News Archive for 01/03/29

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New Carbon utils for image viewing, decoding

03/29, 10:25pm

New Carbon utils for image viewing, decoding

Brian Clark has updated two of his Carbon utilities: Ptah 1.1.0 is a $15 shareware text and image and cataloging shareware that can create image catalogs is a small RAM footprint. His Rosetta 1.1.0 is a $10 shareware program that decodes BinHex, MacBinary, MIME Base64, uuencode files; rejoining binary files; and making some movie file repairs. [Ptah, Rosetta]

Farallon testing Gigabit driver for OS X

03/29, 9:20pm

Farallon testing Gigabit driver for OS X

Farallon is currently beta-testing Mac OS X 1.0b1 drivers for its Gigabit PCI Cards, both the PN9100-T copper card and the PN9000-SX fiber card.

Earthbrowser 1.3.7 adds new Webcams

03/29, 9:15pm

Earthbrowser 1.3.7 adds new Webcams

Lunar Software's $20 shareware EarthBrowser 1.3.7 adds over 250 new web cams from around the world to its Earth simulation that combines real-time weather conditions and 5 day forecasts with a 3D navigation globe.

April Virus file definitions posted

03/29, 8:10pm

April Virus file definitions posted

Both Symantec and Network Associates have posted updated April definition file updates to their virus utilities, Norton AntiVirus and Virex, respectively. [NAV--1.5MB, Virex--2.0MB]

Overclocking a PowerBook G4/400 to 500MHz

03/29, 5:10pm

Overclocking a PowerBook G4/400 to 500MHz

Following-up on our note about an overclocked PowerBook G4 at a Japanese Website, Voelker Research has posted detailed instructions (in English) on overclocking a PowerBook G4/400 to 500MHz: "Void your warranty on your Powerbook G4 400. Make it a 500 with no hitches. Easy to do if you can solder. Machine is stable and the processor is running at the same temperature as the 400."

ZDNet: "Underdone" OS observations

03/29, 4:55pm

ZDNet: "Underdone" OS observations

Stephan Somogyi's commentary at ZDNet News talks about his experiences with the "underdone" OS, reporting on the spinning rainbow disc of death (performance issues), superflous instances of the NFS I/O daemon, the inclusion of an older version of Libc C-library, and the lack of auto-vectorization compiler technology for optimized G4 processing performance.

Macromedia CEO to keynote UCON 2001

03/29, 4:35pm

Macromedia CEO to keynote UCON 2001

Macromedia's 3-day UCON 2001 user conference keynote will feature Macromedia executives Rob Burgess, chairman and CEO; Kevin Lynch, president, products; and Jeremy Allaire, chief technology officer, offering insight how Macromedia will "continue to make dynamic content even more accessible, approachable, and affordable, taking into account its recent merger with Allaire Corp." UCON 2001 will be held April 10-12 at the New York Hilton.

Reader: iTools services problems

03/29, 4:30pm

Reader: iTools services problems

Christian Wagner writes about problems with Apple's iTools service, which has reportedly been confirmed by other users:

"I know that I, among many other iTools users (as per discussions.info.apple.com), have lost the use of our mac.com emails and iDisks; it seems that Apple has lost our passwords and is not responding to our inquiries as to why the accounts are down. I cannot access my iDisk, HomePage, or email . Even worse, we cannot reset the password. I tried to, but the question that we get to choose to verify our identity states, instead of the question, "n/a". This is a very frustrating, since many people, including myself, depend on our mac.com accounts. And Apple is not even giving us a reason or letting gain access to our former accounts."

AP: OS X to make little inroads into MS share

03/29, 4:24pm

AP: OS X to make little inroads into MS share

An AP review of OS X concludes: "Despite all of OS X's strengths, it's doubtful it will make much of a dent in Microsoft's lead in desktop market share, primarily because Apple's system still runs only on the company's own hardware."

AOL IM Client for OS X preview released

03/29, 4:20pm

AOL IM Client for OS X preview released

AOL has released a preview version of AOL IM Client for OS X, offering instant messaging and chat, news and stock tickers, and improved event actions. Future versions will incorporate support for IM images, buddy icons, file transfer, buddy alerts, and smileys.

Review: Monopoly Casino

03/29, 4:15pm

Review: Monopoly Casino

We have posted a review of Monopoly Casino, a new game that combines casino gaming with elements from Monopoly.

DigiMarc MediaBridge 2.0 software

03/29, 2:55pm

DigiMarc MediaBridge 2.0 software

Digimarc today introduced Digimarc MediaBridge 2.0 reader software, which allows consumers to link directly to the Web via printed materials and also reads digitally watermarked materials faster and with better accuracy in low light conditions. Version 2.0 is also easily adapted for use by third-parties in specialized kiosk or other locations. A Mac-compatible release of v2.0 is anticipated "later in the year when broader PC camera support becomes available," although an older version of the software is available for Macs.

Exhibitor Fair returns to WWDC

03/29, 2:10pm

Exhibitor Fair returns to WWDC

Xplain has announced the return of the official "WWDC Exhibitor Fair" to Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (May 21-25, 2001). In the exhibit area, developers will showcase their newest products which support Mac OS X and other Apple technologies.: "companies can cost-effectively exhibit and reach the developer community face-to-face. Exhibit space reservations are now being accepted for the Exhibitor Fair at Apple's WWDC 2001 in San Jose, California."

Kngihts and Merchants for the Mac

03/29, 1:30pm

Kngihts and Merchants for the Mac

Epic Interactive has announced plans to port Knights and Merchants to the Mac, a real-time strategy game that recreates the era of the Middle Ages. The game is expected for release in May.

Roundup: EFMI for Mac OS X

03/29, 1:00pm

Roundup: EFMI for Mac OS X

Yesterday Westlake Interactive announced that it is working on bringing Escape from Monkey Island to Mac OS X; new details emerged on the single-player plot in Bioware's 3D role-playing game, Neverwinter Nights; GraphSim has announced that it will bring many of its Mac games to Mac OS X; and Pangea Software released a beta OS X-compatible version of its 3D kart racer for the Mac, Cro-Mag Rally.

Targetware debuts flight model, weapon specs

03/29, 12:55pm

Targetware debuts flight model, weapon specs

Targetware has released the first public version of its open architecture flight model and weapons specifications for its upcoming massive multiplayer online combat flight sim, Target Korea. The document—assembled by Wells "wells" Sullivan, Targetware's primary aeronautics developer—provides "the basic flight modeling and weapons design structures, as well as the individual field and data file specifications that are required in order for the player community to create their own aircraft flight models and weapons types for the Targetware flight simulation engine."

Console: Online gaming for XBox

03/29, 12:50pm

Console: Online gaming for XBox

Afternoon console news: Microsoft has announced an alliance with NTT Communications that will allow the company to offer XBox users online gaming over high-speed ADSL connections when an online gaming service launches in 2002; Red Jade, a handheld gaming device that was being designed to compete against Nintendo's dominant Game Boy products, has been killed; The 3DO Company's annual High Heat Baseball simulation has predicted that the Boston Red Sox will win this season's World Series; and Sony has announced that the North American versions of both Extermination and Dark Cloud for the Playstation 2 will contain considerable changes compared to their Japanese counterparts.

4-Sight Fax acquired by Soft Solutions

03/29, 12:10pm

4-Sight Fax acquired by Soft Solutions

Soft Solutions has acquired the 4-Sight Fax and says that plans to continue to provide support for the product as well as development of a Carbonized version of its fax software, which is due out this summer.

StarOffice for OS X

03/29, 11:50am

StarOffice for OS X

James Nennemann notes that there is a build of StarOffice for OS X, the open-source project for creating a flexible and language-independent XML-based office-productivity software.

Maxum Rumpus 2.0d3: Carbonized ftp server

03/29, 11:20am

Maxum Rumpus 2.0d3: Carbonized ftp server

Maxum's Rumpus 2.0d3 is a pre-beta version of its high-performance TCP/IP server engine that is fully Carbonized. It replaces the standard Users and Groups security with new folder-by-folder privilege settings. Version 2.0 also offers Folder Sets (for overriding/adding folder-based privileges), Direct Web Admin, and File Upload notices.

Calcworks 1.7.3 updated, special pricing

03/29, 10:30am

Calcworks 1.7.3 updated, special pricing

Brochu Software today announced special $10 tax-time pricing on CalcWorks, its shareware replacement calculator for the Macintosh and has also released CalcWorks v1.7.3 to include the latest up-to-date currency conversion rates: "CalcWorks does NOT currently run under Mac OS X, but work is in progress to release a carbonized version by this summer."

DR-Verb v1.1: shareware VST plugin

03/29, 10:20am

DR-Verb v1.1: shareware VST plugin

Dragan Petrovic has released DR-Verb v1.1, a new shareware VST compatible plug-in that emulates any room from small rooms to "Hall" or "Church" large rooms: "Thanks to its large number of controls and to its EQ section, this reverb can also be used to produce strange ambiences or even FX sounds." It has been tested fully compatible with Cubase, Logic Audio, Spark and Peak.

Prosoft seeding Netware 5.1.4 updaters

03/29, 10:15am

Prosoft seeding Netware 5.1.4 updaters

A MacNN reader notes that Prosoft Engineering is seeding customers with a Netware 5.1.4 updater for the Mac Netware client, which "fixes the annoying Office bug (doing a save as in word would crash the machine). Prosoft Engineering is now working on the next client update and have signed agreements from Novell to this effect. their own branded client will be launched shortly -- so i'm told." The update is not yet available online.

Son of Weather Grok 3.0 optimized for OS X

03/29, 10:05am

Son of Weather Grok 3.0 optimized for OS X

Stimpsoft's freeware weather application for the Mac, Son of Weather Grok 3.0, has been optimized for OS X, and the connections to NOAA weather database are much improved: "There will no longer be a PPC only (no CarbonLib required) version, however, as some of the code can only be called from CarbonLib."

More details on OS X update

03/29, 10:00am

More details on OS X update

Following our note yesterday, other sources are reporting more details on the forthcoming OS X update, which is due out shortly:

The installer is expected to be a 4MB download. It changes the Core Services directory, SSH (secure shell) support, installs additional drivers, and updates elements of AppleShare. It also adds Multimedia command sets, a selection of USB drivers and seemingly improves Mac OS X's compatibility with some digital cameras, it is claimed.

Apple eyes D.C. for retail store

03/29, 10:00am

Apple eyes D.C. for retail store

Following our news item yesterday regarding the possible launch of an Apple retail store in Buffalo later this year, MacNN sources indicate that Apple is also planning to open a store in Tyson's Corner, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC. The store is set to open some time in May. Palo Alto, Chicago, Littleton, and Pittsburgh have also been reportedly considered as locations for Apple stores.

MacNN Review: Monopoly Casino

03/29, 9:55am

MacNN Review: Monopoly Casino

We have posted a review of Monopoly Casino, a new game that combines casino gaming with elements from Monopoly.

Tech: Gateway closes stores, 1.7 GHz P4...

03/29, 9:00am

Tech: Gateway closes stores, 1.7 GHz P4...

Morning tech news: Gateway has closed 10 percent of its "Gateway Country Stores," or 27 shops in total, as it looks to cut costs; Intel will release its new 1.7 GHz Pentium 4 in the coming days; sales of MP3 players are expected to balloon from 3.3 million last year to 26 million in 2005; and the Associated Press has compiled a list of major companies who have recently announced lay-offs, totalling nearly 200,000 (Motorola is no. 2 on the list with 22,000).

Pogue/New York Times takes a look at OS X

03/29, 8:30am

Pogue/New York Times takes a look at OS X

Former Macworld columnist David Pogue has written a comprehensive review of Mac OS X in The New York Times, generally offering the operating system high marks but echoing the consensus of others in the press: "Unless you're a true Mac-oholic, there's no good reason to switch to Mac OS X right now."

WSJ: Apple is undervalued

03/29, 8:00am

WSJ: Apple is undervalued

A Wall Street Journal article takes an extensive look at Apple and its undervaluation, noting that the stock is up 50% for the year but continues to trade at a price relatively low to its competitors.

Media 100 posted $4M Q1 loss

03/29, 8:00am

Media 100 posted $4M Q1 loss

Media 100 today posted a first quarter net loss of $4 million on revenue of $13.8 million The company, whose products include Cleaner, CineStream, and Media 100i, expect to move closer to profitability in future quarters as it cut backs expenses and anticipates modest revenue growth.

PixMachineMac gets new interface, lower price

03/29, 8:00am

PixMachineMac gets new interface, lower price

PixMachineMac 1.0.8 is an application for downloading, decoding, and assembling files found in Usenet newsgroups. The new version sports an improved interface while the price has been reduced to $40.

Roundup: OS X 10.01 update, AOL client beta..

03/29, 3:45am

Roundup: OS X 10.01 update, AOL client beta..

Yesterday we posted notes on Mac OS X 10.0.1 Update (build 4L5), AOL's upcoming client release for OS X, FrontBase 2.22, and notes on UMAX scanners, Cannon and Agfa scanners, iREZ Kritter Cam, and Agere's Ornico/WaveLAN wireless PC cards.

OS X: AOL Client beta, FrontBase...

03/29, 3:40am

OS X: AOL Client beta, FrontBase...

osx.macnn.com has info on a new AOL IM Client preview for OS X, FrontBase for OS X and a pending AOL client beta release for OS X as well as OS X support notes on Connectix VirtualPC, UMAX scanners, Kensington VideoCAM drivers, Cannon and Agfa scanners, iREZ Kritter Cam, and Agere's Ornico/WaveLAN wireless PC cards. (Yesterday, it also noted the pending release of Mac OS X 10.0.1 Update, build 4L5.)[updated]

Games: Knights and Merchants for the Mac

03/29, 3:30am

Games: Knights and Merchants for the Mac

games.macnn.com has information on a new real-time strategy game coming to the Mac, Knights and Merchants, which recreates the era of the Middle Ages. In addition, its poll continues on users' plans for OS X migration.

Java-development with NetBeans on OS X

03/29, 2:55am

Java-development with NetBeans on OS X

Following up on yesterday's note, Willis Morse writes "Forte does work (sort of), but the current build of NetBeans works a lot better. I'm actually doing development with it now, and it works well with our CVS server (another OS X G3). I'm not quite ready to leave my Win2000 system yet, but I can see the day coming..."

Pinnacle CineWave to support Final Cut Pro 2

03/29, 2:35am

Pinnacle CineWave to support Final Cut Pro 2

Pinnacle Systems has announced that CineWave, the company's high-end hardware video editing and compression solution, will take advantage of the enhancements in Apple's Final Cut Pro 2 to deliver real-time uncompressed effects. The package is priced at $6,500, and will be on display at the NAB conference next month.

OS X for scientific imaging, education

03/29, 2:35am

OS X for scientific imaging, education

Apple has posted two new Mac OS X features on its site, including a piece that promotes the OS as a 'perfect platform 'for scientific imaging, and another that guides education users looking to migrate to OS X.

The Register: Apple at mercy of IBM, Motorola

03/29, 2:30am

The Register: Apple at mercy of IBM, Motorola

An article posted at The Register says that Apple remains "at the mercy" of PowerPC manufacturers IBM and Motorola, and that the company is taking a risk by relying on either corporation. The report goes on to discuss the "megahertz myth" with a former Apple engineer.

Orange Micro announces USB 2.0 PCI card

03/29, 2:25am

Orange Micro announces USB 2.0 PCI card

Orange Micro announced that its OrangeUSB 2.0 Hi-Speed PCI Board will be available at major retail chain stores nationwide beginning in April. The $89 PCI host card has 4 external and 1 internal USB 2.0 ports, offering throughput of up to 480 Mbits/s as well as "backward compatibility." The company says the "OrangeUSB 2.0 boards have several USB 2.0 software driver options for both Macintosh® OS X, as well as Windows." Orange Micro also says that USB 2.0 versions of its CardBus PC Card and hub as well as a FireWire/USB 2.0 combination PCI Board will be available "within the next two months."

AppleScript 1.6 update: via SUCP, online

03/29, 2:20am

AppleScript 1.6 update: via SUCP, online

After several readers report the update being available via the Mac OS 9 Software Update control panel, one reader noticed that Apple's AppleScript 1.6 update is available on its servers: "there seems to be no mention of it or any of the changes any where on Apple's site."

Kensington: no support for VideoCam on OS X

03/29, 2:15am

Kensington: no support for VideoCam on OS X

Kensington reports that it will not be supporting Mac OS X for its Kensington VideoCam line: "We are concentrating our development efforts with respect to this very new operating platform toward our future products. Thank you for your inquiry into our products."

Snak 4.6 supports NAT routers, multiple prefs

03/29, 2:13am

Snak 4.6 supports NAT routers, multiple prefs

Kent Sorensen's $20 shareware IRC client, Snak 4.6, now provides support for NAT routers, multiple preference files, and more "precise control of what is spoken, and from what channels.

EjectDisk 3.16 adds Iomega FireWire device

03/29, 2:10am

EjectDisk 3.16 adds Iomega FireWire device

Beyond Midnight Software's EjectDisk 3.1.6, a $10 shareware utility for ejecting disks, now adds support for Iomega devices connected via a FireWire adaptor, documents that EjectDisk can close the CD/DVD tray on some setups, and fixes a few bugs.

Canon printer drivers ship with OS X CD

03/29, 2:05am

Canon printer drivers ship with OS X CD

Inquiring about drivers for Cannon's N650U scanner, Don Roeber received the following response: "...The Macintosh OS X CD ships with drivers for three current Canon Bubble Jet printers: the S400, S450 and the S800. We will continue to test other products for their compatibility with OS X and provide updated information on our Web site as it becomes available."

VirtualPC 4 for OS X due out later this year

03/29, 2:00am

VirtualPC 4 for OS X due out later this year

Connectix writes that current users will have to purchase VirtualPC 4 for Mac OS X product, which will be available later this year and should not expect a (free) update: "...It will not be an update for Virtual PC 4 for OS 9.x ...[but] will have a special offer / discounted price (yet to be determined) for Virtual PC 4 for Mac OS X for registered owners of Virtual PC 4 for OS 9.x. The details of this special offer will be announced when Virtual PC 4 for Mac OS X ships."

Docking Maneuvers: customize dock settings

03/29, 2:00am

Docking Maneuvers: customize dock settings

Austin Shoemaker's Docking Maneuvers is a "simple tool that empowers you to move the Dock to any edge of the screen, and anchor it in any corner."

Mail Import Script 1.05: convert old mailboxe

03/29, 1:55am

Mail Import Script 1.05: convert old mailboxe

Apple's Mail Import Script 1.05 "help you import mail messages from your current email program into Mail, the Mac OS X email client," offering support for Netscape Communicator 4.x, Eudora 5.x, Outlook Express 5.x, Microsoft Entourage, and Claris Emailer 2.x.

QiPro 1.0b14 generates previews of QT movies

03/29, 1:50am

QiPro 1.0b14 generates previews of QT movies

QiPo 1.0b14 is a utility that generates previews from QuickTime movies for archival purposes or online posting; it can process any QuickTime-time compatible file, including MPEG, some AVIs, and even QuickTime VR objects (not panoramas).

ALAMDV: new special effects application

03/29, 1:50am

ALAMDV: new special effects application

ALAMDV is a $65 special effects application from a new UK software company. The software, which allows users to create plugins, offers effects such as lasers, lightswords, muzzle flashes, sparks, lightsword clashes, light effects and lens flares: "We will be adding new effects every week and tutorials as well. We have an online forum where people can meet and discuss ALAMDV and film making. We also have a gallery section where we will be advertising movies made by ALAMDV users." There are 20 standard effects available with 10 more due later this week.

Roundup: Toast 5 vs. Discribe, WMP 7 player..

03/29, 1:20am

Roundup: Toast 5 vs. Discribe, WMP 7 player..

Yesterday we posted a comparative review between Roxio's Toast 5 and Discribe 4, Microsoft's Windows Media Player 7 for Mac, a $50 cash back deal on Office 2001, the forthcoming release of SuSE Linux PowerPC 7.1, Asante's new DSL/Cable Router, KDS DV kit for consumers, and Eovia Corp's AMAPI 3D v6. Other updates included Yamaha's 1.0n firmware update, Kinetcon 2.03, Gluon's new/updated XTensions, and Evological's CoolCam 1.8.

Tech: Comdex no shows, MPEG-4 at CeBIT...

03/29, 12:35am

Tech: Comdex no shows, MPEG-4 at CeBIT...

Early morning tech: Comdex Chicago 2001, which runs April 2-5 in Chicago, is expected to focus largely on wireless devices, including Internet services for PDAs, but without Microsoft and IBM, who have opted out of this year's conference without comment; The QuickTime-based MPEG-4 standard is being demonstrated at CeBIT, where Philips is showing media encoded in the newly finalized format being streamed to various devices. MacMall's parent company, ideaMall, has announced that Frank Khulusi will assume Presidential responsibilities after the resignation of the company's former president, Scott W. Klein, on March 30th.