Apple Touches Up Aperture Photo Toolset

Apple has released the second major version of its professional-grade photo editing and management application, Aperture. The company packed 100 new features in to Aperture 2, including a more streamlined user interface and an entirely new image processing engine. "Many of the most respected photographers on assignment all over the world trust Aperture to organize, edit and deliver their images," noted Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of applications product marketing. "With its simpler interface and lower price, anyone can take full advantage of Aperture's power."

Adobe Pours On High-Def Streaming With Double Shot of Flash

Adobe Systems has released its Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 3 software. Flash Player 9 has been in beta -- code-named "Moviestar" -- for some time, but this is the first version widely available that supports the H.264 high-definition video standard. H.264 is the same standard used by Blu-ray and HD DVD video players, and it's the standard that lets Apple iPhone users view the wicked-sharp YouTube videos on their tiny screens -- even when the "same" YouTube clips are more blurry in a standard Web browser.