Apple .Mac Backup v3.1.1 released

If you are a .Mac subscriber here is some news for you. Apple has released an update to its Backup software. Version 3.1.1 is available to download now and adds improvements for backing up and restoring with external drives, better memory management and restoring of bundled file types. You will need OS X 10.3.9 or later to run Backup.

Parallels Desktop no longer Beta

Parallels announced today an update to its Desktop for Mac software, which enables users running Intel based Apple Macs to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system at the same time as Mac OS X, without re-booting.

The new version of Parallels Desktop is anchored by Coherence, a groundbreaking new feature that runs Windows applications on the Mac like they are native applications. When users switch to Coherence mode, the Windows desktop disappears, leaving Windows applications, such as Outlook and Internet Explorer, running directly on the Mac desktop and from the Mac application dock. It is completely customizable, providing numerous options for loading and running applications and viewing the Windows task bar and Start menu.

“When we introduced Parallels Desktop in April, we blurred the lines between the Mac and Windows worlds. With the introduction of Coherence, we completely blow that line away,” said Benjamin Rudolph, Director of Communications, Parallels. “This is a game-changing technology that gives users the ability to choose the best application for the job at hand. We intend to expand the Coherence function to help computer users move to a truly operating system-agnostic desktop.”

Existing Parallels users get this proper release version free of charge, the full product for new users costs $79.99.

Miglia lets you be LocationFree on your Mac

Miglia Technology today announced its dedicated Apple Mac OS X based software for the Sony LocationFree™ Base Station.

LocationFree (OS X), is a groundbreaking software package designed especially for your Mac, working with the Sony’s LocationFree™ Base Station. It enables you to stream wirelessly a TV or Video signal from your front room via your Broadband hub to your Mac Desktop wherever you may be. Imagine watching the TV in your front room, wirelessly in the back garden on your Mac laptop, or even in your hotel room whilst traveling.

With Miglia’s innovative LocationFree(OSX) software and the Sony’s LocationFree™ Base Station you can watch live TV wirelessly on your Mac, play back recorded programmes and even set up future recordings from your Mac desktop anywhere. The Sony LocationFree™ Player, will support up to four externally connected devices like a DVD player/recorder or satellite receiver. The TV signal from your cable box, satellite receiver or DVR(Digital Video Recorder) at home is streamed to your Broadband hub and sent over the internet and then cleverly “re-directed” to your Mac, no matter where you may be as long as your Mac has access to a Broadband connection.

Key Features

  • View your home TV anywhere in the world with this software package designed exclusively for the Mac and the Sony LocationFree™ Base Station
  • Control your home TV by changing channels, viewing recorded material or scheduling future recording where ever you may be.
  • Requires a Sony LocationFree™ Player and Broadband Internet access
  • Access and control any two STB devices connected to the LocationFree™ Player.
LocationFree (OS X) requires OSX 10.4, QuickTime 6.4 or later, minimum 512MB of RAM and a G4/867MHz minimum. More details on Sony LocationFree here, and the Miglia site here.

Awesome Mac OS X Screensaver: Soundstream

Soundstream 1.5 consists of a randomly moving particle generator that responds to the sound level picked up by your Mac’s microphone. It can also be used as a replacement to the sometimes boring iTunes visualizer. I tried it and really like it, awesome !

via pcheese.net read more | digg story

Apple Mail - Resize you images easily

Do you ever get moaned at for sending large image attachments in your emails? Or perhaps you want to save some of your valuable time by sending smaller images. Well, rather than having to resize your images with Photoshop or yet another utility, you can do it right from within Apple Mail. Check out the how to here.

Downsize your images with Downsize

Downsize by Stunt Software, now… what can I tell you about this clever little application? Well, so that I could give you a really good insight into what it offers, I have been using it for the past month. You may well have noticed that all of the images on the Geekanoids site changed. They now all have borders, with rounded edges and a nice subtle shadow, a nice uniform look… all courtesy of Downsize.

The application window is just so easy to get to grips with. On the left hand side you select the source of your images, this can be from iPhoto, a particular folder for batch processing, or you can just drag a single image into Downsize. You can also set a destination folder for your finished images. The right hand panel consists of three tabs, resize, watermark and frame, each determining how your image will look.

In the 'Resize' tab you set your maximum width and/or height that you want your finished image to be. You can also choose a sharp or smooth quality and a compression quality. Just using these settings alone give you a useful way of resizing your images quickly and easily, but there's more…

The 'Watermark' tab allows you to add either a piece of text or an image file to the files you are processing. You can control the placement of the watermark, the opacity and the distance that it will be from the edge of your image. This is a great way of adding some copyright protection to your files. Again, this is so well implemented and a very useful feature.

The last set of features are found in the 'Frame' tab. This is where I played to get the settings I liked for the Geekanoids images. You can add a frame to your images, with adjustments for thickness and colour. Rounded corners are easy, with a slider control to adjust the corner radius. You can even alter the background colour of your images. Shadows are also controlled in this tab, where you can tweak blur, distance, opacity and the angle of the shadow. When all you settings are made, a simple click of the 'Process Images' button and Downsize springs into action.

There are many applications available for OS X, but the ones that count are those that make your day-to-day tasks easier, and Downsize is one of those applications. It found its way into my dock for this review and it will remain there, now an integral part of my workflow. The only minor omission is that you cannot save your settings, so if you want to change them for a different project it is important to make notes beforehand. I mentioned this to Stunt Software and they acknowledged that the ability to save settings is in the pipeline and will appear in a future version.
Downsize really is the best image processor that I have found, not only is it quick, but also very easy to set-up, with just the right amount of features. The fact that it is only $19.95 makes it a total bargain.

Product: Downsize
Price: $19.95 (free to try)
Supplied by: Stunt Software
Contact: info@stuntsoftware.com

Spring Cleaning 9 goes Universal

Smith Micro have launched Spring Cleaning 9 for Mac OS X. The biggest news is that it sports full Universal Binary support for Intel and PowerPC-based Macs. On top of this you get new maintenance and cleaning tabs, a permissions fixer, Spotlight index rebuild button, and the ability to securely delete (zero data) from your hard drive free space. There is also a application uninstaller, plus many more features for your money.

Spring Cleaning 9.0 requires Mac OS X v10.4 and costs $49.99, you can upgrade from a previous version for $19.99.

DocumentWallet - Organise your PDFs

LLC have announced the release of DocumentWallet(TM), a document management application for Mac OS X that gives users the ability to easily scan, manage and archive documents. DocumentWallet leverages many of the great features found in the company's ReceiptWallet(TM) product, including smart collections, seamless scanner integration and archiving to CD or DVD, to simplify the tedious process of cataloging and searching for documents.

Designed for individuals and organizations that want to get better control over their paper and electronic documents, DocumentWallet organizes documents of all kinds, similarly to the way Apple's iPhoto application organizes photographs. Its familiar interface elements make it instantly usable, and its many features provide the breadth and flexibility that Mac users demand.

We hope to bring you a full review soon.

Parallels Desktop RC3 - Vista Friendly

Parallels today released a new version (RC3) to its' desktop software for Macs. Parallels Desktop RC3 allows Mac users to run different operating systems on their Intel based machines, without the need to reboot like Apple's Bootcamp. This new release adds support for the new Microsoft Windows Vista, as well as many other improvements. There is also a new look and feel, keyboard re-mapping, and USB 2.0 support. I personally use Parallels and although I do not delve into the Windows environment very often on my Mac, when I do it works very well.

Totem Treasure 2 from Pokie Magic

Totem Treasure 2 was launched today from Pokie Magic, their first ever Mac game. If you fancy a bit of fun on the Mac, rather than working 24/7, then spend a little time with this slot machine sim. "During the Wolf Feature smiling totems may appear on reels 2 and 4 (2 and 5 in the 6 reel games). After each spin the spirits of good fortune will award you special bonuses for each totem which appears". You can download a demo, or stump up $19.95 for the full version.