Handbrake is the most common video conversion software for Mac computers and it’s been a while since it last got updated – but now, there’s a new version available for download. I use it mainly to be able to convert my DVDs for my iPad/iPhone, but you can of course do all kinds of video conversions with this excellent free software. (For some reason the automatic software update can’t find it yet, so you need to get it from the official download site). Check out all info about the new release inside.

HandBrake 0.9.5 has now been released.

Release Highlights:

Core Library

* BluRay disc structure support. (No decryption support)
* Updated Libraries (x264, ffmpeg)
* SSA Subtitle support. (Including burn-in)
* MP3 audio now supported in MP4 files (Note: Limited Player compatibility)
* VOBSUB subtitle now supported in MP4 files (Note: Limited Player compatibility)
* Updated Presets for newer devices and better quality
* AC3 encoding support.
* Many Bug Fixes and other small improvements
* Improved DVD Main Feature detection (when using dvdnav)
* Universal audio downmix support (all audio types can be downmixed)
* Point*to*Point encoding (second or frame start and end times)
* Peak framerate option (Capped VFR)

All GUIs

* Updated x264 Advanced Panel
* Video Quality Slider drops % value and only shows RF for x264
* Batch Scan (Scan Multiple files at once. N.B: Does not include multiple VIDEO_TS folders / Image files)
* Many Bug fixes
* Many Tweaks to improve usability.
* Ability to edit queue jobs

Mac GUI

* New Audio Panel supporting >4 Audio Tracks
* VLC detection in /Applications and ~/Applications
* Multiple instance support

Windows GUI

* Encode Status in GUI. (CLI window is now always hidden)
* Improved Auto-Naming for Destination file name.
* Drag / Drop Video onto Main Window to scan.

Linux GUI

* Multiple instance support (run multiple copies of ghb at once)
* Many Bug fixes and UI improvements.

Notices

* Power PC (PPC) is no longer officially supported. Given limited resources and time, it simply isn’t feasible for this project to support minority platforms. For those of you still using older hardware, we recommend you stick with 0.9.4.

Handbrake download page

Today MacBundlePro unveiled 4 out 6 applications that will be featured in the upcoming NanoBundle 2. The four applications that were unveiled today was AirRadar2, MacHider, TranslateIt, and InPaint. More info inside.

MacBundlePro unveils Four Applications from NanoBundle2 – Published on 11/27/10

Today, a few days ahead of the official launch of NanoBundle2, we will unveil four of the applications included: AirRadar2, MacHider, TranslateIt, and InPaint. MacBundlePro is now presenting its latest bundle: NanoBundle2 which contains 6 applications plus a bonus for Mac systems. The MacBundlePro team put together the NanoBundle2 keeping in mind the requests and suggestions offered by our clients.

Milan, Italy – The MacBundlePro Company was born from the idea of substituting MacHeist, a then leader in the promotion of bundle applications for Mac systems, and to offer a wider range of opportunities to its clients. MacBundlePro is now presenting its latest bundle: NanoBundle2 which contains 6 applications plus a bonus for Mac systems. This is a sizeable bundle, accessible to all users, at a bargain price of less than $10.00. The MacBundlePro team added a bonus application as a tangible apology for our delay in the launch of the NanoBundle2.

Today, a few days ahead of the official launch of NanoBundle2, we will unveil four of the applications included: AirRadar2, MacHider, TranslateIt, and InPaint.

* MacHider:
MacHider is an innovative product intended to put out of sight your confidential information from third parties or other unwanted eyes.

* TranslateIt:
The multilingual dictionary that allows you to look up words on the fly.

* InPaint:
Inpaint is so easy to use. Simply paint and fill the object you want to remove from your picture, then press the Smart Remove Selection arrow button.

As our clients know MacHider was developed by the well regarded MacPaw Company that also developed the CleanMyMac application. This is an application that has seen great success in the last few years. Air Radar2 was developed by the Koingo Software Company and allows scanning of wireless networks in an easier and more personalized way.

The MacBundlePro team put together the NanoBundle2 keeping in mind the requests and suggestions offered by our clients. We added a chat forum and so client support is immediately available. At MacBundlePro we value our clients and their satisfaction is paramount.

Mac Bundle Pro: MacBundlePro

Two of my all time favorite apps for the iPhone are QuadCamera and the TiltShift Generator. They are both designed and developed by the wiz Takayuki Fukatsu and today I made this interview with him.

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a freelance iPhone/Flash both designer and developer. I was working for a Japanese web design company called tha.jp for three and a half years as a Flash designer / developer.
While working, I released three or four apps including QuadCamera. After that I quit my job and became freelance and spending most of times on my apps.

How long have you been into creating apps?
I have been developing since iPhone got iPhone 3G, two years ago.

Can you tell us how you came up with the ideas for your apps?
When the iPhone was released, many people said that the iPhone’s camera was crappy. However I don’t believe that resolution or other complex features are important.

Therefore my first project was making the camera’s cheapness valuable. I built an app called ToyCamera, that randomly applies an effect to a picture. I wanted to show people that uncontrollable and cheapness is fun!

What kind of hardware do you use for developing?
I usa a Macbook Pro, two iPhone 3G, two iPhone 3Gs, one iPhone 4, and two iPads.

What has been the hardest obstacle to overcome with developing your apps?
Studying Objective C. My primary language is ActionScript and the problem is that Mr Jobs hate Flash

What has been the most fun part with developing your apps?
Definitely prototyping. And checking whether the concept works or not.

How much time do you have to spend on user support and app updates for new iOS versions?

Usually, I spend one to two months to support all of my applications. Half is for supporting new features and the rest is for backward compatibility.

How many hours would you estimate you have spent on developing an app like Quadcamera?
The first stage is just 2 weeks. Now the version is 3.0 and I’ve made more than 10 updates for improvement and optimization.

What new features would you like to see in the next generation iPhone?
More flexible WiFI and USB control.

What’s next, do you have any new apps in the pipeline?
TiltShiftGen for Free is ongoing and will be out 24th Aug. I’m also making a big iPad app but that is a client project and I cant talk about it yet.

Thank you very much for the interview! You can read more about Takayukis apps over at artandmobile.com or his blog, blog.artandmobile.com.

Many iPhone users are jailbreaking their phones to get access to the forbidden applications that Apple don’t want you to run. I haven’t done it myself, but when you look at the apps you can get I admit that it’s tempting. The top thing that I’m missing is multitasking. Here’s a list of 21 forbidden apps that you can get if you jailbreak your iPhone. Featured above are Multifl0w that is a multitasking handler, MyWi turns your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot and My3G that fools apps into thinking they’re on Wi-Fi rather than 3G. 18 more apps listed over at Networkworld.

21 apps Apple doesn’t want on your 3.0 iPhone [networkworld.com]

I just wanted to do promote this great software package that MacHeist have put together. I bought it myself and some of the applications are true gems. I especially like the clipboard manager ‘Clips’, ‘CoverScout’ an application that will let you add missing covers for iTunes albums and the really nice ftp application ‘Flow’. There’s only 2 days to go and the whole bunch of software can be yours for $19.95.

MacHeist nanoBundle 2 [macheist.com]

Bumptop is a really clever application that will extend your desktop into a 3D workspace. You can easily organize all your documents into piles and you can even pin important files onto one of the walls. I have been using the free version for a couple of days, and today I bought the full version ($29). I have embedded a video inside so you can see the application in action.

Video on Youtube.

Check it out, it’s really cool! And, there’s a Window version available as well.
http://bumptop.com/mac/

The OS X dock is pretty useful, but if you perform several different tasks it might be useful to be able to switch between different sets of applications and folders in your dock. Here’s a fresh list of 10 useful Mac OS X dock replacements.

10 nifty Mac OS X Dock replacements [techradar.com]

I have only been using OS X for a couple so I still learn new tricks almost every day. I just stumbled across this list of 5 OS X applications that will boost your productivity – some of them look pretty neat. Above is a screenshot of the application ‘Fresh’ from Ironic Software.

5 productivity boosting add-ons for OS X [techradar.com]

I’m not sure WHY you should do this (because you can? ) But apparently you can install Windows 3.11 for workgroups using the software DOSBox and have it running inside Windows Vista…Yeez.

Windows 3.11 on Vista [hardforum.com]