News Archive for 02/02/05

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John Holland publishes new OSX book for pros

02/05, 8:05pm

John Holland publishes new OSX book for pros

Author and Macintosh professional John Holland has published a new PDF-based book entitled "Mac OS X for Creative Professionals." This unique handbook is aimed at media professionals looking to transition to Mac OS X. Written for graphic designers, artists, producers and creative managers of print and digital media, the title is a "comprehensive guide to the myriad of issues associated with the upgrade to Mac OS X." The book will be available online for $50 or $40 if pre-ordered.

Team ASA OS X support for Ethernet Adapters

02/05, 8:00pm

Team ASA OS X support for Ethernet Adapters

Team ASA has announced Mac OS X support for its Stallion GE-II Fiber Gigabit Ethernet Adapters. The drivers have been optimized to achieve files transfer rates in excess of 20 megabytes per second. All networks cards come with a universal installer. "Our goal is to make the transition to Gigabit easy, and with our universal installer the user simply picks their operating system and adapter characteristics and they are off and running."

Northern Softworks updates Trash X

02/05, 8:00pm

Northern Softworks updates Trash X

Northern Softworks has announced the release of Trash X v1.2.2, its shareware Trashcan utility for Mac OS X. Trash X has the ability to instantly delete files and folders without sending them to the trash, securely "shred" files and folders so they are unreadable, and securely overwrite available free space on disks. Version 1.2.2 provides improved visual feedback of file shredding, reliability, and fixes minor bugs.

Apple offers full GeForce4 card

02/05, 7:55pm

Apple offers full GeForce4 card

Apple has announced the availability of the NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium graphics card as a build-to-order option on its Power Mac G4 line. BTO configurations with the chipset will ship next month. The AGP 4X card contains 128MB of double data rate (DDR) SDRAM and delivers "87 million triangles per second and 4.9 billion textured pixels per second." The graphics card is a $250 option on the 933MHz and dual-1GHz Power Mac G4 towers, and a $350 option on the 800Mhz tower; also available is a $400 stand-alone kit for current Power Mac G4 owners.

ISP staff to be trained by Apple for OSX

02/05, 7:55pm

ISP staff to be trained by Apple for OSX

As reported late last month, Australian ISP Telstra did not support Mac OS Versions past 9.0.4. According to a ZDNet article this has changed -- Telstra's broadband network staff will support OS X for Apple users by April this year. "According to Telstra, the first stage of “comprehensive testing” was carried out last year to ensure Apple’s next-generation operating system was compatible with the BigPond broadband network, and is soon to be followed by the training of support staff, which will be handled by Apple."

Reader: Macs in Esquire "better than PCs"

02/05, 7:50pm

Reader: Macs in Esquire "better than PCs"

MacNN Reader Jonathan Lyons reports that the latest edition of Esquire looks at the 'Mac versus PC' issue: "I just received my new copy of Esquire. This month's 'What I've Learned; column features an interview with Jim Willett, retired warden, in which he states "Macs are better than PCs."

Adobe delays shipment of GoLive & LiveMotion

02/05, 7:50pm

Adobe delays shipment of GoLive & LiveMotion

MacNN reader Austin Lingerfelt has recieved the following email from Adobe indicating a delay in the shipping of GoLive 6 and LiveMotion: "Thank you for your recent order. Adobe GoLive 6.0 software and the Adobe GoLive/LiveMotion Packsoftware are currently on backorder and scheduled to ship at the end of February 2002. We apologize for the delay."

Nikon to ship 'X' drivers in April

02/05, 7:50pm

Nikon to ship 'X' drivers in April

Nikon has announced that it will release CoolScan device drivers for Mac OS X this spring: "NikonScan 3 for Mac OS X will be available in April 2002. The NikonScan 3 application will be fully supported under Mac OS X at that time, however there will not be support for the NikonScan  Photoshop "plug-in." The availability date for the plug-in has not yet been fixed, but will be announced at a later date."

New TFTP client updated

02/05, 7:50pm

New TFTP client updated

MacTechnologies Consulting has announced MacTFTP Client v1.1, an update to the fully-featured TFTP client for the Macintosh. MacTFTP Client enables users to send and receive files and provides for multiple, simultaneous transfers. It also provides an optional password field required by some devices such as the Linksys and MacSense series of routers. The single-user price is $12; site licenses are also available. [Classic, Carbon]

USB Overdrive X b2 released, final nears

02/05, 7:45pm

USB Overdrive X b2 released, final nears

The second public beta of the USB Overdrive mouse and joystick driver for Mac OS X is now available. This beta works with Mac OS X v10.1 and later and only supports mouse and trackball devices. The second beta adds separate speed and acceleration settings as well as support for up to 5-button mice. Developer Alessandro Montalcini indicates the final version of USB Overdrive for Mac OS X will be available as shareware 'soon' through online service Kaig.

Review Board pulls PBG4 article

02/05, 7:45pm

Review Board pulls PBG4 article

Several MacNN readers report that The Review Board has removed its highly-critical review of the Apple PowerBooks G4 in light of much reader feedback on misleading errors. The article, published last week, criticized the PowerBook for its "Linux-based" Mac OS X operating system.

Reader: iMac shipment arrives Saturday

02/05, 7:40pm

Reader: iMac shipment arrives Saturday

MacNN Reader Eric Smith reports that he received his Flat-panel iMac shipment from FedEx Saturday: "Didn't expect it as last time I checked Fedex was reporting it was held up in Alaska. Anyway, all I have to say, is it is much cooler in person than it appeared at Macworld."

Software lets users trick AOL

02/05, 7:40pm

Software lets users trick AOL

Rampell Software has announced the availability of AlwaysONline v2.5. Designed for AOL users, AlwaysONline prevents America Online from disconnecting subscribers due to inactivity by automatically dismissing AOL inactivity notices. Additionally, version 2.5 transmits "harmless" data to AOL's servers in order to keep the AOL connection active. AlwaysONline is available for $15 ($10 for registered users).

XPlay Technology Preview 4 available

02/05, 7:40pm

XPlay Technology Preview 4 available

Mediafour has announced XPlay Preview 4, a Windows application that allows PC users to take advantage of the Apple iPod. Preview version 4 enables users to restore an iPod, delete songs and create, rename and delete playlists. The latest preview is intended as an "illustration of the general structure and abilities of XPlay," but is not yet a complete solution for use of the iPod with Windows, according to the developer.

eMail Bounce Handler manages address book

02/05, 7:40pm

eMail Bounce Handler manages address book

eMail Bounce Handler, a bounce email filtering and handling tool from Maxprog, has been announced. Bounce email -- often referred to as bounce mail -- is electronic mail that is returned to the sender because it cannot be delivered for a specified reason. eMail Bounce Handler recognizes bounce mail using a customizable set of rules and extracts the recipient's addresses prompting the user to remove the address from the list. [Classic, Carbon]

iPod Free File SynX independent of helper app

02/05, 7:35pm

iPod Free File SynX independent of helper app

iPod Free File SynX v2.2 is now available for download. IPFFX is "the only utility that allows synchronizing music from different iPods or any other source to your computer." The utility application identifies exactly which of the MP3/AIFF/WAV files listed are on the source device and not on the computer. The new version no longer requires the iPod helper application. Note: Classic version is 2.1. [Classic, Carbon]

Utility helps follow patents

02/05, 7:35pm

Utility helps follow patents

The Mac-Stacks Emporium enhances Patent Grabber, the application that makes it easy to download patents from free public archives automates the process of downloading patent documents from free public patent archives. The initial release of Patent Grabber only supported the downloading of issued U.S. patents. Version 2.0 adds the ability to download patent applications that are published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Palm OS 5 announced; support for new tech

02/05, 7:35pm

Palm OS 5 announced; support for new tech

Palm OS, system software subsidiary of Palm Inc., has announced Palm OS v5.0. The new operating system for Palm-compatible handheld computers -- which will be available in the summer of 2002 -- features 128-bit system-wide encryption, support for high-density screens (up to 320 x 320 pixels), 802.11b wireless support and enhanced multimedia capabilities.

'Email Extractor' finds addresses

02/05, 7:30pm

'Email Extractor' finds addresses

Power Email Extractor v1.3.3 is now available for download. This maintenance update introduces support for for multiple list windows and 'drag and drop' functionality between lists. Power Email Extractor is a shareware application that automates the extraction of "massive amounts of email addresses, from huge text files and directories."

Reader: Mac OS X v10.1.2 may cause PB problem

02/05, 7:30pm

Reader: Mac OS X v10.1.2 may cause PB problem

MacNN Reader Harry Zink describes an ongoing problem experienced by Mac OS X v10.1.2 users: "Similar to the problems described by Frank Bry and his Titanium Powerbook, my system goes to sleep, and never wakes up - extremely regularly. This has been happening regularly since updating to 10.1.2. It can be initiated by either letting the PowerBook go to sleep, or setting it to sleep manually."

SW records keystrokes to prevent data loss

02/05, 7:30pm

SW records keystrokes to prevent data loss

Rampell Software has released TypeRecorder v1.5 -- an update to its popular TypeRecorder software for Macintosh. TypeRecorder automatically records and saves all keystrokes, effectively preventing data loss while also monitoring unauthorized activity. In the event of a power outage or a system crash, all lost work can be retrieved from TypeRecorder's records. Version 1.5 adds password protection and options for changing the default log viewer and default recording directory.

Button fix posted, problem plagues schools

02/05, 7:25pm

Button fix posted, problem plagues schools

ScienceMan! has posted an article that looks at apparently poor power button design of recent iMac units. The article notes that several educational institutions have 'stuck' power buttons on iMac computers as a result. The author provides a detailed tutorial on how to repair the power button if the machine is no longer under warranty. "To make a long story short, the button gets jammed in its socket. This may be due to several problems - an oversized button, a misaligned light inside the button, or a spring that is just too weak."