Top investor urges MS to raise bid, Yahoo reconsider...

After an ongoing civilized dispute between the two companies [1|2|3], a major Yahoo investor pleaded with Microsoft to raise its bid of $42 billion in an effort to stay the deal. In addition, the second-largest investor scorned Yahoo's pride, saying that they have few options left for a satisfactory buyout. According to Reuters, Bill Miller, the lead stock-picker for Legg Mason, assessed in a quarterly letter to investors Yahoo's true worth to be $40 per share, $9 more than Microsoft's original bid.

Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 available on Mozilla FTP...

Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 is available for download from Mozilla's developer FTP site, according to Brazilian enthusiast site Blog.MacMagazine. Blogger Rafael Fischmann reports that a casual browse of Mozilla's public FTP server revealed the latest beta, which sports a very Mail-inspired, but slender interface. The popular browser takes a few design cues from other Apple applications as well, with the URL field resembling that of iPhoto's search field.

First Look: SplashMoney finance manager...

When it seems like you're broke no matter how much money you bring in, it might be a good idea to start tracking your financial transactions. Unfortunately, this simple task can appear needlessly complicated by many financial managing programs that overwhelm you with too many features. To make it easy to control your finances, SplashData made SplashMoney, a simple financial management program that helps you record your income and expenses, create budgets, while making reports and charts of your spending habits.

Jailbreak for iPhone 1.1.3 available...

iPhone users who have upgraded to firmware version 1.1.3 now have a viable jailbreak option with iJailbreak 0.5.1, an update to iJailbreak 0.5 that was released this morning. This iPhone-only jailbreak allows users to open up an iPhone with v1.1.3 installed in order to implement custom applications and services. The jailbreak requires users to implement bootloader 4.6, and will not function with any other version.

Apple hosts 11 free evenings of music in London, UK...

Apple is hosting a series of concerts for Londoners at AIR Studios starting February 21st, featuring artists such as KT Tunstall, José González, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and many more. Rather than purchasing tickets, those interested in seeing any of the 25-plus artists must win the tickets through a free draw in order to attend the events. The event, called iTunes Live: London Sessions, will span over 11 nights, with each night featuring two to four performance artists.

Briefly: Considerable Embarrassment review...

In brief: A review of the Considerable Embarrassment laptop bag has been posted, FileMaker 9 Certification is now available, 32GB RAM upgrades for the Xserve have been announced, a PDFpen tutorial has been posted and Woz will headline a Solar plant dedication ... We have posted a review of the Considerable Embarrassment laptop bag. The case has casual curves, and comes in professional looking black, gray, and brown, or whimsical red, green, or blue. The stitching that holds the 900D nylon shell and 420D ripstop nylon lining is excellent. We have not found a loose thread or separating seam since I started using it six months ago. Two clasps keep the bag lid shut, and are backed up by two large Velcro pads. This efficient design thwarts sneaky hands because the clasps make a clicking and sliding sound when released, and the Velcro produces a loud pseudo-tearing sound when opened. At the same time, the two mechanisms allow you easy access to the large inside pockets.

Apps: iWeb Publisher, Subversion

• iWeb Publisher 2.0.1 (free) allows the quick and easy uploading of iWeb sites to your web host. It will quickly upload a file or the contents of a folder to a web site via FTP. Once configured, uploading a web site created in iWeb is as easy as dragging a folder on to the Easy iWeb Publisher icon in the dock. Version 2.0.1 adds Leopard support as resolves issues dealing with multiple configurations. [Download - 250KB]


• Subversion 1.4.6 (donationware) Versioning and repository software. The package of the binary has changed. The 1.4.4 release installed everything in /usr/local which made the package difficult to uninstall. The 1.4.6+ package installs Subversion into /opt/subversion for easy management and coexistence with other installations. The 1.4.4 packaging also included unnecessary files like header file. [Download - form]


• TimeLog 4.2 ($25) time tracking software. TimeLog 4.2 adds direct export to iWork (Pages and Numbers), an Export option for the Application Tracker, printing of detailed Expenses and a Norwegian localization. In addition the user interface is improved and a lot of issues have been fixed. Available in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Polish and Norwegian. [Download - 5.4MB]


• Bin-it 1.5.2 ($30) a free update to the desktop trash can utility for Mac OS X. It provides quick and easy access to the Mac OS X Trash. It includes a floating trash can on your desktop (instead of the Trash being hidden in the Dock), a Trash Level Display and many adjustable options for trash themes, sounds, sizes, opacity and more. The update adds sounds to the OS 8 and OS X themes, and adds an option in the Preferences to switch built-in and custom sounds on or off. [Download - 1.7MB]


• Revolution 2.9 ($1000) application design and programming tool. The new release has overhauled support for Linux, a new graphics architecture, support for complex Unicode scripts, improved font rendering, native open and save dialogs and native print dialogs [Download - form]

Gallery: Apple TV Take 2 software update...

After a small delay, Apple has unveiled Apple TV Take 2, a software update that adds many features to the set top box. MacNN today had a chance to explore the update fully, examining the new iTunes movie rentals and store interface, as well as the addition of photo streaming from .Mac and Flickr. Below is a gallery of the new interface and features.

Attaché and Envoy stands elevate, cool laptops...

LapWorks today unveiled two new laptop stands, the Attaché and the Envoy, both of which feature integrated cooling and USB 2.0 hardware. The stands feature two securely integrated cooling fans, and a four-port USB 2.0 hub, and can be elevated to four different levels. The lowest setting provides an ergonomic setting for the keyboard, while the three higher settings raises the screen to be on par with a monitor found in a typical desktop setup. The Attaché and Envoy are both available directly from LapWorks, for $70 and $50, respectively.

Drive Genius 2 adds Leopard support...

Prosoft Engineering today released Drive Genius 2, an update to the hard drive maintenance utility that improves speed as well as overall performance. Drive Genius 2 is built upon the same foundation as the original version, and adds support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The software allows users to maintain, manage, and optimize hard drives via disk de-fragmentation, directory repair, and repartition support. Drive Genius 2 is priced at $100, while upgrades for current owners are available at $60 each.

Speed Download 5: interface, code optimizations, more...

Yazsoft today unveiled Speed Download 5, a major update to its download and bandwidth manager, introducing a number of new features. Sporting a brand new interface, Speed Download also features several engine and component optimizations, increasing speed and compatibility. Users can download in simplified or advanced modes, and the minimized mode resembles the iTunes mini player. New users can purchase Speed Download 5 for $25, while users who bought v.4.x between January 1st, 2008 and February 12th, 2008 may upgrade for free.

SmartBackup 2.2 creates bootable backups...

Freeridecoding has released SmartBackup 2.2, adding support for full bootable backups and interface improvements to the data backup utility. Users can use Spotlight 'saved searches' as backup items, or define exclusion to simplify creating dynamic backups. The latest release improves performance as well as Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard support, and includes various bug fixes. SmartBackup 2.2 is priced at $22 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

iPhone gray market swells to 800k phones...

Comprising an estimated 1 million total units, the iPhone gray market has become a major force in the worldwide mobile phone sales community, stretching from China to Prague to South America. Claiming confirmation of the fact that 800,000 to 1 million iPhones, or about one-fourth of the total sold, have been sold as "unlocked" devices in countries outside Apple's official carrier domain, BusinessWeek profiles some of the more aggressive gray market peddlers who have made a killing on selling the device for unauthorized wireless service providers.

Apple releases Apple TV "Take 2" update...

Apple today released its Apple TV "Take 2" software update, which was delayed roughly two weeks ago because it was "not quite finished." The update adds a new on-screen interface that allows users to rent high definition movies directly from a widescreen TV. The update is available for free via automatic update for all existing Apple TV owners, and will ship with all newly manufactured Apple TV devices.

NBC report blames poor album sales on iPod, iTunes...

Album sales have declined rapidly in recent years, and Apple bears a large responsibility, NBC claims. The TV network notes that although R&B singer Alicia Keys debuted her new album at the top of the Billboard album charts last week, this amounted to only 61,000 or so discs, nearly the lowest amount for a number-one album in Billboard history. Album sales fell 15 percent as a whole in 2007, the sixth annual decrease since 2000; artists who were once able to sell 10 to 15 million copies of an album may now be fortunate to reach 1 million.

iPhone to come to Austria in 2008

The next country to receive the iPhone will be Austria, says the chief executive of T-Mobile. Hamid Akhavan announced the news on Tuesday, according to Reuters, explaining that iPhones would go on sale sometime within the first half of 2008. The release will be notable for two reasons: first by making Austria only the fourth country in Europe to officially adopt the Apple device, but secondly for giving the same carrier control in two separate regions. T-Mobile was the original non-American vendor of the iPhone, launching in Germany on November 9th. Over 70,000 units have been sold there to date. T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telekom.

PowerBlue 08 Keynote theme set released...

KeynoteUser.com has released its PowerBlue 08 theme set for Apple's Keynote 08 software. The upgrade adds all the standard HD sizes alongside an iPod/DVD and 1920x1200 layout to accommodate Apple HD screen resolution for a total of seven available sizes. The theme is completely rebuilt using the Keynote 08 Media Placeholder system, allowing users to easily move as well as resize and crop photos. PowerBlue is available for $38, and the company has sent an email message to registered owners with an upgrade discount code.

Flash for iPhone/iPod touch imminent?...

Flash for the iPhone and the iPod touch may be "just around the corner," a new report suggests. The web technology has been in high demand since the iPhone was released in June, not simply for its use in video and animation on many pages, but also for the potential in developing applications and games. Apple has yet to make much public comment on the matter; it is typically said that the obstacle has been battery life, since high activity in the display and processor rapidly consumes energy.

Piper: MacBook Air popular, but below original...

The arrival of the MacBook Air has produced mixed, if generally positive reseller results, say analysts at Piper Jaffray. A group of 20 third-party Apple vendors report that Air interest is "high," with 30 percent of them saying demand is similar to that when the original MacBook was released in 2006. Another 60 percent though say that demand is smaller, with people often expressing curiosity about the notebook, but tending towards the basic MacBook if choosing to buy.

Apple introduces Aperture 2.0...

Apple on Tuesday released Aperture 2.0, a major revision of the company's professional photo editing and management application. The upgrade brings in a new, sleeker user interface that allows users to flip between Browser and Viewer modes with a single key press and a heads-up display that makes the most of the screen area while still allowing quick access to editing or navigation controls. A completely new RAW image processing engine is also said to bring out more detail and more faithful color accuracy for imported shots. Performance has likewise been improved with faster loading times and a Quick Preview mode that lets users browse their libraries at speed without loading each entire image.

QPict 7.1 adds Leopard, enhanced RAW support...

Malmö, Sweden-based RL Development today unveiled QPict Digital Asset Manager 7.1, an update to its media organization software, bringing with it compatibility with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and a number of additions. QPict can now recognize over 250 different RAW file formats, supporting both auto-rotation and improved EXIF support for the format. RL Development is currently selling the standard QPict Digital Asset Manager for $35, with a professional version available at a current discount of $100.