Publicspace.net (http://www.publicspace.net/) has released A Better Finder Rename 8.5.6, an update of the renaming solution for the Mac. The new release adds the ability to use a random sort in conjunction with the numeric, alphabetical and roman numeral sequence features of the tool. This is primarily useful in the creation of slideshows. A Better Finder Rename costs US$19.95. Business, family and enterprise licensing is also available. Customers may chose to include a "forever upgrade" with their purchase.

VolnaTech has released NimbleKit SDK (http://nimblekit.com), an update to their software development kit thath adds full iPad support. NimbleKit allows to develop iPhone and iPad applications using just HTML and Javascript. According to the folks at VolnaTech, there's no need to spend time learning how to use complicated tools. Just start development from a template and immediately HTML file available for modification or to launch your app in simulator. The NimbleKit SDK requires Mac OS X 10.5.5 or higher and iPhone SDK 3.0 or higher. It's available for US$99. A trial version is full featured but apps created unregistered can run only on iPhone or iPad simulator (part of iPhone SDK).

AMD (http://www.amd.com) has launched the first of a new family of ATI FirePro professional graphics solutions with ATI Eyefinity technology. No word on if or when they'll come to the Mac Pro. The ATI FirePro V8800 is "the industry’s most powerful professional graphics card ever created2 and the only professional graphics solution in the world supporting ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology and Microsoft DirectX 11 technology, says Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group. It has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$1,499. The ATI FirePro V8800 delivers 2.6 teraflops of raw computing power with the highest memory bandwidth (147.2 GB/s) available in any single-card professional graphics solution -- more than two times the compute power of the previous generation, Bergman says. In the coming months AMD plans to round out its next-generation ATI FirePro family, offering a number of solutions to meet the various 2D and 3D needs of...

Sorenson Media has announced that all of the company’s Internet video solutions have already been optimized for the iPad, including the Sorenson 360 online video platform, the award-winning Sorenson Squeeze client-side encoding solution and the Sorenson Squish browser-based encoding solution. This optimization is available immediately and at no additional charge. Since June 2009, every Sorenson Media solution has also been fully compatible with the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. Sorenson Media was the first to optimize for the iPhone 3G S immediately after its launch. To view screenshots of Sorenson Media’s solutions in action on the iPad, visit: http://blog.sorensonmedia.com . Using optimized presets, the Sorenson 360 online video platform enables users to encode video content in the iPad-compatible MPEG-4 format and deliver that content using Apple’s native video player. Intelligent embed codes then immediately call up the correct player for playback on the iPad and other Apple...

Doremisoft has announced Doremisoft Video to Flash converter for Mac 1.0 (http://www.flash-video-soft.com/video-to-flash-converter-mac/), an US$49.95 Flash converter and editor for Mac OS X 10.4 and higher. Doremisoft Video to Flash converter is designed for converting video formats from all kinds of video including 3GP, MP4, ASF, MOV(Quick Time), MPEG, MPG, WMV, AVI, MKV, RM, RMVB, VOB, HD video, etc to Flash video in FLV, SWF formats. According to the folks at Doremisoft, the software can help you upload your favorite videos to popular video sharing web sites, insert them to your own web site , blog, or social site.

Having problems getting an iPad to join or rejoin an Wi-Fi network? Apple has posted a KnowledgeBase article (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3304) on the matter. Apple says that, under certain conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network after restart or waking from sleep. This can occur with some third-party Wi-Fi routers that are dual-band capable when using the same network name for each network or using different security settings for each network. If you encounter this issue, try the following: ° Create separate Wi-Fi network names to identify each band. This can be done by appending one or more characters to the current network name. ° Ensure that both networks use the same security type (WEP, WPA, WPA2, and so on) ° If the issue persists, reset your network settings using Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. ° Always ensure that your Wi-Fi router firmware is up to date.

Freeridecoding has updated SmartBackup (http://freeridecoding.com/smartbackup), a Mac OS X app for lightweight backups, to version 3.0. The upgrade sports a revamped interface, a new mode to support folder syncing and improved performance. SmartBackup performs backups to hard drives, network sharepoints, webDAV, USB sticks and iPods. It supports configuration via Spotlight "saved searches," archiving of deleted or changed items, file exclusion, handling of multiple backup sets, one-click restore and automation using iCal, Automator or shellscripts. SmartBackup costs US$25 for a single-user license; site licenses are also available. Version 3.0 is a free update for all users that have purchased a license since Jan. 1, 2009, or an upgrade to version 2.5. For all other users upgrade licenses are available starting at $10.

Steve Wilmes Consulting has released the Developer's Cards (http://www.cardsfm.com) book for FileMaker Pro 11. The set of cards offer a detailed reference that has every FileMaker function, error code, script step and more on three coil-bound double-sided-8 1/2 x 11 inch (A4)-laminated cards. The latest version includes pages on PHP Classes/Methods, FileMaker Server Event Codes, and common unicode values. Also there are highlights all the changes to functions, script steps, server commands, and script triggers added in FileMaker Pro 11. Card One goes in-depth describing functions and script steps. The card highlights functions that are case-sensitive, require the return character to separate values, use []s to separate multiple values and operate differently when hosted. For Script Steps it highlights which script steps are available over the Web, available when hosted on FileMaker Server and which are Mac/Windows only. Card Two has all of the FileMaker error codes (returned by Get(...

Digital Heaven, a third party developer for Apple pro apps, has released Loader 2.0 (http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/loader), an update of the US$79.99 application that streamlines the process of importing media into Final Cut Pro. The Final Cut Pro destination for imported items can now be set. Options are "Timestamped bin" (as in Loader 1.x), "Top level of project" or "Named bin" (Final Cut Pro 7 only). Loader 2 also adds: the ability to convert all audio files, regardless of original file type; audio conversion settings for sample rate, bit depth and mono/stereo configuration; and the ability to move original file(s) to trash by holding the Command key when dropping items on the Loader window. Importing music, sound effects, graphics or movies into Final Cut Pro is a task that most editors do many times a day. In order to keep media files in one place for a particular project, it has traditionally been necessary to first copy the files to a media folder and then import the copied...

Yazsoft (http://www.yazsoft.com) has released Speed Download 5.2.15 the latest version of its Mac OS X download manager that combines four products: a download manager with auto-resuming downloads, a secure FTP client, a file sharing utility with full encryption, and .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity. The upgrade offers offers optimized performance, better compatibility and more. Speed Download requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher. It costs US$25 for a single-user license. Speed Download is available in US English, French and Polish localizations.

SuperSync (http://www.supersync.com) -- Mac OS X compatible software that acts as a music collection’s central hub, retrieving, organizing, and syncing all music and movie files across machines and disk drives in order to create one consistent, complete music library -- has been updated to version 3.6. The upgrade adds support for importing music, video and playlists from iPads, iPhones and iPods. SuperSync includes integration with iTunes so that any additions to the SuperSync music library can be automatically reflected in iTunes. SuperSync eliminates the need to manually add new music or remove broken links in iTunes. Also, the software includes a powerful library scanner that will clean up your SuperSync and iTunes music libraries, removing broken links to music and adding new tracks. A copy of SuperSync is recommended for each Mac and PC that has music on it. SuperSync is priced at US$29 for two copies. For an individual synchronizing or remotely accessing their personal music...

MaBaSoft has released version 3.1.2 of Currency Assistant for Mac OS X (http://www.mabasoft.net/products/currencyAssistant.html). In the new version of the conversion calculator, the Turkmen Manat (TMM), which was definitively replaced by the New Turkmen Manat (TMT) at the beginning of 2010, has been deleted. The Search field in the Currencies window toolbar lets you now limit your search to the currencies appearing in the Add Currencies and Switch Currencies menus or to the currencies listed by the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, the International Monetary Fund, or the Bank of Italy. The appearance of buttons, pop-up menus, and scroll bars in converters has been revised. Currency Assistant lets you convert between 174 world currencies (all major circulating currencies plus the 16 Eurozone legacy currencies) and automatically updates exchange rates over the Internet using the rates published by the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada, the International Monetary Fund,...

Proporta (http://www.proporta.com) has unveiled several iPad products. The Mizu Shell is made from a mixture of crystal and silicone, fits like a glove, and purportedly provides the flexibility of a soft case with the toughness and strength of a hard case. The Aluminium Lined Leather Pouch features Proporta’s trademark “Screen Saver” System, with a sheet of lightweight, aircraft grade aluminium built in to protect against crushing and impact damage. The Maya II Pouch is a handcrafted pouch with a soft, scratch free lining, and is available in a range of colors. There are other custom made options to check out -- from the Tilt Stand that folds out into a portable stand, the Leather Case and Leather Style Case, and the Profile Hard Shell Case. Then tthere’s Proporta’s Advanced Screen Protector, made from plastic. Go to the Proporta web site for pricing and more details on all these items.

iFunia (http://www.ifunia.com) has expanded its family of Mac video converter products to include iFunia iPad Video Converter and iFunia DVD to iPad Converter. The new iPad Converter utilities offer a way to help Mac users convert their digital video content for Apple’s new iPad. Both application are priced at US$29, require Mac OS X 10.5 or higher and can be downloaded online from the company.

Apple's unveiling of iPhone OS 4.0 later this week will likely include full multitasking support, the new "iAd" mobile advertising service, and gaming related announcements, Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw told clients in a note today. He said checks with his sources indicate that iPhone OS 4.0 will be a full multi-tasking environment where third-party applications will be able to run simultaneously and in the background along with Apple's own built-in applications, as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). While multitasking will be important for the iPhone and iPod touch, it'll be even more important for the iPad, the analyst said. "We believe this will be particularly important for the iPad, due to its much faster processor and much larger screen where users will more likely want the capability to run multiple applications much like most do with their PCs and Macs," Wu says. "We believe this will allow AAPL to deliver a fuller and more differentiated experience on...

JVC says a new top-end JVC HD Everio video camera is now available. The GZ-HM1 HD Everio (http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028649&pathId=171&page=10) purportedly offers a full slate of technologies to optimize picture quality and an array of manual controls for creative flexibility. According to the folks at JVC, the GZ-HM1 offers performance improvements in three key areas -- low light performance, camera-shake compensation and digital still quality. It sports 64GB of internal storage and an SD/SDHC card slot. When it comes to still images, the GZ-HM1 delivers real 10 megapixel stills for detailed images up to 3648 x 2736. The GZ-HM1 offers an array of manual controls. These include a manual adjustment dial that, among other functions, allows precise manual focus. Other manual controls include selection of shutter or aperture priority shooting, and bracket shooting. In addition, there’s a user-programmable button for storing frequently used settings. To...

For 2010, the total portable computer market is expected to grow to 215 million units and US$117 billion, according to a new report by DisplaySearch (http://www.displayresearch.com). And the iPad will play a key role. Dramatic increases in the size of the slate-style market are expected to be driven by the iPad and slates from other brands that are expected to be launched this year. DisplaySearch expects slates to take some market share from clamshell-style netbooks, as well as lure customers that desire more functionality away from the e-reader market. The company also foresees the majority of slate volume to ship into the North American and Western European markets due, in large part, to Apple’s distribution plans and known content agreements. The mini-note/netbook/slate category will be the fastest-growing segment of the portable computer market for 2010, propelled in part by the introduction of slates, says DisplaySearch. However, clamshell style devices will continue to grow as...

LibreDigital says it's working with Apple and book publishers to power the delivery of e-books to the new iBookstore and iPad. LibreDigital is a d partner for publishers looking to bring their titles to iPad and iBookstore customers. LibreDigital works with the such U.S. book publishers as including HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Kaplan, Simon & Schuster and Scholastic, and the leading newspapers and magazines. It enables all publishers to securely market and deliver content across an expanding array of digital channels, including e-readers, tablets, smart phones, social networks and online stores, says CEO Russell Reeder. LibreDigital also offers solutions for device manufacturers and retailers seeking to deliver digital books, newspapers and magazines. Publishers interested in distributing their works on the iPad and in the iBookstore can go here: http://apple.libredigital.com/index.php . The iPad comes with an iBookstore app that features books from major and...

WD is now shipping 450GB and 600GB versions of the WD VelociRaptor the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA family of hard drives. The new WD VelociRaptor hard drive is designed for blade servers, high-performance Macs, PCs, professional workstations, as well as 1U and 2U rack servers. As the only 10,000 RPM SATA hard drive on the market, the WD VelociRaptor hard drive now comes packed with twice the capacity and up to 15% performance increase over the previous generation, according to Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager, WD. It's built with enterprise-class mechanics that provide 24x7 durability under high-performance demands and packs up to 600 GB of capacity into a 2.5-inch enterprise form factor, he adds. The WD VelociRaptor drive is also available in the IcePack enclosure, a 3.5-inch mounting frame with a built-in heat sink -- a factory customization that fits the drive into a standard 3.5-inch system bay and keeps this drive cool when installed in a high-...

comScore (http://www.comscore.com), which measures the digital world, released data from the latest comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month period between November 2009 and February 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone platforms in the U.S. according to their share of usage by current mobile subscribers age 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The February report found Motorola to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 22.3% market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 42.1% market share. Approximately 45.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones in an average month during the December to February period, up 21% from the three months ending November 2009, according to comScore. RIM was the leading mobile smartphone platform in the U.S. with 42.1% share...

Envivio says its 4Caster C42 video encoding/transcoding platform now offers comprehensive support for the iPad, enabling delivery of live and on demand high definition (HD) TV services over Wi-Fi and 3G networks for the new device. Available for both the 4Caster C4 and 4Caster C42, the enhancement further expands the flexibility of the industry's leading Three Screens video delivery platform, which already powers network operator and over the top TV services for the iPhone, including premium Pay TV, sports and movie content for operators in Europe, coverage of the Olympics and NHL hockey in Canada, and telecomm Mobile TV services worldwide, says Julien Signes, president and CEO of Envivio. New iPad owners can experience the quality of the Envivio video delivery platform for themselves by visiting the Envivio web site (http://www.envivio.com) and signing up for a free demonstration of HD and SD live streams. Envivio will also utilize the iPad in its Mobile TV and On Demand...

The Wonderfactory, a New York-based digital strategy and design agency, and WoodWing Software (http://www.woodwing.com/ipad) have collaborated on what they says is a publishing industry first: tools that enable publishers to produce beautifully-designed and compelling content for the iPad in almost the same way they create content for print. 
The two companies plan to help magazines, book publishers, and advertisers create and distribute interactive, user-focused experiences to the iPad and other mobile devices. The first collaboration is with TIME Magazine's launch coinciding with the April 3 launch of the iPad. "Using newly-developed InDesign plugins, the layouts for any digital magazine can be enriched with interactive multimedia elements like video, slideshows, and dynamic content," says Erik Schut, president of WoodWing Software. "Magazine designers retain full creative control and can work on print and digital issues in parallel. The process is easily reproduced." While The...

Pragmatic Bookshelf has released a "beta" version of "iPad Programming: A Quick-Start Guide for iPhone Developers" (http://macosg.me/2/33). As you might guess from the title, it shows iPhone developers how to build apps specifically for the iPad. The final version will be US$34. It's not for beginners (for beginners should check out "Beginning Mac Programming," also $34)). This book jumps right in and shows busy developers just what they need to know since the iPad is a different beast, according to the folks at Pragmatic Bookshelf. For the last six years, Pragmatic Bookshelf has made titles available as beta books in eBook formats. Just like beta software, these books are still works in progress. There's no index; they haven't been copyedited or fully typeset. But they do give readers up-to-date information, and authors get feedback to help shape the manuscript to match readers' needs. Purchasers get free eBook updates during the beta process up through the final version (and...

Beats by Dr. Dre, co-founded by artist and producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine, and Monster, which specializes in audio/video accessories, have teamed up with Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox organization for the introduction of Beats by Dr. Dre Red Sox Edition Headphones from Monster (http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=5872). The headphones, featuring official Boston Red Sox team colors and insignia, are the first-ever Major League Baseball licensed Beats by Dr. Dre headphones created for a sports team that are being made available to the general public. Beats by Dr. Dre Red Sox Edition Headphones from Monster are being made available with Monster iSoniTalk, a microphone/headphone adapter for iPhone, and other music enabled phones. Contact the company for pricing.

Apple says it sold over 300,000 iPads in the US as of midnight Saturday, April 3. These sales included deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores. Apple also announced that iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple's App Store and over 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day. "It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world -- it's going to be a game changer," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a press announcement. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."

Two more analyst firms have upped their outlook on price targets for Apple. Analysts at J.P. Morgan have lifted their price target for Apple to US$305 a share from $240, citing better-than-expected anticipated sales of the company's Mac, iPhone and iPad products, reports "MarketWatch" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jp-morgan-lifts-apple-price-target-to-3...). "We believe the iPad is a decent first step in a new category, but critical mass likely depends on future product generations overcoming current feature limitations," wrote the analysts in their note. "In the interim, though, the Apple faithful and the early adopters should help the iPad beat subdued investor expectations." J.P. Morgan added it expects 825,00 iPads to ship in the June quarter, followed by 1.23 million in the September quarter. Meanwhile, Kaufman Brothers raised estimates and their price target and Apple from $253 to $295.The firm said, "checks indicate 250,000-350,000 sold this opening weekend with aggressive...

Artman21 has released an update (version 1.0.3) of the system preference pane, JeditAnywhere (http://www.artman21.com/en/jeditanywhere/), that lets you edit the selected text in mailers, word processors or other applications with the Jedit X text editor. The new version improves compatibility with VMware Fusion, Eudora and Google Chrome. With JeditAnywhere, by tapping the option key twice, you can invoke Jedit X and edit the selection without the copy and paste operation. After you've finished editing, tap the option key twice again, and the results will be written back to the selected area of the target application. JeditAnywhere requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and Jedit X Rev.2.20 or higher. It costs US$12.

Oyen Digital (http://oyendigital.com/) has released the newly designed MiniPro series of 2.5-inch, bus-powered portable hard drives. The series includes a 1TB model, making it the highest-capacity portable hard drive available. It's equipped with a variety of connection methods including USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400 and eSATA. The series features a rugged housing, measuring 4.9-inches x 0.9 inches x 3.1 inches, using an aluminum construction for shock protection and heat dissipation. Oyen Digital's MiniPro is compatible with Mac OS 9.2 (and higher) and Mac OS X. All drives include Prosoft Data Backup 3 for Mac OS X.

Apple has sent invitations to the press for a special invitation-only event that will “peek into the future of iPhone OS." The event will be held on Thursday, April 8. As evidenced by the graphic on the invite, it's almost certainly to be the unveiling of iPhone OS 4. The sneak peak will be held at the Apple Town Hall at the company's Cupertino headquarters. So what will iPhone OS 4 offer? Only Steve Jobs and Friends know, but it's speculated that it will include more multitasking. iPhone OS 3.x (the current version) only allows a few core apps, such as iPod and Mail, to run in the background while another app is active.

Canaccord Adams technology analyst Peter Misek has raised his price target on Apple to US$300 from $250 or 20%. He's forecasting hot iPhone and Mac sales, as well as much better than anticipated iPad sales.

 “Our survey and channel checks indicated widespread sell-outs [of the iPad] at Best Buy stores, however Apple stores appeared to have more stock and thus continued to have inventory. We believe that around 700K iPads were sold so far, including 500K of pre-orders,” Misek told clients in a note today. "We also took this opportunity to channel check Apple’s other product lines and, as a result, are adjusting our shipment estimates for iPads as well as iPhones and Macs.” 

 The analyst has raised his iPad shipments for fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 to 3.7 million and 11.3 million from 1.2 million and 3.5 million respectively. For iPhones, he's now forecasting 35.2 million (vs. 34.9 million) and 54.9 million (vs. 52.3 million) device sales in fiscal 2010 and fiscal 201. For...

Gamepromo has released Pinball for Mac OS X (http://gameprom.com/thepinball) and Pinball Remote (itms://itunes.apple.com/app/pinball-remote/id347819481?mt=8) for the iPhone and iPod touch. Both are free. The game offers the ability to buy new pinball tables and offers start, pause, restart, flipper controls, table tilting, camera controls. Pinball and Pinball Remote have a built-in Help for pinball tables and local and global high score tables. You can also turn on a stereoscopic mode (stereo glasses are required for this).

The iPad could offer "significant" cannibalization of Apple's laptop sales, according to "Seeking Alpha" (http://seekingalpha.com/article/196954-mac-notebook-cannibalization-from...). "Seeking Alpha" estimates that there could be $15 (6%) downside to Apple’s stock if iPad sales were to eventually cannibalize about half of Mac notebook sales. Such a scenario could materialize if the majority of prospective Mac notebook buyers are primarily content consumers rather than content creators, the financial site says. ) About 18% of Apple’s stock value is attributable to the company’s Mac business. Mac notebooks are the most valuable component of the Mac business, constituting about 8% of Apple’s stock. In comparison, we estimate that the iPad constitutes about 4% of the $267 Trefis price estimate for Apple’s stock. "Seeking Alpha" estimates that there could be $15 (6%) downside to Apple’s stock if iPad sales were to eventually cannibalize about half of Mac notebook sales. Such a scenario...

ZAGG (http://www.zagg.com) has released the $29.99 InvisibleShield for the iPad. It's described as a "military-grade, virtually invisible, and indestructible film that protects thousands of gadgets from bumps, scratches, and dings with a lifetime guarantee." The original invisibleSHIELD will provide fingerprint resistance and added grip to the iPad’s smooth surfaces, and at the same time will not compromise the touch screen, says Derek Smith, vice president of sales for ZAGG. he full body invisibleSHIELD sells for US$39.99, and the front only or back only sells for $29.99.

Since Apple introduced the iPad in late January, Flurry Analytics (http://www.flurry.com/) -- a cross-platform mobile application analytics provider -- says it's noticed a significant spike in developer support, indicating early excitement for the promise of the device. As April 3 draws near, developers continue to develop for the iPad at a fever pitch. Today Apple added a toggle switch to its online iTunes store that allows consumers to view apps available specifically developed for the iPad. About 2,000 iPad apps were listed upon Flurry's initial count. Comparing the two pie charts from Flurry, the first notable difference is that iPad made up 22% of new projects starts within Flurry over the last 60 days. In March, over 3,000 unique applications were created within Flurry. A second point of interest is that Android's share of new project starts has decreased from 18% to 10%. However, it shouldn't be concluded that Android developer support is on the decline, say the folks at...

In addition to Apple retail stores, Apple’s new iPad will be available at most Best Buy stores this Saturday, April 3, beginning at 9 a.m. But with just 15 units available per store, it is likely the highly anticipated iPad will be elusive.   Milo.com, tracks the real-time in-store availability of Best Buy products, and almost 50,000 other retail stores nationwide. Early adopters in hot iPad pursuit can simply enter their location and type “iPad” on the Milo.com Web site or from their mobile phones and Milo.com will find the nearest Best Buy location with it in stock.

The iPad's attractive design, compelling applications and multi-touch capability will help to offset the omission of Adobe Flash from the device and send demand soaring in 2010 and beyond, according to a preliminary forecast by iSuppli Corp. (http://www.isuppli.com). Worldwide iPad sales are expected to amount to 7.1 million units in 2010. Sales will double to 14.4. million in 2011 and nearly triple to 20.1 million in 2012, says iSuppli. Sales in 2010 will be driven by early adopters and others attracted to the iPad's unique touch screen-baed user interface, the research group says. In 2011 and 2012, iPad sales will be driven up by a range of factors, including a flood of new applications, improved functionality and declining prices. 
What's more, iSuppli reps say this forecast is "conservative." Factors that could boost sales beyond their preliminary expectations are swift feature enhancements and the early addition of Flash support.

Toon Boom Animation has released Toon Boom Animate 2 (http://www.toonboom.com/products/animate/), an update of the animation software that lets you publish animation for all types of media, from online to HDTV. Version 2.0 offers: distribution of character parts to layers; adjustment of velocity on multiple character parts; creation of richer-looking ambiance; SWF export with effects; direct import of scanned drawings (TWAIN); and text capability. Animate can handle such formats and jobs as vector, bitmap, symbols, pegs, camera, morphing, inverse kinematics, advanced lip sync and more. It enables users to create traditional and bitmap animation as well as combine both styles. Users can access lip-sync and cell swapping tools. Buy Toon Boom Animate 2 is available for US$599.99 until April 14; the regular price is $699.99. All customers who took advantage of the pre-order campaign, which started on March 8, will receive their Product Code electronically along with instructions on how...

FileMaker (http://www.filemaker.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has announced the immediate availability of its Bento for iPad on the Apple App Store for US$4.99. The app is based on Bento for iPhone with enhancements to make the most of the big, beautiful iPad screen, says Ryan Rosenberg, FileMaker vice president of marketing and services. The new app enables users to manage contacts, track projects, plan events and more, and can be used by itself or synchronized with Bento 3 for Mac.   Bento for iPad works in both portrait and landscape views, automatically switching between views as the user rotates the iPad. Users can touch the screen to edit information in choice, date and rating fields and checkboxes. A new quick tap lets users watch videos, view photos and send e-mails. Customers can even browse web links in Bento without leaving the app.    The app features new notebook, clipboard, and glass themes that you can apply to any Bento library. It also includes 25 pre-...

In what may be good news for Apple's iWork apps, Microsoft has no plans to make Office products for the iPad, Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft’s business division, told "Bloomberg" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=AAPL%3AUS&sid=auK...).. At least not yet. Elop said the company would take a “wait and see” approach to tailoring software for the iPad, which goes on sale on April 3. “We never say never, but we have no current plans” to develop a version of Office for the Apple iPad, he added. An iPad edition of Office would likely be built by a unit within Microsoft’s consumer business that creates versions of Office that work with Apple’s Macintosh personal computers. Kristen Woody, a spokesman for that unit, told "Bloomberg" it “doesn’t have anything to share at this time.”

Black Cat Systems has announced that version 4.0.0 of Morse Mania (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/morsemania.html) has been released and is now available for immediate download. This version is a complete re-write in Cocoa, and adds Universal Binary support. Morse Mania is a morse code tutor for the Macintosh. The software package helps you learn morse code at speeds ranging from five to 50 words per minute. Morse Mania is designed for amateur (ham) radio operators who want to learn or improve their morse code proficiency, especially in order to upgrade their license class. The generated morse code is played using the computer's speaker. In addition to drills to help learn the various characters, Morse Mania also allows complete text files to be sent, so that "real life" messages can be used for practice. Simulated morse code conversations (called a QSO in ham lingo) can also be sent. In addition, the user can type characters at the keyboard, which are then translated into...

Overall satisfaction among smartphone and traditional handset owners whose phones are equipped with touch screens is considerably higher than satisfaction of owners of phones that have other input mechanisms, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates (http://www.JDPower.com). And the iPhone leads the pack in customer satisfaction. Among smartphone owners whose device has a touch screen, satisfaction averages 771 on a 1,000-point scale, nearly 40 index points higher than among those whose smartphone uses other input methods, such as a text keyboard. Currently, slightly more than one-half of owners indicate their smartphone has a touch screen for navigation. While not as readily available on traditional mobile phones, satisfaction on phones with a touch screen averages 756-53 index points higher than the industry average. "Touch screens are ideal for those using their phone for entertainment, as the displays are generally larger and provide a richer viewing experience,"...

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster tells clients that his initial estimates of 900,000 iPads sold in the June quarter and 2.7 million in calendar year 2010 “may prove to be conservative" and that Apple is selling every iPad it can build. As reported by All Things D (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Munster-Apple-is-Selling-allthingsd-418258...), Munster thinks Apple will sell between 200,000 and 300,000 iPads this weekend -- comparable to the 270,000 first gen iPhones it sold at launch. And he thinks the chances are good that the company will sell out of the tablet device. “When Apple began taking pre-orders customers could pre-order for home delivery on April 3 or in-store pickup on April 3,” Munster told clients. “A week before the launch (on March 27) the company pushed back the shipping date to April 12 and ended the in-store reservation program for the launch. And in preparation for the launch, on March 31 Apple retail stores began calling those with iPad pickup reservations to...

Apple has announced (http://www.apple.com/ipad/mobileme/) iPad support for MobileMe, the company's US$99-per-year suite of Internet tools. MobileMe delivers push email, push contacts and push calendars from the MobileMe service in the “cloud” to native applications on the iPhone, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. MobileMe also provides a suite of ad-free web applications that deliver a desktop-like experience through any modern browser. MobileMe apps include Mail, Contacts and Calendar, as well as Gallery for viewing and sharing photos and iDisk for storing and exchanging documents online. Apple says the service now syncs with iPad. And it offers a feature that lets you locate your iPad if you misplace it. Log in to me.com to view a map that shows the approximate location of your iPad. If it’s nearby, have it play a sound to help you find it, or display a message on the Home screen to help someone return it to you. The Find My iPad feature works best if your iPad includes both Wi-Fi and 3G,...

While everyone else has been distracted by the iPhone and that newfangled iPad, the Second Gear crew has been hard at work giving love to a dedicated group of Mac users who haven't felt the love lately: the Classic Mac diehards.   Second Gear has released Today 2 (http://www.secondgearsoftware.com/today-classic/), which lets you keep track of what's on your plate for any given day without keeping Now Up-to-Date & Contact open all the time. Today syncs with Now Up-to-Date & Contact and your life's agenda so daily events and tasks are always available via one, convenient little interface. It costs US$21.95. Upgrades from version 1.x are $11.95. A demo is available for download.

Ambrosia Software has updated WireTap Anywhere (http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/utilities/wta/) -- a low latency audio tool that lets you take the audio output from any Mac application or hardware input device and bring it into your favorite audio recording application -- to version 1.0.7. The upgrade adds several fixes and enhancements. You can create and edit all of your WireTap Anywhere devices from System Preferences. Once your devices are created, just change the input within your favorite audio application, and you're ready to monitor, process, and record. With WireTap Anywhere you can mix any combination of applications and input devices into a single, logical device. Select the software or hardware inputs you want, and WireTap Anywhere will handle the rest. WireTap Anywhere is Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. A demo is available for download. WireTap Anywhere costs US$129 for new users, but version 1.0.7 is...

Big Nerd Ranch Europe -- a provider of Cocoa and Cocoa touch developer training for the Mac, iPhone and iPad -- has announced a new date for its iPhone Bootcamp near Frankfurt, Germany: May 17 - 21, 2010. The class, covering iPhone and iPad programming, is taught by Scott Ritchie, who has 20 years background in Objective-C and Cocoa (touch) programming. The class is held at the historic former monastery "Kloster Eberbach." This class is for every programmer who likes to get a kick-start in iPhone and iPad development. One price covers five days of intensive iPhone and iPad training, lodging for five days, all meals, original instruction materials, 24-hour lab access, and transportation to and from the Frankfurt airport (FRA). Students signing up before April 12, 2010 apply for the early bird price and save Euro 200 off the price of €2800.

Mac OS X, Safari and iPhone market share for Internet usage rose from February to March, according to the latest market share survey from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com). According to the report, among operating systems, Mac OS X had 5.33% of the global market share in March, compared to 5.02% in February (that's global market share; in the US it's almost 10 %). Windows remains dominant with 91.58% as of March. That's down from 92.12% in February. Apple's highest percentage previously was 5.27% in October 2009, so March's number is an all-time high. When it comes to browsers, Safari had 4.65% in March, while Internet Explorer had 60.65% Firefox had 24.52% and Chrome had 6.13%. That compares to, respectively, February percentages of 61.58, 24.23 and 5.61%, for the browsers. The iPhone's market share also rose, according to Net Applications. The Apple device had 0.51% of the global market share in March compared to 0.50% in February. The iPod touch also had 0.11% of the...

Comm-Unity Networking Systems has released CNS Audit 1.0.3 (http://cnsaudit.cnsplug-ins.com), an update of the audit trail plug-in for FileMaker Pro to add to your databases. It's a maintenance update that fixes a problem with the plug-in not working on Windows with FileMaker Pro 11. CNS Audit includes full Roll Back support for undoing field changes and record deletions. CNS Audit is available for both Mac OS X and Windows systems. immediately at for both Mac OS X and Windows. Whether you just want peace of mind about being able to get a record back that you have accidentally deleted or if you have to comply to regulatory mandates like HIPAA, you can use CNS Audit to create an Audit Trail of your data within minutes, according to the folks at Comm-Unity. You can download a demo copy of the plug-in to test it out before purchasing. An one-user license for the client version of CNS Audit is US$95. There are several other price points on the purchase page for the plug-in. And version 1....

Hard Candy Cases is shipping the first line of protective sleeves for the iPad, with four additional models scheduled to ship in the next several weeks. There's a video of the cases at http://tinyurl.com/HCCBubbleShell that details the production process of the first Bubble Sleeves. “We wanted to create a case that had more style and protection than the typical neoprene sleeve," says Hard Candy Cases CEO Tim Hickman. "We took it a step further by custom molding rubber feet inside the case that add 2-3x the drop protection, and which allowed us to start manufacturing the casing earlier." Crafted with detailed stitching and zipper, the EVA molded, rigid Bubble Sleeve features shock absorbing fitted rubber bumpers to keep the iPad securely in place. A soft, padded interior lining protects the Multi-Touch display. The Bubble Sleeve is available in green, pink and black and retails for US$49.95. The entire line of iPad sleeves and shells are available to order at http://www.HardCandyCases....