News Archive for 01/01/22

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

New Shadowbane Screenshots

01/22, 7:39pm

New Shadowbane Screenshots

We have added six new adventuring screenshots to our Shadowbane Game Center featuring the massively multiplayer online role-playing game's swamp terrain complete with heroic Centaur, scaly Lizardmen and mysterious ruins.

iMovie 1.02 available (again) for download

01/22, 7:26pm

iMovie 1.02 available (again) for download

Troy Goodson notes that Apple has quietly made iMovie 1.02 available again, after pulling the download. (Apple's iMovie Webpage does not yet contain a link to the download, but does offer users the option of purchasing an electronic copy of iMovie 2 for $50 at the Apple Store.)

SuperSocket 2.0 provides REALbasic networking

01/22, 7:25pm

SuperSocket 2.0 provides REALbasic networking

Essence Software's SuperSocket 2.0 is a network communications toolkit for REALbasic that provides a suite of classes for working with TCP/IP, UDP/IP, and ICMP internet protocols as well as AppleTalk (ADSP and DDP). This version is also now Carbonized. Commercial licenses are $100 and academic licenses are $50. A demo is available online.

iShell 2.1 adds HTML support

01/22, 7:05pm

iShell 2.1 adds HTML support

Tribeworks has release iShell v2.1, which brings HTML support and a localized Japanese version to the multimedia authoring environment. Tribeworks also released Kromo 2.1, an iShell module that provides a complete database engine that contains 11 database scripts contain to store and retrieve local data on HD, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

GameSpy: Rune Interview

01/22, 6:00pm

GameSpy: Rune Interview

GameSpy.com continues its Art of Gaming series by interviewing Ted Halsted, Graphic Artist at Rune developer Human Head Studios. "If I have to make a level with caves," remarks Halsted, "I go to visit some underground caves, take pictures, get claustrophobic and panicky. Visual research is very important, obviously, and not just for the inspiration."

Hypothermia: Oni Interview

01/22, 5:57pm

Hypothermia: Oni Interview

Hypothermia has published an interview with Bungie Studios' Michael Evans, Project Leader on Oni. The interview covers Evans' work on the third-person 3D action game as well as the game itself including comments on the removal of multiplayer in the final stages of Oni's development. "Oni is primarily a single player game," says Evans. "However, the multiplayer experience could have been pretty cool as well...I love multiplayer but you have to be careful since not every feature is right for every game."

3DAP: Red Faction Preview

01/22, 5:42pm

3DAP: Red Faction Preview

3D Action Planet has published a preview of Red Faction, the unique first-person shooter being developed for the Mac and PC at Volition.

Red Faction is set in the near future primarily on the planet Mars. You hold the role of Parker, a rebellious young man who joins the Ultor Corporation mining adventure on Mars, rather than accept a prestigious Ivy League education back on Earth. It's not too soon after that Parker discovers that the mines on Mars are far from adventureous. They are a nightmare.

BetterCalc 3.2 now Carbonized

01/22, 5:29pm

BetterCalc 3.2 now Carbonized

MacZ Software's replacement calculator utility, BetterCalc 3.2, is now Carbonized, offering the ability to run under both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X systems using each's respective default interface (Platinum and Aqua, respectively).

Tropico Character Highlight: MP

01/22, 5:25pm

Tropico Character Highlight: MP

This week's Character Highlight for Tropico is the Military Policeman: "These policemen are a great tool for controlling crime and keeping your people happy, worth every penny it costs to build and maintain them." The company also notes the recent release of a movie for the building/strategy game.

1394 Trade Association forms Wireless Working

01/22, 5:24pm

1394 Trade Association forms Wireless Working

The 1394 Trade Association has announced the formation of a new Wireless Working Group, established to facilitate interconnectivity between the 1394 wired domains and wireless domains for computer and consumer electronics equipment. This new group is chaired by Steve Bard of Intel. The WWG plans an initial concept demonstration at the Intel Developers' Forum in San Jose Feb. 27 through March 1.

Ricoh introduces E-700 Controller for Aficio

01/22, 5:15pm

Ricoh introduces E-700 Controller for Aficio

Ricoh has introduced an E-700 Controller for its Aficio Color 6000 series, which features advanced networking and allows complex color files to be processed at maximum speed with superior color quality. It offers an Intel Celeron, 366MHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, an 8.4 GB SCSI hard drive and true Adobe PostScript 3. The $7,000 controller supports TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and AppleTalk protocols, with Ethernet 10/100BaseT connections as standard. TCP/IP and IPX/SPX are supported over Ethernet. [site not updated]

Beta port of OpenOffice 609-FU for PPC Linux

01/22, 5:11pm

Beta port of OpenOffice 609-FU for PPC Linux

Paul Minear writes that Kevin Hendricks has recently posted a beta port of OpenOffice (formerly Star Office) 609-FU for PPC Linux.

Macs declining rapidly in education

01/22, 4:45pm

Macs declining rapidly in education

Teacher magazine has published an article about the decline of Macs in education. "Faced with the prospect of a Mac-less classroom, teachers are waging guerilla war against principals, superintendents and school boards that dare to mess with their machines. Their arguments are rooted in reason -- Macs make for better learning tools, they say."

Tech: Sony buys developers, Yahoo and Compaq

01/22, 4:12pm

Tech: Sony buys developers, Yahoo and Compaq

Afternoon tech news: Sony has purchased game developers Red Zone Interactive and Naughty Dog; Yahoo has chosen Compaq as its server and computer supplier; and as expected, President Bush has named Michael Powell as FCC chairman.

Euro Assistant Pro 2.3 adds Greek Dachma

01/22, 4:03pm

Euro Assistant Pro 2.3 adds Greek Dachma

The $15 shareware currency converter, Euro Assistant Pro 2.3, adds the Greek Drachma's irrevocable euro conversion rate (1 EUR = 340.750 GRD) and lists the Greek Drachma in the EMU currencies' group.

'Unnecessary restrictions' in new DVD burne

01/22, 4:00pm

'Unnecessary restrictions' in new DVD burne

Tom Swell writes "many enthusiasts may not realize that Apple's new DVD burner comes with certain unnecessary restrictions on how you may use it. "Learn more about anti-consumer industry trends from the Electronic Frontier Foundation."

Preps incompatibility

01/22, 3:58pm

Preps incompatibility

ScenicSoft has confirmed compatibility issues with Mac OS 9.1 and its Preps imposition software for laying out pages of graphic images on large press sheets, according to a note forwarded by a MacNN reader from the company's technical support staff:

"We are aware of compatibility issues when running Preps on Mac OS 9.1, and we are currently assessing the nature and cause as well as the solution for these issues. We can assure you that these issues are of high priority to us, and that we will do our best to find a solution as soon as possible. In the meantime, we recommend that you do not run Preps on Mac OS 9.1. "

ATI filling PCI Radeon backorders

01/22, 3:53pm

ATI filling PCI Radeon backorders

Scott Carmichael says that ATI is now filling backorders for its PCI Radeon video cards, noting that he received his backorder today.

Titanium lust: PowerBook G4 delayed

01/22, 3:45pm

Titanium lust: PowerBook G4 delayed

Apple's shipping delay on the PowerBook G4, revealed last Friday, extends to all PowerBook G4 orders, MacNN has learned, as Apple and resellers alike do not anticipate delivery of the first systems until the middle of February at the earliest.

Rampancy: Update on Halo

01/22, 2:54pm

Rampancy: Update on Halo

rampancy.net has published the latest update on Halo from Bungie's Matt Soell. The update covers recent "cleanup" work, unit variations, the scripting system and a new ability for the game's vehicles:

Chucky performed some sort of bizarre coding miracle that allowed vehicles to navigate indoors, which they were not able to do previously. He demonstrated this to me by driving the jeep into a building, down several flights of stairs, and ultimately into a portion of the level known as The Shaft. Watching the sucker flip and spin as it plummeted to the bottom made my day.

Westlake's "Centipede" and "Unrevealed"

01/22, 2:48pm

Westlake's "Centipede" and "Unrevealed"

Westlake Interactive has announced that the company is porting Centipede to the Mac after MacSoft announced the classic arcade title earlier this month at Macworld Expo San Francisco. In addition, an "unrevealed" project, which is currently in negotiations, has been added to the company's Project Status Page.

Xicons: contest for custom OS X icons

01/22, 2:46pm

Xicons: contest for custom OS X icons

Xicons.com has announced it's latest contest for custom Mac OS X icons.

SoundBlaster Live! in Apple Store?

01/22, 2:44pm

SoundBlaster Live! in Apple Store?

A post in IMG's Hardware Forum from Creative Labs' Brian Souder suggests that the company's SoundBlaster Live! for the Mac will soon be available as a BTO option at The Apple Store. "My understanding is it is going to be a BTO option on the Apple store," says Sounder. "We hope to work with Apple closely in the future."

Tony Hawk 2 Reaches First Playable

01/22, 2:32pm

Tony Hawk 2 Reaches First Playable

Westlake Interactive has announced that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the Mac, which will be released this spring by Aspyr Media, has reached first playable status. As the company's web site notes, first playable is "the point when a game has enough code up and running that you can actually play it some."

Coldstone reaches Beta 2

01/22, 2:10pm

Coldstone reaches Beta 2

Ambrosia Software today told games.macnn.com that the Coldstone Game Engine has reached its second beta test. However, the company is still not giving an estimated date for its release. [For more information on the utility, check out our preview of the Coldstone Game Engine.]

FMPro 5 plugin offers Internet script trigger

01/22, 2:07pm

FMPro 5 plugin offers Internet script trigger

Troi Automatisering has has posted the first public of its Troi Activator Plug-in v1.1b for FileMaker 5, which can trigger scripts across the network or the Internet. The $90 plugin supports script triggering on client computers, automated schedules, passing of relevant info with a trigger, and support for built-in security to only allow authorized accesses.

Exclusive Preview: Coldstone Game Engine

01/22, 1:10pm

Exclusive Preview: Coldstone Game Engine

We have published an exclusive preview of the Coldstone Game Engine, Beenox Studios and Ambrosia Software's utility which allows average users to create their own full-featured, cross-platform role-playing games without any knowledge of programming.

MacNN: PowerBook G4 Delayed

01/22, 1:09pm

MacNN: PowerBook G4 Delayed

MacNN has published an article today detailing the delay of all PowerBook G4 Titanium orders to February.

Games: Preview of Coldstone Game Engine

01/22, 1:07pm

Games: Preview of Coldstone Game Engine

games.macnn.com has published an exclusive preview of the Coldstone Game Engine, the utility which allows users to create their own role-playing games, as well as news from Creative that the SoundBlaster Live! may soon be available as a BTO option at The Apple Store. [updated]

Roundup: Tony Hawk 2 Net play and more

01/22, 1:05pm

Roundup: Tony Hawk 2 Net play and more

Last Friday, Quicksilver Software's Tim Hume responded to concerns from games.macnn.com readers on the Mac version of Master of Orion III, Quake III: Arena mod Eternal Arena 3.5 was released and an interview with Aspyr Media and Westlake Interactive revealed that the Mac version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 would incorporate Internet play. We published a review of Cro-Mag Rally while Custer's Corner was updated with "Stone Rage" featuring characters and scenes from Pangea Software's 3D kart racer for the Mac.

Kineticon 1.7.2 featres icons animations

01/22, 12:41pm

Kineticon 1.7.2 featres icons animations

Kinetic Creations has released Kineticon 1.7.2, an update to its system extension that allows users to replace their static icons with icon animations.

Review of new build of OS X (4K17)

01/22, 11:30am

Review of new build of OS X (4K17)

Wincent.org has posted an in-depth review of the latest Mac OS X build (4K17) with screenshots and answers to commonly asked questions. Also, BluaP has posted some screenshots of OS X 4K17.

New additions at Ritual

01/22, 11:26am

New additions at Ritual

Richard "Levelord" Gray of Ritual Entertainment, developer of SiN and Heavy Metal: FAKK2, updated his .plan yesterday with word on the appointment of a new president and vice president, Robert Atkins and Tom Mustaine, in light of the transition of Ron Dimant and Mark Dochterrmann to Mumbo Jumbo Studios. The update also notes the addition of CEO/CFO Steven Nix, Project Manager Jay Halderman and artist Andrew Gilmour.

HanDBase now available in Mac desktop version

01/22, 11:25am

HanDBase now available in Mac desktop version

DDH Software's HanDBase, a relational database application for Palm handheld computers, now comes with a free desktop companion program for Macintosh computers. The desktop version has a built-in tool for exchanging data between HanDBase databases and FileMaker, Excel, AppleWorks and BBEdit. Other features include the ability to convert HanDBase databases to CSV format and to convert CSV files to HanDBase databases.

Mac support for enotate coming

01/22, 11:24am

Mac support for enotate coming

Informal Software has begun shipping enotate 1.2, a $70 software for sketching and "marking up" documents on handheld devices. This version adds support for Microsoft Excel and the Handspring Visor, full color support for the Palm IIIc, gray-scale support for the Palm Vx and m100, "slide show" support and control of "auto power off" in PowerPoint. The company plans to release a Macintosh version very soon.

3 new Oni moves

01/22, 11:15am

3 new Oni moves

Over the weekend, Gathering of Developers added two new moves to the daily feature at the official web site for Oni: Crescent Moon and Devil Spin Kick. As the company plans to highlight a new move each day up until the game's release on January 29, today's featured move is the weapon disarm. [flash 5 required]

Corrupted GIFs in Dreamweaver under OS 9.1

01/22, 11:08am

Corrupted GIFs in Dreamweaver under OS 9.1

A new tech note from Macromedia says it is looking into confirmed problems with corrupted GIFs in Dreamweaver under Mac OS 9.1.

OGR: Urban Terror Interview

01/22, 11:06am

OGR: Urban Terror Interview

Online Game Review has published an interview with Silicon Ice Development's Stephen "Oswald" Toumi, Project Coordinator on the Urban Terror realism mod for Quake III: Arena. "...Urban Terror Beta 2 will not even compare to Beta 1, which was a rush job to make the QuakeCon 2000 deadline."

WebXTractor 1.0 for examining browser cache

01/22, 10:50am

WebXTractor 1.0 for examining browser cache

WebXTractor 1.0 is an $18 utility that allows you to search and extract any file from your browser cache and allows you to search web pages for file links and files. It supports Netscape Navigator/Communicator 4.0 or higher, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, iCab, and AOL browsers. A 10-day demo is available.

OS 9.1 update: download, CD different files

01/22, 10:34am

OS 9.1 update: download, CD different files

A thread in our readers forums suggests that the Mac OS 9.1 downloadable update and the Mac OS 9.1 updater on CD are not the same: "The Software Update Mac OS 9.1 only contains a subset of the full 9.1 available on CD."

Asante's FriendlyNET products at Apple Store

01/22, 10:33am

Asante's FriendlyNET products at Apple Store

Asante Technologies' FriendlyNET switcher and router products are now available online at the Apple Store. Products available include FriendlyNET FS5005 five-port 10/100 switch for $85 and the FriendlyNET FR3004 Cable/DSL router with a four-port 10/100 switch for $180.

Illuminator introduces iMapp, Sure-Vote

01/22, 10:33am

Illuminator introduces iMapp, Sure-Vote

Illuminator Software has introduced iMapp, a $10 image map creator tool. It includes features, such as the ability to export to four major image map formats, CERN, NCSA, HTML and an external HTML Map; and the ability to use any image supported by QuickTime. The company also introduced Sure-Vote, a secure, accurate, friendly system for voting. The product uses internationally recognized symbols and images, along with visual recognition and text-to-speech technology.

vMac 0.1.9c adds OS X support

01/22, 10:29am

vMac 0.1.9c adds OS X support

Richard Bannister has released vMac/MacOS 0.1.9c, a new version of his Macintosh Plus emulator with full sound support. It allows games like Beyond Dark Castle and other software of yesteryear to be run on today's systems without trouble. The new version is now fully carbonized for Mac OS X.

Presentation Prompter 2.5.1 fixes bugs

01/22, 10:03am

Presentation Prompter 2.5.1 fixes bugs

NextForce Software's Presentation Prompter 2.51 fixes a few bugs and optimizes its teleprompting application. Users who register before Jan. 31 will receive a free upgrade when the next pay upgrade is available.

Imation introduces 10X CD-RW media

01/22, 10:03am

Imation introduces 10X CD-RW media

Imation has introduced its 10X CD-RW media, a high-speed rewritable CD featuring increased recording speed and noise-free playback with a capacity of 650 MB. The CD-RW media are compatible for recording with the CD-RW drives which feature the High-Speed logo. Shipping soon, the price will be $15 for a five-pack. [site not updated]

Macs in previsualization of special effects

01/22, 9:30am

Macs in previsualization of special effects

JAK Films uses Macintosh hardware and software for preplanning visual effects sequences in films. David Dozoretz explained this previsualization process to a keynote audience at the recent QuickTime Live conference. "The major advantage of pre-visualization is that it allows the filmmakers to direct the movie before we direct the movie."

Roland introduces SignMate 6.5 for Mac

01/22, 9:25am

Roland introduces SignMate 6.5 for Mac

Roland DGA Corp. has developed SignMate 6.5 for the Macintosh. Features include spot color support, color calibration, improved image quality, nesting, contour cutting, color separation, gradient fills, job statistics and FMX dithering. The entire suite of SignMate cut and print/cut products is priced from $2,000 to $5,000.

Steve Becker posts InfoManager 2.0

01/22, 9:24am

Steve Becker posts InfoManager 2.0

Steve Becker has released InfoManager 2.0, a $50 information-management system for the Macintosh. Users can either enter selected information from any program into the InfoManager files or print this selected information without having to leave the application they are working in.

The Atomic Mac 4.6.1 adds nuclear information

01/22, 9:21am

The Atomic Mac 4.6.1 adds nuclear information

Black Cat Systems has posted The Atomic Mac 4.6.1, a $25 shareware periodic table of the elements and nuclear database for the Macintosh. This version fixes several bugs and adds more nuclear information.

Pixelpalooza deadline Feb. 1

01/22, 9:20am

Pixelpalooza deadline Feb. 1

The Pixelpalooza submission deadline is noon EST Feb. 1. Pixelpalooza is the "Macintosh community's largest icon design contest." Thus far, The Iconfactory has received more than 60 icon set submissions in four categories: 3D, Illustrative, System Replacement and OS X.

Tech: Dell earnings warning, AMD cluster

01/22, 9:00am

Tech: Dell earnings warning, AMD cluster

Morning tech news: Dell has issued an earnings warning; the rolling blackouts in California last week may threaten "the very future of this high-tech mecca"; the University of Delaware plans to announce the first clustered supercomputer based upon AMD's Athlon microprocessor; and IBM has created software that senses when a server computer is nearing a crash and safely shuts it down.

Seventeen-inch Studio Display issue

01/22, 8:30am

Seventeen-inch Studio Display issue

Neil Kennedy wrote in with information regarding a relatively widespread "popping" issue with 17" Apple Studio Displays that cause the displays to fail. Apple thus far has not acknowledged the issue and deletes posts that make reference to it in its Support forums.

PC growth stumbles again

01/22, 8:15am

PC growth stumbles again

PC growth last quarter fell to its lowest level in seven years, according to Gartner Dataquest. Worldwide fourth quarter growth came in at 10.1% over the 1999 period, bringing annual growth down to 14.5%, compared to 23% in 1999. "Apple's [fourth quarter] shipments in the U.S. and worldwide markets fell by 50 percent and 40 percent respectively. Had Apple achieved flat growth total market growth would have been almost 2 percentage points higher in the US and one percentage point higher worldwide," the report states.

CD Folder Partitioner 1.0 eases CD burning

01/22, 8:07am

CD Folder Partitioner 1.0 eases CD burning

CD Folder Partitioner 1.0 from Tri-Edre is a $20 utility designed to automatically partition larger folders into customizable sizes. It preserves the original folder organization, and has a regrouping feature to revert back to the original folder. A trial version is fully functional, but only allows partitions up to 25 MB.

Jobs watches Apple stock rise and fall

01/22, 8:00am

Jobs watches Apple stock rise and fall

Steve Jobs is named as one of a handful of CEO's who significantly boosted their company's stock, only to watch it fall sharply in recent months. Apple, which at one point last year traded at around 700 percent the level it did when Jobs returned to Apple now trades at around 90 percent higher.

Total Impact announces miniature system

01/22, 7:59am

Total Impact announces miniature system

Total Impact today announced the briQ, a PowerPC-based network appliance computer sized for insertion into an industry standard half height drive bay. The Linux-based, customizable computing appliance "can be used as a processor addition or replacement for yesterday's older systems, as a processor base for today's new single board or cluster systems, or as the engine or control unit for tomorrow's embedded products." Systems with either a G3 or G4 processor start at $2,500.

Macs strong in music industry

01/22, 7:58am

Macs strong in music industry

A Reuters article takes a look at the continued influence of Macs in music industry. "Indeed, Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers have been able to record and play sound for years, but these days, they are also able to act as musical instruments. Synthesizer and virtual studio programs, backed by Apple's powerful G3 and G4 Macintosh computers, enable musicians with these computers to set up their own studios costing anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars."

Toshiba introduces 2 GB Type II PCMCIA drive

01/22, 7:55am

Toshiba introduces 2 GB Type II PCMCIA drive

Toshiba has introduced its 2 GB, 1.8-inch Type II PC Card Hard Disk Drive. The device, which is the same size as a credit card, weighs fewer than two ounces and boasts transfer speed of up to 20 MB per second. The device will ship in February for $460.

MySQL Plugin 1.1 adds REALbasic API support

01/22, 7:45am

MySQL Plugin 1.1 adds REALbasic API support

Essence Software has released MySQL Plugin 1.1, a REALbasic plugin for connecting applications to MySQL database servers. Versoin 1.1 fully supports the REALbasic Database API, including adding databases to the project and uses new libraries based upon the MySQL 3.23.29 release. A demo of the $30 plugin is available online ($12 for non-commercial use).

Nu Sans font family adds OS 9.1 support

01/22, 7:45am

Nu Sans font family adds OS 9.1 support

Marty Pfeiffer has updated his $12 system font replacement Nu Sans font family v9.5 to add support for Mac OS 9.1. It is available in both PostScript and TrueType flavors; registered users can select Nu Sans in the Appearance Control Panel after applying a patch.

iKeeper tracks product registration info

01/22, 7:43am

iKeeper tracks product registration info

Yenco.com has released iKeeper 1.0, a $20 shareware utility to track and organize product registration information.

NYT: restoring 'romance' to Apple

01/22, 7:42am

NYT: restoring 'romance' to Apple

Talking about Steve Jobs' digital hub vision announced at Macworld Expo, John Markoff of The New York Times, says that it "is small wonder that Mr. Jobs should want to embark on a possibly quixotic quest to restore the romance and revolution to his personal computer company," noting that his iDVD system may be the video equivalent of the desktop laser printer of 15 years ago. [free registration required]

Roundup: Jobs NECC keynote, Newer bankruptcy

01/22, 7:30am

Roundup: Jobs NECC keynote, Newer bankruptcy

Over the weekend we noted the the first shipment and receipt of digital audio Power Mac G4s, Newer's bankruptcy hearing details, Jobs' opening keynote for NECC 2001, and the Mac OS 9.1 Technote with details about changes in the new OS. Other OS 9.1-compatibility updates included BoxTop's ProJPEG 5.1, PPPremier Timer 2.04, and Kensington's MouseWorks 5.6b2 driver.