iLounge

PocketMac has introduced its new RingtoneStudio for iPhone software for Mac. RingtoneStudio for iPhone allows users to create iPhone-compatible ringtones up to 30 seconds in length from “practically any” unprotected video or audio file. The program offers drag-and-drop ringtone creation from files 30 seconds or less in length, lets the user choose the 30 second ringtone clip if the media file is longer than 30 seconds, and automatically adds the ringtones to the iTunes Ringtones list upon completion. PocketMac’s RingtoneStudio for iPhone requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and 10MB of free disk space, and sells for $15.

crispSofties has released iPod.iTunes 4.0, the latest version of its synchronization software for Mac OS X. iPod.iTunes synchronizes songs, videos, playlist and meta data in both directions between iPods and iTunes libraries. New in version 4.0 is support for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches, auto sync suppression to keep iTunes from deleting songs on the iPod that the user plans to transfer back into iTunes, and the ability to eject an attached iPod or iPhone from within the application. iPod.iTunes 4.0 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, and is priced at 24.90 Euro (about $39) for a single user license. A demo version is also available.

Ambrosia Software has released iToner 1.0.7, the latest update to its iPhone ringtone creation software. iToner lets users easily transfer their own MP3, AAC, WAVE, and AIFF audio files to the iPhone as custom ringtones. New in iToner 1.0.7 is support for iPhone OS X 1.1.4 and a fix for an iTunes compatibility issue, along with other bug fixes and improvements. iToner requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later and sells for $15; a free trial download is also available.

Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 3.2, the latest update to its Airport Express streaming audio utility for Mac OS X. Airfoil allows users to send audio from any application to an Airport Express or Apple TV, and can also send audio to multiple AirTunes units simultaneously. New in version 3.2 is improved support for the 802.11n Airport Express, including full password support and better synchronization, as well as support for remote control of iTunes or QuickTime Player when transmitted via AirFoil. Users can control the applications using the Apple Remote through an Apple TV, or the Keyspan Express Remote through an Airport Express. Airfoil 3.2 is available now and is a free update for Airfoil 3 users; a full license runs $25.

KennettNet Software has announced Music Rescue 4.0, the latest upgrade to the popular iPod recovery tool. Music Rescue 4.0 adds new features such as QuickRecover, a way to easily rebuild an iTunes library, support for the iPhone and iPod touch, a revamped user interface, Smart Playlist support, an improved media player, and faster, smoother copying. Following a complete rewrite for both Mac and PC, version 4.0 is currently in the final stages of development. The company is now seeking beta testers, and has offered any reader who’d like to help test Music Rescue 4.0 a discount coupon worth 50% off the price of the new version. In addition, users who purchase Music Rescue 3.x (which sells for £10) now will get a free upgrade to version 4.0 when it is released by the end of June.

Sci-Fi Hi-Fi software has announced PodWorks 2.9.3, the latest update to its iPod song transfer application for Mac. According to the company, PodWorks 2.9.3 “includes a large number of changes aimed at increasing the performance, reliability, and ease of use of the application’s existing iTunes integration, as well as a new “metadata only” transfer feature that can set a song’s play count, last played date, star rating, and other attributes based on its counterpart on an iPod or iPhone.” PodWorks 2.9.2 is available for $8 and requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 3.1, the latest version of its Airport Express streaming audio utility for Mac OS X. Airfoil allows users to send audio from any application to an Airport Express, and can also send audio to multiple Airport Express units simultaneously. New features in version 3.1 include support for the Apple TV’s new AirTunes feature, which allows Airfoil to stream audio to the set-top box, and support for Airfoil Speakers for Windows. The release also fixes a DVD playback issue with Mac OS X 10.5.2, and includes various other fixes and improvements. Airfoil 3.1 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and sells for $25; users of Airfoil 2 can upgrade for $10. In addition to the Mac version, Rogue Amoeba also offers Airfoil 2.5 for Windows; it sells for $25 as well.

Mark/Space has released The Missing Sync for iPhone 1.0.1, the latest verison of its iPhone synchronization software. The Missing Sync offers users data migration of contacts, tasks, events, and photos from Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry smartphones, as well as the ability to archive, browse, and search iPhone call logs, SMS text messages, and notes. The latest version adds German and French localization, allows users to delete individual or selected calls from the call archive, and the SMS Log application now supports deleting all incoming and outgoing messages for a single contact. The Missing Sync for iPhone requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later and sells for $40; a crossgrade from qualifying Mark/Space products costs $25.

Ecamm Network has announced the release of MegaPhone 1.5. Formerly called iPhoneDrive, the Mac application allows iPhone and iPod touch users access to iTunes media, photos, notes, and other data stored on the device, as well as the ability to copy files and folders to the device for data storage and file transfer. Version 1.5 adds the ability to add and edit notes, including the ability to add text, PDF, and other files to the Notes application for reading and editing on the go. “We can now finally use the iPhone notepad to store important information,” explains Ken Aspeslagh, Ecamm Network’s iPhone specialist. “With MegaPhone, moving notes back and forth between the Mac and the iPhone is as simple as dragging in and out of the MegaPhone window.” MegaPhone 1.5 requires Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later, and sells for $20.

ZappTek has announced the release of iPDA 4.1, the latest version of its iPod companion software for Mac. iPDA can transfer Word, PDF, Apple Pages, RTF or text documents to the iPod for portable viewing, and can also download RSS feeds, weather forecasts, driving directions and news headlines directly to the iPod. In addition, it supports the transfer of information from Entourage, Stickies, Mail, Address Book and iCal to the iPod. iPDA 4.1 adds support for Entourage 2008, allows both Gmail and local mail messages to be on the iPod simultaneously, and also includes a number of bug fixes. iPDA 4.1 requires Mac OS X 10.4 of later, and sells for $20.

Findley Designs has released iPod Access v4.2, the latest version of its iPod music and video transfer application. iPod Access allows users to browse and copy music and audio files from an iPod or iPhone back to the computer or to an external hard drive. New features in version 4.2 include support for the iPod touch, a new iPhone and iPod touch engine, improved iTunes duplicate checking, and improved playlist cloning. Findley Designs iPod Access v4.2 is available now for both Windows and Mac, and sells for $20.

Rogue Amoeba has released Airfoil 3, the latest version of the company’s Airport Express streaming audio utility for Mac OS X. Airfoil allows users to send audio from any application to an Airport Express, and can also send audio to multiple Airport Express units simultaneously. Version 3’s new features include “perfect” synchronization for multiple Airport Express units, Airfoil Speakers functionality that allows users to create a “virtual Airport Express” on other Macs on the local network, the Airfoil Video Player, and full support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Airfoil 3 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and sells for $25; users of Airfoil 2 can upgrade for $10. In addition to the Mac version, Rogue Amoeba also offers Airfoil 2 for Windows; it also sells for $25.

Mark/Space has officially released its The Missing Sync for iPhone software. The Missing Sync offers users data migration of contacts, tasks, events, and photos from Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry smartphones, as well as the ability to archive, browse, and search iPhone call logs, SMS text messages, and notes. Brian Hall, Mark/Space president and CEO, said, “Prospective iPhone customers want to know that they can take their existing smartphone data with them, and Missing Sync for iPhone is designed to meet that need. Existing and prospective iPhone customers alike will benefit from enhanced access to their Call Log, SMS text messages and Notes.” The Missing Sync for iPhone requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later and sells for $40; a crossgrade from qualifying Mark/Space products costs $25.

Findley Designs has released iPod Access Photo v1.3, the latest version of its photo utility for iPod. iPod Access Photo allows users to select individual photos and albums on their iPods and move them back onto their computer or external hard drive. New in version 1.3 is support for the iPhone and iPod touch, improved support for the iPod classic and iPod nano (with video), and support for Mac OS X 10.5. Other features include the ability to view photos by album, automatic use of the highest resolution image available, and the ability to copy all photos with one click. iPod Access Photo v1.3 is available now for Windows and Mac OS X.

SuperSync has announced the release of its SuperSync 2.0 personal music library synchronization software. SuperSync lets users synchronize their music libraries between multiple computers over the internet. The latest version of the software allows up to five simultaneous track uploads and downloads, making synchronization faster, and features a completely redesigned file transfer interface, support for automatic Universal Plug and Play router setup, improved iTunes integration, and more. SuperSync 2.0 is available now for Mac OS X and Windows, and is priced at $29 for a 2-machine license. A demo version is also available.

Nakahara Informatics has announced its iGet Mobile 1.0 remote access software. iGet Mobile is a Mac-only application that allows users to securely access their Mac’s documents and files from an iPhone, iPod touch, Windows PC, or other non-Mac device. It provides a lightweight web interface to the Mac, with special features geared toward users of the iPhone and iPod touch, and can also perform on-the-fly document conversions to allow unsupported file types to be viewed on the iPhone and iPod touch. “Since the very first day that the iPhone was released, we’ve been asked when we’ll have a version of iGet that works with it,” said CEO Christopher Martin. “People don’t necessarily want to take their laptops with them as much as before, and yet they still want to be able to connect back to their Macs and access their documents, maybe for business reasons, or maybe just to find something to read while waiting at the dentist’s office.” iGet Mobile 1.0 is now available, and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later. Regularly priced at $39, the software is currently available for the special introductory price of $29.

SRS Labs has released its iWOW 2 iTunes Plug-In for Mac, the latest version of the audio enhancement software. iWOW 2 uses several patented audio enhancement technologies from SRS Labs to provide 3D audio from desktop and laptop computers as well as external speakers and headphones. Features include the ability to create and save presets for specific songs, videos and podcasts, an ‘Auto-preset’ option that automatically chooses the best iWOW preset based on the information in the music or video, and Movie Mode, which offers virtual surround sound over headphones. Tom Yuen, Chairman and CEO of SRS Labs, said, “As the popularity of Mac’s as entertainment devices increases, so does the demand for enhanced audio to ensure the best experience. With iWOW 2, music and video can be experienced with superior audio that complements the visual experience.” iWOW 2 requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later and iTunes 6 or later. iWOW 2 sells for $20; owners of iWOW 1 can upgrade for $12.

Roxio is preparing an update to its Popcorn desktop DVD and video conversion application for Mac. Popcorn 3 features support for both the iPhone and Apple TV, better video quality settings, and TivoToGo functionality. Along with its DVD-burning features, which include Fit-to-DVD, automatic video conversion and menu building, and support for dual-layer drives, the application’s video conversion feature gets batch conversion, a video quality preview that lets users see what the compressed video will look like at the current settings, and the ability to convert TivoToGo recordings for viewing on the iPhone, Apple TV, or iPod. Roxio Popcorn 3 will be available at the end of the month and will run $50 for a full version; $30 for an upgrade from previous versions.

Tagtraum Industries has released beaTunes 1.2, the latest version of its iTunes library management tool. beaTunes offers color, BPM, and language analysis, and can intelligently create playlists of matching songs. New in version 1.2 is a track identification feature for songs without artist or title information that uses acoustic fingerprints provided by MusicIP’s MusicDNS service. Other improvements include new inspections, a full-screen album charts mode, and feature enhancements. beaTunes 1.2 is available as a 14-day trial for both Mac and Windows; a full license runs $25.

Roxio this week will announce Crunch, a new Mac application that converts videos for playback on the Apple TV, iPod, and iPhone. Crunch includes support for both native QuickTime file formats including DV, AVI, MOV, and non-QuickTime file formats including DivX, MPEG-2 and DVD-Video. Roxio said the software will also convert DVDs and VIDEO_TS folders, and offers multiple optimized MPEG-4 and H.264 settings.

“With award winning technology from the leader in digital media, Roxio Crunch makes taking your video in to the living room or the palm of your hands fast and simple,” the company said in documents provided to iLounge. “Roxio Crunch is a one-stop shop for all of your video conversion needs. Batch export will make your life even simpler—converted video will be automatically added to iTunes for syncing.” Roxio’s site has yet to be updated with information on Crunch, and pricing and availability were not provided. View screenshots below.