News Archive for 02/07/11

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

Tech: W3C vote, Palm OS 4.1, HP deals, more

07/11, 7:05pm

Tech: W3C vote, Palm OS 4.1, HP deals, more

Evening tech news: A vote next week by the World Wide Web Consortium could determine the future of technologies governed by patents and royalties; Palm has issued the Palm OS 4.1 updater for the Palm m500 and m505 handhelds; however, it is not yet compatible with OS X and WinXP; Hewlett-Packard is trying to boost faltering PC sales and reduce inventory by offering discounts and rebates for the back-to-school season; Dell's earnings will defy a recent faltering PC earnings trend as it increased its earnings outlook for the quarter, which it says may reach $8.3 billion and 19 cents per share.

Deals roundup: Formac Devideon, FireWire HDDs

07/11, 6:35pm

Deals roundup: Formac Devideon, FireWire HDDs

Deals roundup: Formac's Devideon 'super drive' is on sale for $500; ClubMac offers GVP external FireWire hard drives in 40GB, 60GB, 80GB and 120GB configurations for $160, $180, $200 and $260, respectively; FirewireDirect is offering the Spark EP battery-powered FireWire 40GB hard drive for $260 -- the regular price of the 20GB model.

Symantec delivers Norton Utilities 7.01

07/11, 5:50pm

Symantec delivers Norton Utilities 7.01

Symantec recently made Norton Utilities 7.0.1 available through its Live Update feature. It brings the ability to defragment the startup drive, optimize non-startup volumes under OS X, create Speed Disk profiles, unerase files of sizes up to 2GB, and other enhancements. (Symantec has not posted the file on the Web and has not posted notice of the update; however, a knowledge base article discusses problems with the Live Update Feature.)

SuperCard acquired by Solutions Etcetera

07/11, 5:45pm

SuperCard acquired by Solutions Etcetera

Solutions Etcetera will acquire IncWell DMG's SuperCard application and technology for an undisclosed sum, according to an announcement made by the companies. The acquisition culminates over 18 months of development on the next major iteration of SuperCard. Version 4.0 will put SuperCard "at the cutting edge of Macintosh authoring tools" by taking advantage of Apple's latest technologies.

Reader: Roxio updates Jam 5.01

07/11, 5:40pm

Reader: Roxio updates Jam 5.01

A MacNN reader points to Roxio's recent Jam 5.01 update, which adds Japanese, French and German language support, as well brings improved support for split Sound Designer II files to the audio application that allows users to build 100% Red Book-compliant audio CDs.

IRIS ships Readiris Pro 7 OCR, b-card reader

07/11, 5:35pm

IRIS ships Readiris Pro 7 OCR, b-card reader

I.R.I.S. has quietly started shipping its Readiris Pro 7 OCR text recognition software for Mac OS X in the United States. Readiris converts scanned documents such as letters, faxes and magazine articles into computer-editable text files. Also shipping is the new IRIS Business Card Reader.

Using SSH for secure connections under OS X

07/11, 5:30pm

Using SSH for secure connections under OS X

MacNN reader David Zatz has posted intructions for using SSH for secure connections under OS X: "Some time ago, I posted step by step instructions for using MacSSH to secure connections from Macs (OS 7.5.3 to 9.2) to Web and UNIX serversn. I've just updated that page to include Mac OS X instructions, which I've noticed are conspicuously absent over the Internet. This includes both native and Classic apps."

Maine iBook program jeopardized

07/11, 5:00pm

Maine iBook program jeopardized

State of Maine representatives Phil Cressey and Brian Duprey are asking the Attorney General's office to assess the state's legal liability if it breaks a multi-million dollar contract with Apple Computer. The $37.2M contract signed last year would give all seventh and eighth grade students in the state iBook computers as educational tools. In late December the contract was hit with much criticism, now its very existence is being scrutinized. Rep. Cressey seeks wider program piloting, while Rep. Duprey calls for a complete cession of the iBook program: "We don't need laptops in Hampden. We can use the cash."

Apple Stores set to open in NYC, Long Island

07/11, 5:00pm

Apple Stores set to open in NYC, Long Island

Newsday reports that Apple will open a retail Apple Store in Long Island, NY next week: the Roosevelt Field store will open July 20 in the old FAO Schwarz location, according to the report. (We first noted the July 18th grand opening of the Soho Apple Store in New York City several days ago, coinciding with Macworld Expo NY.)

DigiPosts: "seamless" BBS for Mac OS X

07/11, 4:40pm

DigiPosts: "seamless" BBS for Mac OS X

DigiPosts is a Web-based bulletin board solution designed for Internet proprietors and surfers -- specifically those who use Mac OS X. DigiPosts combines Web and email characteristics "seamlessly" for productive collaboration and interaction. Other offerings form Digi-Net include DigiChat and Hubz, for public chats and instant messaging, respectively.

WipeOut 2097 available for order in 'States

07/11, 4:30pm

WipeOut 2097 available for order in 'States

Freeverse's WipeOut 2097 is now available for purchase in the United States, priced at $30. The Mac OS X game is described as a "classic blast for the latest OS," with "blistering 3D action" and "hair-pin curves on eight fearsome tracks." Freeverse will offer demonstrations of WipeOut at Macworld New York next week in the Gaming Area, Booth #1809.

Bold to port Links Championship Edition

07/11, 3:20pm

Bold to port Links Championship Edition

Game developer Destineer today announced that Bold, its Macintosh subsidiary, had initiated the planning stage of a Mac version ("port") of Microsoft’s top-selling Links Championship Edition. Key features in Links Championship Edition that are new to the Macintosh platform include: completely new graphics, new physics, a new course designer, new golfer personalities and 13 levels based on "the world's best" golf courses. Links will work with Mac OS 9 and run natively under Mac OS X; pricing for the game has not been announced.

Watson 1.5.4 desktop tool adds weather info

07/11, 11:45am

Watson 1.5.4 desktop tool adds weather info

Karelia Software today released Watson 1.5.4, a maintenance upgrade to its OS X desktop interface to popular web content and services. It adds a new Weather plug-in, which connects to several Web sites of the National Weather Service to provide quick access to current conditions worldwide, forecasts, doppler radar animations, and infrared satellite images. The update also includes updates to the eBay, Exchange, Flights, Meerkat, Packages, Reference, TV, Translation, and Zip Codes tools as well as resets the two-week trial period for unregistered versions of the $30 software ($40 for a "household" license).

SoftCare releases K4 Publishing System v4.0

07/11, 11:35am

SoftCare releases K4 Publishing System v4.0

SoftCare has released version 4.0 of the K4 Publishing System for OS X, its collaborative publishing system for magazines that integrates Adobe InDesign 2.0 and Adobe InCopy 2.0 with a powerful SQL database. It is distributed in the Americas by Managing Editor, Inc.

XLR8 intros dual-550MHz upgrade

07/11, 11:25am

XLR8 intros dual-550MHz upgrade

XLR8 today announced its dual-550MHz Power Mac G4 upgrade program designed for owners of dual-CPU Power Mac G4s. An "Advanced Ship Option," which requires a $300 deposit, ships a "loaner" single 550MHz CPU card to be used while XLR8 upgrades the user's dual-CPU card, and a 'Standard' option ships a removal kit with instructions and shipping materials for sending the dual-CPU card to XLR8. The $430 upgrade/trade-in plan is only available in the US and only directly from XLR8.

Tech: Web ID, PGP flaw, Yahoo! profits

07/11, 11:05am

Tech: Web ID, PGP flaw, Yahoo! profits

Morning tech news: The Liberty Alliance, which includes companies such as Sun, Sony, American Express, Mastercard and Bank of America, plans to release Monday the details for an identity authentication standard for Internet; The PGP plugin for Microsoft's Outlook email program has a programming flaw that could allow hackers to attack a user's computer and, in some circumstances, unscramble messages; and Yahoo! Inc. reported its first quarterly profit since 2000, beating Wall Street expectations Wednesday.

Newshunter 2.01: newsgroup util updated

07/11, 10:35am

Newshunter 2.01: newsgroup util updated

Newshunter 2.01 is an update to Parker Software's Usenet utility. It has an improved queue articles window, more options for decoding, improved rendering in the Player windows, and other fixes. Unregistered versions are fully-functional, but offer occasional reminders for registration.

Consumers Like Apple, Dell, Handspring

07/11, 10:35am

Consumers Like Apple, Dell, Handspring

PC Magazine reports that this year's least-frustrated consumer owned a laptop made by Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba or IBM; a Sony or Handspring handheld computer; or a desktop made by Dell or a local "white box" assembler, according to a reliability survey it released today.

Conundrum intros Duality theme app upgrade

07/11, 10:10am

Conundrum intros Duality theme app upgrade

Conundrum Software today announced an upgrade to its $10 theme application, Duality 3.1, which will offer a streamlined interface, automatic Finder restart, a small download size, enhancements to the DLTA theme engine, and better compatibility with "Jaguar" and other themes. It is due at at the of July. It also announced Duality 4, a new version completely rewritten in Cocoa. The update is due at the end of the year and will be implemented as an OS X preference pane. Finanally, it announced Catalyst, a tool for creating themes in DLTA format, which is expected to be released early next month.

piPop 2.0: file, folder navigation utility

07/11, 9:55am

piPop 2.0: file, folder navigation utility

piPop 2.0 is a $25 file navigation utility that offers hierarchical menus, item dragging from piPop menus, display options to customize its functions, option-click or click-and-hold access from the OS X Finder, tracking of recently accessed locations, menu translucency under OS X, and other features. It is available for Classic and OS X in both English and German.

Hostal 1.2.2 adds options for Apple SW Update

07/11, 2:50am

Hostal 1.2.2 adds options for Apple SW Update

Northern Softworks has released Hostal 1.2.2, an update to its shareware Hosts file editor and database. Hostal allows experienced users to modify the Hosts file on their computer to setup "effective content filtering," and tap other commonly-ignored features. Version 1.2.2 adds menu options to map or block Apple's built-in software updater.

Mac OS users to miss Big Brother 3 feeds

07/11, 2:00am

Mac OS users to miss Big Brother 3 feeds

Mac users hoping to watch live Internet feeds this summer of 'Big Brother 3' -- the latest installment of the hit reality TV series -- will be stuck inside a Windows emulator, or with no video feed at all. A Jam! Showbiz article examines CBS's move to the RealOne format for live video streaming, noting that RealNetworks has yet to implement the standard in the Macintosh version of RealPlayer.

QuicKalendar: compact and versatile calendar

07/11, 12:30am

QuicKalendar: compact and versatile calendar

QuicKalendar is a Mac OS X/Classic utility from Trinfinity Software that enables users to quickly access a desktop calendar. The RealBasic application respects Mac OS 9's Appearance settings, in addition to offering Aqua compliance under Mac OS X. The calendar display window can be adjusted to any size, with a compact minimum setting. QuicKalendar supports both the American Calendar Format -- where each week starts on a Sunday -- and the European Calendar Format, in which the every week starts on a Monday. [Classic, Carbon]