Another day, another lawsuit. NetAirus Technologies LLC has sued Apple over a patent related to wireless handset communications, claiming the defendant's iPhones infringe the technology. El Segundo, Calif.-based NetAirus lodged its complaint Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. contending that Apple’s iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS products infringe on its patent. The patent in question was granted to NetAirus on September 5, 2006 and seems to cover the broad concept of a “Wireless Handset Communication System." However, looking at the patent (number ) it seems it's more for a netbook device than a portable phone. Here's the summary: "A small light weight modular microcomputer based computer and communications systems, designed for both portability and desktop uses. The systems make use of a relative large flat panel display device assembly (2), an expandable hinge device (10), battery power source (9), keyboard assembly (16), and wireless...

They're baaaack. Mac cloner Psystar has been granted an extension for filing an opening brief in its appeal against Apple. The company now has until May 17th, 2010 to file said brief, and Apple’s reply will be due on June 16th, "World of Apple" (http://news.worldofapple.com/archives/2010/05/03/apple-v-psystar-psystar...) reports. In January Psystar officially filed its Notice of Appeal in the copyright suit it lost against Apple. The appeal involved a copyright infringement suit Apple brought against Psystar to stop the Florida company from selling Psystar computers with Mac OS X installed. In December 2009 Apple won as permanent injunction against Psystar. Granted by Judge William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California, it prevents the Mac cloner from selling clones, installing Mac OS X on any hardware, and selling or copying Mac OS X. Psystar also can't manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any technology, product...

Coding Robots has updated their Memoires journaling software (http://www.codingrobots.com/memoires/) for Mac OS X to version 3.0. The upgrade improves support for Mac OS X 10.6 features and more. With Memoires, users can choose a day and write as many notes for that day as they like. Then they can browse entries by date using calendar, or search for notes using the instant search feature. The new version includes Quick Drawings feature, that allows users to create sketches using mouse or trackpad and insert them into journal entries. In addition to RTF and plain text exporting, Memoires 3.0 can now export journals to PDF format. Users can also print single entries, entries for a specified period of time, or the whole journal. Version 3.0 improves support for Mac OS X 10.6 features, such as grammar checking, automatic correction of spelling errors, smart quotes and dashes, text substitutions, and data detectors. The Universal binary now includes 64-bit version. To help users stay more...

PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers, has announced the release of WritePad for iPad 3.3, the advanced handwriting recognition software for iPad. The new version offers customizable styles, improved recognition and spell checker, inline gestures, and support for external iPad keyboard. WritePad lets users take notes in their own handwriting with an iPad stylus pen or their finger. The state-of-the-art handwriting recognition software will adapt and learn while it is being used, improving the recognition quality overtime. WritePad supports simple gestures to select text, cut, copy, paste, and insert special characters. WritePad has a spell checker with it's own custom dictionary, a context analyzer which allows users to dial phone numbers or open URLs embedded in the text, auto-corrector which automatically fixes common spelling and recognition errors, and a Shorthand feature that lets users perform...

According to BBC News, a jury in Tennessee has convicted a former student of hacking the e-mail account of Sarah Palin. David Kernell, 22, was found guilty of obstructing justice and unauthorised access to a computer. His lawyer said that his action amounted no more than a college prank. He illegally broke into Palin's e-mail account during her 2008 Republican campaign for the US vice-presidency. Kernell, the son of a Democratic lawmaker, faces up to 20 years in prison for the first charge and one year for the charge of hacking.

Apple released the following announcement this morning... CUPERTINO, Calif., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple® today announced that it sold its one millionth iPad™ on Friday, just 28 days after its introduction on April 3. iPad users have already downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store and over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore. "One million iPads in 28 days—that's less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Demand continues to exceed supply and we're working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers." iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad's revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds—...

According to Net Application's May 1 report, the five U.S. market areas with the largest concentration of iPads -- measured by its clients' browser data -- are: San Francisco, California (0.25% Internet share); Grand Junction, Colorado (0.23%); Santa Barbara, California (0.19%); Honolulu, Hawaii (0.19%); and Bend, Oregon (0.19%). "Fortune" (http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/05/01/the-ipads-of-bend-oregon/) notes that it's a city of 82,000 nearly 200 miles from the nearest Apple Store "that seems to give lie to the notion that iPad fever is a condition that affects only Apple diehards in large metropolitan areas." Bend is the largest town in sparsely populated central Oregon.

Mac OS X, Safari and iPhone market share for Internet usage rose from March to April, according to the latest market share survey from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com). According to the report, among operating systems, Mac OS X had 5.32% of the global market share in April, compared to 5.33% in March (that's global market share; in the US it's almost 10 %). Windows remains dominant with 91.46% as of April. That's down from 91.58% in March. 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 4.72% in April, while Internet Explorer had 59.95% Firefox had 24.59% and Chrome had 6.73%. That compares to, respectively, March percentages of 60.65, 24.52 and 6.13%, for the browsers. The iPhone's market share also rose, according to Net Applications. The Apple device had 0.531% of the global market share in April compared to 0.51% in March. The iPod touch also had 0.12% of the mobile market...

3Gstore.com is announcing a way to obtain Verizon Mobile Broadband. Starting today, they're offering an option of leasing a Verizon MiFi or USB760 for an US$49.95 per month service plan. 3Gstore.com is offering the two most popular devices from Verizon, the Novatel MiFi 2200 and the Novatel USB760. If you have a new iPad, the Verizon MiFi will give you the most 3G coverage compared to AT&T’s network, and with a MiFi you can also use up to five WiFi devices at the same time (iPod Touch, NetBook, MacBook, iPhone, etc), says Michael Ginsberg, president of 3Gstore.com. "With our new Verizon Mobile Broadband Lease, not only will you save $10 month, but at anytime during the two years, you can easily cancel your lease by simply returning your mobile broadband device, or if you want to keep the device, pay $250," he says. "If you pay $49.95/month for 24 months the device is yours to keep.” 3Gstore.com’s Verizon wireless mobile broadband offerings include: ° Verizon Mobile Broadband...

Axiotron has released Quickscript 3.0, an update of its handwriting recognition application for Mac users. Quickscript is now available for a 30-day free trial at http://www.axiotron.com/quickscript . Customers can purchase Quickscript beginning next week for the introductory price of US$29 -- a $10 savings from the regular price of $39. This introductory offer expires May 31. Quickscript offers support for 26 languages and includes an on-screen writing pad with configurable interface, basic gesture support, personal dictionary, handwriting recognition training and the innovative Kopernikus digital assistant feature which lets users perform tasks by writing short commands on the Quickscript writing pad. It's compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.

The Steam gaming service and Valve gaming engine from Valve (http://www.valuesoftware.com) will steam up things on the Mac starting May 12. Steam and Valve's library of games include Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series. "As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients," says Valve President Gabe Newell, "The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services." "Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac," adds Jason Holtman, director of Business Development at Valve. "Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam...

Apple will be closing its retail stores in the U.S. Friday afternoon from 4-5PM to get ready for the launch of the 3G version of the iPad. Some folks who have pre-ordered 'em may receive them prior to this time. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad have a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. The iPad is sold in the US through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. AT&T offers an iPad data service for the Wi-Fi + 3G model. For US$14.99 per month, you get 250GB; $29.99 gets you unlimited storage. Data plans for iPad include access to more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots nationwide at no additional cost.

Mac users who have long been at the mercy of arcane permissions from Mac OS X's Unix underpinnings can now regain mastery of their Macs with "Take Control of Permissions in Snow Leopard," the latest title in the Take Control library about Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"). Written by Unix guru and Mac aficionado Brian Tanaka, the 91-page ebook mixes how-to details and troubleshooting tips with just a certain amount of theory as it explains permissions in relation to how to keep files private, copy files to and from servers effectively, work with accounts and groups, configure ACLs, set the Ignore Permissions option for external disks, repair default permissions, and delete those files that just won't die. The ebook may be purchased for US$10 at http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/snow-leopard-permissions . For those who want to learn advanced concepts, the ebook also delves into topics like the sticky bit, symbolic versus absolute ways to set permissions, and how to work with bit masks. In...

Akvis Software has released Akvis MultiBrush 4.0 (http://akvis.com/en/multibrush/index.php) for Mac and Windows systems. The app lets you retouch damaged photos and enhance portraits. Version 5.0 includes a new Artistic Tools palette with tools such as Oil Brush, Roller, Felt-tip Marker, Chalk, Artistic Pencil, Artistic Spray, and Artistic Eraser for adding artistic effects to images. The Standard Tools palette has been expanded and improved. There's a new Spray tool, and new parameters for selecting the color of pencils and brushes. You can change the shape of a pencil and the angle of brushes. Also the parameters of the Smudge tool have been changed. MultiBrush now lets you edit an image in layers. In the Layers palette, layers can be added, reordered, their visibility can be switched on or off, and they can be arranged in groups. There are two kinds of layers, raster and artistic, which can be edited by the standard and artistic tools, respectively. The layer Blending Options...

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com), global smartphone shipments grew 50% year-over-year, to reach 54 million units in the first quarter of 2010 (Q1 2010). This was the strongest period of growth for almost three years and smartphones continue to lead the handset industry out of recession, according to the research group. "The global smartphone market will head in two broad directions this year," says Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics. "Some smartphone vendors, such as Nokia, will chase growing mid-tier volumes in emerging markets such as China and India. Other brands, such as Motorola, will focus on mature markets like the US and explore a new wave of services beyond Internet browsing and email such as high-quality video and navigation." RIM shipped 10.6 million smartphones worldwide in Q1 2010, beating Apple’s record 8.8 million units during the quarter. RIM has become the largest mobile device vendor of North...

John Shegerian, chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (http://1800recycling.com), a recycler of electronics and e-waste, has issued a statement about the success of the iPad. In his statement, he refers to the iPad as a “perfect example of a future trend” of the electronic waste recycling and urban mining industries. Shegerian said that Apple’s massively popular tablet device is the kind of significant innovation that creates enormous new opportunities across multiple industries while it triggers the public to discard older devices now rendered obsolete by the newer, user friendly technology the iPad provides. “It’s a rare occurrence, but once in a while a consumer electronics product comes along --he flat screen television for example – that captures the imagination and interest of the public so well that the product immediately becomes a ‘must have’ item and part of modern culture,” says Shegerian. “Apple’s iPad is such an item. We at ERI marvel at visionary...

Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has released LinkOptimizer 4.2, an update of its workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. The new version gives users access to two more Photoshop resampling methods and addresses a compatibility issue. LinkOptimizer lets you reduce InDesign job size and speed up processing by eliminating excess image data and performing essential image adjustments. LinkOptimizer Light 4.2 can be purchased from the Zevrix Solutions web site for US$239.95 , as well as from authorized resellers. LinkOptimizer works with Mac OS X 10.4.2-10.5 and InDesign CS-CS4. Version 4.2 is free for LinkOptimizer 4.x users and a $95.98 to upgrade from previous versions. A demo is available for download.

Fetch Softworks (http://fetchsoftworks.com/) has updated the Fetch transfer app to version 5.6. The upgrade automatically resumes uploads, downloads, and mirror operations, to ensure that network glitches and server hiccups do not stand in the way of successful FTP or SFTP transfers. Fetch 5.6 is a Universal binary, compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 or later. Fetch is free to try for 15 days, and a single-user license is US$29. Upgrades to version 5.5.2 are free for customers who purchased Fetch after Jan. 28, 2009; otherwise, upgrades are $10. Free licenses and upgrades are available for educational and charitable use.

In an interview with the "Wall Street Journal," Adobev CEO Shantau Narayen offered a rebuttal to Apple CEO Steve Jobs' thoughts on Flash (http://www.macnews.com/2010/04/29/what-steve-jobs-really-thinks-about-flash). You can read the entire article at http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/29/live-blogging-the-journals-interv..., but here are some highlights. Narayen says: ° Adobe believes in open content and support for multiple operating systems, while Apple/Jobs is apparently concerned about technology that works across multiple platforms. ° The technology problems that Jobs mentions in his essay are "really a smokescreen," as more than 100 applications that used Adobe's software were accepted in the Apple App Store. ° If Flash is crashing the Mac OS as Jobs claims, that has something to do with the "Apple operating system." ° Jobs' claim that Flash is a battery drainer is "patently false."

EastWest/Quantum Leap is shipping its Hollywood Strings (http://www.soundsonline.com/hollywood-strings) virtual (software) instrument. It's a collection of orchestral string instruments with multiple finger positions for all sections, including open strings. The range of positions purportedly allows composers to realize the true voicing and emotional content of a string section. Vibrato intensity and extensive dynamics, including five dynamics of up- and down-bowed sustains and notes, are also controllable by the composer. Multi-dynamic true legato has been sampled for all sections in three different categories: slurred, portamento and bow change. Hollywood Strings comes supplied on a pre-configured hard drive. The list price is US$1,695; an introductory price of $1,495 expires May 15.

eMedia Music Corp. (http://www.emediamusic.com) has announced a new distribution agreement with Arobas Music to release Guitar Pro 6 in the US and Canada. New features in version 6 include an improved Real Sound Engine (RSE) with realistic playback of your scores using over 100 sounds sampled from instruments and over 50 real-time pedal effects such as overdrive, distortion, wah-wah, chorus, delay and more. Other features include: a revised user interface (including full screen mode); Parametric Equalization on each track; piano grand staff; new notation symbols such as rhythm, slash, simile marks and multi-measure rest; configurable tones; tap tempo; jazz fonts and more. In addition to writing scores, Guitar Pro 6 is a designed as a tool for beginning and accomplished guitarists alike to improve their skills, compose or simply accompany themselves. Guitar Pro 6 will be available at computer and music retail stores nationwide in May at an estimated retail price of US$59.95. It's...

Plugable Technologies (http://www.plugable.com) has launched two new USB graphics products enabling expandability of any laptop or desktop system with a spare USB port. The UGA-125 (US$49.99) enables multiple VGA, DVI, or HDMI monitors or projectors to be added to any system via USB 2.0 (one extra display supported per adapter). Each display can extend the desktop or mirror other displays. The UGA-125 is designed for multi-taskers who want to see and work with several applications or documents at once, including programmers, designers, writers, office managers, day traders, customer service and sales personnel, etc. The second product in the UGA-125 family, the UGA-125-HUB ($59.99), also includes a matching bus-powered 4-port USB 2.0 hub. This provides a solution for docking any laptop to an extra display, keyboard, and mouse. Unlike proprietary docking stations, the hub solution works with any brand of computer, using standard USB 2.0 connectivity and components. Note that docking...

Eltima Software has released SWF & FLV Player for Mac 3.8 (http://mac.eltima.com/swf-player.html), an upgrade that offers improved downloading of online Flash movies and videos option. SWF & FLV Player is a Flash movies and videos player that facilitates watching them on a Mac/ The app is available in two versions: free and Pro (USS$19.95); the latter features a number of extra options. Free Flash Player has such movie control options as forwarding and rewinding SWF and FLV files, zooming the movie in and out, fitting it to current window size or restoring to original one. SWF & FLV Player also lets you create and manage playlists and obtain detailed information about SWF and FLV files (size, SWF version, frame rate, shapes/morphs/fonts/ActionScripts/sounds, etc.). The pro version of SWF & FLV Player adds: the ability to save online Flash movies or videos with the external resources they use; a full-screen mode; the ability to take a screenshot of any moment of the...

Economy-x-Talk has released CC File Converter (http://www.color-converter.com), an utility for Mac OS X 10.4 and later to change the color profile of image files. Some graphics editing software packages call this the color mode, color space, or mode. For example, images can be in GIF, JPEG, PNG or TIFF format. Additionally, colors can be defined by a CMYK, RGB or other color space. Pictures may print slightly dark on some printers, while slightly brighter, or with a more intense red, on other printers. Devices often need their own color profile. Many people change the color settings of their computer screen, which in Mac OS X implies the creation of a custom color profile. With CC File Converter you can convert picture files to make images look more similar on different computer screens and different printers, even in different software packages. It has the capability to automatically find all color profiles that are available on your hard drive. There's no need to adjust installed...

AnyBizSoft Studio, a provider of PDF solutions, has released PDF to Word for Mac (http://www.anypdftools.com/pdf-to-word-for-mac.html), an app that lets you convert PDF files into editable Microsoft Word files. Tom Chande, CEO of AnyBizSoft Studio, says PDF to Word for Mac allows you to preserve original text content, images, layouts in the converted Word document. It supports batch and partial conversion mode. PDF to Word supports Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 and Microsoft Word X/2004/2008, as well as encrypted PDF conversion. It costs US$39.95 for a single user license. A demo is available for download.

A decline between a calendar year's fourth quarter and the next calendar year's first quarter is typical of seasonal demand patterns but this decline is less than normal. When compared to 1Q09, shipments in 1Q10 rose 39.0%. Total market revenue in 1Q10 fell 2.0% compared to 4Q09 and rose 40.4% compared to 1Q09. "PC processor shipments typically decline around 7 to 8 percent going from fourth quarter to first quarter," says Shane Rau director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC. "A decline of 5.6% is modest and wouldn't mean much by itself. However, after the huge rise in shipments we saw in the fourth quarter, it adds more credibility to market recovery and that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010." Looking at market performance by computer form factor, mobile processors declined 6.3% quarter over quarter, desktop processors declined 5.1% quarter over quarter, and PC server processors declined 1.4% quarter over quarter. The overall market...

HP and Palm have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of US$5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors. “Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP, in a press release. “And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market.” And adding to the love-fest: “We’re...

Noise Industries, developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast markets, says new development partner, Luca Visual FX, has released Light Box 1.0 for the FxFactory platform. It's a collection of light and image enhancement tools designed to work inside Adobe After Effects CS3/CS4/CS5, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion and Final Cut Express. Light Box 1.0 includes nine customizable GPU-accelerated plug-ins and transitions. Light Box 1.0 is available for $49 USD via the Noise Industries web site (http://www.noiseindustries.com). A trial version is also included with the FxFactory installer.

nova media has unveiled FrameLoader, software for synchronizing digital picture frames with Mac OS X. It features a one-click sync of iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists and custom media files. FrameLoader will convert pictures, music and videos automatically into a format that can be displayed by the chosen digital fotoframe. It works with most digital picture frames, USB memory sticks and memory cards. To select the media contents, FrameLoader displays a list of iPhoto albums and iTunes playlists. They can be checked or unchecked to be synced. Custom media files can be dragged and dropped into FrameLoader and selected accordingly. A click of the sync button starts the synchronization process and an activity monitor displays the details of the sychronization process. FrameLoader features a SyncMonitor to synchronize media files automatically. Once the to-be-synced iPhoto albums and iTunes playlists are selected within FrameLoader, it's not necessary to open FrameLoader again to...

Apple has acquired Siri (http://siri.com), a mobile "assistant" app maker, heating up the Apple-Google competition. According to a pre-merger notification released by the Federal Trade Commission, and first noticed by Robert Scoble (http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/status/13015365163), the transaction apparently won't be held up by any antitrust reviews. Here's how Siri describes itself: "Just like a real assistant, Siri understands what you say, accomplishes tasks for you and adapts to your preferences over time. Today, Siri can help you find and plan things to do. You can ask Siri to find a romantic place for dinner, tell you what’s playing at a local jazz club or get tickets to a movie for Saturday night. "Siri is young and, like a child taking its first steps, may be awkward at times. Siri may occasionally misunderstand things you ask it to do even within its range of understanding. "Nonetheless, Siri will improve quickly by getting to know you better and understanding a broader...

Overall music sales declined by US$1.3 billion in 2009, but digital downloads grew $363 million to $4.3 billion. And Apple's iTunes represented more than a quarter of total digital and retail U.S. sales, notes "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) The figures come from a new Recording Industry in Numbers report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. As reported by paidcontent.co.uk, global digital music sales grew 9.2% in 2009, and now make up over a quarter of total music income. This as the worldwide market decreased by 7.2%o $17 billion. However, digital sales were pretty much flat in the U.S.. There was only 1.1% year-over-year growth in 2009. Domestically, iTunes represents more than a quarter of all music sales, both digital and retail.

Microsoft and HTC have signed a patent agreement that provides broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for HTC's mobile phones running the Android mobile platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will receive royalties from HTC. And the deal may help HTC in its legal fight with Apple. Last month Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware. "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said at the time. "We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." But when it comes to today's announcement, "HTC and Microsoft have a long history of technical and commercial...

Harman International (http://www.harman.com) has announced a new addition to the Harman Kardon Go + Play family with the new Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro. It will retail for US$399 and go on sale in May. The Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro is a one-piece 2.1 iPhone and iPod dock and features a built-in subwoofer. It's designed for on-the-road travel or a day out at the beach. The Go + Play Micro sports four Odyssey drivers and an Atlas bass driver. Plus, it can stream video from web sites such as YouTube from a user’s iPhone or iPod directly to his or her television with a composite video connection. Also, the Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro is one of the few iPhone docks on the market that has the capability to sync an iPod or iPhone directly to a computer through a USB connection when it's docked. Eight C batteries allow users purportedly provide up to 18 hours of continuous music playback. There's an eco-friendly “sleep” feature for conserving battery life. It also comes with an AC...

Apple CEO and Co-founder Steve Jobs will indeed appear at the eighth D: All Things Digital, in an interview on the opening night, "The Wall Street Journal" -- which sponsors the event -- confirmed today (http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100427/welcome-back-steve-apple-ceo-jobs-wi...). There's much to talk to Jobs about, obviously, including the new iPad, the mobile market and the iPhone, its tense relationship with Google and the next innovations from the Silicon Valley computer icon, says Kara Swisher of the "Journal." It will be his first appearance in three years at the event. Other speakers confirmed for the event -- with tickets priced at US$4,500 -- include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, movie director James Cameron and AOL co-founder Steve Case. The event will be held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, June 1-3.

Custom mobile app developer PointAbout Inc., event series Disruptathon, and entrepreneur hotspot 1410Q are hosting an app-making seminar at the Apple store in Clarendon, Virginia, on May 6 to help local businesses learn how to make iPhone apps. PointAbout will be showing the local business community how to make iPhone apps for less than IS$300 by using http://www.AppMakr.com, a do-it-yourself, app-making service. Since its launch in January, more than 5,600 apps have been built using AppMakr. The event will take place at the Clarendon, Virginia Apple store located at 2700 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington on May 6 at 7 p.m. It's scheduled after regular Apple store hours, so registration is required. To RSVP, visit http://appmakr.eventbrite.com .

LogicalVue Software has released SQLite Studio for Mac OS X (http://www.logicalvue.com/products/sqlite-studio/). It's an IDE for software developers that use SQLite, the free, open-source, single-user database engine used by a wide variety of software. SQLite Studio is designed for working with tables, views, indexing and triggers. It also has a full featured SQL editor with code completion and syntax highlighting. With its tab-based design, SQLite Studio allows you to work with multiple tables and SQL queries. You can view: all tables, data, indexing, triggers and views; all database views; and all SQLite Pragmas. A fully licensed version costs US$99.95. Site licenses are available for $299.95, and a trial version is available for download.

Apple placed third in the fifth annual Millward Brown Optimor BrandZ Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking (http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/mbOptimor/Ideas/BrandZTop100/BrandZTo...) released today. It ranks behind Google and IBM, but is ahead of Microsoft. When most key financial indicators plummeted, the value of the top 100 brands rose by four percent in the last year to more than US$2 trillion. The BrandZ Top 100, commissioned by WPP, is the only valuation in the world that takes into account customers’ opinions on brands and demonstrates this with a dollar value. “In the past, many companies were quick to cut their marketing spend during a down economy,” says Joanna Seddon, CEO of Millward Brown Optimor.  “A new trend has emerged in the wake of the recession as more companies realized the importance of maintaining and even increasing budgets to support brand loyalty and engagement.” Technology brands demonstrated their pervasiveness in our daily lives. Google leads as the...

JAMF Software and John Wetter, technical services manager at Hopkins School District #270, on Thursday May 6, at 2:00 pm (Central Daylight Time) will team up for a live webinar that will explore one education IT professional’s experiences imaging thousands of Macs using JAMF's Casper Suite. The webinar will cover the basics of imaging using the Casper Suite as well as how the IT staff at Hopkins School District #270 tackles the challenge of compiling approved images and deploying these images out to large groups of desktop and laptop computers -- all while enjoying their summer. Both current Casper administrators looking for best practice recommendations and other IT professionals looking for a better way to image Macs are invited to attend. You can register at https://jamfsoftware.webex.com/jamfsoftware/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=803147730 .

RadTech (http://www.radtech.com) has released the STM Glove (US$24.95) in four new colors. The vertical-loading STM Glove protects your notebook from impacts, dust, scratches and spills. They're constructed from neoprene and ringed with YKK zippers. The Glove features deep, protective flanges to prevent the zipper from contacting your laptop. They comer in five tailor-made sizes to fit all Apple and many PC notebooks.

While law-enforcement officials ponder the legality of computer equipment seized from the home of a blogger, analysts on Tuesday say Apple may be doing itself harm in the case of a missing iPhone prototype that ended up on the Internet, according to a "MarketWatch" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-doing-itself-harm-in-case-of-miss...) report. Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said in an interview that Apple blundered by making the case a criminal one, as opposed to a civil case. "There is no way that this is not negative in some way for the company," Kay told "MarketWatch." "The question here is what is Apple hoping to get?" "Apple has been drifting into looking like the wrong side of their famous Big Brother ad for some time," added Rob Enderle, a longtime Silicon Valley technology analyst. "This could easily turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes the firm has ever made because the investigation ... could showcase other Apple problems as this story snowballs."

One of the reason some folks think 3D will be slow to catch on in home is the fact that home 3D screens, like those, in movie theaters, require those funky 3D glasses. Toshiba may have solved that. According to "TG Daily" (http://www.tgdaily.com/hardware-features/49540-toshiba-designs-glasses-f...), has designed a 21-inch autostereoscopic high-definition display for use with next-generation 3D monitors. The display also purportedly helps to "significantly" reduce 3D-related eye fatigue. "Most 3D products have used special glasses to separate a picture into two images: one for the left eye and the other for the right eye. But the market has strongly desired a more versatile and glasses-free approach that could be used anywhere," Toshiba says in a press release. "This new product employs an integral imaging system (a 'light field' display) to reproduce a real object as a 3D image that can be viewed without glasses over a wide range of viewing angles." According to Toshiba, the integral...

Apple has released iTunes 9.1.1. You can obtain it via the Software Updates component of Mac OS X's Systems Preferences app. According to Apple, the 102.1MB download addresses several stability issues with VoiceOver, addresses a usability issue with VoiceOver and Genius Mixes, addresses issues with converting songs to 128 kbps AAC while syncing and addresses other issues that improve stability and performance. iTunes 9.1.1 requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later.

Joby (http://www.joby.com) has unleashed the newest member of the Gorillapod family, the Gorillapod Magnetic flexible tripod. With the addition of magnets in the feet, it can be anchored to any magnetic surface, in addition to being secured with its fully-articulating legs.  The Gorillapod Magnetic is the latest addition to Joby’s popular Gorillapod family, which features a host of positioning and stabilization products to extend one’s photographic capabilities. It supports compact digital cameras and mini video cameras weighing up to 11.5 ounces, weighs 2.5 ounces, is six inches tall, and has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$24.95. US retailers include REI and Amazon.

South Korea has lifted its ban on the iPad, according to the "Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870346520457520888110653085...). The country's communications regulator said on Tuesday it wouldn't stop people from importing Apple's device for personal use, ending a ban that early adopters in South Korea says was unfair, the article adds. The Korea Communications Commission did say that Customs rules still apply. The country's Customs Service is holding up shipments that contain more than five iPads at once. South Korea’s communications regulators haven’t approved the device for wireless networking in the country. Apple hasn't announced when it will offer the iPad in South Korea. South Korea's decision to allow the iPad comes days after Israel made a similar reversal, lifting a ban that prevented travelers from entering Israel with Apple's device, notes the "Journal."

Consumer confidence in the overall direction of the economy showed slight improvement from last month while confidence in technology dropped to its lowest level since March 2009, according to the latest figures released today from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and CNET. The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE) rose to 164.1 points in April, an increase of more than one point. The ICE, which measures consumer expectations about the broader economy, is down more than four points from this time last year. Although there was a small improvement from last month’s lowest point of the year, the figures still reflect consumers’ hesitation towards the overall economy. The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE) fell in April to 72.3, down more than 11 points from last month. The ICTE is at its lowest level since reaching an all-time low in March 2009. The ICTE is down more than five points from this time last year. “With tax season causing everyone to...

Most Japanese consumer electronics discount stores have halted online sales of iPods, iMacs and other Apple products, apparently at the request of US Apple, reports "MarketWatch" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japan-retailers-halt-online-sales-of-ap...). Industry watchers believe that the Japanese unit of Apple has cut out some sales channels because it was unhappy about online stores selling its products at a discount, the "Nikkei" business daily reported. Apple Japan has offered no comment to the Japanese publication, saying the personnel in charge of the matter weren't available.

Panic has updated its Transmit FTP client (http://www.panic.com/transmit) to version 4.0, which offers a speed boost, streamlined interface and more. With the new Transmit Disk feature, you can now mount any of your favorites in the Finder itself, even if Transmit's not running. You can drag files to your SFTP server, save a small graphic to your Amazon S3 bucket directly from Photoshop, or roll your own iDisk-like backup volume. Transmit 4.0 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 or later and costs US$$34. Upgrades from version 3.x are $19.

Pioneer Electronics (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com) has announced new "Works with iPhone" audio/video docking stations. The Audition, Duo and HTD series works with iPhones, iPod and iPod touch users. The new A/V docking systems include 2.1 speaker and subwoofer design, HDMI outputs, component video output, composite video connectivity and Bluetooth audio streaming capability. The Audition Series system, XW-NAS3/-K will be available April in black or white for a suggested retail price of US$449. The Duo Series systems, XW-NAC1-K will be available in May and the XW-NAC3-K will be available in June for $349 and $449, respectively. The all-in-one HTD Series system, XW-NAV1K-K will be available in June with a black or white frame for $299.

Kerio Technologies (http://www.kerio.com) says that Kerio Connect 7, a messaging and collaboration server, now natively supports the iPad. Kerio Connect now allows users to access email, calendars, and contacts on the Apple device, expanding the choice of mobile devices. With Kerio Connect, iPad users can synchronize their email, contacts, and private calendar, search the global address book (GAL), manage invitations, and perform a remote wipe, all using Exchange ActiveSync. Users can also access shared and global calendars with the integrated CalDAV support. Kerio Connect includes distributed domain clustering for IT management of a single domain supporting multiple branch offices. The latest release also has a newly implemented CardDAV protocol to synchronize contacts with Apple Address Book. Kerio runs on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and is available as a virtual appliance on the VMware and Parallels platforms. The solution comes with integrated anti-spam, anti-virus, automated backup...