Briefly: Madden NFL 08 review...

In brief: We have a review of Madden NFL 08, one the best of the Electronic Arts Intel only Mac titles so far, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S300M is now available, MAXPower wireless hardware price drops are in effect, a quarter million users have downloaded bento, and MP3-based swim workouts have been released ... We have posted a review of Madden NFL 08, one the best of the Electronic Arts Intel only Mac titles so far. Madden requires a simple drag-and-drop install. Before you play, you must enter the authentication code, register it on the site, and we recommend you check for updates. Madden NFL 08 has a memorable soundtrack, offering a mix of rock, rap, and R&B tracks. The tracks were not jarring or obtrusive

Apps: VPN Tracker, MacGPS Pro

• VPN Tracker 5.1 ($90) IPsec based VPN client for Mac OS X. VPN Tracker 5.1 incorporates client provisioning for WatchGuard devices and lets administrators rollout VPN access for large numbers of users. VPN Tracker 5.1 now supports Watchguard's easy-to-configure Mobile User VPN. The client provisioning functionality in VPN Tracker 5.1 is completely compatible with the current Peak- and Core product lines of WatchGuard. [Download - form]


• MacGPS Pro 7.6 ($50) software that connects GPS receivers and Macs. It works with Garmin and Magellan GPS receivers for transferring Waypoints, Routes, Tracklogs, and GPS satellite Almanacs. It works with many brands of GPS receivers for a realtime display of GPS information on a moving map on the desktop. Version 7.6 adds support for all the Garmin Colorado series of GPS receivers. This new version also stitches together maps that have differing datums and displays the track log name in the track point display window. MacGPS Pro requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later (for Garmin USB connection, Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later), works with Leopard.


• German-English dictionary (free) plugin for Mac OS X 10.5 Dictionary.App that provides the complete german-english dictionary of the well-known dict.cc-Site for offline use. Works in Dictionary.App and other core OS X services like Spotlight or Dictionary-Widget. [Download - 125MB]


• ChordMate 1.2 ($15-$40) digital chord book. Organize chords by their musical quality, ease of play, or fret. This release has the ability to Copy/Paste Chord Diagrams: you can create chord charts, mail interesting chord voicings to your friends, and annotate your favorite songs; Capo: You can tell ChordMate to place a capo on any fret and Alternate Tunings: Players who do not use the standard EADGBE tuning can tune ChordMate to match their guitar. [Download - 476KB]


• Entrance 1.2 ($40) a MySQL browser with charts. This version includes a "crosstabs" tool that makes it possible for MySQL users to do pivot table analysis from the desktop. The Entrance Tools menu also includes tools for transposing tables, consolidating table columns, line and curve fitting, and interpolation. The new features will be demonstrated in the Entrance booth at the upcoming MySQL Conference, April 14th-17th, in Santa Clara. [Download - 1.7MB]

Apple clarifies iPhone SDK beta state...

Apple today released a note to developers who were earlier temporarily rejected from the iPhone SDK beta. According to iLounge News, the note claims that Apple is currently at full capacity for the current beta stage, saying that it would expand the beta program shortly, after it has control over the current round of developers. The email thanks users for their patience in the matter, and says that Apple will contact a second round of developers once the first is properly sated.

Major security update fixes AFP, CUPS, more...

Apple today unveiled Security Update 2008-002, which provides a number of fixes for several system vulnerabilities found in AFP, CUPS, AppKit, and several other system-level resources. Most of the vulnerabilities revolve around maliciously crafted URLs granting access to system-level privileges, while others allow users to bypass system security. The majority of fixes are for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Tiger Server users, while some apply to the 10.5 Leopard equivalents.

iPhone users more likely to access rich content...

M:Metrics, a mobile metrics research group, has found the iPhone to be the great game-changer for the wireless industry, saying that it effectively lives up to the hype surrounding the device. Mark Donovan, senior analyst for M:Metrics, said that the iPhone is "compelling consumers to interact with the mobile web," citing "off-the-charts" usage for tasks including text messaging and mobile video. The firm's figures show that 85-percent of all iPhone users access news and other remote information during January.

iPod Touch price dropped to 199 euros?

yooph.nl reports on a banner appearing on the Dutch Apple Store showing the iPod Touch priced at 199 euros, a steep drop from the previous 279 euro price. Official store prices are still listed at 279 euros for 8GB, 369 euros for 16GB and 459 euros for 32GB. The apparently leaked banner has led to speculation that price drops for the iPod Touch may be on the way worldwide. Apple COO Timothy Cook recently said that Apple's focus in its iPod division over the past few months was the introduction and rollout the iPod Touch. He sees getting the "first mainstream WiFi portable platform" out as a big strategic move.

Quake Wars for Mac OS X ships...

Aspyr Media has begun shipping id Software's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for Mac OS X throughout North America. The game was built using id Software's MegaTexture rendering technology and features strategic team play, persistent character promotions, and an arsenal of weapons and vehicles in objective-based battles. "Battles rage on stunning battlefields inspired by tropical, arctic, temperate, urban and desert locations both online and offline against lethal A.I. combatants." Players choose to battle as one of five unique classes in either the human Global Defense Force (GDF) or the Strogg armies, each augmented with specialist weapons and combat hardware. Troops can use more than 40 vehicles, deployable structures, and defense systems like quad-bikes, tanks, and alien walkers.

PDFpen 3.4 speeds up, adds fixes...

Smile On My Mac has released the v3.4 update to PDFpen, its tool to assist with managing PDF files. Users can edit and resize blocks of content, overlay new material such as digital signatures, and perform tasks such as as creating a new document out of the pages from several others. The patched program is said to improve the performance of adding imprints to large files, as well as speed the opening of documents within Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.x.

Stats: iPhone/iPod browser share growing rapidly...

The number of Americans browsing the web via the iPhone and iPod touch rose dramatically between December and March, according to StatCounter. The web tracking company reports that figures rose 64 percent in the period, from 0.14 to 0.23 percent of surfers; while the amount is dramatically smaller than that using desktop browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, it is far in excess of some other cellular technologies, such as Nokia's. People browsing from Nokia devices represent just 0.01 percent of the US market.

Adobe pulls Lightroom, Camera Raw updates...

Adobe has taken the unusual step of withdrawing updates for two key pieces of photography software: Lightroom, its editing and management tool, and Camera Raw, its plug-in for support of RAW files. The principal issue is in the time stamping in EXIF information, as both Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4 may decide that files are out of sync with its own information, and impose their own (incorrect) stamp on the original file. Images are otherwise unaffected, and the XMP sidecar files and metadata should remain accurate.

Apple launches Safari 3.1...

Continuing its spate of updates on Tuesdays, Apple has released Safari 3.1, the latest version of its proprietary web browser. The update supports the new audio and video tags of the HTML 5 standard, and is claimed to be the first browser with support for CSS animations, as opposed to static sheets. The software also introduces support for CSS web fonts, which gives designers the ability to pick custom styles without worrying about the ones a visitor already has.

iTunes Store issues credits for WGA strike...

Apple is offering a gesture of appeasement to customers affected by the recent Writers Guild of America strike, according to an official bulletin. The company notes that those who bought a Season Pass at the iTunes Store -- granting them access to a season of a TV show at a discount -- may still be waiting for some episodes of a show to appear, and in some cases may not receive the full value of what they paid for. This is unavoidable, as the networks themselves may not be producing the remaining episodes.

Apple outpaces PC industry in sales for February...

Apple's computer sales in the US have grown considerably from last year – at 60-percent unit growth and 67-percent revenue growth – granting it 14-percent of all computers sold for February. According to AppleInsider, Apple's laptop systems saw the largest growth, representing a 64-percent increase in units sold, and 67-percent increased revenue, suggesting strong acceptance of the company's new ultra-portable, the MacBook Air.