Boinx has released its new tool that adds support for the Apple Remote. The iStop Motion 1.10 is a time-lapse and stop-motion tool that allows animators to remotely control the application using the Apple Remote that comes with the newest Macs.

There's also another version of this software that allows the capture of an arbitrary number of frames at once by the user.

The Apple Remote allows animators to control the application comfortably as they don't need to leave their workstation to do so. To capture a frame, one only has to press the Menu button on the said remote, while the button Play pauses or replays the movie to easily check the animation.

The Boinx iStopMotion 1.10.1 version is already available for downloads by owners of iStopMotion 1.x licenses.

Apple have just released an updated firmware for its SuperDrive component found in many of there computers.

SuperDrive Firmware 2.0 features solutions for many errors previously encountered when using certain burning speeds on some recordable DVD media. This update, designed for Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later is designed for use with the following Apple products:

PowerBook G4 (12 -inch 1.5GHz)
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.33GHz, 1.5GHz, or 1.67GHz)
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67GHz)
iMac G5 (17-inch 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz)
iMac G5 (20-inch 1.8GHz)
Mac mini G4

If your product meets the system requirements, but you are unable to update the firmware, Apple have advised customers to contact your local Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Store retail location.

You can get this free download (avaliable in most languages) just below:

Download: [Superdrive Firmware 2.0 Update]

Since everybody has been making a fuss about Macbooks' temperature for quite some time now, this application couldn't have come in a much better time. So if you really want to find out the temperature of your Mac, then you might want to take a look at this.

Temperature Monitor is an application suite for the Mac OS X operating system. The application makes it possible to read out all available hardware sensors in Macintosh computers, to process their measured values, and to store them. Moreover, it can display additional technical information about your computer like processor type and frequencies, bus frequencies and manufacturing information.

The application runs on Mac OS X 10.2.5 or later and is available for free, but is limited to accessing temperature sensors only. Of course it can only read out the data if your computer is equipped with the necessary sensors, and if Mac OS X can access them without needing third-party device drivers.

But do you really need a virtual thermometer to know your Mac's coolness factor?

Download [Temperature Monitor]

GIMPShop is a free Open Source image editor that takes after GIMP but is designed to be more user-friendly for Photoshop users.

Creator, Scott Moschella has now announced the release of GIMPShop 2.2.11 Universal Application for OSX Tiger (Intel,PowerPC) and Panther.

If youÂ?re running OSX 10.4 Tiger and donÂ?t currently have X11 installed, make sure you install X11 from your Tiger OSX Install DVD.

Also, the cursor is light yellow in color instead of black, just take note that this is an Intel-based Mac X11 issue and not a Gimp one.

I guess Adobe just have to admit defeat when it comes to Universal Binary.

Download: [Gimpshop 2.2.11 Universal Application] (85 MB)

Today St Clair software released version 3.0 of their great shareware application, Default Folder X.  Anyone who's come from - or worked on - a Windows environment knows that Microsoft has a much better save screen.  Who cares, you ask?  Well, when you can quickly navigate folders, file names, add and subtract both from the save screen, it makes a big difference.  This is just a little of what Default Folder X offers.

The feature I'm hugely excited about with version 3, is the addition of a Spotlight Comments entry window.  I wrote a piece recently about using Metadata as a filing system on the OS X platform.  This feature from St Clair closes the circle and makes this 'filing' scheme available to the masses.

Go check Default Folder X out - it's one of those programs that you quickly find that you can't live without.  And wonder how you did without it before!

Finding your way in the big city is quite a challenge and a scare at the same time. Walking in unfamiliar roads with unfamiliar faces may seem daunting. But now, Wcities, together with your iPod, could help ease up on that burden. As long as you have your trusty iPod with you, you will never get lost. You can easily download Wcities' 300 city maps - from Manhattan to Tokyo to  Milan to Johannesburg.

Although putting maps in iPods is not that new nowadays, the Wcities maps offer more than directions and maps. Wcities also offer detailed descriptions and addresses of hotels, restaurants, attractions and events.

Unfortunately, the 1st and 2nd generation iPods can't use this because they do not have a "notes" feature, which is necessary to support pod city guides. This just goes to show that your iPod could also be your best travel companion - not only would it inject some life through its music, but it will also point you to the right direction.

iDump 1.1.1 is the updated version of the program that allows you to transfer songs in your iPod to a PC.

The new version includes the following features:

• update of the German translation
• song selection can be changed just by a single click
• selected items are shown in bold text
• Bit Rate added to the list

iDump is easy to use. Just connect your iPod to your PC and run iDump. You'll instantly have access to all your songs and start selecting those you want to transfer. Pick a destination directory and just sit back while the selected songs are moved to your PC.

Best of all, it's free. Seems like a great program, its iffy name notwithstanding...

While Firefox may partially dominate the browser scene on Macs, it's got a lighter, faster sibling named Camino that does a lot of things right.  I tend to have a hard time settling on one browser in particular, and so often switch back and forth between Firefox, Safari, and Camino.  While Camino is probably my favorite, it tends to be a bit lacking the extensibility it offers.  It does what it does and not a whole lot more.  Of course this is a big part of what makes it faster than its brethren.

But Jon Hicks, creator of Pimp My Safari, has also started Pimp My Camino.  You can find all the plugins, modules, and skins for Camino all in one great place.  Some of the tools may be more useful than others.  But the site can only grow.  Having a central repository for all these great tools is nice for anyone hoping to expand their browsers' capabilities. 

If you've come across tools - or have some of your own - that aren't listed there, get them uploaded for everyone to enjoy!

Mozilla has announced a new update for its Portable Thunderbird email client. This application allows people to easily transfer their email, address books and account settings from one platform to another. Using a USB connection, this information can be loaded onto an i-Pod, a flash drive, newer cell phones supporting email access, or any other portable device. Best of all, Portable Thunderbird deletes all personal info when the user uninstalls it, so there are no worries there.

The most recent release of Portable Thunderbird is 1.0.7, and is a beta version. You can download it for free here.

JohnnyGizmo has finished his program "getCals 0.2 beta" which allows you to download and convert iCal files to Outlook CSV format. It also allows you to add a separate location for them. The Beta is still a little buggy but hopefully those issues will be fixed before long. And no, that isn't Johnny in the picture...

Download: [getCals 0.2 beta]