New York Apple stores lack iPhone stock...

All three of Apple's New York stores are reportedly out of stock of all iPhone models – the SoHo, 59th Street, and West 14th Street locations. According to The Huffington Post. all three stores report that the device is out of stock, and it is uncertain when new units would be available. A representative from the 59th Street store advised potential iPhone customers to order online.

PluginManager update solves Final Cut issue...

Apple today unveiled PluginManager 1.7.3, an update to the plugin management service for Final Cut Pro, Motion, Aperture, Logic Studio, as well as several SDK kits. The update addresses certain problems within Final Cut Studio relating to backwards compatibility. PluginManager.framework, FxPlug.framework, ProFX.framework, and FxPlugWrapper.plugin have all been replaced with current versions to address the issue. The update is also available through Software Update, under the Apple Menu.

Briefly: New NJ Apple Store opening...

In brief: Apple will open a store in Cherry Hill, NJ this weekend, Office 2008 "the missing manual" is now shipping, Sofa Control is one of the new applications on its way from Gravity, ... Apple will be opening its latest retail store in Cherry Hill, NJ this weekend. The Apple Store Cherry Hill will open to the public on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The last Apple retail store to open was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Thursday, March 6th. Apple is also planning to open four new stores in Europe, branching out with retail outlets in Monaco, Zurich, Geneva, and Ireland. Apple posted job listings for three of those stores, but refrained from specifying opening dates or exact locations.

Microsoft using Jackass star to match Long?...

Microsoft is allegedly seeking to match Justin Long's unflappable demeanor with the Jackass antics of the show's creator, Johnny Knoxville. According to Cajun Boy in the City, one reader wrote the blog, citing that they had taken part in a clandestine focus group, which supposedly was run by Microsoft's new ad agency, Crispin Porter & Bogusky – responsible for ad campaigns for Burger King, Miller Lite, and Volkswagen.

First Look: Norton AntiVirus for Mac...

If you use any version of Windows, an antivirus program is an absolute necessity to protect your computer. If you use a Macintosh, an antivirus program is an option. Although a handful of Macintosh viruses exist, the main purpose of any Macintosh antivirus program is to screen out Windows-specific viruses that you may accidentally pass on to Windows users. If you never share files with Windows users, you probably don’t need an antivirus program. If you regularly share files with Windows users, you may need an antivirus program like Norton AntiVirus for Mac.

CrossOver Games plays PC games sans Windows...

CodeWeavers today unveiled CrossOver Games, a new optimized version to its Windows virtualization software designed to function exclusively with games. The software is already compatible with a number of different Windows game titles, such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Team Fortress 2, Counterstrike, and Civilization 4, among others. CrossOver Games is available for both Mac and Linux platforms for $40, which includes one year of support and updates.

Starz now in the iTunes Store...

Starz has begun selling its television series' through the iTunes Store, joining Showtime as a premium network offering shows ala carte through Apple's digital distribution system. Marc DeBevoise, Senior Vice President of business development and strategy for Starz, announced that Starz would be joining iTunes during the Future of Television West conference in Hollywood yesterday. Currently only two shows from Starz are offered through iTunes; Head Case and Hollywood residential.

Microsoft mulls iPhone software opportunities...

Microsoft is considering software development for the iPhone, writes Fortune. The financial magazine notes that for over a week, a team based in Silicon Valley has been experimenting with Apple's beta SDK, which come June will let developers publish and sell native iPhone applications. Microsoft executives explain that they are not sure whether any apps will actually be put into production, but are deeply interested in the possibility. "It's really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone,” says Tom Gibbons, corporate VP of the Specialized Devices and Applications Group.

Apple wins key patents, reissues old filing...

Apple has today officially been granted several patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office, among them two for some long-standing technologies. Of these the most important is Touch pad for handheld device; while its wording refers broadly to a "pocket sized handheld computing device," it is illustrated specifically with an image of the first/second-generation iPod, which had a manual control wheel with rim-mounted buttons. The patent application is more recent than that player, however, having only been submitted in March of 2006.

CatalystOffice business suite gains Mac support...

CatalystWeb has announced that its CatalystOffice suite is now compatible with the Mac, through the operating system's custom version of Mozilla Firefox. CatalystOffice is actually a web-based suite, and is thus compatible with multi-platform businesses; it incorporates e-mail, calendar, document management and IM software all together, and can be accessed from home as well as the office. Administrators can manage permissions for various tasks, such as event scheduling and file access.

Apple releases iPod Reset Utility 1.0.3

Apple has just released the latest version of its iPod Reset Utility, an emergency tool which completely reverts iPods when the normal iTunes option refuses to work. The utility should not be used lightly, as it will erase all music and other data on an iPod, and install the very latest iPod firmware. The v1.0.3 update expands support, including reset options for both first- and second-generation iPod shuffles. The Mac version is a 3.6MB download, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later; the Windows software is 4.9MB, and requires either Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4, or XP with Service Pack 2.

MacCuff mini secures Mac mini to desk, monitor, more...

Sonnet Technologies today unveiled the MacCuff mini, a VESA-compliant mounting bracket for the Mac mini, compatible with both VESA 75 and 100 mounting systems. The steel bracket works for any model of Mac mini, allowing it to be secured to a desk, mounting arm, backside of an LCD monitor, among other places. Sonnet sells the MacCuff mini with DVI to VGA extension cable for $50, and is currently available at retailers nationwide.

GlobalStor unveils RAID for RED camera system...

Globalstor Data Corporation today unveiled the ExtremeStor-DI REDe drive array, an addition to its popular line of storage servers designed specifically to offer complete compatibility for RED Digital Video footage. The RAID system is capable of streaming 2K format video at a full 24 frames-per-second across Fibre Channel, to use with a video editing system such as Apple's Final Cut Studio 2. Pricing for the ExtremeStor-DI REDe was not available.