iSkin offers antimicrobial ProTouch, ProTouch FX...

iSkin today announced its ProTouch silicone keyboard covers are now using Microban antimicrobial protection, which helps to inhibit odor and stains from surfacing on the products from sweat and dust. The Protouch line of protectors for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, as well as for the aluminum and older model Apple keyboards all contain the protective substance. ProTouch skins are available ranging from $25 to $35, depending on the model.

Apple posts Common Criteria Tools for 10.5 ...

Apple this week posted Common Criteria Tools for 10.5, an internationally approved set of security standards which it says "provides a clear and reliable evaluation of the security capabilities of Information Technology products. By providing an independent assessment of a products ability to meet security standards, Common Criteria gives customers more confidence in the security of Information Technology products and leads to more informed decisions." Apple says that security-conscious customers, such as the U.S. Federal Government, are requiring Common Criteria certification as a determining factor in purchasing decisions and that the clearly established standards help vendors target very specific security needs.

Tennessee govt mulls digital media taxation...

The Tennessee State government is reviewing the possibility of implementing a tax on digital media downloads, which would include music videos, movies, news and entertainment programs, music, ringtones, and electronic books, among others. Law firm Waller Landsen notes that standard software downloads would not be taxable, and while the proposition has not been shown to lawmakers, it is predictably drawing negative criticism.

Briefly: FileMaker Bento Review...

In brief: We have a review of FileMaker's Bento, dates for the KORE 2 workshop tour have been announced, Zerofractal Studios has debuted Tree3D, European Country Keynote themes are available, and 1 million copies of Parallels have been sold ... We have posted a review of FileMaker's Bento. In Bento, you choose customizable forms and a number of containers, each with a specific use. Bento veers away from the more technical database jargon and refers to its databases as Collections in a library and compares them with iTunes playlists. Text entry boxes still use the term fields, like its big brother FileMaker, but Bento includes templates so that you can skip the frustrating design process completely.

New SDK beta opens background processes?...

Apple's newly released SDK build could potentially support background processes to allow for a richer user experience, and allow intricate applications to run properly. The Unofficial Apple Weblog reveals that the SDK supports the UIApplication delegate class, which includes methods that apply to gaining and resigning "active" status. While not officially confirmed in any documentation, the revelation could indicate support for background tasks.

First Look: TV for Mac HD Stick...

Almost every computer can play movies and TV shows stored on DVD, and with an Internet connection, every computer can download and play digital video files as well. However, what’s missing is the ability to watch live TV on your computer and record your favorite shows. In the past, watching and recording TV shows meant buying a digital video recorder (DVR) and connecting it to your TV, ignoring your computer altogether. Nowadays, you can turn your computer into a TV and digital recorder by using Pinnacle’s TV for Mac HD Stick instead.

Liquid Ledger 2.2 adds groups, drag-and-drop...

Modeless has released v2.2 of Liquid Ledger, its personal finance application. The new version is said to introduce over 35 changes, among these being transaction groups, which let users cluster various transactions together and collapse them. In this way the transactions only occupy a single row, making it simpler to browse through an account history.

Jobs: Apple, Intel still in good relationship...

Intel has nothing to fear from Apple's acquisition this week of chip designer PA Semi, says Steve Jobs. The Apple CEO has dismissed rumors that the company is looking to distance itself from Intel, a view based primarily on the fact that Intel is also involved in the kind of mobile processor technology PA specializes in. Apple depends heavily on Intel technology for its desktop and notebook computers.

Apple blocks iPods to 'grey' UK e-stores...

Apple is reportedly blocking sales of the iPod to 11 UK-based e-business firms that are purchasing the device from suppliers in the US in order to sell it at a £15 discount. According to The Register, the "grey iPods" breach the sales agreement between Apple and the e-stores, which normally states that companies selling Apple products either get supply direct from Apple or through legitimate third-party supply chains.

Salesforce switching over to Macs?...

Salesforce, a major corporation responsible for developing CRM software and related products, may be on the verge of a switching all of its computers from PCs to the Mac platform, an unidentified source claims. The company is currently said to have an agreement with Dell, but as licenses expire, its IT department is allegedly planning to replace each PC with a new Mac. The reason for this is security, as the company is said to favor the extra expense of buying Macs over the even greater costs it is paying to safeguard Windows systems. Some 4,000 computers would have to be replaced.

Apple chosen for Underground Railroad pack...

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is launching the "Digital Backpack," which will allow visitors at the Freedom Center to utilize social networking technology, digital media production, and wireless computing in ways that empower them to create, "distribute and access a shared vision for freedom." The company has chosen Apple products to power the project: each pack contains an Apple MacBook Pro notebook computer, iPod classic with voice recorder, digital camera, HD digital camcorder and tripod. These perspectives are then captured as a digital movie, archived at the Freedom Center, and published to an iTunes channel that the Center is launching in May.

AT&T, Starbucks begin Wi-Fi deployment...

AT&T and Starbucks have announced that they are finally beginning to deploy their joint Wi-Fi service, which lets existing AT&T customers go online from a cafe for free. To qualify, users must have one of AT&T's home or small business broadband packages, or a U-verse IPTV subscription; starting on May 1st, these people will need only login to "ATTWiFI" inside a Starbucks outlet. Some 7,000 locations should have Wi-Fi in May, though customers may already be able to login from San Antonio.

Nike patent illustrates advanced iPod fitness gear...

A Nike patent application, recently published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, appears to detail some of the company's plans for new Nike+iPod gear. Key to the technology is an expansion beyond the single sensor offered today, which slips into a person's shoe and only tracks pacing and distance. Future sensors may monitor many different factors, including EKG, heartrate, body temperature and even hydration. GPS data may also be present, enabling users to track exactly which routes they have taken.

Apple promises to do better with European iPhone...

Apple's general manager of operations in Europe, Pascal Cagni, has vowed that the company will improve sales of the iPhone on the continent. "We can incontestably do better in Europe," Cagni tells French newspaper Les Echos. While not completely disastrous, sales of the iPhone have been lower than expected in Europe, with France having only recently passed the 100,000 unit mark. Both Germany and the UK have slashed prices in order to boost sales, although this is likely to clear stock in advance of a 3G iPhone.

O2, Carphone sell out of 8GB iPhone stock...

Two of the three vendors of the UK iPhone report they are out or nearly out of 8GB stock, according to multiple sources. The most deeply affected is Carphone Warehouse, which has confirmed a message from the Tradedoubler ad network, asking websites to stop promoting the £100 discount on 8GB phones as Carphone is out of stock. People can still technically order an the model from the vendor's website, but it is said that Carphone does not "expect to receive any additional stock at this time."

Citi: 3G iPhone to be announced June 9th...

Apple's long-anticipated 3G iPhone will be announced on June 9th, analysts at Citi have declared. Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee say they believe Apple CEO Steve Jobs will reveal the product as a part of his keynote for WWDC, scheduled for June 9th to the 13th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. A number of analysts have suggested that the new iPhone will be released in June or July, particularly as shortages of the 2.5G model are said to be evidence of deliberate inventory draining. This view has been bolstered European price cuts on the 8GB capacity, which have been timed to end in June.

GRASS 6.3.0b adds new module features, more...

The GRASS Development Team today unveiled GRASS GIS 6.3.0, a beta update to its popular geographic information system, adding hundreds of new module features, among other inclusions. The developers say that the version is merely the first step to a stable v6.4, and the impending v7.0. GRASS 6.3.0 introduces the wxPython user interface, the first change from the VAX 11/780 interface used since 1983. GRASS is open source, and is available from the project website.