iCreate had this rather flattering comment to make about RapidWeaver:

“RapidWeaver is a step up from iWeb in terms of features, and at the same time it's easy to use”

Even if you already own RapidWeaver, I'd heartily recommend buying iCreate magazine as it's beautifully designed and features some great articles. iCreate is available now at all good news-stands.

Now let's take a brief look at what we have in the pipeline for the start of 2009…

First up, we're expanding. We're looking for three new people to join our Brighton based team. If you fancy joining one of the UK's fastest growing Mac only software houses, head over to our Jobs page and get in touch!

Next on the agenda, Software updates. Towards the end of January we'll be shouting "Prepare the Build!" as we get ready to release LittleSnapper 1.0.2 and RapidWeaver 4.2.2

Psst. We do have a "little" app for a certain mobile device in the works too ;-)

That will take us up to around February. Beyond that I can't give anymore details, but rest assured we have some great updates planned and some absolutely amazing projects in the pipeline…

Stay tuned, I have a feeling 2009 is going to be a great year!

Oh, and if you want to hear more Realmac related news first you can follow me on Twitter.

There's a video that shows you how to get started with LittleSnapper, and also a short video that shows you how to take advantage of the LittleSnapper menu item.

• LittleSnapper Tour
• LittleSnapper Menu Item Quickstart

We're not the only ones getting LittleSnapper videos produced, however. The folks at Supportcasts.com have also prepared a freely-available short introduction to LittleSnapper for users to enjoy.

For more in-depth details on what's new on 1.0.1, head over to the Version History page. To get the latest version of LittleSnapper, you can either Check for Updates from within LittleSnapper, or visit our Downloads page to grab this free update for registered 1.0 customers.

If you've not already downloaded a free demo copy of LittleSnapper (requires Mac OS X Leopard) then head on over to the Downloads page. The demo has just one limit: a maximum of 30 snaps in your library until you register - there's no time limits. If you want to create a larger library, you can pick up a copy from the Realmac Software store for just $39 including a free QuickSnapper account!

We'd like to thank all our fantastic beta-testers who took the early builds for a spin and gave us feedback: we can't wait to bring you more updates to LittleSnapper (and of course RapidWeaver) in the future!

To make sure everyone knows about the new version, we're posting today to let you know that 4.2.1 is indeed available! If you want to know what's changed be sure to check out the release notes, and to grab the update simply visit our Downloads page and install RapidWeaver into your Applications folder.

Happy Weaving!

During the 40-minute presentation we built a website in under 15 minutes using RapidWeaver 4.2.1, answered a number of questions about RapidWeaver, and also gave our very first public demonstration of LittleSnapper by snapping a website, tagging and rating the snap, and then quickly sharing it to the QuickSnapper service. We also revealed one small new tidbit that LittleSnapper will be launching some time in early December. We know you are all eager to hear more about the launch of LittleSnapper, so stay tuned for more news soon. We'll be announcing details such as pricing when the application ships.

If you missed yesterday's presentation, don't worry: we're going to be back in the Apple Store a little more often in 2009, so hopefully you'll be able to come and say hello at a future demo. We know that some folks will be interested in seeing the slides from yesterday's presentation, so we've made them available for download in PDF format, should you want to take a look.

On behalf of everyone at Realmac, thanks again to all those who made it to the store for the presentation, asked us questions, and stopped by for a chat: we'll see you all back in the theatre at Regent Street soon!

We know a number of our international users have been eagerly awaiting the localisations, so head on over to the Downloads page and grab this new version! If you want to see what's new, be sure to check out the release notes - and if you have any issues with this release, please report them in the Technical Support forums.

We've got an hour in the theatre, and will be showing you how to build a beautiful website with RapidWeaver. If that's not enough, we'll also be giving the first public demonstration of LittleSnapper. Whether you're a RapidWeaver fan or eagerly awaiting LittleSnapper, this is an event not to be missed!

Myself and other members of the Realmac team will be at the store to answer any questions you may have, so if you're in London that evening why not pay the Apple Store a visit and meet us? See you there!

We'll be taking the wraps off some more LittleSnapper features in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that soon! In the meantime, why not visit our special area in the Realmac Software forums to talk about LittleSnapper?

If you want to share this video, we've also uploaded it to Viddler, where you can grab the code to embed it in your own blog and leave visual comments.

Whilst out in Paris we also showed a few members of the media an early build of LittleSnapper. Christopher Phin [Deputy Editor, MacFormat UK] briefly mentions the demo in a re-cap of the Expo for TechRadar:

We also caught up with the boys from Realmac Software in Brighton to see their new project, a screenshot-taking and -cataloguing application called Little Snapper; it shows that company's commitment to polished, beautifully-executed applications.

As well as speaking with MacFormat, iCreate France and Vous et Votre Mac, we also caught up with MacGeneration who were eager to hear about LittleSnapper and the localisation of RapidWeaver [more on that soon!]. If you're fluent in French, be sure to take a look at MacGeneration's article which also features a photo of Dan, Ben and myself!

We'll be releasing more details on LittleSnapper later this year: but in the mean time be sure to sign up for our LittleSnapper VIP list. If you want to get your hands on LittleSnapper before it's available for public download and receive an early adopters' discount, you'll need to be on that list!

What is LittleSnapper?

LittleSnapper is a tool to help users take, organize and annotate screenshots.

LittleSnapper takes screenshots of your desktop, full webpages and specific page elements (just like Safari's WebClip feature). Each snap is then added to LittleSnapper's Library, where you can organize them by date, star-ratings, comments or tags.

We've built-in some rather lovely (but very powerful) annotation tools, perfect for giving feedback on designs or scribbling over your snaps. Sharing your screenshots will be super easy, but we’re not quite ready to share all the details just yet!

Who is LittleSnapper aimed at?

LittleSnapper is aimed at designers, developers, user interface gurus or anyone wishing to organise a library of screenshots. For example, you might be a web designer tracking the latest trends or simply looking to keep a portfolio of your work. If you’re a UI designer you could be looking to build a library of inspirational interfaces for future reference. You could even use LittleSnapper to quickly scribble on your snaps and provide feedback to clients and users. However we like to think uses for LittleSnapper are endless and can't wait to have it ready for release.

When can I get my hands on it?

At the moment LittleSnapper is still in development. However, we hope to start beta testing shortly and plan to have version 1.0 out later this year. Until then, check out the LittleSnapper homepage where you can sign up for our VIP list. Over the next couple of months we'll be sharing a few more tidbits about LittleSnapper to those who signup, you'll also receive an early adopters discount and be able to download LittleSnapper 48 hours before everyone else!

We're incredibly excited about LittleSnapper here at Realmac HQ, and can't wait to share more with you shortly. Stay tuned!

We're looking forward to sharing more news on this all-new application very soon - particularly as it's aimed at a slightly different market than we've previously developed for. If you're a member of the press covering the show, and wish to meet up for a demo, simply drop us a note and we'll be in touch!

Be sure to keep an eye out for the Realmac team who will be wandering the show floor with some all-new Realmac schwag, so be sure to snap some up! We'll be posting more information on the announcement here on the company blog after the Expo, so stay tuned!

“RapidWeaver is a great choice for many Mac-toting website builders. It's easy to use, yet has enough depth and flexibility to put it ahead of iWeb.”

This rather lovely tutorial is in the very latest issue of MacFormat, September 2008, and is available at your local news-agent now!

RapidWeaver 4.1 is a free update to all registered 3.6.x and 4.0.x customers - and available now from our Downloads page. If you want to read more about what's new in RapidWeaver 4.1 simply head over to the version history.

On behalf of everyone here at Realmac, thanks to all those who tested this latest version - and Happy Weaving!

Whilst the review may be short it's certainly very sweet, proclaiming that RapidWeaver 'takes the pain out of web publishing'. Reviewer Tim Haddock awards RapidWeaver a very respectable 4.5 Mice rating and concludes the article:

“RapidWeaver 4.0 strikes just the right balance between customisability and ease of use.”

This flattering review appears in the very latest issue, August 2008, which is available at Australian (and New Zealand) news-stands now!

The team at iCreate were impressed with the user experience in the application calling it 'extremely Apple-ish', and awarded RapidWeaver a 4-star rating. Appearing in Issue 58, which is available today, the review is full of praise for RapidWeaver 4 - here's just one quote from the article:

“For those who want just that little bit more [than iWeb] in terms of flexibility and features, RapidWeaver makes a lot of sense. It avoids the expense and plethora of features provided by the likes of DreamWeaver while being easily capable of producing advanced and professional-looking domestic and commercial websites.”

The iCreate write-up completes the set of reviews from all the major Mac magazines here in the UK, and we're thrilled with how RapidWeaver has fared. Achieving nothing less than 4 out of 5, it proves that RapidWeaver 4 really is the best version of RapidWeaver ever!

Awarding RapidWeaver 4 a 4.5/5 rating, Deputy Editor Christopher Phin highlights some of the new additions to RapidWeaver such as the overhauled Manual, the four new themes and the new user interface. In summing up the double-page review, MacFormat’s verdict is short and sweet:

“[RapidWeaver is] still the best way to build a professional website with ease on the Mac”

We’re thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive reaction to RapidWeaver 4, and we’ll be releasing RapidWeaver 4.1 shortly - stay tuned for more information!

If you want to keep up-to-date on what goes on at Realmac HQ, you should subscribe to this Blog where Nik and I will be posting. If you're interested in web development head over to Ben and Aron's WebShed.

The review, which appears in the August 2008 issue of the magazine, recognises many of the new features in RapidWeaver 4.0 - here’s just one quote from the article:

“With a simpler interface and streamlined workflow [RapidWeaver] beats just about any entry level site builder on the market.”

We’re ecstatic about the review here at Realmac HQ, and look forward to seeing many more reviews appear in the near future!

Nik now takes care of the official news at the Propaganda blog, while Ben and Aron will be posting about web development at the WebShed. I however will be writing about software development and what goes on behind the scenes at Realmac Software. Sounds exciting, huh?

I'll keep this post short as I still have plenty to do and catch up on after the launch of RapidWeaver 4.0. Oh and if you're wondering who all those people are that I mentioned above, I'd recommend taking a look at our company page.

The review appears in the most recent edition of MacUser - Volume 24 No 14 (4th July 2008) - now available on a news-stand near you!

If you're wondering who's who, say hello to (L-R): Nik Fletcher (PR Ninja), Ben Counsell (Web Guru), Daniel Counsell (Big Chief), Aron Carroll (Web Guru) and Danny Greg (Cocoa Junior).

Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing some more photos of the new office (as artwork goes up on the walls) so stay tuned!

We've also significantly improved the documentation for RapidWeaver 4.0 so if you're looking for an in-depth guide to RapidWeaver, be sure to check the Support page to download the new manual in PDF form. You can even pick up a printed edition of the manual (shown below) via Lulu.

RapidWeaver 4.0 is Leopard-only, and will not work with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). However, we are going to be updating RapidWeaver 3.6 for Tiger users soon - so don't worry if you've not yet upgraded to Leopard.