News Archive for 02/07/24

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FoldersSynchronizer, VirtualDesktop updates

07/24, 11:45pm

FoldersSynchronizer, VirtualDesktop updates

FoldersSynchronizer X 3.0 is a $40 utility for Mac OS X that synchronizes and backs-up files, folders and disks (Classic version 2.2.1 also available); VirtualDesktop 1.1 updates CodeTek's $20 multiple-desktop manager. [FS X, VD]

Apple supports PT3 program

07/24, 11:35pm

Apple supports PT3 program

In support of the upcoming Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) program, Apple is providing equipment and technology support to the 2002 PT3 Grantees’ Meeting, July 25-28, 2002, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. Apple’s director of education technologies, Dr. David Dwyer, will deliver a general session presentation at the meeting on July 26th. Apple is also providing technology resources to the Digital Media Journalist project, a collaborative effort to produce and create PT3 Meeting Knowledge Modules, which will provide attendees with access to highlights of the PT3 Grantees’ Meeting. The knowledge modules will be hosted in the Apple Learning Interchange, an online educational environment to facilitate the exchange of ideas among educators.

Apple Store: more Bluetooth shipment delays

07/24, 11:25pm

Apple Store: more Bluetooth shipment delays

The Apple Store is again delaying shipments of the D-Link USB Bluetooth adapter, according to notices issued to some customers. "Due to an unexpected supply delay, we are unable to ship your T4728G/B, DLINK BLUETOOTH USB ADAPTER-GEN by the date you were originally quoted." Apple indicates that users can expect shipments in another ten business days.

RIAA praises Apple piracy prevention

07/24, 11:10pm

RIAA praises Apple piracy prevention

Despite great division between the recording and computer industries over digital rights standards, the Recording Industry Association of America and Apple hold similar goals, according to CNN Headline News. "We believe in the protection of intellectual property. But that has to be balanced by consumers' fair-use rights," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Apple's iPod digital music player offers some music piracy protection: if users try to take MP3 song files on it and download them onto another computer, they will erase the iPod's hard drive. [Article link unavailable]

PHP 4.2.2 update fixes security bug

07/24, 10:20pm

PHP 4.2.2 update fixes security bug

The PHP Group has released PHP 4.2.2, which fixes a security vulnerability in versions 4.2.0 and 4.2.1 where "an intruder may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the web server. This vulnerability may be exploited to compromise the web server and, under certain conditions, to gain privileged access." Third-party binaries and an official Apple update for Mac OS X Server have yet to become available.

Sonic|Blue introduces Rio 900 player

07/24, 9:55pm

Sonic|Blue introduces Rio 900 player

Sonic|Blue last week unveiled the Rio 900 digital music player. The new device offers 192MB of built-in storage, and the same "backpack"-based expansion as its predecessors. The Rio 900 will sell for $250, includes a USB connector, and works with iTunes under Mac OS 9 or X. Yesterday we noted the release of another new digital music player from e.Digital, viewed by many as an imitation of Apple's iPod.

mental ray 1.5 for Maya coming late summer

07/24, 9:25pm

mental ray 1.5 for Maya coming late summer

Alias|Wavefront has announced a free public beta of mental ray 1.5 for Maya, slated to be available later this summer. mental ray is an optional and fully-integrated plug-in renderer for Maya 4.5 that offers the features and tools available in Mental Images' mental ray 3.1. The technology was developed to satisfy numerous customer requests in late 2001. mental ray for Maya version 1.5 public beta will be available to licensed Maya 4.5 users as a free download late this summer for Windows, IRIX and Linux; a Mac OS X version will become available shortly thereafter.

DCIT: BusinessMind 2.8 released, specials

07/24, 8:10pm

DCIT: BusinessMind 2.8 released, specials

BusinessMind 2.8 builds on the popular software tool for jewelers by adding dozens of improvements in areas such as performance, appearance and usability. Developer DCIT projects a 2003 launch of version 3.0, which will deliver many major new features. DCIT is currently exhibiting at JA International Jewelry in New York City. Show specials are available to buyers purchasing at DCIT's booth #2887 July 28 - 31, 2002.

Apple details Mac OS X Up-To-Date program

07/24, 7:35pm

Apple details Mac OS X Up-To-Date program

Apple's Mac OS X Up-To-Date program Web site includes details of the $20 Mac OS X 10.2 upgrade offer announced last week at Macworld Expo New York. Qualifying computers include any Macintosh sold by an authorized Apple reseller on or after July 17, 2002, without Mac OS X 10.2. The $130 (SRP) Mac OS X "Jaguar" (10.2) update will ship on August 24th. The Up-To-Date offer expires October 31, by which point Apple is expected to ship the OS with new Macs.

Handspring recalls some Treo 90/270s

07/24, 7:10pm

Handspring recalls some Treo 90/270s

Handspring has identified a backlight defect that affects a limited number of Treo 90 and Treo 270 products, as noted by a MacNN reader. Customers have been informed that Handspring will honor its warranty by sending an advance replacement unit -- free of charge -- with priority shipping. Steps to backup data to your Macintosh or PC are outlined in the online Handspring document.

Tech: Pentagon frees airwaves, .Net, more

07/24, 6:35pm

Tech: Pentagon frees airwaves, .Net, more

Evening tech news: The U.S. Defense Department has agreed to shift some military communications to other frequencies, freeing up space in the airwaves for advanced wireless devices; Microsoft chairman Bill Gates acknowledged today that the company's .Net plan has been slow to catch on; critics and supporters of the organization that controls registration of Internet domain names aired their clashing views over reform at a forum in Washington, D.C.

Fall 2002 Apple Store openings

07/24, 6:15pm

Fall 2002 Apple Store openings

A brochure distributed at last weekend's grand opening of the Garden City Roosevelt Field Apple Store outlines the upcoming store openings for Fall 2002.

Chimera 0.4 has speed, stability improvements

07/24, 5:35pm

Chimera 0.4 has speed, stability improvements

Chimera 0.4 brings speed and stability improvements to the browser project based on Cocoazilla, a variant of Fizzilla that consists of a UNIX back end wed to a Cocoa front end. It also displays download progress after clicking a link and has other bug fixes and enhancements.

c|net: PowerBook G4 still a winner

07/24, 5:30pm

c|net: PowerBook G4 still a winner

Apple's third-generation PowerBook G4 nears the status of a desktop replacement, a c|net review suggests. "It has all of the features of the former category [desktop replacement] but is only one inch thick and weighs just 5.4 pounds," says reviewer Gene Steinberg. "Most Windows thin-and-lights have smaller, 14.1-inch displays and can't match the PowerBook's features," explains Steinberg, making reference to easy AirPort networking, CD-RW/DVD-ROM compatibility, gigabit Ethernet and FireWire.

DialogMagic 6.0 supports OS X, FMPro 6.0

07/24, 5:30pm

DialogMagic 6.0 supports OS X, FMPro 6.0

DialogMagic 6.0, from New Millennium Communications, is a FileMaker Pro plug-in that gives you the ability to dynamically control certain non-scriptable dialogs and functions in FileMaker. Version 6.0 brings FileMaker 6.0 compatibility and OS X support as well as the ability to automate FileMaker's Send Mail function to allow dynamic file attachments and drastic speed enhancements for Export, Import, Insert Picture, and Save Copy As functions.

Adobe posts InDesign 2.0 installer fix

07/24, 5:20pm

Adobe posts InDesign 2.0 installer fix

Adobe's Installer Permissions update for InDesign 2.0 fixes an installation issue under OS X: "When installing InDesign 2.0 on Mac OS X, v.10.1.x, you may receive the error 'Error creating folder. 1008:9,-5000 access denied' followed by 'You do not have enough access privileges for this installation.'"

MicroMat Drive 10 v1.1 has drive optimization

07/24, 5:20pm

MicroMat Drive 10 v1.1 has drive optimization

MicroMat's disk repair and drive maitenance utility, Drive 10 v1.1, adds optimize and defragment routines for an OS X drive (from within Mac OS X) as well as a "host of new repair routines that allow you to find and correct drive problems that other utilities would simply abandon." [update not yet available]

BoardRoom 2.1 helps FM Pro users communicate

07/24, 5:15pm

BoardRoom 2.1 helps FM Pro users communicate

The BoardRoom 2.1 is the latest release of Brian Dunning's FileMaker Pro add-on that allows networked users to communicate without leaving the database software. The BoardRoom is a FileMaker Pro 5/6 solution that provides an instant messaging environment for up to 250 simultaneous users with visual notification, logging and time-stamping. Version 2.1 corrects bugs and adds an administrator's screen.

TouchStrokes 1.5, KeyStrokes 1.1 updated

07/24, 5:10pm

TouchStrokes 1.5, KeyStrokes 1.1 updated

Niemeijer Consult today released TouchStrokes 1.5 ($95), a customizable utility that provides a fully-functional screen-based keyboard that can be accessed using a mouse, touch screen, graphic tablet, trackball, head pointer or other mouse emulator. It automatically adjusts to US and international keyboard layouts, has multiple resizable keyboard models, and correctly handles command-key combinations, dead-keys, and modifier key - click combinations. [1.0MB]

KeyStrokes 1.1, also updated today, is a virtual keyboard for OS X designed for users with disabilities, offering an integrated, system-wide dwell-based utility which allows mouse button clicks to be entered by simply holding the cursor motionless for a programmable period of time. Version 1.1 improves handling of international keyboard layouts and has several under the hood improvements. It is available for $195 for a limited time. [757 KB]

Finale 2004 to bring OS X native support

07/24, 4:15pm

Finale 2004 to bring OS X native support

In response to growing concerns over its OS X support, Coda Music has noted that Finale 2003, which is due later this summer (after the release of the Windows version) will operate as a Classic application under OS X, providing "full access" to its new features: "Coda is strongly committed to delivering a Native version of Finale for Mac OS X as quickly as we can... Finale Macintosh is undergoing an array of architectural improvements that will benefit all Macintosh users as well as facilitate full OS X implementation. A number of these changes will be apparent in the release of Finale 2003, available in the summer of 2002. Finale 2004, scheduled for the summer of 2003, will be a Native OS X application."

Optipix 1.0: image enhancement tools

07/24, 3:30pm

Optipix 1.0: image enhancement tools

Reindeer Graphics has released Optipix 1.0, a $100 suite of image enhancement tools for photographers working with digital images. The Photoshop-compatible plugins for Classic and OS X includes tools for correcting common problems in digital images. It works on both 8- and 16-bit images and includes tools for automatically improving contrast, image averaging, blending bracketed exposures, enhancing edge detail, sub-pixel nudging, and color-safe sharpening. The company has posted several free Photoshop plugins, including Custom Filter, Adaptive Equalization, and Enter Magnification.

Post-Macworld, bundle Omni pricing

07/24, 3:00pm

Post-Macworld, bundle Omni pricing

The Omni Group today unveiled special post-Macworld pricing on its OmniGraffle, OmniWeb, OmniOutliner, and OmniDiskSweeper products with reductions of $5, $5, $10 and $5, respectively. The special pricing is in effect through July 26. Also announced today is the Omni Productivity Bundle -- which includes all four applications -- for $100, an overall saving of about $35.

Asiva Photo 1.2: 16-bit image enhancement app

07/24, 12:10pm

Asiva Photo 1.2: 16-bit image enhancement app

Shapiro Consulting Group has released an update to its 16-bit color correction and image enhancement application, Asiva Photo 1.2. Version 1.2 allows the user to view, move and edit all regions associated with any correction or enhancement operation. Asiva Photo works with proxies of the original image files to avoid rendering and effect-application slow-downs associated with large image files. Operations and sequences of operations that are defined by the user can be saved, edited or used for other images of a similar type. A demo of the $380 application is available online.

AFBR 4.8 helps rename files in Finder

07/24, 11:40am

AFBR 4.8 helps rename files in Finder

A Better Finder Rename 4.8 adds the ability to rename a file to its modification or creation date to the $15 shareware Finder enhancement tool. The contextual menu plugin allows users to quickly rename multiple files. The OS X version is now an application bundle and the installer supports automatic uninstalls. [Classic, OSX]

Yamaha shipping new internal CD-RW drives

07/24, 11:35am

Yamaha shipping new internal CD-RW drives

Yamaha is now shipping its internal CRW-F1 CD-RW drives with either an E-IDE or SCSI interface. Yamaha's CRW-F1 series of optical recorders offer the DiscT@2 Laser Labeling System, which allows graphics and text to be burnt onto any CD-R disc. It also includes "the first ever" 24X CD-RW ReWriting with Mt. Rainier support and its CD-RW Audio Track Edit system, Yamaha's Safe-Burn buffer underrun prevention technology with 8MB of buffer memory, and its PurePhase Laser System, which reduces jitters while recording by 25%. The internal E-IDE model CRW-F1ZE, in platinum white, is $180; while the black model is $200. An internal white SCSI model is $250, while the black version is $280.

Maxon Cinema 4D R8 animation package debuts

07/24, 11:05am

Maxon Cinema 4D R8 animation package debuts

Maxon has announced its Cinema 4D R8 package, an update to its professional 3D animation system. It now features a new modular system, which allows users to add additional modules that enhance specific areas of 3D workflow, and has seven new modules, including Advanced Render, Thinking Particles, PyroCluster, MOCCA, Net Render, Dynamics and BodyPaint 3D.

Pepper 4.06 brings more optimizations

07/24, 10:30am

Pepper 4.06 brings more optimizations

Maarten Hekkelman's shareware text editor, Pepper 4.06, brings better suport for non-single byte scripts, fixes for the Python Parser, improved softwrapping speed, more drawing optimizations, loop detection to the regex replace all code, and removes the FreeType support. It is $35 for a single-platform license or $55 for a cross-platform license.

Pound Hill debuts new book publishing apps

07/24, 10:25am

Pound Hill debuts new book publishing apps

Pound Hill Software has announced two new Quark-based products and one standalone application for book publishing: Book-O-Matic is an $50 XTension for QuarkXPress 4.1.1, which provides control over output of 2-up and 4-up signatures (and other features); Castoway, a $70 full-featured stand alone book design calculator and planning tool; and CastowayLink, a $40 QuarkXPress XTension (5.0/4.1.1) for importing Castoway files and automatically generating page layouts and style sheets.

MediaEdit 1.2: QuickTime video/audio editor

07/24, 10:15am

MediaEdit 1.2: QuickTime video/audio editor

MediaEdit 1.2 is a movie and graphic editing tool that lets you add effects and transitions to your movies as well as "paint" directly on video, edit multiple audio tracks, edit images with a built-in editor, and export video. It includes over a hundred transitions and dozens of effects. A Standard ($60) version has limited sound editing features and a few missing effects, while the Pro is $90. It is available for both Classic and OS X. [Standard, Pro]

LANsurveyor 7.0 Preview now available

07/24, 9:55am

LANsurveyor 7.0 Preview now available

Neon Software today released LANsurveyor 7.0 Preview for OS X, the first native OS X version of its network mapping, managing and reporting application. It features a new reporting feature, Backup Profiler, which tracks the amount and type of data on client computers and the change rate of that data. Version 7.0 also now includes three new map topologies in addition to hierarchical maps: symmetrical, circular, and orthogonal. The final release will be available in August 2002 for $500. Additional Neon Responders packs start at $250 for 25 clients. Upgrades start at $130 and are free for customers who have purchased LANsurveyor since July 1, 2002.

Business Week: interview with Phil Schiller

07/24, 9:55am

Business Week: interview with Phil Schiller

Business Week Online has posted excerpts of its conversation with Apple VP Phil Schiller on topics such as iPod for Windows, its "Switch" campaign, Jaguar pricing, Jaguar's adoption of other applications' features, and Microsoft's recent OS X adoption rate criticism.

Perlidex 1.0: shareware Perl dev environment

07/24, 9:45am

Perlidex 1.0: shareware Perl dev environment

GoldfishSoft has released Perlidex 1.0, its Perl development environment and front end for OS X. New features in this version include the ability to find and install Perl Modules, and improvements to the documentation. Single-user licenses are $25, while students and registered users of XPerlEdit can register for $20.

UPCTools 5 generates barcodes on Macs

07/24, 9:45am

UPCTools 5 generates barcodes on Macs

Azalea has announced UPCTools 5, an update to its bar code font library that creates UPC, EAN, JAN, Bookland, and ISSN bar code symbols. The $200 application includes C39Tools (Code 39), C128Tools (Code 128), UPCTools (UPC, EAN, Bookland, and ISSN), I2of5Tools (Interleaved 2 of 5), and other 1D symbologies. In addition, Azalea offers 2D bar code products like Azalea PDF417 (PDF 417), DataMatrix, and Maxicode. Developers can bundle Azalea's fonts with their applications for $600. UPCTools 5 is available for Classic and OS X.

Apple KB: iTunes 3, QuickTime, PowerMac G4

07/24, 1:30am

Apple KB: iTunes 3, QuickTime, PowerMac G4

Apple's Knowlege Base has several updated documents on the recently released iTunes 3 application, including how to: Create a Smart Playlist, Rate Songs, Export Playlists to Archive, and Add Spoken Word Content to Your Library as well as About Sound Check. Other troubleshooting articles include How to Revert to QuickTime 5, and Power Mac G4 sleep issues with single-channel SCSI cards.

Smoothicon series Volume 4 posted

07/24, 1:20am

Smoothicon series Volume 4 posted

Corey Marion has released Volume 4 of his Smoothicon series, a freeware icon set for OS X that covers Apple's latest hardware releases including the Xserve, and eMac.

eSuite4X 2.1 offers database, PHP development

07/24, 1:15am

eSuite4X 2.1 offers database, PHP development

eSuite4X 2.1 includes "everything you need to start developing database driven web sites within 10 minutes." The $150 package includes Apache 2, PHP 4.2, WebDAV, MySQL 3.2.3 and offers a graphical interface for easy setup and administration; the ability to manage MySQL databases, tables and users; publish a finished site to a production environment or web hosting provider; and make backups of a production database to your local system.

Apple posts Xserve Update 1.0

07/24, 1:10am

Apple posts Xserve Update 1.0

Apple's Xserve Update 1.0 provides updates and enhancements to the serial port, ATA hard disk drivers, server assistant, and server monitoring functions of Xserve. It includes a new version of the Server Monitor and Server Assistant applications, which are "installed by the update in the /Applications/Utilities folder. It is recommended that client computers running these administrative tools update to the new versions by copying the application from an updated Xserve."