News Archive for 01/02/05

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Tech: Mobility Radeon, Kawaski touring...

02/06, 12:00am

Tech: Mobility Radeon, Kawaski touring...

Early morning tech news: Anandtech's preview of the Mobility Radeon reveals that ATI seems to "have cut the the charisma engine so there's no T&L support on the chip," according to one reader; Former Apple Exec Guy Kawasaki is touring the country giving tutorials on the how-to's of starting a technology company; and a two-and-a-half-year-old JavaScript exploit that can be used to "wire-tap" e-mails began raising the hackles of privacy advocates yesterday.

Analyzer: freeware FMPro developer tool

02/05, 7:50pm

Analyzer: freeware FMPro developer tool

Waves In Motion has released a new, free version of Analyzer, its new development tool for clearly and automatically documenting and cross-referencing most elements in a FileMaker project (every field, every layout, every relationship, every value list, and every script).

Umax makes VistaScan 3.7.5 available via ftp

02/05, 7:35pm

Umax makes VistaScan 3.7.5 available via ftp

Umax has posted English, Spanish, and French versions of its VistaScan 3.7.5 software for its line of scanners.

Extension Overload 5.7.1: extension database

02/05, 7:00pm

Extension Overload 5.7.1: extension database

Extension Overload 5.7.1 adds info on 60 more extensions, 5 more control panels, and 8 more contextual menu items to the $20 shareware application that contains detailed on each of the 4358 extensions, extensions, CSM and CMM plugins. The application, which can also be used activate/deactivate each of the items, also addresses memory issues and compatibility with pre-Mac OS 8.5 systems.

$200 rebate off of Aestiva HTML/OS

02/05, 6:55pm

$200 rebate off of Aestiva HTML/OS

Aestiva is offering a $200 rebate off the purchase of Aestiva HTML/OS for former users of Allaire's Cold Fusion. Aestiva HTML/OS is a Web development platform that offers an integrated development environment with a built-in database engine, offering fully state-persistent, scalable and distributable applications. The Runtime edition is $350 and the full Professional edition is $800.

GA-RPG: BioFiles

02/05, 6:33pm

GA-RPG: BioFiles

GA-RPG debuts its BioFiles column with an article by Bioware's James Ohlen, "What did we do wrong in Baldur's Gate 2?". The article covers several aspects of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn that the team felt they could have done better and hope to improve on in future titles such as Neverwinter Nights.

EuroGamer: Cross-Platform Development

02/05, 6:16pm

EuroGamer: Cross-Platform Development

EuroGamer explores the area of cross-platform (computer/console) game development in "Crossing the Great Divide". The article discusses an emerging trend of titles targeted for both computer systems (Mac/PC) and next-generation consoles (Playstation 2, X-Box, etc.) and offers comments on the phenomenon from a few developers including Volition's Alan Lawrence, Project Leader on Red Faction.

Summoner Watch: 13 New Screenshots

02/05, 6:12pm

Summoner Watch: 13 New Screenshots

Summoner Watch has posted 13 new screenshots from Volition's 3D role-playing game, Summoner, for the Mac and PC. The screenshots illustrate the Mac/PC version's new interface as well as the secret level where the Cabbits re-enact the Battle of Wolong.

Discount on Painter 6 for Wacom users

02/05, 5:00pm

Discount on Painter 6 for Wacom users

In a special Wacom/Painter promotion that runs through Feb 21., owners of Wacom's Intuos and Graphire graphics tablets are eligible to purchase Corel Painter 6 for only $$200, half the $400 retail price. (Existing customers must register to confirm eligibility and then be passed directly to the Corel online store where the specially priced copy of Painter 6 automatically will be placed in their shopping basket.)

CNN: Apple's market share frustrates

02/05, 4:45pm

CNN: Apple's market share frustrates

A recent CNN column discusses Apple's success and efforts to reduce the complexity of computing: "Apple makes me angry because they have a computer and an operating system that are really great. They've innovated so much, they've changed the way the computer works, they've changed the way the computer looks. Apple has made it easy for us to do desktop publishing, desktop audio and desktop video. But they have so little market share."

KaleidaGraph 3.5.1 adds Enzyme Kinetics

02/05, 4:45pm

KaleidaGraph 3.5.1 adds Enzyme Kinetics

Synergy Software has released KaleidaGraph v3.5.1, a free update to its graphing and data analysis application that includes the ability to customize displayed intervals, groups of Enzyme Kinetics curve fit definitions, and other display options. [see Architosh for other Mac CAD/3D/AEC news]

Black and Blue 3.0 list Mac OS error codes

02/05, 4:35pm

Black and Blue 3.0 list Mac OS error codes

Black and Bleu 3.0 is an application that lists 5,045 Mac OS error codes with "enhanced" explanations and remedies for many of these errors. Electronic upgrades are $20 for registered of the $30 application.

MOO3: Feb. 2001 Developer Diary

02/05, 4:21pm

MOO3: Feb. 2001 Developer Diary

The official web site for Master of Orion III has been updated with the latest developer diary discussing the recent visits from publisher Infogrames. The diary also mentions that the game has garnered increased attention from Infogrames after hits to the site skyrocketed following the announcement of a Mac version this past January at Macworld Expo San Francisco. "We got an upsurge when we announced that we'll be doing the Mac version," notes the site.

Tech: AT&T Internet; hackers get data....

02/05, 4:20pm

Tech: AT&T Internet; hackers get data....

Evening Tech news: AT&T will begin offering residential customers combined Internet access and phone service for a $7 monthly fee; Hackers appear to have stolen data on thousands of world and business leaders, according to organizers of the World Economic Forum; and HP will package Emusic music content with its HP Pavilion home computers.

iMovieFest at Emory University

02/05, 4:20pm

iMovieFest at Emory University

Emory University recently held its inaugural iMovieFest, a residence hall-based movie festival. "iMovieFest was the brainchild of David Roemer, an Emory business school student who made his first digital movies in 2000 using a compact DV camera and Apple's iMovie."

Studio 405 posts Text Cleaner 2 beta

02/05, 4:20pm

Studio 405 posts Text Cleaner 2 beta

Studio 405 has announced the "Find a Bug, Get a Free Copy" public beta program for Text Cleaner 2, a replacement for common search-and-replace routines used to prepare text for print or Web publication. It can clean text directly within QuarkXpress and is compatible with any application that allows copy and paste. The new version offers entry of up to five simultaneous user text strings, accelerated cleaning operations and the ability to import and export presets. [updated]

Games: Women in Gaming Editorial

02/05, 3:00pm

Games: Women in Gaming Editorial

games.macnn.com has posted an editorial on Women in Gaming which concludes the three-part series on the topic. The site also has development updates on Halo, Neverwinter Nights and a version of Quake III: Arena optimized for Power Mac G4s. [updated]

Monkey Shines 2: Gorilla Warfare Released

02/05, 2:50pm

Monkey Shines 2: Gorilla Warfare Released

Fantasoft has announced the release of Monkey Shines 2: Gorilla Warfare, its $25 side-scrolling action game for the Mac. A demo is available which offers access to approximately half of one of the game's five eras.

Editorial: Women in Gaming Part 3

02/05, 2:39pm

Editorial: Women in Gaming Part 3

We have posted an editorial on Women in Gaming which concludes our three-part series on the topic. The editorial discusses the boundaries and challenges of women participating in online first-person shooter gaming, a pastime traditionally stereotyped for young males.

FireWire DVD-R/CD-RW Combo drive

02/05, 1:50pm

FireWire DVD-R/CD-RW Combo drive

CD CyClone today announced its "stylish" new CDRevo DVD-R/RW Firewire solution, which provides DVD-R capabilities for creating discs with up to 4.7GB of data or two hours of video. Using Pioneer's mechanism, it reads DVD at 6x (7.8 MB/sec), and writes to 4.7GB DVD-R discs at 2x (2.6 MB/sec) and also doubles as a 8x/4x/24x CD-RW. It is due in April for $990. (The company also produces other FireWire-based solutions such as the CD Revo 12x10x32 and CD Revo 16x10x40 FireWire as well as the CD Revo 4x4x32 USB.

DVD Studio Pro encoding on MP vs. 733MHz G4

02/05, 1:45pm

DVD Studio Pro encoding on MP vs. 733MHz G4

One reader notes that DVD Studio Pro encodes MPEG-2 on their G4/450 MP at 63% real-time, or faster than the Power Mac G4/733, which Jobs claims encodes at 50% real-time. Apple has acknowledged that MP-enabled applications (as well as OS X, presumably) will indeed run faster on slower, MP configurations that faster, single-processor systems. (We noted that DVD Studio Pro began shipping late last week from Apple.)

ImagePort 1.1 supports Adjustment layers

02/05, 1:45pm

ImagePort 1.1 supports Adjustment layers

ALAP has released ImagePort 1.1, an update to its $100 Quark XTension that lets you import native Photoshop files into QuarkXPress documents, and then manipulate the layers, channels, and paths within those files. Version 1.1 includes support for Adjustment Layers.

Q3: Catch the Chicken 1.4 Released

02/05, 1:28pm

Q3: Catch the Chicken 1.4 Released

Q3: Catch the Chicken 1.4 is a new release of the popular mod for Quake III: Arena. The new version adds compatibility with the Mac and PC version of of Quake III 1.27g, improved bot AI, a mysterious golden egg, teamplay and free for all (FFA) support, bot support, a chicken cam, configurable chicken AI and more.

VE: Neverwinter Nights Update

02/05, 12:56pm

VE: Neverwinter Nights Update

Bioware's Scott Greig, Lead Programmer on Neverwinter Nights, is the author of an article at Voodoo Extreme that covers the current status of the 3D role-playing game and the various stages it has gone through. "...I would have to say that the engine itself is finally in the 'all the pieces are coming together' stage," says Greig. The game is expected to be released this summer for the Mac, PC and Linux.

Stomped: 2015 Interview

02/05, 12:49pm

Stomped: 2015 Interview

Stomped has published an interview with 2015, the game development studio that created expansion pack Wages of SiN. "...we wanted to go above and beyond what add-ons in the past had previously delivered and raise the bar for what an add-on pack should be to let the player feel like he's really gotten his money's worth." The game ships as part of SiN Gold for the Mac from MacPlay.

Quake III Altivec delayed again

02/05, 12:42pm

Quake III Altivec delayed again

A thread in the Quake3World forum notes that the latest update for Metrowerks Codewarrior includes everything but the compiler needed for id Software's Graeme Devine to build the Altivec version of Quake III: Arena. "We will have to wait some more."

Dual-port USB 2.0 PC card for notebooks

02/05, 12:40pm

Dual-port USB 2.0 PC card for notebooks

IOGEAR last Friday introduced its Dual Port USB 2.0 PCMCIA CardBus card for the Mac. The $130 PCMCIA CardBus card offers auto configuration, requires no additional drivers, and is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 devices, while providing transfer rates of up to 480Mbps. It supports Mac OS 8.6 systems and later and is due in early Q2.

OpenGL Mac DoomLegacy 0.9.4 fixes bug

02/05, 12:27pm

OpenGL Mac DoomLegacy 0.9.4 fixes bug

OpenGL Mac DoomLegacy 0.9.4 fixes a bug that caused the previous version of the OpenGL Doom/Doom II game to hang at startup.

New digital cameras from Toshiba next week

02/05, 12:25pm

New digital cameras from Toshiba next week

Toshiba Imaging Systems will unveil a new line of digital cameras at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show on February 11, 2001 at the Orlando Convention Center. Toshiba will also offer free software upgrades for enhancing image quality and storage capabilities of its current cameras.

NoteWorthy Virtual Notecards for taking notes

02/05, 12:25pm

NoteWorthy Virtual Notecards for taking notes

IntelliGents today introduced its $90 NoteWorthy Virtual Notecards software, a database-driven desktop application in which students, professors, journalists and other professional researchers can store, organize and retrieve their notes, quotes and bibliographic references.

Game Center: StarCraft, Brood War

02/05, 12:22pm

Game Center: StarCraft, Brood War

We have added two new games to our continually expanding Game Center, StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War. In addition, we have added four new screenshots to our Shadowbane Game Center that illustrate various aspects of gameplay in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) such as a small party taking on an Ogre, Group Bonuses, Gold Sharing and a Group Menu. Finally, our Game Center pages for The Sims and The Sims: Livin' Large have been updated with links to more sites dedicated to the Mac version of the popular "people simulator".

BGH: Halo development update

02/05, 12:08pm

BGH: Halo development update

Battleground: Halo has published the latest development update on Halo, Bungie Studios' action game coming to the Mac, PC and X-Box. The latest update includes the addition of waves to the game's water, addressing controller issues with the X-Box version of Halo and revisions to the particle system.

MacNN Review: Eye Candy 4000

02/05, 12:00pm

MacNN Review: Eye Candy 4000

We have posted a review of Eye Candy 4000, the Photoshop plug-in collection from Alien Skin Software.

Roundup: Myst III: Exile delay and more

02/05, 12:00pm

Roundup: Myst III: Exile delay and more

Last Friday, Cyberlore Studios released a new quest for its unique strategy game, Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim; Game Studios announced a one week delay for the release of Myst III: Exile (April 16); and Blizzard Entertainment released Diablo II 1.05b, a new version of its popular action/role-playing hybrid for the Mac and PC. We updated Custer's Corner with the final two desktops in its Oni Week, "Knockout" and "Virtual Reality", completing a full week's worth of desktops celebrating the release of Bungie's third-person 3D action game.

Ernesto released; 2D sci-fi action game

02/05, 11:30am

Ernesto released; 2D sci-fi action game

Cortic Software has released Ernesto, its $20 shareware "overhead perspective, sci-fi action game that places players as space ship pilots in a dangerous asteroid sector." Each ship in the game features its own unique statistics, and players have the ability to command space stations and other fighters as well as their own ship. Ernesto also supports multiplayer play over a LAN or the Internet.

PhotoWebber software price reduced

02/05, 11:30am

PhotoWebber software price reduced

Media Lab has reduced the price on its PhotoWebber software as well as introduced new student discounts. PhotoWebber, software for publishing Web pages from Photoshop documents, can "design prototypes for clients to review online, and design and test site layout and rollover button ideas- all without writing a single line of HTML or JavaScript code." The download version is now $200 and the CD-version is $250, while education licenses are $130 (download) and $150 respectively. Trial versions are also available online.

Macflightsims.com web portal launches

02/05, 11:26am

Macflightsims.com web portal launches

Robert Truelove has launched a new web portal and online store for Mac flight sim enthusiasts, Macflightsims.com. The site offers many of the most popular flight sims and flight sim hardware for purchase and offers free web hosting and promotion to any Macintosh-based flight sim web site.

Audio Overload 1.01 plays video game music

02/05, 11:19am

Audio Overload 1.01 plays video game music

Audio Overload 1.01, formerly known as BNSF/MacOS, is a "Carbonized" video game music player for the Macintosh that supports .nsf (NES) tracks, .spc (Super Nintendo) tracks, and .gym (Genesis/Megadrive) logs and also includes support for play lists, and transparent decompresion of .rar archives.

VueScan 6.3.3 fixes bug in film scanner util

02/05, 10:55am

VueScan 6.3.3 fixes bug in film scanner util

Hamrick Software's VueScan 6.6.3 utility for film scanners, offers several bug fixes, better memory utilitization, and improved infrared-scan image prep.

NI demos, intros 3 products at NAMM

02/05, 10:40am

NI demos, intros 3 products at NAMM

At winter NAMM 2001, Native Instruments introduced new products, including :

Reaktor 3.0 software for sound synthesis, sampling and effects processing. ersion 3 offers optimized performance, a redesigned user interface and new functions and modules. It is due in April for $500.
1. Ni-Spektral, now shipping, is a $200 real-time Fast Fourier Transformation-based effects processor for Mac. It produces delay effects by splitting up each channel of a stereo signal in up to 160 separately modifiable frequency bands. Presets for different applications, such as guitar, vocals, drums, ambiences, reverberations, spatial effects, are included.
2. Battery, a $200 sampler designed for percussion programming and performace, is compatible with many sample formats (including Akai and LM4) and offers 54 sample slots, each with up to 128 velocity layers.

Asante bundles Gigabit adapter for free

02/05, 10:25am

Asante bundles Gigabit adapter for free

Asante is bundling a free GigaNIX 1000TA PCI adapter card ($260 retail) with its FriendlyNET GX4 Gigabit Ethernet switches Asante's 4-port Gigabit FriendlyNET GX4-400TA switch is $1,150 and its FriendlyNET GX4-224TA, a 2-port 1000BaseT and 24 port 10/100BaseT switch, is $1,500.

Email2FMP 1.8 adds Mail.app support

02/05, 10:25am

Email2FMP 1.8 adds Mail.app support

Email2FMP 1.8 is a set of FileMaker Pro databases which import and parse Eudora, Eudora Lite, Eudora Pro, Netscape Communicator, and (now) Mac OS X Mail.app mailboxes, allowing users to archive mail to FileMaker Pro files. This version also adds the ability to find and remove duplicates.

FilePhobe 0.9: peer-to-peer file transfer uti

02/05, 9:45am

FilePhobe 0.9: peer-to-peer file transfer uti

Black Diamond has released the first public beta of its cross-platform, peer-to-peer file sharing program, FileFone 0.9b, for for sending and receiving files over the internet. The $20 shareware utility offers resumeable transfers, skins for interface customization, automated unattended transfers, and limited activity logging.

Koingo introduces SuddenSoftAlarm Clock Pro

02/05, 9:45am

Koingo introduces SuddenSoftAlarm Clock Pro

Koingo has introduced SuddenSoftAlarm Clock Pro, a $10 shareware digital alarm clock. It offers four modules: Classic, Perpetual, Timer and Reminder. The Perpetual module of the application lets users set five alarms to ring between now and Dec. 31, 2040. Ring sounds can be MP3s, CD Tracks and live Internet audio streams.

Bitstream introduces Cambridge Collection

02/05, 9:45am

Bitstream introduces Cambridge Collection

Bitstream has released The Cambridge Collection, a collection of 200 original and classic fonts for Macintosh and Windows. The fonts are in TrueType and PostScript formats.

WEP encryption in AirPort not secure

02/05, 9:30am

WEP encryption in AirPort not secure

Researchers have found a security vulnerabilities in WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy algorithm), which is used in 802.11b wireless networking, including Apple's AirPort base station, according to the WSJ: "We found a number of ways to intercept transmissions and discover what the contents are. We found ways to modify transmissions as they're sent. And we found ways to access the network even if it's restricted." The researcher's Website has details on the security vulnerabilities...

MooseCalc: time, date, numeric calculator

02/05, 9:30am

MooseCalc: time, date, numeric calculator

Wundermoosen.Com has posted an update to $15 calculator, MooseCalc 1.1.2, which provides date, time, numeric, and other calculations.

Adobe releases Font Folio 9.0

02/05, 9:26am

Adobe releases Font Folio 9.0

Adobe has released the Font Folio 9.0 collection, a complete type package that sells for $9,000. This release adds nearly 500 fonts. The new collection includes 2,750 Type 1 fonts from the Adobe Type Library and nearly 200 OpenType fonts. OpenType fonts work on both Macintosh and Windows systems and contain an expanded character set for improved linguistic support. [site not updated]

Comments: Mobile Radeon, $30 rebate...

02/05, 9:25am

Comments: Mobile Radeon, $30 rebate...

We've had dozens of interesting reader comments on ATI's new Mobile Radeon, Mac OS X system requirements, $30 rebate for Mac OS X public beta purchases, Tog's reasons why OS X's dock "sucks", Apple's Cube price drop, and Apple's legal pressure on Stardock for OS X-like skins.

Tech: MS renames products, servers sell well

02/05, 9:15am

Tech: MS renames products, servers sell well

Morning tech news: Microsoft will add an XP suffix to the titles of Windows and Office, doing away with the company's year-of-release annotation; servers and workstations bucked the PC slow-down trend in 2000; Intel's CTO predicts that heat and cost will be the limiting factors in furthering future processor performance; and researchers have found that wireless networks are vulnerable to hackers.

Search engine developed exclusively with Macs

02/05, 8:20am

Search engine developed exclusively with Macs

With1Click.com is a unique, new search engine that allows users to perform searches without needing to initially load the site. The technology, currently in public beta, was developed exclusively on Macs.

Save our Dog Cow!

02/05, 8:10am

Save our Dog Cow!

Several readers have pointed out a petition to "Save our Clarus Dog Cow" in Mac OS X. The icon was removed from the entire system, including the Printer setup/page options in the current prerelease version. "Apple values its customers' input, and it is my hope that the resounding cries of Moof! from the public will be heard."

Apple at AASA

02/05, 8:10am

Apple at AASA

Apple will be participating at the 133rd-annual American Association of School Administrators National Conference on Education in Orlando, FL Feb. 16 to 18. This conference brings together close to 5,000 school system leaders, including superintendents, assistant superintendents, school board members, principals and director-level staff. Secretary of Education Rod Paige will speak at the opening general session.

Tex-Edit Plus 4.1 gains new features

02/05, 7:55am

Tex-Edit Plus 4.1 gains new features

Trans-Tex Software has posted Tex-Edit Plus 4.1, an update to its $15 shareware scriptable text editor that adds a recent items listing, allows the external editor protocol to act as a text editor for an FTP client, and support for reading desktop clippings.

Iomega debuts magneto-optical drive

02/05, 7:50am

Iomega debuts magneto-optical drive

Iomega today introduced the MO 1.3 GB Professional Series drive in Europe. The magneto-optical drive, which was co-developed with Fujistu, will be available in ATAPI (internal) and SCSI (external) interfaces. The product is not expected to be released in North America. [updated]

Apple co-founder Wozniak receives Heinz award

02/05, 7:45am

Apple co-founder Wozniak receives Heinz award

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has received the Heinz Award, which recognizes individuals who have helped the lives of others, for his charitable efforts with the arts and his work to expand computer literacy. The award, which includes a $250,000 check, is presented annually in memory of Sen. John Heinz, R-Pa., who died in a plane crash in 1991. Wozniak shares the recognition this year with five others.

Roundup: OS X requirements, DVI-to-ADC

02/05, 7:05am

Roundup: OS X requirements, DVI-to-ADC

Over the weekend, we noted updated OS X requirements, Gefen's DVI-to-ADC converter, Tascam's USB audio controller, and Apple's 500-MHz Cube price reduction. Other updates included CodeWarrior Pro 6.1, PGP Freeware 7.03, Adobe PS 8.71 printer driver, MacGhostView 2.0, Bitzhead updates, Clean-Install Assistant 1.5.1, and Intuit's Quicken 2001R2 update.

iDVD: "good excuse to buy new computer"

02/05, 12:20am

iDVD: "good excuse to buy new computer"

James Lileks of the Star Tribune says that Apple's iDVD gives you a good excuse to buy a new computer: " The new G4 line offers additional power, but the top-of-the-line model offers something that makes Apple one of the more useful home computers consumers can find -- which brings us to iDVD." Meanwhile, Tino Novellino notes another iDVD Internet appliance, unveiled at Winter CES 2000, that can play DVDs, listen to audio CDs, and provide Internet access on your TV.

Fixing failed AirPort base stations

02/05, 12:10am

Fixing failed AirPort base stations

Following-up on the recent reports of AirPort Base Station failures, Constantin von Wentzel writes that he discovered that his base station "had a failed power supply, courtesy of two capacitors that were fried to extinction. I created a web-page to guide others through the process of replacing their failed capacitors in case their warranty had expired."

TFMS v2: system utility for memory management

02/05, 12:10am

TFMS v2: system utility for memory management

The Free Memory Show 2 is a simple Finder utility that displays the computer's free memory in a small unobtrusive floating window, can notify you when the free memory drops below a customizable value, and also can quit applications to help defragment memory (or just for convenience).

Audio Overload 1.01 plays video game music

02/05, 12:05am

Audio Overload 1.01 plays video game music

Audio Overload 1.01, formerly known as BNSF/MacOS, is a "Carbonized" video game music player for the Macintosh that supports .nsf (NES) tracks, .spc (Super Nintendo) tracks, and .gym (Genesis/Megadrive) logs and also includes support for play lists, and transparent decompresion of .rar archives.

Donation Manager 5.4 adds Web publishing

02/05, 12:05am

Donation Manager 5.4 adds Web publishing

Chris Luckhart's Donation Manager 5.4 is a $25 utility for tracking fund-raising projects that can now instantly publish web sites in conjunction with Apple's iDisk.