News Archive for 01/08/08

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VistaScan 4.0 posted to Umax ftp site

08/08, 9:35pm

VistaScan 4.0 posted to Umax ftp site

Umax has posted a final version of VistaScan 4.0 scanner software, according to MacNN reader Jason Greene.

Webkool: new GPL-based application server

08/08, 9:20pm

Webkool: new GPL-based application server

Artful and Tribeworks have announced Webkool, an open-source application server written in Key, a programming and description language that was developed by Tribeworks and used to construct Tribeworks' application authoring product, iShell. The architecture is based on XHTML and SQL and supports Linux, OS X, Solaris and Windows running Apache, IIS and Zeus with either MySQL, Oracle and SQL Server. The source code will be freely available in October and "allow for the exchange of code improvements and corrections without hindering commercial service."

TechTV: Apple helped created Wintel dominance

08/08, 9:10pm

TechTV: Apple helped created Wintel dominance

The Wintel architecture dominance was due in part to Apple, according to an article at TechTV.com noted by MacNN reader Norm Phillips: "The fact that IBM shared the technical aspects surrounding the PC with Microsoft and Intel actually contributed greatly to its success and helped it dominate in its fight with Apple, which is entirely proprietary."

Apple taking a cue from Gateway?

08/08, 9:10pm

Apple taking a cue from Gateway?

Apple's retail store strategy, which will be bolstered by two store openings this weekend, is perceived as "following in Gateway's retail footsteps [...] taking its products directly to consumers with splashy, high-tech showrooms that it can tightly control." The article notes that Minnesota has one of the highest percentages of Mac users per capita in the country.

Willow Designs debuts new iBook carry case

08/08, 9:05pm

Willow Designs debuts new iBook carry case

Willow Design has added an iBook 'Extra Carry Case to its line of Apple carrying case. The new case fits and iBook with an extra separated compartment for the power supply/cord and includes an accessories compartment for storing items such as a CDRW or Zip drive. The 2.9lbs case has high density foam on six sides, plastic reinforcements on three sides and hardboard on the bottom as well as a molded rubber handle and a padded shoulder strap.

OS X: Adaptec drivers, Timbkutu Pro, Flash

08/08, 8:50pm

OS X: Adaptec drivers, Timbkutu Pro, Flash

osx.macnn.com has notes of new SCSI card beta drivers from Adaptec, Netopia's Timbuktu Pro for OS X, and an update Flash plug-in for OS X.

Adaptec posts new beta/FC SCSI drivers

08/08, 8:50pm

Adaptec posts new beta/FC SCSI drivers

Adaptec has posted several new beta and FC SCSI card drivers for OS X 10.0.x and OS X Server, including PowerDomain 39160 v1.0b9, PowerDomain 29160/29160N 1.0b10, PowerDomain 2930U 1.0fc1 and AVA-2906 v1.0fc1.

Netopia to ship Timbuktu Pro for OS X

08/08, 5:00pm

Netopia to ship Timbuktu Pro for OS X

Netopia will next week announce availability of Timbuktu Pro for Mac OS X, MacNN has learned. The tool allows users to control Macs or Windows systems across a network, as transfer files and folders; send instant messages or interactive text chat; and even talk via voice intercom. A preview release of the software is currently available.

AMD also battling Megahertz Myth

08/08, 4:30pm

AMD also battling Megahertz Myth

AMD is apparently fighting its own battle with the "Megahertz Myth" detailed by Jon Rubinstein during Steve Jobs' expo keynote last month. The company's 1.5 Ghz Athlon chips are similar in performance to Intel's 2 Ghz Pentium 4 chips, but analysts say AMD will have a "tough time" convincing consumers that the clock speed is irrelevant.

Wild Brain uses Macs for Rat Race scene

08/08, 3:30pm

Wild Brain uses Macs for Rat Race scene

Wild Brain, a San Francisco-based animation company, used Macs exclusively to create an opening scene for the upcoming movie "Rat Race." "(We used) Adobe After Effects 5.0 program, utilizing some of their newest tools such as layer parenting, 3D tool and 16 bit color space to match to film color in logarithmic space."

Painter 7 officially ships

08/08, 3:25pm

Painter 7 officially ships

Corel has officially begun shipping Painter 7 under the "procreate" mantra used heavily during last month's Macworld Expo in NY. New features include watercolor paints, liquid ink, and a fully Aqua-compliant interface. MacNN reader Don Shank has sent us an extensive first-hand report (click on "read more") about Painter 7, which is priced at $499 for the full release and $199 for upgrades.

ID3X 1.6 adds multiple file updating

08/08, 3:15pm

ID3X 1.6 adds multiple file updating

ID3X 1.6 is an editor for easy manipulation of ID3 tags in mp3 music files. ID3 tags are used to store title, artist and other information in mp3 files. The new release allows updating of multiple selected files, and adds support for cover and back images.

Vortex 1.0: New iTunes visual plug-in

08/08, 3:00pm

Vortex 1.0: New iTunes visual plug-in

Trinfinity Software has released Vortex 1.0, a visual plug-in for Apple's iTunes. The freeware add-on requires iTunes 1.1 or later, and is compatible with both OS 9 and OS X. The company says more visual plug-ins are currently in development. [Classic, Carbon]

BW: "OS X-Cellent Progress "

08/08, 1:35pm

BW: "OS X-Cellent Progress "

Charles Hadded of BusinessWeek Online says that "Mac lovers are rejoicing at the prospect of new capabilities," despite the current shortcomings of OS X.

PAID 2.8.5 invoicing app prints bcards

08/08, 12:40pm

PAID 2.8.5 invoicing app prints bcards

PAID! 2.8.5 is a $80 runtime database application which allows freelancers in the film and television industry to easily track Job Invoices, Clients, Crew Members, Billing Items and Project Estimates. The free update adds a new Balance Statement printout, the ability to print Business Cards from included styles, customizable invoice headings, and support for 1024 x 768 monitor resolutions.

No Mac support from SprintPCS

08/08, 12:25pm

No Mac support from SprintPCS

Stephen Esrati writes about poor support for the Mac OS from wireless phone/data service provider SprintPCS:

"I bought a SprintPCS phone in January because it offered a connection to my Powerbook. When the phone arrived, I found all the software and hardware suitable only for Windows-based computers. I asked for Mac software. Finally, in June, Sprint told me that my phone is not adaptable to a Macintosh. My wife and I went to our nearest SprintPCS store to see what was available -- and found only a $500 phone that would accommodate a Mac. A sales person stated: "Macintosh! We don't have anything to do with it. It's an obsolete technology." Today (Tuesday, Aug. 7), Sprint has full-page newspaper ads offering a wireless web modem -- but not for the Mac." [contact SprintPCS]

Netscape 6.1 shipping, OS X preview available

08/08, 11:50am

Netscape 6.1 shipping, OS X preview available

Netscape has posted a final version of Netscape 6.1, a new version of its browser available for both Mac OS 8.5/9 as well as a preview for OS X. [Classic, Carbon]

Kids GoGoGo 4.0 updates

08/08, 10:53am

Kids GoGoGo 4.0 updates

MAKI Enterprise's Kids GoGoGo 4.0 is a free update to its $30 parental control program that offers blocks adult sites/hate violence/online gambling/drug sites via a database and also filters by content/words.

OSX: "great Unix environment, great desktop

08/08, 10:48am

OSX: "great Unix environment, great desktop

BSD Info site Greasydaemon.com has posted a first look at OS X, concluding: "MacOS X boils down to a great tool that allows me to do work more efficient and I can do it with a smile. It is something you have to experience for yourself. I strongly recommend taking it for a test spin and deciding for yourself. "

iBook 2001 Audio patch fixes dropped audio

08/08, 10:40am

iBook 2001 Audio patch fixes dropped audio

Intelligent Devices has released a small application, iBook 2001 Audio patch, "designed to patch an audio drop problem with the new iBook 2001 (dual USB) portables."

AT&T Broadband quietly blocks port 80

08/08, 10:40am

AT&T Broadband quietly blocks port 80

Scott Miller writes about some recent changes made to AT&T Broadband service: "Just another example of Mac uses being affected because M$ can't write Software. AT&T Broadband has blocked a traffic to port 80. Anyone with a personal website, can no long host it from thier own computer. I didn't find anything about it on their webpageI noticed sometime yesterday, I wasn't getting any hits on my site. My cousin confirmed it with someone he knows that work for AT&T."

MacDesktops: Alaska sunset, Lara Croft...

08/08, 9:15am

MacDesktops: Alaska sunset, Lara Croft...

MacDesktops has posted 14 new pictures over the past week, including Alaska sunset (Landscapes - Nature), Ghost in the Shell (Animation), iTunism 23 (Art), Lara Croft (Games), Modes (Art), Sunrise (Landscapes - Nature), and several others.

Adobe posts PageMaker 7.0 ColorSync update

08/08, 9:00am

Adobe posts PageMaker 7.0 ColorSync update

Adobe's PageMaker 7.0 ColorSync Component Update (August 2001) addresses "Type 1,010 errors" encountered by some when starting up PageMaker.

Final Cut Pro 2.02 updater fixes bugs

08/08, 8:55am

Final Cut Pro 2.02 updater fixes bugs

Apple's Final Cut Pro 2.0.2 updater addresses a number of issues in the professional video editing packing, including compatibility with Macintosh Manager. Version 2.02 also now allows the use of 32kHz audio files sounded in a 48kHz sequence, offers better support for systems with more than 1GB of memory, and fixes a few bugs.

Macromedia posts OS X flash

08/08, 8:45am

Macromedia posts OS X flash

Macromedia has posted the an updated release of its Flash plug-in for OS X, which plays interactive content incorporated in many Web sites. Flash 5.0r58 requires Mac OS X 10.0.4, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 (version 3408).

NetDICT 2.5: internet dictionary client

08/08, 8:10am

NetDICT 2.5: internet dictionary client

NetDICT 2.5 is a client for the RFC2229 Internet dictionary (DICT) protocol. It accesses a number of Internet dictionary databases, including Webster's Revised Unabridged, the U.S. Gazetter, several computing dictionaries and several Bible dictionaries. The Carbon release is both OS 9 and OS X compatible.

RealBASIC 3.5b4 posted

08/08, 8:05am

RealBASIC 3.5b4 posted

RealBASIC 3.5b4, the latest release of REAL Software's easy-to-use programming environment, fixes issues with RbScript, Mac OS X (particularly with 10.1), in addition to numerous other enhancements and bug-fixes. This release also marks the appearance of Mac OS X support for Office Automation. [Classic, Carbon]

Passenger 2.0: server account creation util

08/08, 7:45am

Passenger 2.0: server account creation util

Passenger 2.0 is a server account creation and password generation tool that will import tab and comma-delimited text, ASIP 6.3 and Mac OS X XML and create account information and passwords for AppleShare IP 5-6.3, Mac OS X Server, Macintosh Manager, Eudora Internet Mail Server, WebSTAR FTP, WebSTAR Web, Master Spell and Master Key. The new release offers enhanced support for OS X Server. [Classic, Carbon]

Tech Report downs Apple, speed claims

08/08, 7:15am

Tech Report downs Apple, speed claims

An article at the Tech Report attempts to debunk the claims of Apple and other web outlets regarding the quality and speed of Power Mac G4s. "Steve Jobs has come back on the scene to parody himself, making wild claims for the performance and utility of the fruity computer company's decidedly behind-the-curve products."