Brother demos P-touch PT-9200DX labeler

Brother is showcasing its Mac-compatible P-touch PT-9200DX system at MacWorld Expo 2002. The PT-9200DX is a USB-based labeling system that offers 360dpi laser quality printing, graphic- and bar code-printing, support for 1.5\" TZ tape, an automatic tape cutter, and a top-load clamshell design. OS X drivers are due \"early this year.\"

Epson ships C80WN wireless inkjet

Epson is now shipping its Stylus C80WN wireless desktop ink jet printer, which features a wireless Ethernet 802.11b print server for printing from AirPort-equipped Macs or via a wireless access point. The package includes parallel-port-based, 128-bit compatible print server and the Stylus C80, a 20 ppm printer with USB connectivity and 2880x720 dpi resolution. The $450 printer has a $50 mail-in rebate and will be available within the next few weeks at retail stores and at its online store.

C&G publishes Captain Bumper, TimeSlice

Casady & Greene has signed a US and Asia publishing and distribution agreement with MacRun Game to distribute Captain Bumper, an action/arcade game \"ideal for families in search of thrill seeking family fun!\" It is expected to ship \"soon\" for $30 and will support Classic and OS X. The company is also publishing TimeSlice, a $60 billing application for consultants, and graphic/web designers. A demo is available. (As noted last week, the company also introduced Conflict Catcher 9.) [site not responding]

QPS intros FireWire 120MB drive, 32x CD-RW

In addition to other QPS announcements made yesterday, the company is also shipping a new FireWire 120MB Que! M3 UltraSlim Hard Drive and its 32X Que! CD-RW Burner. The $480 hard drive drive has a 7,200 rpm mechanism and offers transfer rates up to 34/35MB per second, while the $300 32X CD-RW offers a 32x/10x/40x mechanism, 4MB buffer, FireWire connectivity, and UDF Reader and Toast. It also debuted an $380 external Que! Firewire M5 Combo that combines 60GB, 5,400 rpm hard disk with built-in 8x8x24 CD-RW back-up drive (includes Dantz Retrospect); and the Que! M5 RAID Drives with CharisMac RAID software includes two A/V-rated large-capacity drives with either FireWire (200GB or 240GB) or LVD SCSI connectivity (72MB or 146MB).

Free version version of Maya due in February

Alias|Wavefront has announced that it is developing the Maya Personal Learning Edition, which will provide OS X users unlimited, free access to Maya. The Personal Learning Edition offers a free seat of Maya for non-commercial use for one-year (license is renewable). It will provide full access to the toolsets of Maya Complete including NURBS modeling, animation, inverse kinematics, Maya Artisan, Maya Paint Effects, particles, dynamics and Maya\'s advanced rendering capabilities, but restricts users to non-commercial applications through the display of a watermark on images as well as through the use of a special non-commercial file format; it cannot be used with industry-standard plug-ins. It will be available for free download beginning in February 2002. CD copies may also be ordered for $5 plus shipping and handling.

CopyPasteX 1.02: clipboard enhancement tool

Scriptsoftware has posted CopyPaste X 1.02, an update to its shareware clipboard enhancement utility that provides multiple keyboards, the ability to save the clipboard through restarts, and other enhancements.

Apple posts streaming, QT videos online

Apple has posted the streaming version of this morning\'s Expo Keynote \'02 as well as an online version of the new iPhoto Ad titled \"Baby Jack.\" and the new iMac marketing video.

Reader : Apple lowers BTO RAM prices

MacNN reader Josh Lewis noted that the Apple Store has reduced pricing on RAM upgrades for BTO orders: \"It seems RAM prices have come down at the Apple Store. It used to cost $100 to add 128MB of RAM to certain computers, but now, at least as an OEM option, it only costs $50, and that ratio seems to stick as you go higher. It\'s much more realistic when looking at today\'s RAM prices. They\'ve really needed this change.\"

MacAnalysis 2.1 adds firewall, traceroute map

Lagoon Software has released MacAnalysis 2.1 for Mac OS X. The security auditing suite, which scans network and hardware devices for security issues, includes a firewall (for protection) and visual traceroute maps (to show where an attack is coming from).

REALbasic 4 improves flexibility and power

REALbasic 4, the easy-to-use tool for creating software on Mac OS 9 and X, is now available. New features include find-and-repleace, custom controls, better multimedia support, and an interactive shell. [Classic,Carbon]

Connectix releases VirtualPC 5.01 update

Connectix has released VirtualPC 5.01, an update to its emulation software that began shipping last month. A technical update answers the Why VirtualPC 5 is slower on OS X than on OS 9?: \"It is a fact that Virtual PC will never be as fast on Mac OS X as it is on Mac OS 9 (on the same underlying Mac hardware).... Connectix’s internal performance testing indicates that the quantitative difference between Virtual PC 5 on Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X is typically in the 20-35% range.\"

MacNN Keynote Photo Galleries

We\'ve posted a number of photos from this morning\'s keynote: Gallery I | II | III | IV.

Palm Desktop 4.0 beta officially announced

Palm today officially announced Palm Desktop 4.0 software for OS X, bringing native OS X support, improved handheld-to-desktop data compatibility, vCard and vCal support, and the ability to use multiple languages. (The download was made available in late December.)

FireWire device drivers increase performance

Digital Audio Miracles has released DAM Fast FireWire Loader 1.2, a new driver FireWire storage driver designed \"specifically for the high-stress environments of digital audio. The driver is optimized for the Oxford 911 Chipset to \"give the highest possible performance, claiming up to 300% performance increases. It is $35.

Portfolio 6: digital asset management

Extensis has announced Portfolio 6, a major upgrade to its Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution for sharing, organizing, retrieving and distributing digital files. Version 6 includes a a new Collect & Publish feature that automatically collects and catalogs files for CD distribution and lets users create a stand-alone browser application on-the-fly. Other features include FolderSync, a floating palette, the ability to create Web Pages, instant cataloging, batch renaming/keywording, email functions, EXIF support, and custom field support.It is due in February for $200; upgrades start at $70. Portfolio Server with 5 free clients is $2,500.

Tech: MS denied, 2.2 Ghz P4, Java phones

Afternoon tech news: U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has denied Microsoft\'s request for a delay in its antitrust hearing trials, which remain scheduled to being March 11; AMD has announced the Athlon XP 200+, while Intel countered with a 2.2 GHz revamped Pentium 4; Several java-enabled cell phones are on display at this week\'s CES.

Addonics offers 12x/12x/40x Combo Drive

Addonics has debuted a DVD/CDRW/CD-ROM All-in-One Drive with FireWire, CardBus and USB 2.0 interfaces. The new, mobile drive incrporates a 12x DVD player, a 12x CDRW burner, and a 40x CD-ROM drive. Depending on the drive interface used, the DVD/CDRW has a data transfer rate from 300-4800 KB/sec and an access speed of 100 m/sec. Priced at $400 and up (depending on interface), the drive also includes Mac OS 9 software drivers.

eZediaMX 3.0 offers media management, display

eZediaMX 3.0, a tool used to integrate, manage, control and display digital media, has been released in both Mac OS and Mac OS X flavors. The software can handle video, graphics, animation, sound, MP3s, VRs and text, and can create product demonstrations, virtual environments, storyboards, and training systems. The tool is priced at $240 for the full version and $100 for an upgrade.

Iridium HD offers two 10-bit SDI outputs

Digital Voodoo is now shipping Iridium HD, a high definition output-only broadcast design card featuring two 10-bit broadcast SDI outputs. The Iridium HD works with uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2:4 or 4:4:4:4 dual-link video directly in YUV colorspace, offers real-time uncompressed 10-bit QuickTime playback without any kind of video compression, and can operate in either 1080i or 720p television systems.

Belkin introduces five new USB 2.0 products

Belkin introduced four new USB 2.0 products today, including a FireWire/ USB 2.0 PCI Card, USB 2.0 2-Port PCI Card, USB 2.0 Notebook Card and a USB 2.0 4-Port Hub.

Hitachi delivers 18\" S-IPS LCD display

Hitachi America, Ltd has introduced an 18 inch flat panel display incorporating the company\'s new S-IPS technolog, claims to deliver reductions in color shift and increased color accuracy. Hitachi says its new LCD can be viewed with distinction from viewing angles of 170 degrees, in both horizontal and vertical directions. The display is priced at $999, and includes a Mac-compatible analog connection.

OWC offers iBook, TiBook screen protectors

Other World Computing (OWC) has introduced a new series of Laptop Screen Protectors which are designed to preven damage to a portable\'s screen when it is closed. The cowhide covers fit across a laptop\'s keyboard to prevent the keyboard and buttons on the base of the laptop from coming in contact with the laptop screen, purportedly disallowing the transfer of skin oils. The company has developed three sizes: 4- x 11-inches for the iBook Dual USB; 5- x 11.5-inches, which fits over most standard laptop keyboards; and 8.5- x 12.75-inches for the PowerBook G4 Titanium. Pricing starts at $14.95.

RCA to ship 10 GB, 11 ounce MP3 player

Today at the International CES, RCA announced it would ship a new version of its Lyra Personal Jukebox, that will have 10 GB of storage (opposed to the iPod\'s 5 GB) and weigh 11 ounces (opposed to the iPod\'s 6.5 ounces) at a suggested retail price $299. The Mac OS X compatible device will sport USB connectivity, and double as a hard drive.

Apple introduces new iMac, iPhoto, and iBook

Steve Jobs today introduced a new iMac, iPhoto software, and a new 14.1\" iBook. new \"lamp-style\" flat-panel iMac with a 15\" flat panel display attached to a rounded base. The iMac features a G4 processor running at speeds of 700- or 800-MHz and either a CD-RW, Combo (DVD/CD-RW), or a SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW). Jobs also reduced pricing its CD-RW- and Combo-drive the 12.1\" iBooks (by $100), eliminted the DVD-drive model, and introduced a new 14.1\" iBook with a Combo drive for $1799. New iPhoto software for OS X is Apple\'s fouth digital hub application, offering the ability to import, edit, and print photos online (through Apple\'s online services). iPhoto is free and is available today. (See our keynote coverage for more details and other notes). Apple also announced that OS X would the default OS on all shipping Macs.

New AppleScript imports from OE to FM Pro

Andrew Starr notes the release of an Applescript to import mail from Outlook Express to FileMaker Pro. (Other conversion tools are also available.)

Web Dumper 1.1: offline Web browsing tool

Maxprog\'s Web Dumper 1.1 is an update to the offline Internet browsing tool, offering better support for downloading files from any directory structure, authentication support, and interface improvements. [Classic, Carbon]

BTV Pro 5.3 adds DV device control

Ben Bird has released BTV Pro 5.3, an update to his $40 software for video capture, editing, and stop-motion animation. It also offers timelapse capture, motion detection, and DV video input and output and works with any Mac compatible video input source. Version 5.3 offers DV device control, the ability to directly capture a DV stream, improved DV output, automatic file backup, size-settings for frame captures, and a \"smoother\" playback option.

Mac Browser Roundup covers IE, Opera

A List Apart recently posted a Mac Browser Roundup, which includes \"mini-reviews\" on Opera and Internet Explorer 5.1.

Willow Design has new iBook, TiPB cases

Willow Design has debuted four new slipcases for the Titanium and iBook. The compact, lightweight case feature half inch foam padding and stiffening plastic side-panels, extra high-density polyethylene on the top and bottom, a zippered front-organizer, case handle, shoulder strap, and a back-magazine pocket as well as a large zippered mesh accessory pocket built into the protective front flap cover: Titanium Two; Titanium \'Slide 2; iBook \'Away Two; and iBook Whumph!. Each case is $65.

QPS intros DVDBurner+RW, DVD Dupe tower

QPS today introduced its DVDBurner+RW, a new external device with a combo mechansim that supports both DVD-RW and CD-RW authoring and new DVD Duplication Towers for easily duplicating DVDs.

Adobe GoLive 6 supports OS X, workgroups

Adobe today introduced GoLive 6.0 (and Adobe Web Workgroup Server), a new OS X-native version of its site management and collaboration package with wireless authoring and workgroup functions.

WebPrint Plus 5.0c adds Classic compatibility

Stephen Becker\'s WebPrint Plus 5.0C adds Classic compatibility to his printing/organization utility that \"lets users gather, save, and print selections of text -- of any size -- from web browsers, email clients, and virtually any other program.\"

QTVR conference to be held in May

The International QuickTime VR Association has announced the Summit in the Rockies QuickTime VR conference, which takes place May 14-16, 2002 in Boulder, Colorado. Attendees will be offered hands-on experience with QuickTime VR hardware and software products. Registration is $950 (QTVRA members pay only $675).

4D Business Kit provides eCommerce tools

4D, Inc., today announced a preview of 4D Business Kit, its upcoming integrated multi-language, multi-store eCommerce development tool, which provides catalogs, shopping carts, payment systems, tax calculations, shipping, customer management and order tracking.

MediaEdit 1.0: new video editing software

iMedia Software this week will debut its new video editing software package called MediaEdit 1.0. It has a complete tool palette, support for most major image and movie formats, and other features such as color manipulation, an online theatre for posting home-made video clips, and plugin support. The $75 application also ofers video/audio capture functions.

Reader posts iPod FAQ

Davy Fields has set up an iPod FAQ with information on setting it up and using Apple\'s iPod.

Griffin debuts new PowerPod, PodMate

Griffin Technology will debut three new products this week at the Expo including its G4 Audio Breakout cable ($25), which allows users to use high quality unpowered speakers on their digital audio G4s; The PodMate, a small device that attaches to the iPod and transforms it into a universal infrared remote that can virtually any TV, stereo, DVD player or VCR via the iPod. It ships with software to emulate virtually any remote. (No shipping date or price available, but it will be demoed at the Expo.) The PowerPod auto charger for the iPod ($20), which fits into any 12V accessory outlet or car lighter jack and includes a detachable 4 foot cable, a replaceable fuse, and an LED status indicator.

MWSF: Adobe LiveMotion 2.0 for Flash

Adobe has also announced LiveMotion 2.0, a new version of its professional Web graphics and Flash animation tool. Version 2.0 includes an enhanced timeline model, support for automation/extension via JavaScript, and a comprehensive Script Editor with syntax coloring, code management, and search and replace. It also includes an integrated preview mode and source-level script debugger that supports breakpoints, It is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2002 for $400 with a with a limited time introductory price of $200. Upgrades are $100.

Jobs keynote to kick off Macworld Expo

Steve Jobs today is set to deliver the Macworld Expo keynote address at 12 noon EST (9 am PT) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. In addition to live coverage by MacNN (also see here), the keynote will be carried by Apple QTV Webcast, Apple satellitecast (in both the US and Europe), live on the TechTV Cable channel, in Apple Stores across the country (possibly as well as on our MacNN IRC Server). Jobs is expected to introduce a \"lamp-style\" flat panel iMac, new photo editing software called iPhoto, which was inadvertantly reported by Time Magazine Canada (both online and in print in NYC yesterday). (See yesterday\'s MacNN report, online photos, and news.com article).

Comcast transitions @Home customers,

Wade Williams, noting Comcast\'s lack of Mac support, writes \"ComCast\'s new Internet service, to which former ComCast @Home users will transition starting January 15th, apparently will not be offering static IP addresses as a service. As you know, that means users will not be able to set up any type of web, gaming or other server. I would suggest that all Mac users using their service use the feedback form.\"