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

Denver, Colorado – KnowledgeMiner Software in partnership with Intel and Microsoft has released a major new data mining application for the Mac called KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel. KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel takes advantage of multi-core processors thru the use of parallelization to achieve speeds more then 600 times faster then previously.

Frank Lemke the creator of (yX) said “Speed is always a big factor in data mining. Our previous product KnowledgeMiner was quite remarkable but (yX) for Excel amazed even us with its speed. We want to thank Microsoft and Intel for their help in developing this product”. (yX) is one of very few applications that currently take advantage of multiple cores on the Mac and the only Mac data mining application to do so.

The goal of using KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel is to obtain useful knowledge from large collections of data. The discovered knowledge can be equations describing properties of the data, frequently occurring patterns, clusterings of the information, etc. The technology for data collection has made it easy to create massive stockpiles of data and these are growing rapidly. On the other hand the technology of data analysis has lagged far behind and tends to be time consuming and expensive. KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel is aimed at making the process faster and easier.

Spreadsheets are great at concentrating, displaying and manipulating data but standard spreadsheet functions don’t reveal anything new. (yX) goes a big step further and extracts information from spreadsheet data, that the users did not already know. (yX) shows relationships that were previously unknown. (yX) can give equations that describe the data. (yX) is a tool for predictive analytics. The predictive analytics in (yX) uses a variety of techniques/algorithms from statistics and data mining to analyze current and historical data then makes predictions about future events. (yX) starts with raw data which it converts to information. This information is then converted into knowledge about historical patterns and future trends.

KnowledgeMiner (yX) finds correlations or patterns among dozens of fields in Excel spreadsheets. The relationships, correlations, or patterns amongst all this data can provide researchers new insights. One included example is the analysis of earth temperatures and CO2 in the atmosphere which shows a strong correlations. This in turn can lead to predictions about the future. If we don’t like that future then we can propose ways to a different future and armed with that new knowledge change habits, purchases, technologies, investing, government, etc. to move to the future we like better. Instead of reading a headline about global warming a KnowledgeMiner user can look at the environmental data themselves and see the patterns and make the predictions.

Another recent area of success for KnowledgeMiner is in prediction of environmental repercussions of toxicity residues from chemical compounds (especially pesticides) This was done based solely on the compounds’ chemical structure. This may sounds dry and technical but this single use of KnowledgeMiner has ended up saving the lives of thousands of animals a year in Europe that previously were used to as the front line to test the toxicity of these compounds.

KnowledgeMiner is being used by NASA, Boeing, MIT, Columbia, Notre Dame, University of Hamburg, Mobil Oil, Pfizer, Dean & Company, Demetra and many other corporations, universities, research institutions, projects and individuals around the world. Because it uses knowledge discovery via data mining it can be used in any field of human inquiry to reveal new and previously unknown relationships in data.

The recent financial turmoil is due to a lack of predictive insights into data that was already there. Governments and many companies are kicking themselves for this costly lack of insight. KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel could have helped all these organizations to see more clearly the results of their decisions and investments via predictive analytics and saved them billions of dollars.

Data mining is a great way to create new business opportunities. KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel makes it possible for anyone who can use a spreadsheet to do predictive analysis that previously was only available to governments and large corporations. This revolution in data mining allows individuals to use the past to predict the future and achieve better business results.

KnowledgeMiner has as a foundation its own unique set of inductive learning and self-organizing modeling technologies: GMDH Neural Networks, Fuzzy Rule Induction, and Analog Complexing pattern recognition for time series prediction, classification, modeling, clustering, and diagnosis of complex ill-defined systems. Multileveled self-organization and validation approaches make it not only possible to generate reliable individual and hybrid models in an objective way, but also provides an explanation component on the fly in the form of algebraic or difference equations, fuzzy rules, or a set of similar patterns. This extracted knowledge can be directly used to improve model results, to get new insights into the system, and to aid decisions.

KnowledgeMiner is most often purchased and used for stocks, currencies, and financial trading. But KnowledgeMiner is useful in every field of research and has been used with great success in recent projects in cancer research, prediction of wastewater pre-precipitation and wastewater reuse, to identify walking gait abnormalities for persons wearing prosthetic legs, analyzing medical data obtained from observing eye movement of children both healthy and children that display reading abnormalities, modeling and prediction of regional economies and related economic problems, problematic pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, researching various aspects of language teaching and learning, modeling China’s macro economy for the government, and discovering the relationship between altered MR intensities in the caudate nucleus and patient disability in multiple sclerosis, etc. These all show that KnowledgeMiner can be applied in practically all fields of research.

KnowledgeMiner contains many pre-modeled examples from various application areas, several sample scripts for program-to-program communication, a sample KDD workflow applescript, TransformModel, and a Business Intelligence Workflow Case Study.

KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel also includes a PDF copy of the book called “Self-Organising Data Mining. Extracting Knowledge From Data.” by Prof. J.-A. Mueller and Frank Lemke. This book is the easiest way to learn about data mining, self-organizing modeling and the basic ideas behind KnowledgeMiner.

Features
* Fast; especially on Intel Macs with many cores and lots of memory
* Universal Binary. Native on Intel and PowerPC, perfect for Leopard (10.5) and beyond
* Written in Cocoa and Objective C, to access the latest Mac OS X features for fast and rock-solid development and upgrades
* We listened to users and implemented the most requested features
* Reliable, compatible, powerful, inexpensive, useful, very practical and constantly being improved and updated
* Works directly in Microsoft Excel, unquestionably the lingua franca for finance and the world of data delivery and analysis

Users Rave

“I must say old timers in modeling are dumbfounded by the power of your program.” Charles Koehler, Ph.D.

“KnowledgeMiner is the only product that I have found that makes it easy to try non-standard equation formats on a data set. Many standard regression tools are as easy, but they limit you to a small set of potential relationships. KnowledgeMiner combines spreadsheet-like set up with an algorithm that doesn’t “over fit” the model. Also, the output is in a readily usable format (e.g. not C code).” Ware Adams, Dean & Company, a strategy consulting firm in the U.S.

“The Alpine skiing and Athletic French Federation have contacted my laboratory to build a profile of their elite athletes. In this case, KnowledgeMiner helped me save a lot of time and gave me models on the most important variables, and pointed out the less relevant.” Fabrice Viale, Doctoral thesis student Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculte de Medecine, France

“KnowledgeMiner is the most advanced implementation of the GMDH approach today. It uses the inductive method, which is different from deductive techniques used commonly for modeling on principle. Recently many important results were demonstrated using this software tool. They show its advantages over other well-known software.” Prof. Alexey G. Ivakhnenko, author of the GMDH approach.

“I like KnowledgeMiner because its algorithm does not make any assumtions on the underlying data; well, at least not during the initial model-building phase. I also like the fact that it generates sets of equations that the user can review with detailed understanding of the interactions and dependencies of each variable. Also, the algorithm(s) behave surprising well under extreme conditions for certain complex dynamical systems. Congratulations for your excellent work.” Alexis Pobedonostzeff, Pfizer Inc. Director, Health Care Issues Analysis & Management

KnowledgeMiner
KnowledgeMiner (yX) for Excel
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KnowledgeMiner Software is a privately held software publisher based in both in Germany and the US. KnowledgeMiner Software is a worldwide provider of predictive analytics, data mining and data modeling software and solutions since 1996. KnowledgeMiner is a trademark of KnowledgeMiner Software. For additional information, please visit them online. Microsoft Word is a registered trademark of Microsoft Inc.

Auburndale, Massachusetts – TrendyDigital Design, a subsidiary of MZ Services Inc. announces two protective cases for Amazon Kindle 2: the MaxGuard eReader Jacket and the WaterGuard Waterproof Case for Kindle 2. Each stylish case offers exceptional protection and convenient accessibility to Kindle 2. The unique and elegant design maximizes the surface protection for Kindle 2, while maintaining Kindle 2’s sleek and trim profile. Both cases are available for pre-order and will be shipped on April 20, 2009.

The MaxGuard eReader Jacket is designed to maximize accessibility and surface protection. Several unique design elements have been introduced into this jacket. The sure-fit compartment houses the Kindle 2 securely while allowing easy access to power switch, headphone jack, USB/Power port and charger indicator.

The housing compartment encloses the unit. This maximizes the protection on the whole unit while preserving the sleek and trim presentation of Kindle 2. The side button protectors are stamped into the case and provide custom fit protection and easy access to the navigation buttons on both sides of the Kindle 2. The jacket has a notepad pocket at the side to keep a small notepad handy. The grip band in the back of MaxGuard eReader Jacket further secures the device while reading or traveling.

The WaterGuard Waterproof Case guards against any wet environment that Kindle 2 might be exposed to. It is a perfect companion when you bring your Kindle for beach reading. It provides great protection when you get stuck in a rainstorm or accidentally drop you bag in a wet surface. When using the WaterGuard case, the Kindle 2 can be slipped directly into the WaterGuard pocket and the transparent surface provides easy interaction with the keyboard and navigation buttons.

Availability and Pricing:
Both cases are available for pre-order from TrendyDigital. MaxGuard eReader Jacket for Kindle 2 will be shipped on April 16, 2009. WatertGuard Waterproof Case for Kindle 2 will be shipped on April 20, 2009. MaxGuard Carry Case for Kindle 2: $27.99 (USD). Color: Black. WatertGuard Waterproof Case for Kindle 2: $14.99 (USD). Color: Transparent with blue edge decor. For more information, please visit TrendyDigital Design online.

TrendyDigital Design
MaxGuard eReader Jacket for Amazon Kindle 2
WaterGuard Waterproof Case for Kindle 2

TrendyDigital Design is wholly owned subsidiary of MZ Services Inc., a privately-held company headquartered in suburb of Boston, Massachusset. TrendyDigital engages in design and marketing of trendy and stylish electronic products and their accessories. TrendyDigital Design strives to develop innovative and stylish products while providing superior customer service. Amazon and Kindle are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. TrendyDigital are trademark of MZ Services Inc. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Springville, Utah – For the first time, ZAGG Inc. (OTCBB: ZAGG), the leading producer of iPhone accessories including the popular invisibleSHIELD(TM) has partnered with Clever Coding, an iPhone Application Development Company, to bring a unique promotion to the iPhone and iPod touch. Starting today, anyone who purchases the Clever Coding App “Paper Pilot” will be able to receive up to a 50% discount on any future ZAGG purchase. The in-app promotion is the first of its kind on the iPhone.

The first 3,000 people who purchase Paper Pilot and submit their request for the discount code will receive 50% off any order from ZAGG. The next 1000 entries will receiver a 40% discount. A 30% discount will be given to the next 1000 entries and everyone else will receive a 20% discount. In effect, customers pay $2.99 for the iPhone game to potentially save $40 or more on orders made through the Zagg website.

Paper Pilot was originally released on the Apple App Store on January 12th, 2009. The immersive 3D environments and intuitive controls gained wide praise for the game throughout the iPhone community. The game was built on the Unity game engine which allowed “Paper Pilot” to bring some of the most professional-level graphics onto the iPhone. The movie quality graphics, also provided by the Unity engine, achieve a realism not previously seen on the iPhone and iPod touch.

ZAGG has become the industry standard in gadget screen protection. The invisibleSHIELD(TM) is the toughest, most durable gadget scratch protection film available on planet Earth. The film has its origins in the U.S. military, where it was used to protect the leading edges of helicopter blades from wear and tear while traveling hundreds of miles per hour. The film is a clear, urethane plastic with unique properties that allow it to provide self-healing qualities and unparalleled abrasion resistance. The film’s flexibility allows it to be custom designed wrap around any device, including the screen, front, back, edges, corners and sides. The precision cut invisibleSHIELD(TM) is available for both the iPhone and iPod touch.

In addition to screen protection, ZAGG also offers a full array of iPhone and iPod touch accessories, including Award Winning In-Ear Headphones that include an iPhone microphone.

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ZAGG Promotion
ZAGG
Clever Coding

Clever Coding was founded in 2008 with the single goal in mind of creating brilliant iPhone apps. We develop apps for clients around the world as well as some killer in house apps. Check out our two Apps section to get a feel for what kind of apps we develop. Copyright 2008-2009 Clever Coding. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

San Jose, CA – 4D, Inc., producer of the integrated software platform that simplifies the process of developing and deploying business applications, announced today the availability of 4D v11 SQL Release 4, which demonstrates continued stability and scalability over previous releases of 4D v11 SQL.

Enhanced SVG standards power truly dynamic visual data driven applications 4D v11 SQL Release 4 incorporates several under-the-hood fixes that further improve performance and stability. With over one hundred improvements and updates, 4D v11 SQL Release 4 reflects 4D’s commitment to a stable high performance business application platform.

This release also brings an expanded 4D SVG component with new commands and parameters that give increased control over vector graphics and illustrations. Many other feature fixes included in this release are designed to give users even more control in areas such as menu management, default system folders and check list boxes. Enhanced security features for Windows ensure 4D applications can be installed without any configuration changes.

“Mission critical business applications require a platform tuned for power, speed and stability. 4D v11 SQL Release 4 delivers the power and the speed, but most importantly the required stability.” said Luc Hollande, CEO of 4D SAS. “Furthermore, 4D developers have always raised the bar for data visualization so users can easily understand business data. 4D’s enhanced control over SVG and interface elements helps developers exploit the most advanced and dynamic techniques in their applications.”

Learn more about 4D v11 SQL Release 4 by visiting them online. Multi-city Roadshow being deployed to demonstrate 4D v11 SQL to educate business decision makers, customers, developers and application builders on the benefits of using the 4D Platform, 4D will be taking to the road with stops in Silicon Valley (San Jose), Los Angeles (Long Beach), Chicago, Boston and New York beginning on May 6, 2009.

4D, Inc.
4D v11 SQL Release 4

Celebrating its 25th year as a global leader in database software solutions, San Jose, CA based 4D Inc, provides companies and developers an integrated platform for creating and deploying business applications. The 4D product line is used in more than 50 countries by a network of 7,000 professional software developers and millions of end users. 4D, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of 4D SAS, headquartered in Paris, France. 4D, Inc. can be reached at 1-800-785-3303 or online. All brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Lebanon, NH – Frontier Design Group has launched iShred LE, the latest in a series of powerful music applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Building on the success of its acoustic Guitar and electric iShred applications, iShred LE turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a music-making machine by combining amazingly realistic electric guitar sounds and effects with a user interface that makes creating and playing songs fun and easy.

iShred LE includes built-in songs that demonstrate its chord strumming and fret modes, so users can download the app and start playing in seconds. The songs also show the amazing variety of tones it’s possible to create using built-in effects like Hot Fuzz, Trembler, and Kompressor. Video demonstrations of all of the playing modes and effects are available on the Frontier Design Group web site.

Comparisons with other guitar apps make it clear: iShred is the rockingest electric guitar ever to be squeezed into an iPhone, and iShred LE offers the same high quality sounds and addictive fun effects in streamlined form, turning the iPhone into the perfect portable music notepad at a price everyone can afford.

iShred LE’s great features also include:
* Real electric guitar samples in 3 different tones
* Eight amazing effects pedals (one per song)
* Amp simulator with adjustable overdrive
* Advanced playing actions: Hammer-On’s, Pull-Off’s, and Slides
* Dynamic level control while you play
* Save up to 8 songs in your own Playlist
* Chord and Fret views
* Over 1900 built-in Chords with 21 scales (in all 12 keys)
* Overal Pitch control, /- 2 semitones
* Support right or left-handed operation
* iShred LE’s focus is playability
* Simple menu navigation
* Button Lock, Safe Controls, and more, to customize your playing experience

Pricing and availability:
iShred LE is available now on the iTunes Store for $0.99 (USD).

iShred LE 1.4.1
Quick video demo
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Frontier Design Group, LLC is an independent audio hardware and software development company dedicated to creating innovative products for musicians. Based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Frontier has developed solutions for the needs of audio enthusiasts and professionals alike since 1996. Copyright 1996-2009 Frontier Design Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

New York, New York – An Event Apart, the conference for people who make websites, has added Scott Thomas, known online as SimpleScott, to its speaker lineup, with two opportunities to hear his presentation: at An Event Apart Seattle, May 4-5, 2009 and An Event Apart Boston, June 22-23, 2009. Thomas is a former member of the New Media team at Obama for America, a position which ultimately led him to be named Design Director for the Obama Presidential campaign. Scott’s session, Change the World (Wide Web)? will focus on using the web as both an accelerated form of communication and a vehicle that allows everyone to have a voice.

Thomas, whose work at Obama for America has forever changed the design of politics, seeks the simplest answers to complex problems, while working to simplify the user experience. He sees the web as an efficient way for our society to communicate, yet also seeks to understand how we will use the web to create a better world in the future. The Obama for America campaign is credited with changing how political campaigns are designed and marketed, based on the Obama campaign’s ability to include everyone at every socio-economic level in the country.

Those attending Thomas’s presentation will walk away with a new perspective on how to work and how to build websites both more fluidly and more organically. Using the Obama campaign as a case study, Scott will share what his internal team accomplished – both their successes and their failures. Thomas believes it’s the designer’s role to make the web a more free and liberating place to be, one in which websites stop trapping visitors in their “web,” and build happy, personable, non-technical, user-friendly worlds.

“The days of designing, presenting, developing, and then being finished are over,” said Thomas. “We’ve entered an era when continuous design and redesign, continuous development and redevelopment, and continuous repurposing have set the tone for how we need to work – both now and in the future.”

“The web offers designers and developers a new opportunity – it’s almost a new frontier – to engage their audiences in a continuous conversation, not just with words but also with visual design and user experience,” said Eric Meyer, co-founder of An Event Apart. “Scott’s work is a fantastic example of just this kind of conversation, and we can’t wait to hear his insights into how he made this happen in the context of a historic Presidential campaign.”

Experience how designing and developing Obama for America gave Scott Thomas a whole new perspective on the speed of communication and the recipient’s interaction and response to that communication. People interested in how to change the web and create a place where everyone can participate will benefit from Thomas’s talk.

Join Eric Meyer, Jeffrey Zeldman and special guests like Scott Thomas at An Event Apart, where you will gain a deeper understanding of web standards and best practices, and be inspired by fresh ideas and creative new directions. An Event Apart delivers two days with the greatest minds and hottest talents in web design today. Speakers cover creating the right content and features for your audience, designing pages that are a pleasure to read and use, and beating browsers and web gadgets into submission. Both An Event Apart and its presenters are gung-ho about web design and development. Each speaker has made genuine contributions to the industry and each is a star.

An Event Apart kicks off in Seattle on May 4-5, 2009, followed by Boston, June 22-23, Chicago, October 12-13, and finishing the year in San Francisco, December 7-8, 2009. These two-day events all take place in one room, one track, for a shared and concentrated learning experience multi-track events cannot deliver. To register for the conference, visit the website.

An Event Apart
Registration

From the makers of A List Apart, An Event Apart is an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for. Founded by web visionaries Eric Meyer and Jeffrey Zeldman, and dedicated to the proposition that the creators of great web experiences deserve a great learning experience, An Event Apart brings together twelve of the leading minds in web design for two days of non-stop inspiration and enlightenment. An Event Apart receives support from A List Apart and Happy Cog.

Toronto, Canada – SixPack App(TM), a free iPhone application released late last week has become a smash success around the globe, reaching the #1 position in ten countries in the iTunes Health and Fitness category, including the UK and Canada. The innovative iPhone/iPod Touch app features a comprehensive list of over 100 exercises, 400 pictures, and a “SixPack” of features, including:

* Photographs of steps of each weight training exercise
* Detailed step-by-step instructions
* Helpful overview information
* Tips on how to vary the exercises and target specific parts of muscle groups
* Impressive detailed vector illustrations of muscles worked
* A unique “DONT” tab that describes what NOT to do when performing an exercise

Exercises in SixPack App have been handily categorized by category, so a user can easily navigate exercises by muscle type. Categories include chest, back, legs, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs and a large section of stretching exercises. The application also contains a handy collection of eight pre-configured workout routines.

“SixPack app is the most comprehensive app we have ever produced”, according to Robert Maran. The application is receiving kudos for its tremendous content. “It really is a massive amount of information in the palm of your hand”, says Robert.

Availability:
SixPack App is available for free for a limited time, from the Apple iTunes App Store.

SixPack App 1.0
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SixPack App Icon

SixPack App (TM) was created by Robert Maran, a book packager, and Deidra Jones, a marketing exec. Robert and Deidra have produced four apps on the iTunes store including Easy Recipes, Pocket Cocktails(TM) and Bark Machine and Dog Tricks(TM). (C) 2009 Robert Maran and Deidra Jones / All Rights Reserved. Bark Machine and Dog Tricks, Pocket Cocktails and SixPack App are trademarks of Robert Maran and Deidra Jones. Apple, iTunes, iPhone, and iPod are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Vilnius, Lithuania – iPresentee, the developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, releases free Easter Mail Stationery templates to be used with Apple’s Mail software. New Mail Stationery package includes ten templates. Easter fills us with hope, joy and warmth. It is a time to get together with friends, family and loved ones and celebrate this joyful time. Reach out to your dear ones on this Easter using free Mail Stationery templates from iPresentee.

Creating an e-mail with Easter Mail Stationery templates is exactly the same as creating an e-mail using the ordinary Mail Stationery templates. Messages created with Easter Mail Stationery can be read by popular webmail services and email programs on both Mac computers and PCs. New Mail Stationery templates comes with an installer to make sure the templates end up in the right place and would be displayed in Apple Mail New Message Stationery menu automatically.

Minimum Requirements:
* Mac OS X 10.5 with bundled Mail application
* 15 MB Hard Drive space

Pricing and Availability:
Easter Mail Stationery templates are offered free of charge and requires any Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.5 with bundled Mail application. Free Mail Stationery templates for Easter holiday are available for download at the iPresentee’s website. Samples and more information about Mail Stationery templates are available immediately at the iPresentee’s website.

iPresentee
Mail Stationery Templates
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Screenshot – Easter Mail Stationery

Located in Vilnius, Lithuania, iPresentee company was founded in 2007 by a group of professional and enthusiastic IT designers. With a focus on the Mac platform, iPresentee’ perspective goal is to create high quality, easy to use and fun add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications. Copyright 2007-2008 iPresentee. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, and Apple Keynote are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.