News Archive for 01/04/17

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Epson introduces Stylus Photo 785EPX inkjet

04/17, 8:35pm

Epson introduces Stylus Photo 785EPX inkjet

Epson today announced its new Stylus Photo 785EPX ink jet printer, designed for digital camera interoperability with BorderFree photo printing, compatibility with popular digital media storage media, as well as PRINT Image Matching for color accuracy.

SetiDockling 1.0 displays SETI progress

04/17, 7:45pm

SetiDockling 1.0 displays SETI progress

SetiDockling 1.0 is a dockling for Mac OS X, similar to a control strip module in Mac OS, that monitors the progress of Seti@home clients working on your computer. (Readers are encouraged to join Team MacNN.)

GMan! 1.0b1 delivers graphical MAN pages

04/17, 7:40pm

GMan! 1.0b1 delivers graphical MAN pages

GMan! 1.0b1 is the initial public release of a graphical MAN page viewer for Mac OS X. The program aims to eliminate the need for administrative users to use Unix-style "man" commands within the Terminal.

Entourage Email Archive 1.4 adds "filter"

04/17, 7:35pm

Entourage Email Archive 1.4 adds "filter"

Entourage Email Archive 1.4 is a new version of the utility for archiving emails and attachments with Microsoft's Entourage. The new version primarily adds a new "filter" feature that lets users choose to archive only emails older than a certain date.

Blizzard adds "Asia 2" for Diablo II

04/17, 7:25pm

Blizzard adds "Asia 2" for Diablo II

Blizzard Entertainment has opened a second Battle.net realm for serving Diablo II customers in the Asia Pacific region, "Asia 2".

Toast 5.0.1 Titanium adds iTunes support

04/17, 7:20pm

Toast 5.0.1 Titanium adds iTunes support

Roxio's Toast 5.0.1 Titanium is an updated version of its CD recording software for the Macintosh. The update adds iTunes and Disc Burner compatibility, fixing some minor compatibility issues with the Apple SuperDrive, and will now allow you to use your built in CD-RW drive as the source and destination in the Copy format. The update does not provide compatibility with Mac OS X, which the company has promised once it receives a complete I/O Kit for Apple's new operating system.

MacSpeech delivers AOL5, FileMaker ScriptPaks

04/17, 6:25pm

MacSpeech delivers AOL5, FileMaker ScriptPaks

MacSpeech today announced the availability of ScriptPaks for both America Online 5.0 and FileMaker Pro 5.0. The ScriptPaks are compatible with the company's free ListenDo! program, and iListen, its speech recognition program for both dictation and command & control.

Epson Driver Update 1.1 now available

04/17, 6:20pm

Epson Driver Update 1.1 now available

Tom Rodgers notes that the Epson Driver Update 1.1 is available using the Software Update panel within Mac OS X. No further information on what has changed in the update is currently available.

PGP Security adds Mac support to VPNs

04/17, 6:00pm

PGP Security adds Mac support to VPNs

PGP Security, a Network Associates company, today introduced Virtual Private Networking (VPN) software that will enable Intel VPN Gateways to support Mac OS clients. VPNs are primarily used by businesses to provide secure, private communication between employees, partners and customers.

Steve Jobs to kick off WWDC 2001

04/17, 5:50pm

Steve Jobs to kick off WWDC 2001

Apple has announced that CEO Steve Jobs will kick off the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2001 with a "fireside chat" with developers on Monday, May 21 at 9:30 AM at the San Jose Convention Center. The $1,600 per-person, five-day event—which will be focused almost exclusively on Mac OS X—is expected to be sold out with developers looking to learn more about technical issues and development tools for the new operating system.

Forums: BaseStation options, new iBook...

04/17, 5:45pm

Forums: BaseStation options, new iBook...

Interesting threads in our forums include: AirPort base station alternatives · a wishlist for the new iBook · the BeOS and running it on a Mac · a hissing internal speaker on a new G4 · DVD playback in a G4 that shipped with a CD-ROM drive.

3ivx Preview 3 release, includes OS X version

04/17, 4:35pm

3ivx Preview 3 release, includes OS X version

Happy Machines has released the third preview of its 3ivx codec, a natural video compression system that is compliant with MPEG-4v3 and compresses videos to one thirteenth the size of a DVD or MPEG-2 movie. The new release includes several enhancements resulting in "improved video playback while maintaining small file sizes and low bit-rates" and the first version of the decoder for Mac OS X.

WebEvent receives $2.5M, will support OS X

04/17, 4:30pm

WebEvent receives $2.5M, will support OS X

WebEvent 3.4.2 is the latest release of the interactive Web calendar and scheduling application that allows you to view and modify calendar-type events from any computer. The new version adds an "end date option for repeating events" and additional improvements and bug fixes. In addition, the company has received an equity investment of $2.5 million from two Boston-based venture capital firms and expects to announce support for Mac OS X within the next 30 days. [form]

Apple lawyers take on themes

04/17, 4:25pm

Apple lawyers take on themes

Apple has issued a cease and desist order against the Mac Themes Project for creating a theme editor, which allows theme designers to create new themes for Mac OS 8.5 and above, according to Macworld UK. Apple claims the editor enables third parties to copy its copyrighted trademark themes by "improperly copying Apple's copyrighted software code and graphic files". In February, Apple put legal pressure on a Windows skinning-environment, Stardock, when it released a skin that resembled the Aqua interface used in Mac OS X.

Fly! II reaches golden master

04/17, 3:00pm

Fly! II reaches golden master

Terminal Reality has announced that Fly! II, its sequel to the award-winning and ultra-realistic flight sim for the Mac and PC Fly!, has reached golden master status and will be on store shelves in May, according to Sim Arena.

Apple increasing presence in law firms

04/17, 2:30pm

Apple increasing presence in law firms

The State Journal is currently showcasing an article which covers Apple's increased presence in law firms around the country. According to a survey by the American Bar Association, the number of law firms using Macs increased by over 250 percent between 1998 and 2001. The increase is credited primarily to the success of Apple's iMac, which is now used on the desks of many lawyers.

FoldersSynchronizer gains OS X compatibility

04/17, 2:20pm

FoldersSynchronizer gains OS X compatibility

The latest beta release of Softobe's FoldersSynchronizer 2.1—a $30 shareware utility for synchronizing and backing up files, folders, and disks—is now a Carbon application, suitable for running on both Mac OS Classic and Mac OS X.

Refurbished Macs, displays at Apple Store

04/17, 2:15pm

Refurbished Macs, displays at Apple Store

After being removed for several weeks, refurbished products have returned to the Apple Store. 400MHz Indigo iMacs are $750, Power Mac G4/450 MP systems are $1700, 15" Studio Displays are $650, and 22" Cinema Displays are available for $2500. All products carry a 90-day warranty. (Click the Special Deals button at the bottom of the Apple Store.)

WordSmith 1.12 adds Mac sync to Palms

04/17, 2:10pm

WordSmith 1.12 adds Mac sync to Palms

Blue Nomad has released WordSmith 1.12, a new version of its $30 full-featured word processor, memo pad and rich text document viewer for Palm OS-based handhelds. The new version incorporates a bi-direction synchronization conduit that provides Mac users the ability to synchronize Rich Text Format files, such as those created by Microsoft Word, to and from their handheld organizers.

Package Tracker 3.1 improves on OS X

04/17, 2:00pm

Package Tracker 3.1 improves on OS X

Package Tracker 3.1, the "first and only" package management solution for Mac and Mac OS X, includes modifications to improve compatibility with Mac OS X 10.0 and later and improvements to FedEx package tracking. [1.2 MB -- Classic; 1.4 MB -- Carbon]

MacNN Review: mimio

04/17, 2:00pm

MacNN Review: mimio

We have posted a review of mimio, a device that allows any white board to function electronically and communicate with a Mac.

SETI UNiT Manager 3.3.1 optimizes crunching

04/17, 1:25pm

SETI UNiT Manager 3.3.1 optimizes crunching

SETI UNiT Manager 3.3.1 is a maintenance release of the utility for optimizing crunching of units in the SETI@home distributed computing project. (Readers are encouraged to join Team MacNN.)

Morphon XML Editor Suite 1.1.1 fixes bugs

04/17, 1:10pm

Morphon XML Editor Suite 1.1.1 fixes bugs

Morphon Technologies has released the Morphon XML Editor Suite 1.1.1, a new version of its validating WYSIWYG XML editor that lets users "create and modify XML documents in an intuitive manner." The editor guarantees the integrity of XML documents using DTDs (Document Type Definition) and CSS (Cascading StyleSheets). Version 1.1.1 addresses some issues with the previous version (1.1) concerning installation and startup and is available as an installer for Mac OS or an archive for Mac OS X.

Bachmann introduces InfraReady Adapter

04/17, 12:45pm

Bachmann introduces InfraReady Adapter

Bachmann Software & Services has introduced a portable InfraReady Adapter, a device which adds infrared transfer capability to any printer for beaming documents directly from a Palm OS-based handheld computer. The $56, battery-powered device connects to the parallel port of the printer, and works in conjunction with Bachmann's PrintBoy software for transferring the material to the printer.

games.macnn.com goes on hiatus

04/17, 12:20pm

games.macnn.com goes on hiatus

games.macnn.com will be put on hiatus in order to focus staff resources at the main page of the Macintosh News Network (MacNN). Important and relevant games coverage will continue at the main site, including coverage of major events and announcements in the Mac gaming industry. We appreciate the support of our readers, and we hope that you'll continue to look to MacNN for your daily Mac news needs.

Thoth 1.1.2: Carbon newsreader updated

04/17, 11:40am

Thoth 1.1.2: Carbon newsreader updated

Thoth 1.1.2, an update to the shareware ($25) Carbon newsreader, adds long file name support for binary files as well as new viewing options, and a few bug fixes.

IBM ViaVoice SDK 1.0 shipping; demo available

04/17, 11:35am

IBM ViaVoice SDK 1.0 shipping; demo available

IBM recently posted the IBM ViaVoice for Mac SDK v1.0 for developers to incorporate speech recognition into their applications. IBM's software development kit (SDK) enables programmers to develop both dictation and command & control applications. A 90-day trial version is available online.

Producer comments on Myst III's Europe delay

04/17, 11:35am

Producer comments on Myst III's Europe delay

Myst III's release will be delayed in Europe by 4 months after its anticipated May 7th release in the U.S. because game publisher Ubi Soft is pushing for localization in several languages (in addition to German, French, Dutch), according to a forum posting from the producer.

PowerLogix reduces pricing on G3/G4 upgrades

04/17, 10:30am

PowerLogix reduces pricing on G3/G4 upgrades

PowerLogix has reduced prices on its G3 and G4 upgrades, including its BlueChip "WallStreet" PowerBook upgrades. The 466/233/1MB model has dropped $150 to $450, while the faster 500/250/1MB version dropped $100 to $600. PowerLogix also reduced pricing on its PowerForce G4 450/225/1MB for Power Mac 7300/9600 series machines and its PowerForce G4 ZIF 450/225/1MB upgrade for beige and blue G3s—both of which are are now $450 ($50 drop).

iDisks available again under OS 9.1

04/17, 10:05am

iDisks available again under OS 9.1

Apple has solved problems users were having mounting iDisks under Mac OS 9.1, according to a recent post in Apple's discussion boards: "iDisk should now be available as normal." A post last week acknowledged problems mounting iDisks under Mac OS 9, but noted that it was still available via direct access using the Chooser.

Adobe pledges $9M to support global community

04/17, 9:50am

Adobe pledges $9M to support global community

Adobe has committed over $9 million in cash and product donations to provide long-term support for the programs of 19 non-profit organizations selected as Adobe community investment partners.

Apple TIL explains firmware update problems

04/17, 9:35am

Apple TIL explains firmware update problems

Apple last week quietly posted more official information about its RAM-disabling firmware update in its Tech Info Library:

The Apple 4.1.7 and 4.1.8 firmware updates incorporate a number of fixes that dramatically improve system stability and performance. The update also includes a check that validates whether the memory installed in the computer is compatible. This check was added to help alleviate random crashes and stability issues. This memory test disables memory DIMMs that are found to be out of specification, and DIMMs that cannot be determined to be compatible. As a result, some third-party memory that was recognized by previous versions of firmware may no longer be recognized after the updates.

Prowler 2.12: update to shareware browser

04/17, 9:20am

Prowler 2.12: update to shareware browser

Prowler 2.1.2 is an update to Andrew Cunningham's shareware ($15) image browser, image viewer and management tool that adds a "Sort" menu, that allows you to sort the file list by file name, date modified, date created or by file size.

Tech: Moms spur Internet growth, @home warn

04/17, 9:00am

Tech: Moms spur Internet growth, @home warn

Morning tech news: Moms are one of the fastest growing groups online according to a new report that states that more than half of female Internet newcomers are mothers with at least one child under the age of 18; Excite@home has issued preliminary first quarter results saying it expects revenues to come in at $140-145 million for the quarter—virtually unchanged from a year ago—while reporting a loss of $0.14-$0.15 per share as the company's cash and short-term investments dwindled to $105 million from $201 million at last year's end; and AOL reports that it has exceeded 29 million users and that the average user spends 70 minutes online each day, up from 64 minutes a year ago.

Fantom ships FireWire 16x10x40 CD-RW drive

04/17, 3:35am

Fantom ships FireWire 16x10x40 CD-RW drive

Fantom Drives is now shipping its FireWire 16x10x40 CD-RW drive. The $350 drive uses a TEAC mechanism, ships with a IEEE-1394 cable, blank CD media, and Adaptec Toast "Standard," and is covered by a one-year warranty.

Acrobat Reader 5.0 available on Adobe ftp

04/17, 3:15am

Acrobat Reader 5.0 available on Adobe ftp

English, French, Japanese, and German versions of Adobe's Acrobat Reader 5.0 are now available on its ftp site. The Carbonized application is available as a 10 MB download using a Web installer with an optional 1 MB search plugin.

Roundup: Tech earnings week, more

04/17, 2:00am

Roundup: Tech earnings week, more

Yesterday we reported on the many tech companies announcing quarterly earnings this week, including Apple; Fantom Drives completed its acquisition of MicroNet and resumed technical support services for MicroNet customers; Custer's Corner unveiled its new desktop; FOCUS introduced a PC-to-TV scan converter, Pro AV 1600 PCI; QPS unveiled the Que! LS-240 SuperDisk drive; and notable software releases included GraphicConverter 4.0.7, Label Printer Pro 6, Snak 4.6.1 and Cache Control X 1.0b1 for Mac OS X.