Cheetah3D 4.4 gets Leopard support...

Cheetah3D 4.4, a new version of the 3D modelling, rendering and animation solution for Apple Mac OS X, was released today. It improves the MacOS X 10.5 (Leopard) compatibility and should solve the last minor problems. Furthermore Cheetah3D improves binding a skeleton to a mesh. Now it is possible to bind single joints to a mesh which don't build a bone with another joint. Other new features include enhanced OpenGL preview, replaced Sparkle Autoupdate function with new "Check update" function, fixed shear bug, fixed bug in FBX embedded texture export, fixed bug when importing textures, fixed caustic photon number bug and many other small bug fixes and enhancements.

Intego to show X5 line at Macworld...

Intego plans present and demonstrate new X5 versions of NetBarrier, VirusBarrier, Personal Backup, Personal Antispam, FileGuard and Internet Security Barrier at Macworld Expo 2008. The company will also be presenting new versions of its Dual Protection line of software, which provide security features for Mac OS X and Windows. These new DP bundles include the latest software for Windows protection from BitDefender. In November, Intego documented a flaw in Apple's Leopard quarantine system that allows unsuspecting Mac users to open specially crafted files that run with nearly any application.

Flip4Mac Infinity gets new cam support...

Telestream has announced availability of new products and features that expand the company's Final Cut support for Thomson Grass Valley disk-based cameras and media servers. The new Flip4Mac Infinity Component imports media from Thomson Grass Valley Infinity Series Digital Media Camcorders and REV PRO drives directly into Final Cut Pro editing systems. The company also announced new HD support for its existing Flip4Mac K2|Profile Component which enables file transfer between Thomson Grass Valley K2 and Profile professional media server systems and Final Cut Pro for editing. The new Flip4Mac Infinity Component imports MPEG-2 HD and DV25 SD media directly from Thomson Grass Valley REV PRO drives without transcoding the media file. The component produces a .mov file that is placed directly into the Final Cut project bin ready for editing. Users can import and browse REV PRO drives.

OmniFocus task management tool ships...

The OmniGroup has announced the release of OmniFocus 1.0, their new task management tool. OmniFocus is a personal productivity application that can be used to implement the "Getting Things Done" work-life management method developed by David Allen. The tool is designed to quickly capture your thoughts and allow you to store, manage, and process them into actionable to-do items. Tasks can be assigned to projects and stored within contexts (for example: "Home", "Work", or "Garden"), with built-in visual cues that highlight the next action you need to take care of.

NewTech showcases NTI Shadow 3 backup app...

NewTech Infosystems today announced that it will provide demonstrations of NTI Shadow 3 at the CES trade show in Las Vegas. The company will showcase its backup application at booth no. 6634MP, detailing the software's ability to maintain real-time continuous backups of all changed files as well as an advanced scheduler that enables users to set backup start times by minute, hour, day, week, or month. NTI Shadow ($30) supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.3 or later, and U3 environments.

FontXChange for Mac 1.0 released...

Morrison SoftDesign today released FontXChange for Mac 1.0, an easy to use font conversion application that supports OpenType (PS) as well as PostScript Type 1 and TrueType. The application features batch processing for converting entire font libraries, preferences to set font encodings, a font inspection window with preview functionality, and support for numerous font encodings like Adobe Standard and Unicode. FontXChange for Mac 1.0 requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later, and is priced at $60 for a single user license or $100 when bundled with FontDoctor.

Griffin: New audio, power products at CES...

Griffin yesterday unveiled several new products at CES, with the releases centered on home, personal, and automotive audio products, with a few power-related items as well. Griffin’s popular iTrip saw another revision, dubbed the iTrip AutoPilot with SmartScan. The updated iTrip FM transceiver displays RDS information on any capable car stereo, while the new SmartScan technology automatically seeks out the three best FM frequencies to broadcast over. The new AutoPilot charger puts music controls within easy reach of the driver; the controls sit on the back of the charging unit. iTrip AutoPilot with SmartScan will ship during the second quarter for $100.

ProjectWizards releases Merlin 2.5...

ProjectWizards today released the final version of Merlin, its professional project management application for Mac OS X. Merlin 2.5 features multi-user functionality that enables project managers to work together to get real-time feedback on projects. Merlin 2.5 is priced at $205, with upgrades for Merlin 2.0 customers available for free (system requirements were unavailable.

OmniFocus task management software released...

The Omni Group today announced the final release of OmniFocus 1.0, its new advanced task management tool. OmniFocus is designed around David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” work-life management method, allowing users to quickly assemble notes and ideas into cohesive plans. The application assigns tasks to master projects, and can be viewed by context as well – such as “Go to the store” or “Garden work” – while automatic visual cues show the next step that needs to be taken. OmniFocus is currently shipping, available for $80; a 25-percent discount is available to users of OmniOutliner Professional.

Apple wins iPhone, iPod, MacBook patents...

Apple has won a total of 14 patents since the arrival of 2008, including its iPhone cellular handset which may be one of the fastest granted patents ever recorded for an Apple product. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has published patents covering Apple's iPod, iPod shuffle, iPod dock, MacBook, MacBook Pro, QuickTime Player, and others.

Sony reveals iPod-ready stereos, HD radios...

Sony's CES announcements are continuing with several new sound systems, most of which are in some fashion compatible with the iPod. The first two are shelf-based stereos, the CMT-BX20i and the CMT-BX50BTi. These feature docks inlaid directly into the main body, which in addition to piping out audio and recharging the battery, allow distant control of an iPod via the included remote control. The BX20i has an AM/FM radio and a single-disc, MP3-compatible CD player, which displays ID3 tags when available; total RMS power is 50W. It will be ready in February for $130.

Leak reveals iPod-ready videos on Fox DVDs...

Apple's previously rumored DVD/iPod movie combo discs have been confirmed, thanks to a contributor providing a tip to TUAW. After receiving a copy of the Fox-produced Family Guy spoof of Star Wars a week ahead of its January 15th release, one customer noted that the box backing makes reference to an iPod-resolution file included on the disc, described by the packaging as a Fox Digital Copy. Inserting the disc tells the viewer that transferring the file requires the as-yet unreleased iTunes 7.6 or later, according to the report. A serial number from the case is needed to authenicate the movie.

Apple working to resolve EC's iTunes claims...

Apple is expected to announce steps in the near future to resolve charges from the European Commission, which state that its iTunes Store violates EU law by offering varying pices on a country by country basis. Following the forthcoming announcement, the European Union regulator will likely announce the closure of the case, according to Reuters.

Apple updates Xserve hardware...

Apple has released the newest version of the Xserve (Apple Store down for updates), its Mac-based network server. The new model can be configured with up to two quad-core Intel Xeon 5400 processors running at 3GHz, each CPU having 12MB of L2 cache. Another addition is the presence of a new general architecture, including two 1.6GHz front-side buses, and as much as 32GB of 800MHz DDR2 RAM. Two PCIe 2.0 slots are said to provide up to four times the I/O bandwidth of the last Xserve model, enabling support for multi-channel 4Gb fiber and 10Gb Ethernet cards.

FileMaker ships Bento personal database app...

FileMaker on Tuesday announced the immediate availability of Bento, its easy-to-use personal database application. Designed exclusively for Mac OS X Leopard, Bento leverages a single-window interface and FileMaker database technology to help users organize contacts, calendars, projects, events, and more. Users can easily create databases to manage information with dynamic 'smart' collections as well as expand around Apple's own Address Book and iCal storage engines. Bento is priced at $50, or $100 for a family pack of five licenses. The personal database requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later.