The updated EyeTV Hybrid get a refreshed enclosure, and support for Windows 7.
Elgato announced Tuesday a tweak to its TV tuner, video encoder EyeTV Hybrid. For Mac users, the only change is on the looks, as it comes in a new smaller enclosure, which resembles a USB thumb drive. For PC users, the product now includes Windows 7 compatibility. Other than that, it's essentially the same product at the same price.
EyeTV Hybrid is equipped with a TV tuner to bring in analog and digital SD/HD programming. The channels can be pipped in via over-the-air broadcast or unencrypted cable channels. The device also features an analog component or composite input via breakout cable for virtual any video input. The product ships with EyeTV 3 software which allows Mac users to record, watch, pause, and rewind live TV. Once content is recording to the Mac, it can then be exported to iTunes for iPhone or an iPod. The product includes one year of TV guide programming data, with additional years costing $19.95 per year. For Windows 7 users, the product includes drivers for Windows 7 Media Center.
EyeTV Hybrid is available for U.S.A and Canada for $149.95.
FimeMaker, a subsidiary of Apple, updated its long-running database suite for Mac and Windows. FileMaker Pro 11 features a number of new advances with the biggest involving chart generation. In addition to FileMaker Pro, FileMaker also announced updates to related FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced, FileMaker Server 11, and FileMaker Server 11 Advanced products.
"FileMaker Pro 11 is designed for solving real-world business problems, such as the need for interpreting business data," said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker, Inc. "With easy-to-use integrated charting, we bring dynamic visual reporting to FileMaker Pro 11 users. We also provide new tools to boost all users’ productivity, helping novice and expert users alike build, share and publish better databases."
The new charting feature offers dynamic chart creation of pie, bar, area, and line graphs. The charts are created on the fly using data inside of the specific database. Once generated, the charts can be published to the Web using FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing. The chart functions seem reminiscent to Excel's ability to quickly chart data in a spread sheet.
FileMaker Pro 11 also offers users additional collaboration tools, such as sending a Snapshot Link to other FileMaker users via email, and the ability to import from Excel, CVS, and TAB files. More features include a Quick Find ability, similar to the searching engine in iTunes, Mail, and Spotlight in OS X. Other new features include an inspector to help control the layout of objects. Two other new features should help users get up and running quicker with a new Quick Start Screen, and also a Starter Solution using more than 30 built-in solutions for working with invoices.
New to FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced includes a suite of development and customization tools. FileMaker said it will aid users in cut and paste functions without re-keying information. Advanced also included an improved Script Debugger and Custom Menus.
New to FileMaker Pro 11 Server included Enhanced Statistics View for details on troubleshooting potential issues. Also new is a Backup File Clone which allows database administrators to save an empty database with just the schema intact for troubleshooting.
FileMaker Pro 11 retails for $299, or $179 upgrade, Advanced sells for $499 with a $299 upgrade, Server is $999 and a $599 upgrade, and Server 11 Advanced is $2999 with a $1799 upgrade option. A 30-day demo is available to download for FileMaker Pro 11. All versions are available now for Mac and Windows.
Incase announced Tuesday an update to its Neoprene Sleeve Plus for Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro. As one may suspect the sleeve case is primarily made of Neoprene material.
The updated product features new material and upgraded safeguards, according to the company. The inside of the case utilizes a new protective interior that runs the length of the seams. Incase says this add increased protection to the laptop. Also, a "faux-fur" material provides an extra layer of protection to the outward facing laptop surface.
On the material side, the new Neoprene fabric offers a lighter weight and more durable product, says Incase. The case also saw refinements to the zipper pull for better ascetics.
The Neoprene Sleeve Plus retails for $39.95 and is available for the 13-inch MacBook, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, and 17-inch MacBook Pro.
New drive offers 1 TB of storage in small, bus-powered enclosure.
The new Mercury Elite AL Pro mini is a 2.5-inch drive solution now available in 1 TB size. The drive ships with a quad FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA enclosure for any external solution on Mac or PC. By using the 2.5-inch drive, which utilizes less power than typical. 3.5-inch desktop hard drives, the storage solution can be powered directly from the FireWire or USB bus. The drive also requires no fan for quiet operation.
Mercury Elite AL Pro mini line come in three different flavors, a 5200/5400 RPM drive (the new 1 TB drive is 5200 RPMs), 7200 RPM, and a SSD (solid state drive). Sizes start out at 250 GB for $119.99, with the 1 TB model selling for $299.99.
The Mercury Elite AL Pro enclosure features a brushed aluminum design and measures just 3.8-inches wide by 5.5-inches long and 1.1-inches high.
"We're very pleased to have our renowned Mercury storage line achieve another industry first," said Larry O'Connor, CEO, Other World Computing. "With the highest capacity and most interfaces in a portable design, our 'mini' delivers massive, professional grade data storage/backup to the modern mobile computing society."
The drives are compatible Mac OS 8.6 through Mac OS X 10.6, and Windows 98SE or later. All drives are available for order now.
The current MacHeist nanoBundle 2 is on its last day today. The bundle features seven apps for $19.99, with the possibility of unlocking RapidWeaver if they hit their sales total of 50,000 bundles. As of writing, they’re at about 45,000. In addition to the eight bundled applications, customers can get a bonus three programs by retweeting a message of their purchase.
Tuesday, the bundling promotion offered up a last minute license to Tweetie for the Mac. The purchase includes an exclusive sneak peak at the upcoming Tweetie 2 beta. In addition, the Tweetie license includes a free upgrade to Tweetie 2 when it’s released.
MacHeist is a popular bundling promotion supporting various small Mac developers. The nanoBundle 2 includes MacJournal ($40), RipIt ($20), Clips ($27), CoverScout ($40), Flow ($25), and Tales of Monkey Island ($35). RapidWeaver ($79) is the title that will unlock after 50,000 purchases. The three retweet apps are Airburst Extreme ($20), Tracks ($11), and Burning Monkey Solitaire ($25). The newly added Tweetie sells for $20 for the unlocked version. All together the apps would run you $342.
MacHeist is donating 25% of proceeds to charity. As of writing the charity donations have reached over $224,000, and to date the promotion have raised over $2 million. When ordering, buyers have the option of choosing among 11 charities.
Company Tuesday announced the iPad Smart Case and iPad Slip Case for Apple’s upcoming tablet device.
iPad accessories keep flowing in with the latest entries coming from San Francisco-based WaterField Designs. The iPad Smart Case features an Ultrasuede scratch-free liner and a rigid insert to offer screen protection. The Smart Case comes in six colors of black, brown, silver, blue, green and red. It’s available for pre-order for $59.
The Slip case too comes in six colors of black, copper, flame, green, pearl, and pine. The Slip will tightly fit the iPad, which may be ideal of placing inside another carrying case or just by itself. WaterField notes the Slip may be ideal for travel and TSA inspections. The Slip Case is available for pre-order now and sells for $29.
"The Smart Case with its bold colors and distressed leather sides is a really unique, eye-catching case," explained owner, Gary Waterfield. “The Slip Case is simple and light, but protective—and both cases are easy to spot. Users can match them to our popular Muzetto bag since the personal size is a great fit for the buzz-worthy new iPad."
Last month WaterField announced two other cases intended for the iPad and they too are available for pre-order.
Case-Mate this week started shipping its Hug cordless charging solution for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The Hug was originally announced back in January.
The Hug is a cordless charging station that includes a custom case and power charging pad. When placed on the pad, the iPhone will charge without plugging the phone into any the wall. The inductive charging pad of course is plugged into the wall. The resulting solution offers a convenience and tidy way to manage device charging. When needing to sync to a computer, users will need to remove the iPhone from the case, however.
The Hug is available now from Case-Mate for $99.99.
To button up the Valve story here, Valve officially announced its intentions to develop for the Mac OS, and which games we can expect to see.
For the past week, Valve has been playing the gaming world like a violin with leaked details of Mac development. Monday the company formally announced its intentions go Mac.
As reported earlier today, Portal 2 will be launching for the Mac. In fact the Mac OS X version will ship along with Windows and Xbox. The company also announced that Steam is in fact coming to the Mac. Probably best described as iTunes for gaming, Steam is a game store where gamers can buy and download titles, and after which updates will be available to download right in the system. Popular titles such as Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life, and Counter-Strike are expected to be available next month.
“We looked at a variety of methods to get our games onto the Mac and in the end decided to go with native versions rather than emulation,” said director of Steam Development John Cook.
One cool feature will be Stream Play is it will allow gamers to play on both their Macs and PCs. Game progress will be saved online, and gamers can switch from their PC to play later on their Mac. Valve also indicated that customers who own the PC version of Valve games will get the Mac version at no charge.
Houdah Software announced version 1.1 of the recently released ACTRocket app for the iPhone OS.
Called a web search accelerator, ACTRocket is a productivity app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that offers search enhancements. The software allows users to directly interface with popular searching sites. The app has a preset list of numerous searching sites such as Google, Yahoo, Amazon, IMDB, Bing, Wikipedia, and others. Furthermore, searches can be coded for shortcuts so, for example, if you wanted to search Google, you could just type "g search text." Users can add additional search sites and shortcuts.
Version 1.0 came out a couple weeks ago, and version 1.1 adds a built-in browser to view results without leaving the app.
This could be handy for power users, particularly when they may not have a WiFi or 3G connection. Rather than loading up a Webpage to search, the searches can be made directly to the site's search system.
ACTRocket 1.1 requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later. It's currently priced at $0.99.
Elgato announced Tuesday a tweak to its TV tuner, video encoder EyeTV Hybrid. For Mac users, the only change is on the looks, as it comes in a new smaller enclosure, which resembles a USB thumb drive. For PC users, the product now includes Windows 7 compatibility. Other than that, it's essentially the same product at the same price.
"FileMaker Pro 11 is designed for solving real-world business problems, such as the need for interpreting business data," said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker, Inc. "With easy-to-use integrated charting, we bring dynamic visual reporting to FileMaker Pro 11 users. We also provide new tools to boost all users’ productivity, helping novice and expert users alike build, share and publish better databases."
Incase announced Tuesday an update to its Neoprene Sleeve Plus for Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro. As one may suspect the sleeve case is primarily made of Neoprene material. 
The new Mercury Elite AL Pro mini is a 2.5-inch drive solution now available in 1 TB size. The drive ships with a quad FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA enclosure for any external solution on Mac or PC. By using the 2.5-inch drive, which utilizes less power than typical. 3.5-inch desktop hard drives, the storage solution can be powered directly from the FireWire or USB bus. The drive also requires no fan for quiet operation.
The current MacHeist nanoBundle 2 is on its last day today. The bundle features seven apps for $19.99, with the possibility of unlocking RapidWeaver if they hit their sales total of 50,000 bundles. As of writing, they’re at about 45,000. In addition to the eight bundled applications, customers can get a bonus three programs by retweeting a message of their purchase.
iPad accessories keep flowing in with the latest entries coming from San Francisco-based WaterField Designs. The iPad Smart Case features an Ultrasuede scratch-free liner and a rigid insert to offer screen protection. The Smart Case comes in six colors of black, brown, silver, blue, green and red. It’s available for pre-order for $59.
The Hug is a cordless charging station that includes a custom case and power charging pad. When placed on the pad, the iPhone will charge without plugging the phone into any the wall. The inductive charging pad of course is plugged into the wall. The resulting solution offers a convenience and tidy way to manage device charging. When needing to sync to a computer, users will need to remove the iPhone from the case, however.
For the past week, Valve has been playing the gaming world like a violin with leaked details of Mac development. Monday the company formally announced its intentions go Mac.
Called a web search accelerator, ACTRocket is a productivity app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that offers search enhancements. The software allows users to directly interface with popular searching sites. The app has a preset list of numerous searching sites such as Google, Yahoo, Amazon, IMDB, Bing, Wikipedia, and others. Furthermore, searches can be coded for shortcuts so, for example, if you wanted to search Google, you could just type "g search text." Users can add additional search sites and shortcuts.