Brain Challenge for iPods released on iTunes...

Gameloft on Monday announced that Brain Challenge, a game designed to stimulate and enhance brain activity, is now available on the iTunes Store. The company says the games serves as an easy solution for keeping the brain alert, offering different levels to choose from based on a player’s abilities and needs along with a simple scoring system to evaluate the level of brain activity. The title features 20 different games designed to train certain areas of brain activity based on five categories of exercises: Memory, Visual, Logic, Math and Focus. At the end of each test, players receive marks based on accuracy and speed and a diagram summarizes their performance in each category so that players can monitor the progress of their brain training daily.

Toon Boom Studio 4 supports Leopard...

Toon Boom Animation Inc. recently updated Toon Boom Studio 4 to be compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The update is available for free for registered users of the latest incarnation of the animation software. Originally released in September, Toon Boom 4 brought with it a brand new user interface and photo animation, as well as some new styles and web publishing options. Now Leopard users can use the 30+ new features of Tune Boom 4 without complications. Toon Boom Studio 4 is available for $400 as a direct download from the company's website.

"Eok" developing VoIP for iPod touch...

By using the SvSIP software for the Nintendo DS provided by Samuel Vinson, a developer identified as "Eok" has created a semi-working VoIP client for the iPod touch. Although the Touch does not have a built in microphone, a small dock connector mic was developed by Touchmods' Marian and has been successfully tested with the SvSIP software. Information on the project is sparse so far, with only a casual mention, and a few lines from the log files.

Ubercaster, ShowMacster updates due at MWSF...

Pleasant Software today promised to unveil new versions of both Ubercaster and ShowMacster at Macworld Expo 2008 in San Francisco early next year. The first in a series of planned Ubercaster 1.5 sneak peeks is already available via the company's blog, and Pleasant Software is already scheduled to attend Macworld Expo 2008 from January 15-18 with shows and software products at booth no. S-1338.

Briefly: QuickTek drivers for OS X 10.5.1...

In brief: Mac OS X Leopard has been certified for the UNIX 03 standard, E-mu sounds are now available for Dimension, Intego has begun offering VMWare Fusion bundles, Linotype Platinum Value Packs have debuted, QuickerTek has updated its Mac OSX 10.5.1 wireless product drivers ... The Open Group, a vendor and technology-neutral consortium focused on open standards and global interoperability within and between enterprises, today announced that both Mac OS X Leopard and Mac OS X Server Leopard from Apple Inc. have been awarded a certificate of conformance tthe UNIX 03 standard. UNIX 03 is the certification mark for systems conforming tthe latest UNIX product standard developed by The Open Group Platform Forum for the Single UNIX Specification version 3.

Security flaws surface in Leopard, VPN...

A new denial of service (DoS) vulnerability has surfaced in Apple's Mac OS X Leopard operating system that can result in crashes, according to Heise Security. The flaw, which is an integer overflow in the load_threadstack function in mach_loader.c, occurs when processing Mach-O binaries and can lead to a kernel panic. Single user systems should not be at risk, according to the company, but multi-user setups are vulnerable because attackers do not require any special privileges to provoke the error.

QuickUML 3.0 adds PHP, presentation features...

Excel Software recently unveiled QuickUML 3.0, an update to its Unified Modeling Language programming software, adding new features and functionality. Users can now generate PHP code in addition to C++, Java, Delphi, and Objective-C. New presentation features allow for class-definitions of operations, properties, and events, with customized color, access, data type, and visibility options. Users can view an entire project in a multi-pane window, where work is saved as a platform-independant XML formatted text file. New users can purchase QuickUML 3.0 for $300 directly from Excel Software.

RokAir: inexpensive WiFi USB adaptor for Mac...

Rokland recently unveiled the RokAir WiFi USB adaptor for Macs using OS 10.3 or higher. The RokAir is billed as an Airport alternative, and uses 802.11b and g to communicate with routers. Rokland says that users can expect to see a 100- to 200-foot area of reception from the device, which is flash drive-shaped and simply plugs in to a vacant USB port. The Rokair comes with a built-in heatsink, so that it can be used for long periods of time without overheating. Rokland is selling the adaptor for $30, plus shipping, and is available now.

Apple offers free shipping today only

The online Apple Store is pushing a special holiday promotion for today (December 10th) only where users can receive free shipping on any item purchased. The offer is available December 10th, 2007 from 3:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST. Excepted from the promtion are APC racks and uninterruptible power supply products, but apparently all other third-party products fall under the offer.

Apps: Captain FTP, iList Data

• Captain FTP 5.2 ($25) FTP and SFTP client for Mac OS X. A new feature, File compare, shows the differences line by line and even character by character. This is quite important to maintain version control with frequently updated files and ensure that the correct version of files are transferred or 'sync'd' to external sites. For examples users may use File Compare to ensure that the correct text file is used to update a website with new information. [Download - form]


• iList Data 3.6 ($70) low cost database software for the Macintosh. Includes integrated graphing, ten find modes, a new speed browse feature, and batch editing. Also included is extensive support for cataloging images and other files. This release has a new speed browse feature that dramatically speeds up searches when browsing thousands of records at a time and updated support for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). [Download - 13MB]


• SecuritySpy 1.5.3 ($58) Multi-camera video surveillance software for the Macintosh. Features include motion detection, real-time compression and network video streaming. The new release is fully compatible with Mac OS X 1.5 "Leopard"; standard system sounds are now available as audio alarms, and it fixes problem viewing MPEG-4 encoded video streams in web browsers using the Java applet [Download - 2.4MB]


• Galder 1.1 ($20) puzzle board game for Mac OS X. In Galder, the player must remove gem stones from an interactive circular game board by matching identical stones to get the highest score. Version 1.1 increases performance, improves the graphics with a new graphics filter and resolves several bugs. A demo of Galder is available from the Fastforward website. It is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, 256MB RAM required and at least 32MB VRAM recommended. [Download - 16.1MB]


• CheckUp Preview 1 ($30) tools to monitor the behavior and health of a Mac computer. It's a powerful and intelligent monitoring application for any Mac with PowerPC or Intel Processors. CheckUp is designed to monitor the usage of CPU, Memory, Disk Drives and Network Adapters and alert you when a certain resource exceeds a certain value. You can create usage reports and displays detailed information about all running processes. You can delete or terminate these. [Download - form]

Playstation emulator for iPhone in works...

One independent software developer is hard at work on a Sony Playstation emulator for iPhone, which will allow iPhone owners to play original Sony Playstation games on Apple's cellular handset. The author says the software will support both the iPhone and iPod touch, and that a beta testing stage is due to arrive in the near future that will allow users who donated money to receive a pre-release test version.

Norton Antivirus 11 for Mac ships...

Symantec today released a new version of Norton Antivirus (site not updated) that is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The software features new vulnerability protection technology designed to prevent attacks occurring through applications connected to the internet. Norton AntiVirus 11 for Mac also includes a sleeker redesigned user interface alongside enhanced performance. The software is priced at $50 (system requirements were unavailable).

iPod, iPhone among top gadgets in Europe...

Apple's iPod and iPhone rank among the top gadgets so far this holiday season in Europe, according to a comScore study designed to track the frequency of online searches. The firm studied 20 different models of gadgets from the game console, mobile phone, and portable music player markets across the UK, France, and Germany during the first three weeks of November. The study found that Apple's iPod is the second most popular item with 3.5 million searches, while the company's iPhone is the fifth most searched device.

Long lines mark debut of 14th Street store...

The opening of the Apple's new 14th Street store on Friday was marked by long lines and some disappointments, accounts suggest. The lineup began at 2 AM, and by 4 PM had grown to an estimated 750 people, fueled at first by radio DJ suggestions of free giveaways, and then by official word that shoppers would get a t-shirt and poster with the chance to win iTunes cards, iPods (Shuffles or Touches), or a MacBook. At least one customer who thought an iPod was guaranteed left the line early.

Swift3D 5.0 exports as Papervision3D...

Electric Rain today released Swift 3D 5.0 for Mac and Windows systems, enabling users to export to the Papervision3D file format. Papervision3D is an open source 3D engine for Flash that leverages ActionScript 3.0 and the Flash 9 player to draw true 3D and allow for real-time user interaction. Swift 3D 5.0 is priced at $250, with upgrades from previous users available from $80. The application requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

imeem signs Universal for ad-based free music...

Social network imeem on Monday revealed that it has struck a deal with Universal Music Group that will see the music label's catalog reach the site. The agreement will let users stream both songs and music videos from imeem's pages for free by running ads alongside the content while also permitting users to upload tracks of their own. This marks the availability of all four major labels on the site and promises that users can join a social network based around music while knowing that the majority of content is legal. The solution ensures that artists are "fairly compensated" by tracking the number of plays, according to Universal chief Doug Morris.

Apple: 40 new retail stores in 2008...

Some 40 new Apple retail stores will open in 2008, a company executive says. Speaking at a press event for the 14th Street store in New York City, senior retail VP Ron Johnson has said that Apple will expand with an international focus in the new year. The first Brazilian store is in fact opening this month in the Shopping Iguatemi mall in Sao Paulo, and the city will get a second store within 2008, located inside Shopping Marketplace. Apple is meanwhile rumored to be negotiating for space in the Torre Mayor office complex in Mexico City, a structure that includes 33,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.