The MacTrack – iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch and Mac News

Hutto, Texas – Macgamestore.com today announced the digital download release of Hoyle Card Games 2009 for the Macintosh on its web site. This year’s edition of Hoyle Card Games includes Royle Suite, a free online service where you can play with players from around the world.

Step up to the best deal in town and test your skills. Shuffle the cards and deal yourself in to the greatest card games of all time. HOYLE drops you right into the action with more than 150 classic games, official rules, tips and strategies. From classic games like Cribbage to new favorites like online Texas Hold’em, HOYLE Card Games 2009 has something for everyone.

Features:
* All games are based on the official rules from HOYLE , the authority for more than 200 years
* Create your own character with Face Creator, customizing everything from facial features to clothes
* Interactive computer opponents with multiple skill levels to challenge everybody
* Play together on the same computer and challenge your friends and family for bragging rights
* FREE membership: join the ROYLE SUITE, where you will be able to play and socialize with other Hoyle fans online!
* More than 75 card games including: Texas Hold’em, Hearts, Bridge, Crazy Eights, Gin Rummy, Omaha Hold’em, Pinochle, Rummy 500, and much more!

Hoyle Card Games requires an Intel Macintosh with Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later, 1.5 GHz or higher processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 64 MB of VRAM (Intel GMA chipsets supported). A 33.6 Kbps modem or faster and internet service provider account required for internet access. Broadband internet service recommended.

Pricing and Availability:
Hoyle Card Games 2009 is available at Macgamestore.com as a digital download for $19.95 (USD).

Macgamestore
Hoyle Card Games 2009
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Launched in 2005, Macgamestore.co, is the most popular Mac gaming store on the Internet with over 600 Mac games available for purchase. Macgamestore.com is also the leader in digital download games and the number one web site for casual Macintosh games. Copyright 2005-2009 Macgamestore.com. All Rights Reserved.

Amsterdam – AssistiveWare(R) today announced that at BETT it will preview Proloquo2Go, which uses Acapela Group’s forthcoming iPhone text-to-speech to provide a full-fledged communication solution on the iPhone and iPod touch for people who cannot speak. Also previewed at BETT is the upcoming version of Infovox iVox, which introduces new British, Italian, Greek, Norwegian and Russian voices for the Mac. Come to the AssistiveWare booth SN47 in the Special Needs Section of the BETT show in London to see this and other Mac software.

BETT, the world’s largest educational technology event, runs from 14 to 17 January 2009 in the Olympia Hall in the heart of London, UK.

Also demoed at AssistiveWare’s BETT booth are the GhostReader document and selection reader used by struggling readers and for language learning, the KeyStrokes award-winning on-screen keyboard, the SwitchXS switch access solution to Mac OS X, the VisioVoice access solution for people with vision impairments, and the Mac-based Proloquo communication software.

AssistiveWare will also be showcasing the Axiotron Modbook. This one and only tablet Mac provides an ideal platform for the AssistiveWare assistive technology software because of it’s compact form-factor and durable design.

Kallysta, a long-term AssistiveWare partner will also be present in booth SN47 to demonstrate it’s educational Mac and iPod solutions in the form of a mobile iPod lab and their new KallyLang Mac-based language lab solution. Explore these exciting products and come meet AssistiveWare’s and Kallysta’s staff at BETT.

AssistiveWare
BETT
Axiotron
Kallysta

AssistiveWare is the worldwide leader in innovative assistive technology software for Mac OS X that gives people back their lives. This includes award-winning KeyStrokes(R) and TouchStrokes(R) virtual keyboards, SwitchXS(R) scanning on-screen keyboard, LayoutKitchen(R) panel editor, Proloquo(R) multi-purpose speech solution, and VisioVoice(R), the award-winning solution for vision impaired Mac users. The ConvenienceWare product line makes the advanced technologies developed by AssistiveWare available in cool and convenient applications that can make the life of Mac users easier. AssistiveWare and ConvenienceWare are trade names and trademarks or registered trademarks of Niemeijer Consult. AssistiveGaming, GhostReader, VisioVoice, SwitchXS, KeyStrokes, TouchStrokes, LayoutKitchen, and Proloquo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Niemeijer Consult. Infovox iVox is a trademark of Acapela Group. Head Designed is a trademark of Giesbert Nijhuis. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Cincinnati, Ohio – Code by Kevin has released PortAuthority 2.7, a GUI for the MacPorts package management system for Mac OS X. PortAuthority provides a graphical user interface for the MacPorts package management system for Mac OS X. MacPorts is a powerful command-line tool for installing and updating a variety of Unix-based applications for the Mac. Its power, though, comes at the cost of some complexity; in the past the only way to utilize MacPorts was to type in various commands into the Mac’s Terminal application, which can be intimidating for those users without a Unix background.

PortAuthority aims to bring the power of MacPorts to the traditional Mac user by providing a user-friendly graphical interface to MacPorts. Using a familiar combination of windows, icons, and menus, PortAuthority users can search, install, update, and remove MacPorts programs and the MacPorts infrastructure itself.

Among the features and improvements in this release:
* Bug fix: Demo version no longer crashes on initial startup
* Can now print log output to default printer
* Now uses integrated help viewer
* Saves window position on application close
* New graphics engine for improved UI appearance

Pricing and Availability:
PortAuthority is shareware; a license costs $24.95 (USD) and a 30-day demo is available. Mac OS X 10.4 is the minimum supported OS. PortAuthority is a universal binary.

Code by Kevin
PortAuthority 2.7
Download PortAuthority
Purchase PortAuthority
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Code by Kevin develops software that makes the Mac’s Unix foundation easier to use. For more information about our products, visit us online.

Wellington, New Zealand – Freeridecoding announces BurnAgain FS 1.2, a free update of the CD/DVD multisession burning utility for Mac OS X. BurnAgain FS re-mounts a data CD or DVD in a writeable way on the desktop just like a hard drive volume, making it possible to change the content of the media directly in the Finder. Files can be added, removed or edited several times and the changes can repeatedly be burned to the disk until the media is full. Since BurnAgain FS doesn’t erase the disk each time, changing the content of the media is much faster than burning a new disk.

The title of the disk can be changed prior to each burn. Without any additional software, disks burned with BurnAgain FS are readable on all platforms, automatically preserving special Mac file attributes. BurnAgain FS supports CDR, CDRW, DVD+RW and DVD-RW disks.

The update to 1.2 brings several important improvements to the application including interface enhancements that make BurnAgain FS even easier to use, improved handling of file permissions, improved reliability when renaming or moving large number of files, overall improved performance and the option to disable the creation of AppleDouble files. The update is free for all BurnAgain FS users.

BurnAgain FS Feature highlights include:
* Burn multiple sessions without creating multiple volumes
* Change the content of a CD/DVD like on a hardisk
* Add additional content to a disk quickly
* Change disk title at each burn
* Preserve Mac file attributes
* Platform independent format
* Usable with CDR
* Usable with CDRW, DVD+RW, DVD-RW

Minimum Requirements:
* Mac OS X Version 10.4 Tiger or later
* Intel or PPC Mac (Universal Binary)
* 2.2 MB Hard Drive space
* Apple supported CD/DVD Writer (internal or firewire)
* Although not officially supported, DVD burning will work with most USB burners

Languages:
* BurnAgain FS is available in English and German

Pricing and Availability:
A home single license is priced at only $22 (USD). A FamilyPack option (5 installations) is available for only $48 (USD). Business licenses start from 32 USD. Site licenses and educational discounts are available. A full-featured demo (20 trial burns) is available.

Freeridecoding
BurnAgain FS 1.2
Download BurnAgain FS
Purchase BurnAgain FS
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Located in Wellington, New Zealand, Freeridecoding is a privately held company founded in 2005 by Thomas Bauer. With a focus on the Mac platform, Thomas founded Freeridecoding with the intention of developing unique and user-friendly applications. Copyright 2005-2009 Freeridecoding. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Markdale, ON, Canada – Synectics Business Solutions, Inc., developer of the BackJack(TM) Online Backup Service, today announced a new version of their software to complement their well-established service. For those whose use of the Mac generates income, or supports key business activities, BackJack remains the most trusted name for the online protection and recovery of critical files.

BackJack’s new Business version (v5.1) follows their highly successful flagship Enterprise version (v5.0) which has been in use, since 2007, by some of the world’s largest Mac installations. The Business version was built from the Enterprise version so that small to mid-sized businesses and educational institutions can benefit from more cost-effective pricing, simplified backups, more efficient uploads and enhanced security. Also included in their Business version is an improved web-based account manager which gives administrators greater control over their account information, internal support, storage, and user management.

The company has long been recognized for its personal client care, quality software and ongoing focus on Mac-only solutions. “Since 1998, we have catered exclusively to the Mac online backup market”, states President Chris Brown. “As a result, we offer tremendous advantages for our clients including mature software, unmatched experience with the technology and a solid business practice where business clients know that BackJack will exceed their expectations. We have earned the trust of the Mac business community through years of service and are proud that our longevity and Mac-centric solution continue to set us apart”, states Brown.

Their new Business version confirms Synectics’ commitment to the storage needs of Mac business and enterprise users where the highest standards for backup and recovery must be set and met. Synectics’ upcoming solution, known as Continuum, will complement Leopard’s Time Machine(R) so that both onsite and offsite backups can be performed conveniently and cost effectively.

15-day Free Trial Available Now
BackJack’s Business Version is available for download immediately via their 15-day free trial. Mac users need 10.4.10 or greater (Leopard compatible)

Enterprise
BackJack’s Enterprise version is their flagship Version 5 solution built to satisfy the unique backup needs of Macs in larger environments. Some of its highlights include client-specific customization, centralized management of users, world-class support, high security and high performance, as well as full integration into the client’s environment.

Continuum
Currently in development, BackJack’s Continuum version will complement Leopard’s Time Machine(R) so that both the onsite and offsite components of an effective backup strategy can be met conveniently and cost effectively.

BackJack
BackJack’s 15-day Free Trial
BackJack’s Enterprise Version
BackJack’s Continuum Version

Established in 1990, Synectics Business Solutions, Inc. is rooted in Macintosh, originally as a Mac consulting/software development company and, for the last 10 years, as the developer and provider of BackJack. Since its launch in 1998, BackJack has revolutionized the way Mac users back up and restore their critical files offering a business-class solution with the highest data recovery rate guaranteed.