Good option for photo enthusiasts

With three updates now out of the way since its debut in February, Apple's Aperture 3 is ready for prime time, and I recommend the software.The $199 software is geared for photography enthusiasts and professionals, especially those who shoot raw images rather than just JPEG, and I put the software through its paces for several weeks for a review. My overall opinion: It's solid software that produces very nice images.If you're an iPhoto user who wants more, it's a good upgrade, though it costs $199 new. If you're an Aperture 2 user, it's a no-brainer to move to the new version. For details, here's CNET's full review of Aperture 3.Aperture 3's geotagging tools are second to none for those who want to put location data into their photos, and the adjustment brushes work very well, reducing the likelihood you'll have to drag your image into Photoshop for fine-tuning.If you're on the fence between Aperture and Lightroom, choose carefully, because you won't have an easy time moving your photo archive from one to the other. Lightroom 3 is on its way, so you might want to wait to see what besides automatic lens flaw corrections Adobe has in store before you commit.

Another Apple touch-screen patent in trouble

One of Apple's broad patents covering touch-screen technology is under fire by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, following a re-examination.The USPTO ruled this week that all 20 claims included in the patent are invalid, according to a filing spotted by blog Foss Patents. The decision, which was handed down Monday, is not final. It's the second such Apple patent to be deemed completely invalid following a re-examination by the USPTO. A similar decision for an Apple patent covering the company's rubber-banding bounce effect came in late October, and is also subject to an appeal.Of note, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is listed as the chief inventor, along with 24 others, of the touch-related technology listed in U.S. Patent No. 7,479,949. The company filed for the patent in April 2008, and was granted it just nine months later. It was one of three used against Motorola in a recent patent suit, which was tossed out of court last month.