Dale Roe

Paragon Software released 30 SlovoEd "talking" dictionaries for the Mac OS this week at Macworld Expo. Containing three explanatory (English, French, Spanish) and 27 bilingual dictionaries, Paragon's product allows Mac OS X users to obtain a translation or word definition by simply pointing a cursor over the word in question.

Word definitions are accompanied by usage and sound samples, transcription, grammar information, and color markup, and the pronunciation samples have been recorded pre-recorded by English, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish native speakers.

Transcena Design announced OfficeTime 1.4, with the latest version of the time-tracking program allowing you track your time and review instant reports of where you've been spending your time.

Version 1.4 offers 18 new summary reports that provide one-click answers to questions such as which projects earned you the most in the last month, where you spent your time in the past week, and which day of the week is your least productive. The reports also provide expanded line item details for a more in depth look.

Newer Technology debuted the NewerTech Voyager Q Hard Drive Docking Solution Tuesday at Macworld Expo. The Voyager Q turns any 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive into a fully bootable and hot-swappable external drive and features four interfaces: FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA.

If that sounds like an already-available, that's because NewerTech had previously offered a Voyager hard drive dock. The interior of the new Voyager Q is essentially the same, a NewerTech spokeswoman said. The difference between the two is the product's housing--the Voyage Q adds an eject level for safe hard drive removal. An upgraded LED display now shows a blue light to indicate that the power is on and a flashing red light when there's disk activity.

IntelliScanner added a pair of products to its line of scanner-based organization tools--one that shrinks down the scanner and the other that targets business users.

The IntelliScanner mini is a tiny scanner that reads the barcodes of the media you own and uploads them to the Mac so you can organize your belongings.IntelliScanner mini features an ultra-portable barcode scanner--one about the size of a Zippo lighter--and software for organizing, searching and sharing collections. Scanning a barcode with the mini and upload its information to the Mac via USB; the IntelliScanner software will automatically track home assets and valuables, with special features to instantly identify books, wine, comics, DVDs, groceries and more.

Cultured Code has released the shipping version of its Things task management software. Made available during this week's Macworld Expo, Things takes a unique approach to personal task management. It offers great flexibility through the use of tags and an intelligent, contextual filter bar that enables users to drill down through long lists of to-dos. A Leopard-style source list allows for quick and easy focusing.

Things requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or better, but Leopard users get additional functions including notes and links to files, Web sites, and e-mail messages, iCal sync, and a dock badge to show you the number of outstanding tasks.

When you're driving, you want your iPod controls where your hands are--on the steering wheel. iSimple aims to eliminate dangerous and distracting iPod auto use with the WiFli, announced at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The iSimple WiFli kit consists of a wireless remote control with a steering wheel cradle and a dongle-style bug that jacks into an iPod or iPhone. Once connected, the WiFli transmits a digital FM radio signal to RDS-equipped car stereos, delivering superior sound without the feedback and static traditionally associated with FM modulators.

REAL Software, creator of the REALbasic cross-platform software development environment, announced Tuesday at Macworld Expo that REAL Server 2009 will ship in February. REAL Server is a cross-platform, multi-user database server.

Boasting new features and increased performance and scalability, REAL Server 2009 includes a completely re-engineered event-based asynchronous architecture, Multi Version Concurrency Control to eliminate transaction locking, support for external plugins, one-click recovery, server-side cursors, and client messaging. Preliminary testing showed that REAL Server 2009 can handle more than 10,000 concurrent connections, the developer sid.

iLuv's iMM183 Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock with Weather Band Radio is making its debut at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, not at Macworld Expo. But the digital dual alarm clock should still grab the attention of iPod and iPhone owners thanks to its ability to charge two devices at once.

iLuv's iMM183 Hi-Fi Dual Dock Alarm Clock with Weather Band RadioIn addition to its ability to charge any iPod with a dock connector, the iLuv iMM183 is compatible with the iPhone 3G (though only one of its dual docks supports the phone).

A QuickStart system that facilitates fast home design and a decidedly green focus are hallmarks of the Punch Home and Landscape Design Studio for Mac, announced by Punch Software Tuesday at Macworld Expo.

A dozen major features, including intelligent room detection, new objects and auto roof generation aid users as they drag rooms into place, resize, accessorize, and then fly or walk through their models in 3-D. Users can shop for and purchase building-related items and locate local contractors in addition to ordering floor plan prints from within the application. "Going Green" services offer energy efficiency information with a button click.

Kensington announced a number of new accessories for desktops, laptops, iPods, and iPhones Tuesday to coincide with Macworld Expo as well as the Consumer Electronics Show.

The company has a Play it product line that targets mobile devices, including Apple's iPod and iPhone offerings. The Play it line includes a new US$25 Auxiliary Dock for third- and fourth-generation iPod nanos and a $120 Hands-Free Visor Car Kit that works with the iPhone as well as other Bluetooth phones.

Houdah Software has upgraded HoudahGeo, its Mac photo geocoding application. Available immediately, HoudahGeo 2.0 made its debut at Macworld Expo Tuesday.

The new version adds direct support for many brands and models of GPS devices. HoudahGeo 2.0 sports a refreshed interface and a laundry-list of feature enhancements, including the ability to to access and write to master images managed by Aperture and the same seamless access to originals of images managed by iPhoto. Support for Flickr sets and Adobe Lightroom 2 libraries as well as two possible sources for reverse geocoding--GeoNames.org and Google Maps--also appears in HoudahGeo 2.0.

JBL on Tuesday announced a pair of speaker systems designed to support everything from MP3 players and laptops to desktops and home-entertainment centers. Both the JBL Duet II and JBL Duet III systems are designed to provide a clear, powerful sound while maintaining a small footprint.

JBL Duet II speaker systemBoth systems unveiled Tuesday incorporate onboard digital amplifier technology for delivery of high output with minimal distortion.