Parallels 6 for Mac Coming September 14th
September 9, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Parallels has formally announced Desktop 6 for Mac and will go on sale September 14th. Parallels claims over 80 new features and enhancements in the virtualization software. The focus is on improved speed by way of a switch to a completely 64-bit engine. Windows apps should on average run about 41 percent faster per claims.
3D rendering improvements should allow games to run around 40 percent faster. The utility now also supports 5.1-channel surround sound, and applying Mac-based parental controls to Windows titles. VMs can be encrypted, and Mac shortcuts can be applied to Windows apps.
Pricing
Desktop 6 will cost $80 new, or $50 as an upgrade. A student edition is expected to cost just $40. There is a Switch to Mac Edition is being priced at $100 which includes a USB transfer cable. The switch version is intended to migrate files, programs and settings from a Windows machine to a new Mac. Newly incorporated in the switch version included the ability to pull bookmarks from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.
QuickBooks 2011 for Mac Coming September 27th
September 7, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Intuit has announced QuickBooks 2011 for Mac, the next version of its small-business accounting software.
New in the upgrade is the concept of multiple user accounts, which allows up to five workers to view or edit content at the same time. Associated with the feature are user permissions, which can restrict people to a selection of eight different program areas. Quickbook has been given iChat integration to allow groups to wrk better together..
Other additions include mileage tracking for invoices and tax write-offs, and the ability to sort account registers via categories like date and amount. Reports can now be customized, or exported to Excel or Numbers. Intuit’s free Little Square magazine is being promoted as a way of learning the tricks of QuickBooks.
Price and Availability
The software is due to launch on September 27th. A single-user license will cost $230; the price goes up to $440 for two users, and $600 for three. Extra licenses are set to go for $210 each
Asterisk for Mac OS X Will Ship to US in Early 2011
September 7, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Sunrise Telephone Systems has announced its 2010 version of Asterisk for Mac OS X. The software is a port of the Linux version, and allows a Mac to host a private branch exchange (PBX) and VoIP server. An optional ISDN adapter brings compatibility with ISDN telephone lines.
Features included auto-attendant, call conferencing, call forwarding, call screening and call transfers, voice response menus, music-on-hold, voicemail, voicemail-by-email and IP phone support.
The 2010 version ships with a telephony server, an auto-starter, a configuration engine and a switchboard application. It features system preference panes that aid in easily setting up the server on a Mac.
The 2010 edition is expected to ship in Japan in December, with English version shipping in early 2011. The software requires Mac OS X 10.5 and 512MB of RAM for low call volumes, with 1GB of RAM required for high call volume usage. Pricing estimates are $580 without the ISDN adapter and $915 with the adapter.
Adobe Releases Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2
August 30, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, PC Software, Software
Adobe today announced the Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2 updates are available for immediate download on Adobe.com. The updates, originally posted as release candidates on Adobe Labs, extend raw file support to 16 new popular camera models including the Canon EOS 60D and Sony Alpha NEX-5, and improve on several of the lens correction profiles provided in the Lightroom 3.0 release. These latest updates also add over 120 new lens profiles to help photographers automatically correct for undesirable distortion and aberration effects. A full list of the newly added raw camera support and the new and improved lens profiles can be found on the Lightroom Journal.
With Lightroom 3.2, photographers can now also publish their photos directly to the popular social networking site Facebook and the online photo sharing service SmugMug from directly within the application.
Newly Supported Camera Models
Canon EOS 60D, Fuji FinePix HS10, Panasonic DMC-FZ100, Panasonic DMC-FZ40 (FZ45), Panasonic DMC-LX5, Pentax 645D, Samsung NX10, Samsung TL500 (EX1), Sony A290, Sony A390, Sony Alpha NEX-3, Sony Alpha NEX-5, Sony SLT-A33, Sony SLT-A55V
Pricing and Availability
The Lightroom 3.2 update is available as a free download for Lightroom 3 customers, and the Adobe Camera Raw 6.2 Photoshop plug-in is available as a free download for Photoshop CS5 customers, Photoshop Elements 8 (Win/Mac) and Premiere Elements 8 customers.
Apple Updates iWork to 9.0.4
August 26, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Apple has released an update to its iWork suite . Version 9.0.4 addresses unnamed issues in Keynote, Pages and Numbers.
The update also adds an ePub export option in Pages, enabling users to save documents in a format compatible with the iBooks reader app for iOS devices.
iWork 9.0.4 is now available directly from Apple’s Support site (downaload) or via Software Update. .
Switch & Sync Gets You From PC to Mac
August 26, 2010 by Laura
Filed under Mac Software, PC Software, Software
Laplink Software has announced the release of Switch & Sync, designed to be the easiest way to move from a PC to a Mac. Switch & Sync aims to make moving to a Mac or synchronizing folders between a PC and a Mac simple.
It copies all selected files and folders from a PC to a Mac, even automatically converting email, contacts and calendars from their PC format for use on a Mac with programs such as Apple Mail and Entourage. The Outlook conversion feature (compatible with Outlook 2000 or later, Windows Mail and Outlook Express 6 or later) is unique to Switch & Sync.
“Customers have been asking us for a PCmover-type solution for Macs,” said Laplink Software CEO Thomas Koll. “Laplink made PC to PC migration fast and easy and now we’ve done the same thing for PC to Mac migration.”
Switch & Sync builds on this reputation by automatically copying all of the files and folders the user selects - including documents, music and pictures - from a PC to a Mac. It can then be used to keep all of the files and folders up-to-date between the PC and Mac with automated synchronization and Laplink’s patented SpeedSync technology. This allows users to enjoy the benefits of each machine and use them in tandem, while SpeedSync helps them work quickly without missing a beat.
SpeedSync is patented Laplink technology that dramatically reduces the transfer times of modified data. It accomplishes this by only syncing the portions of files that have been changed. This allows for the fastest possible synchronizations, which keeps users from having to wait long periods of time for files to transfer between two computers. Switch & Sync also uses SmartXChange, which is designed to recognize when files have been deleted, renamed or replaced; streamlining the entire process.
Other Switch & Sync features include:
- A user-friendly interface for copying and moving data quickly and easily.
- Automated file synchronization allowing users to automatically sync files and folders daily, weekly or monthly between PCs and Macs.
- Laplink’s classic dual-pane window, which allows users to drag and drop files between the two computers.
Switch & Sync is available at www.laplink.com for $39.95 and is offered in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. It can also be purchased from most major software retailers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Glide Web OS Adds Safari Support
TransMedia has launched the Glide portable web operating system and application suite for the Apple Safari web browser. The Glide OS and application suite plugin can also be added directly to your Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers. Glide provides cross platform compatibility for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm Pre, Symbian and Windows Mobile users based on automated device identification and file transcoding.
Glide’s automated web capture, cross-platform file conversion and synchronization technology aims to transform the web into your personal hard drive and a powerful collaboration platform. Glide provides one search box and a bidirectional synchronized file management system to access and manage your personal files on your local desktop, search results and other online content. This makes it possible to access and transfer data between the web and your local desktop(s). You can capture text, images, audio and video content online and automatically transfer web content to your local desktop as well as automatically publish files from your local desktop to the web.
To enhance your search experience, access Bing, Google or Yahoo! through http://www.glidelife.com and select and capture multiple search results. Glide automatically extracts web content into a Microsoft Word 2007, 97, 2003, XP, PDF, RTF, or Glide Write HTML document. Then select or create your target folder(s) and Glide will automatically add web content to a synced personal or rights-based collaboration folder for online and offline access.
“We are excited to launch support for the Apple Safari browser today,” said TransMedia Chairman and CEO, Donald Leka. “By adding Glide to the Safari browser, Mac and PC users can conveniently access Glide as they browse the web.”
Glide Photo Editor With iPad Support
The new Glide Photo Editor uses a combination of HTML5 and cloud processing power to provide fast, feature rich, online photo editing without taxing your browser delivering a premium photo editing experience on memory and processor limited mobile devices such as the iPad.
NTI Shadow 5 Now Does Volume Cloning
August 24, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
NTI has updated its data protection software with the release of NTI Shadow 5. The utility offers one-way backup, two-way sync and file filtering. Backups can be continuous, or tied to a set schedule. Drag-and-drop file restoration is supported, and older versions of files can be kept alongside new ones. Files are saved in their native format.
Version 5 introduces volume cloning, taking on competitors like ChronoSync and Carbon Copy Cloner. Unlike a regular backup, the cloned data can immediately replace a damaged volume. Also new is folder merging, which syncs and combines two folders into one.
The software also allows for the backup of FAT32 and Mac OS X 10.4 volumes. The user interface has been upgraded as well. NTI Shadow 5 is a $39.99 download for a new license and $29.99 for an upgrade from a past version. Shadow 5 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or greater and at least 512MB of RAM.
Leopard, Snow Leopard Security Updates
August 24, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Apple has released a new security update, 2010-005. Four versions of the file are available, directed at the regular and Server editions of Leopard and Snow Leopard. Several vulnerabilities are fixed including ones with maliciously crafted fonts and PDF files, as well as remote attacks linked to the Samba cross-platform networking protocol.
Changes unique to Snow Leopard address a man-in-the-middle attack — used to steal credentials or direct connections — and flaws in PHP, which can for instance permit malicious PNG images. PHP itself has been updated to v5.3.2. Limited to the Server software are corrections in ClamAV, made possible by an upgrade of the latter to v0.96.1.
The client and server Snow Leopard downloads are 80.63MB and 136.86MB. For Leopard the files sizes are 211.88MB and 418.92MB. These can be downloaded directly or through the Software Update feature.
Video Peek at Office for Mac 2011
August 19, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Mac Software, Software
Microsoft has posted a new video clip highlighting some of the features of its Office for Mac 2011 suite due for release in late October.
In the video Microsoft’s Senior Evangelist for the Macintosh Business Unit Kurt Schmucker hightlights the following:
- Compatibility: Microsoft has focused on making Office for Mac 2011 more compatible with the Windows version than ever before, ensuring that users and documents can move seamlessly between platforms.
- Graphing: Office for Mac 2011 brings a number of new tools to help users display data in graphical formats, including the Sparklines feature that debuted in Office for Windows 2010. Sparklines allows users to display simple data in small graphs that fit right into the cells of Excel spreadsheets to provide a significant amount of information at just a quick glance.
- Photo Editing: Available throughout the suite, photo editing tools will allow users to perform a number of tasks such as filter application, background removal, and color correction without having to leave the document on which they are working.
This video is the first in a continuing series of behind-the-scenes previews of Office for Mac 2011.