News Archive for 02/02/20

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Default FolderX 1.02 for open, save dialogs

02/20, 10:15pm

Default FolderX 1.02 for open, save dialogs

Default Folder X 1.02, the open/save dialog enhancer from St. Clair Software, makes it easier for users to manage files by adding features and correcting flaws in the Mac OS X file dialogs. It currently supports Carbon apps and will offer support for Cocoa apps in a forthcoming free update. Version 1.02 corrects an error which causes the previous version to expire on February 22, 2002, also improves compatibility with CopyPaste-X, and fixes a few other issues.

QiPo v1.5.6 builds video previews

02/20, 9:55pm

QiPo v1.5.6 builds video previews

VesperWorks has released QiPo v1.5.6, a service release of the QuickTime movie preview generator. QiPo processes a QuickTime movie and creates an image containing sequential frames that compile to generate a preview. Optional Dock animation and increased efficiency are among the enhancements included in the new version.

DealNN resumes publication; iPod contest

02/20, 9:40pm

DealNN resumes publication; iPod contest

MacNN subsidiary DealNN today announced that it will resume publication beginning February 22, 2002. In coordination with the re-launch of DealNN, The Macintosh News Network is offering a free Apple iPod giveaway to a lucky DealNN contributor (More details available on DealNN). DealNN provides links and information on the latest Macintosh- and computer-related product deals.

Apple looks for possible store employees

02/20, 9:40pm

Apple looks for possible store employees

Apple today posted dozens of "Computer Sales Opportunity" listings on Monster.com, a job search and résumé posting service. Salary is not indicated and interested parties are asked to provide a résumé and location of residence. Apple is looking for "Highly motivated, goal oriented" individuals with commission-based sales experience.

PageMaker update resolves countless bugs

02/20, 5:50pm

PageMaker update resolves countless bugs

Adobe PageMaker v7.0.1 update is now available for download. It addresses several issues, including unexpected application crashes; the ability to view PageMaker 6.0 files in the Open dialog box; better support for underlined TrueType fonts during PDF export, and other enhancements. The update is free to PageMaker 7 owners; the full version retails for $515.

Potter game now shipping for Mac from Aspyr

02/20, 5:00pm

Potter game now shipping for Mac from Aspyr

Aspyr has begun shipping copies of Harry Potter for the Mac -- the Mac OS 9/X port of the adventure/role-playing game -- according to a MacNN reader who received a confirmation from the company earlier today.

Memory card maker offers OSX support

02/20, 4:20pm

Memory card maker offers OSX support

Carry Computer has announced Mac OS X compatibility for its memory card readers with a new set of drivers. With the Mac OS X driver installed, all Carry card readers can be accessed under Mac OS X and are compatible with Apple's Image Capture and iPhoto software.

Effects Pack 3 2.0.1: Hollywood-style effects

02/20, 4:05pm

Effects Pack 3 2.0.1: Hollywood-style effects

Buena Software has announced the release of Effects Pack 3 v2.0.1. This release is a maintenance update to the popular set of QuickTime effect plug-ins and is a free update to owners of Effects Pack 3 v.2.0. The price for new purchasers is US$30. Included in this release is a fix for a bug that causes a potential crash in the 'Difference Matte' filter and better support under Mac OS 8.6 and non-G4 based machines. A free demo is available.

J.R. Hill ships 14" iBook screen protector

02/20, 4:05pm

J.R. Hill ships 14" iBook screen protector

J.R. Hill & Company has introduced two new 14" iBook screen protectors for new iBook models introduced at Macworld Expo San Francisco. Available in vinyl and leather, the screen protectors sell for US$7 and US$12.50 respectively.

The Mac Guy offers review of Power Mac G4

02/20, 3:30pm

The Mac Guy offers review of Power Mac G4

San Antonio Express-News columnist Paul Vaughn, 'The Mac Guy' weighs in with a review of the new Power Mac G4s. "Now, readers who may have new Windows PC’s sitting on their desks running at 1.5Ghz or higher may scoff at this feeble attempt at gigahertzdom, but we are comparing Apples and oranges here."

BW: Apple sales conversion low at retail

02/20, 3:15pm

BW: Apple sales conversion low at retail

BusinesWeek Online notes the despite the low sales conversion rate at Apple's retail stores (which Apple has privately acknowleged), the stores are break-even financially, discounting startup costs: It won't take much to turn the stores around. [One analyst] fed Apple's retail numbers through his various financial-modeling spreadsheets and came to a wonderful conclusion: The company need persuade only one more percentage point of visitors to buy Macs for its stores to become a smashing success."

MacPlay updates BG II: Shadows of Amn v1.1

02/20, 3:05pm

MacPlay updates BG II: Shadows of Amn v1.1

MacPlay's Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn 1.1 brings multiple monitor scrolling support, non-US/QWERTY keyboard compatibility, reduced load/save times, and fixes for several bugs to the $50 fantasy role playing game. The company also says that turning on 3D acceleration will cause the game to run very slowly and recommends using 16-bit color mode under OS X 10.1.1 and 32-bit color mode under OS X 10.1.2.

DNS Vulnerability can crash Mac OS 9, Classic

02/20, 2:50pm

DNS Vulnerability can crash Mac OS 9, Classic

Jason Linhart of Summary.net reports on a DNS vulnerability in Mac OS 9 (and Classic) that could cause the system to crash when performing a reverse DNS lookup of a specific range of IPs.

Reader: fix for Microtech Zio! drivers

02/20, 2:50pm

Reader: fix for Microtech Zio! drivers

Jonah Petri writes about a fix for the Microtech Zio! Smartmeida compatibility issue with OS X 10.1.3 noted here late yesterday:

"I found a fix for the incompatibility between the new Zio Smartmedia readers and OS X 10.1.3. There is an extension (in /System/Library/Extensions/) called "eUSB SmartMedia10.1.2.kext", which, if removed, will enable the use of the Zio SmartMedia reader under OS X 10.1.3. (restart required, of course) In order to remove it, you can either log in as the root user, or use the terminal (if you're comfortable there). There are instructions from apple about enabling the root user in the applecare knowledge base under article #106290."

Adobe Photoshop to ship in April

02/20, 2:45pm

Adobe Photoshop to ship in April

A MacNN reader notes that Adobe Photoshop 7, expected to be introduced next week at Seybold NY, will begin shipping in April: "I just got hold of the Feb 22nd issue of Macuser UK which has the world's first beta review of Photoshop 7 inside. They claim that the product will be out in April 2002 for 329 ukp exc VAT and 99 ukp exc VAT for an upgrade.. though pricing is to be confirmed."

ConceptDraw 1.7.5 adds PDF export support

02/20, 2:40pm

ConceptDraw 1.7.5 adds PDF export support

Computer Systems Odessa Corp. has released ConceptDraw 1.7.5, an update to its cross-platform flowcharting and diagramming software package that includes export to PDF routines, improved compatibility with DXF and EPS files, better OS X compatibility, and updated drawing tools. Standard and Professional versions are available for $250 and $125.

ABFR 4.4 saves original file name in document

02/20, 2:40pm

ABFR 4.4 saves original file name in document

A Better Finder Rename 4.4 now saves the original file in the document for future reference and also features a significant rewrite of the internal architecture of the $15 shareware contextual menu plugin for Finder that offers several options for renaming files. [Classic, Carbon]

KepSoundAwake address PB OS X 10.1.2

02/20, 12:00pm

KepSoundAwake address PB OS X 10.1.2

Jonathoan Feinberg's freeware KepSoundAwake sits in the background and plays a "silent sound" every 20 seconds, thereby preventing the audio hardware from sleeping:

"This application addresses a couple of problems which appear on a Powerbook running OS 10.1.2. Due to a design flaw, the OS sleeps the audio hardware if 30 seconds go by without any sounds being made, regardless of whether or not the machine is plugged in. This is annoying, as the audio hardware must be 'warmed up' for about 2.5 seconds before the system can beep, and during those 2.5 seconds you have to watch the beachball spin."

iMac among top 10 inquires in Jan 2002

02/20, 10:40am

iMac among top 10 inquires in Jan 2002

Google Zeitgeist, a brief analysis of Google searches, reveals that "iMac" is among the top 10 "Gaining Queries" at Google for January 2002, as noted by MacGeneration.

PTH updates several apps for OS X 10.1.3

02/20, 10:40am

PTH updates several apps for OS X 10.1.3

Several freeware applications from PTH have been updated for OS X 10.1.3, including: PTHClock 1.71, a simple menu bar clock/calendar program; PTHPasteboard 2.1.2, a clipboard enhancement utility that tracks the last 20 copied/cut items and allows you to paste them at any time; PTHVolume 1.3.2, a simple menu bar volume controller; PTHCPUMonitor 1.01, an application that displays the system load on the menu bar; and PTHStockTicker 1.03, a stock ticker/portfolio manager application. [Clock, Pasteboard; Volume; CPUMonitor; StockTicker]

Intuit updates TurboTax 2001 packages

02/20, 10:25am

Intuit updates TurboTax 2001 packages

Intuit has released TurboTax 2001 for Mac 1.00b updates, which are available on the Web as well as through the application's update interface.

Script Software releases Project Timer 1.0

02/20, 10:10am

Script Software releases Project Timer 1.0

Script Software's Project Timer 1.0 is a simple time tracking application ($20) designed for independent contractors, consultant and "anyone who needs to monitor the time they spend on various tasks."

Tri-CATALOG 5.05: powerful catalogging util

02/20, 10:05am

Tri-CATALOG 5.05: powerful catalogging util

Tri-CATALOG 5.05 adds TIFF file compatibility to the $100 utility for catogging files and pictures located the local drives as well as removeable media. It also includes powerful search functions, the abiity to annotate files, create libraries, and share pictures over the Internet.

IPNetTuner 1.5 adds speed test tool, graphing

02/20, 10:00am

IPNetTuner 1.5 adds speed test tool, graphing

Sustainable Softworks has released IPNetTuner 1.5, its $25 utility for tuning the performance of Internet connections. The new version adds a simple testing tool that allows users to measure the improvement in connection performance (using Link Rate test and TCP test tools) and performance graphing, as well as includes ready-to-use configuration documents that automatically optimize the performance of various types of Internet connections.

K4 Publishing System 3.2 due at Seybold NY

02/20, 9:55am

K4 Publishing System 3.2 due at Seybold NY

SoftCare GmbH has announced version 3.2 of its K4 Publishing System, a collaborative publishing system for magazines that integrates Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy with a SQL database. Version 3.2 includes several new features, such as new custom options for Header fields for articles/layouts and text-before-layout functionality to accommodate text-driven workflows for managing article before layouts are assigned. The product will be demonstrated at Seybold in New York.

OS X: Mac OS X 10.1.3, Font Reserve, Symantec

02/20, 9:45am

OS X: Mac OS X 10.1.3, Font Reserve, Symantec

osx.macnn.com notes the release of a new OS X-compatible utility bundles from Symantec, Font Reserve 3.0 for OS X, a standalone version of Mac OS X 10.1.3, an Adobe InDesign 2.0 installer update, MicroMat's Drive10 1.04 update, XMonitor 1.3 for monitoring system functions, and problems between OS X 10.1.3 and Microtech's Zio! SmartMedia reader drivers.

Apple posts Mac OS X 10.1.3 for download

02/20, 9:40am

Apple posts Mac OS X 10.1.3 for download

Mac OS X 10.1.3 is now available for download from the Web, after Apple released the update yesterday evening via the software update control panel.

Diamondsoft ships Font Reserve 3.0 for OS X

02/20, 9:40am

Diamondsoft ships Font Reserve 3.0 for OS X

DiamondSoft is now shipping Font Reserve 3.0, an OS X-compatible version of its font management application. It features an Aqua interface, support for all popular Macintosh font types, and advanced font management for applications running under Mac OS X as well as applications running in the Classic environment. It also includes a ClassicActivator feature that makes all fonts available to Classic applications and a System Font Handler feature that helps manage the multiple font folders by providing the option to automatically remove non-essential fonts. The $100 utility is offered with a $10 discount for online purchases; competitive upgrades from ATM Deluxe are $50 and it is a free upgrade for v2.6 owners.

Symantec announces OS X utilty suites

02/20, 9:30am

Symantec announces OS X utilty suites

Symantec today announced OS X-compatible versions of its utility suites, Norton Internet Security for Macintosh 2.0 and Norton SystemWorks for Macintosh 2.0, which are available now for pre-order and will begin shipping in March.

QTVR Tools: CubicConverter, CubicConnector

02/20, 9:15am

QTVR Tools: CubicConverter, CubicConnector

Click Here Design has released CubicConverter 1.0, a $35 tool for converting various types of images into and out of cubic format QuickTime VR movies. It also allows simple conversion of equirectangular images ("photospheres"), cylindrical panoramas or movies, or sets of cube faces used for VRML 2.0 background nodes into cubic format QuickTime VR movies. CubicConnector 1.0 is an $85 authoring application for linking cubic format QuickTime VR files into multinode movies or HTML-linked single nodes; it also can export a number of readymade HTML templates which contain the correct embedding syntax - both and formats - for the QuickTime Plugin.

WebConfidential 3.03 now generates WEP keys

02/20, 9:10am

WebConfidential 3.03 now generates WEP keys

Alco Blom today released WebConfidential 3.03, an update to his $20 shareware utility for securely storing information, including passwords and pins. It adds an option to generate passwords with hexademical digits (for WEP key generation) and other enhancements.