News Archive for 02/02/11

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osOpinion: Mac OS X 'Outlook,' UNIX

02/11, 9:45pm

osOpinion: Mac OS X 'Outlook,' UNIX

osOpinion takes a look at Microsoft's plan to bring Outlook to Mac OS X and Apple's shortcomings in its Mail application: "Apple currently bundles its Mail e-mail program with Mac OS X. This client provides an intuitive Aqua interface and a shallow learning curve, but it lacks some functionality required by users with heavy e-mail volume." osOpinion also has posted an editorial on Mac OS X's venture into the Unix community.

MusicCity: Morpheus still coming spring 2002

02/11, 9:45pm

MusicCity: Morpheus still coming spring 2002

Several MacNN Readers report that MusicCity continues to affirm that it will release a Macinosh version of Morpheus in spring 2002 with emails to users. Morpheus is a free file sharing application that is currently only available for Windows. Users can search the hard drives of other members for Video, Music and executable files.

Evening Tech: Sonicblue helps to curb piracy

02/11, 7:55pm

Evening Tech: Sonicblue helps to curb piracy

c|net reports that Sonicblue, maker of digital music-related devices, has renewed an agreement with Macrovision that would ensure encrypted content played on its digital video recorders cannot be copied onto VCR tape or shared over the Internet. The recording abilities of the ReplayTV line of digital video recorders has raised concern among television and movie networks. Sonicblue has created other popular products including the Rio line of MP3 players.

Team MacNN keeps crunching

02/11, 6:55pm

Team MacNN keeps crunching

Team MacNN prepares to pass a SETI data unit milestone as they approach the 400,000-unit mark. The MacNN SETI members have currently accumulated 667 total years of computer time. Team MacNN managers Scott and 'Reader50' encourage MacNN readers to join the team effort. [updated]

Motorola ups ante with upcoming G4 specs

02/11, 5:55pm

Motorola ups ante with upcoming G4 specs

Motorola is continuing (aggressive) work on its G4 processor, despite widely circulating rumors of the G5 chip, according The Register. While the much more evolved PowerPC 7500 is expected next with an on-board memory controller, the PowerPC 7470, a tweaked version of the current Apollo 7450 G4, will be ready for volume production by this summer, offering a 0.13 micron process, support for up to 512K of L2 cache and up to 4MB of DDR-SDRAM L3 cache, and a modified bus protocol:

"MPX+, which supports double data transfer and which should effectively run at 266Mhz according to sources. ...The MPX+ bus retains MPX's 36-bit addressing lines, and is described as interim measure. Don't expect dramatic leaps in SMP scaling - two will remain the sweet spot. The 7470 should scale to 1.5MHz. In parallel development, Motorola is priming a cut-down 7470 labelled the 7460, which doesn't support L3 cache. "

English-Italian Dictionary v6.4 adds slang

02/11, 5:40pm

English-Italian Dictionary v6.4 adds slang

Appmac has released English-Italian Dictionary v6.4 in both English-Italian and Italian-English editions. The dictionary/ translator shareware application works with Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. This release is a free maintenance update that reintroduces the highly-requested mini-Window feature and includes an American Slang Dictionary. [Classic, Carbon]

AOL blocks users from forwarding accounts

02/11, 5:35pm

AOL blocks users from forwarding accounts

Bill Ryan notes that AOL has changed its policy on automatic email forwarding from its mail servers: "I have been having trouble here at work with our e-mail. Well after battling for 3 weeks with our mail host, Interland, I was informed that AOL has recently changed their Mail relay service so you can no longer forward to AOL accounts from thier mail server. There is no bounce message, or undeliverable mail message, the mail just seems to disappear."

Tattoo 1.0 creates custom QT movie skins

02/11, 3:25pm

Tattoo 1.0 creates custom QT movie skins

Feelorium's QuickTime media skin editor for OS X, Tattoo 1.0, offers the ability to create movies with a custom skin image frame with a special shape or control buttons.

Layer Splitter 2.1 for Photoshop, Illustrator

02/11, 2:05pm

Layer Splitter 2.1 for Photoshop, Illustrator

META/DMA has released Layer Splitter 2.1, an upgrade to the $50 utility that takes a layered Photoshop or Illustrator file and separates each layer to its own file. Version 2.1 adds native OS X support, the ability to split Illustrator v9 and 10 files, Targa output, and more.

AnchorDesk: Educator says Macs are superior

02/11, 2:00pm

AnchorDesk: Educator says Macs are superior

A public school educator writes about "How schools are tricked into using PCs--when Macs are better," saying that "Along with the false economy with Windows, I also can't find any real academic reason to go with the platform."

Credit Card Validator for FileMaker

02/11, 11:35am

Credit Card Validator for FileMaker

Brian Dunning's Card Validator for FileMaker is a freeware utility ("not a script, not a plug-in) that can be used to check the authencity of credit card numbers with a single calculation.

SetiDockling 2.05 adds transparency options

02/11, 10:50am

SetiDockling 2.05 adds transparency options

Rémi Zara has updated SetiDockling 2.05, adding the ability to adjust the icon's background transparency, more control over the display of the captions, and other various minor bug fixes.

Renicer 1.1 sets priorities for apps

02/11, 10:50am

Renicer 1.1 sets priorities for apps

Renicer 1.1, is a shareware GUI tool that automatically sets priority values for applications, adds numerous user requested features, including the ability to set Dock and Window server priorities individually.

Reader: QTVR 2.0 coming to OS X?

02/11, 10:45am

Reader: QTVR 2.0 coming to OS X?

Marc Ishisaka writes: "I just got an email from Apple Events and they list QTVR 2.0 seminars towards the middle of March. Not a typo! Their web page talks QTVR and OS X!"

MT-NewsWatcher 3.2 released for OS X

02/11, 9:15am

MT-NewsWatcher 3.2 released for OS X

Simon Fraser has released MT-NewsWatcher 3.2 for OS X, a Carbon version of the popular freeware Usenet news client for the Macintosh.

Macs at Olympic Press Area

02/11, 9:10am

Macs at Olympic Press Area

Manuel Wanskasmith notes the presence of a large number of Macs at the Olympic press area.

Tech: Treo orders, AOL vs. MS, MS remedy

02/11, 9:10am

Tech: Treo orders, AOL vs. MS, MS remedy

Morning tech news: Handspring is now taking U.S. orders for the Treo, its new pocket-sized combination phone and organizer ($400), which is expected to ship later this month and be available at electronics retailers in March; A Business Week Online reports says that Momentum may be shifting to Microsoft, after AOL reported sharp declines in revenues in the fourth quarter of 2001; and Microsoft has plans to bring Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer to testify at a remedy hearing and is accusing AOL Time Warner and Oracle of helping to draft a harsh remedy proposal.

QuickTime Live! starts today;keynote tomorrow

02/11, 9:00am

QuickTime Live! starts today;keynote tomorrow

QuickTime Live! is scheduled to open today with pre-conference workshops; Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing, is expected to deliver the opening keynote tomorrow at 10:30 PT. The conference runs from Feburary 11-14 in in Beverly Hills, CA. (QuickTime 5.1 is expected to be among the major annoucements by Apple at the conference.)