∞ Apple updates Aperture and iMovie

Apple on Thursday released updates for its pro photography workflow application and its consumer-focused iMovie, according to MacUpdate. (more…)

∞ First iPad game names leak out

The names of several iPad games have slipped through the cracks – apparently pushed live to the App Store prematurely (the iPad isn’t released in the United States until April 3rd). The names include ones we’ve already heard about, such as Flight Control HD from Firemint, along with other pleasant surprises, like Worms HD and Plants vs. Zombies HD. Labyrinth HD also is a natural fit – its iPhone predecessor is one of the surefire ways to convince non-iPhone users that its accelerometer is cool for games. I already own Plants vs. Zombies for my Mac and iPhone, and I’m looking forward to buying it again for my iPad.

iPad games leak out, including Plants vs Zombies HD [TUAW]

∞ Ultimate-Guitar.com releases guitar tab iPhone app

One of the guitar resources I use the most on the Web, Ultimate-Guitar.com, has jumped into the iPhone app business. (more…)

∞ Beta Monkey releases Rock Essentials drum loops

My favorite drum loop company, Beta Monkey, released two new drum libraries for Rock musicians and engineers. (more…)

∞ The Settlers 7 released for Mac and PC simultaneously

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom is TransGaming’s latest Mac release. The game is available for purchase and download using TransGaming’s GameTree Online download service. It costs $49.99, and a “Gold/Collector” edition costs $10 more. (more…)

∞ More on iPhone app review payola

There’s been a lot of talk since last week when it came to light that some iPhone app review sites were charging developers to do reviews of their products. Shawn King and I talked about this last night on Your Mac Life — readers should go to sites they trust. As a reader, I don’t trust a review that was paid for by a company or a site that requires cash to do a review.

Several developers have responded by promising to avoid sites with such policies. In reaction to our article, Jeff Campbell, owner of Tapestry Apps, pledged to blacklist pay-to-play websites and urged other developers to do so as well. Alexandra Peters, community manager of Firemint, which develops the popular iPhone game Flight Control, also said she would avoid sending news releases to pay-to-play sites.

Developers, Websites Respond to iPhone App Payola Story [Wired]

∞ First TiVo Premiere reviews posted

I don’t know that I’ve ever talked to someone that didn’t like their TiVo. Most marvel about the ability to record their favorite programs, share media around the house and transfer recordings to their computers. The newest Tivos are out and the reviews are complete. Two of my favorite gadget sites were among the first to give their opinions of the TiVo Premiere.

It’s not fast and it’s completely devoid of eye candy. Corners were cut, and there’s no excuse for those moments when basic elements of a UI don’t match.But the Premiere is still the best turnkey set top DVR I’ve ever used—TiVo has me there. As a self-contained package that combines your cable subscription with goodies on the internet, it’s very intuitive, natural and, ultimately, successful. Indeed, it’s a peanut-wielded TiVo through and through.

TiVo Premiere Review: Where’s the Razzle Dazzle? [Gizmodo]

It’s been three years since the TiVo HD first arrived and just about a year and a half since TiVo first started beta testing this interface, and after using the Premiere for a day, here’s what we want to know: what the hell has TiVo been doing all this time? The new UI is excellent, but it’s only skin deep, lags like crazy, and accessing any deeper functionality requires a resolution switch and a fallback to the old interface. The major content partnerships have been in place for a year now, and the interfaces used to access them haven’t been updated in any significant way beyond integrating the search results.

TiVo Premiere review [Engadget]

∞ iPhone, Safari, IE 8, Firefox all hacked at CanSecWest

The Pwn2Own contest kicked off today at the CanSecWest security show. So far, the iPhone, Safari, IE 8, Firefox have all been hacked. Charlie Miller won $10,000 for hacking Safari without having physical access to the machine. All I know is these guys all scare the hell out of me and make me want to turn off my computer completely.

iPhone, Safari, IE 8, Firefox hacked in CanSecWest contest [CNET]

∞ Apple releases Pro Applications Update 2010-01

Apple released a pro applications update on Wednesday, targeted to Final Cut Studio users. (more…)

∞ Boss introduces the BR-800 portable multi-track studio

For a lot of musicians Boss is one of the most trusted name in the music business. The company on Wednesday added to its product line with a portable studio. (more…)

∞ Apple may match Amazon e-book prices

There has been a lot of talk about how much Apple will charge for books in its iBookstore, mostly because it is believed that Apple will charge more than Amazon. That may not be the case. A report from someone that has seen the iBookstore says the prices are exactly the same for Amazon and Apple.

Anyway, at the moment, out of the 32 eBooks featured in the New York Time’s Bestsellers section, 27, including the entire top 10 are priced at $9.99.

iPad iBooks Pricing Revealed – Matches The Kindle [AppAdvice]

∞ Microsoft releases Messenger for Mac 8 beta

Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit on Wednesday released Messenger for Mac 8 beta, adding support for audio and video calls. (more…)

∞ Random House worries iPad could erode e-book prices

Even though Apple has many of the top book publishers signed up for its iBookstore, one of the largest — Random House — is still missing. While the company conceded the iPad and similar products were here to stay, executives are still being cautious.

But the absence of the book market leader would prove a blow to Apple. Markus Dohle, Random House chief executive, did not exclude the possibility of reaching a deal before the iPad goes on sale on April 3, but said he was treading carefully, as Apple’s pricing regime could erode established publishing practices.

Random House fears iPad price war [FT.com]

∞ Harvard University joins Apple's iTunes U

iTunes U has a new contributor to its educational content. Harvard University on Tuesday launched its own content channel on Apple’s service. (more…)

∞ Analyst: Apple expected to make an HDTV in 2-4 years

Apple has entered the consumer marketplace with several products, but one analyst expects the company to delve even deeper into the market with a connected-HDTV. (more…)

∞ Mac App Store Bodega 1.0 launches

Mac software developer, Freshcode, on Tuesday officially launched its Mac App Store called Bodega. (more…)

∞ Nintendo leaves gaming world scratching its head over 3D announcement

Nintendo has quietly announced on its Japanese Web site plans to introduce a new portable game device capable of producing 3D graphics. Nintendo said it will reveal more news at E3, the annual gaming convention which returns to Los Angeles, Calif. in June, according to a report at The Wall Street Journal. (more…)

∞ Thanks to Steam, game developers look at the Mac with renewed interest

I had a feeling that if Valve stood up and walked into the Mac market without fear that others would follow, and I’m hoping this is a sign that I’m right: Apparently Gas Powered Games plan support for the Mac, going forward via Valve’s Steam distribution service. “We, as a developer, will include a Mac platform option in all of our proposals moving forward,” (Supreme Commander 2 developer) Chris Taylor reportedly said. “We’re in 100 percent support of it, absolutely.” There’s also some whispering that DICE may bring Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to the Mac, and surely if these things come to pass then others will follow. Keep your fingers crossed.

Interestingly, one can’t help but wonder if SC2 is positioned to be Starcraft 2’s only real competition in the same genre on the Mac this year.

Game developers eye the Mac after Steam’s jump to Apple [AppleInsider]

∞ Now Software closes up shop

I remember Now Software from way back. The main products the company had at that time were Now Contact and Now Up To Date, two personal management tools for the Mac. Sadly in recent years, the company’s projects were too much for them. (more…)

∞ Apple begins selling unlocked iPhone 3GS (Updated: Not unlocked)

Monday is a good day for those that want to use an iPhone 3GS on a wireless network other than AT&T. (more…)

∞ Apple adds Gift This App option

Apple on Monday added the ability to gift apps on the App Store. This means that you no longer have to buy a generic gift certificate to get someone an application, you can buy them the application itself. This has ramifications beyond beneficence, however – developers routinely run out of comp redemption codes for their apps when dealing with reviewers. This will make it easier for devs, publishers and their marketing minions to make sure that apps end up where they’re supposed to, and that reviewers don’t end up using that gift card code to download something else entirely.

Apple adds Gift this App option to App Store [Macworld]

∞ Can the Kindle compete on the iPad?

Amazon on Monday announced a new app designed specifically for Apple’s iPad and other tablet devices. It’s not a big surprise that they will have an app, but can they compete against Apple on the platform? (more…)

∞ The Gamer Mind, as Explained by Sid Meier

One of the most well-known names in the gaming industry is Sid Meier, who brought us the legendary Civilization series over the last few decades (as well as some other titles which few of us can remember the name of) said a few things at the recent Games Developers Conference about what makes a gamer tick. He’s a level-headed guy who seems to have a clear view on what gamers are all about, and says some interesting and controversial things such as “games should have moral clarity”, “players are egomaniacs” and “Game play is a psychological experience”. Interesting insight from a guy who actually knows something.

Game guru Sid Meier explains gamers [VentureBeat]

∞ Amazon, Barnes & Noble updating e-book apps for iPad

Amazon and Barnes & Noble already have e-book reading software available for the iPhone and iPod touch. While those apps will certainly run on the iPad as well, both companies have disclosed iPod-specific plans as well, according to the New York Times. Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which manufacture the Kindle and Nook e-book readers respectively, view the iPad as a way to sell more e-books – despite the potential competition for their own hardware.

Rush Is On to Be First in iPad Apps [New York Times]

∞ Hacker plans to reveal 30 Apple security flaws

Charlie Miller said he will reveal 30 security flaws he found with Apple’s Preview application at the CanSecWest security conference. Twenty of the flaws were found in the way Apple’s Preview app handles PDF documents. Unfortunately, because Safari uses the same code, he says a computer can be hacked using a malicious Web page too. Miller will demonstrate the flaws, but hasn’t decided whether or not to tell Apple.

He’s also considering keeping the details of his bugs secret and watching to see how long it takes the software vendors to patch them after his Vancouver talk. While that would leave users vulnerable to the secret vulnerabilities he’s found, Miller says it could also help reveal more about just what software companies are doing–or not doing–to patch their products’ flaws.

Researcher Will Expose 20 Hackable Apple Security Flaws [Forbes]

∞ Apple begins accepting iPad apps for review, confirms iPad App Store opening

Apple on Friday notified developers that it has begun accepting apps designed for the iPad. Apple also confirmed for The Loop that the iPad App Store will launch on April 3. (more…)

∞ Oh Please Oh Please Oh Please, pt 2: StarCraft 2 beta for Mac due in April

The Mac beta for StarCraft 2 is reportedly going to drop in April, following the appearance of a Windows beta which became available a few weeks ago. Few burrs under the saddle chafe a Mac user more than Windows gamers having more fun than them, so this will please a lot of people. Don’t get the wrong impression, however; it still carries a “when it’s ready” qualifier, so no promises are being made, but April is definitely the target. Those who want to whine might do well to remember the Win and Mac versions of the original StarCraft were a whole year apart.

StarCraft II beta developer chat 1 transcript [Blizzplanet]

∞ Oh Please Oh Please Oh Please, pt 1: Marathon may be coming back

Now that it looks like the golden era of Halo is beginning to recede into the sunset, there’s some speculation – and evidence – that they may be planning a return to their roots … in the form of a new Marathon game. Apparently Bungie filed a new trademark application for “Marathon”; not exactly conclusive evidence, but it carries the whiff of possibilities. You youngins need to understand: When veteran Mac gamers aren’t busy sitting on their patio and yelling at neighborhood kids to get off their lawn, they’ll tell you a tale about the days when Mac first-person-shooters were actually better than the fare offered on Windows and, when they do, they’ll mention the Marathon series. Could this trademark application signify Bungie’s return as the golden child of Mac gaming?

Makers of Halo have a new project [Kokugamer]

∞ Mac 'biggest event in Steam's history'

John Cook, Valve’s director of Steam development, recently took some questions about the company’s new foray into Mac support. Among his comments is that Valve considers Steam for the Mac “to be the biggest event in Steam’s history.” Impressive for a service that, by some estimations, owns 70 percent or more of the PC game download market.

Interview: Steam on Mac OS X is ‘the biggest event in Steam’s history,’ John Cook says [Joystiq]

∞ Location, Location, Location: 'iGroups' coming to MobileMe?

Every year or two we seem to see an internet trend spike really fast; Facebook a few years back, “microblogging” in the 2006/2007 era, and now it seems like Apple is stepping into the ring with the latest: location-based social networking. Made popular by websites like Foursquare and Gowalla, the trend has been overtaking smartphones including the iPhone, and appears to be creating an effective link between the virtual world of social networks and the real world where people do things like eat lunch together or shop (or so I hear). Apple is now grabbing up some patents which suggest that they could combine MobileMe with GPS-style features and even a walkie-talkie type of communication option which lets you connect to your friends’ iPhones if they’re nearby. It brings to mind a story not long about how Apple was grabbing up some mapping technology which made people speculate about their potentially taking on Google Maps. Perhaps they were gearing up for this instead?

Apple’s working on a new social location app called iGroups [TheNextWeb.com]