, while minimizing unnecessary versions for older files. This is in keeping with the Code 42 objectives of making its software “People Friendly, Enterprise Tough.”
• WaterField Designs has announced a new, custom-fitted, protective SleeveCase for the 13.3-inch unibody MacBook. Like a bespoke suit, the WaterField SleeveCase provides a comfortable but snug fit specifically sized for Apple’s newest MacBook edition. WaterField’s new size 13-4 SleeveCase is compatible with the popular, recently-announced Muzetto 13” laptop bag, also from WaterField.
• SimpleLeap Software has announced a new contest on their company blog. They will giving away one Apple Magic Mouse and one copy of their Mac flashcard and testing study app, Cram, to two lucky winners just for commenting on their blog. The contest is easy to enter. Simply leave a comment on the contest blog post and SimpleLeap will select two winners randomly on October 29, 2009. Winners will be announced on on Halloween, October 31, 2009.
• Shiny Frog has announced Delibar 1.0, a full featured Delicious Mac client. Delibar focuses on giving Mac OS X users an easy and quick tool for searching, managing and sharing their Delicious bookmarks. Delibar syncs one or more Delicious accounts with your Mac and let you find, add, edit and modify your bookmark directly from your Mac OS X System bar. Using Delibar is as easy as using Spotlight, all your bookmarks are only a click away.
• Nodhead Software has announced Warranty Hero 1.3, a major update to their product and warranty utility for Mac OS X. Warranty Hero allows anyone to manage receipts quickly and easily keep track of a products life-span and its accompanying warranty guarantee. With a focus on ease-of-use, adding new product information is as simple as entering its name, vendor, purchase dateand a time the warranty expires. Optional information for serial number, price, product image.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced the File Courier 1.0 public beta, a pre-release version of its new automatic digital delivery solution. File Courier delivers files and folders to FTP and local destinations and sends automatic e-mail delivery notifications. The e-mail messages are based on customizable templates and contain the detailed info about the item and its location. The software also lets users attach files to e-mail messages and send them as encrypted disk images.

iPhone/iPod

• Fotozio, LLC has announced the immediate availability of PicTranslator, the first free picture translator iPhone app. They are offering PicTranslator, along with the initial language of choice, as a free app. Additional individual languages can be purchased for $1.99 each or the entire set of 16 languages for $2.99. PicTranslator turns the iPhone camera into a point-and-shoot translator. Foreign road signs, menus, maps, etc., can be translated with the push of a button—no phrasebook lookups or typing of foreign text required to understand and read printed text.
• MaxNick has introduced iChapaev 1.0, their new board game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s slick interface, iChapaev offers a new twist on the popular game of checkers. The aim of the game is to knock off all the opponent’s checkers in under seven rounds. Players point each piece by dragging it until the right amount of tension is set to increase or decrease the force of impact, and then released in the direction of the opponent’s piece.
• Visuamobile is proud to announce the release of its new application: GeoMaster 2.0. GeoMaster is a geography-based game for iPhone and iPodTouch in which the player has to place, in a limited time frame, cities and countries of the world on a map. This V 2.0 comes with 5 new maps (Asia, Africa, Europe, USA and France) and 8 new challenges.
• Game developer syncRage has released Taxi Drive 1.1 an update to their popular taxi crasher for iPhone and iPod touch. Taxi Drive is one of those games that is brilliantly simple and provides an awesome amount of fun. Make money as a taxi driver on the asphalt of New York or London. You must confront yourself with increasing traffic density and can earn additional lives and unlock licenses for new neighborhoods. Celebrity passengers pay high tips, but don’t waiting long.
• TuneWear has announced it is now shipping updated colors for the popular Tetran cable winder collection. New colors Blue, Purple, Black and White have now been added to the existing color assortment of Green, Yellow, Pink, Orange and Luminous. Tetran is a fun cable winder for your favorite iPhone, iPod or MP3 player’s earbud headphones. Just wind your cable around Tetran’s body and use the cute mouth as a holder for your earbuds. The spikes keep Tetran from running away and there is a removable ball-bearing style chain included for attaching Tetran to your belt look, mobile phone strap or key ring.
• Los Angeles based 24x7digital has announced Aw Craps! 1.5, an update to their popular casino game for iPhone and iPod Touch. With its realistic table layout, game play, stick calls and dice rolling, Aw Craps! takes you onto the casino floor and into the action, allowing seasoned shooters to hone their skills, as well as allowing beginners to learn enough to hit the casino tables. Version 1.5 offers many enhancements, including roll and bet history for the last 500 rolls.
• Finger Arts has announced Guess the News 1.5.1, an update to their word based game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s peerless capabilities and interface, Guess the News is a unique news-based word game where players guess the latest news from major news sources. Choose a news section, read the brief article description, and then guess the article’s title by matching the letters to their right slots.
• Howling Moon Software has announced Twilight Golf for iPhone and iPod touch. Twilight Golf is platformer-esque adventure through the dark reaches of Twilight Temple. Players swipe to move through physics puzzles to reach the goal in as few strokes as possible. Brought to you by the developers of Crayon Ball, the critically acclaimed iPhone Apple Staff Pick, Twilight Golf features Chipmunk Physics and Howling Moon Software’s new SHADE shadowing engine.
• Dangerous Decisions LLC has introduced the NIOSH Pocket Guide 1.0, their new chemical hazards database for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s interface, the NIOSH Pocket Guide gives safety professionals immediate access to crucial information on all of 677 chemicals in the database including all the resources of the NIOSH Pocket Guide and much more.
• Indie game developer Bryan Mitchell has introduced Geared 1.1, an update to his gear-based strategy game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, Geared features a free-form environment unrestrained by the traditional snap-grid experience. Geared features 120 levels of gameplay with varying difficulty, level selection menu, and original sound effects.
• Sarsoft has introduced Rescue Kit 1.0, their new emergency application for iPhone devices. Rescue Kit aims to help in real-life situations. It displays your GPS coordinates on a map, together with town and street names, saving countless minutes in finding the accident’s location. Rescue Kit also features a handy flashlight function which pulses the international SOS signal, so that in places with little mobile coverage, you can get the attention of rescue teams.
• Ian Maskell recently launched iPhone App Freelancer, a website offering the ability to turn great ideas into apps with little or no programming knowledge. iPhone App Freelancer is a service that connects freelancer iPhone application developers with entrepreneurs and businesses that require custom programming, applications, graphics and development projects for the iPhone. Joel Comm developed iFart, which in its first few weeks earned him over $10,000 a day.
• Mobila Interactive has announced their iPhone OS port of Powermanga, an arcade style 2D scrolling shooter. As a member of an elite space unit, code name Powermanga, you blast through the streams of meteorites, pirates and parasites in order to achieve the objective of guaranteeing a safe passage through each region of space. At your disposal is a powerful ship with a sophisticated weapons system. In order to survive, you must earn power-ups and upgrade your ship wisely.
• I-play, Oberon Media’s publishing division and the world’s leading multi-platform casual games publisher, today announced Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet is the first Women’s Murder Club game to be available for iPhone and iPod touch.  Now available in the Apple App Store, the latest release in the wildly successful game series, which has reached more than 15 million downloads since its launch in 2008, puts players in the role of the Women’s Murder Club characters to study murder scenes, perform forensic analysis and find evidence to solve a series of ghastly murders in San Francisco.  Each spine-tingling investigation features beguiling and brain-bending puzzles that will test players’ wits as they chase a moonstruck murderer.
• Sub Hunt from Addictinggames.com brings arcade style action to the iPhone in a way that no other game has. You’re in control of an advanced prototype submarine as you battle your way through scores of enemies. Depth charges, mines, torpedoes and bombs are just some of what awaits you. The fate of the world is in your hands!

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for %B %e, %Y:

Macintosh

• Nisus Software has announced the release of Nisus Writer Pro 1.4, an update to the latest version of their critically acclaimed word processor. This version introduces several built-in menus that provide tighter integration with Sonny Software’s Bookends and a more convenient inter-application workflow.
• KavaSoft has announced iConquer 3, the latest version of the original game of world conquest for Mac OS X. iConquer 3 takes advantage of 64-bit technology in Snow Leopard, and includes an updated interface with new Preferences, Plug-ins, and New Game windows. iConquer lets up to six people play against each other over the internet. iConquer 3 features an improved network engine. Bonjour allows you to easily connect to other iConquer players on your local network.
• iSkysoft Studio has released iSkysoft iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac which is a professional audio editing software to help you convert various popular audio formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA, M4A, AC3, etc. and video formats including MP4, MPG, MPEG, VOB, AVI and more. It directly connects with iTunes Library, offers easy trim functionality with waveform and fad in/ out effect for the ringtone.
• Jumsoft has released Pages Clipart 5.0, a collection of 500 high-quality images that are designed to illustrate presentations, invitations, web pages, posters, newsletters, and a variety of other documents. In addition, Jumsoft is offering a 10% discount when the package is purchased during its first week of availability. Subjects vary from office stationery and medical appliances to food, with a large selection of leisure and holiday images now included in the latest version.

iPhone/iPod

• Search for “Halloween” in the app store, and you’re going to turn up more results than you know what to do with. Thankfully, the good folks at Appmodo have put together a list of their top 10 to help you separate the tricks from the treats. These apps may not all be scary, but they’re worth the price, and a couple are even free.
• A new community driven website, App of the Day, allows registered users to nominate one application per day to be showcased on the site, including screenshots, descriptions, and comments from community members. Newsstand and Tweetie have been featured so far, with updates to come regularly.
• RadTech has announced the Dock Extender Cable, which allows you to dock your iPod or iPhone from a distance, or while in a case. Small diameter, flexible cable provides connection pathways for power, audio output, USB data sync, play controls, accessory power and composite video. It does not support S-video output or input for recording audio. Compatible with iPhone, iPod (touch, classic, video), & iPod nano (2nd & 3rd Gen).
• Bridging the gap between the online and broadcast worlds, the NPR Radio by Livio is the first internet radio with an exclusive menu dedicated to NPR stations and programs. With one device, NPR fans can now personalize their NPR experience, and easily switch back and forth between the local NPR Member station they know and love, and on-demand content and programs from NPR.org and stations across the US.
• There’s a new way to meet the people you wish you knew with the launch of Loopt’s Loopt Mix app. Loopt is a popular social-mapping app that allows you to discover the world around you on your mobile phone. What started as a popular feature for meeting new people nearby has now grown into its own app: Loopt Mix introduces you to the people you wish you knew. You see a list of people, profiles/interests, their latest status, ranked by their approximate distance to you.
• iBetFootball PRO is an application that downloads statistics from the developer’s website into the app and computes predicted scores for upcoming pro football games. This application is a translation of the successful pro football handicapping system that has been available for the last seven years at www.footballbet.net, and uses the exact same winning formulas. This app is not a game or a simulation, it is a tool to help you pick winners, beat the point spread and win big money.
• Jumboo, developed by Handjoy for iPhone and iPod Touch, is now finished. Jumboo is a fresh arcade game with addictive gameplay for both casual and hardcore players. The main character of this game is a big gorilla living in the jungle. You, as its master, control the gorilla’s moves by simple finger slides. Your goal is to jump as high as possible and not fall from the platforms. You can do short jumps or long jumps, chaining them to get the juicy combos.
• In celebration of the version 1.2 release, TapFactory has announced a 7-day 50% off sale on Contact, their speed dial app for iPhone and iPod touch. Sale begins Tuesday October 20, and ends Tuesday October 27. Contact allows users to create speed dials to their Home screen that support dialing, SMS and email, all built into the same speed dial. The built-in icon library features over gorgeous Apple-worthy icons to use as your speed dial icon.
• Performance Journeys has announced Disney at Work: Epcot Notescast for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Through this new interactive showcase, put the organizational lessons and stories of Disney to work in your own organization. Learn powerful best-in-business insights on how to improve your workplace by benchmarking the new technologies and international cultures of Epcot. Created by J. Jeff Kober of Performance Journeys, it’s loaded with scores of stories and examples and over 250 photos.
• Do you want to feel like a hero saving the world, or maybe you want to taste the vampire life, or you just enjoy 2D cartoon graphics? In any case, Ancient Vampire is now available for the iPhone. In the world of Ancient Vampire, the Earth is devastated by the evil and the only chance of salvation is to drink a magical potion able to transform you into a vampire with supernatural powers. The only way to get back to human is to reach a castle and beat monsters, creatures from the after death, and the strongest demon (aka “the boss”). So what you’re going to do?
• Oniric Games has announced Silent Swords 1.1 an update to their stealth action game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, Silent Swords is inspired by the genre’s classics that takes full advantage the iPhone’s unique control features: tap to move, shake to jump, swipe to attack. Your mission is to help the Little Black Ninja break out of the top secret military base that holds him prisoner. Version 1.1 includes new control options and unlockable levels.
• Just in time for Halloween, UK based Cute Logic has released GhostWriter 1.0. GhostWriter adds spooky messages to pictures users take with the iPhone camera. iPhone owners can use the app to record their Halloween festivities or to play a trick on their friends. Users may select from a range of Halloween themed messages, or let GhostWriter choose one at random. Pictures can be saved to the iPhone Photo Library or shared via email.
• Toughturtle LLC has released FirePlace 3.0, an update to their hit entertainment app iPhone and iPod Touch. FirePlace is the go-to App for an instant romantic setting on that special date, to relax on a cold fall/winter night, or whenever. FirePlace is a virtual fire for your iPhone or iPod touch, but with a whole host of new features to give users a more customized and relaxing experience.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 15, 2009:

Macintosh

• AquaFold, Inc. has released Aqua Data Studio 8.0, a major upgrade to its universal database administration software. Aqua Data Studio makes it simple to visualize and manipulate multiple relational databases from within a single interface. Version 8.0 of Aqua Data Studio extends native support for the leading data warehousing and high-performance relational databases, including: Teradata, DB2 for z/OS, Sybase IQ 15 and nCluster from Aster Data Systems.
• InfoLogic today announced MathMagic Personal Edition 6.8, their award-winning multi-purpose equation editor for Mac OS X. With a focus on the equation quality and ease-of-use, MathMagic Personal Edition is a standalone equation editor for mathematical equations and symbols. MathMagic reads and writes various industry standard mathematical expressions including LaTeX and MathML. Version 6.8 adds support for Google Docs and Zoho Writer, MathType, OmniOutliner, and other enhanced features.
• Disk Doctor Labs, Inc. has released Disk Doctors Photo Recovery, an upgrade to its photo recovery software for Mac OS X. The latest version of the software now supports recovery of Real Media player files, which include RA, RM and AMR. Apart from the addition of these file types, some enhancements have been added to the product. This version now improves the overall accuracy and scanning speed when recovering lost photo, audio and video files.
• Recosoft Corporation, the developer of the PDF2Office family of products, PDF2ID tool for InDesign, cross platform file format conversion solutions and PDF converters unveils PDF2Office for iWork; a new tool to convert PDF documents into fully editable iWork ‘08/‘09 files for the Macintosh.
• Tropical Software has announced TopXNotes 1.4.2, an update to its popular note manager for Macintosh. TopXNotes allows people to create, collect, store, and retrieve all the bits and pieces of information they find themselves inundated with on a daily basis. All existing customers should download this important version with several small but important fixes to Find, Check for Update, and some minor cosmetic fixes.
• Yabdab Software and YourHead Software have announced PayLoom 2.0 public beta, an update to the popular ecommerce plugin for RapidWeaver. PayLoom offers drag and drop catalog creation and seamless integration with PayPal Shopping Cart. Version 2.0 offers the same reliability and ease of use with many new features, including a new customizable on-page javascript cart, full WYSIWYG editor for product descriptions, and much more.
• Ambrosia Software, Inc. today announced the release of Snapz Pro X 2.2.1. Snapz Pro X is a quantum leap in video capture technology, adroitly capturing full motion video of anything on your screen at a blistering pace, complete with digital audio, and an optional microphone voiceover. Think of it as a digital video camera for your screen. Snapz Pro X makes short work of making training videos, producing product demos, creating tutorials, archiving streaming video, and anything else you can think of.
• Indev Software has announced it has acquired MiniMail, the popular plugin for Apple Mail, from Olive Toast Software Ltd. The acquisition assures the future development of MiniMail, including Snow Leopard compatibility. MiniMail provides a convenient mini-window for viewing unread messages, allowing users to quickly check incoming messages and action them. Immediate plans for MiniMail are to release a Snow Leopard compatibility upgrade before the end of October.
• Mythic Entertainment has announced that the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR), will host a special live event, Daemon Moon Rising, for a limited time during the 2009 Halloween season. Daemon Moon Rising, will run in-game from October 23rd through November 2nd, and will feature the Daemon Mask event quest, a new Daemonball Rally Public Quest, a special Realm vs. Realm scenario, and treats both fair and foul.

iPhone/iPod

• The Leonard Maltin Movie Guide for iPhone places consistent capsule reviews and facts for 24,000 films at your fingertips, including hyperlinks to cast and director filmographies. Key features include: search by title, cast member, director; direct link to NetFlix Queue / Instant Queue; automatically updated Current Pick reviews; custom lists; and complete review, rating, cast, movie length, MPAA rating.
• Software Ops has announced Ding 1.0, its fun entertainment application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Ding is designed to be interactive and fun to play with. It was built with the intention of giving a service bell it’s own personality. The user taps the top of the service bell and hears a actual bell ring along with a smart aleck remark by the bell. It has actual voice sound as well as written text, for situations where the user is in a noisy environment and can’t hear the voice.
• Syndicated Puzzles has released several versions of Str8ts, their challenging, logic and addicting number puzzle designed for iPhone and the iPod Touch. With over 800 puzzles of increasing difficulty, and a single solution to each puzzle, you are guaranteed endless hours of enjoyment. The puzzle was specifically invented to follow directly the highly successful pathway of Sudoku. If you have been waiting for the next puzzle craze, you will have to try out Str8ts.
• Gedgers Ltd has announced Kids Allowance and Rewards 1.4, a major update for the popular allowance tracking app for iPhone and iPod touch. Version 1.4 is a complete re-write of the user interface, new and improved features. Kids Allowance and Rewards combines allowance tracking with a rewards system for good behaviour. This makes it a versatile and unique application as well as adding extra appeal for motivating and educating your kids.
• A new version of the hidden object detective quest The Stone of Destiny is now available. To celebrate, the game will be available in App Store at a 30% discount. Version 1.3 adds French localization, zooming capabilities and improved controls.
• Bulkypix, the successful developer of games for the iPhone and iPod Touch, has announced its new role as a video games publisher. Vincent Dondaine, COO, said, “The iPhone and App Store have marked a new direction in terms of market and business model, whereby hundreds of applications and games are available every day. You need to know how to operate within this system; something that Bulkypix has gained real expertise in and which it is now offering for the benefit of its partners.” 5 development studios have already chosen Bulkypix to publish their games and applications on the App Store.
• Ein Entertainment has announced Fish Watching Guide, supervised by underwater photographer Koji Nakamura. The guide holds precious photos of over 235 types of deep sea fish, such as the blackmouth goosefish, the extremely-hard-to-photograph red tail, and the diver’s dream mirror basslet, as well as the sea devil and tropical fish such as the clownfish. In addition to photos, photo locations, sizes, English/Latin names and Koji Nakamura’s comments are included in the guide.
• Purkee has released Tap Grocer 1.3, an update to its grocery app for the iPhone and the iPod touch. New features in this release include a more streamlined user interface, the ability to sort items and grocery sections alphabetically and the option to customize the grocery list font. Tap Grocer is designed to take the work out of building grocery lists. It eliminates the need to retype a user’s list each time.
• Indie iPhone developer Orangefish.inc has announced that Shark’s Treasure is now updated to version 1.3 and they’re celebrating with a temporary price cut. The update adds a variety of new features to the hit iPhone game, which has been applauded for its intuitive use of accelerometer controls. The game has a simple premise, but with pick-up-and-play appeal and addicting gameplay, Shark’s Treasure will have you navigating the murky depths in search of just one more elusive treasure chest.
• Turner Broadcasting has teamed up with digital design studio ustwo to launch its first branded iPhone app in the UK, a Ben 10 MouthOff iPhone App available to buy now. Ben 10 MouthOff is ustwo’s first foray into branding around their unique MouthOff app, which received more than 40,000 downloads when initially launched.  Using original animation throughout and sound effects taken directly from the series, the app is an exciting new development in the apps market.
• iMia, a new take on an old classic, is a great partygame to play with your friends. Rely on bluffing or luck to win. iMia features life-like graphics, accelerometer controls (shake your iPhone to shake the cup), and simple, quick, and to-the-point gaming.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 14, 2009:

Macintosh

• Orbicule has released Macnification 1.6, a major update to its award winning microscopy application. Macnification is a workflow solution for digital microscopy. It has been written for Mac OS X, supporting many Mac-only technologies such as Core Animation, Core Image and ImageKit. With the latest update, Macnification is now fully 64-bit. In addition, it is one of the first scientific applications to leverage Grand Central Dispatch to efficiently use all available processor cores.
• Fanurio Time Tracking SRL has released Fanurio 2.2, their time tracking and billing software application. Fanurio is highly appreciated by freelancers for its intuitive interface, flexible timer and ability to produce detailed invoices. Fanurio has lots of features for billing contracted work. It can record services and expenses, round time, apply discounts, handle subcontracted work, use multiple currencies, apply taxes, record partial payments and many more.
• atPurpose Technologies has announced atPeek 1.0, their new iPhone developer tool for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Perfect for developers and casual users alike, atPeek was specifically designed to explore and display resources found in iPhone applications. By leveraging the OS X QuickLook plugin architecture, atPeek allows anyone to see normally unaccessible application details, and can export individual assets or entire folders for later viewing.
• DataMind Srl has introduced Beryl Plugin 1.0, their new, professional level digital image processing plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Elements. Leveraging DataMind’s proprietary state-of-the-art algorithms, Beryl is a Photoshop plugin that automatically removes the red-eye effect from digital photos. With a focus on ease-of-use, choose to have Beryl process images automatically, or manually select the threshold amount of removal required.
• The Enterprise Desktop Alliance today announced that Web Help Desk has joined its collaboration of software vendors dedicated to making it easy to deploy, integrate and manage Macs in Windows-based IT environments. Web Help Desk’s IT Service Management software brings web-based accessibility to IT service fulfillment and self-service for both Mac and PC users. Web Help Desk joins EDA founding members Atempo, Centrify, Group Logic, LANrev and Parallels.
• iPresentee has extended the finest iWeb Intros collection to be used with Apple’s Web site building application. Visitors will like the web site more if they will get a nice welcome message. iWeb Intros design uses short flash animations and sounds to give visitor a delightful first impression of the web site. iWeb Intros 2.0 includes five new welcome intros: Aboard, Old Film, Flora, Bouncy and Disco Party.
• Computer Docking Systems, LLC has announced the Dock-a-Mac, their new vertical dockng station for Apple’s MacBook. Perfect for desktop use or in the living room, this high-gloss black acrylic docking station works with any black or white MacBook. Easily and quickly convert any MacBook into a media center, and more. Manufactured, and assembled in the USA, the Dock-a-Mac is made of sturdy 1/2” thick acrylic to withstand years of everyday business or home use.
• Softpress Systems has released Freeway 5.4.2, its award-winning website design software. This latest update includes native support for Intaglio files to allow easy editing of drawings and illustrations. For a limited period, Softpress is offering a free copy of Intaglio for every full-priced purchase of Freeway Pro. Famous for its ease of use and clean standards-compliant code generation, Freeway is the tool of choice for professionals and home Mac users who want total design freedom.
• The Mac Sale has launched its second Mac software bundle. Imaginatively titled “The Mac Sale 2,” it again promises to provide quality Mac titles at a fraction of street price. Repeating the aim of the first bundle, The Mac Sale pays a fair percentage to all developers and participants, and again partners up with the good people at MacZOT to reach out to dedicated Mac users. MacZOT provides great Mac software deals daily.
• iSkin, the first company to create the silicone keyboard protector for Macintosh computer keyboards, has released the next generation of its ProTouch keyboard protectors. The new line-up—which includes ProTouch Classic, FX and Vibes—provides enhanced typing comfort, protection against food spills, dust, key wear and more, while embedded Microban antimicrobial product protection helps inhibit the growth of odor and stain causing bacteria on the product. Additionally, a newly re-engineered design optimizes the way each key is protected, allowing a comfortable, non-obtrusive typing experience that will appeal to slow and fast typists alike.

iPhone/iPod

• Swap It lets users share text, web links (URLs) and pictures between iPhones and iPod touches. It builds on the advent of “copy” and “paste” in the iPhone OS 3.0, and adds needed utility to the iPhone OS platform. Swap It can transfer text, URLs, images, web archives and anything else your clipboard can hold. The app works in a bidirectional manner, it will “swap” your clipboard with that of your peer’s, and gives you the final say on whether your clipboard is overridden.
• Appnoose Ltd has released ITGO, Interval Trainer GO 1.0, a dedicated interval signaling application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. ITGO was specifically designed to offer advanced user controlled signaling in the form of vibration, sound and visual alerts while playing user-defined fast/slow interval song playlists. Interval Trainer GO feature set make it a worthy contender for the best designed interval trainer for the iPhone or iPod Touch.
• Glass House Games is offering its highly-rated iPhone arcade puzzle game Bugsy for free for a limited time. Bugsy is their challenging, fast-paced, fun and addicting arcade puzzle game designed for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. With unique gameplay, 125 levels of increasing difficulty, and 3 different types of Rogue Enemies, you are guaranteed hours of enjoyment. If you like challenging, mind-bending puzzle games, you will enjoy Bugsy.
• French developer DotEmu has announced a second update for his last retro iPhone game Golvellius: Valley of Doom [iTunes App Store link]. In order to offer the best gameplay experience to the community, Golvellius benefits of a tweaked interface and a faster animation. To celebrate the launch of this update, the game is on sale for a limited time at half the original price.
• JL Software has announced edition 1.5 of their popular Handbook of High-Risk Obstetrics for iPhone or iPod touch. Version 1.5 adds dozens of high-resolution ultrasound images of fetal anatomy. Handbook of High-Risk Obstetrics is a new and original reference source for the medical student or resident physician who needs a comprehensive yet concise guide to perinatal care. The Handbook covers all major areas of high-risk pregnancy, and is cross-referenced and indexed with over 3600 search keywords.
• iPhone publisher, Clickgamer, has announced the new brain-training game, Genius Defense Force, for iPhone and iPod touch. Genius Defense Force offers gameplay where players must add, subtract, multiply and divide their way to victory. The full campaign offers 30 action-packed levels appealing to contestants of any age and skill level, with players receiving a performance grade after every stage.
• Rev out of the gate and into the action with the release of 2XL ATV Offroad, the latest offroad racing game from the makers of 2XL Supercross. Featuring 18 one-of-a-kind ATV race tracks, 2XL ATV Offroad raises the bar for gameplay and graphics on the iPhone and iPod Touch. This new addition to the App Store includes an advanced career mode and achievement system that allows the rider to work their way to the pinnacle of the ATV world. After getting the basics down and building riding skills, race against your friends with the multiplayer mode and see how your times stack up with other players on the online leader boards.
• Technocel has announced their latest innovation, the Technocel PowerPak, a portable battery and home charger combined into one unit. This patent pending technology will replace all your chargers with a single universal solution that will safely power your USB devices at home, in the car, at the airport, or anywhere else. If your device is running low on juice, the PowerPak built-in battery reserve will refuel it, whether there is a wall outlet available or not. The PowerPak will be available starting November 1, 2009 for MSRP of $49.99.
• Monsoon Multimedia has announced the availability of the HAVA Mobile Player application for iPhone and iPod Touch users. The HAVA Mobile Player app allows HAVA customers to view and control their home television service, including cable, satellite and TiVo, from anywhere in the world on their iPhone. The HAVA Mobile Player for iPhone was designed for seamless integration with Apple’s unique smartphone allowing viewers to control their home television service (whether it’s cable or satellite, receiver or DVR, standard or high definition) via the touch screen interface.
• Freeverse has released the first update to the popular iPhone and iPod Touch game, Skee-Ball, which features user-requested additions and new items. The official Skee-Ball game, developed by Graveck, now has optional accelerometer control and tutorial tips to explain the Star ranking system. New prizes include the awesome Brewskee-Ball ball featuring the Brewskee-Ball logo and the ever popular Taco!

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 13, 2009:

Macintosh

• Emmy Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. has announced that its entire line of products is compatible with Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system for Mac. All software for kids, home users and professionals were thoroughly tested and proved to be running smoothly on the new operating system. Only Toon Boom Studio and its plug-in required a new build which is available to all Studio 5 customers.
• Severn Software Limited has released That Tune 1.1 for Mac OSX. That Tune is a customizable way of showing what song iTunes is playing. Unique to That Tune is that it can make any screen saver show iTunes songs. In addition, That Tune will play iTunes songs as Alarm. That Tune will pop up a configurable notification window on the screen. There is no need to CMD-TAB back to iTunes to see what is playing.
• Yummy Software has announced Yummy FTP 1.8, their popular FTP client for Mac OS X. Version 1.8 gains over 30 new features and enhancements as well as full Snow Leopard compatibility. Built as native Mac OS X software from the ground up, Yummy FTP was designed with the goal of providing a reliable, powerful, yet easy to use file transfer utility. Since its release, Yummy FTP has gained a reputation for being the fastest, most reliable, and most flexible FTP client available.
• Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.5.2 (Snow Leopard Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. This version fixes a bug causing high CPU usage on 32-bit Macs, addresses compatibility issues with QuickTime X and latest versions of supported web browsers. It also addresses an issue in which Cocktail may report problems with diskutil and fixes many other bugs discovered in the previous release.
• Zoom, makers of award-winning professional audio recording devices, have announced the much anticipated availability of the Q3 Handy Video Recorder. Unlike other handheld video camcorders, the Q3 records stereo sound with two condenser microphones, which allow users to capture crystal clear HD audio with their movies.  The ability to capture audio at 24-bit/48 kHz is especially important for users planning to upload their footage to video share sites like YouTube, which compress video but now allow files with stereo audio at 44.1 kHz, which is CD quality.
• Dingo Games has announced the Mac release of their swashbuckling epic The Three Musketeers: The Game. Available exclusively online, the game closely follows the plot of the original Three Musketeers novel. The classic adventure story and the rarely used setting of 17th century France make this game a unique experience.

iPhone/iPod

• Obvious Matter has announced Camera Level 1.0, an app for shooting photos that guides you in keeping your iPhone camera level at all times. When you are photographing landscapes and buildings you want to make sure the photos you shoot are straight and nicely leveled. No need to straighten your photos with external tools any more. Camera Level lets you keep your iPhone camera level at all times. Never shoot photos again with a tilted horizon.
• Imaginatr has released Cubimon Lite, the free version of their challenging, fast-paced, fun and addicting puzzle game designed for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. With unique gameplay, 3 fully playable levels of increasing difficulty, and 4 different types of Cubimons, you are guaranteed hours of enjoyment.
• Toy Kite Software today has announced iSamurai 2.0: Critical Strike, the new tactical version of their “sword fight anywhere” game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In celebration of this release, Toy Kite is announcing the iSamurai video competition with 10 prizes including a new iPod Touch. iSamurai is a two-player sword fighting game where players swing their iPhones or iPod Touches like swords.
• Sonos, Inc., has introduced the Sonos ZonePlayer S5, an all-in-one wireless music system that can be controlled with an iPhone, iPod touch or any Sonos Controller.  The S5 delivers crystal-clear, room-filling sound that rivals much larger, more complicated audio equipment.  Plus, the S5 provides instant access to unlimited music with control from the palm of your hand.  Now music lovers can find and play any song from an iTunes library, plus, a world of music and radio on the Internet, in any room of the house. The S5 will be available for $399 on October 27.
• Readdle has announced Scanner Pro 1.0, an iPhone application that transforms the device into portable scanner. It lets iPhone owners scan multi page documents into PDF files, send them by email, access over Wi-Fi and even upload to MobileMe iDisk or any other WebDAV enabled server. Scanner Pro is designed to scan multi page documents and transform them into industry standard PDF files. It allows people to set password on PDF document to protect data with 40-bit RC4 level encryption.
• Chess Elite gives online game play a whole new meaning. Being the first ever Chess App to use Push Notification, the game lets the player know when a Challenge is received or a move is made in an online game. The game has a strong chess engine with adjustable engine strength so that the player can set the game depending on his level of proficiency.
• Warm up your sleight of hand for Texas Wuggle [iTunes App Store link], the new fast-paced poker app from the hustlers at 4J Studios. Hitting the App Store today at £0.59/$0.99/€0.79, this is poker, but not as you know it; blending traditional poker rules with Scrabble, players must make as many winning hands as possible with the available cards on screen then rack ‘em up using the touch screen.
• Orbital Worlds has announced the arrival of their debut iPhone title Armoured Shift in the App Store. The groundbreaking open-world space shooter challenges players to shoot down hordes of asteroids, enemy ships and bosses using a spaceship largely controlled by the iPhone/iPod Touch’s accelerometer. The unique tilt-based control scheme offered by Armoured Shift sets it apart from the more traditional dual-analog joystick format utilized by the majority of open-world shooters.
• Stick-Fu [iTunes App Store link]—from Mobigames—is a new beat-‘em-up game with sticks as heroes and enemies. Players should prepare to face stick-thin enemies, using punch and kick actions to defeat them and build combo points which can be used to unleash devastating attacks on your enemies. At the end of each level, the Stick-Fu hero will face a fearsome Stick-Boss - real skill is needed to defeat such strong, fast foes.
• Vizros Software has announced the release of OutColor 1.2, the world’s first Out-of-Bounds image editor for the iPhone and iPod Touch. OutColor lets users easily and quickly produce compelling, depth-rich images from single, conventional 2D photographs. By touching and moving on the iPhone screen, users can turn ordinary photos into impressive “Out of Bounds” (OOB) images. OOB images are wildly seen on internet and in magazine in which some contents of the image are taken outside of virtual boundaries and presented in a creative 3D perspective.
• Speck has launched its completely redesigned one-piece polycarbonate SeeThru hard shell case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Expanding upon the already immensely popular SeeThru designs, these stylishly sleek patent-pending cases offer iPhone 3G and 3GS owners the ultimate defensive buffer from the abuse of the normal daily hectic lifestyle.
• Disney is appealing to digital savvy fans of the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy franchise by launching the official e-book version of Eoin Colfer’s 6th installment of the series: And Another Thing from Hyperion Books. Available exclusively through the Apple App Store for a special price of $14.99 through December 2, the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer App [iTunes App Store link] from Hyperion contains both digital and audio versions, in addition to a host of special features.
• comiXology continues pushing forward digital comics revolution with their first original comic, Box 13, created by Harvey Award and zuda.com winning team of David Gallaher and Steve Ellis. Available for free exclusively on Comics by comiXology, Box 13 is a re-imagining of the popular radio serial of the same name.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 9, 2009:

Macintosh

• Reggie Ashworth has announced AppDelete 2.2.3, an update to his popular application deletion utility for Mac OS X. With a simple Drag & Drop, AppDelete will delete any chosen app with all of its associated items that belong to that application. Mac users will no longer have to hunt through their system to find and delete these items manually. AppDelete is a must-have utility for beta testers and the perfect companion to any Mac fanatic’s toolbox.
• algoriddim, a leader in next-generation music software for the Mac, today announced the release of djay 3, the completely revamped version of its fun and innovative music software application for Mac and iTunes. A host of unprecedented new features, including an Automatic Tempo & Beat Detection, Auto-Cut Scratching and extensive MIDI Support, combined with the program’s redesigned user interface, make djay 3 the perfect tool for beginners and pros alike.

iPhone/iPod

• Radiance house has announced Love Therapy 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Love Therapy is a self help tool that allows couples and individuals to identify their roles in relationship and grow the potential of their own relationships. The application describes twenty roles that people play in relationships, and it helps you profile and improve your love-life.
• List Logic Software has announced List Maker 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. List Maker uses revolutionary techniques to allow you to create any type of list, and then view and sort those lists with a simple tap or a swipe. When viewing your lists, you control how much or how little of your information you want to see. Simply tap the bottom middle button to increase or decrease the number of visible columns.
• CVZ Productions has released Daily Tracker 3.0, an update to their personal organizer for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, Daily Tracker allows users to track virtually anything. Users can quickly choose from an existing category, or easily create a custom one that suits their needs. Version 3.0 features Google Docs integration and numerous usability improvements.
• Glass House Games has announced that its iPhone arcade puzzle game Bugsy will be on sale for a limited time. Designed for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, Bugsy is a challenging, fast-paced, fun and addicting arcade puzzle game. With unique gameplay, 125 levels of increasing difficulty, and 3 different types of Rogue Enemies, you are guaranteed hours of enjoyment. If you like challenging, mind-bending puzzle games, you will enjoy Bugsy.
• There are many things we’re encouraged not to do as children, such as don’t play with your food, don’t play with the worms in the garden, and so on. If there’s one thing the creative types at 4J Studios do want you playing with, it’s your words. The innovative studio recently announced Texas Wuggle for iPhone and iPod Touch consoles, launching late Octover. Now, see where the series started with the original version of Wuggle, available now on iTunes for £0.59/$0.99/€0.79.
• Blue Lightning Labs has announced that their popular iPhone application Mathemagics has been selected as an App Classic. Dubbed as “The AppStore’s missing Hall of Fame,” App Classics calculates and selects the all-time most popular high quality apps available on the AppStore. Mathemagics, an application for learning to mentally calculate math problems at phenomenal speeds, has garnered outstanding reviews and continues to amaze users.
• The Pilates for Pregnancy exercise iphone app is based on the top rated Prenatal Pilates DVD and the “Pilates and Pregnancy Workbook.” This not only gives modified Pilates exercises for every trimester of your pregnancy but it is also a complete pregnancy planner. It includes checklists for a healthy pregnancy, notes pages with questions to help you keep track of everything going on during this exciting time as well as a pregnancy photo album! Store your sonogram pictures as well as pictures of your growing belly and anything else related to your pregnancy as you create your own digital photo album.
• Chillingo has announced that its groundbreaking shoot-‘em-up game, Arcade Reality, has released to Apple’s App Store. In Arcade Reality, videogame invaders from outer space are attacking the real world. These alien enemies fly around the player’s body in real-time, with laser beams and missiles attacking from every angle. The attackers are invisible to the human eye, but unbelievably they are now visible via the iPhone camera.
• Raizlabs has released Tip Calculator 1.2, their top selling tip calculator application for iPhone and iPod touch. Tip Calculator allows people to split the bill any way they want. Using a simple slider you can adjust how much each person will pay on any bill. The application automatically computes and splits the remainder. The application does this and calculates a tip in one step. It can even subtract out tax if you don’t like to tip on the tax portion of a meal.
• Obvious Matter has announced Camera Level 1.0, an app for shooting photos that guides you in keeping your iPhone camera level at all times. When you are photographing landscapes and buildings you want to make sure the photos you shoot are straight and nicely leveled. No need to straighten your photos with external tools any more. Camera Level lets you keep your iPhone camera level at all times. Never shoot photos again with a tilted horizon.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 8, 2009:

Macintosh

• Martin Wengenmayer has announced Cheetah3D 5.0, a major update to his 3D modeling solution for Mac OS X. Developed from the ground up utilizing the latest Cocoa technologies, Cheetah3D is a lean, fast, and elegant 3D modeling, rendering, and animation package with an easy learning curve. Version 5.0 adds a completely new node based material system, optimized render engine, extended modeling tools, and many small UI enhancements.
• Flying Mac has announced that FarFinder went on sale for two weeks until October 22nd. FarFinder allows users to browse, search, view and download their Mac’s files from anywhere on the internet at any time, using any Mac, PC or iPhone. No special software is required on the client side, and a Mac can be accessed from any platform. All communication between browser/iPhone and Mac is encrypted using secure http, the same technology used for secure web sites like banks and online retailers.
• iFunia Corp. has updated iFunia Video Converter Pro to help users convert MTS/MOD and other HD/SD video to iMovie and Final Cut Pro compatible format for editing.
• Charlie’s Games has announced Bullet Candy Perfect for Mac OS X. Bullet Candy Perfect is a fun shoot-em-up game, with sharp, super smooth 3D graphics, and a cool techno soundtrack. The game is all about honing your skills to perfection as you attempt the perfect run. Along with a host of score and power-up techniques, the game uses a tactical suicide mechanic that allows you to cheat an unpleasant death at the hands of your enemies and keep your bonus weapons and score multipliers intact.
• The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript is the first ever game created about the life and work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Players come to discover and delve inside the mysteries surrounding the hidden enigmas of the works of the great genius. “The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript” is a major investigation and adventure game, a thrilling mystical quest into the heart of the Renaissance. It is now available for Mac OS X.
• Commence Corporation, a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions designed specifically for small- to mid-size businesses, has announced details of the new cloud computing edition of its award-winning CRM software. The new offering, planned for January 2010, will initially be deployed for the Amazon Web Service’s Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) environment.
• Jumsoft has announced updates for Money, its most popular business and finance tool. This week sees the release of improved desktop and iPhone versions of Money. Enhancements to the new desktop version, 3.4.3, feature improved Snow Leopard compatibility, while Money 1.1 for iPhone includes automatic bill payment, comment capability, and several interface improvements.
• Minder Softworks has released MYStuff 1.0, designed to be the first “stuff manager” for OS X. MYStuff solves two common problems: eliminate paperwork clutter associated with the things people own, and take advantage of manufacturer’s warranties. It accomplishes this by storing information about the things you own as images, PDFs, and as manually-entered data. MYStuff allows you to back up your data, print lists for insurance claims, and view your records as lists or as images.
• Since its release in September 2007, Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual has been the bestselling computer book in America. And now, the beast is back. The new Snow Leopard edition offers a wealth of detail on Apple’s newest operating system. Snow Leopard is faster and more reliable than earlier Mac OSX versions, and no one is more reliable at bringing you up to speed than David Pogue.
• Mythic Entertainment, the developer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR), will be descending upon GameX 2009 from October 23rd - 25th to meet fans and showcase the latest and greatest new content and updates to WAR. Located at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, the event will provide the opportunity for local players to meet with members of the development team and check out the latest Halloween Live Event, Daemon Moon Rising, which includes the Daemonball Rally Public Quest and the Daemon Mask Event Quest.
• Power Technology has announced iDFX. iDFX installs as an accessory for iTunes and uses patent-pending technology to re-encode the users MP3 and AAC files for much higher sound quality. It does this by compensating for fidelity and harmonic content loss that occurred during the original encoding process. The result is much better playback quality on your iPod; many users feel the quality is as good as the original CD recordings.
• Long-time Mac users and industry experts Larry Pollock and Kevin Burns have announced the launch of MacSupportCasts, a new online video tutorial web site designed to provide affordable online Mac training to users ranging in expertise from novice to intermediate. Easy-to-use video tutorials begin with the fundamentals of using a Mac computer and then move into more detailed training on each application that is included with a Mac.

iPhone/iPod

• LatteArt (iTunes App Store link) is an entertainment application that allows the user to create art with a pattern or design of milk foam. Spread milk foam with your finger on the screen. Drag the milk foam by etching. Brush up your design with a melted chocolate line that enables ranges of patterns. You can also take a photograph in as a rough sketch, and start a design based on it.
• From the makers of the most popular Sudoku games on iPhone comes a new whirl on word games! How many words can you discover from six letters? Solve the puzzle instantly by finding the six-letter word or step up to the challenge of finding all possible words with the letters given. Whirly Word comes with over 5,000 puzzles, multiple color schemes, score tracking, and background music and sound effects that can be turned off so you can listen to your iPod while you play.
• Game Era Studio has announced Underwater 2, a new sequel to their match3 puzzle game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique gesturing abilities and peerless interface, Underwater 2 distinguishes itself from alternative Tetris-like games in that it is completely gesture based. Underwater features 3 gaming modes with a total of 29 compelling levels, beautifully rendered graphics, and a soothing, aquatic sound environment.
• Directed Graph Software LLC has announced iLEVELi 2.1, an update to their versatile inclinometer utility for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically for the iPhone’s delightful user experience, iLEVELi simulates a spirit level allowing the user to focus on the measurement of slopes and angles referenced to gravity. Version 2.1 uses more refined digital signal processing techniques for faster measurements and calibration, and improved sensitivity to perturbations.
• TapFactory has introduced Contact 1.2, their new iPhone app. Contact is the only Home screen speed dial app that supports dialing, SMS and emailing. Contact allows users to generate any number of speed dials on their Home screen, each with their own unique icon that can be a custom photo or selected from the built in icon library. Create any number of custom speed dials that when tapped can either dial a number, open an SMS, open an email, or prompt you with all three.
• MotionObj has announced SimplyTweet 2.4, an update to their full featured Twitter application for iPhone and iPod touch. SimplyTweet combines a fast, simple user interface with a rich set of features. The update adds support for multiple drafts, a customizable swipe menu, option to disable landscape mode and bug fixes. It supports advanced functionality such as mentions and direct messages push notifications, themes, photo search, and photo and video posting and much more.
• Ian Maskell has announced the launch of iPhone App Freelancer, a website offering the ability to turn great ideas into apps with little or no programming knowledge. iPhone App Freelancer is a service that connects freelancer iPhone application developers with entrepreneurs and businesses that require custom programming, applications, graphics and development projects for the iPhone.
• This coming weekend (that’s October 10th & 11th 2009) Chilli X is going to give all their apps away for free. That’s right—all 16 apps will be free. That’s enough to fill a whole screen on your iPhone. They know it’s crazy but they wanted to say thank you to everybody who has supported them over the last year, and simultaneously boost awareness of their apps.
• SintraWorks has released Metron 1.2, an update to their professional digital metronome for iPhone and iPod Touch. Featuring an intuitive front panel, Metron offers a high-precision playback engine and a bar based sequencer to provide detailed control over tempo settings & time signatures, including mixed meters, accelerandos and ritardandos. Metron incorporates a tuner that can be calibrated to cent level. Version 1.2 includes playback during screen-lock, pitch-pipe adjustment per Hertz, more.
• Silver Lining Ideas has announced the start of their month long contest to name the panda in their soon to be released Lucky Day application. The first place prize will be a stuffed Panda with the newly announced name stitched onto it, a iTunes gift card and the winners name listed in the credits of the game design. The contest starts October 8, 2009 and will be open for entries until October 30, 2009. The winner will be announced on October 31, 2009.
• DVDxDV has released Photo Sweets 1.0, a new photography application for iPhone devices. Photo Sweets features a new photo skin smoothing filter that can soften wrinkles and smooth out skin. Additionally, the app contains three other high quality filters for setting White Point, Color Burst and Noise Reduction. Photo Sweets works on any picture taken with the iPhone Camera or stored in its Photo Library. It processes images at full resolution making them suitable for printing.
• IK Multimedia has announced the release of two new applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch: GrooveMaker Techno and GrooveMaker Trance. Both versions based on the recently released GrooveMaker remixing application, these style-based apps allow everyone to create and share non-stop techno and trance tracks for DJing, remixing, multimedia and movie soundtrack compositions on the go, in real-time, just like a professional DJ or music producer.
• Weight Watchers has announced the Weight Watchers Mobile iPhone app. Now Weight Watchers gives you even more freedom and flexibility. Access your plan info from wherever you are: at a restaurant, the grocery store, on vacation or just out and about. Track the POINTS values of food and activities and find the best options for what to eat. Everything you do on your mobile device will be seamlessly reflected on your account on the website. It’s included with your subscription. And it’s just one more way that Weight Watchers fits with your life.
• Pet Acoustics Inc, a company dedicated to bringing products to market that bring joy and peace to the animals that share their lives with us, releases the Pet Acoustics Application for iPhone and iPod Touch. The first App of its kind, Pet Acoustics provides soothing music that enhances the lives of dogs, cats, horses, and their people to maintain balance and well being in their living environment.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 7, 2009:

Macintosh

• Can all the classic games in Mac history be compiled into a 3:30 minute video? Of course they can! Now with appropriately funky music.
• Zeroonetwenty has announced Jar 1.1 an update to its automated cookie management software for Mac OS X. Implemented as a Preference Panel for OS X, Jar ensures that the only cookies kept on your Mac are from sites in your browsers bookmarks or history. Version 1.1 extends its browser support to now include Mozilla Firefox in addition to Safari. By using browser history and bookmarks as the heart of cookie management Jar is able to make cookie management trivial.
• Norbert M. Doerner has released MP3-Info 2.0. MP3-Info is a companion designed to integrate with Apples Finder and iTunes, helping to view and organize music libraries. Version 2.0 now runs as an application in Snow Leopard, and displays all relevant audio tags, such as cover art, lyrics, album, artist, or comments. It now offers a fast connection to search for similar songs in the popular media cataloger CDFinder, and can rename song files based on their tags.
• Jumsoft has released Keynote Animations FX 7.0, an update to its selection of products for Apple’s Keynote. This set presents 100 exciting animated images suitable for any occasion, including 30 brand-new additions that feature superb animation quality and spectacular creativity. The animations can easily be applied to any slide, as well as effortlessly positioned, blended, mixed, overlaid, underlaid, and much more.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced InPreflight 2.6.12, a compatibility update to its quality control, packaging automation and file info reporting solution for Adobe InDesign. InPreflight goes well beyond the InDesign basics helping graphics and print professionals uncover hidden problems, save disk space through smart auto-packaging, save and print graphic reports, and reduce production time and costs. The new version introduces compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
• Indev Software has released three updates for its Mail plugins: MailTags and Mail Act-On. Mail Act-On 2.1.4 is a maintenance release for all Mail Act-On 2 users. It remedies minor issues and add Dutch localization. MailTags 2.3.1 is a maintenance release for all MailTags 2 users who work on Leopard Mail. It remedies several issues, particularly with keyword management. MailTags Snow Leopard Compatibility Release 3 is a critical release, fixing numerous stability and functionality problems.
• Zelda Rubinstein, the eccentric medium from Poltergeist, wants to help you rid your house of the fright-inducing ancient technology that may be haunting your home—just in time for Halloween. Frightening gadgets, like tape-eating VCRs, TVs that send a shock through fingers when touched and 10lb laptops that take a toll on the shoulder are prime suspects of Scary Technology and should not be brushed aside. Beginning October 5 through October 26, 2009, consumers can submit photos of their most fear-inducing technology to www.ScaryTechnology.com, accompanied by a 140-character caption to help bring their photo to life.
• In Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography (Rocky Nook, $34.95 USD) you will find everything you need to know to create amazing panoramic images. Author Harald Woeste takes the reader on a tour from the basics of capturing panoramas, all the way through stitching, editing, and printing panoramic images. He provides a detailed description of the necessary equipment and materials, as well as the various software tools that can be used in the workflow. The latter half of the book illustrates the making of panoramas through a number of example projects.
• REALbasic Developer Magazine is reprinting the last year’s issues into a convenient perfect-bound book which will be shipping in November 2009. Through October 19th, pre-order RBD Archive Volume 7, a perfect-bound 334-page book containing the full contents of Year 7 of REALbasic Developer Magazine, for 25% off the normal price for a limited time. Current subscribers can save even more with an additional subscriber discount.

iPhone/iPod

• To celebrate the International week of Cosmos, Vito Technology is making Star Walk available at a discounted rate $2.99 for the next few days. Have a look at the new way of selecting locations on Star Walk with the 3D image of the globe. This way you can observe stars, planets, constellations, meteor showers and all sky objects from your favorite place on earth. No matter where you are or where you would like to be, with the new earth view feature in Star Walk you can spin the globe with your finger and choose and change at your leisure your stars spotting points.
• ASD Soft Company has published Bikini Lines, a version of a popular logical game Lines. The aim of the game is to set out balls of the same color in lines. After this, they disappear, opening fabulous photos of sexy models to the eyes of a gamer! They also offer a free version Bikini Lines Lite, which gives you the opportunity to play the game’s first three levels before buying the full version.
• Popular trivia game QuizQuizQuiz is now available in a limited period sale with the price reduced by 80%. The game—which takes quizzes on the iPhone to a whole new level features over 28,000 questions in total across English (UK/US/NZ/OZ), French, German, Italian and Spanish—is available for gamers world-wide to play and enjoy.
• Trilibis Mobile, an innovative developer of mobile search and social networking applications, today announced Orbit, the first cross-platform, cross-network, cross-device mobile social phonebook that cleverly organizes all of your communication channels: voice, text, e-mail and social networking.
• eNcipient, creator of the world’s first iPhone case featuring a Drop-Catch Tether, is pleased to introduce the new VOi! Lorem for iPhone 3G and 3GS. VOi! Lorem is a durable snap-fit case that features full access to all ports. VOi! offers a one of a kind Drop-Catch Tether providing a safety feature you won’t find on any other iPhone accessory.
• Mophie has unveiled a new lineup of innovative charging solutions for the iPhone, iPod, and other USB compatible devices. Highlighting the new series is a hybrid Wall & Car International USB Charger ($24.95) that combines a car charger along with a 270º rotating AC adaptor arm that ensures a secure connection at almost any angle. The International Adaptor Travel Kit ($14.95) enables the Wall & Car USB Charger to be used virtually anywhere while traveling abroad and comes with a convenient carrying bag. The Dual USB Wall Charger($19.95) allows users to charge two USB devices at once and its fold up design makes it an ideal solution for traveling with multiple gadgets. Mophie also now has a Low-Profile USB Car Charger ($14.95) with a sleek, minimalist design that seamlessly blends in with your car’s interior.
• San Francisco based indie developer 2n Productions announced today that QuitIt! Episode 2 - Shock and Oww is now available from the iTunes App Store. EP2 brings a variety of new fun features to the episodic sandbox entertainment app starring Lumpy Hrudkovity, an alien entertainer from planet Zgrunturos.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 6, 2009:

Macintosh

• Zevrix Solutions has announced PDF Checkpoint 1.1, an update to its new powerful PDF workflow automation solution. PDF Checkpoint quickly preflights, exports as images, splits and reduces size of multiple PDF files. The program is equally suitable to process hundreds of files as well as single PDF documents. The new version introduces the ability to downsample and compress images inside PDF documents which allows to reduce PDF file size dramatically.
• DataMind Srl has announced Jade 1.4, their highly acclaimed digital image processing application for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Implementing state-of-the-art algorithms to enhance color, contrast and dynamic range, Jade is an easy-to-use image enhancement and batch processing tool that will automatically improve digital images. As DataMind’s main product of a series of image processing and computer vision tools, Version 1.4 is a staff pick on Apple’s download website.
• Bartas Technologies has announced XTabulator 2, an update to its tabular data file editor tool for Mac OS X. XTabulator is an inexpensive, lightweight, fast, flexible, and powerful delimited tabular file editor. It is perfectly suited for working with tabular files, such as comma-sparated-value or tab-delimited formats. XTabulator is a hand-crafted tool focused on the task of manipulating data extracted from one application so that it can be imported into another.
• Eltima Software has released SyncMate 2.4. SyncMate enables Mac users to synchronize their Mac with Windows PC, Sony PlayStation Portable and USB flash drives, as well as with other supported devices. SyncMate Expert Edition provides all users with a full access to all synchronization features. Sync iTunes, Video, iPhoto, Safari and Firefox Bookmarks, Entourage and mail Notes, ToDo’s, Mail and even separate folders between your Mac and Windows Mobile devices, and more.
• Bohemian Coding has announced DrawIt 3.10, the latest version of their easy-to-use, powerful vector-drawing application for Mac OS X. DrawIt is unique in that it presents the user with a simple and clean interface, yet packs an impressive assortment of useful, professional features. Version 3.10 introduces essential new effects and significantly increases its performance. DrawIt 3.10 now provides support for multi-stop gradients and also adds a gradient stroke effect to the mix.
• Yazsoft has announced Speed Download 5.2.6, an important update to their popular download manager for Mac OS X. Speed Download 5 redefines the Mac OS X download manager by combining four amazing products: a turbo-charged download manager, a fully featured secure FTP client, a file sharing utility with full encryption, and complete .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity, into one small and easy to use application.
• Group Logic has announced a partnership with Symantec to market a joint solution for file system archiving for Mac-based organizations. The solution is based on Symantec’s market leading Enterprise Vault software and Group Logic’s newly released ArchiveConnect software. With the combined solution, Mac-based enterprises and departments can take full advantage of file system archiving to reduce storage costs by up to 60 percent and increase both IT and user productivity.
• LaCie, in collaboration with world-famous designer Philippe Starck, has announced the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive. The new products showcase more than just Starck’s iconic signature; there is an intellect revealed throughout each component of the design.
• RadTech has announced the ClearCal anti-glare film for glossy 17” MacBook Pro and 20” iMac displays. ClearCal AG (anti-glare) films greatly improve the viewability of glossy glass displays when used in brightly lit or outdoor environments. ClearCal films combine a tempered 2-mil matte finished, anti-reflection layer, permanently laminated to a 3-mil flexible transparent base. A blemish-healing siliconized adhesive provides an optically-correct, yet easily removable bond that conceals existing surface defects like abrasions and scratches. The siliconized adhesive is permanently bonded to the base layer and will never leave any residue behind if later removed.

iPhone/iPod

• PressOK Entertainment has announced the release of their new game Finger Physics. Finger Physics is an action-packed puzzle game of balance, where fingers take charge of building stable structures with varied objects. PressOK points to the polling of over 5000 actual fingers as the key to the success of Finger Physics; fingers everywhere rejoice!
• Bitnotic today released Octavian 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Perfect for the studio, Octavian presents a slick interface for quickly exploring scales and chords on a piano keyboard. It is an essential musical reference tool for any musician, student, composer, songwriter, pianist, keyboard player, or hobbyist of all skill levels. Quickly find scales and chords and transpose them to any root note, view any mode of any scale, view chords in root position and first, and much more.
• Fonerola has announced the debut of its first mobile application, FonerCall. This communication app allows mobile phone users to save money on International and Long Distance calls by routing calls over the Internet via the device’s built-in Wi-Fi service. Whether you are at home, the office or at a coffee shop, you can now make long distance calls anywhere there is a Wi-Fi spot. It is simple to use and as easy as making regular calls.
• Matteo Rossi has released WiFiPhoto 1.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch. With a simple and elegant interface, WiFiPhoto makes it easy to download photos from iPhone and iPod Touch to any computer over a wifi network without USB cables. The application works as a web server to which any computer over the LAN can connect via browser. It’s possible to download multiple pictures in a single compressed file with any desired compression quality at full resolution.
• Etherfield Games has announced their first iPhone app: Pitz. Pitz is an addictive platform game, with simpe controls, unique graphics and original music. You control a rubber ball through the mystic temples of an ancient empire.
• Mad Finger Games has announced Samurai: Way of the Warrior 1.1, an eagerly-anticipated update to their unique hack-and-slash action game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Samurai: Way of the Warrior is a unique action game inspired by the grace and visceral power of Japanese samurai classics. This major update features three new difficulty levels, improved enemy AI, a new survival mode, global leaderboards with Facebook and Twitter integration, and much more.
• Vela Design Group has released MagicHour 1.4.7 for iPhone and iPod touch. MagicHour is a world clock with unique features and an easily configurable user interface. Users can quickly display the time of sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk for three kinds of twilight, moon phase and tilt, and much more. MagicHour is invaluable to iPhone and iPod touch users who travel or communicate with friends and colleagues around the world.
• Until now, iPhone users have been stuck with a very bland incoming email tone. With the launch of Electric Pocket’s new MailTones, iPhone users will for the first time be able to change the email alert tone and set a different tone for each and every friend, family member or colleague in their Address Book. MailTones will help users to distinguish high priority emails from their boss or spouse from lower priority emails from college buddies or email lists.
• Ultrasone Inc., has announced the release of its flagship HFI Series headphone: the HFI-2400. With the debut of the HFI-2400, Ultrasone has designed an eye-catching black and silver, open-backed headphone that satisfies the highest of listening demands.
• Marc Ecko Entertainment has announced that the critically acclaimed Dexter the Game will be available on the App Store for $3.99 through October 12. Two bucks has been sliced off the regular price, for a limited time only. Also don’t forget to enter the Dexter The Game Sweepstakes to win a walk on role in Season 5 of the TV show or lunch with one of the show’s writers. To get a code, purchase Dexter the Game from the iTunes App Store, load it, then tap the EXTRAS button in the Main Menu. See www.dexterthegame.com for official rules and entry page. No purchase necessary.
• PocketSherpa is a new, free iPhone app that connects tourists to locals. You tap on your destination/location; enter a question and locals respond with their tips. PocketSherpa already has over 30,000 locals in 7,000 locations registered.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 5, 2009:

Macintosh

• Nisus Software has announced the release of Nisus Writer Pro 1.3.1 and Nisus Writer Express 3.3.1, their critically acclaimed word processors for Mac OS X. The Nisus Writer Pro 1.3.1 beta contains fixes for Snow Leopard compatibility issues. There have also been some bug fixes since the release of Pro 1.3. Nisus Writer Express 3.3.1 adds new features and includes Snow Leopard compatibility fixes.
• Edovia has announced TouchPad 2.0, the latest version of the utility app. TouchPad is a remote trackpad, keyboard and media remote package that lets you control any Mac remotely. Use your iPhone or your iPod touch to control you computer through WiFi. With TouchPad’s intuitive use, you’ll feel right at home if you have already used a track pad on a Unibody MacBook. It’s almost like having a micro laptop in your hands.
• QuickerTek has released the Auto and Airline Charging Adapter for all Apple MacBook Air laptops. Users can now travel by land and air longer by using the Auto/Airline Charging Adapter. This simple-to-use device features automobile and airline power adapters to run your Apple MacBook Air. Unlike the Apple charger, QuickerTek’s charging adapter recharges the internal battery while you are using the laptop.

iPhone/iPod

• Moving from the virtual links to a real-life golf course near you, Electronic Arts, Inc., has announced the launch of Tee Shot Live, an interactive application for the iPhone that allows users to track their real-life golf performance, attain round-changing golf course information and share information with fellow golf enthusiasts and friends from around the world. Tee Shot Live will be available for a special introductory price of only 99 cents during the first week that the product is in the marketplace, and following the promotional period can be purchased for $9.99 from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
• Opus isn’t your average touch and gesture based music player, it’s much more. Most let you tap and flick to skip tracks or adjust the volume. But does any other let you fully customize what each tap and flick does? Are you able to save different gesture profiles for different activities? Can you auto-rotate or lock the display to a landscape or portrait orientation so you aren’t trying to read something that’s upside down? Opus can do all of the above, and much more.
• SimpleLeap Software has released Cram Lite 1.5, a free version of their flashcard and multiple choice study app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Through Cram’s simplified and easy-to-use interface, users can quickly create tests and flashcards, share them with friends, download tests and flashcards from the Cram test portal. Cram Lite allows users to test with all the features of the full version of Cram iPhone, with limited test data.
• Steve Glinberg has announced KidCalc 1.5, an update to his popular animated math flash cards and learning game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s peerless interface, KidCalc helps teach math to children, ages 3-9 years, using Halloween themed graphics, engaging animations and voice-overs by a child. KidCalc is now four apps in one, including animated math flash cards, math drills, counting games, and an animated calculator.
• Happymagenta has introduced Net Scan 1.1, an update to their popular ports and networks scanner for iPhone and iPod touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s peerless capabilities, Net Scan will effortlessly scan hosts or network ranges on the Internet or LAN for running services as well as dig for other useful information. The utility can scan by either IP address or any network range for hosts and services and run in several different modes. Version 1.1 sports many new features.
• Codengineer has introduced Sparkz 1.0, a remake of the vintage Mac game for iPhone and iPod touch. Focused on a unique gameplay experience, Sparkz is a tribute to classic arcade games of the eighties. Using gentle swipes or the devices accelerometer, players control diamond shaped Stix, moving safely along the Arena borderlines. Conquer a super-majority of the Arena to progress through 50 unique stages of game play revealing 50 nature pictures along the way.
• iPhone developers Nor Eagle are planning to use Twitter to give away promo-codes for their game Ben’s somewhat spiffy-looking but ultimately craptastic rock-paper-scissors game. Users simply following Nor Eagle on Twitter and we will give away codes at random times the next few days.
• Random Ideas has announced the release of Edibles 2.5, which includes the ability to search a food database containing over 500,000 food items. This food database was contributed primarily by users of Edibles over the last nine months. To show their gratitude to these users, they’re going to be giving away a brand new, 3rd Generation, 32GB iPod Touch to one of them.
• App City has announced Refresh Me 1.0.1 for iPhone and iPod touch. Refresh Me is a 5 minute guided meditation app designed to relax and energize the user. It uses voice over narration and nature sound effects to immerse the user in a more peaceful and tranquil environment. Refresh Me offers people time out from a busy world and can also help to revitalize the mind, body and spirit.
• Media Atelier has introduced Retina 1.0, their new color blindness helper for iPhone devices. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and peerless interface, Retina helps color-blind users recognize colors by using the device’s camera preview. By simply pointing the camera preview on any object, Retina provides a simple method to differentiate colors in a fast, efficient way.
• Shifting Mind has announced Amazed 3D 1.0, its fun and addictive maze game for iPhone and iPod touch. Amazed 3D takes the “ball in a maze” experience to the extreme. Navigate the maze by tilting the device to reach the target in the shortest time possible. Obtain any of three trophies to collect points and advance to the next level. Amazed 3D offers a polished experience combining high quality 3D graphics along with 33 levels with different skins.
• CAZE has released its Halloween themed Swarovski Crystal Cases for iPhone 3G/3GS. The Halloween collection consists of 8 handmade crystal cases and each features a Halloween motif on an ultra-thin transparent case. The slim cases used in the collection are the thinnest and durable to date at just 0.5mm thickness. These cases are not only chic and stylish but also protective. The cases cover back and the corners of the iPhone for maximum protection.
• Vonage has launched Vonage Mobile, its first mobile calling application for smartphones. Vonage Mobile is a free downloadable application that provides seamless, low-cost international calling while on Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Once downloaded, the service saves customers more than 50% on calls to dozens of countries versus the rates charged by wireless carriers while providing far more convenience than calling cards.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 1, 2009:

Macintosh

• Perceptive Automation has announced Indigo 4.1, an update to the company’s intelligent home control server for Mac OS X. Indigo now supports the PowerLinc Modem, and more reliable and faster INSTEON linking. Other new features include AppleScript conditionals for more flexibility in defining home automation logic and schedules, additional INSTEON hardware support, and reliability and performance optimizations. Version 4.1 is also Snow Leopard compatible.
• Digital Heaven has announced Disksomnia 2.0, a new version of the popular free disk utility for Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. Disksomnia keeps external disks awake during the editing process. It works by writing a hidden file to any mounted external disk every 55 seconds. As a result, any disks that ignore the disabled Energy Saver option in System Preferences are kept awake. This new version adds compatibility with Mac OS X Snow Leopard among other refinements.
• Vicomsoft has announced the immediate availability of InterGate Policy Manager 9.3. The only centralized solution for Mac OS X, InterGate Policy Manager provides a highly granular level of filtering for web content, peer to peer, telephony and instant messaging apps, comprehensive logging and reporting of user activity, as well as an optional industrial strength IP router. Suitable for all networks, small to large, InterGate Policy Manager’s cost effective solution greatly increases productivity, enhances security, reduces legal liability and optimises the use of IT resources for any organization.
• Booq, a leading brand of premium laptop carrying cases for creative professionals, has announced expansion of the highly popular Boa line with the release of Boa flow, nerve, & squeeze. Booq combines sophisticated design and functionality to deliver high-quality bags and cases for the next generation of ambitious professionals.
• For the entire month of October, Spiderweb Software is having its Sadness Sale! Everything we sell is 10% off; a host of fine Indie fantasy role-playing games, for both Windows and Macintosh, the award-winning Avernum series, the just-released Geneforge saga, all on one disc. All of their games can be ordered on CD. It’s a great chance to get a jump on the tiresome holiday shopping.

iPhone/iPod

• Jason Coe at Appmodo has some suggestions for developers regarding How To Successfully Market and Promote iPhone Applications. And they’re good ones.
• Appliya Studio is a service that enables content creators who aren’t programmers—such as artists, musicians, writers, and photographers—to showcase their works with apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Appliya is proud to announce the launch of a full-service English web site that allows anyone to simply fill out a few forms, upload their content, and have a fully functional iPhone app for sale in a few weeks.
• Fullpower Technologies has launched MotionX-GPS Drive for North America on the iPhone. This is the first door-to-door navigation application developed specifically for iPhone users.
• Keenly awaited multi-language trivia game QuizQuizQuiz is now available on the App Store . The game which takes quizzes on the iPhone to a whole new level features over 28,000 questions in total across English (UK/US/NZ/OZ), French, German, Italian and Spanish is available for gamers world-wide to play and enjoy.
• Visual Creative Studio has introduced ActionBabes 1.0, their brand new hot and steamy game for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, ActionBabes is a highly addictive, Q&A memory game. The Action Babes are two gorgeous girls ready to obey orders. Ask them any question and have fun in watching how they answer. Discover the right words to see all the 44 sexy, silly comedy scenes.
• Sarsoft has introduced Baby Monitor & Alarm 1.0, their new application for iPhone devices. Baby Monitor & Alarm brings new and innovative functions to babysitting. When it detects a noise in the child’s room, parents are immediately notified. Baby Monitor & Alarm offers the ability to record your child’s voice. Whether mum’s voice or your child’s favorite song, this voice can be replayed to your child when he/she starts crying.
• Joined-up Solutions Ltd has announced the release of the Darts Checkouts 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Darts Checkouts helps darts players work out the scores they need to hit to win a game of darts. Players just set the total they need to finish in 3 darts and the application will show them how to check out. Darts Checkouts is intended to help players while they practice but they don’t even need to be at the board to benefit.
• MailTones is the first and only app to let iPhone users change the sound of their email alerts—both for “all” mail, and with different custom tones for different sender domains, subjects and individual friends…which adds enormous fun and practical value to the email on the iPhone in ways which were simply not possible before.
• Otterbox has introduced two new case lines for the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS: the Commuter and Commuter TL Series. Fusing rugged elements from the Defender Series line and sleek characteristics from the Impact Series, the Commuter and Commuter TL offer the best of both worlds.
• The “marble popper” bug is spreading as Tumblebugs—the iPhone version of the addictive casual game classic—enjoys a welcome price drop on iTunes. The game has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim since its launch, with Apple choosing to feature the game on App Storefronts in across the world. To celebrate, independent publisher Connect2Media are dropping the price of Tumblebugs to £0.59/$0.99/€0.79 in all regions.
• Rock Ridge Games has announced the release of Puppy Palooza for the iPhone and iPod Touch, an adorable follow-up to their top 20 musical App Store hits, Kitty Chorus and Western Wind. Available now, for an introductory price of $0.99, Puppy Palooza is chock full of cute canines, music and memory, and doggone hilarious gameplay. Take control of six adorable puppies as they bark along two main gameplay modes: Puppy Pursuit and Puppy Palooza.
• Xeleh Software has released Bingo Touch v1.1, the latest version of its innovative bingo machine simulator application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Bingo Touch allows users to easily arrange casual bingo games anywhere. Bingo Touch was the first bingo application on the iTunes AppStore featuring callers with real voice for a better gaming experience.
• Joby has announced the Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS. Following on the success of the original Gorillamobile, the Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS extends the revolution around mobile device interactivity. It’s flexible, wrappable legs enable the user to secure the Gorillamobile to virtually any surface, allowing limitless functionality and positioning capability for movie‐viewing, talking, video‐ recording, and photo‐taking. With four interchangeable quick‐release adapters, including the addition of a custom engineered, slim line iPhone case, the Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS supports one’s entire collection of mobile devices.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 30, 2009:

Macintosh

• Ohanaware has announced HDRtist 1.0, their new HDR photography software for Mac OS X. HDRtist is a user-friendly HDR processor and tone mapper for the Macintosh platform. Its workflow has been designed to be effortless in operation, and to provide visually pleasing results. To celebrate the launch of HDRtist, Ohanaware is offering 20% off its Mac OS X photo editing software Funtastic Photos.
• Kenaxis Creative has announced the release of Kenaxis 3.1, the latest update to their real-time audio performance software.  Version 3.1 adds OSC compatibility and a FFT Phase Vocoder, allowing Kenaxis users greater flexibility in both interactivity and sonic output. Equally useful for performing and composing, Kenaxis is currently used by musicians worldwide for practices as diverse as electroacoustic works, noise, ambient, glitch, soundscapes, live looping, film scores, theatre and DJing.
• iPresentee has released Keynote Themes 6.0 and free Keynote theme to be used with Apple’s presentation software. Keynote Themes 6.0 includes ten new great themes: Ornamental Map, Rest, Green Town, Presentation, Futuristic, Dark Way, Blue World, Globe, Puzzle and Green Bunch. The new Keynote Themes collection offers a variety of presentation styles with coordinated fonts, colors, great backgrounds, unique bullets and picture frames.
• Ambrosia Software, Inc. has announced the release of EasyEnvelopes 1.0.8. This update provides MacOS X 10.6 aka “Snow Leopard” compatibility, with fixes and enhancements to the free (yes, free!) world-renowned envelope printing widget. EasyEnvelopes works with Mac OS X Tiger 10.4, Leopard 10.5, & Snow Leopard 10.6.
• Tycoon Games has announced the development of the sequel to one of their most popular games, Heileen. The game takes place on the mysterious Caribbean island where Heileen was shipwrecked with a few of her friends at the end of the first game. She stumbles upon a deck of tarot cards that represent the seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues. It isn’t long before she discovers that these cards have the power to change both her dreams and her reality.
• HyperOffice has announced HyperBase, “cloud-computing” software tools that give business users the ability to easily collect, manage and analyze web-based data - and share it with teams, customers, partners and suppliers. Users of HyperBase can quickly create online database management applications for automating common business tasks, such as managing events, tracking inventory and sales leads, user and customer surveys, and processing support tickets.
• Eltima Software has released Flash’in’App 2.5, a Cocoa framework which lets developers load and fully manage Flash movies right within Mac applications. This framework contains a set of classes, which offer the ability to load, play and manage any SWF files right within this application. The application can communicate with SWF file via External API, FSCommands and Variables. It also allows creating custom-shaped windows and running your Windows Flash-enabled applications’ GUI on Mac.
• QuickBooks 2010 for Mac gives small business owners powerful new tools to help them be more productive and profitable with the simplicity they expect from a Mac product. Available in late October, QuickBooks 2010 for Mac, from Intuit Inc., helps business owners save time, make money, and get paid. In addition, business owners can pay their employees with Intuit QuickBooks Payroll for Mac, an integrated add-on payroll service. This online offering helps users easily manage everything from paychecks to W‑2 forms, including federal and state tax payments and form filings.
• Pocket Sevens has announced the release of Conspire 1.0, its first Mac app. Conspire is a virtual whiteboard app, allowing its users to connect to each other and share a whiteboard session on their Macs. Conspire strives to resemble a real whiteboard, but also include the advantages of a computer. Users can draw, erase, add and edit text, as if they were all standing together in front of an office whiteboard.
• Toon Boom Animation, Inc., has announced the release of the new Harmony Solution which combines leading-edge technology with professional consultancy services. The Harmony Solution is the ideal animation solution to create traditional, paperless and cut-out animation, all integrated in a simplified network-base pipeline.

iPhone/iPod

• Racjin has announced iPhrase, an application for iPhone or iPod Touch that allows you to easily create a great melody you happen to come up with or create an original composition in Piano Edit Mode.
• Smartphone phone application, Talk Radio will make available the live broadcast of the 179th semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday October 3rd and Sunday October 4th. Talk Radio is available for both the iPhone and Android platforms. The application will make the audio stream from Salt Lake City Radio Station KSL 102.7 easily accessible to their customers.
• MACSOFTEX has released iAlcohol 1.0, their unique blood alcohol concentration app for iPhone and iPod Touch. iAlcohol determines the level of alcohol in a person’s blood and calculates the required interruption in driving. Providing 90% accuracy, the calculation formula iAlcohol uses takes into account the maximum number of factors that affect the result. The program will help you choose a suitable drink and the amount you are allowed to consume within this interval of time.
• Urdu Translator was created by Aftab Amjad in MEDL Mobile’s App Incubator. After searching extensively for an Urdu Dictionary app, the results were disappointing. From there, he decided to look into developing his own. With the help of MEDL Mobile, Aaftab developed the first English to Urdu Dictionary for the iPhone—a comprehensive database of over 24,000 words and phrases. This application is a useful and practical tool for anyone fluent, semi-fluent or just learning Urdu. Its appeal spans all ages, from Primary school youth to college students to working adults.
• Thaddeus Computing, publisher of iPhone Life magazine, has announced the availability of its Fall issue at newsstands worldwide. Any user with a desktop browser may read a free digital replica of the Fall issue at the iPhone Life web site. The “Cut the Clutter” cover story features the iPhone 3GS as an excellent replacement for a digital camera, GPS, camcorder, and radio. In addition, the 100 page issue is chocked full of app and accessory reviews, tips and how-to’s, user profiles, and more.
• MacPractice, Inc., has announced the release of the MacPractice iPhone Interface 2.0 with remote charge posting, staff and doctor reminders, practice management reports and access to referring doctors. MacPractice iPhone Interface 2.0 sports a cleaner, more intuitive user interface resembling MacPractice MD, DDS, DC and 20/20. A physician, dentist, chiropractor or optometrist can connect to their office database to access their schedule and any patient record before calling or emailing the patient from the iPhone. Patient photos, alerts, prescription history, and appointment history are all available. The patient’s address is linked to Google Maps.
• The Newsy.com iPhone App is now available for downloads from the iTunes Store, offering users quick mobile access to Newsy.com’s unique multi-source news videos on their iPhones and iPod Touches. The free application is easy-to-use and features a simple, clear user interface that complements the iPhone and iPod Touch experience. With just one touch, users can watch the latest Newsy.com multi-source news videos. Updated instantaneously with the website, the application allows users to browse videos with the gravity scroll or search specifically with keywords.
• Marware has announced that the Accent carrying case for the iPhone 3G/3GS is now shipping. This slim, fashionable patent-leather flip-top case for iPhone 3G/3GS provides the perfect balance between protection, ease of use, and aesthetics. The Accent line is available in eight tasty colors: blueberry, bubble gum, cherry, chocolate, lemon ice, licorice, orange sorbet, and vanilla.
• Swapping out or hassling with multiple chargers just became obsolete, as iHome has shipped the iP88 Dual Docking Station for iPhone/iPod.  The iP88 is the first iHome unit that allows users to dock and charge two iPhones simultaneously and also charge iPod models, all while serving as a great-sounding alarm clock radio.
• Independent developer Dan Russell-Pinson has announced Block Drop 1.1 a popular Flash game for iPhone and iPod Touch. Block Drop is an addicting strategy/puzzle game featuring 3D graphics and dynamically generated music. Each of the 999 levels are randomly generated, so no two games will ever be the same. The iPhone port has meticulously preserved every aspect of the original game including the graphics and music.
• FDG Entertainment has announced that their Mr. Mahjong mobile game series finally made its way onto the App Store. Now, iPhone and iPod touch owners are able to enjoy the latest part (#4) in the series. Touch controls and high-definition tilesets make Mr. Mahjong touch the best version yet. On top of that, they’ve added all 3 previously released mobile episodes to the game at just $4.99.
• I-play has launched Hip Hop All Star for iPhone and iPod touch. Featuring an original playlist with some of the biggest names in hip hop including Busta Rhymes and Kid Cudi, Hip Hop All Star introduces an all-new way for fans and hip hop enthusiasts to experience their favorite tracks.  Turning the iPhone into virtual turntables, players use the touch screen to scratch and spin their way to DJ stardom.  Hip Hop All Star brings the swagger back to music games with a playlist starring hip hop chart-toppers alongside old-school hip hop classics, some of them exclusive to the game.
• Moonbean Studios has announced Moonlight Minions, a uniquely captivating and addictive 2D tower defense game! Help protect whimsical forests from hordes of ghoulish creatures by strategically planting your organic defenses for optimal effectiveness. Shake and tap the screen to unleash destructive forces of nature that will both stun and kill your adversaries. Not only will you need to defend against an array of ground and aerial units… but your enemies will unleash a variety of special powers that include the ability to teleport, stealth, destroy defenses, spawn additional units, and heal bosses.
• French technology company Withings has announced the US availability of its WiFi Body Scale, the world’s first WiFi connected personal weight scale that automatically records the user’s body weight, lean & fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to his/her secure webpage and/or free Withings iPhone application, WiScale. With its extra-flat (.9”) black and steel design, the scale is an ideal addition to any bathroom. Jam-packed with technology, while still remaining very simple to use, the scale is available now on www.withings.com.
• Raster Noise has just released Ghost Shot for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Just in time for Halloween, take aim at the floating ghosts as they try to possess the pumpkins on Halloween night. Armed with your Mark V plasma rifle you peer through the scope searching for your targets. When you hear the blood curdling scream, you will know a ghost is on the prowl for its next victim.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 28, 2009:

Macintosh

• FileMaker, Inc. has announced the immediate availability of Bento 3, a breakthrough new version of the popular personal database for the Mac. For the first time ever, Bento 3 integrates with iPhoto from Apple allowing you to store more info about your photos and link them to contacts, projects, events and other information stored in Bento.
• Atlona Technologies has announced their latest innovative and unique product, a DVI to Mini DisplayPort converter.  The issue at hand was the was many Apple users who purchased their computers before 2009 had been running into a wall when considering purchasing an Apple Cinema 24’’ or any of the new Mini DisplayPort monitors being released this year and next. Going from Mini DisplayPort to DVI is simple, and many products are already on the market allowing this conversion, including Atlona’s AT13026, however; there are no products on the market that allow the opposite conversion, until now.
• Ergonis Software has announced Typinator 3.6, an update to its highly acclaimed text expansion tool for auto-typing text and auto-correcting typos. Version 3.6 adds support for Dropbox to synchronize snippets across several computers and implements a long list of improvements and other changes. This includes further speed enhancements and increased compatibility with Snow Leopard and many 3rd party applications.
• BusyMac has released BusyCal 1.0, their desktop calendar for Mc OS X. BusyCal allows families and small workgroups to easily and cost-effectively share calendars on a local area network and over the internet without the need for a dedicated server. BusyCal combines the calendar sharing and synchronization technology from the award winning BusySync with a beautiful interface that is instantly recognizable to iCal users, and all in one easy-to-use integrated application.
• Macvide has announced VideoFlash Converter 2.9, an update to their video to Flash conversion utility for Mac OS X. VideoFlash Converter allows conversion of QuickTime compatible video files to Adobe Flash. All of the most popular formats are supported, and helps bridge the gap between many video standards. VideoFlash Converter offers an easy-to-use interface that guides the user through the conversion process. Version 2.9 includes a new web update and misc fixes.
• DnG Design & Development has announced their latest version of The Everything Reference is available for download completely free of charge. For persons who use or develop-in FileMaker, The Everything Reference provides quick, easy access to the most widely used FileMaker-based reference material. The guide offers a concatenation of the most useful, most referenced FileMaker information in a single source and is now FileMaker 10 compatible.
• Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.4 (Tiger Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. This versions fixes miscalleanous bugs discovered in the previous release. Cocktail (Tiger Edition) is now distributed as freeware and does not require a license. The update is strongly recommended for all users of Cocktail.
• KavaSoft has released KavaServices 4.1, a collection of useful commands that transform the Services menu in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. KavaServices can translate, search the web, encode for HTML, calculate, convert units, sort, change case, execute commands, and much more. KavaServices 4.1 adds file management tools that help simplify your workflow in the Finder.
• Managing Editor, Inc., has announced the release of InPorter, a new add-on utility developed by MEI for the vjoon K4 Publishing System. InPorter is a server-side tool that automatically ingests several different types of external content and their metadata into the K4 workflow. It handles any kind of object that can be managed in the K4 system, including InCopy documents, InDesign layouts, pictures, ads, multimedia and more.
• Planon Systems Solutions, Inc., has debuted its new DocuPen RC800, a full-featured document color scanner that allows users to scan 100’s pages into onboard memory. The DocuPen RC800 is the latest in handheld document scanning equipment, capable of scanning full page documents in one of three different scanning modes: 24 bit color, 12 bit color, or monochrome. Weighing just 2 oz, the tiny scanner is perfect for mobile professionals and students, and boasts an 8 MB on-board Flash memory—as well as a memory slot that allows users to add additional Transflash memory cards for endless scanning capacity.
• TinyPlanet Software has released Knapsack 1.1.2, the personal travel organizer for Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard. TinyPlanet is offering 25%-off Fall promotion for both single-user and family-pack licenses. Version 1.1.2 is a maintenance release which includes updates for Snow Leopard compatibility and other bug fixes. The new version is is a free upgrade for existing customers and is recommended for all users.
• LaCie has announced high-end speakers, modeled after Cabasse’s renowned loudspeaker technology: the LaCie Sound2 Speakers, designed by Neil Poulton. LaCie has partnered with famous acoustic engineering company Cabasse to bring high-quality sound to any computer system or A/V device. Coupled with Cabasse’s loudspeaker driver support, the LaCie Sound2 Speakers provide premium sound quality to computers. Additionally, users can use the line-in connection to experience the same high-quality sound from audio/video devices like iPods and portable multimedia players.

iPhone/iPod

• Elgato has released the EyeTV app for iPhone and iPod touch, available starting today on the App Store. With the EyeTV app, EyeTV users can watch live TV and recordings on an iPhone and browse the detailed program guide. They can also use the iPhone to start recording TV shows back home on a Mac immediately, or to schedule them to record later. The EyeTV app connects to any Mac running the latest version of Elgato’s award-winning TV software, EyeTV 3.2, and can automatically find a Mac on the local network using Bonjour. The EyeTV app can also find and access a remote Mac via “My EyeTV,” a free locator utility introduced today as part of EyeTV 3.2.
• JamBase, the largest database of show listings and ticket information, has announced today the availability of an upgrade to its free application (Version 2) for the iPhone and iPod touch. Music fans can access the JamBase iPhone App and create their own personalized tour schedule for free from the App Store.
• Rummage 1.1 just hit the App Store, and that new .1 was a major overhaul!  Plenty of bells and whistles that really flush the game out. Rummage offers a great and unique experience for casual and cerebral gamers. It’s definitely not you’re normal word puzzle game, it’s more strategy than vocabulary.
• Fun Booth allows iPhone users to explore the funny part of themselves and share it with friends. You can take pictures and overlay them with humerous facial props, add-on features and other accessories which will turn an otherwise regular-looking portrait into a masterpiece of comedy. Once your creation is made, you can easily share it with the world via E-mail, Twitter and Flickr.
• Cramzy has announced 1,400 Latin Expressions 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Loaded with more than 1,400 latin quotes and expressions from ancient philosophers, this is by far the biggest latin expressions collection. All quotes and expressions are given in original latin text as well as with english translation. All expressions are contained within the database and placed on the device, so the application does not require users to have an internet connection.
• Synium Software has announced MobileFamilyTree 2, a brand new and completely rewritten update to the companion mobile version of their popular genealogy application. Version 2 introduces a plethora of new features and improvements. The application sports almost the entire database used by MacFamilyTree, the Virtual Tree, Ancestor and Descendant Charts, a Map View, the new Family Quiz and even the Media Browser.
• Clickgamer.com has just released the intense action game, Run 2 Survive. In this pulsating stamina survival title, players control attractive Tanya as she powerfully punches through obstacles and athletically dodges fiery attacks to continue running and avoid defeat.
• Wuonm has announced 1Shoot, a new iPhone app. 1Shoot is a camera app replacement with 3 different modes to take pictures: steady, touch and timer. In addition, taken photos are not saved to the camera roll immediately; they are kept at the bottom of the screen where you will be able to review them before saving or throwing them away.
• Freeverse has announced the release of Eye Glasses, an iPhone application that clearly displays objects that are too small to make out—from fine print to photo details. Whether at the DMV or the doctor’s office, Eye Glasses helps bring life into focus. Eye Glasses uses the iPhone 3GS autofocusing camera to clearly display text or imagery. To use Eye Glasses, users choose between four different levels of magnification, from 2x, 4x, 6x or 8x, point the iPhone camera at the item, and see it magnified on the screen as the camera sharpens the image.
• iBall Games of Soarion Mobile Entertainment has announced the release of Pro Beach Volleyball, a power-packed game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game captures the energy, speed and athleticism of professional beach volleyball and is now available in Apple’s iTunes Store for $1.99. Pro Beach Volleyball is a condensed version of a full real-life game played by women athletes.
• Concertimatic is now available through the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. Imagine never missing your favorite bands when they come through town again. With one tap, Concertimatic reads your iTunes library for your list of artists, and then combs through concert listings in your area through a variety of websites. This produces a chronological list of concerts, tailored specifically for you.
• ustwo—the creator of Steppin’ and MouthOff—has announced the launch of its latest app - the .™ (the dot™), a simple game of survival. Simple, great design is key to the .™.  You are the white dot struggling to survive. Your goal is to eat all the blue dots possible, preventing you from shrinking to nonexistence. You must avoid the red triangles at all costs. These will make you shrink, edging closer to certain doom. Last as long as you can.
• NaturalMotion, the animation technology and game development studio behind the euphoria engine, has announced that Backbreaker Football is now available on the iPhone App Store. The arcade football title, which has been turning heads with its 3D visuals and console quality animation, goes on sale today at a promotional price of $0.99 for a limited time, a savings of 50% on the regular price of $1.99.
• Dolphin Experience contains fully animated realistically vivid environments. It boasts highly intuitive real-time controls that allow you to immerse yourself in your very own Dolphin Experience. Award winning designers pushed the limits of the iPhone by incorporating highly polished graphical elements and animations, as well as touch, flick, and motion controls.

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Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 28, 2009:

Macintosh

• Synium Software today has released Foodurama as Public Beta. 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.
• Severn Software Limited has announced Secrets 1.1, an update to their personal information system for Mac OS X. Secrets uses AES 256-bit encryption to store personal information with confidence. In addition to storing Bank information, Secrets will store passwords, notes and now with version 1.1, serial numbers and registration codes for applications. Secrets gives users the convenience of storing Bank cards on their Mac and making online shopping a breeze.
• CrumplePop has released SplitScreen, an effect for Final Cut Pro. SplitScreen allows you to easily draw any custom split-screen shape, drop in video clips, and re-center, all within Final Cut Pro. It works right on the Final Cut Pro timeline, without requiring a trip to another application. Choose from among 35 different pre-made split-screens, or mix and match a set of smaller split-screen components to create your own.
• Toolsfactory software today announced the release of rubiTrack 2.0, a GPS enabled activity tracking software for Mac OS X. Utilizing innovative UI technologies, rubiTrack lets you display, analyze and organize your outdoor activities. rubiTrack is for runners, bikers, walkers, hikers, skiers and everyone else who logs GPS data. rubiTrack reads tracks from GPS enabled devices like the Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Edge, AMOD GPS Trackers, Nike iPod, Suunto and Polar devices and the iPhone 3G.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced the release of ArtOptimizer 2.3, an update to its workflow automation solution for Adobe Illustrator. ArtOptimizer allows to reduce Illustrator job size and speed up processing by eliminating excess image data and performing essential image adjustments. The software lets users save gigabytes of disk space, accelerate file output and cut costs through faster processing. The new version introduces compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

iPhone/iPod

• Nor Eagle has announced that version 1.5 of Ben’s somewhat spiffy-looking but ultimately craptastic rock-paper-scissors game is now available for download. T. Benjamin Larsen, Nor Eagle CEO, Creative Director and hand-model had this to say about the update: “This is by far our biggest update. Rather ironic, as the initial motivation behind the update was simply to change the look of the Insulting Monk to match the look he has in one of our upcoming titles. When revisiting the title, however, we found a lot of things we wanted to improve.”
• Cramzy has announced 23,000 Great Quotes 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Loaded with more than 23000 quotes from movies and celebrities, this is by far the biggest quotes collection. All quotes are contained within the database and placed on the device, so the application does not require users to have an internet connection. Perfect for the office, shop, parties, and social gatherings, 23,000 Great Quotes is sure to raise the mood.
• Dots, from Cobra Mobile, has arrived on AppStore. Dots is a puzzle adventure game in which you control two characters on screen at once. Using a straightforward and intuitive “touch and drag”  mechanic, you guide your onscreen characters through forty increasingly difficult levels, over four distinct Time Zones.
• Block Drop Lite is the free version of the addicting strategy/puzzle game which features 3D graphics and dynamically generated music. The lite version allows you to play the first 10 levels of the game. If you like it, you can buy the full version, which is still available at the introductory price of $0.99, and play all 999 levels!
• Freeverse has announced the Fairy Trails App, a beautiful augmented reality game for iPhone and iPod touch, leveraging the latest technology in iPhone OS 3.1 including camera and compass access. Shake the device to power the detector and then scan your surroundings for magical creatures. Fairy Trails uses the camera and compass of iPhone 3GS to merge the real world and game world in spectacular ways. For iPod touch users, a stunning forest setting is rendered for the fairies to inhabit.
• iLuv has announced the availability of their best 2009 invention from a new line of enhanced and creative products, the i1166, 9” Portable Multimedia Player for iPod and DVDs. The “CES Best of Innovation 2009” award winner in the Portable Multimedia Accessories product category, the i1166 features an iPod-friendly user interface, and brings hours of widescreen personal multimedia entertainment to travelers starting mid October 2009 for the MSRP of $269.99.
• Shortcovers second generation iPhone application is now ready for download at the Apple iTunes Store. This new and improved iPhone build brings together easier browsing, WiFi and cellular downloads, an improved user interface, and faster downloads/browsing.
• TextExpander touch, the iPhone version of SmileOnMyMac’s customizable typing shortcut tool, is now integrated in WriteRoom for the iPhone from Hog Bay Software. WriteRoom users will be able to access their TextExpander snippets while composing notes in the app, rather than first composing notes in TextExpander touch. To celebrate the integration, TextExpander touch is on sale until Wednesday, September 30 at noon Pacific time.
• BreakThru Radio has announced the premier episode of Caribbean Fever. DJ Meredith brings the hottest Dancehall tracks and the dirtiest beats from around the world. BreakThru Radio brings this new show to the iPhone and iTouch on-demand. Join DJ Meredith every Saturday whether it’s getting them bodies hot and sweaty or slowing it down to smooth and sexy, her aim is to please on her new Caribbean Fever Show.
• comiXology has released its first major update to its Comics app for iPhone. One of the most significant new features is push notification, so you can automatically be notified anytime your favorite comic book series has an update. You can also post to Twitter right from the app, see all the comics you’ve purchased (whether they are currently downloaded or not) and manage your entire collection directly from your library.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »