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PCMag:

Apple has built a completely new, faster, cleaner, and more intuitive digital video editing package. While some professionals are still kicking and screaming about the changes it brings, we predict they’ll eventually be won over by Final Cut Pro X’s significant speed and usability advances. Meanwhile, prosumer video enthusiasts get a less daunting upgrade path to a pro-level Mac editor.

FCPX has come a long way.

[Via AI]

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Roxio is a maker of media conversion software for Mac OS X and Windows. The company’s portfolio includes the popular Toast software, which enables Mac users to burn audio and video CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.

Shawn Cadeau, Senior Vice President,

Have you noticed that Safari’s hovering-over-a-link pointing-finger cursor looks a little different in Mac OS X 10.7.3? It’s not just that the finger is at a slightly different angle — it’s a new UI resource that scales gracefully to larger sizes.

He’s right, I hadn’t noticed.

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The Guardian:

Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires.

They even claim that while sleep and sex may be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to longings or cravings to use social and other media.

Priorities people.

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iMovie vs Avid Studio

Avid Studio may be iMovie’s newest competitor for video editing on the iPad, but it’s not a fair competition. Avid Studio is the clear winner. iMovie doesn’t offer any significant features that Avid does not, but Avid can do much more than iMovie. Since they both cost $4.99, it’s almost a no-brainer.

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Brett Kelly:

Let me restate that I’m not just generally crapping on iBooks, the iBooks Author application or anything else. I’m an eBook author that’s sold a few copies and is pretty happy with how things have gone. If Apple’s wares seem like just the thing for your next eBook project, then I’d suggest you seriously consider employing them.

Just make sure you think through all of the possible ramifications of such a decision. That’s all I’m saying.

Brett certainly has some good points. While I’ve been asked many times to write a book, I never have, so I’m not an eBook author. For me, the interactivity that iBooks Author offers would be enough to use it and sell my books through the iBookstore. As Brett said, it’s important to know everything before you jump in.

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This got me thinking of “profiles” for the app, or how individuals might set the app up, based on occupation or interest. Launch Center does not offer a profiles feature, but it doesn’t really have to. Instead, a person’s interests or occupation naturally creates a certain list of of tasks.

Tools for increasing productivity are getting better, but a lot times it’s how we use them that make the apps truly great.

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Apple on Tuesday updated its professional workflow application, Final Cut Pro X, adding a number of significant features. I spoke with Richard Townhill, Senior Director of Applications Marketing at Apple, to get more details on the release. [...]

The Mac Observer:

By comparison, you’d spend around $800 for an iPad 2 and a new textbook each year for those four basic courses. You’d get more up-to-date materials, interactive learning, and a smaller footprint in your luggage for those long-distance field trips. And, you’d spend half as much for that learning experience as you would using traditional books.

Interesting, I hadn’t considered the impact on home schooling.

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With over 1.5 million votes cast (over three times the number cast last year) and a record number of nominations, we now have the winners of the 2011 Best App Ever Awards. Thanks to all that voted, nominated, and made these fantastic apps!

Awards were handed out in over one hundred categories including Best Visual Design, Most Innovative, Best Time Killer and

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Users who rely on the desktop version of OmniPlan but wish to manage complicated projects and workflows on-the-go will soon be able to pinch and swipe their way to Gantt chart nirvana. According to Omni Group CEO Ken Case, project management app OmniPlan will make its way to the iPad, perhaps as soon as the second quarter of this year.

Great news from Ars Technica. The Omni Group make some great apps.

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It seems that some people in the media went absolutely crazy over Apple’s iBooks Author EULA (End User License Agreement) while I was away last week, and I just can’t figure out why. [...]

Sandvox 2.5 adds a new Slide Show object to help make media presentations, and supports Lion features lie Resume, Autosave, Versions and Fullscreen mode. It also lets you notify users of changes to your site via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and e-mail. The publishing

PrivacyScan works by searching for known applications which leave files on your computer that could lead to privacy concerns. PrivacyScan offers support for a wide range of items, including popular web browsers such as Camino, Chrome, Firefox, Flock, iCab, OmniWeb, Opera, Safari, SeaMonkey, and Shiira, privacy threats presented by Flash Cookies, as well as standard apps such as Finder, Preview, and QuickTime. Once a scan has run its course and privacy threats have been detected, PrivacyScan offers a variety of choices for cleaning — from a standard quick delete to one of the many secure delete shredding options.

Made by the same people that make MacScan.

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You can download the iPad update from the App Store. If you purchased Yojimbo for Mac through the Mac App Store, you’ll find the update there. Customers who purchased Yojimbo from

BBEdit 10 from Bare Bones Software — The leading professional HTML and text editor for the Mac just keeps getting better, with more than one hundred new features. Download the demo and see for yourself!

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Going to San Francisco for the 2012 Macworld | iWorld expo? Here’s a list of useful apps to help you get the best out of the city, especially if you are new in town.

San Francisco is a great city made even better if you know where to go, what to see and how to get there. These apps, both free and paid, will help a

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Anyone can create a book for iBooks with Apple releasing the iBooks Author app in the Mac Store. It uses simple drag and drop features with Word files and images so that everything is done for you. Since iBooks Author requires you to have OS X Lion installed, it makes it difficult for those of us who have not upgraded from Snow Leopard yet.

Here is how you can get around that and install iBooks Author on Snow Leopard.

I haven’t tried this yet but

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