Epic Games made a huge change to their Unreal Development Kit (UDK)—the free edition of the Unreal Engine 3 that provides access to the award-winning toolset used in video games, 3D visualizations, digital films and more—by making it available to the Mac with the latest September 2011 UDK Beta. They also added multi-display support for iOS using an HDMI cable or AirPlay.

To help developers support the Mac, Epic Games made a handy Mac platform page which gives information on how to distribute Mac applications, write an installer, and start development.

This is incredibly good news for Mac users since many great games use the Unreal Engine. From the documentation, it seems it won’t be a hassle to release your game for OS X even if it was originally developed for Windows. Let’s hope this is the start of many new games for us to enjoy.

SvnX is a free application that allows Mac users to more easily alter and access SVN repositories (where your revisions are held) on a local network or even your own machine (click here to download it). While there are applications such as Versions that I’ve been told work extremely well and appear to have beautiful and easy interfaces, they can cost upwards of $50. SvnX is a great application to use before you make the plunge into one of these more expensive options in my opinion. Here’s how to get SVN set up on your Mac using SvnX.

First, you need to create a repository where you’ll be keeping your files. If you don’t already have one you’re trying to access, this can be done pretty easily through the Terminal.app on all Macs via a few commands.

1. Type the command “pico .bash_profile” – This will open a command line text editor and create a file to edit.
2. Type “export PATH=/opt/subversion/bin/:$PATH” into the file. Then hit Ctrl-X, the “y” key, and “Return” in that order to save the file.
3. Type “. .bash_profile” into the command line.
4. Finally, to create the repo, use “svnadmin create <repo_name>” where <repo_name> is whatever you want. This will create a folder in the directory you are in on the Terminal. So, for instance, if you want it on your desktop, type “cd Desktop” into the command line before this final command to change the directory.

Now that we have the repo set up, we can actually begin using SvnX to access and alter it. To do this, simply open SvnX.app and click the plus sign in the “Repositories” window. In here, enter a name by which to reference the repo as well as the URL of it (either the location of the folder you just made in the previous step or wherever your existing one was). You will also type your username and password here, although these may be simply left blank. Once the profile is created, you can double click it to try connecting to it. If all goes well, the files you may have already had will show up in the window, and you will be able to browse them. It will look a little like the screen shot below.

The whole point to creating a SVN repo, though, is being able to work on the files locally and then update (called commit) them back to the repo. If you successfully connected in the previous step, click the “SVN Checkout” button on the interface and then the location you want the local copies of the files to be. This path will then automatically show up in the “Working Copies” window, and the files on the server will be placed there for you to work on. For some people, the SVN repo and the working copies may be on the same drive if you just want to use the repo locally for yourself. Note that these cannot be located in the same path because the repo has a special folder structure for it and is meant to keep revisions, not just the most recent copy. For instance, your paths may look similar to those below (note: this repo is on a local network hard drive, not my local drive):

As of now, you should have both a local copy of the files and access to the files in the repo. Now, you can simply begin working on the local files in the folder in the window “Working Copies.” Once you have edited one or more of the files here, double clicking the path in the SvnX interface will display a window listing the altered files. This is where you then commit (update) the changes to the repo as a new revision of the files for the other people who may be using it to see. To do so, you simply pick the altered files you want to commit, click “Add,” then click “Commit.” From here, you can add a message to go with the revision to keep track of what was changed from the previous revision.

These files will then show up as the most current in the repo, but all of the past revisions will also now be viewable in the “Repositories” detail window. And there you have it, you are now updating and keeping track of all your file revisions in a SVN repo. I’ve found this free application to work quite well once you get over the learning curve. While it isn’t the cleanest interface or easiest to use, it certainly gets the job done at the end of the day.

Here’s Eye-Fi’s Pro X2 card in the flesh, er box. They finally got one in on the show floor at CES just in time to win a Best of Show award. And for at least two very good reasons.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 represents a further refinement of Eye-Fi’s original idea of wireless memory. Obviously, this is the best yet. Not only will it wirelessly upload your pictures, it will do it over 802.11 N, if it’s available. Those pictures (or videos) will find their way to various web services of your choice, and/or your computer. And what makes this card better than the rest is its “endless memory” feature. This allows the card to identify pictures that have been successfully uploaded to all intended destinations, and then deletes them. This effectively turns that 8GB of memory into much, much more. And it’s a feature that you’ll only be able to get on the Pro X2.

One update current Eye-Fi owners can look forward to is an update to the Eye-Fi software. Actually, they’ve rewritten it as a regular app; it won’t be necessary to connect to the internet for all setting changes anymore, and you won’t have to open a web browser to use it. It’s called Eye-Fi center.

This should be pushed later in the month to all users.

Update: Just got in some more images of the inner workings of the Eye-Fi Pro X2 card. I just love the amount of technology they squeeze into a standard SD memory card.

Product [Eye-Fi]

Macintosh

• TheMacBundles has announced the release of its December Bundles. For each of the first three weeks in December, a new bundle of 12 highly rated titles will be released. Each bundle will feature a combination of new tiles and titles from the previous week’s bundle. This provides users with a unique opportunity to find the combination of high quality software that best meets their needs while also saving a bundle of money. Two new Weekly Specials also will be offered each week.
• Digital Heaven has announced VideoSpace 3.0, an update to the popular freeware disk space calculator widget for Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro editors. This new version adds support for the new ProRes codecs introduced in Final Cut Pro 7. VideoSpace’s easy to use interface has made it the industry standard disk space calculator. By selecting a codec and frame rate then entering the desired duration, VideoSpace calculates how much disk space would be required.
• Mac-Chi today has announced WhoPaste 4.0, a major update to their contact utility for Mac OS X. Version 4.0 strengthens its Daylite capabilities, introduces an innovative social network tool, supplies comprehensive AppleScript support, provides two new operating modes, and increases the flexibility of international addressing. WhoPaste can create contacts directly from spreadsheets or text for Apple’s Address Book, Marketcircle’s Daylite, Google’s Contacts, or Microsoft’s Entourage.
• XChange UK and ThePowerXChange have announced a promotion which offers North American users a free Enfocus Instant PDF and UK/Ireland users a free MadeToPrint with Imposition with their purchase of QuarkXPress 8 as part of the Buy One QuarkXPress, Get One Free campaign. Users who purchase new copies of QuarkXPress 8 through either company not only receive the free QuarkXPress with their purchase, but also receive an additional free product through December.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced the release of Graphic Inspector 1.7, an update to its quality control solution which checks entire folders of graphic files for potential problems according to specific workflow requirements. The software provides graphic professionals of any trade with the most exhaustive info on multiple images and vector graphics, saving the time and hassle of checking them manually. The new version adds Snow Leopard support and improves metadata handling.

iPhone/iPod

• Oceanhouse Media, Inc. has announced the first series of officially licensed iPhone Apps based on the beloved Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Grinchmas, a casual, light-hearted snowball and present-throwing game, is now available in the App Store for $1.99, in addition to Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition, a unique and whimsical greeting card maker now available for only $2.99.
• Rostami Magic has released iForce 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Disguised as a regular doodle app, iForce is a performance tool and mentalist’s companion that works in the background, unseen and unnoticed. The only organic and customizable app of its kind in existence, iForce is fully examinable and undetectable, with a seemingly endless number of ways to perform magic using an iDevice.
• Thirtynine LLC has introduced Christmasfy Me 1.0, their free greeting card utility for iPhone and iPod Touch. Just in time for the holidays, Christmasfy Me lets anyone christmasfy their picture by adding cute Christmas elements. When done, users can share their new Christmasfied picture via email, on Facebook or on Twitter. Christmasfy Me ships with 3 elements and with its built-in in-app purchase, users can unlock all other 37 elements.
• c0deart LLC has released Traffic Info Map USA 1.2 for iPhone and iPod touch users. Traffic Info Map USA was designed to quickly deliver text-based traffic information. The app is a portable traffic and weather report with near real time data for any zip code in the country. This helps users to avoid road closures, accidents, detours and other traffic related snafus on their travel route. With this newest version, the app does even more.
• WellAlright has announced BandMate 1.5, their personalized live music calendar for the iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and interface, BandMate recommends live music events by analyzing the songs already on the user’s iPod. The application provides all the tools music fans need to find out more about artists and for sharing info with their friends via e-mail and Facebook.
• Renkara Media Group has announced Translate Now!, a free translation application for the iPhone and iPod touch. Translate Now! is powered by Google Translate and enables users to translate between 36 languages. Featuring a beautiful and highly animated user interface, the application automatically increases text size for symbolic languages such as Japanese or Hindi. Easily paste text into the translation window and copy the translated text onto the clipboard, and more.
• JL Software has presented Your High-Risk Pregnancy 1.0, a resource for pregnant women who encounter unexpected complications or worrisome findings during pregnancy. This searchable, cross-referenced resource contains detailed yet concise information on all pregnancy complications in easy-to-understand language. With its 220 pages of text and images and over 4100 keywords, the book is an instant portable information bank when office visits or symptoms raise concerns about pregnancy.
• EDUmobile, the Mobile Training Lab behind the world’s most popular online iPhone Training Program with over 150 students in live training, has expanded its operations by hiring more tutors to help provide one-on-one live support to its growing base of students. In order to make the classes more affordable to a wider base of candidates, a 50% discount has been introduced for a limited time.
• Ymir Mobile has announced that their first iPhone/iPod Touch game, Ringo, has hit the AppStore. Ringo is an innovative puzzle game with a Tetris-style simplicity that evolves around rotating and matching circles on the turntable of an old gramophone.
• With Photo2Contact you can forget about distribution and post of your iPhone photos. Simply hit “share,” and it’s done. Photo2Contact automatically creates zip files containing the photos, posts them on a safe location, and spreads the word to your friends so they can download them. Get this App for free and purchase full functionality once you’ve tried it.
• Simon’s Cat—the most mischievous cat of the internet age—has arrived in his very own iPhone app: Purrfect Pitch. Purrfect Pitch is a creative musical app and a game. The creative mode allows you to compose your own tunes, save them, and then watch as Simon’s Cat sings them back. The game mode sees you taking on the cat himself, as he tests your ability to follow his lead in a series of increasingly difficult musical challenges.
• 148Apps has announced the launch of GiggleApps, a site providing iPhone application reviews of the best educational and entertaining apps for kids of all ages. Geared toward parents searching for the best kid-friendly apps, GiggleApps focuses on applications ranging from toddlers to teens, but also includes apps for parents and users of all ages. The site provides guidance on using the iPhone or iPod Touch as an educational device.
• Clixtr has announced the release of their web service and dropped the price of their iPhone app to free. Location-based photo sharing service Clixtr just launched the Clixtr web application. The corresponding web service is now available to the public for the first time. Clixtr allows users to create geo-tagged events and upload mobile photos. A talented group of MIT and Stanford grads created the Clixtr platform which turns smartphones into smartcameras.
• UK based VerySoftware has announced Christmas Gift Finder 1.0, their free Christmas app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Christmas Gift Finder helps find the perfect gifts for your family, friends and colleagues this Christmas and New Year. You can save up to 1/3 on gifts when using our app. Bookmark gifts you like. If you cannot decide which gift to buy from our vast choice, you can add it to bookmarks. Once you are ready to purchase, it’s always there.

Macintosh

• Apparent Software today is proud to announce Cashculator 1.0, a new kind of personal finance application for Mac OS X. Cashculator is a Mac way to track a cashflow. It is a different kind of personal finance application – instead of focusing on the past and logging previous transactions, it focuses on future by forecasting your financial situation. It allows making better decisions regarding your personal finance or small business. Version 1.0 is first release of the application.
• Macware has announced DiskTools Pro 3.5.1, a free update of its popular Mac utility suite for OS X. Version 3.5.1 supports Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later, including Apple’s new Snow Leopard. DiskTools Pro is a total system utility for the Mac, and the only one that allows you to schedule when to perform important tasks such as file defragmentation, backup and bad sector repair in a single, easy-to-use interface.
• Yazsoft has announced Playback 1.2, an important update to their zero configuration media server for Mac OS X. With a focus on ease-of-use, Playback allows anyone to share their media with any Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or other supported UPnP compatible device. Playback can also share media stored in folders or even make entire disks available to a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. By default, Playback will share almost any content on the users system. Version 1.2 includes many new improvements.
• SuperMegaUltraGroovy and toastycode have announced the immediate availability of TapeDeck 1.3, an update to their popular audio recorder for Mac OS X. Answering the requests of many professional and hobbyist users, version 1.3 adds the ability to record full-quality audio using lossless compression. Recordings from TapeDeck will preserve their full fidelity when dragged into Garage Band, Logic Pro, or any professional audio application that supports ALAC audio.
• Malkinware has announced Reference Tracker 1.5, an update to their academic reference manager and research tool for Mac OS X. Reference Tracker documents store all the citations and references in an essay, research project, or book and creates reference lists in a variety of formats when needed. Version 1.5 adds support for the newly updated APA 6th edition and MLA 7th edition referencing styles.
• XChange UK has announced a new exclusive PitStop Pro 09 Competitive Upgrade from FlightCheck Pro or FlightCheck Designer. This competitive upgrade gives existing users of FlightCheck Professional or FlightCheck Designer the opportunity to upgrade to the power of PitStop Pro 09 and save. PDF has become the standard for delivering press-ready files and PitStop Professional allows users to make minor edits to a PDF job at any stage.
• Karelia Software has released Karelia iMedia Browser 1.2.1, a free utility that adds the familiar “media browser” experience to just about any Mac application. The new 1.2.1 version provides full compatibility for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, adds Brazilian Portuguese and Russian Localizations, and fixes several other issues. A stand-alone utility, the Karelia iMedia Browser lets users quickly and easily browse and drag photos, music, movies, and bookmarks into most applications.
• newPCgadgets.com has introduces The Rail, a new cable management product for the iMac. The Rail is a stylish cable organizer designed to match the look of your iMac. Designed from polished steel, The Rail attaches directly below the center slot on the iMac pedestal. The Rail holds up to 8 small cables in the stainless steel wire clips. Larger cables like the power cord are held in the center section. Easily stores cables for future use and fast access on the sides. Excess wires can be wrapped around the posts. The Rail is available for $24.95.
• Emmy Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced the release of Flip Boom All-Star, an easy-to-use animation software for teens and up. Flip Boom All-Star offers exciting features that will engage users and allow them to use animation to communicate with their friends.

iPhone/iPod

• To help promote the ringtone creation software PocketMac RingtoneStudio 2 for iPhone, PocketMac is giving away a legally, factory-unlocked iPhone 3G. In addition, second and third prize winners will win a $50 and $15 iTunes gift card, respectively. The contest is structured so existing fans of PocketMac RingtoneStudio will help talk it up and recommend it to their friends. That is, the more copies of PocketMac RingtoneStudio sold during the month of November, the cooler the prizes get.
• mLab emantras has launched their first paid iphone app called Lucky Me lite. It’s a game which rates your luck and gives a score as well as a Lucky quote which can be shared on Facebook.
• IvySkin has announced the SmartCase, a new iPhone 3G/3GS accessory that brings a premium power and protection experience to iPhone owners. It offers IvySkin’s newest Glass Touch-Thru case called Quattro-T4 bundled with the new Quattro battery. This advanced power distribution system enables the iPhone to receive an additional 200% battery life. The SmartCase includes the SmartPac, Quattro-T4, USB cable and full manufacturer’s warranty.
• RemObjects Software, LLC has introduced Data Abstract for OS X, their new framework for Mac and iPhone developers. Data Abstract allows developers to concentrate on data presentation and business logic without having to worry about the intricate details of dealing with the underlying database. As a fully native OS X framework, Data Abstract was designed from the ground up to fit in with the tools that Mac and iPhone developers use, such as Xcode, Cocoa and Objective-C.
• TimeStream Software has turned the iPod Classic, iPod nano and iPod Video into eReaders with its popular Notescast titles. Installing to the “Notes” feature found on nearly every iPod in use world-wide today, Notescasts are interactive books on the iPod, each containing up to hundreds of pages of digital copy linked to related photos and additional text.
• Independent software developer Eknath Kadam has introduced Grammar Express: Tenses 1.0, his new grammar and course testing application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities, Grammar Express: Tenses is a complete course in mastering English grammatical tenses. This guide contains over a 100 pages of lessons with several examples, and serves to help improve the understanding of tenses and make use of correct form of verb.
• Extropia Games has released Bar Defender exclusively for the iPhone and the iPod touch. Bar Defender boosts castle defense games to an entire new scene. It’s going to be easy for gamers to identify with the bar fly who is threatened by the system and is struggling to hold on to the only place he feels safe: his favorite bar. Each level achieved, Bar Defender rewards gamers with more powerful weaponry and an even more audacious enemy, inciting them to polish the screen clean and shiny every time the game is afoot.
• MultiEducator has announced the release of Electrical Pro 1.0, their new information calculation tool for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Building on the success of Electrical Formulator, the Electrical Pro program adds 35 essential charts to the 100 electrical formulas in the standard Electrical Formulator. It also includes parts of the National Electric Code. The application has been designed from the ground up to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface.
• Orb Games has released Kamikaze Race 1.0, an exciting racing/action game for iPhone and iPod touch. The game puts players into a seat of an extremely fast car, amidst the busy road, with jammed accelerator pedal and brakes that refuse to work. Players have to survive as long as possible, challenged to earn achievements and to compete against other players in online leaderboards.
• Halloween has come and gone, but there are still zombies lurking in the dark, ready to eat your brains! Welcome to Zombie Dash, a top-down dungeon crawler where players can defeat the undead using the handy trackball control mechanism, as well as magic spells which can be cast with skill and dexterity via intense multitouch control. Trapped in a tomb infested with ghoulish pursuers, players must search for treasure and most importantly a key to the next level.
• VFSoftware LLC has announced Beat the Swine ’09, the first iPhone app to raise monetary donations for H1N1 relief. VFSoftware LLC will donate to the CDC Foundation’s H1N1 relief fund for all downloads, increasing donations as a player’s score goes up. Similar to the classic Asteroids, Beat the Swine ’09 has a medically inspired theme and updated pandemic information, making it the first to target gamers to help combat the spread of Swine Flu.

Macintosh

• Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics Inc. and a market leader in digital audio, has announced the latest member of its acclaimed Expressionist PC speaker family, the Expressionist PLUS (FX3021). This boldly imagined, compact system brings large-as-life sound to any desktop for only $99.95 MSRP.
• Blue Room Software announces that BurnToDisc and ImageArchiver export plug-ins for Aperture and iPhoto will be available at a 50% savings for a one day birrthday celebration on July 7, 2009. BurnToDisc provides a simple way to deliver your final images to a client, share your pictures with friends and family, or make an extra copy of your files for safekeeping. To take advantage of this sale, simply use the coupon code HAPPYBIRTHDAY at checkout.
• iPresentee has released Keynote Themes 5.0 and free Keynote theme for Apple’s presentation software. Keynote Themes 5.0 includes ten brand new terrific themes: Azure, Greenery, Blue Wave, Frozen Nature, Greenish, Ochre, Gradient Green, Orange Tree, Tones of Gray and Wood Planks. This collection offers a variety of presentation styles with coordinated fonts, colors, great backgrounds, unique bullets and picture frames. This release extends iPresentee’s Keynote themes collection up to 87 themes.
• Jumsoft has expanded their Goodies bundle, a collection of applications and designs available from company’s Web site free of charge. The company added ten Keynote Backgrounds to their vastly popular set, allowing Mac users to present their ideas in new impressive ways. Jumsoft Keynote motion backgrounds were created to infuse presentations with spirit and energize them without distracting the audience.
• Dare to be Creative has announced the release of Slices 1.0, a utility to split large files on Mac OS X. With Slices users can email large documents by breaking them down into smaller files before attaching them to emails. Slices also allows users to backup large files onto multiple CDs, USB memory sticks and other writable media. It is the latest addition to Dare to be Creative’s system utilities suite, and will be available at an introductory price for the next few weeks.
• nova media has announced the GlobeTrotter Express 441, a sleek modem which supports quad-band HSPA connections with up to 7.2 Mbit/s download speeds and up to 5.76 Mbit/s upload speeds. The GlobeTrotter Express 441 allows Macintosh users for the first time to establish 3G connections with an ExpressCard on all continents. The necessary software is delivered on the modem’s flash memory ready to install and does not need a separate CD or download.

iPhone/iPod

• The Pragmatic Studio has announced two upcoming training courses for developers interested in learning how to create iPhone applications using the latest iPhone SDK 3.0. These 4-day, hands-on courses taught by two experienced iPhone developers will be held August 4-7, 2009 in Reston, VA and August 25-28, 2009 in Denver, CO. You’ll come away from this course ready to start creating your own iPhone applications.
• Energize Software has released Gratitude Rock 1.0, a positive thoughts journal or diary for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can record your positive thoughts of gratitude for each day while experiencing the relaxing sounds and images of the ocean. Add pictures to express your day’s thoughts and feelings and read an inspirational quote of the day. Keeping a Gratitude Rock with you is a unique way to remind yourself to be thankful for all the good things in your life.
• RingtoneFeeder today released a pack of 25 unique iPhone Alarm Tones which are all written and produced by Geoff Smith. These tones are delivered in one batch immediately and available in other formats to support other mobile phones. The tones are ideal for meeting alerts, waking up or any kind of reminders that use a tone to get your attention. Download all 25 tones in 3 different formats and drag them to the mobile phone directly from their PC/Mac, or install using applications such a iTunes.
• Video creation platform Animoto today gave its iPhone and iPod touch users even more flexibility and freedom to create and view professional-quality music videos on the go. Animoto’s iPhone application, which has quickly become a Top Free App within the Photography category, creates beautifully orchestrated videos from a user’s iPhone photos with the click of a button. Since launching in December 2008, 300,000 people have installed the Animoto Videos application and over 500,000 videos have been created through the application.
• iLuv has announced the iMM153 Desktop Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker for iPod. This shake you awake alarm clock features seven ways to wake up to your favorite music. The unique Bed Shaker accessory will wake even the deepest of sleepers and is available in four colors, Black, Blue, White and Pink for the MSRP of $59.99 starting in July 2009.
• START MOBILE, the mobile art company, today announced the launch of sixteen mobile art galleries for the iPhone, featuring curated art wallpapers from some of the world’s premier emerging and underground artists. START MOBILE wallpaper galleries for the iPhone are now available via the Apple App Store, and featured artists include Justin Bua, Ricky Powell, Shepard Fairey, Sugarluxe, Drew Brophy, Mark Wasyl, Kelly Towles, Tricia Choi, Felix LaFlamme, and Luke Feldman.
• Frank Wahrman has announced iAssociate, a word association game in which the player’s role is to guess which words, or phrases, are derived from the other words that are shown in the puzzle. The game features multiple levels, and every level starts off with just one word (or phrase) visible. For instance, you might start off a level with the word Apple and a number of associations from that. Your goal is then to guess what these associations are.

Mac OS X v10.6

The code name for this latest release of Mac OS X is Snow Leopard. The name is important not just because it’s another big cat ( like the other names they have used: Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, etc…) but that it is very similar to the code name for the current release of Mac OS X v10.5: Leopard. Snow Leopard will seem a lot like Leopard to most end users. Expect a few cosmetic changes and maybe some subtle differences, but the Snow Leopard release will be all about what’s under the hood.

When OS X was first released, it was a revolution for Macs and, in many ways, for the PC industry as a whole. It was a modern operating system that had been built on top of a proven Kernel, but was still very accessible to the average user. Once again, we see the themes of stability and security coming in to play, as most consumer operating systems were buggy, unreliable and virus-ridden. Apple released a sleek, fast, stable and secure OS that was easy to use and very powerful in what it could do. It appealed to consumers and power users alike. It was, and still is, the minority platform, but it quickly became the one to watch.

Now, with Snow Leopard, we have the 7th generation of this operating system (We started with 10.0, and not 10.1). It has come a long way since March of 2001, and has matured well over the years. However, every release has been packed full of new features to keep people buying the new OS. With Snow Leopard, Apple is taking a much needed break from new features and has spent the last year-and-a-half streamlining the OS and the apps they provide with it. This is a bold step because without a lot of new features, a large majority of their user base will not be motivated to upgrade until they buy new hardware. Certainly Apple recognizes this loss of revenue opportunites, but they’re staying true to their vision of security and stability in streamlining the OS. For this, Apple deserves our applause.

The reason this streamlining is necessary is because Apple pulled off an amazing transition a few years ago when they moved us from the PowerPC processors to today’s Intel processors. This was not an easy task, but they pulled it off very smoothly and with very few problems. To accomplish this, the OS had to make some compromises. Now that the transition is complete and far enough behind us, they can focus on building an OS that really takes advantage of this new architecture. This release will see better use of multi-core processors, more efficient memory access, and even the ability for developers to use the latent power of the graphics processors for non-graphic purposes. In short, it will be a more stable, secure and reliable OS that is easy to use and does not intimidate those who are attempting to use it.

Evolution of a revolution

Both the iPhone OS and Mac OS X were revolutionary operating systems when they first came out. They allowed us to do things that we weren’t able to do before. These two operating systems are the real jewels in Apple’s crown and the keys to their success. Millions of people have purchased, used and discussed these systems and the devices they power. They have changed the way we think about computers and mobile devices. The anticipated releases of the new systems are far more evolutionary than revolutionary, but every revolution needs to eventually mature and evolve into its full potential. We will see some new features for consumers, but I have a feeling that both platforms’ developers are very excited about this year’s WWDC because of the evolutionary changes to the revolution they first signed up for.

Welcome to the evolution.

Also see WWDC: Evolution of a revolution part 1 – iPhone OS 3.0.

It’s all about the OS

WWDC’s keynote has become in the last 10 years a platform for Apple to make announcements for all sorts of things, and it is likely to contain some surprises this year as well. However, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for WWDC, and it’s what you can’t see underneath that is some of the best stuff at the event. Keep in mind that this is a developer’s conference, and attendance is limited. Therefore, the entire conference is geared towards the people who make the applications for your Apple device that you love so much, and for the second year in a row, it’s a sellout. This means, unlike Macworld, this is not a product showcase, but a chance for some of the greatest minds of these platforms to get together and get a look under the hood of what is coming.

If you take a quick peak at WWDC’s conference schedule, you will quickly realize that almost all of the sessions are completely focused on the operating systems, only talking about the hardware when it interacts with the software that runs it. This year, like last year, there are two different but related operating systems to highlight. For the iPhone, we have the much anticipated release of iPhone OS 3.0 and for the Mac we have the much more quietly expected Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard). Both of these will be important releases that will likely occur soon after WWDC, if not at the conference itself. At the very least, we expect to find out more about when to expect these releases. Now, let’s look more critically into these releases and why they are important.

iPhone OS 3.0

iPhone OS 3.0, despite its name, will be the new OS for both the iPhone and the iPod touch, and will be available sometime this summer. This release brings some much anticipated features to the iPhone, including copy and paste, stereo Bluetooth, multimedia messaging (MMS), peer to peer (P2P) communication with nearby iPhone users and universal search. All of these features will be available to the current generation of iPhones, while features like MMS and stereo bluetooth are not expected to work with the first generation iPhone.

This is an important release for the iPhone OS not just for the features it will bring, but also for the maturity of the platform. Many see this release of the OS as the one that will finally fulfill the expectations for the original iPhone. Think of it as if iPhone OS 1.0 was the infant, 2.0 was the gangly teenage years, and 3.0 will finally be a mature, sophisticated adult. There will be a little flash on the surface, but the real substance will be underneath, as developers will now have more access to the resources the iPhone possesses.

Apps today live in a bubble. They can interact with things outside their bubble, but only in very limited ways. The bubble isn’t bursting, but it is getting a lot bigger. With 3.0, developers will be able to work more with Google Maps and the iPod multimedia library, and directly interface with hardware attached in the dock port (and possibly over bluetooth, as well). This means you could finally have an alarm on your iPhone that can use your iPod music as an alarm, not just the ringtones you have created. Or, an app that helps you find a local restaurant could have the map in the app instead of forcing you to switch out to the Maps app to see where it is. You may also get the chance to see all sorts of great (and probably not so great) hardware accessories that interact with your iPhone in some very cool ways. Suddenly, your iPhone can become the central hub for even more activity.

The question that needs to be asked here is, “Why?” Why has it taken so long for Apple to allow this kind of interaction? Isn’t this the sort of thing that computers and even mobile devices have always done? I can’t answer those questions authoritatively, but I can speculate on why I think it has taken so long. Apple’s answer to similar questions has always been that they limit things either because of stability, security or both. While this answer may be frustrating to the consumer, limiting for the sake of security and/or stability are core to Apple’s success with the iPhone as they evaluate where the iPhone is going and what it is doing. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of the consumer for Apple to be very intentional in their choices (albeit slow).

Coming soon, another piece will detail the smartphone’s evolution and its future, but for now, let’s just say that many smartphones that came before the iPhone were useful, but troublesome. If you wanted your smartphone to work like it did out of the box, you needed to leave it with the software that came with it out of the box. Sometimes, even then, it would still take a lot of time to make it do what you wanted it to do. Similarly, when Apple released the iPhone, that’s the way it worked. But they intended all along for Apps to be written and downloaded, starting first with only Apple approved Apps be on the device. With the release of “teen OS” 2.0, they allowed Apps to be written but highly restricted them to prevent third party apps from destabilizing the phone. For a mobile platform like the iPhone to succeed, it needed and needs to be as bulletproof and user-friendly as it can be. Smartphones had rarely appealed to the average consumer in the past because they were not easy to use. A consumer device needs to be—first and foremost—a stable, secure and reliable device that is easy to use and does not intimidate those who are attempting to use it.

So, iPhone OS 3.0 will usher in new features for the developer as well as the consumer, and it will finally unleash even more potential from the phone. This helps the platform to be more stable, secure and reliable. It also helps everyone—including consumers, press and developers—understand how Apple expects the platform to be used in the future. So, instead of throwing it at us all at once, we receive it in small, un-intimidating doses that are much easier to swallow. At the same time, Apple gets the chance to refine these systems even more to make sure they work correctly. In the end, with each step, Apple refines and reveals another piece of the puzzle, building the base to test things they ultimately want to do with the iPhone. Now they have the base and they will leverage that base to take the platform to even higher heights.

Check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at the importance of Mac OS X v10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).

Macintosh

• Universal Electronic Accessories (Uniea) has announced that it plans to develop new cases based around the design concept of the Omniverse, one of the company’s newest and most innovative universal laptop cases. Due to debut in mid March, Omniverse cases offered in both Nylon and Silk Fiber materials for 2.5-inch hard disk devices and digital cameras will be added to the product line, which currently includes tote and sleeve styles in both Nylon and Silk Fiber for 10- and 13-inch laptops.
• This weekend—March 12th and 13th—get FileChute on macZOT for 50% off. FileChute makes sending files easy. Just drag a file and drop it on FileChute. FileChute puts the file on your MobileMe account and generates a web link for retrieving the file all in one step. Next, drag the generated link into your email and you’re set to go. And since what you’re sending is just a link, your recipients can retrieve the file from a Mac, a PC or any other platform.
• This Monday and Tuesday—March 16th and 17th—you can pick up BusySync on macZOT for 40% off. With BusySync you can share iCal calendars with family or coworkers on your LAN without the need for a dedicated server. Shared calendars can be viewed and edited by multiple users, and changes are instantly published and synchronized with all users on the network. You can make changes to shared calendars while offline and your changes will sync when you reconnect to the network.
• Zykloid Software has announced Posterino 1.5, an update to their popular life poster and postcard creator for Mac OS X. With a focus on ease-of-use, Posterino creates life posters, photo collages, frames, postcards, greeting cards and contact sheets from digital images. Posterino supports auto-placement of photos, export of posters or postcards, custom template creation, and various image manipulation routines such as cropping and rotation. Version 1.5 offers various improvements.
• Mac Games Arcade today received a significant update, bringing it to version 1.0.5. Among the new features are the ability to add your own games to Mac Games Arcade and enhanced downloading. Now, users can go to “My Games” and simply drag and drop their own games into the My Games window and it’ll magicially show up.

iPhone/iPod

• Aspyr has announced that all of their iPhone apps are now onsale in the iTunes App Store for 99 cents each. Voodude lets you create your own personal, portable Voodoo doll within your iPhone or iPod Touch. FriendZoo livens up your address book by turning each of your contacts in an animal in a zoo exhibit. Buggled is a multi-touch game of finger twister for your iPhone. See how far you can go, and challenge your friends.

Macintosh

• Eye-Fi Inc. has announced the release of two new wireless SD memory cards that will upload videos directly from a digital camera to a computer and the Web. Videos are growing in popularity, and more than 144 million videos were viewed online in 2008, according to comScore. In addition to automatic photo uploads, the next generation Eye-Fi cards effortlessly deliver their video clips to YouTube or Flickr.
• This weekend—March 7th and 8th—you can pick up Algoriddim’s djay on macZOT for 40% off. djay is an award-winning piece of DJ and music playing software. Created exclusively for the Mac, djay perfectly integrates with your iTunes library and lets you start mixing your music right away. Unprecedented ease-of-use combined with powerful and innovative mixing capabilities make it the perfect tool for beginners and seasoned pros alike.
• ZappTek is proud to announce iPresent It 2.4, their easy to use slideshow-to-iPod utility for Mac OS X. iPresent It allows anyone to easily convert PowerPoint, PDF or Keynote presentations into slideshows that are synced with their iPod. This makes iPresent It particularly suited for doing presentations on the go: never carry a laptop into a presentation again. Version 2.4 adds support for Keynote ’09.
• Gogii Games, in partnership with Macgamestore.com and Mac Games Arcade, have announced the release of Nanny Mania 2, the sequel to the hit nanny game. Nanny Mania is back with a brand new adventure. The sequel to the number one hit puts you in the middle of a celebrity family in need of a super nanny. In Hollywood, being a stay at home mom is a lot of work. Have you got the skills to take care of the house, the kids, and the egos all while keeping the paparazzi at bay?

iPhone/iPod

• Eye-Fi has released a new iPhone application that allows Eye-Fi users to store and share all their photos, from both iPhone and a digital camera, into the same organized computer folder and to one of 25 online photo sharing Web sites. iPhone users who own an Eye-Fi card can download the free application from Apple’s App Store.
• In regards to the French justice department ruling in favor of opening the iPhone market in France, Mobya has launched a call to all iPhone developers (Apple). $10,000 will be awarded to the selected developer(s). For the past few month now, there have been several initiatives to promote the development of new mobile applications in the United States. Mobya kicks it off from Europe by allowing developers from all over the world to submit their own mobile applications. Mobya will select applications that create a new usage and are linked to a sustainable business model.
• Vanilla Breeze has announced the release of its new application, now available from Apple iTunes AppStore. i-Gun, makes a clever use of touch interface and motion sensor to simulate a realistic handgun experience. There are other competing products at AppStore that feature various weapons, but most are mere sound machines, and the rest with poor graphics and animations. i-Gun is, by far, the most realistic handgun simulation app in AppStore, and will for sure give users hours of fun chasing after one another. The developer is planning on adding more weapons and effects in the near future.
• Damabia, in association with RnSK Softronics, has announced Bang! Bang! Original Gangsta for iPhone and iPod Touch. The first power weapon for the iPhone and iPod Touch, is now available in a new version. With the features you know and love in Damabia’s Bang! Bang!, the Original Gangsta version takes you even further, giving you genuine “Gansta-style” side-hand firing. Natural Motion-Controlled Firing and Reload Action.
• Wake!Gently is an alarm and bedside clock that will wake you as you are supposed to be woken…slowly and gently as nature intended. As the alarm rings, the chosen alarm sound starts to play, quietly at first and rises to full volume over one minute…thus allowing you to wake slowly and gently. Wake!Gently provides 6 professionally recorded, licensed, non looped “ambient” sounds to wake up to.
• You won’t need to rely on the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day when you have the protection of OtterBox. As innovators of protective solutions for mobile handheld technology, OtterBox offers superior quality cases for the top selling tech devices without having to spend a pot of gold.
• Software Ops has announced the release of My Eyes Only 1.5 for iPhone and iPod Touch. My Eyes Only has been heralded as the best selling iPhone application that protects your personal information. MEO uses secure RSA encryption to protect sensitive information from loss or theft, and protects access to all MEO personal information with user chosen passwords. Version 1.5 provides additional features adding two new categories: “Rewards card” and “Passport identity.”