Apple, Fox sign iTunes rental deal?...

Apple has reportedly signed 20th Century Fox to a new rental service that it is starting, allowing users to rent new releases by the studio, providing a download that expires after a given amount of time. According to The Financial Times, Fox studios will be the first of many to provide media for this rental service, and will also be the first to use Apple's own FairPlay protection service outside of its own products, such as iTunes and the iPod. In addition to offering the rentals, Fox will be including a FairPlay-encoded version of the film with each of its physical DVD products, effectively allowing users to rip an iPod-quality version of the film that can not be distributed on the internet.

First Look: CS Odessa's ConceptDraw MindMap Pro 5...

As Apple's appeal grows – thanks to the easy-to-use Mac OS X, and the versatility of the Intel processors – the large business and enterprise sectors are starting to adopt the Macintosh platform as a new office standard. Apple has a long history of support from business-minded developers such as Microsoft, Marketcircle, The Omni Group, and CS Odessa, and with them, the company has garnered a variety of productivity software. CS Odessa's ConceptDraw MindMap Professional 5 looks to provide a solid and powerful, but simple way for business professionals to capture brainstorming sessions and put them into a readable flowchart-style plan.

Briefly: Reviews, MacBook tops Amazon.com...

In brief: MacNN has reviewed Need for Speed Carbon as well as AKVIS Chameleon 5, Apple's MacBook took one of the top three sales spots during Amazon.com's holiday season, and 'Toon Santa' is offering free 3D models of Apple's iPhone, iPod, and iMac. MacNN has reviewed Need for Speed Carbon ($40, shown at right), an arcade-style street and canyon racing game that features music from popular artists like electro-clash Ladytron and Australia-based Wolfmother.

iPhone helps O2 lure customers of competition...

Apple's iPhone is helping its UK wireless carrier partner to lure customers from competitors, according to FT.com. O2 CEO Matthew Key says about 60 percent of UK iPhone customers are new to his company, and expressed confidence in the prospect of landing an exclusive deal for Apple's second-generation iPhone with faster 3G wireless service when it ships in late 2008. Key also said he expects 200,000 iPhones to sell in the UK by early January, a number that some analysts are calling conservative.

Briefly: Google Mac widgets, iRemember...

In brief: Google updates its Mac widgets, MacNN reviews iRemember 2.2, macProVideo teaches upgrades and color correction, and Custom Solutions slips subliminal messages into Macs. Mac users who regularly rely on Google's Gmail, Blogger or Search History widgets were recently asked to upgrade the software; the company now explains that it was informed of vulnerabilities by Thomas Roessler, of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards group. In particular, the Gmail widget would previously write tags in a subject header without checking, allowing malicious users to execute JavaScript that could assume control of a computer. Newer versions of the Gmail and Blogger widgets can be found here, while the Search History widget is located separately.

Nokia extends Ovi invitation to Apple...

Nokia has offered Apple a chance to join its Ovi Web portal, which would integrate the iTunes Store with the company's own collection of services -- including the Nokia music store, photo sharing, and access to services like Flickr. "In Finnish, Ovi means door. And our door is open. Of course, Apple can get into our portal. We even invite (Apple Inc chief executive) Steve Jobs to do so," said board member Anssi Vanjoki. Vanjoki also said that Apple's iTunes Store would be an enrichment for Nokia's customers, according to Thomson Financial.

Flip4Mac WMV 2.2 adds Leopard, better streaming...

Telestream has released a new update for its Flip4Mac WMV Components packages, bringing their version to 2.2. The software is used to play, import and/or convert Windows Media videos in a manner compatible with QuickTime; the upgraded edition is now fully compatible with Mac OS X Leopard, and should better support online streaming, whether through websites or directly from servers. The application now also has a JavaScript browser plug-in, which allows web developers to create interactive options for users such as playlists and custom buttons.

Airport Extreme 'not available' in UK...

The Airport Extreme base station has been temporarily removed from sale at Apple UK's online storefront, checks show. While still listed under wireless accessories, the Extreme's status has been changed to "not available," and accordingly no price is mentioned either. The disappearance is also apparently unique to the UK, as the American, Canadian and French online stores still have the wireless router in stock. No official explanation has been issued.