Kenton unveils a couple of prototype controllers intended for use with Ableton Live or similar software. Neither unit has a final name at the moment and are temporarily being called AB Mini and AB DJ.

- The AB Mini communicates via USB, has 9 endless rotary encoders, 9 push buttons and a joystick. It is USB powered for convenience. The 9 encoder knobs can also be pushed to select MIDI channels to operate on - allowing up to 9 channels of operation. The joystick can send X and Y co-ordinates on the currently selected channel, and could be used for pitchbend and/or modulation control. The whole unit is finished in brushed aluminium with matching knobs and is the same width as a 12" powerbook.

- The AB DJ (our photo), as its temporary name suggests, is aimed at the DJ market. Again this controller is mainly aimed at Ableton Live and Tractor users. The unit has three channel strips and a master section. Each channel strip has a Master Volume with six rotary knobs below that. Beneath that again are 6 buttons which illuminate when active, intended for mutes, AB selection and headphone monitor. Beneath that are two pads which can be used for firing off samples. The whole unit is finished in brushed aluminium, and has USB and MIDI ports.

Price and availability to be announced, but if you have suggestions for better names or for improvements to the designs, please fell free to contact Kenton.

Apple just announced a new version 6.0.5 for iTunes and several firmware updates for iPods :

- iTunes 6.0.5 allows you to preview, buy, and download music videos, short films, and hit TV programs on the iTunes Music Store, and sync your music and purchased videos with iPod to enjoy on the go, and allows you to sync your Nike + iPod workout data.

- iPod firmware update 1.1.2 : bugfix
- iPod Nano firmware update 1.2 : bugfix and adds sync and support for Nike + Ipod
- iPod Shuffle firmware update 1.1.4 : bugfix and adds volume limit. (iTunes 6.0.5 or later required to set a maximum volume limit for iPod Shuffle)

BoomBuzzSoftware announces an huge update to Groovetool. It adds velocity and note length functionality, as well as an extended note grid. Groovetool allows quick, simple, and intuitive way to create quantize templates, which can drag directly from groovetool's interface to most software sequencers that support creation of groove templates from midi files- Logic, DP, ProTools, and Cubase to name a few.

The previous release of groovetool is now available for free, under the new name of q-tool. Price is still $7.00 for Groovetool up to 1.2. Put some life into those boring old pattern-based sequences!

Apple announces an update to version 7.1.2 for QuickTime. This new 7.1.2 update addresses an issue previewing iDVD projects. This 50 Mb update is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users, and is available via the Softawre Update Utility or on the Apple Web site.

This year, the Apple Expo '06 will take place from 12 to 16 September in Paris at Paris-Expo, Hall 5, Portes de Versailles. As usual, you can register online and you will then be sent an ebadge by email which needs to be presented onsite to receive your entrance pass.

Several websites report that Steve Jobs will not be at the Paris Apple Expo in September, but only at his WWDC keynote on August 7th.