Mophie Ratchet for iPhone, new iPods ships...

iPod accessory manufacturer Mophie today unveiled the Ratchet 360° Belt Clip Swivel case for the iPhone, iPod touch, 3G Nano and Classic. The case includes a Base Case silicone sleeve, which the Ratchet then tightly grips from the sides, and pivots to store the device at any angle. Mophie offers the Ratchet 360° in two color combinations: pink/black, and grey/black, with a clear Base Case. It is currently selling for $20 for the iPod nano and Classic, while the iPhone and Touch model sell for $30.

Screenflick 1.6 adds 30 new features, fixes...

Araelium Group on Wednesday unveiled Screenflick 1.6, an update to the company’s screen recording program, which introduces over 30 new features and improvements. Screenflick now offers improved stability and recording performance, while also optimizing the interface’s usability. Keyboard shortcut code was rewritten for greater flexibility, and the shortcut viewer can now show one or multiple events. Screenflick 1.6 is available from Araelium Group’s website for $30.

Military investigates PA Semi acquisition...

Apple’s recent acquisition of PA Semiconductor is being reviewed by the US Department of Defense, since the latter company’s processor chipsets power many of the military’s portable devices. According to the EETimes, the acquisition left PA Semi’s future lines of processors in an uncertain state, while Apple has said it would provide legacy support for the military. The Department of Defense said the component is an important and unique part of its integrated electronics systems.

Slideshow Magic 5 offers frame rotation...

Koingo Software has officially unveiled Slideshow Magic 5, a new version of the company's presentation tool that offers numerous enhancements and bug fixes. These include the ability to rotate frames, a completely revamped interface, and more advanced slide titling options. The tool now allows users to add an audio track to the entire slideshows, or add smaller audio clips for each segment and include transitions with varying durations between slides, and even insert customizable titles

Apps: DiskLibrary, ActivePerl

• DiskLibrary 1.8 ($40) media cataloging application for Mac OS X. DiskLibrary catalogs not just your complete file structure, it also creates thumbnails, and stores metadata, for most popular media formats. DiskLibrary is capable of importing export formats from CDFinder, FileFinder, WhereIsIt, DiskCatalogMaker X and DiskTracker. [Download - 2.5MB]


• ActivePerl 5.10.0.1003 (free) ActivePerl includes core Perl, popular modules, the Perl Package Manager (PPM), and complete documentation. With over 250,000 downloads each month, ActivePerl remains the industry-standard for Perl development. ActivePerl is provided free to the community and is available as a supported and OEM product to enterprises globally. [Download - form]


• AddMovie 1.4.9 (donationware) tool for combining multiple movies or images into a single movie and batch exporting movies to any format supported by QuickTime. When combining movies you have the option of creating movie chapters with customizable titles. Other functionality includes: extracting audio tracks to files, splitting movies, setting movie poster frames and saving movie frames as images. [Download - 1.5MB]


• MenuMinder 1.4 ($10) Create quick, simple alert, email and SMS Text Message (mobile phone) reminders using the system-wide menu that can be accessed from any application. This new version eliminates the requirement that an email account be setup in Apple Mail. Using the new preference pane "Mail Server" users can specify any mail server for delivering email reminders. Version 1.4 also provides improved SMS messaging and global hot keys for creating reminders even more quickly. [Download - 1.1MB]


• RailModeller 3.1 ($40) solution for creating layouts for model railroads and slot cars on Macs. More than 180 libraries are included providing tracks and accessories from virtually any manufacturer of model railroad tracks, allowing the user tstart planning their model railroad empire right away. The latest update to version 3.1 delivers RailModeller as a Universal Binary and features various enhancements requested by customers. [Download - 6.8MB]

New Keynote themes: Distressed, iPresentee...

Two new Keynote themes have made their debut. Divine Fiat has announced the immediate availability of Distressed, its latest theme for Apple's Keynote presentation software. Distressed "remains subtle and keeps your images and information front and center while bringing a hip edge to your next presentation." It features artistic flare and understated pinstriping, using six slides of extras. Resizable media placeholders employing Keynote's new Picture Frames feature and custom decorative elements allow you to create your own Distressed style slide layouts. Color and texture palettes along with editable custom icon objects in the Distressed style further extend the themes flexibility. Distressed can be purchased by itself for $26.

iBank 3.1 offers direct preview downloads...

IGG Software has announced iBank 3.1 the latest release of its personal and small business financial manager made exclusively for Mac OS X. Among the most important changes in the iBank 3.1 upgrade is the ability to preview direct downloads for matching transactions; users are alerted if a duplicate transaction has already been imported to iBank, or advised to proceed when no matching transaction is found. iBank's internal browser, which allows users to log in to online accounts without leaving the application, has been enhanced with improved page loading and more banks' websites available to users

SpamSieve 2.7 ups requirements, performance...

C-Command has released a new version of SpamSieve, a spam-filtering tool for Macs that relies on Bayesian algorithms. The software integrates with multiple e-mail clients, and evolves to more accurately block unwanted messages. It can decode messages intended to bypass filters, and incorporates both black- and whitelists, the latter of which can be compiled from Address Book, Eudora or Entourage in order to ensure common contacts are never blocked.

iCal vulnerable to malicious .ics files...

A new vulnerability in iCal has been discovered that allows un-authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems with (and potentially without) the assistance from the end user of the application or to repeateadly execute a denial of service attack to crash the iCal application. Core Security writes that "the most serious of the three vulnerabilities is due to potential memory corruption resulting from an resource liberation bug that can be triggered with a malformed .ics calendar file specially crafted by a would-be attacker".

aTV Flash unlocks common media for Apple TV...

Apple Core has released v2.2 of the aTV Flash, an add-on for the Apple TV. The Flash is a USB flash drive, which when connected to an Apple TV will automatically install files that liberate some of the functions of the device. Users can, for instance, play AVI, WMV and DivX/XviD movies, as well as raw DVD files including subtitles. Rentals can be streamed from Jaman.com, in addition to the iTunes Store.

Creative ships TravelSound iPod nano speaker to US...

Peripheral maker Creative Labs has introduced a new speaker setup for iPods, the TravelSound for iPod nano. As opposed to most such speaker systems, which rely on separate, desktop-sized satellites, the TravelSound meshes two channels into a single body, in which the Nano docks flush. The speaker is also designed to be tiny enough to be handheld, or carried in pockets, purses or luggage. Each channel produces 700mW of RMS power, with a frequency response of 180Hz to 20KHz.

Apple pushes iTunes with Coldplay TV ad

Apple has posted a new television ad on its website, under the iPod+iTunes section. The ad features the British band Coldplay silhouetted against brightly-colored lights, as they play a single from their upcoming album, Vida la Vida, due on June 17th. The spot specifically highlights the album as an "exclusive" to the iTunes Store, although this refers only to digital sales rather than physical copies. Stores such as Amazon will be allowed to carry CD and LP versions.

ArtSuite 4.0 incorporates 'glamour,' color effects...

AKVIS has released the fourth major version of ArtSuite, one of its phone enhancement programs. The software is used to add simple effects to images, primarily frames such as ragged or wood edges, a curling page, or another photo. Users can additionally change the image itself through tools such as a channel mixer, a black-and-white converter, and texture selection.

Apple sued over use of 'Mighty Mouse' name...

Apple is facing a new lawsuit over its Mighty Mouse peripheral, reports say. The case was filed in Greenbelt, Maryland by a company called Man & Machine, which is accusing Apple of violating a trademark associated with its own Mighty Mouse device, an optical mouse designed to be waterproof and chemical-resistant for use in environments such as labs and hospitals. Crucially, M&M began selling its product in 2004, over a year before Apple's device went on the market.

First Vancouver Apple Store set to open May 24th...

The first Apple Store in the Canadian city of Vancouver, or its home province of British Columbia, is scheduled to open this Saturday, May 24th. The store is located at 701 West Georgia Street within the Pacific Centre Mall, and on its opening day, will operate from 10AM to 7PM. Sunday hours are 11AM to 6PM; Monday and Tuesday return to the Saturday schedule, but Wednesday throguh Friday, the store will be open until 9PM.

Spore: cellular life-form stage revealed...

EA on Tuesday unveiled a new high-definition movie trailer of the cellular stage in Spore – a highly anticipated, all-encompassing simulation of evolution and civilization. The trailer shows how basic gameplay works during the entry stages of a Spore organism, illustrating the differences between jaw-bearing carnivorous entities and filter-mouthed plant feeders. It goes through several stages, from birth through to evolving the desire to come above water. Spore is expected to ship September 7th.