News Archive for 01/12/07

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iPod software update warning

12/07, 8:45pm

iPod software update warning

A MacNN reader warns that hitting the "cancel" button during the iPod software update process may render your iPod unusable:

"Just to let you know that I had a perfectly working ipod until I decided to run the update. No progress was being shown on the progress bar so I decided after 5 mins to press the CANCEL" ... "now stuck on the welcome screen (apple logo with Ipod Title) and the HD is running constantly" ... "I believed that is that option was available that meant that it was not dangerous."

Excite transitioning to new management?

12/07, 8:25pm

Excite transitioning to new management?

Ian Struckhoff has provided MacNN with the transcript of an email he received from Excite today:

Excite is transitioning to new management.

If you want to keep your free excite.com email account and personalized Excite settings (stock portfolio, classified listings, Chat profile, etc.), all you need to do is click Yes! below. This will give us permission to transfer your membership information to the NEW Excite. Please transfer my Excite settings and excite.com email account to the NEW Excite. [Activation address provided]

We appreciate your prompt response, and look forward to your continued membership with Excite.

HS reduces Visor Edge price; holiday deals

12/07, 7:45pm

HS reduces Visor Edge price; holiday deals

Handheld computer maker Handspring today announced they have started a new holiday promotion. Starting December 9, the Visor Edge will sell for $270; additionally, until December 15, anyone who buys a Visor handheld, except Visor Deluxe, from a participating retail store will receive a free Springboard expansion module worth up to $50.

MS settlement opponents submit alternative

12/07, 5:55pm

MS settlement opponents submit alternative

CNNmoney is reporting that opponents of the federal government's proposed antitrust settlement with Microsoft, including nine states, have submitted an alternative proposal. Among the new, stricter provisions, is one calling for an independent "special master" with more power to curb anticompetitive behavior -- more than the "oversight committee" the U.S. Justice Department calls for. Another, perhaps more significant, provision in the purposed settlement is one that would require the software giant to make its 'Office' productivity suite available on at least three operating systems other than Windows-- including the Mac OS and Linux.

Panasonic offers $280 duplex laser printer

12/07, 4:30pm

Panasonic offers $280 duplex laser printer

Panasonic has introduced the KX-P7100, a $280 duplex laser printer that delivers 600-dpi output and 15 pages per minute print speed. The printer also includes a power saving mode that is activated after no data is received for 15 minutes. The KX-P7100 comes standard with 2MB RAM and USB connectivity. An Ethernet connection and extra sheet capacity are available as options.

ClipWorks updated to v2.0.1

12/07, 4:10pm

ClipWorks updated to v2.0.1

Angelo Scicolone, a Mac OS and Mac OS X software deleoper, today announced the release of ClipWorks v2.0.1. With version 2.0.1, ClipWorks remembers Print Settings and no longer has a bug that causes Apple and Application Menu Items to appear in German on non-German OS X machines. ClipWorks is a $10 carbon utility that allows you to quickly edit the content of the clipboard.

Netscape 6.2.1 adds features

12/07, 3:35pm

Netscape 6.2.1 adds features

Netscape has released version 6.2.1 of its popular carbon web browser and email client. The update brings improved stability and several new features; a new address book tab and an improved autocomplete are among the additions.

iPod Software updater v1.02

12/07, 2:05pm

iPod Software updater v1.02

Apple has posted an iPod Software updater v1.02, which adds support for additional languages, including Spanish, Italian, and Dutch and improves power management in low battery conditions.

Tech: Palm investor, EarthLink, Intel and AMD

12/07, 1:40pm

Tech: Palm investor, EarthLink, Intel and AMD

Afternoon tech news: Palm reported that an unnamed investor has provided $50 million in financing to help fund the company's wireless and corporate sales efforts; Earthlink plans to acquire the assets of OmniSky, a wireless ISP with 32,000 subscribers; Intel and AMD have both raised quarterly profit projections, citing strong holiday demand for personal computers.

School district retains Macs with 3Com

12/07, 1:20pm

School district retains Macs with 3Com

The Caledonia Community Schools district in Michigan has announced that it will retain its Macintosh systems thanks to new hardware from 3Com, which boasts compatibility with AppleTalk. 85 percent of the school's computers are Macs, and school officials say that the new quarter-million dollar purchase from 3Com will enable a new video broadcasting application and ensure secure Internet access for 3,202 students.

Addonics introduces stand-alone CD-RW drive

12/07, 1:15pm

Addonics introduces stand-alone CD-RW drive

Addonics has announced a new CD-RW drive combination that can also be used as a stand alone one-to-one CD duplicator. The Combo CDRW/Copier includes a 52X CD-ROM as a source drive and a 24 x 10 x 40 CDRW as the destination drive. List price of the Addonics CDRW/Copier is $430 with USB 2.0 interface cable, $450 with CardBus cable, and $470 with FireWire cable.

Long-range wireless standard approved

12/07, 12:10pm

Long-range wireless standard approved

The Standard Board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association officially approved the IEEE Standard 802.16 ("Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems") today. Representatives say the approval will speed deployment of 10 to 66 GHz wireless metropolitan area networks that function in a manner similar to AirPort networks.

PocketDock 2.2.3 adds Japanese language

12/07, 11:40am

PocketDock 2.2.3 adds Japanese language

PocketDock 2.23 adds Japanese language support to the $20 shareware application launcher/organizer with multiple skin support.

SparkLE: real-time audio authoring

12/07, 8:30am

SparkLE: real-time audio authoring

TC Works is offering SparkLE, its new real-time audio editing and authoring application, for $20 in a special Christmas Offer. SparkLE includes a Plug-In bundle with a mastering quality Audio Maximizer, a flexible Tempo Delay and a One Band EQ with various equalization options (selectable Notch, Low Pass, High Pass and Parametric). A new version is due in January with MP3 encoding via the original Fraunhofer codec. Registered customers will be offered an upgrade to the $50 application for $10.

Apple Instant Loan defers for 180 days

12/07, 8:20am

Apple Instant Loan defers for 180 days

Apple's Instant Loan offers the bility to defer interest and payments for 180 days to qualified buyers. The promo, which ends December 31st, offers APRs as low as 9.9% on loans of up to $25,000.

Microsoft struggles w/Office v.X product keys

12/07, 8:10am

Microsoft struggles w/Office v.X product keys

MacNN reader Eric Cherry writes about continued problems with the initial shipments of Office v.X, noting that Microsoft is still struggling to help customers activate their software package, after including incorrect product keys with the package (and other shipping the delays).

Diiva 1.03 Previews: newsreader for images

12/07, 8:10am

Diiva 1.03 Previews: newsreader for images

Diiva Associates has released Diiva 1.0.3pre1, a preview of its $35 newsreader for images, lets you easily browse through the encoded pictures in newsgroups. It's able to automatically categorize images, display image previews, and manage your archive of downloaded pictures.

iOrganizer 2.1 adds personal contact icons

12/07, 8:05am

iOrganizer 2.1 adds personal contact icons

The $25 iOrganizer 2.1, which includes an address book, a bookmark list, an event calendar, and a download list, adds new contact icons to personalize contacts in the address book. [Classic, Carbon]

Ambrosia releases Deimos Rising

12/07, 8:00am

Ambrosia releases Deimos Rising

Ambrosia Software has released Deimos Rising, the much-anticipated sequel to its Mars Rising. The fast-action, arcade-style game is "about revenge. And not yours. Mars Rising's big brother is here, and he's pissed off. David Wareing has once again crafted a masterpiece of twitch gaming bliss that combines killer graphics, sounds, music, and action into an experience that'll leave you breathless." The $20 shareware supports OS X as well.

Magellan 3.01: multilingual email client

12/07, 7:55am

Magellan 3.01: multilingual email client

MAKI Enterprise has released Magellan 3.0.1, a maintenance update to its email client that brings better Unicode conversion for Hebrew, a new OS X application, and support for spell checker/word services in OS X. It is available in both Japanese and English. [Classic, Carbon]

Quanta receives order for 1M new iMacs

12/07, 7:50am

Quanta receives order for 1M new iMacs

Quanta, Taiwan's largest notebook-computer maker, has received an order from Apple to manufacture a new model of the iMac, according to report in the Economic Daily News. The report also notes that the order for more than a million iMacs a year starting in the first quarter of 2002 is Quanta's first contract to produce desktop computers for another company and that Apple will introduce the new model, fitted with a 15-inch liquid crystal display in January at Macworld SF.

iShell 2.5.1 for creating dynamic apps

12/07, 7:45am

iShell 2.5.1 for creating dynamic apps

Tribeworks has releaesd iShell 2.5.1, a framework for developers to create dynamic, data-intensive applications. Version 2.5.1 includes dynamic font-loading and enhanced interoperability with QuickTime and Flash as well as integration of the Internet module for secure data transfer and ftp upload, improved support for Unix servers, and hot text support in HTML and RTF.