Archive for the 'Software' Category
New Potato Technologies, an innovator and developer of iPod and iPhone accessories, today introduced FLPR™, a revolutionary new accessory and app that transforms iPhone and iPod touch into a universal remote control. FLPR lets users control multiple electronic devices, including televisions, cable and satellite boxes, stereo systems, lights, ceiling fans and just about anything else that uses an infrared remote control. Available this month from Best Buy stores nationwide, and online at http://www.newpotatotech.com, the revolutionary FLPR replaces a sea of remotes cluttering up the home.
FLPR is a snap to set up. After purchasing the FLPR infrared interface and popping it into the iPhone/iPod touch dock connector, users simply download the free FLPR app from the App Store℠ online store. Once the app is launched, choose the device “type,” select “brand,” “name it” and “use it.” It’s that easy. FLPR comes pre‐programmed with over 14,000 remote control codes, including all major electronics brands.
Unlike other universal remote solutions for iPhone and iPod touch, FLPR’s extensive database of over 14,000 pre‐programmed remote control codes means that you don’t have to spend time learning your existing remotes “button by button.” FLPR works with hundreds of brands of devices out of box with no programming necessary.
FLPR is also a learning remote. If the remote control code for that old television in the guest bedroom is not in the extensive FLPR database, you can easily teach FLPR the code for that old relic, creating a brand new remote.
The user‐friendly, stylish interface of FLPR rivals that of expensive, high‐end universal remotes. What’s more, FLPR can be personalized with the included free background skins. The screen for each device you control can have a distinct look so you can instantly tell the remote for the television apart from the iPod docking sound system.
FLPR has a range of about 30 feet and is powered by the iPhone/iPod touch. The free FLPR app is available now in the iTunes store. For more, visit http://www.newpotatotech.com/flpr.
The FLPR infrared interface will be available March 4, 2010 at NewPotatoTech.com and in‐store nationwide at Best Buy on March 28, 2010 for $79.99.
Wu spent a good amount of time with me and Quicken Essentials for Mac and I was impressed with what a saw. A powerful registry with deep customization, a pie chart with amazing drill-down capabilities, a spending cloud much like “tag clouds” found on many of todays web pages, category reports with incredible filtering, and with support for 12,000 financial institutions for automatic downloading of your data for near-zero user entry (compared to the Windows 2010 version of just 4,500); Quicken Essentials is definitely on the right track.
Wu told me, “We do care about the Mac,” during our conversation and from what I saw that rainy Friday afternoon, it’s obvious Intuit is at least making an attempt to correct its ills of the past. Wu was transparent about some missing features, such as the inability to track historical data for investments, but he stressed that Intuit is, “Looking at bringing those features back,” upon reviewing customer requests. One of my requests was the ability to sync data with Mint.com and Wu said Intuit would like to do that. Nice.
Previous Quicken users, be it Windows or Mac, will be able to easily import their data to Quicken Essentials for Mac.
And now, for Intuit’s take on the release:
For those who manage their money on a Mac, Quicken Essentials for Mac now available from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU). Built from the ground up with the look and feel Mac users expect from their products, QEM, as it’s known, provides a simple and easy way to handle the essentials of money management.
QEM launches a new era for Quicken on the Mac. It marks Intuit’s first Mac-native application for Quicken, that is, a product developed specifically to run on a Mac operating system, instead of adapting a product originally designed for a PC. QEM’s features serve a broad array of essential customer needs, focusing on quick set-up, ease-of-use, and Mac-like intuitiveness in design and workflow. The redesign reflects the influence of the Mint.com product team and its deep experience with Apple products.
“Quicken Essentials for Mac is the first Quicken product to take full advantage of the Mac operating system and development platform,” said Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group. “We’re bringing a completely new Quicken experience to Mac users, helping them answer essential money questions – what do I spend, what do I earn, where do I stand on my budgets, what is my net worth, and where can I do better?”
Making Money Management Easier on a Mac
Infusing Quicken with the intuitiveness of the Mac, QEM makes financial management easier, featuring:
· Easier set up; faster to use: QEM offers the unique Mac look-and-feel, easy navigation, and all the keyboard shortcuts users expect on Mac. Setup only takes 10 minutes. Users simply search for their bank, and synch using their online credentials.
· Broad banking support; no data entry: QEM currently imports data from 12,000 financial institutions, with support from 18,000 expected by year end. This is nearly quadruple the previous support of banks, credit unions, credit card companies, brokerage houses and lending institutions. All of that means less data entry.
· Improved categorization; better understanding: QEM “learns” the most popular categories from users, improving categorization over time. This means users spend less time organizing transactions, and more time understanding where their money goes, and how to save and do more with their money.
· Easy conversion: The converter feature easily transfers historical data from past Quicken for Mac (2005, 2006 and 2007), Quicken for Windows (2007, 2008 and 2009), and Microsoft Money.
“We plan to continue using these new design and usability elements and bring them into additional personal finance products,” said Patzer. “The combination of Quicken products and the talent of the Mint.com product team brings the best of both worlds to customers.”
Mac users can join the Quicken Inner Circle user community to provide product feedback that will be used to determine future features and development priorities.
Pricing and Availability
Quicken Essentials for the Mac is $69 and is available for purchase or download directly from Intuit at www.quicken.com and at retailers.
Intuit continues to support Quicken Mac 2007 for those users who rely on features that have not been added to QEM, including:
Stock lot accounting and other high-level investment tracking: QEM will show basic investment information, including net worth and changes in value. Detailed reporting similar to past Quicken Products is expected to be included in future versions
Bill Pay: Because only 6 percent of Quicken users rely on this service, it wasn’t added in the Essentials version of Quicken for Mac
Integration with TurboTax™: The Essentials version is designed for day-to-day financial management, and may include more robust features, such as integration with tax products, in the future.
The brand new American Dream by MultiEducator, Inc. is a unique application for Apple iPhone/iPod that contains nearly 500 of the most important documents in US history.
This $2.99 download provides instant access to an astounding array of the most important documents, speeches and inaugural addresses from American Presidents political leaders from the beginnings of our country all the way to the present.
You can read 480 speeches and documents (including all the Presidential Inaugural addresses and dozens of the most important laws of the land), 90 Supreme Court Decisions, and 18 audio recordings all organized on a finger tip friendly phone app.
This little download is an incredible compilation of primary source documents in American History. Each document entry includes an explanation of the significance of the court decision, law, or key points of a speech.
Documents can be accessed chronologically, or often by groups. You can search for a document and save recent or favorites. All of the documents can be e-mailed and thus shared.
American Dreams can be downloaded at the Apple iTunes Store.
The American Museum of Natural History announced today that DINOSAURS: American Museum of Natural History Collections, the first science and education photo mosaic application for iPhone and iPod Touch, is currently available for download on iTunes. Free and easy to use, DINOSAURS lets paleontologists of all ages explore the world’s largest collection of dinosaur fossils with a tap of the screen.
Combining scientific research with over 800 stunning images from the Museum’s vast archives, this pioneering interactive mosaic provides dinosaur enthusiasts an entirely new way to discover the Museum’s premier paleontology collection—and to become experts in the process. Packed with information about six of the Museum’s most popular dinosaur fossils, including the famed Tyrannosaurus rex and the Barosaurus, DINOSAURS digs deep to bring amateur paleontologists the science behind selected fossils, stories about their discoveries, and profiles of the fossil-hunters who uncovered them. The images are enhanced with social networking functionality, enabling users to share favorite images with friends, post comments, and view comments left by others.
A veritable pocket field guide, DINOSAURS: American Museum of Natural History Collections can also be used while exploring the Museum’s famous halls to learn more about the fascinating fossils on display. DINOSAURS will be updated with new “stories” with in-depth information about additional dinosaur species, including such favorites as the Triceratops.
DINOSAURS is the first in a series of applications that will be published by The American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with 33Delivered, which provides digital stewardship and development services for institutions and companies, to highlight the Museum’s storied collections and bring its world-class holdings to a global audience.
For a demo of DINOSAURS: American Museum of Natural History Collections, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=407CU1491oE
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to explore and interpret human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-reaching program of scientific research, education, and exhibitions. The Museum accomplishes this ambitious goal through its extensive facilities and resources. The institution houses 45 permanent exhibition halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories, one of the largest natural history libraries in the Western Hemisphere, and a permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and cultural artifacts. With a scientific staff of more than 200, the Museum supports research divisions in Anthropology, Paleontology, Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology, and the Physical Sciences. In 2006, with the launch of the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the Museum, it became the first American museum with the authority to grant the Ph.D. degree. The Museum shares its treasures and discoveries with approximately four million on-site visitors from around the world each year. AMNH-produced exhibitions and Space Shows can currently be seen in venues on five continents, reaching an audience of millions. In addition, the Museum’s website, amnh.org, extends its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond the Museum’s walls.
MacPractice Interface for iPad is a new version MacPractice Interface for iPhone 2.0 redesigned to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen. A physician, dentist, chiropractor or optometrist may connect via Wi-Fi or 3G to access their schedule and patient records in MacPractice. Patient photos, alerts, prescription history and appointment history are all available. The patient’s address is linked to Google Maps. Reminders on the iPad create MacPractice Reminders in the office for staff and providers to request an appointment, communicate instructions, or as a way to make a clinical note in MacPractice EMR. A doctor may monitor what is happening in the office from the hospital or golf course by viewing up-to-date daily management reports.
Doctors who perform hospital rounds or see patients at a remote location can now add new patients and post procedures and diagnoses into MacPractice in their office from their iPad or iPhone (requires the MacPractice HL7 Interface).
MacPractice Kiosk for iPad (iPad App) and MacPractice Web Interface for iPad will provide the ability for patients and staff to complete and sign MacPractice EMR forms including patient registration, HIPAA release, medical history, etc. on an iPad.
Chairside Dental Chart for iPad (iPad App) will interface with MacPractice DDS to record preexisting conditions, restorative and periodontal treatment and treatment plans.
MacPractice is developing an iPad EMR/EHR App to integrate with MacPractice MD, MacPractice DC, MacPractice DDS and MacPractice 20/20. No details are available.
In February, MacPractice will preview MacPractice Interface for iPhone at MacWorld in Booth #748, at HIMSS in Booth #3151 and at Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting in Booth #2723. Physicians, dentists, chiropractors and eye doctors are encouraged to view QuickTime demo movies of MacPractice after registering at MacPractice.com.
MacPractice, Inc. is a client-centric practice management and clinical software development firm, comprised of highly experienced and caring individuals, dedicated to the development and support of best-of-class Macintosh software, hardware and associated services for physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and eye doctors.
equinux today released VPN Tracker 6.1 – a new update to its market-leading IPsec-based VPN client for Mac OS X. VPN Tracker 6.1 supports the SonicWALL TZ 100 and TZ 200, the latest additions of the TZSeries UTM appliances that are aimed at small to mid-sized businesses. VPN Tracker now includes Mode Config support for additional VPN gateways and has greater interoperability with a range of other devices, thereby making it simpler to configure and administrate Macs in a virtual private network.
“SonicWall and VPN Tracker have worked hand in hand since VPN Tracker’s inception,” says equinux CEO Till Schadde. “We are proud to announce that VPN Tracker now supports the high quality entry-level VPN gateways of the SonicWALL TZ Series. This is yet another milestone in the great partnership with SonicWALL.”
“We are pleased to present Mac users with our new TZ Series UTM appliances in combination with VPN Tracker, as together they provide a robust solution for a successful VPN installation,” said Dave Parry, Director of Engineering at SonicWALL.
Easier Configuration and Improved Interoperability
VPN Tracker 6.1 simplifies configuration via Mode Config for D-Link devices and includes new configuration guides for the D-Link DFL-800 and DFL-200 VPN firewall solutions. It also contains device profiles and configuration guides for all Fireware XTM based WatchGuard VPN gateways, including for the first time, the Firebox X Edge e-Series. To simplify setup for those using an AVM FRITZ!Box, an updated configuration assistant is now available from the VPN Tracker website.
VPN Tracker 6 has been optimized for businesses, consultants and mobile Mac users. With the fully customizable Secure Desktop, users can easily perform routine tasks, including accessing file servers, checking emails, and using any application, file or script, without having to worry about connecting and disconnecting VPN connections. In addition to its IPsec-based VPN connections, VPN Tracker 6 also provides access to any existing Mac OS X PPTP or L2TP VPN connections from within the same user interface. VPN Tracker 6 supports the new Internet protocol IPv6 and 64-bit mode in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. VPN connections are now more secure than ever with the addition of the latest security standards – including the SHA-2 family of hash algorithms, Diffie-Hellman (DH) groups 14-18 (up to 8192 bit), and the integration of Snow Leopard’s new Mac OS X Service Management framework.
VPN Tracker 6 has been optimized for businesses, consultants and mobile Mac users. With the fully customizable Secure Desktop, users can easily perform routine tasks, including accessing file servers, checking emails and using any application, file or script, without having to worry about connecting and disconnecting VPN connections. In addition to its IPsec-based VPN connections, VPN Tracker 6 also provides access to any existing Mac OS X PPTP or L2TP VPN connections from within the same user interface. VPN Tracker 6 supports the new Internet protocol IPv6 and 64-bit mode in Mac OS X Snow Leopard. VPN connections are now more secure than ever with the addition of the latest security standards – including the SHA-2 family of hash algorithms, Diffie-Hellman (DH) groups 14-18 (up to 8192 bit), and the integration of Snow Leopard’s new Mac OS X Service Management framework.
Pricing and Availability
VPN Tracker 6.1 licenses are currently available from €79 (incl. VAT) / $99 USD. Existing VPN Tracker customers can upgrade to the latest version 6.1 for a discounted price by visiting http://my.equinux.com.
A VPN Tracker Business Pack is also available to suit professional needs. This package includes 1 VPN Tracker Professional license in addition to 5 Player licenses and offers savings of 20% in comparison with the purchase of single licenses at the regular price.
DDH Software has just updated its iPhone HanDBase rational database application for the iPhone to 4.1.0. New for the version is a the Carbon Fiber theme, snazzy icon, and a choose database file cabinet screen with collapsing folder Pop-up Bubbles. The cabinet bubbles are for selecting Views, Popup values, Field, and Database actions. Other enhancements include database sorts can now use a right side quick index. You can run reports with graphs and all! A new security feature allows you to protect databases on the phone when accessed via Desktop Connect.
To learn more about HanDBase for the iPhone, visit DDH Software’s site
FileMaker, Inc. today announced the Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager, a customized set of three new templates that make it easy for Mac users to organize all their contacts and customer details in one place – the perfect solution to a very popular New Year’s resolution. The Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager includes a free 30-day trial of the popular Bento 3 personal database for Mac, plus three professionally designed, ready-to-use templates including customer and client contacts, sales receipts, and sales opportunities.
The Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager also works with Bento for iPhone and iPod touch, so customers can organize their contacts and business activities on an iPhone or iPod touch and then synchronize the information to their Mac.
With the Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager, users can store and organize extensive details such as completed and upcoming calls, as well as meetings and to-do items for each contact linked from iCal Events and iCal Tasks. They can also keep date-and-time stamped notes from meetings and conversations and attach documents, spreadsheets, images and e-mails to any contact record. The Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager lets users track sales opportunities including product or service, units, amount and probability of close. All of this detailed information can be located quickly using iTunes-style searching.
“Customers and prospects can tell if you are organized – or not. By tracking notes from past meetings and conversations, upcoming to-do items, completed phone calls, and important e-mails you’ll be ready when your customers are.” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker, Inc. “With the Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager, we’re providing an easy and affordable way for customers to get instant access to complete contact and customer details-fully integrated with iCal Tasks and iCal Events-so they have a central hub of information that lets them stay more organized and productive.”
The Contact and Customer Manager is designed to work with Bento 3, which has received rave reviews from the media including a recent 2009 Editor’s Pick award from Macworld. Bento 3 adds useful new features such as Grid View, integration with iPhoto, sharing data with others on a local network and securing data with 128-bit AES encryption.
NewKinetix LLC, of Portland, Oregon, will be demonstrating their Universal Remote Control, RēTM, at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The Rē infrared (IR) hardware accessory plugs into your iPhone or iPod touch mobile digital device and the user interface will be provided by a supporting Rē Universal Remote iPhone application planned to be offered free on the App Store. As users are turning to their iPhone for information and entertainment, an IR universal remote accessory for the iPhone has been highly requested throughout social media platforms, as in mobilecrunch.com’s “5 iPhone Accessories We’re Still Waiting For.”
As a plug-in accessory, the Rē Universal Remote requires no cables, batteries, charging, or network connections to provide complete control of your TV, stereo, DVD player, or most any remote controlled device. Its portability allows you to use it anywhere you go, and it is set up and ready for use with any IR ready AV entertainment device within minutes. The Rē accessory includes an extensive database of IR codes that will control most popular AV entertainment devices. Not only will it eliminate remote control clutter by consolidating all of your remotes into a single unit at your fingertips, but the smart design and functionality of the application software is intended to offer extensive personalization capabilities including:
• Create remotes automatically for each device to be controlled • Customize Activity Remotes to control entertainment activities like “Watch TV” or “Watch Movie”
• Edit button images and button layout on the touch screen • Add buttons and learn IR codes to enhance device remotes
• Setup and playback of button sequences to provide automated device control • Create “Favorites” lists that span multiple sources, so quick access can be personalized for TV channels, CD tracks, movie scenes etc. The Rē is planned for initial availability in North America. For more information on the Rē, you can check out the new Rē web site.
GOGII, Inc. announces today the launch of textPlus, its popular next generation texting application, on the Android Market. Previously available only on the Apple App Store, the unique textPlus app now brings sponsor-supported free and unlimited messaging to Android users and allows them to have instant group “conversations” in text with friends on most U.S. carriers.
“We’ve already seen overwhelming consumer response to the textPlus app in the Apple App Store thanks to the millions of consumers who’ve embraced our game-changing features – from casual texters to the staggering number of consumers who text as their primary mode of communication,” said Scott Lahman, CEO and co-founder of GOGII. “We’re pleased to make textPlus available to Android users, and offer even more text-happy mobile consumers this tricked-out, next generation texting service.”
By leveraging GOGII’s interactive messaging technology, textPlus allows both old-style texting – one-to-one conversations – and next generation texting – rich, engaging environments and instant group text conversations. A useful ‘reply-all’ feature, similar to email, turns texting into a chatroom that lets users make plans with several friends at once, introduce people to one another or just carry on a group conversation – all in text and all for free.
Additional features make it easy for Android texters to make textPlus their preferred SMS service, including the international ability to send free messages from abroad to friends in the U.S. using a U.S. 10-digit phone number and free Notifications when messages come into the app, even when closed. What’s more, textPlus lets Android users communicate with friends who aren’t using the app – they simply pay for texts through their existing carrier plan.
GOGII expects the textPlus Android app to be met with the same degree of consumer fervor on the Android Market that it has on the Apple App Store. To date, the textPlus app has already seen almost 3.5 million downloads, and over 350 million messages have been sent using the service since June. And while only the top 5% of applications in the Apple App Store reach 100,000 unique monthly visitors, textPlus exceeded that by over 7 times in its second month of release.
Coming soon to Android are textPlus “text addresses,” which let users personalize texting and facilitate conversations, all without requiring a phone number.
The textPlus application can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.