Evernote is an online service that promises to allow you to capture information in any environment, on any device, on any platform and make that info searchable at anytime, from anywhere. (The service is currently in invitation-only beta) One of the ways you can get information to Evernote is to email it. This means you can also use it to process incoming email by selecting messages you want... [read more at MacMerc.com]

plasq today released Comic Life Magiq 1.0 for Mac OS X 10.5. If you have every played with the original Comic Life, you know to expect lots of fun eye-candy. Comic Life Magiq doesn't disappoint. This entirely new photo-comic desktop publishing software allows you to quickly create awesome artwork using build-in templates or warp images with the new Magiq image editor. Comic Life Magiq is built... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Do you like to tinker? Sure you do. Koingo Software has unveiled Mac Pilot 3; a new version of their OS X tinker tool. Version 3 sees the addition of approximately two hundred new features and enhancements--yeah, that's two hundred new features. If we update the feature tote board, the total number of features in Mac Pilot now exceeds six hundred. What does Mac Pilot do? It allows you to... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Who do you contact in an emergency? What do you grab if the house is on fire? How to you access your accounts if you've been robbed? We don't like to think about what might happen in an emergency, but with a little planning and technology you can ensure you have the information you need. Join me for a Pro Pod Power tip and get the skinny on how to transform your old music-playing friend into... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Any geek worth his weathered fedora is eagerly anticipating the release of the new Indiana Jones movie. While arguments abound on the subjects of messing with the sacred original storylines and the use of CGI sets and effects in the upcoming film, fans still can't help but be jazzed about what is to come. It is with that very brand of geeky joy that the folks at The Iconfactory have re-themed... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Do you like the way you can flick through long lists on the iPhone and iPod touch? Do you wish your Mac had the same functionality? Thanks to Marcmoini's Smart Scroll, you can bring the same flickin' scrolling abilities from the iPhone to the desktop. The USD$19 System add-on runs on Mac OS X 10.3.9 to 10.5.2 (PPC/Intel) and offers "Super Scroll" and something called "Grab Scroll" which allows... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Have you been hearing about browser upgrades, but lost track of what's new? As the browser wars have gradually rekindled, the candidates have become more interesting. Join me for a Freeloader Friday quick compare of the newest incarnations of your favorite browsers. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Apple today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes Store on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate,... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Nate Piekos of Blambot his posted his FREE Font and Pro Font for May 2008. Blambot offers a wealth of awesome well made fonts. It's one of the few places where you download any of the free fonts and not put your machine in jeopardy. And, in fact, you will more likely make your Mac cooler. This month's free font, Autodestruct, was deisgned to be the perfect dialogue font for comics with... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Fast Icon has released CreatureCutes, which contains 12 freeware icons of rather odd little creatures. This icon collection is available for download for Mac OS X, Windows Vista as well as a handy PNG files for Linux, web or blogs. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Recently, ifoApplestore reported that Apple plans to color-code its Apple Store employees by having behind-the-bar Genius and Creative employees in dark blue T-shirts, Specialists in light blue, and Concierges in bright orange T-shirts. The shirts will be emblazoned with slogans like "I can talk about this stuff for hours", "I know people" and "Some artists use brushes. I prefer boxes" This will... [read more at MacMerc.com]

RingtoneFeeder is a new and innovative approach to ringtones offering a subscription model which automatically installs a new original ringtone on the iPhone via iTunes every week. The earlier a subscription to the service is made, the bigger the collection the subscriber will have. When a ringtone has been released it will not appear in the weekly updates ever again. My buddy Geoff Smith is... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Apple today updated its iMac line with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line. Prices start at USD$1,199 and he 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options. The new iMac line is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple's retail... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Every so often Apple has to clean house and decide what old products it is going to continue to support and repair and which ones it abandons in the wilderness to die. The list below represents those products; the old and forgotten ones. On June 17, 2008, they will be classified as "vintage" or "obsolete": Products to be designated as vintage in the U.S. and obsolete everywhere else: iBook... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Apple has updated Boot Camp to version 2.1 and is offering updates in three Windows flavors: Windows Vista 64 Windows Vista 32 Windows XP Yes, three flavors but only one explanation: This update addresses issues and improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista running on a Mac computer using Boot Camp. It is highly recommended for all Boot Camp users.... [read more at MacMerc.com]

ScreenFlow is an awesome application for creating screencasts with cursor and window highlighting and iSight integration. Once you start recording, ScreenFlow captures not only what you're doing on your screen, but can also simultaneously record video form your iSight camera and audio from a microphone. Today, Vara Software released version 1.1 and added several new features, including: Audio... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Witch is one of those tiny apps that you can't fully appreciate until you make it a part of your workflow. I'll tell you what it does, but there is a very strong possibility that you will remain unimpressed. So I urge you to go download it, install it and train yourself to use it. Okay, so what does it do? It allows you to switch between all your open windows--even hidden ones--by using a... [read more at MacMerc.com]

One of the best times I had doing The Lab with Leo Laporte was the episode where I showed how to Mutate your friends with Photoshop's Auto-Blend Layers. I took pictures of four of the Lab with Leo cast members and, with very little effort, merged them together into the mutation you see here. Check out the tutorial and video here. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Internet Jogging has posted a simple and fun tutorial on how to use Fluid as a Muxtape jukebox complete with CoverFlow. Fluid is an application that allows you to seemingly save websites as stand-alone applications. It even lets you give them a custom icon so that Muxtape, Facebook, etc. look like real applications in your Dock. Muxtape is a fairly new website that allows you to upload... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Ever wanted the option to queue your YouTube downloads? How about watching off-line YouTube videos on your iPhone or iPod touch? In this week's Freeloader Friday we'll check out picks that will download and convert YouTube videos and drop them right into iTunes. If you'd rather not sync them from your Mac, we also have a fantastic iPhone app that downloads and plays off-line YouTube clips. As... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Full disclosure: MacUpdate is currently a sponsor of MacMerc.com MacUpdate has released the MacUpdate Parallels bundle. It is a software bundle that, depending on how well it sells, will include Parallels and 9 more top Mac apps. You can purchase the bundle for USD$64.99 which is less than the price of Parallels by itself. This event is time limited and runs April 16-29th. In 2007, MacUpdate... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Cynical Peak Software has released Rivet 1.0, their application for streaming video, music, and photos from Mac OS X to an Xbox 360 and, thus, your TV and/or home theater. Rivet enables you to browse and view your entire collection of digital media from from anywhere in the house on an Xbox 360. Your Mac's folder structure and organization is completely reproduced to allow you to quickly find... [read more at MacMerc.com]

plasq today released Doozla 1.1.0. What is a Doozla? Doozla is a fun graphics application for kids. It has four creativity modes as you can see in the tiny picture at right: Drawing, Coloring In, Draw on Background, and Webcam Drawing. These give kids the option to choose between free-hand drawing, adding color and lines to provided templates, drawing their own characters onto provided... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Today Apple released a new update to Safari bringing the web browser to version 3.1.1. The support page offers the usual vague explanations and SHA1 Digests, but following the link trail brings you to this page outlining the security content in this update. For those of us on Mac OS X, the update alleviates the danger that visiting a malicious website may result in cross-site scripting or that... [read more at MacMerc.com]

FastIcon.com has released a new freeware icon set: African Pets The set consists of 5 cute icons inspired by some African animals. Though the set is tagged with the term "pets," MacMerc.com does not condone or encourage the taking of giraffes, zebras, lions or other exotic animals as pets no matter how cheesy a grin they display in captivity on your desktop. It's just wrong, kids. African Pets... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Jordan Satok has been playing with some fun new gadgets recently and he's turned in his finding in the form of two new reviews. One for the AudioEngine AW1 Wireless Adapter which allows you to send audio signals wirelessly and the Futiro Luna USB VOIP phone which is, well, a USB VOIP phone. How do they measure up? Check out the reviews! [read more at MacMerc.com]

Apple issued another cluster of updates today. This time the theme is "Firmware Updates." With the exception of the Keyboard update, Apple hasn't gone into much detail yet on what stability issues are being addressed in the various Mac model Firmware updates. Here's your list: [read more at MacMerc.com]

Today's announcement that Flickr now supports video got me to thinking about a tutorial I wrote recently and I decided to jazz it up a bit with some Flickr integration. In one of my last appearances on The Lab with Leo Laporte, I explained how Automator could be used to create a simple time lapse video using your Mac's built-in iSight camera. That was pretty cool on its own, but what if you... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Apple today announced that Final Cut Server, a software solution for media asset management and workflow automation, is now shipping. A scaleable server application, Final Cut Server automatically catalogs media and generates thumbnails, poster frames and low-resolution clip proxies for quick browsing in user specified formats. A cross-platform client enables a PC or Mac to use Final Cut Server's... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Why blog in one place and tweet from another? In the spirit of efficiency, I've got a do-it-yourself twitter you can run from your own server. There's also a new IM client that lets you post to Facebook and Twitter while monitoring Gmail, IMAP and more. Join me for these and an iPhone app pick in this week's Freeloader Friday. [read more at MacMerc.com]

While the show has, sadly, been cancelled, hours of new "The Lab with Leo Laporte" episodes are scheduled for broadcast and a few of my favorite segments have yet to be seen. One such segment is the Invisible People Photoshop tutorial. There are several tutorials out there that will show you how to totally remove an unwanted person from a photograph; that's not what this one does. The... [read more at MacMerc.com]

The insanely useful xScope was updated today to version 2.1 with many interface enhancements that are sure to please designers and developers. Created for designers by ARTIS Software and The Iconfactory, xScope is a powerful set of tools that are ideal for measuring, aligning and inspecting on-screen graphics and layouts. Quickly available via the Mac OS X menu bar, xScope's flexible tools... [read more at MacMerc.com]

The description for the Keynote 4.0.3 Update posted today is simple: This update addresses performance and stability issues when working with large documents. Even if you don't work with large Keynote documents, you may as well download the update. [read more at MacMerc.com]

AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow 4.2.5 The AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow for Mac OS X 10.4 or later software supports the original Apple AirPort Graphite and Snow (Dual Ethernet) Base Stations. This update provides compatibility for Mac OS X v10.5 or later. The newer AirPort Utility (v5.3.1 or later) should be used for Time Capsule, and AirPort Extreme or AirPort... [read more at MacMerc.com]

ImageWell is a highly recommended light-weight image editing application that gives you the ability to resize, crop,watermark, and edit your images and then upload them to the web, save to your computer or share them via email. It allows you annotate your images with text, shapes and lines, quickly and easily and, new in version 3.5, in also allows you to sharpen your images too. One of the... [read more at MacMerc.com]

QuickTime 7.4.5 for Leopard QuickTime 7.4.5 for Panther QuickTime 7.4.5 for Tiger This release is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users. QuickTime 7.4.5 includes fixes that enhance reliability, improve compatibility with third-party applications, and address security issues. QuickTime 7.4.5 for Leopard SHA-1 Digest: SHA1(QuickTime745Leopard.dmg)=... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Vaporized is Blambot's new free font for March 2008. It was designed as a sound effects font for comic art and works great for smoky/cloudy effects and sizzling energy beam blasts. The font includes Regular and Italic. [read more at MacMerc.com]

FastIcon.com has released a new freeware'icon set: Smashing Feed. 8 flashy and illustrative feed icons for use on your website, blog, software or desktop. FastIcon Smashing Feed Icons are available as standard Mac or Windows icons as well as PNG files. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Adobe has announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom 2.0 beta will feature enhancements such as dual-monitor support, localized dodge and burn correction and will be the first Adobe application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Microsoft Vista 64-bit operating ... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Griffin Technology today announced a new iPhone case they call Wave. Wave allows full access to audio jack, volume controls, connectors and touch screen. The form-fitting case protects with durable polycarbonate at all corners, and is available in six interchangeable coordinated colors: red, orange, pink, green, blue, and black. Griffin's Wave for iPhone sells for USD$24.99. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Jordan Satok has taken a quick look at BeLight Live Interior 3D, a virtual interior design program, and has posted his review. Check it out. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Friday, Apple snuck out an update to the Apple TV that adds Genre sorting to your My Movies menu. Sorting TV shows by show has allowed Apple TV users to easily navigate to the specific episode of the specific show they wanted to play by allowing them to drill down to just the show they were concerned with. Sorting through a long list of movies in My Movies wasn't so easy; all your movies were... [read more at MacMerc.com]

AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 for Tiger This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Tiger OS and improves the reliability of AirPort connections. Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.3 This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of Mac Pro (Early 2008) computers. AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 for Tiger This update is recommended for all Intel-based... [read more at MacMerc.com]

While not to be confused with real news, I thought it was worth noting: Apple has posted a simple and printable Mac OS X Mail email settings "cheat sheet" so that you have an easy way to record your email provider's settings to restore them or quote them in case of "disaster." [read more at MacMerc.com]

Softpress Systems has released Freeway 5, the latest version of their web design software. The software uses a traditional page layout approach in an attempt to make it easy to create dynamic websites without the need to write code. Both Freeway 5 Pro and Freeway 5 Express are now available for sale and 30-day trials. Alongside Freeway's existing features (Master Pages, Freeway Shop,... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Indev Software has released MailTags 2.2 out of beta. This very popular productivity plug-in for Mac OS X's Mail 3.0 allows you to tag email messages, Mail notes, and RSS news items. MailTags 2.2 also introduces a modular architecture to MailTags, laying the groundwork for future enhancements to MailTags and Mail. Current Extras include a module for interacting with iCal todos and events,... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Photoshop Elements 6 is a powerful, USD$89.99 alternative to the USD$649 Adobe Photoshop. The low price tag and strong feature set make it attractive and accessible to an audience that might have previously thought that photo editing in the Photoshop family was out of reach. For those new to Photoshop Elements for Mac specifically, O'Reilly has released Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Adobe today announced Adobe Photoshop Express public beta, a free Rich Internet Application (RIA) available to anyone in the US (or willing to say they're in the US) who wants to store, sort and share digital photos with some fancy effects. During the public beta period, Adobe is asking for feedback from Photoshop Express users on product features and functionality, which they will continue to... [read more at MacMerc.com]

Jordan Satok has been busy putting the Bluelounge SpaceStation through its paces. This unassuming device looks like it might be a rather uncomfortable wrist rest...and I suppose you could use it as one...but it has been designed as a combination powered USB hub and cable organizer. How well does it perform these tasks? Read the review. [read more at MacMerc.com]

Use this iPod Reset Utility to restore the following iPod models back to their factory settings, when iTunes is unable to do so: iPod shuffle (1st Generation) iPod shuffle (2nd Generation) The restore process completely erases all music and data on your iPod, and installs current iPod software on it, so you might want to back up whatever you've got on there. If information on iPod Reset... [read more at MacMerc.com]