IBM’s Development of the Disk Drive

I came across the video above today. It is a IBM documentary film about the development of the disk drive. This effort began in 1952 in San Jose, CA. The original film strip was made in the mid 1950s. The story tells how the IBM RAMAC that was introduced in 1956 was developed.

RAMAC stood for “Random Access Method of Accounting and Control”. The RAMAC 350 stored a ‘massive’ 5 million characters across the internal fifty 24″ disks. The entire unit weighed in at about 1 ton.

So in about 60 years the technology has

• increased in capacity from 5MB to 8TB (grown by 160000000%)
• shrunk in volume from 118320 cubic inches to less than 24 cubic inches (shrunk to 0.02% of original volume)
• reduced in weight from 2000 to 1.4 pounds (0.07% of original weight)
• been discounted from a $27,007 (in 2015 equivalent dollars) per month lease to a $319.97 purchase from amazon (purchase is now 1.19% of the month lease)

macOS – FontAgent 7.1.2

Product Announcement – Insider Software of San Jose, California released FontAgent 7.1.2 for Macintosh, an update to its professional font manager. The new release includes support for macOS 10.12 Sierra and a new auto-activation XTension for QuarkXPress 2016.

Continued Support for Pro Design Tools:
Version 7.1.2 of FontAgent and FontAgent Sync for Mac continues Insider Software’s leadership in professional font management with more ways to search, preview and organize your fonts than any other font manager. Organizational and font management features include:

• The Table View exposes detailed font data that you can sort, search and print
•  The List View shows fonts in their native typefaces with metadata about each font
• The Player View displays your fonts in custom text and colors and offers one-click creation of font books
• The Compare View lists multiple fonts in custom text and colors
• The Glyph View lets you view individual character glyphs and drag them into your documents
•  The Sets Sidebar helps you organize your fonts by sources and projects
• The Properties Sidebar displays more details than ever about your fonts

About FontAgent:
FontAgent provides a complete font management system that integrates diagnostics, repair, font selection, font book creation, and design tools in a single powerful, yet simple application for creative professionals. FontAgent 7 is available in a Standard Edition for standalone users and a Sync Edition that features simple, one-click sharing of fonts with others in your workgroup and auto-syncing of fonts across your Mac devices.

Pricing, Availability and Upgrades:
FontAgent 7.1.2 for Mac is free to all licensed users of FontAgent 7. FontAgent Pro 6 Standard Edition users can upgrade in the Insider online store for $59 (USD). Other users can purchase the new release for $99 (USD). Quantity discounts and crossgrades from competitive products are available. The new release runs on macOS Sierra, El Capitan and Yosemite and is available for immediate download from the Insider website. It is also available from resellers worldwide including PC Mall, PC Connection, Zones, SHI and Insight.

Review of “The Steam Man of the Prairies”

“The Steam Man of the Prairies” eBook was published in 2016 (original paper edition was published in 1868) and was written by Edward S. Ellis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_S._Ellis). He authored more than 100 “Dime Novels”.

I received a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the frontier lands west of the Mississippi in the 1870s time frame. The primary character is Johnny Brainerd, a young inventor.

Brainerd builds a steam powered ‘man’ and is enticed by an acquaintance to accompany him west from St. Louis to seek out gold. They travel into the western territories constantly battling Indians along the way. Their goal is to meet up with colleagues already mining gold, finish the dig and then head back to civilization. The four encounter one challenge after another as they avoid death from the marauding Indians.

This was an interesting 2.5 hour read of 112 pages. You can definitely tell it was written nearly 150 years ago. It reminds me of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs or the early Tom Swift books. It was a little hard to read due to the wording of the time. It had a good pace, always finding one problem after another to be overcome. The cover art is well chosen. I give this novella a 4 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Short film “The Escape”

This is video is a short (13 1/2 minutes) Science Fiction Thriller that is a BMW commercial. This is a new production of BMW Films.

The Science Fiction element is that humans have been cloned. The medical facility where she is being held is under siege by the FBI. Mercenaries are attempting to extract her for sale to an unknown buyer. Can the young woman who is the only surviving clone be rescued?

macOS – Achroma 1.0.1

Product Announcement –  – einstein’s legacy of Charlotte, North Carolina has released Achroma 1.0.1 for Mac OS X, an image manipulation tool. Achroma lets you remove colors from your images by providing two conversion modes: select from a set of preset color ranges or create your own collection of user-defined color ranges for processing. Achroma also lets you export images in a variety of formats, create interactive slideshows and share images using various internet services.

Achroma 1.0.1 includes the following key features:

• Interoperability:
  Drag’n drop (or copy) high-resolution images directly from Achroma to your application or the Finder.
• Simple Mode:
  Choose from seven preset color ranges to control the hues that will be removed from your image.
• Output Preview:
  Toggle between the original and processed image to compare the differences between images.
• Printing:
  Print high-resolution source material as a single image, on a contact sheet or as image slices.
• Exporting:
  Create new images using a background process while you continue to work on other projects.
• Advanced Mode:
  Use hue-specific controls to create an array of color ranges to process your images.
• Sharing:
  Share images with local applications or Facebook, Twitter and other popular internet services.
• Slide Shows:
  Create an interactive slide show presentation using your processed output images.

System Requirements:

• OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or later
• 64-bit processor
• 0.6 MB

Achroma 1.0.1 is available for $9.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and is available worldwide from the Mac App Store in the Photography category.

Trailer for “Mars: Our Future on the red planet”

I came across this article today “HOW WILL WE GET TO MARS? NEW BOOK AND TV SERIES PROVIDE THE DETAILS” and now I am looking forward to the National Geographic series. This will be a six-part documentary series to be aired on the National Geographic Channel beginning November 14. The series is based on the book by space journalist Leonard David also titled, “Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet.”

The story being told is set in 2033 and tells of the fictional story of the first six humans and their mission to Mars. There is the drama of the three men and three women who take the journey to Mars interspersed with ‘flashbacks’ to the present with documentary footage on how technology evolved to enable the eventual mission to Mars.

This series will be of interest to any thinking about Mars and its eventual colonization. If you go to National Geographic Channel website you can watch the first hour and twenty minute episode of the series now.

Free iOS, tvOS and macOS Software 10/2016

I have been maintaining a list of free software for iOS, tvOS and OS X. You may find some of these programs of interest. I have also attempted to mark which Apple OS the title is targeted at (iOS, OS X, tvOS) as well as the category of the App.

This is NOT a curated list. All I know about these titles is what you see below. None have been tried or tested by me.

October 2016

1. iOS/Photo and Video – DNA Imagery has launched Gifx 2.0.3, their high-tech app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The app allows users to add fun animated GIFs & music to photos & videos. Users will now have access to download unlimited GIFs directly from the Giphy API or import their own GIFs from their camera roll. Gifx 2.0.3 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo and Video category. Convenient in-app purchases are available to unlock special effects packs. Download from iTunes
2. iOS/Health and Fitness – Sporty Buddy Inc. in cooperation with Kermode Industries Ltd. launches 5F 1.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Want to get back in shape and live a healthy life? Looking for a sport buddy? Moved to a new town and don’t have any friends? 5F is the answer. The app provides a quick and easy way to find other active people in your city, connect and motivate each other to stay active. Match with others based on your favorite activities. Once two users mutually opt-in, they can message each other within the app. 5F – Find Fit Friends. For Free. 1.1 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Health and Fitness category. Download from iTunes
3. watchOS,iOS/Business – i2e Consulting LLC, the company known for its specialist mind mapping product, Mind Vector announced that the product will now be available on the Apple Watch. Mind Vector is already available on the iOS, Mac, Android and on the Web. However the availability of the app on Apple Watch has brought it to the league of specialist mind mapping apps that are available for free on the Apple Watch. Mind Vector- Mind Mapping & Brainstorming 3.3 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Business category. Download from iTunes
4. iOS/Games – RRdaS Game Factory is today proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Dig This 1.0, their challenging physics-based gravity-centric puzzle game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The game requires players to make use of their creativity and knowledge of physics to solve the underground challenges posed in each level. Create a path and then release the ball. Sounds simple, but will it reach its goal? Dig This 1.0 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. While not necessary to complete the game, convenient in-app purchases are available to remove ads, unlock all of the game levels, and allow access to all caves. Download from iTunes
5. iOS/Social Networking – Axon Development Group is proud to announce the release of Brocolle 1.0 their day-to-day college app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The target audience of the app is USA students. For the purpose of security and in order to restrict the access for non-college users, only owners of emails with university .edu domains may sign up. Brocolle 1.0 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social networking category. Download from iTunes
6. iOS/Finance – Payed LLC is proud to announce Payed Messaging 1.1.1, a new app released to coincide with iOS 10. Payed Messaging enables users to invoice, pay and be paid using Apple Pay and iMessage. It’s the first payment app with iMessage capability, avoiding the need for card capture dongles, logins, or passwords to remember or forget. Payed Messaging 1.1.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Finance category. Usage fees are comparable with similar apps. Payed users can assign these fees to buyer, seller, or split evenly between both. Download from iTunes
7. iOS/Stickers – Independent developer, Chris Patterson today releases IMMaterial for iOS 10 Messages. Create custom stickers for iOS 10 Messages from any of the over 3,000 icons included in popular web fonts. IMMaterial 1.0 is Free (with access to the Google Material Icon font.) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Stickers category. A single 99 cent in-app purchase unlocks all fonts.  Download from iTunes
8. iOS/Business – Nada Fahim today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Scanner Pro 1.0, a new document scanner developed for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Scanner Pro is the best app for quickly scanning and saving a digital version of a paper document. Scan any papers, ranging from a receipt to multi-page documents. Scanner Pro will automatically detect borders, correcting distortion and geometry. Share, email and upload your perfect scans. Use OCR to convert any scan into a text. Scanner Pro 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Business category. There is also a free, “no Ads” version available. iScanner Free
9. macOS/Utility – KnowledgeMiner Software is pleased to announce the release of Insights 5.1 for macOS Sierra, a performance update to its critically acclaimed application that implements original self-organizing modeling based on the Group Method of Data Handling or GMDH for classification, diagnosis and forecasting problems of complex nature for decision support. Following the principle of Occam’s razor the app autonomously develops complexity-minimized predictive models from observation data and generates new knowledge in form of explicit, dynamic regression model equations that describe the data for further analysis, interpretation and theory formulation purposes. Insights extracts all information needed for model development from the observation data which is why it is increasingly recognized as a superior alternative and supplemental tool to established assumption-based confirmatory science approaches for complex modeling. Insights for macOS Sierra is available as either Free, Student, Advanced, or Pro edition exclusively from the KnowledgeMiner Software website. Until October 21, 2016, promotional prices are provided. Academic versions can be purchased by contacting KnowledgeMiner Software directly.  Download Insights
10. iOS/News – Hatch Networks is proud to announce the release of BotCast 1.0.2, the company’s content delivery platform developed for iOS and Android devices. BotCast knows you love feeds but why should the largest companies in the world tell you what to read. 2016 Election. Sports. Celebrities. Technology. Business. Politics. Photography. Travel. Hobbies. No matter what your passion is, BotCast keeps you informed by scouring the web and sending you personal updates on your interests when you want them while connecting you, if you’d like, to others who share your passion. BotCast 1.0.2 is a free download and available worldwide through the App Store in the News category. BotCast 1.0.2
11. macOS/Graphic & Design – MacAppware, a division of 128bit Technologies, has announced an update of 5 new fonts to their popular free Halloween Fonts. The new free fonts collection is available on the MacAppware website, or on the Mac App Store under the name: Halloween Fonts – Free Commercial Use Holiday Fonts. Halloween Fonts 4.0 is free and available for Mac and Windows. If downloading from the Mac App Store, you can find the fonts as Halloween Fonts – Free Commercial Use Holiday Fonts in the Free section of the Graphics & Design category. If downloading from the MacAppware website, the fonts will download in a zipped folder allowing you to use the fonts on any Mac or Windows computer. Download from Mac App Store
12. iOS/Sports – Norman Kremer has recently launched Puntr 1.5, an advanced version of the exciting sports fantasy app. Puntr will take your favorite games to the next level. This app allows sports enthusiasts to swipe, play, score and earn real money while playing in major leagues such as European Leagues and American National sports leagues. Puntr claims that users can win some serious prizes – a jackpot of upto $50,000 each week by simply predicting 2 leagues right in a week. Puntr 1.5 is currently available for Free on iTunes App Store under the Sports category. Download from iTunes
13. iOS/Lifestyle – Baby Skills Ltd. has recently launched Baby Skills 1.2.1, a new lifestyle app dedicated to help parents track and record their child’s progress from birth to five years of age. Baby Skills allows parents to conveniently record every little milestone in their child’s life, share their achievements and memories with loved ones, and compare their child’s progress with other children – all in a few taps! Baby Skills 1.2.1 is available for Free in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play (as well as via the web), in the Lifestyle category. The app is supported by ads, but allows users to upgrade for an ad-free experience. Download from iTunes
14. iOS/Games – 1Games today is proud to announce the release of Life of Wolf Reboot 1.1, its new mobile adventure game developed for iOS and Android devices. Escape from the rough destiny in front of the Wandering Wolf with genuine colleagues! Become a Wandering Wolf and enjoy the epic story with 100 different types of diverse missions such as animal hunting, battles against monsters, escape from a maze, and crossing a dangerous valley. You can be reborn as the most powerful wolf once you complete all the missions for survival, for your colleagues, and for revenge. Life of Wolf Reboot 1.1 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
15. iOS, tvOS/Games – eadCoolApps, the popular casual games publisher, have announced Gravit8 as their next release, a unique puzzle/reaction game that’s quite unlike anything you’ve seen before. Gravit8 is a one touch game where each level is based on one of the 88 known constellations. Fly your rocket ship through Sagittarius, Aries, The Big Dipper and many more. Gravit8 will be Free to Play, and will be live on iOS and Apple TV Thursday 13th October 2016. Gravit8
16. iOS/Photo and Video – It’s great news for IPhone enthusiasts as DNA apps – a popular photo app design company has recently collaborated with the world’s largest library of animated GIFs – GIPHY, with a recent update to Gifx. The Giphy API allows users to search through the millions upon millions of Gifs in their database. Combined with Gifx which allows users to add fun animated GIFs & music to photos & videos you can begin to see where the magic happens.  Gifx 2.0.3 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo and Video category. Download from iTunes
17. iOS/Stickers – Neoappz, a mobile application development company, is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Photo Messages 1.0 for iOS devices. Photo Messages is a user-friendly iMessage application which allows users to create their own stickers from photos. It is compatible with iPhone’s and iPad’s running iOS 10 or later. Photo Messages 1.0 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Stickers category. A pro version is available for $0.99 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies), which offers no daily limits. Photo Messages 1.0
18. iOS/Shopping – thortful Limited is pleased to announce the official launch of thortful 1.14, their feature filled free app allowing global access to a unique marketplace of creative talent, delivering to 190 countries. thortful provides iOS and Android users with a mobile card shop in their pocket. Designed by thortful’s in-house development team, this app is brimming with features that make card buying super easy and efficient. thortful 1.14 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Shopping category.  Download from iTunes
19. iOS/Music – Anyone who has ever struggled to find music they want to listen to on their iPhone now has a solution, Easy Playlist 1.1, available for free on the App store. The purpose of the app is simple; ‘make it as easy as possible for users to find and listen to their favorite music’. Easy Playlist 1.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Music category. Download from iTunes
20. iOS/Games – The Lim brothers are proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Deck of Cards 1.0, a multiplayer card game on the iOS and Android devices. The game has no set rules, and allows players to move cards around like a real deck of cards. Up to eight players can play on the same table simultaneously. Deck Of Cards – Multiplayer Playing Cards 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games (Card) category with in-app purchases to remove advertisements. Download from iTunes
21. iOS/Health & Fitness – Semler HealthPerks, Inc. (SHP) is proud to announce the release of Semler Heart 1.0 for iOS devices, the first interactive app that deals directly with preventing heart disease; the #1 cause of death in this country. Semler HealthPerks Founder and CEO, Dr. Herb Semler, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.C, F.A.H.A., developed this easy to use application to educate and motivate users to increase their physical activity. This interactive three-tiered app, records steps, reward users with points at a soon to be announced national retail chain and offers numerous tips and insightful information for the user on how to prevent heart attacks. Semler Heart 1.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Health & Fitness category.  Download from iTunes
22. macOS/Fonts – MacAppware, a division of 128bit Technologies, announces its Free Fonts collection has been downloaded on the Mac App Store over 400,000 times. The popular Free Fonts collection is the only free commercial use font collection to receive regular updates of brand new fonts, bringing it from its original total of 45 fonts to over 500 fonts today. Font collectors who download off the Mac App Store can also get a bonus of 150 additional fonts simply by subscribing to receive future updates of new fonts from MacAppware. The Free Fonts version on the Mac App Store supports Mac OS X 10.6 (64bit) and later, and is now available for download on the Mac App Store. Once the fonts are saved to your Mac they can be used on any computer running Mac OS X 10.1 or later, or Windows XP and later. The Free Fonts version on the MacAppware website supports both Mac and Windows computers, and are delivered in a zipped folder of the fonts. Free Fonts: 500 Commercial Use OpenType Fonts 6.0
23. iOS/Games – Indie game studio, Newtronium today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Francesco’s Fly Frenzy 1.0. In this fast and colorful mobile arcade game for iOS and Android the player controls the tongue of insatiable frog Francesco, aiming to devour as many flies as possible while simultaneously avoiding yucky wasps at all costs. Quick reflexes are key, since achieving high scores requires accurately timed taps and allows no slip-ups.  Francesco’s Fly Frenzy 1.0 is free featuring optional ads and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
24. iOS/Shopping – Wineflowers Group today is pleased to announce the release of eFloristApp 1.1, an important update of their convenient floral ordering and delivery app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. eFloristApp offers anyone an easy-to-use method of ordering beautiful floral arrangements for quick delivery anywhere in over 120 countries. In addition, the app also offers users the ability to create funny virtual gifts, which can be shared with friends and family via email, text messaging, or popular social networks. eFloristApp 1.1 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Shopping category. Download from iTunes
25. iOS/Games – Sugar Games is proud to announce the release of Holly’s Wedding Salon 2 Version 1.3, their entertaining game for iOS and Android devices. Wedding business can be harsh and cruel. Holly, an acclaimed wedding planner and the owner of a wedding salon in Paris, knows this like no one else. Competing with jealous Mr.Barrington, Holly together with a player should raise her own worldwide wedding salons chain and tweak her rival’s nose. Holly’s Wedding Salon 2 Version 1.3 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. In-app purchases are available.  Download from iTunes
26. iOS/Lifestyle – datab1ts Social Think Tank today announced that they are giving away over $10 million in cash prizes and a top prize of $5 million. datab1ts Social Think Tank wants to know what the world thinks and datab1ts believes users should be rewarded, generously, for their data. datab1ts 1.03 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Lifestyle category.  Download from iTunes
27. iOS/Games – Top Cool Fun Games today is pleased to announce the release of Creeps and Bounds 1.1 for iOS just in time for Halloween. Creeps and Bounds is a challenging isometric arcade jumping game targeted at fans of casual mobile games. Players can select from multiple different creepy characters to leap and bound over terrifying obstacles in a macabre halloween themed world. Creeps and Bounds – Endless Halloween Arcade Game 1.1 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
28. iOS/Social Networking – Wave jumped on the scene as one of this summer’s hottest must-have apps and hasn’t looked back. Featured as one of the eight best apps to boost productivity by business.com, Wave offers a fresh approach to creating and sharing events on your mobile phone with your friends, taking your social life to the next level. Wave’s social network for events allows you to invite and connect with your friends, discover new events, and follow what your friends are doing so you can join their wave events and hang out with them in real life. Wave – The Social Network For Events 1.7 is available for free to download from the iTunes Store in Social Networking Category. Download from iTunes
29. iOS/Games – Abson Developments today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Ding Dong Delivery(TM) 1.0, the latest Secret Box developed game for iOS and Android devices. The paperboy is all grown up and has graduated to delivering hot slices of pizza around town. Take control of a huge variety of vehicles, from tanks to boats and all in between. Dodge traffic and deliver as much food as you possibly can! Ding Dong Delivery(TM) 1.0 is free & available worldwide exclusively through iTunes App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
30. iOS/Games – Independent game developer, Jeffrey Yim today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Hack the System 1.0, the most intuitive hacking game on iOS devices. Become the ultimate hacker and infiltrate the deepest computer systems. Capture security nodes and bypass firewalls with the tap of your finger. Hack the System 1.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Hack the System 1.0
31. iOS/Health & Fitness – Cyclometers and GPS tracking apps dedicated for cyclists have been around for years, yet most of them are missing a key feature for the safety conscious cyclists. Venikom aims to change that with the introduction of Bike Computer 1.0, a dedicated GPS tracking mobile app encompassing the standard functionalities of a cyclometer with the addition of Keep me Safe(TM) feature that notifies your emergency contacts in case of an accident. Bike Computer 1.0 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Health and Fitness category. If a user registers in the first 60 days, the Keep Me Safe mode will be available free for the first year, after the promotional period the price will be $49 annually. Download from iTunes
32. iOS/Social Networking – Flying Squirrel LLC is proud to announce the release of TravelMates 1.0, their travel plan sharing app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Are you a pilot? a flight attendant? maybe a frequent traveler? Ever wonder if one of your friends or colleagues is overnighting in the same location you are? Now you can! TravelMates 1.0 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category. Download from iTunes
33. iOS/Education – PersonalityMatch is an app that you can download for free to figure out what kind of personality you have. Based on the questions asked and answers you choose you get a report that identifies the personality category you fit into. This can be introvert or extrovert, sensitive or logical, planner or doer. While the app wont cost you a cent, you do have the opportunity to purchase in-app extras, including an assessment of your personality to see what career lines fit you best, a fully detailed characterization of your personality, complete with suggestions on how to deal with other personality types, why you react to things the way you do, and how to understand others better. The PersonalityMatch App is free in the App store under the Education category.  Download from iTunes
34. iOS/Games – Award winning designer, Zach Gage is proud to announce his latest game: Really Bad Chess 1.0.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The game is a free-to-play title. Really Bad Chess creates random, non-standard opening mixes of chess pieces, but maintains most of the rules of chess as you battle against the A.I. Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. Really Bad Chess 1.0.1 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
35. iOS/Health & Fitness – Independent app developer, Rory Buckley is pleased to announce the release of Noise Machine 1.0, his new white and colored noise generator developed for iOS devices. Noise machine uses colored noise to help aid a variety of everyday issues, including insomnia, stress, tinnitus, tension headaches and migraines. The app has been built with a variety of different noise colors (white, pink, brown, blue, violet & grey) and an optional sleep timer function that will stop any playing noise at the users selected time. White and other noise colors have long been known as a popular alternative therapy. Noise Machine 1.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Health & Fitness category. Download from iTunes
36. iOS/Social Networking – V fans who enjoy connecting in real-time with other viewers from around the world as they collectively watch everything from the Oscars and Olympics, to their favorite soap opera or sports team, can now take their viewing experience to another level thanks to the unique new app Crowd Maestro. Crowd Maestro 1.2 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category. Download from iTunes
37. macOS/Productivity – Ascensio System SIA, the developer of IT solutions for business, today is pleased to announce that they have opened the source code of its ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, presenting a free and open source alternative to Microsoft Office for Mac OS. ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors is an office suite that combines text, spreadsheet and presentation editors, allowing anyone to create, view and edit documents offline. Being fully compatible with MS Office, the editors support all the popular document formats, including ODF. ONLYOFFICE 4.1.1 is now free and available worldwide. The office suite is available under AGPL license v3. This means you’re able to download and use ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors without any restrictions. The application can be downloaded from the official website, the source code is now available on GitHub.  Download ONLYOFFICE
38. iOS/Utilities – Xtreme Media Works is proud to announce the release of PlayerXtreme 6.3.2, their media player for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Recently Apple has launched the latest iOS version 10 and it started a huge commotion among its users. It is still a hot topic on large press, article, blog and social media websites. In the same week, a new version of PlayerXtreme was also released and had many new features introduced to the users. PlayerXtreme is now also supported in iOS version 10 and works perfectly fine. With a few amendments made, PlayerXtreme can be downloaded and used on iOS 10. PlayerXtreme is the best-accelerated media player app that is supported on both Android and iOS platforms. The number of downloads is increasing at an exponential rate. PlayerXtreme 6.3.2 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Utilities category. Download from iTunes
39. iOS/Games – Epic Gravity by Irwinideas Inc – You’ve never seen anything like this before. Sure there are lots of space war games out there that you can download and play to your heart’s content. But have you ever played a game that is part of an epic series of battles, each with its own challenges? Download Epic Gravity: Episode 1 to see what I’m talking about. This app is a 2-D space travel and explore game that has you piloting your ship through the galaxy, landing on planets, discovering new things, avoiding asteroids and taking out anything that looks like it could pose a possible threat. App is free. Download from iTunes
40. iOS/Education – Beep, beep! Today the good-game-experience studio, Gro Play today introduces Beep, beep, Alfie Atkins 1.0, their new kids play app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Developed for ages 3-9 years, Beep, beep, Alfie Atkins is a city builder game in which children develop a clean world and recycle different materials to build roads, houses, stores, schools, parks and much more. As the community grows, the players and Alfie will help the citiziens with fun things/activities in the city. Beep, beep, Alfie Atkins 1.0 is Free (with in-app purchase) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Education category. To buy the full version the users can make a one time purchase ($3.99) inside the app. Players will be able to continue building the world they have created in the free version.  Download from iTunes
41. iOS/Entertainment – For several years, Ovilex Soft has ruled the 3D driving simulation app world, with titles like Bus Simulator 3D, Truck Driver 3D, Train Driver 3D, Taxi Sim, and several others generating tens of millions of downloads, and earning the company over 500,000 Facebook fans. Now, these legions of loyal followers – along with a massive surge of new ones – can feast their senses on Counter Assault Forces: a groundbreaking first-person shooter game available at no cost for iOS and Android devices. Counter Assault Forces 1.1.0 is Free (with in-app purchases) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Entertainment category.  Download from iTunes
42. iOS/Games – Full Fat, a leading games developer for mobile devices, today is pleased to announce the worldwide release of Blocky Basketball v1.1, a retro-arcade sports game for iOS and Android. Grab your basketball and hit the court in an explosive retro arcade game! Pass it, hustle through rival players and rain buckets with over-the-top high flying slam dunks. The most fun you can have as a baller, combining realistic physics and hilarious cartoon-style animation. Boom goes the dynamite! Blocky Basketball 1.1 is free to play, available worldwide on the App Store in the Games, Sports and Arcade categories. Download from iTunes
43. iOS/Games – Geeky Raccoons is proud to announce the release of Hexabrain 1.0 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Hexabrain is a hexagonal puzzle game that will train and improve the user’s visual memory skills. Hexabrain 1.0 is free, and is available worldwide in the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
44. iOS/Business – I2E Consulting today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Project Planning Pro 2.0, an important update to their project and task management app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Using Project Planning Pro, users can easily create a project plan, update and edit tasks, manage projects and more, both in the office and on the road. The app is now available to iPhone users, who can now use their handsets to create and manage projects and tasks anywhere they might be. Project Planning Pro 2.0 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Business category. A convenient $19.99 in-app purchase offers the ability to create unlimited projects, enables the ability to import Microsoft Project plans, export projects as XML, CSV, and PDF files, and removes all ads. The app is also available for the Mac, Windows, and Android platforms. Download from iTunes
45. iOS/Games – In a world dominated by space exploration, the roads of yesteryear are now a distant memory. The intergalactic highways are fast, fierce and dangerous. Enter Galactic Turbo Racer 1.0, a recent mobile game release from Nk Advertising Media available today on iOS and Android. With addictive game play, fast action and outstanding graphics, it’s clear to see why enthusiasm is high. Galactic Turbo Racer 1.0 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Galactic Turbo Racer 1.0
46. iOS/Games – After 5 years Yatzy, continues to improve, fascinating new users, developing new features and conquering new platforms. Five years ago, Game.IO released the first version of Yatzy Ultimate for iPhone and iPad giving the players opportunity to play the very popular game Yahtzee on their mobile devices, against computer or alone. The very first players who entered the world of dice through Yatzy and spent hours of playing their favorite game revealed the potential this game had and motivated Yatzy team to develop and grow the game through the past 5 years. Thanks to them, today Yatzy Ultimate is still available on the stores fascinating new users and surprising the old ones with new challenging features. Yatzy Ultimate Free 8.6 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
47. iOS/Photo & Video – JustSeen 2.2, the latest photo-sharing App for iPhone, addresses the issue of social media isolation by introducing Collaborative, Curated & Connected Visual Storytelling. Rather than simply posting the occasional, somewhat random photo, JustSeen advocates visual storytelling, where every photo forms part of a greater story, building a deeper visual narrative. In today’s digital drive-thru, the speed and nature of visual consumption has altered the core objective of photography. JustSeen aims to re-introduce visual fine dining. JustSeen 2.2 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category. Download from iTunes
48. iOS/Entertainment – THE FINAL WORD, a new app based on the popular 90s insult speaker box, has officially launched into the 21st Century and is available to download on the iTunes and Google Play stores. The adaption came from a handheld device introduced into the market in 1990 as “THE FINAL WORD.” At the press of a button this adult novelty toy delivered pre-recorded randomized profane insults. The 1990 version of THE FINAL WORD could be purchased at a retail price of $16.95 and topped out selling over 2 million units.  THE FINAL WORD 1.2 is Free (with in-app purchases) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Entertainment category. Download from iTunes
49. iOS/Social Networking – This Halloween join the Pumpkin Hunt on PaigeeWorld. The Hunt is on! There are over 45 pumpkins hidden on PaigeeWorld. The pumpkins have been created by PaigeeWorld community members from around the world. Find pumpkins hidden throughout the store by solving riddles, puzzles and codes. All pumpkins have a riddle path to find them as well as a codex path. You will need to solve both riddles and codes to find them all! PaigeeWorld 3.3 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Social Networking category. Download from iTunes
50. macOS/Network Utility – MacHTTP.Org today released MacHTTP-js Preview for macOS, a full-featured Web server for 21st century desktops and servers. MacHTTP-js is a modern take on the classic stand-alone, desktop computer Web server plus a whole lot more, using current state-of-the-art technology while derived from the core ideas that went into the creation of the original Mac Web server, MacHTTP. The Preview version of MacHTTP-js has been released and  runs on any version of macOS that is actively supported by Apple. For more information on MacHTTP-js, or to download the fully functional MacHTTP-js Preview version on macOS, free of charge, visit their web site. MacHTTP Org
51. iOS/Education – iRecognize, an app for creating custom photo flashcard quizzes by iRecognize Solutions, LLC officially launches their tool for learning and recollection in the iTunes App Store. iRecognize allows users to create quizzes intended for learning and recollection by using their own photos, text, and voice to create one-of-a-kind educational material. Unlike traditional, and often mundane testing material, iRecognize has created a unique learning environment to improve and test skills of all levels. iRecognize 2.0.6 is Free (with in-app purchases) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category.  Download from iTunes
52. iOS/Entertainment – Swappy Inc., a mobile development company, today is proud to announce the release of Wrappy 1.5.1, an iMessage app that lets you send gift wrapped messages. Don’t just send a text, send a Wrappy instead! Wrappy is perfect for birthdays, special occasions, just saying hi, telling someone special you are thinking about them, or even trolling your friends. There’s a fun feeling of suspense when you get a Wrappy and wonder what is inside, and the animations make it delightful. Wrappy 1.5.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category. Wrappy 1.5.1
53. iOS/Photo & Video – Izotx LLC today is proud to announce the release of Kute Baby Emoji 1.3, an update to their fun sticker and regular app developed exclusively for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Stickers are one of the best ways of adding expression to a conversation, and one of the most unique apps available is the Kute Baby Emoji app. It includes numerous depictions of cute children and cute babies that aren’t available anywhere else on the Internet at present, so for at least a while, you and your friends will be the only ones using them. Kute Baby Emoji 1.3 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category.  Download from iTunes
54. iOS, macOS/Productivity – CS Software Consultancy Ltd today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Caato Time Tracker+ 1.0, a new app to track work time and billable hours, exclusively developed for macOS and iOS. Caato Time Tracker+ was designed to make time tracking as simple and as fast as possible. Users can track time for new clients and projects with just one click. There is no need to fill out any fields – details can be added later. Caato Time Tracker+ 1.0 for Mac is Free and available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Business category. Caato Time Tracker+ for iPhone and Apple Watch is also Free and available worldwide through the iOS App Store in the Business category. Users can upgrade to Caato Time Tracker+ Pro on their Mac via In-App Purchase for $5.99/month or $29.99/6 months (USD). Pro includes Folders, Syncing and Excel Export (Mac only). All users receive a 1-month free Pro trial after Registration. Download from Mac App Store Download from iTunes
55. iOS/Social Networking – Meeting people who are genuine is hard enough. The hard part is finding someone who can easily connect with based on common interests and locale. Sure, you have Facebook and other messaging media to keep you connected, but do those apps really offer a choice that makes it easy for you to find a good friend? Hitch is what you need to get online and find fellow users who have the same interests that you have and to learn more about your world. There is wealth of knowledge out there, and its all out there for the taking. Its a free messaging app that lets you setup your profile so others users can know what you like and what you dont like. All you do then is perform searches on topics that interest you. Join conversations taking place all around you, and if you like them enough, follow them. Hitch is free and available in the Social Networking category from the App Store. Download from iTunes

macOS – Mac Data Recovery Guru 4.0

Visit my macOS Software Directory page and find new software for your Mac. Currently there are over 390 titles indexed with more than 140 available for FREE https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/macos-software/

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Product Announcement –  – Mac OS X File Recovery of Auckland, New Zealand has released Mac Data Recovery Guru 4.0, the important update to its data recovery utility for macOS. Mac Data Recovery Guru offers the ability to recover all common file types that have been deleted from any kind of drive or volume, including files that were lost due to accidental deleting or formatting, hardware malfunction, or any other case of data loss where the original data was not overwritten.

Using Mac Data Recovery Guru to recover lost data is simplicity itself. Anyone can simply run the application, and then select the drive or volume they wish to scan for lost files, specifying whether to scan for deleted files only, or for both deleted and regular files. Users have no need to fear any further data loss, as Mac Data Recovery Guru prevents accidentally writing over any deleted data by accessing the drive in read-only mode.

During the scanning process, Mac Data Recovery Guru handily lists the files it has found that can be recovered, by displaying them in a familiar column-based window, macOS Finder-style window. Once the scan is complete, users can click the files they wish to recover, and then select a drive and folder location where they want the recovered files to be saved to. The user then clicks the “Recover” button, and waits for Mac Data Recovery Guru to do its job. Following recovery, users can then view the recovered files in their favorite file viewer or editor, as usual.

What’s New in Version 4.0:

• The ability to scan used space, (files), as well as unused space
• Scan disk images that can’t mount for file recovery
• Scan disk images of anything else that won’t mount, like cameras, SD-cards, and more
• Remove DRM from some types of iTunes music files
• Recover thumbnails from deleted (and erased) photos in the Mac Photos app
• Recover all data from browser histories

Mac Data Recovery Guru can scan any storage device on Mac, including those that are not visible, even the Mac Recovery Drive. The app’s ability to detect and scan devices and volumes that are not normally accessible to the average user means Mac Data Recovery Guru offers almost unlimited options for recovering deleted files.

Features:

• Instantly recover deleted files in macOS
• Easy-to-use Finder-like interface
• Thumbnail previews of files that are eligible for recovery
• Scans for, and recovers deleted files
• Finds lost files other data recovery apps might miss
• Identifies bad sectors and continues past them
• Quickly recovers files from failing hard drives
• Free scan-only demo version demonstrates the power of the app
• Scans for embedded files
• Completely integrated with macOS to ensure safety of data

Supported Devices Include:

• Disks: Macintosh disks (HFS, HFS+, HFSX file systems); Windows disks (NTFS, FAT); Linux disks (Ext2, Ext3, Ext4); and Unix disks (XFS, UFS)
• Digital Cameras: Kodak, Minolta, Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Olympus, and Sigma
• Mobile Phones: Android, Nokia, Motorola, Palm, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Sanyo, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Panasonic, Kyocera, and Blackberry
• Miscellaneous devices: USB pen drives, Memory Cards for cameras and portable devices, CD’s/DVD’s, MP3 Players, PlayStations, X-Boxes, Wii’s, and Palm devices

The popular Photo Recovery Guru has also been updated to include the same new features as Mac Data Recovery Guru 4.0, making it perfect for users who only require the ability to recover digital camera file types. More information about Photo Recovery Guru can be found on the Mac OS X File Recovery website.

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X 10.7 or later (macOS Sierra compatible)
• 64-bit processor
• 3.0 MB

Mac Data Recovery Guru 4.0 is currently $79.20 (normally $99) USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies) and is available directly from the publisher’s website. A free scan-only download is also available.

macOS -DVDBurner 3

Product Announcement – Filmed some Halloween “horror” movies with your kids? Or gonna prepare some special DVD discs as presents? Cisdem of Madelia, Minnesota is getting into the spirit with scary good deals – 30% OFF for Cisdem DVDBurner 3 for Mac. No Trick! Flash Sale. The DVD burning tool can provide a streamlined and straightforward DVD authoring and burning solution for your Halloween videos.

With more functionality but fewer steps to master than iDVD, Cisdem DVDBurner enables users to easily burn any format of videos to DVD, DVD folder or ISO files. Users can make basic editing for videos, customize personalized DVD menu or choose from an array of free templates that suites for Halloween.

Top Features of Cisdem DVDBurner 3 for Mac

• Burn virtually any SD/HD videos of any format to DVD
• Convert and backup videos to DVD Folder or ISO File
• Rotate and crop video files to remove letterboxing, add special effects or watermark, etc.
• Add audio tracks as background music or subtitles in other languages
• Provide free optional DVD menu templates for every occasion like family, holiday, cartoon, etc.
• Customize the menu with your favorite thumbnails, buttons, frames and text
• 16X faster DVD burning with best picture and sound quality
• Real-time DVD preview
• Support macOS 10.7 + (masOS Sierra included)

The promotion will ends on Thursday, Nov. 3rd. A Single License of DVDBurner is available at $27.99 USD (Reg. Price $39.99) with Coupon Code “CISDEMDB” through the website. To get more information and obtain a free trial version of Cisdem DVDBurner, please visit Cisdem website.

macOS – LightTable 3.0.1

Product Announcement – einstein’s legacy v2.0, LLC of Charlotte, North Carolina has released LightTable 3.0.1, an unlimited virtual canvas application. LightTable lets users layout, inspect and compare images. Images can be resized, repositioned, layered and aligned allowing users to discover different storytelling perspectives. The 3.0.1 Update introduces gesture-based manipulation of canvas items, consolidates the user interface and provides several stability enhancement bug fixes.

LightTable 3.0.1 includes the following key features:

• Unlimited Canvas:
  The LightTable Virtual Canvas automatically expands to accommodate any number of images.
• Layout Tools:
  LightTable provides the tools to align, resize or re-order items or groups of images relative to the canvas or other images.
• Canvas Automation:
  Duplicate, replicate and automatically arrange images using built-in canvas automation functions.
• Image Effects:
  More than 40 built-in image effects are available to apply to items on the canvas.
• Canvas Export:
  Capture the entire canvas layout as a single image which can then be exported in a variety of formats.
• Sharing:
  Share your canvas with other applications or directly to Facebook, Twitter and other popular internet services.

System Requirements:  Macintosh Computer and OS X 10.11 (El Capitan)

LightTable 3.0.1 is available for $19.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and is available worldwide from the Mac App Store in the Photography category.