News Archive for 01/04/06

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Myst III: Exile close to GM

04/06, 7:25pm

Myst III: Exile close to GM

The Adrenaline Vault reports that Presto Studios is close to taking Myst III: Exile for the Mac and PC to golden master. The game is expected to begin shipping in May. In related news, eUniverseGames.com has published an interview with Presto PR Manager Susan Weyer on the upcoming adventure game, while Beta Bites has posted six new screenshots from the game.

GoD's E3 lineup

04/06, 7:20pm

GoD's E3 lineup

Gathering of Developers' product lineup at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in mid-May will include Myth III: The Wolf Age and 4x4 EVO 2, according to Stomped. In addition, Mac versions of both Tropico and Fly! II could be shown at the company's "Promised Lot," a parking lot outside the L.A. Convention Center that the company has used for the past two years to show off its games.

GraphSim on BG Multiplayer, Summoner

04/06, 7:05pm

GraphSim on BG Multiplayer, Summoner

GraphSim has updated its web site with word that GameRanger creator and owner Scott Kevill is currently adding support for the Baldur's Gate Multiplayer patch to his multiplayer online gaming service for the Mac. The site also notes that the Mac version of Summoner is expected to enter beta testing next week. "Volition's involvement in the Mac version of Summoner has it on the fast track for completion."

Console: Crazy Taxi PS2

04/06, 6:45pm

Console: Crazy Taxi PS2

Evening console news: Acclaim Entertainment has secured the rights to publish next month the Playstation 2 version of Crazy Taxi, a game which was well received when it appeared on the Sega Dreamcast; Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast will ship in North America, Europe and Japan on June 19, just four days before Sonic's 10-year anniversary; and Bam! Entertainment has announced that it has secured the rights to publish games based on the Sylvester Stallone movie, "Driven", for the Playstation 2 and Game Boy Advance.

Apple Store drops upgrade price for GeForce 3

04/06, 6:00pm

Apple Store drops upgrade price for GeForce 3

The Apple Store has reduced the price on upgrading the Power Mac G4's graphics card to the GeForce 3 to $250 over the cost of a GeForce 2 or RADEON. Previously, the upgrade was $350. For purchasers of the low-end 466 MHz G4, which features a Rage 128, the GeForce 3 is a $350 upgrade. Customers who have already placed their orders for a system configured with a GeForce 3 report receiving a price adjustment.

FireWire Depot introduces new case

04/06, 5:45pm

FireWire Depot introduces new case

FireWire Depot has introduced a new 2.5" Silver FireWire hard drive enclosure. The $130 device allows users to create their own external FireWire drive with any 2.5" hard drive.

LaCie to debut 16x10x40x CD-RW next week

04/06, 5:00pm

LaCie to debut 16x10x40x CD-RW next week

LaCie next week will introduce a new 16x10x40x CD-RW drive that offers both USB and FireWire connectivity. The $340 drive will offer "Burn-Proof" technology and LaCie's Recording Utilities CD package, which includes Adaptec Toast 4.1.2.

Joy 2.2: Cocoa developer tool for OS X

04/06, 4:55pm

Joy 2.2: Cocoa developer tool for OS X

Joy 2.2, a developer productivity and RAD tool by AAA+ Software, is available for Mac OS X. The Cocoa-learning tool includes a run-time class browser and object inspector for debugging, a built-in scripting language (syntactically compatible with Objective-C and JavaScript) to send messages to any object and to teach new methods, and the ability to call the Carbon API and Java methods interactively from the command window. Licensing ranges fro $70-$400.

Linux creator calls Mac OS X "crap"

04/06, 2:00pm

Linux creator calls Mac OS X "crap"

Linux creator Linus Torvalds calls Mac OS X "crap" in his upcoming autobiography, referring to Mach, the operating system's kernel. "[Mach] contains all the design mistakes you can make, and manages to even make up a few of its own."

mimio 1.5 adds QuickTime, iMovie support

04/06, 1:50pm

mimio 1.5 adds QuickTime, iMovie support

Virtual Ink has posted mimio 1.5 for Mac, an update to the software and drivers for its electronic whiteboard device. The new version allows users to export material directly to QuickTime and iMovie. A Carbonized version, which also adds EPS support, is expected by Macworld Expo New York in July.

XSkin released for PocketDock

04/06, 12:20pm

XSkin released for PocketDock

Pocket Software has released a new skin, XSkin, for PocketDock 2.0. PocketDock is a $20 utility for Mac OS X to organize and launch applications, documents, web links, email addresses and supports multiple skins.

Pre-Lister 3.7: eBay auction utility

04/06, 11:50am

Pre-Lister 3.7: eBay auction utility

Black Magik Software has released Pre-Lister 3.7, a maintenance update to its $35 offline auction-listing utility for use with the eBay.

Search & Rescue 3.0: recover data from RAM

04/06, 11:30am

Search & Rescue 3.0: recover data from RAM

Thomas Riley's Search & Rescue 3.0, is $15 shareware tool described as the "first and only tool for the Macintosh that can recover lost data directly from your Macs RAM," offering data recovery from system crashes--even after restart. It can specifically target recent applications when searching for data and a Panic Key can save RAM Image files based upon application.

Games: Otto Matic Development Update

04/06, 11:15am

Games: Otto Matic Development Update

games.macnn.com has published a development update from Pangea Software President Brian Greenstone on the company's upcoming 3D action/adventure game for the Mac, Otto Matic.

PEAK 2.5.4 update has DAE 5.1 support

04/06, 11:10am

PEAK 2.5.4 update has DAE 5.1 support

BIAS has posted a PEAK 2.5.4 updater for its digital audio application, which is compatible with DAE 5.1 and has a new option to monitor ASIO devices through the Sound Manager, the ability to flatten QuickTime movies, better compatibility with Roxio Toast Titanium, and other bug fixes. (Peak DV is special edition that is included for free with Final Cut Pro 2, offering audio editing and processing, support for 8- and 16-bit files, sample rates up to 48 kHz, support for VST and Premiere audio plug-ins, QuickTime movie support, batch file processing, and built-in DSP processing.)

Update on Pangea's Otto Matic

04/06, 11:10am

Update on Pangea's Otto Matic

Pangea Software President Brian Greenstone has given MacNN an update on the development of the company's upcoming 3D action/adventure game for the Mac, Otto Matic. The game is inspired by 1950's sci-fi B-movies and will feature some of the most advanced 3D graphics effects seen in a Pangea game to date.

Will Wright on The Sims, House Party

04/06, 10:55am

Will Wright on The Sims, House Party

PC GAMEPLAY has published an interview with The Sims creator Will Wright on his popular game, the upcoming The Sims Online, and the most recent expansion pack for the game, The Sims: House Party. "The original intelligence model [for The Sims] was inspired by ant behavior," said Wright. "Ants are quite interesting because individually they are rather simple but together in a colony they exhibit a much higher degree of intelligence. The Sims are similar in that one Sim is rather predictable but together in a group the dynamics become quite complex."

OS X Server 2.0 seeded to ADC members

04/06, 10:50am

OS X Server 2.0 seeded to ADC members

Apple has begun seeding developer with a beta seed of Mac OS X Server 2.0, according to an ADC member.

KeyStrokes 2.1b9: on-screen keyboard

04/06, 10:35am

KeyStrokes 2.1b9: on-screen keyboard

Niemeijer Consult's $45 utility that offers fully-functional, on-screen keyboard, KeyStrokes 2.1b9, now available in public beta, adds an alphabetic keyboard layout and fixes several bugs. It expires May 15, 2001.

Console: Activision XBox on track

04/06, 10:30am

Console: Activision XBox on track

Morning console news: Activision has confirmed that its XBox development activities are on track, noting that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x for the XBox is "moving along smoothly through its expected development process"; Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown, based on an old game for the Commodore 64, will be coming to the Playstation 2 this Fall; Casper Spirit Dimensions, a Playstation 2 game set for release this October, features Casper in a head-to-head battle with Kibosh and his evil minions; and the Interactive Digital Software Association's yearly report on the state of the interactive entertainment industry showed that more than 60 percent of all Americans above age 6 play computer and video games on a regular basis.

OS X: PowerLogix Profiler X, Brother drivers.

04/06, 10:25am

OS X: PowerLogix Profiler X, Brother drivers.

osx.macnn.com has information on PowerLogix's Profiler X utility, Brother printer drivers, a Cocoa SDK for developing docklings, and other notes.

PowerLogix released Profiler X for OS X

04/06, 10:25am

PowerLogix released Profiler X for OS X

PowerLogix announced today the public beta release of its new diagnostic utility, Profiler X, an OS X-compatible version of the Cache Profiler software for OS 9. It allows users of OS X to read the processor speed and cache speed and other details of their machine as well as provides a command line interface for changing L2 cache settings on PowerLogix and other third-party upgrades. A GUI version of the command line interface of is expected to be released "very soon," according to the company.

VPC Helper 3.0 adds VPC 4, OS 9.1 support

04/06, 10:20am

VPC Helper 3.0 adds VPC 4, OS 9.1 support

VPC Helper 3.0, an update to the $14 performance-enhancsing utility for Connectix' Virtual PC emulation software, adds more support for OS 9.1 and Virtual PC 4 as well other enhancements. Upgrades are $7 for previous registered owners. A 10-day demo is available online.

Roundup: Summoner Preview

04/06, 10:00am

Roundup: Summoner Preview

Yesterday we published a preview of Volition's Summoner, the upcoming 3D role-playing game for the Mac that features a mix of traditional role-playing elements and new twists on old RPG themes; Epic Interactive announced the release of real-time strategy game Earth 2140 for the Mac; Aspyr Media began taking pre-orders for Tomb Raider: Chronicles and released the first estimates on the game's system requirements; and a report detailing U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's stance against violence in video games noted a freeware game for the Mac and PC, Dope Wars, in which the player makes money by buying and selling drugs while avoiding hazards such as the police and muggers.

PC laptop inspired by PowerBook G4?

04/06, 9:00am

PC laptop inspired by PowerBook G4?

A discussion in our forums focuses on the WinBook X1, a PC laptop whose design seemingly takes some cues from Apple's PowerBook G4. The system features an aluminum alloy case, measures one inch thick, weighs 4.7 pounds, and comes equipped with a CD or DVD drive.

Apple to have small presence at Seybold

04/06, 9:00am

Apple to have small presence at Seybold

While Apple will not be exhibiting at next week's Seybold Seminars Boston, the company will be showing off some of its latest technology, as well as hosting various sessions, in Room 112 at the Hynes.

Cisco promises Mac VPN support

04/06, 7:20am

Cisco promises Mac VPN support

As part of its new unified VPN client framework, Cisco promises to add Mac OS, Linux, and Solaris support to its VPN Client software and has released a platform-independent VPN 3002 Hardware Client appliance for tunneling into corporate networks (dual Ethernet version is $1000; 8-port switch version is $1,200).

Adobe expects Southeast market to grow

04/06, 7:20am

Adobe expects Southeast market to grow

Adobe says it expects revenue in its Southeast Asian markets to grow 35 percent in 2001, making it the "fastest growing of Adobe's business. Adobe's revenues from Southeast Asia in 2000 jumped 265 percent, boosted by anti-piracy efforts.

Dell: Apple's future dim

04/06, 12:30am

Dell: Apple's future dim

In the April 16 issue of Business Week, Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computer, offers his take on the future of Apple, comparing it to beleaguered proprietary computer maker Silicon Graphics: "We know how the movie ends, it's just a question of what happens in the middle. Apple has a very little customer base. If you look at the economics, it has been extremely hard for Apple to get a return on its R&D with a shrinking volume base. It's not to say that Apple's products aren't innovative or cool, but the economic factors here are so overwhelming, it's very hard for them to swim against that tide." (Earlier this week, a Bloomberg News report contained similar comments on Apple from Dell co-president Kevin Rollins, alongside a statement that the company plans to solidify its number one position over Apple in education sales.) [article not yet available online]

On2 to demo QuickTime 5 plug-in at NAB

04/06, 12:15am

On2 to demo QuickTime 5 plug-in at NAB

On2, a developer of broadband multimedia streaming technology, has announced that its VP3 Plug-In for QuickTime 5.0 and VP4 video compression technologies will be available for public demonstration for the first time at this year's NAB conference. The company's system is said to deliver VHS-quality at 150 Kbps.

Macintosh Manager 1.4.1 offers improvements

04/06, 12:15am

Macintosh Manager 1.4.1 offers improvements

Apple Macintosh Manager 1.4.1 [4.5 MB] is the latest update to Apple's software for managing networks and user workgroups. The latest release squashes numerous bugs, and added desktop printing and locked desktop capabilities. The tool requires Mac OS 7.6 or later, or Mac OS X Server.

NewerRAM pledges firmware compatibility

04/06, 12:15am

NewerRAM pledges firmware compatibility

Peripheral Enhancements (NewerRAM) has become the latest RAM vendor to announce compatibility with Apple's G4 firmware updates, which have caused disabling of PC SDRAM on numerous systems. The company's Memory Edge RAM modules have been "thoroughly tested" and are backed by a lifetime warranty.

icons.cx returns with four new icon sets

04/06, 12:10am

icons.cx returns with four new icon sets

xicons.cx has returned with four new icon sets for OS X: Spiffy Apps V, Aqua Docs, Dragons, and OmniWeb iCandy. (For more OS X icons—updated daily—visit Xicons.)

Roundup: Schiller keynote, Jobs interview...

04/06, 12:05am

Roundup: Schiller keynote, Jobs interview...

Yesterday we noted Schiller's keynote at Streaming Media, Apple's retail plans in Syracuse, Intego acquisition of 3 new utilities, an in-depth look at Steve Jobs, shipment of Sonnet's Encore/ST G4 Duet, Dell's edu marketshare move, and Chizen's (and others') keynote at Seybold next week. Other updates included WebSTAR 4.4 (bundled with GoLive 5 for a limited time), Qualcomm's Eudora 5.1fc1, InstallerVISE 7.2, and a public beta of Apache 2.0b (noted on osx.macnn.com).