Analysts: iPhone's future in enterprise a mystery...

With Apple's recent introduction of the iPhone/iPod touch SDK, some analysts are torn on the device's corporate future, despite support for Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol. According to MarketWatch, the latest changes to the iPhone platform could make it more competitive with the RIMM BlackBerry platform, but analyst Toni Sacconaghi said the introductions may do little to change the iPhone's overall position in the smartphone market.

Surgient updates virtual lab management environment...

Surgient today unveiled a new version to its virtual lab management software, introducing a number of features that add to its support of heterogeneous and mixed lab environments. Version 5.4 adds compliancy with VMware ESX 3.5 systems, and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2, as well as the integration of SOAP and command line interfaces into the SDK. Licenses for Surgients product lifecycle systems start at $15,000.

The Sims Castaway Stories ships for Mac...

Aspyr Media has released The Sims Castaway Stories for Mac, the third release in the product line. The title has begun shipping to retail stores throughout North America. This Sim Story takes place on a tropical island. "Help them make a new life in an unexplored paradise in this easy-to-play, laptop-friendly version of The Sims." This title features two ways to play: a directed Story mode, allowing users to fulfill goals as they explore the island, build a shelter, learn to find food and make life comfortable as possible and an open-ended Free play mode, in which you create your Sims and determine how they'll evolve on their new island home. The Sims Castaway Stories is available now for only $30 through Aspyr's website.

QuickerTek Antenna Array for Time Capsule...

QuickerTek today unveiled the Time Capsule Antenna Array, a 3dBi tri-antenna which can be positioned anywhere to improve broadcast range and speed. The company advertises that the antenna boosts broadcast depth by up to 50-percent, allowing users to backup from a more distant location. The kit is available for both the 500GB and 1TB versions of Time Capsule, starting at $130 for a self-install kit, or $200 as installed by QuickerTek.

Piper Jaffray predicts 10.1m iPods sold in March Qtr....

In a recent report, analyst firm Piper Jaffray predicts that Apple will sell between 9.7 million to 10.5 million iPods for the March quarter, based on the current street concensus of 10.8 million units. Senior analyst Gene Munster says the outlook is a slight boost from its estimates at the one-month mark, but still represents a 4-percent year-over-year decline, based on the midpoint. Munster says that the increase is most likely due to a price drop in the iPod Shuffle in February.

Primatte Keyer 4 adds Final Cut Pro, Motion support...

Red Giant Software has launched Primatte Keyer 4, the latest edition of a program that extracts keys from backgrounds for the sake of movie production. It is compatible with DV and HDV video, and can fix issues such as uneven lighting, compression artifacts and problematic shadows. Though earlier versions only supported Avid and After Effects, version 4 now supports Apple's Motion and Final Cut Pro, and can operate directly from the timeline using 32-bit processing.

Toast 9 Titanium adds Blu-ray, remote streaming...

Roxio has released Toast 9 Titanium, the latest version of its disc burning software for Macs. The new version brings with it a number of upgrades; among these is Blu-ray support, including the ability to copy both computer files and raw video across multiple discs; some compatible video sources include TiVos, EyeTVs and AVCHD camcorders. HD video can also be burned to standard DVDs. The HD/BD plug-in will eventually cost $20 extra, but it is temporarily free through April 13th.

Apple plans Liverpool 'superstore'...

Apple is building a new "superstore" in the English city of Liverpool, a regional business publication reports. The specific location is inside the Liverpool One shopping center, a £1 billion project expected to open on May 29th; while little is known about the Apple Store itself, other outlets in the mall are said to feature design touches such as metallic walls and special sign lighting. News of the store's development is said to have been kept secret for months, but revealed today by One's management company.

Apple makes AirPort Express update official...

Confirming some earlier rumors, Apple has officially updated the AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n Wi-Fi. The technology is claimed to be as much as five times faster than the 802.11g used on the previous generation of AirPort, with twice the range. The update compliments 802.11n upgrades to other Apple products, including the AirPort Extreme router and its most recent Mac computers.