The Download Blog

Probably the most popular pro-level database maker for the Mac, FileMaker Pro has just released a major update to coincide with Macworld 2009. Offering a sleek new interface that's as nice to look at as it is intuitive, FileMaker Pro's new Status Toolbar puts commonly used features right where you need them. Even if you're not happy with the default layout of the new toolbar, you can easily customize the available icons to improve the work flow for specific projects.

The new browse feature gives you a centralized location for navigating to different parts of your database quickly. You'll now have buttons to quickly switch between search, preview, and edit layout modes and switching from Form, List, and Table is as easy as a click of your mouse. When you're finished, you can save further time with easy-access buttons to save as PDF or Excel formats. Other new features include Saved Finds, making it easy to get to your favorite find requests quickly; new themes and templates to give your databases the look you want; and a new resource center with hands-on instructional videos for when you hit roadblocks.

Available now for $299, FileMaker Pro 10 is a must-have for those who spend their time working with databases. With features to streamline database navigation, offer easy access to search, preview, and edit modes, and shortcuts to get you where you need to go quickly, we think this update is worth the money for saving you time so you can move on to the next big project.

I spied Scott Cook, a founder and former CEO of Intuit, which makes Quicken and Quickbooks, at his company's Macworld booth, giving demos just like any booth worker.

That's curious--you don't see big company billionaires mingling with consumers in a frenzied trade show environment too often (although you should). So I snared him for a quick interview about his booth duty and the plans for Intuit overall.

Regarding hanging out with The People, Cook simply said that it's a great way to get customers to talk to him for free (versus paid surveys, I assume) and that it's good to hear what you are doing wrong (as a Quicken for Windows user, I could give have given him an earful, but time was short). He also likes to see how his team presents to customers.

On Intuit's overall strategy, Cook says Intuit is pursuing a strategy based around online and mobile access to financial data. U.S. consumers spend $7 billion a year in overdraft fees, he says, and there's no excuse for that when your phone could alert you when you're about to overextend yourself. Thus: Quicken Beam, Quicken Online (which recently got a refresh), and an online version of the small business app Quickbooks. There's also an online version of TurboTax, which will compute and file your federal taxes for free. State returns are extra, though.

At the same time, Intuit seems to be renewing its commitment to standalone apps, or at least to the Mac.

Quicken for Mac is being retired in favor of a newly built financial management app called Financial Life, now in a very early public beta. It looks, at first glance, like a nicely designed version of Quicken, simpler to get in to than the company's traditional software. (On Windows, Quicken 2009 looks like a typical upgrade for Intuit from Quicken 2008: a few new features, but according to user reviews, lacking needed reliability improvements.)

Yet despite Cook's mission to offer holistic financial suites for its users, Intuit is not yet delivering on integration between its products. For example, if you use Quicken Mobile to update your Quicken Online account, that data won't make it into your Quicken software installation on your personal computer. And data files cannot be shared between Mac and Windows installations.

At the Macworld 2009 keynote presentation this morning given by Phill Schiller (Steve Jobs was absent this year due to widely reported health issues), one of the more exciting new software developments was to the iLife suite of software for Mac.

Long touted as the comprehensive suite from Apple to manage your digital lifestyle, iLife includes the popular Mac apps iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb. Over the course of the speech, several enhancements to each software were given screen time, and many of the new features were those long requested by fans as well as innovative new features from Apple's developers.

New enhancements to iPhoto included two new ways to organize photos. Faces, which includes face recognition technology, lets users search across folders of photos by matching with the face of a friend or family member to get all the images that include a specific person. Places uses the location technology now available in iPhone 3G and in some digital cameras to organize where your pictures were taken. Along with the new search and organization capabilities, iPhoto now lets you quickly post to Flickr and Facebook, offers more advanced image-editing tools, and lets you illustrate your vacation photos using a slick-looking feature called Travel Maps. The Travel maps can also be used to make photo books using Apple's previously announced paid photo album making features.

iMovie also received several new features and enhancement tweaks including more themes to give your movies a different, elegant feel and a precision editor for more professional-looking digital movies. One of the more amazing parts of the keynote speech was the demonstration of iMovie's new video stabilization features which takes a user's shaky handheld video recording and makes it a almost as smooth as if the camera were riding on a rail. New title fonts and transition effects will delight iMovie hobbyists and a new browser makes it easy to find the recordings you want for your movie.

One of the more interesting feature enhancements involved GarageBand's new learn-to-play instrument features. Interactive piano and guitar lessons let you learn at your own pace, showing finger positions and HD videos of instructions so you can practice playing along. But the more interesting addition was the ability to learn songs from the actual artists who played them. Artist lessons (sold separately) lets you learn songs by watching videos of the artists themselves as they take you through the process of playing some of their songs. Famous artists like Nora Jones, Sting, Ben Folds, Sarah McLachlan, and others take you through each step. New sounds and amps were also included in the update to give you more variety in your music.

The iWeb application added better drag-and-drop Web design capabilities and several dynamic widgets you could include on your Web site. Improved features included easier page management and publishing options as well as fun additions like the ability to notify your Facebook friends when your site has been updated.

Overall, we think the expanded feature list for each program and usability tweaks make this updated suite worth looking into if you have interest in this project- and hobbyist-based suite. Single users who already own iLife '08 will be able to update for $79, and if you want to be able to install it on up to five computers, you can get the family pack for $99. iLife '09 will only work if you have Mac OS X 10.5.x Leopard installed, so those with older systems might like the Mac Box Set, which includes iLife '09, Leopard, and iWork '09 all in one box for $169. iLife '09 will become available at the end of January.

Updated at 10:00 AM Pacific.

Six months after announcing its intention to bring SlingPlayer to the iPhone 3G, Sling Media has another announcement to make--just not the one you're wishing for.

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone isn't ready yet, Sling said on Tuesday, but it is on its way.

Like SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, UIQ, and BlackBerry (beta) platforms, this iPhone version will let you access one or more Slingboxes from your mobile device, and watch your TV stations on-the-go. It will also be compatible with the iPod Touch.

You'll also be able to manage your DVR from the iPhone, and can synchronously add and remove favorite channels directly from the phone's interface--a first for the SlingPlayer Mobile line.

In our demo, the client streamed live, high-quality video of stations like MTV and TBS on both Wi-Fi and the iPhone's 3G network. Swiping the screen horizontally advances you through favorite stations, and flicking up and down rotates through all your home channels.

Sling Media says it will submit the file to the iTunes AppStore by the end of the first fiscal quarter. While Sling Media shared no firm price tag, it could mirror the $29.99 lifetime fee of SlingPlayer Mobile on other platforms.

Before getting too excited, just remember that Apple has been known to kill promising apps, ostensibly for the crime of a large data transfers. SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone could suffer the same fate. Assuming it doesn't, the client still faces competition from Orb, whose full version, OrbLive, delivers live TV and media stored on your PC for $10.

With Macworld in full swing, throngs of people are flooding the streets of San Francisco to check out the latest offerings from Apple and all the other vendors exhibiting their wares at the expo. But some Mac-related stuff is only indirectly related to what's happening on the showroom floor or how thin the new MacBook Air is.

One thing I've noticed as a Mac software editor is how, when Apple has its biggest show of the year, the majority of Mac software developers figure it is the best time to release an update for their apps. I've rounded up my Top 5 popular programs that have updated in the last few days so we can all take advantage of this flood of major updates for top Mac software. A few of these will be old favorites, but all are worthy downloads if you're looking to try something new on your Mac.

I obviously could have chosen any number of new updates from Apple, but the biggest of the week is probably iTunes. With the announcement of the addition of Movie rentals and added features for Apple TV, the latest version of iTunes is a must-have for all Mac users. I already wrote about the latest update for iTunes in my last post, but after talking with some of my Mac-using friends, we wonder what the real impact will be on other movie outlets. Let me know in the comments how you feel about iTunes movie rentals and whether you think Apple can compete with Netflix or Blockbuster.

Freeverse software has always been a favorite publisher of mine for creative and funny games and made-for-Mac apps. Though Adobe's Illustrator CS3 is probably the king of the vector graphics and layout apps, the price tag of $599 is prohibitive to most casual users. Freeverse's Lineform is a slimmed-down, affordable vector graphics and illustration program with expert typesetting, gradients, free-flowing text, and much more. At only $79, this app is definitely worth checking out for illustration projects.

If you're wondering what to do with all your great holiday photos, check out Photo to Movie. Updated this week, this little app lets you take a digital photo and turn it into a dramatic presentation by using intuitive zoom and pan features. You'll be surprised with what you can create using a digital photo and your favorite MP3 as background music. Even better, it's compatible with iDVD, iMovie, and Final Cut. Photo to Movie is great for custom screensavers, too.

Included in my Best Mac software of 2007 post, Miro received an update this week making the streaming video app even better. Set up like an RSS feed reader, Miro lets you subscribe to video podcasts and search popular sites like YouTube for all the video content you could ever want. This weeks big update adds better torrent support so videos get to you even more quickly. It also doesn't hurt that this great app is free.

I've often touted the importance of a good text editor, and this weeks update for TextWrangler was one of my first Macworld downloads. From Bare Bones Software, the makers of BBEdit, this free, slimmed-down text editor has a documents drawer and navigation bar, which make it easier to switch between multiple documents while conserving screen real estate. Even though it was made with markup coders and programmers in mind, TextWrangler is great for anyone who needs a place to take notes and manipulate text quickly.

Did you download a useful program update this week that is not on this list? Let me know in the comments!

One thing that struck me during Steve Jobs' keynote yesterday was this odd moment when Jobs was trying to rationalize many of the reasons MacBook Air owners would be happy not having an optical drive in their laptop. He was going down a list of things we need optical media for and replacing them one by one with various Apple creations. Apple's perceived solution for not having a drive would be to buy all your media through iTunes and play it on your iPod, delegate the task of reading discs to another computer in your house, or simplify things with a new and proprietary $99 external drive. Sounds simple, right?

It's commonly been referred to as the "Steve Jobs reality distortion field" and there hasn't really been a clearer example of it since Apple launched the "simpler" version of its one-button mouse that actually had five. In this case, it's the importance of optical media and the role it still plays in our lives. While I applaud Jobs and Apple trying to get rid of what's admittedly become a weak and cumbersome format, I'm a little disappointed that Apple hasn't decided to offer a real solution to the problem they're creating for novice computer users and road warriors who want to avoid optical media altogether--at least not yet.

What I'm getting at is that Apple's in the perfect position to start offering digital software downloads to the masses, and tie it into a software system that millions of people are comfortable with giving their credit card information to on a daily basis. I'm speaking of course, about iTunes.

Apple's got all the pieces in place to start offering people computer software the same way Valve's been doing with video games with its hugely successful Steam service for the last six years. I love Steam for many reasons, but primarily for its built-in updating tools and easy-to-navigate digital storefront that make it easy to buy software with one click and not have to worry about it again. If I could get the same performance from an app that's admittedly become a little bloated but already has a decent updating system, I'd be happy as a pig in mud.

Two things stick out in my mind as being good signs such a service is in the works via iTunes:

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Every year in early January, Apple aficionados gather together in San Francisco to celebrate the big Mac news of the year at the Macworld Conference and Exposition. Windows users, on the other hand, celebrate...Rubber Ducky? Or a public prerelease of the first service pack for Windows Vista? It doesn't seem fair.

However, except for the hardware news (the MacBook Air is very thin), this year's report from Steve Jobs wasn't nearly as exciting as last year's iPhone announcement. In fact, some of the news--and rumors--are old hat for Windows fans.

For example, Apple TV will now offer downloadable movie rentals that cost from $2.99 to $3.99. On Monday, Netflix announced unlimited streaming movies for most of its subscribers. Apple plans to offer 1,000 movies, while Netflix already has 6,000 available. The quality of HD films on Apple TV will likely be higher than Netflix, but for mainstream movie fans (who don't want to buy a separate device), Netflix has iTunes trumped for now.

One rumored announcement that wasn't included in Jobs' keynote--at least from what I've read so far--was the ability to save YouTube videos with iTunes and convert them automatically for viewing on iPods. Perhaps Apple is saving that for iTunes 7.7. The truth is that Windows (and Mac) users can already easily watch YouTube videos on their iPods, PSPs, or other portable video players, although it is a two-step process.

First, use a Firefox extension like Ook Video Ook or Video Downloader to save the streaming Flash video as a local FLV file. (The new RealPlayer 11 can also save YouTube videos to your hard drive.) Now that you have the FLV file locally, you can watch it anytime on any PC with a compatible video player like FLV Player. You can then also convert that FLV file to an MP4 file for viewing on your iPod. One popular free software application expressly designed for converting movies for iPods is the Videora iPod Converter. Other converting software abounds.

Despite the silly Mac vs. PC commercials with John Hodgman and the sometimes juvenile behavior in Web forums by fans of both platforms, the differences between Mac and Windows are quickly becoming irrelevant, at least on the software side.

Mac OS X users can use Parallels or Boot Camp to run Windows; ambitious Windows users can even run Mac OS X; and a quickly growing number of important software developers now provide full cross-platform functionality, that is, software that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.

So, rather than use the opportunity of Macworld to unleash our unwashed PC and Mac trolls into online venues, we should appreciate what each platform brings to our cornucopia of downloadable software delights. Thanks, Apple!

Do Windows users care about Macworld? Tell me about it in the comments.

Among the new product announcements at the Macworld 2008 keynote, iTunes received a brand new feature: movie rentals! With the latest version of iTunes for both Windows and Mac, you will be able to rent movies from all the major studios including Touchstone, MGM, Miramax, Lions Gate, Fox, WB, Walt Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony. Apple was able to strike a deal with studios which allowed iTunes to receive new releases 30 days after the DVD release. The first wave of movie rentals will launch by the end of February with over 1,000 titles.

Once you find a movie you want to watch in iTunes, you'll be able to use your iTunes Store account to rent the title, making it available on your computer to begin watching for 30 days. Clicking play starts the movie stream in about 30 seconds. Once you start the movie, you'll have 24 hours to finish it, whether you transfer it to your Apple TV, iPhone, or iPod Touch. You can watch the movie as many times as you want in that 24-hour period.

Owners of Apple TV will be able to purchase and download TV shows, music, and more, directly on your Apple TV. This latest version of iTunes will let you transfer purchases made on Apple TV back to your computer.

Rentals will cost $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases. If you want HD quality, you can rent titles for only a dollar more at $4.99.

With the new year under way and the holidays on the back burner, CNET's first big coverage extravaganza of 2008 was CES. The annual Consumer Electronics Show, which runs through the end of this week, was predictably brimming with cool gadgets and new technology. Many of our editors were on hand to give their take on all the sleek new products. Check out our extensive coverage of CES here. Though I was jealous to see all of the cool new items coming out of Las Vegas while I remained in San Francisco, I knew the next week would be the Mac users' turn.

In only a few days, the Macworld expo will once again descend upon San Francisco's Moscone Center, and Steve Jobs will take the stage to announce the latest Apple products. With last years release of the iPhone, this year is sure to be closely watched for the next big thing from Apple. Our very own Tom Krazit's One More Thing blog will have updates on new products, and we're going to have a CNET Macworld landing page (still in the works) for all the latest news from the show floor. One of our editors, Daniel Terdiman, was so excited, he was actually inspired to write some Macworld haiku.

So what's in store for this year's keynote? The speculation has reached a feverish pitch around Mac rumor sites with some people saying we're going to see new slimmer Mac laptops, while others are sure something else even bigger will be released. To add to the excitement (and maybe to remind CES attendees that theirs isn't the only conference in January), Apple released new Mac Pro desktops this week in advance of Macworld. Some rumor sites speculate the early release means Apple has enough great stuff to announce at the keynote that they can afford to let out some big news early. We'll just have to wait and see, but you can bet I'm excited to find out! Make sure to check this space next Tuesday for a breakdown of the new hardware and software releases from the keynote speech.

In other Macworld news, I will be joining the VersionTracker team in booth 4810 in the West Hall, so if you're at Macworld, drop by and say hello! We'll have all the latest news about VersionTracker, MacFixIt, and iPhone Atlas, and we'll have a great show special for new and renewing VersionTracker Pro customers.