New app locates stolen iPhones

Orbicule has introduced Undercover, an app it hopes will help locate a lost or stolen iPhone or iPod touch.

Billed as a "theft-recovery" device, it tracks the phone or iPod using built-in GPS when outside, while indoors Undercover tracks location based on Wi-Fi networks and cell towers.


New app locates stolen iPhones

Users can then login to their account via www.retrievemyiphone.com to view their phone's location, although getting it back may prove more challenging.

When Undercover is launched on a stolen device, it pretends to be a game. That encourages the thief to wait for the loading 'game' while enabling Undercover to gather the most accurate location possible. This location is then immediately added to the user's account.

Unfortunately Apple does not allow background processes or push notifications yet so Undercover has to be manually activated. This is something Orbicule intends to address with the forthcoming iPhone OS 3.0 update. A full FAQ what Undercover can and can't do is available online here.

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store Undercover costs 2.99 and requires the iPhone 2.2 Software Update.

In January, Orbicule announced Undercover 3, a major new release of its theft-recovery software for Mac OS X.

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ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Diane DeGarmo Stalker Denied Down Under
(E! Online)

MacProVideo to release iPhone video training app

B(I)aby iPod device offers soothing soundtrack for unborn

Canadian design student Geof Ramsay has developed a device that aims to bring music to the ears of the unborn.

The unfortunately named B(I)aby consists of a contoured belt that wraps around a mothers waist with room for iPod and three inbuilt vibration speakers that play music directly to the womb.


Parents-to-be can play soothing music, or the sound of their own voices to presumably prep the unborn for the world outside the womb.

Many parents may hope that the 'Mozart effect,' a belief that playing classical music to unborn babies will help develop intelligence, is more reality than theory. The term 'Mozart effect,' was first coined by otolaryngologist, and inventor Alfred Tomatis, who used Mozart's music as the listening stimulus in his work attempting to cure a variety of disorders.

"Scientists have talked about music being a catalyst for an unborn child's mental growth for years," said B(I)aby creator Ramsay.

"This simple device just gives mothers a chance to try out that theory and also to help form a bond with their baby before they are even born. Of course, classical music is what the experts have suggested be used, but there is nothing to stop you playing your favourite Beatles track or even Led Zeppelin."

B(I)aby iPod device offers soothing soundtrack for unborn

The B(l)aby (Image via Geof Ramsay and Flickr).

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Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Apple updates VoiceOver Kit for iPod shuffle
Phew! Zac Efron Is Still So Totally Into Musicals
(E! Online)

Google releases Android 1.5 SDK preview, adds new features

Though Google’s Android platform for mobile devices is widely considered to be the most significant competitor to the iPhone, my review of January 2009 concluded that Android was promising but in need of a hefty coat of polish.

On Tuesday, Google announced a preview version of the Software Development Kit for Android’s first major update, 1.5.


Google releases Android 1.5 SDK preview, adds new features

Based on a branch of the Android Open Source Project code-named “cupcake,” version 1.5 aims to smooth many of the rough edges in Android’s inaugural release. The update not only polishes existing functionality, but also adds a number of new features, including major additions like support for stereo Bluetooth using the A2DP profile, an on-screen software keyboard, and video recording and playback.

The Android 1.5 update clearly positions the platform as a solid competitor to Apple's iPhone. Though some of the new features - video playback and an on-screen keyboard, for example - are capabilities the iPhone has sported since launch, others, such as stereo Bluetooth, are due to arrive on Apple's platform in the forthcoming iPhone 3.0 update.

But some, such as video recording and the ability for users to add third-party keyboards, are capabilities that Apple has made no mention of adding to its device.

In addition to beefing up what Android can do, it appears that Google has spent some time correcting many of Android 1.0's niggling deficiencies. For example, Android now supports rotating the screen into landscape mode using an accelerometer (the G1 only flipped its screen into landscape when you slid the screen out to reveal the device’s physical keyboard).

Google also says it has added a layer of polish to many of the included applications and has fixed some performance issues, such as the atrociously slow camera load-time and slow scrolling in the Web browser. There are also under-the-hood improvements, like the latest versions of WebKit and JavaScript engine Squirrelfish, and an updated Linux kernel at the heart of the OS.

Google warns that the SDK is not yet finalized and that APIs could still be subject to change, so developers shouldn’t release applications for distribution on 1.5 as of yet; the company says that the final release of the Android 1.5 SDK is due out at the end of the month, but it’s unknown when the software update will reach consumers.

The increased functionality and polish offered by Android 1.5 could turn it into a serious competitor for the iPhone, especially if it ends up being released prior to the iPhone OS 3.0 update, which is expected sometime this summer. The release of another major iPhone competitor, the Palm Pre, is also due sometime in the next few months, suggesting that this summer could be a very contentious time for the smart phone market, indeed.

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MacProVideo to release iPhone video training app
Flaming Lips to headline Earth Day show in DC
(AP)

Trend Micro launches Web browsing decurity App on App Store

Trend Micro on Monday announced its Trend Smart Surfing application, now available on the Apple iTunes App Store.

Trend Smart Surfing is a free secure browser application for iPhone and iPod touch that offers a layer of protection against Web threats by blocking access to malicious Web sites.


Trend Micro launches Web browsing decurity App on App Store

It prevents users of iPhone and iPod touch from unintentionally visiting Web sites that may contain malicious content designed to steal confidential information and personal data.

The Trend Micro Smart Protection Network is a cloud-client infrastructure that checks the security of more than five billion URL, email, and file queries daily, providing customers with real-time protection against web threats.

Key Features of Smart Surfing include:

* In-depth browser security powered by the Trend Micro SmartProtection Network that blocks access to malicious web pages.

* Colour-coded search results that make it easy to identify harmful web pages.

* Three protection strength levels that users can modify according to their needs.

* Able to support browsing of multiple web pages at the same time.

Trend Smart Surfing is available for free from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.

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ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch
Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

BackBlaze online backup debuts for Mac

BackBlaze, an automated online backup service for PC, is now available for the Mac. It’s priced at $5, around 3.30, per computer per month.

The software has been available for the Mac as a private beta, but it emerges from beta today and is now available to any Mac user who wants to give it a try.


BackBlaze online backup debuts for Mac

BackBlaze backs up everything on your Mac except for your operating system, applications, temporary files and files exceeding 4GB in size. All of that content is backed up to an online storage facility, and the backup happens continuously so once you initially configure it, you don’t have to do anything else.

You have the choice of what data you want to restore - you can recover a single file, a folder or directory, a set of random files, or all of your files. And BackBlaze offers you the ability to download them for free, or you can pay an additional fee and recover them on DVD-ROM or on a USB drive.

BackBlaze works through a system preference pane. You can select any local hard drive to be backed up except for Boot Camp volumes, and you can adjust the schedule, frequency of backup, configure specific exclusions for folders and file types, configure a private encryption key, view a report on what’s being backed up, and check logs to make sure no problems occur.

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ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Jared Leto Gives More Than 30 Seconds to Rescued Kids
(E! Online)

AMD releases beta of new 3D multimedia browser
Stevie Nicks Skewers Lindsay: “Get a Grip”
(E! Online)

Forrester: iPhone finds a home in the enterprise market

Market-research firm Forrester on Monday released a report that looks at several companies using the iPhone in the enterprise market. That's significant for Apple because one of the knocks against the iPhone when it first came out was that it didn't have sufficient security for large businesses.

Based on interviews with IT executives from Kraft Foods, Oracle, and Amylin Pharmaceutical, the report explores how the iPhone made it on the list of approved devices for each company.


Forrester: iPhone finds a home in the enterprise market

Todd Stewart, IT senior director at Amylin Pharmaceutical, says the iPhone has become the company's "enterprise netbook," and said the iPhone is easier to support than other mobile platforms. "It took all of three days to get the systems running to support iPhone. We also saw significant costs savings for our voice and data plans by moving to iPhones," said Stewart.

Dave Diedrich, vice president of information systems at Kraft, said he used the iPhone to demonstrate that IT is serious about supporting culture change. The company has about 100,000 employees and Diedrich said that as of January 2009, almost half of the company's mobile users have iPhones. Kraft orders about 400 new iPhones each month.

And Oracle has about 4,000 employees using the iPhone globally, according to IT Vice President Campbell Webb.

While the companies reported positive results overall, they did have some problems. The biggest problem is support for Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007, which didn't always work as expected. A lack of management tools and full support for VPNs were also mentioned as drawbacks.

iPhone OS 3.0 should resolve most, if not all, of these concerns when it is released sometime this summer, helping Apple continue making inroads into the enterprise market.

"Apple is redefining its third industry: first the computer industry, next the music industry, and now the mobile industry," said Ted Schadler, the Forrester analyst who wrote the report. "With iPhone, Apple has breached walled gardens that have long slowed innovation and kept advanced applications from reaching the US mobile market."

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Flaming Lips to headline Earth Day show in DC
(AP)

LA jury convicts Phil Spector in murder of actress
(AP)

Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch
MacProVideo to release iPhone video training app

MacProVideo to release iPhone video training app

MacProVideo, a company that specialises in providing pro training videos for Mac users, has submitted an app to the App Store that will allow you to watch the tutorials on your iPhone or iPod.

The company also updated its Mac OS X application N.E.D. 3.1. In addition to a new "Devices" area to sync videos to your iPhone, the Mac version has a few other new features.


MacProVideo to release iPhone video training app

The application will remember your playback position and library state, searching has been improved and videos can now be assigned colours, ratings, and notes.

N.E.D. 3.1 can be download free from the company's Web site. N.E.D.i, the iPhone application has been submitted to the App Store and is awaiting approval.

In the meantime, there are a few videos available that will help you get prepared for the release.

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Kanye West’s arraignment delayed
(AP)

ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch

AMD releases beta of new 3D multimedia browser

Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices has released a beta of a new 3D browser, which is designed to let users easily share multimedia files stored on their PCs with their social networks.

The browser, called Fusion Media Explorer, allows users to browse music and video albums stored on a PC, and share those files with social networks, said Casey Gotcher, director of product marketing at AMD, in a blog entry on Wednesday.


AMD releases beta of new 3D multimedia browser

The software is available for download from AMD's Web site.

News about the browser's beta launch was originally reported early on Thursday by The Inquirer.

AMD has integrated social-networking sites like Facebook and YouTube into the software to easily upload and share multimedia files, Gotcher wrote. Users can simply select video or music files while browsing albums in a rotating 3D interface and drag and drop to upload those directly to Facebook or YouTube.

Similarly, multimedia files can also be downloaded from Facebook to a PC through drag and drop, Gotcher wrote.

Videos stored locally can be played back with an internal multimedia player. The built-in Web browser is also capable of doing mundane Web tasks such as interacting with friends on social networks, or playing back video from YouTube. An internal search engine allows users to search for multimedia files stored locally.

The browser is intended to showcase multimedia capabilities for PCs based on AMD's laptop and desktop platform, which includes processors and graphics cards, Gotcher wrote. Since it bought graphics card vendor ATI in 2007, AMD has been touting its efforts to build better graphics capabilities into its desktop and laptop chips, while criticizing Intel for providing poor integrated graphics capabilities with its processors.

AMD in January launched a new mobile platform, called Yukon, which includes chips for small and affordable laptops that provide a full PC and multimedia experience without compromising on features. It also launched the Dragon platform, which includes Phenom II processors for desktops and ATI graphics cards.

By 2011, AMD hopes to integrate graphics capabilities directly into the processor, which could help improve gaming on PCs, while reducing the need for a separate graphics card.

AMD did not immediately respond to questions on whether the browser would work with Intel chips. A public beta of the software will be released in a few weeks, Gotcher wrote.

The software works with Microsoft's Windows Vista and upcoming Windows 7 operating systems. It is not compatible with Windows XP or Linux, according to AMD.

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Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Namco releases Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod touch
ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Microsoft's 'Apple tax' needs a refund

Some people look at numbers and think "Ah, thank goodness: cold hard facts." Me, I've been a bit distrustful of numbers ever since that whole "7 ate 9" business.

You see, numbers purport to be all objective and straightforward, but just like words, their meanings can be twisted and turned, interpreted to suit the agenda of whoever's holding their leash.


Take, for example, this recent report (PDF link) by frequently-quoted analyst Roger L. Kay, the President of Endpoint Technologies Associates. "What Price Cool?" sets out to discover the "hidden costs" of owning Macs versus owning Windows PCs - but you don't need to flip to the end of the 10-page report to tell how it's going to end.

Spoiler: Windows PCs are cheaper! It's right there on page one, where it reads "Sponsor: Microsoft."

The Redmond-based software giant has recently gone to great lengths to point out Windows machines' inherent superiority, attempting to dispell the perceived "coolness" of Macs and denigrate their performance. So it's hardly shocking to find that this report retreads the same ground whilst applying a thin patina of carefully selected "facts."

The meat of the piece is the last three pages which feature the "realistic point of view" of a hypothetical family of four, including two charts that line up the prices of building what are supposedly comparable Windows PC and Mac systems. The hypothetical dad's spreadsheet examines the differences in cost over five years and - amazingly - concludes that buying Macs will be a mind-boggling $3,330 more expensive.

There are a few flaws here - okay, there are several flaws here, and to pick them apart one-by-one would only be redundant, repetitive, and redundant, but let's take a look at just a few of them to get the idea.

For one thing, the report repeats the age-old fallacy that once you buy into a Mac you have to buy into the whole Apple ecosystem, despite the fact that we largely left that world behind around the time that people were wondering who precisely had let the dogs out.

For example, Kay budgets $150 per year for Apple's MobileMe service - that being the price of the MobileMe family pack, which supports up to five users.

But you don't need MobileMe - Kay says it's for backup and file sync, both of which can be accomplished with free technologies provided by Apple and others. Heck, the Windows Live Mesh that Kay touts even runs on a Mac. But similar third-party syncing services like Dropbox work well too.

And, for backup, every Mac comes with Time Machine built-in. Look, I just saved the hypothetical family a hypothetical $750 - hypothetically, of course. Kay also insists, for some reason, that the family buy an AirPort Extreme router for $180 instead of the $150 Linksys Wireless N router that he budgeted for the PCs, despite the fact that the Mac and Linksys routers are interoperable.

You could save another $30 (or - and I know this is going out on a limb - you could spend the extra $30 to buy the AirPort Extreme for the PC side because it's a better product. Hey, it's an option).

Microsofts Apple tax needs a refund

Here's another wacky choice: Kay suggests the family will want add Blu-ray capability (which, it's true, is not currently supported by OS X) to the desktop system in year four. He budgets $95 for a Lite-On internal drive for the PC and $300 for an external Sony Blu-ray drive for the Mac.

Never mind that, as they've chosen the extremely expandable Mac Pro, they could easily upgrade the computer with that same internal Blu-ray drive (presuming, of course, that four years from now, Apple's added Blu-ray support to OS X - if not, that Sony player won't be much more useful anyway). Knock off another $205.

NEXT: The true costs of owning a PC

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Continued... 1 | 2 | NEXT >




Apple says goodbye to .Mac HomePage, Groups
Diane DeGarmo Stalker Denied Down Under
(E! Online)

Apple updates VoiceOver Kit for iPod shuffle

Apple on Friday released an update for the recently released iPod shuffle, fixing a couple of minor items.

The 17MB download will install VoiceOver Kit 1.0.1, which contains corrected pronunciations for several artist names. According to Apple, the update also fixes a few minor bugs, but they did not elaborate on what was fixed.


Apple updates VoiceOver Kit for iPod shuffle

Apple released the new iPod shuffle in mid-March and included several new features, including the ability for the iPod to speak your song titles, artists, and playlist names. The iPod uses the VoiceOver engine to make this happen.

The update is currently not listed on Apple's Web site, but it is available from the software update mechanism in Mac OS X.

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Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch

XChange release new InDesign CS4 and QuarkXPress 8 plug-ins

XChange UK has released new versions of InDesign and QuarkXPress plug-ins for the latest versions of those tools. These include Printools for InDesign CS4 and QuarkXPress 8, and FRAEMZ PS XT, IndeXTension, Art Gallery XT, BarCoder XT and VTools for QuarkXPress 8.

Printools is a collection of printing tools for automated and error-free output. In one package, users get batch printing of multiple documents, rename at print functionality, print to file in different formats and preflighting.


XChange release new InDesign CS4 and QuarkXPress 8 plug-ins

Users can combine several of these tools during the same print session to streamline complex printing tasks.

The batch printing tool allows users to print multiple files (up to 5,000 documents) with the same print settings. Users simply select the files they wish to print, arrange them in any order, and hit the Print button. Users can combine batch printing with Save to File to generate multiple PostScript files at once.

Users can automatically rename the document during the output stage, without altering the original document or file name. Print renaming is useful for identifying the document during the output stage, regardless of the layout file name.

It is also helpful in keeping track of revisions or when printing individual pages for imposition. Printools lets users specify up to 3 variable components in the new name.

The preflighting engine in Printools quickly and thoroughly checks for potential problems that could lead to time and material waste. Users can customise the preflight checks by activating any of the following diagnostics: missing fonts, text overflows, non-printing graphics, broken picture links, RGB images, modified links, and poor image resolution.

FRMZ PS XT decorative PostScript borders

FRMZ PS XT is a collection of decorative PostScript borders which install directly into QuarkXPress. Once installed, users can modify the size and shape of the border to their requirements.

FRMZ PS XT allows users to place dynamically sized border graphics that are custom-tailored to the size and design of elements in their page layout.

The XTension contains 404 proportional borders that scale without distortion to any size are output at high-resolution.

IndeXTension allows users to mark phrases or words in their document content to create an index entry. Art Gallery XT is an image cataloguing program that creates galleries of images. The galleries are grid based and users have the option to create captions that include the image name, type, size and modification date.

BarCoder XT creates UPC, EAN and ISBN bar codes. The bar codes are saved as EPS files for high-resolution output. With BarCoder XT, users select the symbology, enter the barcode data and BarCoder XT does the calculating and creation.

Options include the ability to include supplemental digits, make full or half-height bars, include digits, add colour, create transparent backgrounds and more.

VTools is a collection of useful editing and product tools that are designed to handle multiple mundane tasks in a workflow environment and increase productivity.

MacVideo Focus Group

We are trying to improve the focus of our sister title MacVideo and to understand our readership a little better. We would like to speak to some video professionals, especially the techies among you, to get your views of the industry. We will pay 50 for participation in our focus group. Click here to volunteer to participate.

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Apple says goodbye to .Mac HomePage, Groups
Channel 4 says sorry to Mac users in YouTube apology

Apple says goodbye to .Mac HomePage, Groups

7 July will be the end of the road for two of .Mac's long time features, HomePage and Groups. But don't worry, you won't lose any info and you can still publish pages to your MobileMe account.

Apple sent notices to MobileMe members on Thursday alerting users of the coming changes. HomePage has been a part of Apple's online services since it launched iTools in 2000. Fortunately, any pages you have published will not be taken down or affected in any way.


Apple says goodbye to .Mac HomePage, Groups

In fact, you can keep the pages will be at their current Web address for as long as you like. However, after July 7, 2009, you won't be able to edit existing pages or create new ones.

The change to HomePage doesn't leave members totally out in the cold. MobileMe and iLife users can always fire up iWeb and publish Web sites and blogs any time they want. You can also publish photo galleries directly from iPhoto.

The changes to .Mac Groups is a bit of a different story. On 7 July, all Groups features will be taken offline completely. That includes your group email address, group HomePage, message board, and iDisk "Groups." If you have a group on MobileMe, you should contact your members and let them know.

Any files in the group folder on 7 July will be moved to a new folder called "Groups Archive." You'll continue to have access to those files as long as you're a MobileMe member.

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Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch
XChange release new InDesign CS4 and QuarkXPress 8 plug-ins

ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch

Project management specialist, ProjectWizards, on Wednesday released Merlin 1.0 for iPhone and the public beta of Merlin 2.7 for Mac OS X.

Working in conjunction with Merlin on Mac OS X, Merlin iPhone 1.0 allows you to work on your Merlin projects stored on your Mac or Merlin Server.


The application is compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch.

You can access your Merlin projects via the iPhone's data connection of Wi-Fi. Once connected you have access to all activities, resources and elements. You can also update assignments directly from the iPhone interface.

ProjectWizards releases Merlin 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch

Merlin iPhone 1.0 is free from the App Store. Merlin 2.7 for Mac OS X is available from the company's Web site.

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Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch
Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Namco releases Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod touch

Microsoft loses anti-piracy patent case, must pay pay $388 million

A jury in Rhode Island found Microsoft guilty of patent infringement, ordering it to pay $388 million to Uniloc, the patent holder.

Initially filed in 2003 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, the suit alleges that Microsoft's product activation system infringes on a patent held by Uniloc.


Microsoft loses anti-piracy patent case, must pay pay 8 million

The jury decided that the patent is valid and that Microsoft willfully infringes it.

The software giant still thinks otherwise and intends to appeal the decision. "We believe that we do not infringe, that the patent is invalid and that this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported. We will ask the court to overturn the verdict," the company said in a statement.

Microsoft's product activation process aims to reduce piracy by requiring people to activate their software, tying it to a particular machine in the process. Users can then reinstall the software repeatedly on that machine, but can't share the software with other people and PCs.

Uniloc sells technology that software developers use to offer flexible licensing terms, such as trial periods.

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Country star Joe Nichols plans Broadway debut
(AP)

Kanye says ‘South Park’ put him in check
(AP)

Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch

Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch

Just in time for the Easter holidays, new iPhone and iPod touch apps offer greetings and Easter eggs.

First up Equinux has introduced a new iPhone App, Easter Cards, which enables users to send Easter greetings via email with your own pictures added.


Users can take a photo using the iPhone camera to personalise greetings, while Easter Cards includes eight different Easter themes for customising your image.

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, Easter Cards costs 59p and requires the iPhone 2.0 Software Update.

Meanwhile iColor Easter Eggs 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch from Clever Coding offers users the ability to colour Easter Eggs, choose a greeting and background, and email the e-card to their friends and family.

Users can choose from one of six custom egg designs and colour eggs in any way they wish. Easter greetings include "Happy Easter" to "Your Eggstra Awesome."

Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, iColor Easter Eggs 1.0 costs 59p and requires the iPhone 2.0 Software Update.

Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch

iColor Easter Eggs 1.0 and Easter Cards for iPhone and iPod touch.

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Diane DeGarmo Stalker Denied Down Under
(E! Online)

Truphone introduces Truphone Microphone Adaptor for iPod touch

Truphone introduces Truphone Microphone Adaptor for iPod touch

Truphone has launched the Truphone Microphone Adaptor, which they say, can turn any 2nd generation iPod touch into a phone.

Truphone is a mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application that routes calls across the Internet.


Truphone introduces Truphone Microphone Adaptor for iPod touch

Truphone promise three easy steps to get your iPod touch working as a phone. First download the free Truphone software from the Apple iTunes App Store, plug your iPhone headphones into the Microphone Adaptor and then into your iPod touch. Finally open Truphone on your iPod touch and follow the instructions.

You will then be able to make free calls to other Truphone, Skype and Google Talk users, make local cost, national and international calls to landlines and mobiles, and Instant Message your Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk contacts.

The Truphone Microphone Adaptor costs 9.99. The pack also includes a 'Double Credit' scratchcard, when you top up 5, Truphone will double it to 10.

In February Truphone launched the Truphone Local Anywhere service, billed as the world’s first true commercial multi-country single-SIM mobile service that makes it easier than ever to make international calls while still keeping costs down.

More recently Truphone has just been nominated for a 2009 Macworld Award in the category of Best iPhone/iPod touch application.

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Easter cards, Easter eggs comes to iPhone and iPod touch
Diane DeGarmo Stalker Denied Down Under
(E! Online)

Namco releases Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod touch

Namco Networks on Wednesday announced the release of Galaga Remix for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's now available for download from the App Store for 3.49.

A free "Lite" version is also available.


Namco releases Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod touch

In Galaga Remix, you control a fighter ship flying through space as waves upon waves of insectoid aliens swarm your vessel. You fire missiles to destroy them in stage after stage.

Galaga Remix is a return to one of coin-op arcade gaming's bonafide classics, with a big twist. While you can play a picture-perfect version of the "original" Galaga, just as you remember it from the 1980s, a "Remix" version is also available that sports new sounds, graphics and challenges.

Three control modes have been developed - arrow keys, a "slider bar" and accelerometer-based motion.

The Remix mode features six unique boss battles, enhanced fighter unification system with nine power-up types and an all new Free Play mode that lets you choose from previously-cleared stages. An update to the "Dual-Fighter" mode in the original game has also been included.

The "Lite" version of Galaga Remix actually pre-dated the full version's release by a couple of days, so if you've been keeping up on new App Store game releases you may have seen it before now.

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Channel 4 says sorry to Mac users in YouTube apology

Channel 4 says sorry to Mac users in YouTube apology

Channel 4 took a while, but last week the broadcaster began a Mac compatible online catch-up service.

4oD Catch-Up, is finally available to Mac and Linux users after the broadcaster introduced a new streaming service that uses Adobe Flash player - version 9.0.124 or higher – rather than a PC only downloader.


Channel 4 says sorry to Mac users in YouTube apology

Now Channel 4 has taken to YouTube to say sorry to all Mac users in montage that highlights many of the channels most popular shows and stars.

"This latest version of the 4oD Catch-Up experience allows the viewer to watch full-length programmes either directly in the web page, or if they prefer, via a full-screen option," Channel 4 revealed in a blog post.

"We are using an Adobe Flash player to deliver the content, meaning you’ll now be able to view our programmes on any platform so long as you’ve got Flash installed, meaning Apple Mac and Linux OS users should now be able to join the party."

One noticeable disappointment is not all 4oD programming is available to Mac users. Much of the 25-year archive and Film4 movies remain PC only.

A review of the online service can be found here.

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Namco releases Galaga Remix for iPhone and iPod touch

Google in talks to acquire Twitter cliams report

Google is in negotiations to acquire Twitter according to an online report, in a deal estimated to worth upwards of $250 million.

Twitter, the popular free social messaging and micro-blogging utility for staying connected in real-time, is seen as a rival to other popular sites such as Facebook, who tried and failed to buy Twitter last year.


Google in talks to acquire Twitter cliams report

According to TechCrunch, citing two unnamed sources, Google could be paying for the acquisition in cash and/or publicly valued stock, which is equivalent to cash.

Twitter, insists TechCrunch, offers the best real time database and search engine on the Internet and is potentially a great marketing tool for companies and brands to spread the word in real time with the ability to interact with a worldwide audience.

"We’ve been arguing for some time that Twitter’s real value is in search," said TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington. "It holds the keys to the best real time database and search engine on the Internet, and Google doesn’t even have a horse in the game."

"Google knows well how to treat new sources of information as signals that weigh into search results,” added Stephen Shankland, a technology reporter at Cent.

“The company has been gradually blending into its search results data sources such as blogs and news stories that reflect new information arriving on the web.”

This week Twitter began testing a new search feature within the home page, a special tab in the sidebar that gives users access to data such as current popular topics with celebrities, politicians and companies regularly posting news and updates.

TechCrunch suggests if Google does make a successful bid for Twitter, Microsoft could prove a loser in the search engine business.

Late yesterday TechCrunch updated the post suggesting the two companies are also considering working together on a Google real time search engine.

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HTC will launch at least three Google phones this year
Google lays off 200 in sales and marketing
Courtney Love’s apparent online rants now in court
(AP)

IBM says 4 per cent of the computers tested are infected by the Conficker worm

IBM is the second company in two days to suggest that the number of computers infected by the Conficker.C worm may be higher than previously thought.

After scanning 2 million computers over the past 24 hours, IBM's Internet Security Systems (ISS) division said on Thursday that it had spotted the worm on 4 per cent of the IP addresses it monitored.


Although Conficker is clearly the worst worm outbreak in years, the results came as a surprise, according to Holly Stewart, a threat response manager with ISS. "It is higher than what we expected; I thought we'd see 1 to 2 per cent," Stewart said.

Late last week, IBM researchers reverse-engineered Conficker and figured out a way to track infections by measuring peer-to-peer traffic on the network. They used that technique to reach their estimate.

The results are similar to numbers released Wednesday by OpenDNS, which said it had also spotted a much larger number of infections than expected. Both IBM and OpenDNS' numbers count Conficker.C, the latest variant of the worm, and one that is easier to spot communicating on the network.

Conficker began spreading in October 2008, using a handful of sneaky tricks to spread. Once it infects a machine, it can spread very quickly on a local area network by taking advantage of a now-patched flaw in Microsoft Windows.

Experts had pegged Conficker infections in the 2 million to 4 million range, but IBM's numbers suggest that they may be much higher than that, perhaps in the tens of millions.

Still, Stewart cautioned against concluding that 4 per cent of Internet users had been infected. "It's not a perfect number, nothing is. But it's the best that we can give with the data we have right now."

IBM says 4 per cent of the computers tested are infected by the Conficker worm

Graphic IBM Internet Security Systems.

It's possible that Conficker infections are approaching 4 per cent, said Danny McPherson, chief security officer with Arbor Networks. Because Conficker is more likely to infect certain types of users - broadband consumers are generally more vulnerable than enterprise or government users, for example - estimates like ISS' could come from a sample that does not represent the Internet as a whole, he said.

Still, by any measure, Conficker is a big problem. "Even if they're off by an order of magnitude - which is possible - the number of infected machines is immense."

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Crawford Chasing After Footloose Remake?
(E! Online)

Madonna at Malawi court; adoption on the docket
(AP)

Nvidia mulls x86 chip for low-cost computers

Swedish Internet traffic plummets in face of new piracy laws

Internet traffic in Sweden plummeted by nearly 50 percent as new anti-piracy laws came into effect on April 1. Three days on, traffic levels have yet to pick up again.

The new law makes it possible for rights holders, by way of a court order, to unmask Internet users based on their IP address, effectively ending anonymity for filesharers in Sweden.


At the same time as the law came into effect, traffic through some of Sweden's main internet exchange points plummeted dramatically. Statistics from Netnod, a company which manages six of Sweden's main Internet exchange points, show a drop of nearly 50 percent through some nodes from one day to the next. Peak values of nearly 200Gbps (bits per second) on Tuesday fell to around 110Gbps on Wednesday, the first day the law was in effect.

Three days later and throughput has still not increased significantly. Just before noon on April 3, around 60Gbps passed through the six Netnod exchanges. That is a drop from more than 100Gbps on Tuesday, the day before the new law came into effect.

Netnod only measures traffic through exchange points in Lule, Sundsvall, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malm. Many of the larger networks peer directly with each other and their throughput is not included in the statistics.

Netnod declined to comment specifically on the figures, but said it has no way of determining exactly what caused the drop in traffic.

One Swedish operator, Bahnhof, said the statistics from Netnod correlated with their own measurements. From throughput of around 23Gbps on Tuesday, traffic in Bahnhof's network fell to around 15Gbps on Wednesday.

Sweden has one of the most developed Internet infrastructures in the world and the largest percentage of fiber-optic broadband connections per capita anywhere, according to statistics from European telecommunications trade group ECTA. Traffic had increased sharply during the six months preceding this week's sudden drop.

Swedish Internet traffic plummets in face of new piracy laws

"Swedish Internet traffic is now about the same as in some countries in southern Europe," Bahnhof Managing Director Jon Karlung told Computer Sweden. "With these levels, we wouldn't need a better infrastructure than what they have in Italy, for example."

Three of the largest Swedish ISPs, Teliasonera, Tele2 and Telenor/Bredbandsbolaget, have all declined to comment on the matter.

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CEBIT: Exchange challenger integrates with Mac calendar
Silverlight 3 demo planned for Mix09
The Dead auctions front-row tickets for charity
(AP)

Hackers seize on 0-day flaw in Microsoft's PowerPoint

Microsoft warned on Thursday that hackers are actively exploiting a software vulnerability in PowerPoint, the company's presentation application.

There's no patch yet for the bug, which could allow an attacker to completely control a computer. It affects Office 2000 Service Pack 3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2004 for Mac, Microsoft said in an advisory. Office 2007 is unaffected.


Hackers seize on 0-day flaw in Microsofts PowerPoint

Microsoft said it has seen limited, targeted attacks. The Danish security company Secunia ranked the problem as "extremely critical," its most severe rating.

Secunia said the vulnerability "is caused due to an unspecified error that may result in access to an invalid object in memory when parsing a specially crafted PowerPoint file."

Microsoft advised users to not open or save Office files that come from untrusted sources. If the file is opened, users won't have much of an indication that it's a malicious file.

"Usually, these files look legit when opened, so it is quite easy to fall prey and not even notice that something malicious ran in the background," according to a post on the company's Malware Protection Center blog.

Hackers frequently hunt for vulnerabilities in commonly used software products, as it's another avenue other than the operating system to infect a computer with malicious software.

To be hacked, a user would either have to download a malicious file hosted on a Web site or open a file sent through e-mail, Microsoft said.

Microsoft has added a signature that will block access to PowerPoint exploit files in its Windows Live OneCare and Forefront Client security products. The signature is included in definition update 1.55.975.0 or higher.

The company noted that the exploit files have been recently submitted to VirusTotal, a Web site that aggregates antivirus engines.

Malware can be submitted to see which security products detect it. The site is often used by hackers to determine if their malware will be blocked by certain security software.

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Intego slashes prices in March Madness promotion
Microsoft contractor drops protest against pay cuts
Michael Jackson sues auction house for sale plans
(AP)

Apple iPhone OS 3.0 beta successfully jailbroken

Despite the fact that iPhone OS 3.0 is still a ways from seeing the public light of day, those who are concerned over whether or not they’ll be able to jailbreak Apple’s newest iteration can take heart.

A post on the QuickPWN blog says that a Russian hacker has released an “unofficial” jailbreak for the beta software (that is, one not developed by the iPhone Dev Team that maintains the QuickPWN jailbreaking software).


Apple iPhone OS 3.0 beta successfully jailbroken

Of course, the iPhone 3.0 software - which is currently in its second beta release - is only available to programmers who are paid members of Apple’s iPhone Developer Program.

In related news, Ars Technica reported on Wednesday that the latest version of Apple’s SDK agreement, which developers are required to agree to when they download the iPhone beta OS, appears to prohibit developers from contributing to the jailbreak effort or distributing their applications via any channel other than the App Store.

Not that this is likely to put a stop to jaibreaking, as is clearly evident from the 3.0 jailbreak. But I imagine that Apple felt it had to give itself some recourse that could be used in a legal situation if necessary, such as the issue that has arisen over the DMCA exemption proposed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

It remains to be seen to what extent Apple will actually try to enforce these new clauses, futile though such efforts would will likely be.

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Apple plans iPhone software 3.0 event
Idol’s LaKisha Jones Preggers
(E! Online)

‘Find My iPhone’ may find its way into iPhone OS 3.0
Coolio pleads not guilty in drug case
(AP)

MacProVideo releases iMovie, Pro Tools video tutorials

Mac video training specialist, MacProVideo, on Friday released two new tutorials, one for iMovie and the other for video professionals that use Pro Tools.

iMovie '09 101: Core iMovie '09 will take you through the ins and outs of every aspect of iMovie. Over the 6.5 hours of video, this tutorial will teach you how to "Capturing with Firewire," "Importing from a Tapeless Camera," "Merging Events," "Auto-Applying Keywords to Clips," and "Working with Transitions," among many others.


MacProVideo releases iMovie, Pro Tools video tutorials

In all, there are 14 Sections and 133 videos in this collection.

The second set of tutorials, Video Post Production in Pro Tools, takes video pros on a tour of post production in Pro Tools. Bill Burgess takes you through the process of navigating Pro Tools, how to sync sound to the picture, recording voice overs and many other more advanced topics.

iMovie '09 101: Core iMovie '09 costs $29.50, around $19, and Video Post Production in Pro Tools costs $39.50, around 36.

Both products are available for download from the company's Web site.

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Heath Ledger’s music videos come to light
(Reuters)

MacProVideo releases Keynote ‘09 video tutorials
The Dead auctions front-row tickets for charity
(AP)

Vendors optimistic about Macworld Expo 2010

With the news that Macworld Expo will move from its traditional time in January to February in 2010, IDG World Expo is trying to rework the annual trade show to make it more appealing to show goers and vendors alike. Vendors we spoke to who typically exhibit at the show were excited about the change, and feel the show is still an important part of the Mac community.

Some of the excitement comes from the reduced costs companies will have to pay to attend the show. Early January is still peak holiday travel season, so prices usually remain high.


For companies transporting several people (sometimes 10 or more), the savings on travel, hotels, and other associated costs by moving the show to February 9 to 13 can be significant.

"As a businessman I need to look at all the costs," Paul Kafasis, CEO of Rogue Amoeba Software, told Macworld. "And we need to know that people will be there. We definitely want to be there."

Longtime Mac developer Rich Siegel, CEO of BBEdit-maker Bare Bones Software, said he hasn't made a decision on whether or not his company will exhibit in 2010. However, Siegel said that his position is no different than any other year for him.

"We tend to make those decisions on an operational basis," said Siegel. "When we get to the commitment point, we'll make the decision."

Siegel and Kafasis both said they will be attending the show regardless of whether their companies exhibit or not.

Vendors optimistic about Macworld Expo 2010

Jean MacDonald, marketing director for SmileOnMyMac, said the company has signed a letter of intent with IDG World Expo to exhibit in 2010, but hasn't made a final decision on whether or not to exhibit.

"It's too early to say whether we are going to commit--we are still waiting to hear about pricing. Until we have a better handle on the costs, we won't be able to say yes for sure."

Saturday opening

One change that all of the developers really liked was having expo open on Saturday. Typically, the conference and exhibit open from Tuesday to Friday, but in 2010, the conference portion of the show will run from Tuesday to Saturday and the exhibit hall will be open from Thursday to Saturday.

That's an important change for two reasons. First, But Paul Kent, vice president and general manager of Macworld Expo, said the reduction in exhibit hall hours will be factored into new rates for exhibitors. And second, vendors hope to attract new people to the show.

With the exhibit hall being open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, some vendors felt that they were missing out on a lot of potential customers who couldn't make it because they had to work - by opening the show floor on Saturday, everyone has the opportunity to make it for at least one day.

"Having [the exhibit hall] open on Saturday is going to be a good thing for consumers and businesses," said Alex Grossman, president and CEO of RAID storage company Active Storage.

Grossman, a former executive on Apple's server team, said his company is excited about having Expo in February, and is planning for the event. What Grossman is waiting for is a little different than some of the other vendors--he is waiting to see what IDG World Expo does to attract professional customers.

"Pros need a place to go," said Grossman. "I hope that Macworld is that place,"

With the pro enterprise market, customers want to sit down and talk about products--most companies are not willing to make a large purchase based on marketing material on a Web site. Macworld Expo gives customers a place to see how things are done in the real world.

The conferences are another area where Grossman feels Macworld Expo has an advantage in the industry. "There aren't a lot of places today where you can get seminars on Apple," he said. "If you can get them they are consumer oriented. This gives us a way to get in there and do it."

Even without Apple attending Macworld Expo 2010, companies feel IDG World Expo is moving in the right direction and making the important decisions to see the show into the future.

"I'm really happy to see that IDG gets it and sees that things can't be business as usual minus Apple," said SmileOnMyMac's MacDonald.

[Both Macworld and IDG World Expo are owned by IDG.]

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Jonas Brothers: First Family Has VIP Pass for Life
(E! Online)

Apple posts iPhone event video

Intel CEO Otellini joins call for action on climate change

Intel CEO Paul Otellini joined a call on Thursday for Group of Twenty (G-20) bridging finance ministers and central bank governors to implement policies that encourage investment in environmentally friendly technologies and agree on a more effective climate treaty, the only head of a major high-technology to sign the letter drafted by the Copenhagen Climate Council.

Otellini and the other signers of the letter, which include business leaders, academics and scientists, are members of the Copenhagen Climate Council. The group was created to build awareness for the UN Climate Change Conference, scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in December.


Intel CEO Otellini joins call for action on climate change

"We believe that this year we are at an historic crossroads. Either we establish a new more effective global climate treaty to tackle the climate problem, or we jeopardize our common future," the group wrote in the letter which was also published in the International Herald Tribune newspaper.

G-20 members will convene in London today. The issues topping their agenda include stabilizing financial markets and to map out a sustainable economic recovery.

"Either decision-makers lay the foundation for sustainable, economic recovery - or we will hand huge risks to our children," the Copenhagen Climate Council said.

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DJ AM seeks $20 million for plane crash damages
(AP)

Placido Domingo puts musical spin on pope’s poems
(AP)

Intel raises the bar in server chips with Nehalem
Renewable energy will boost software demand, says Greenpeace

Seagate frozen hard drive YouTube experiment ends in tears

If you live in a part of the world that remains frozen all winter long here's a data storage tip: don't freeze your hard drive in an ice rink.

Seagate tried just such an experiment over the winter that ended with the perhaps inevitable result. The stunt started in early December when Pete Steege, global segment manager at the drive maker, posted the first of what would be a series of YouTube posts chronicling the drive's long winter.


"It's December in Minnesota, which can only mean one thing: It's time to make some ice," Steege says to the camera in a dimly lit video that started off the drive's long winter. "Just to do something different this winter I decided to freeze a FreeAgent Go 320GB hard drive into my ice rink this winter."

The drive, which contained about 8 years worth of Steege's personal data, photos and videos, was encased in a plastic bag and buried about 3cm deep in ice.

The winter turned out to be one of the coldest for several years and on one morning in mid-January the outside air temperature dropped to -28 degrees Celsius, according to one of the videos.

Seagate frozen hard drive YouTube experiment ends in tears

Despite the cold he remained hopeful that the drive would survive its treatment.

"This has been a lot colder than I expected but I actually think it's going to be OK," he said.

Before starting the experiment Steege noted that he did have another copy of the personal data stored on the drive.

Good thing.

After 100 days of being frozen in the ice Steege cut the drive from the ice with a chain saw and set about thawing it out.

It was then he discovered his first problem: his chain saw snagged part of the protective plastic bag in which the drive was stored causing it to get wet while it melted. But Steege said it didn't appear to have damaged the drive

With three months worth of anticipation building he plugged the drive into its cradle, as shown in the final video. Things started out well with his PC detecting that new hardware had been connected but went downhill from there.

"It says unknown device, that's probably not a good thing. And I don't see lights on the front," he said.

The video cuts to a few minutes later and Steege trying to resurrect the drive.

"It's making noise. Doesn't sound great, it's trying," he said before a final "Oh no, c'mon drive."

But it wasn't to be.

"Well guys, it's a bad sign. It's making limping noises as if it is trying to turn but I'm not sure it's going to work ... it did not work," he concluded.

Seagate didn't detail what caused the drive to fail. While many disk drives are rated to handle sub-zero temperatures that typically doesn't include being buried in ice.

"I think being buried in ice with lots of pressure on it for 100 days probably contributed greatly," said a company spokesman.

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Ask Video releases Pro Tools 8 video training
Heath Ledger’s music videos come to light
(Reuters)

New video, photo player for Mac cuts out the fat

RGB Light and Kandalu Software have announced the launch of Klite, billed as an innovative video and photo player for Mac users that makes use of new breakthrough technology.

Klite allows you to convert any video file to the new standard JPDMovie (JPDM), say the makers, which results in smaller file sizes, helping to save space on your Mac.


Klite also offers the ability to export files for iPod, iPhone and Apple TV, devices that all have limited storage capacity.

New video, photo player for Mac cuts out the fat

Klite promises up to 30 per cent reduction on size over some existing file formats.

Klite will officially launch later this month on 15 April with pricing yet to be confirmed. Examples of Klite in action can be seen on the Kandalu website.

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Rihanna Police Photo as…Art?!
(E! Online)

Online Sky Player adds Sky Movies, Nat Geo, G.O.L.D
Ask Video releases Pro Tools 8 video training

Interactive teaching tool Mimio Studio 6 for Mac adds multimedia support

Mimio has announced the forthcoming release of Mimio Studio 6 for Mac, coming late in June, 2009.

Mimio turns a whiteboard into an interactive teaching tool. The system is a combination of hardware and software - a sensor bar mated to a computer and video projector - that lets you convert a traditional whiteboard into an interactive interface. It’s primarily aimed at educational institutions.


Interactive teaching tool Mimio Studio 6 for Mac adds multimedia support

Mimio Studio is the software that operates the Mimio Interactive System. It lets you choose from a content gallery equipped with lessons that are ready to use out of the box; lessons come in many subjects at a variety of grade levels, and can be edited or tweaked to suit your curriculum. You can import lessons from PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat into the software as well.

New to Mimio Studio 6 is support for multimedia files; they can be dragged and dropped or imported. Mimio Studio 6 supports audio, video and Flash - supported formats include SWF, FLV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, M4P and AIF.

The lesson gallery has been enhanced with the ability to create lessons quickly with material in varied subjects and grade levels. You can add pictures and backgrounds, and sort your lessons in a new nested folder structure to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. A live search feature has also been added.

The toolbar has also been redesigned to be slimmer, and you can make deletions using on-screen trash. You can also fix and layer components by locking or setting their transparency.

Mimio Studio 6 is currently available for Windows, but June will mark the Mac version’s release.

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TextExpander update adds new expansion option
Eminem Pins Down Relapse Release Date
(E! Online)

iZel allows for hands-free iPhone viewing

Movaic on Tuesday introduced the iZel, a new foldable stand designed to work with the iPhone, iPod touch and other portable devices. It costs $25, around 17.

The iZel is a portable stand manufactured from a slip-resistant elastomer material.


iZel allows for hands-free iPhone viewing

It’s designed to position the iPhone or iPod touch at an angle to a horizontal surface, as a “digital picture frame.”

The iZel’s arms can be repositioned so you can view the iPhone either in landscape or portrait orientation.

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Michael Jackson sues auction house for sale plans
(AP)

Courtney Love’s apparent online rants now in court
(AP)

Apple 3.0 device IDs point to multiple iPhones, iPod touches