News Archive for 02/10/15

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Jersey FCP group to host demo

10/15, 11:35pm

Jersey FCP group to host demo

The New Jersey Final Cut Pro Users Group let us know that digital video guru, and user group leader, Arthur Aldrich will demonstrate compositing in Final Cut Pro and After Effects at the next NJ FCP meeting on Wednesday, October 16. Aldrich will also demo Automatic Duck, an FCP/After Effects compatibility utility.

Hawaiian MUG hosts iMovie comp.

10/15, 10:35pm

Hawaiian MUG hosts iMovie comp.

An Apple user group at the University of Hawaii is now accepting submissions to their second iMovieFest competition. Gamma Apple Pi is a competition in which entrants send in their five-minute iMovie productions to compete for first, second and third place, in addition to audience awards. Any individual or team can enter. All entrants (for exhibition and competition) will be shown on November 4, 2002 in Hawaii; entries must be submitted by November 1, 2002. First place wins a Nintendo Gamecube.

Omni Group helping to port puzzle games

10/15, 10:10pm

Omni Group helping to port puzzle games

The Omni Group and PopCap Games have partnered to bring puzzle and strategy games to the Mac OS X platform. Alchemy Deluxe ($20) and Bejeweled Deluxe ($20) are the first products of the partnership, soon to be accompanied by other well known titles.

Symbolic Composer 4.5 for music programming

10/15, 9:45pm

Symbolic Composer 4.5 for music programming

Earlier this month, MRAC Publishing released Symbolic Composer 4.5 for Mac OS 9 and OS X. The $400 application is billed as a "complete music language and covers all aspects of music composition. [Its] function library covers 600 musical and mathematical building blocks, chaos, fractals, series, progressions, morphs, interpolations, a complete scale and chord system, orhestral and section hierarchies, 300 experimental tunings, ZIPI-like instrument control structure and 256 MIDI channels realized in standard MIDI protocol. Programming environment allows graphical examination and manipulation of compositional data."

Apple adds new stories to Switch Web site

10/15, 9:25pm

Apple adds new stories to Switch Web site

Apple has updated its "Switch" Web site with some "new 'Real Stories' of people who have switched from the PC platform to the Mac. The stories are titled: "WOOHOO!", "Four Hooves Up," "What About My Desk?," "People Are Drooling," "The Right Technology," "Digitally Divorced," and "Happily Married."

IBM, AMD lead 64-bit push, Intel left behind

10/15, 8:45pm

IBM, AMD lead 64-bit push, Intel left behind

The EETimes has an interesting article discussing the migration of 32-bit desktops to the 64-bit processor architecture found in upcoming products from AMD and IBM: "Most PCs have yet to bump up against the 4-Gbyte memory-addressing limit of 32-bit chips....A 64-bit Macintosh will deliver only marginal benefits until Macs need 4 Gbytes of RAM. But I don't doubt Apple could do a great job of marketing the feature if they choose to adopt it." The article details both 64-bit implementations from both AMD and IBM and discusses the "heat on Intel Corp. to extend its flagship Pentium processor to 64 bits."

Fantom Drives rolls out new RAIDs

10/15, 8:35pm

Fantom Drives rolls out new RAIDs

Fantom Drives today announced the addition of two new "G-Force" products to its line of RAID FireWire storage solutions. The G-Force 12-Bay Dual Ultra 160 RAID ($9,500), and the G-Force 12 Bay Dual loop 2Gbit Fibre Channel RAID ($12,000) both feature 1.44TB of storage. “Fibre Channel and Clustering support are traditionally features of much more expensive solutions,” said Fantom Drives Director of Research and Development, Alex Koyshman, in reference to the $12,000 model.

IBM reveals details of PowerPC 970

10/15, 8:20pm

IBM reveals details of PowerPC 970

IBM's Peter Sandon confirmed that its upcoming PowerPC 970 processor supports the AltiVec instruction set, according to The Register: "the processor is tailor made for high end Apple machines. It's expected to sample in the first half of next year, and appear in production volumes in the second half [of next year]." Other annotated highlights from the article:

The PowerPC 970 is a single 64-bit core as opposed to the currently shipping POWER4 chip from IBM. IBM is estimating a SPECint2000 of 937 and SPECfp2000 at 1051 when running at 1.8GHz and 5220 MIPS.
• Conservatively, initial quantities will debut between 1.4GHz and 1.8GHz with 512KB of L2 cache. There are two AltiVec-compatible SIMD execution units. 32-bit code such as the current Mac OS X will run natively on the 970 without emulation; however, the OS will need to be modified (though the list of modifications is not large).

MusicMatch to discontinue Mac development

10/15, 7:45pm

MusicMatch to discontinue Mac development

MusicMatch today told MacNN that it will discontinue development of its MusicMatch software for the Mac as well as its (paid) Radio MX service for Mac users; however it said it would continue to support Windows iPod users: "the percentage of our entire user base on Mac is overwhelmingly lower than the percentage of consumers on Mac v.PC. By not dividing the company's development and marketing efforts between Mac and PC, we can continue to focus on what we do best - creating the best music software and services for the PC." The company also noted the availability of iTunes for Mac users, saying that "With great music programs like iTunes already available for the Mac, it's best for the future of the company to focus on primary business objectives and revenue goals for the long term."

Apps: LabAssistant, REALbasic, CPLAT 4.5...

10/15, 5:25pm

Apps: LabAssistant, REALbasic, CPLAT 4.5...

Several applications have been released or updated, including REALbasic 4.5.2, LabAssitant, Trade Strategist 0.2a, CPLAT 4.5, and AkwaIRC 0.14a:

REALbasic 4.5.2 is an update to the popular programming application, bringing several bug fixes. [Classic, OSX]
LabAssistant is a scientific program for Mac OS X that helps organize scientific experiments. It features a To Do List, automated reminders, and more. EnzymeX, a program that helps decide what restrictions enzymes to use when cutting DNA, will be released soon. [900 KB]
Trade Strategist 0.2a is a stock market trading simulation program for Mac OS X. It includes financial charts, a charting library and other useful features.
ksoft has released CPLAT 4.5, an easy to use, cross-platform C++ framework for Mac OS 9 & X. CodeWarrior Pro8 support has been added, as well as updated documentation, an editor for creating, importing and exporting resources, and new graphics classes.
AkwaIRC 0.14a is a lightweight, Mac OS X native IRC client. It now includes a new bug report system, sound effects and bug fixes. [370 KB]

KB roundup: Airport issues, drive utils....

10/15, 4:30pm

KB roundup: Airport issues, drive utils....

Apple Tech Info: Apple confirms sound sampling issues in the Classic environment under OS X; an article on disk maintenance describes when to use the Disk Utility and fsck for file system maintenance and includes notes on the "Safe Boot" and Single-User modes; Apple's KB discusses troubleshooting permissions issues; and dozens of users are experiencing intermittent Internet connectivity with Airport & Jaguar.

Apps: MP3 Info, Shadow Google, iChatViewer...

10/15, 2:45pm

Apps: MP3 Info, Shadow Google, iChatViewer...

MP3-Info CMM 1.1 is a free Contextual Menu Module designed for Mac OS X. It displays info on MP3 files, such as its duration, the bit rate, artist, the title of the song, and others. Version 1.1 supports the new MP3-Tag "Composer" introduced in iTunes 3, supports AIFF and WAVE files, and can now change the filetype of any MP3 file. [112KB]
stupidFish has released shadowGoogle 2.0, which features searches on Google, Apple, Yahoo!, and eBay. New features include numerical positioning and resizing of the search box, autocomplete, recent searches, text display manipulation and a much requested Faceless Mode option. The $8 shareware is also available as a $15 group license for up to 10 computers. [1.2MB]
iChatViewer 0.4.0 is the first public beta release of the free software that sorts through iChat logs and opens them in iChat: "Instead of displaying the logs in the application, iChatViewer opens them in iChat for you, so you can see them in all their Aqua glory." [845KB]
Countour A/V has added Avid Xpress DV 3.5 settings to its OS X ShuttlePRO Settings/Driver for its ShuttlePRO Multimedia Controller, which offers control over digital editing software via jog knob and programmable buttons.
Centromedia has released a free version of its Address Office 3.3, its multiplatform telephone and address book that allows you to quickly and easily manage addresses, phone numbers, URLs, AIM, ICQ and Email addresses. It adds vCard export, interface enhancements, and other bug fixes. [Classic, OSX]
Time Track 1.1.1 is a free update to Trinity Software's $25 time tracking software. The update fixes a bug that prevented the Rate Calculator and several other utilities from working properly when working with log entries that contained two digit months and also includes new application and document icons for MacOS X. [Classic, OSX]

FireWire Depot debuts new products

10/15, 2:15pm

FireWire Depot debuts new products

FireWire Depot today announced two new products, including the AMS 2.5" FireWire hard drive enclosure with built-in rechargeable battery for $100 and the UF300 USB2.0/ FireWire Combo Hub ($80), which allows users to expand both USB and FireWire products with a single hub with 7 external ports --- four downstream Type A USB ports and three FireWire ports. The company has also expanded its offering of FireWire, USB2, and FireWire/USB2 combo bridgeboards.

250 iMacs used for registration system

10/15, 2:10pm

250 iMacs used for registration system

The Munich Fair company has deployed 250 iMacs at the entrance to the Systems trade show for visitor registration, according to MacNN reader Oliver Breidenbach: "The Systems is Germany's second largest IT show. The iMacs are used for visitor registration. As far as I know, they will be used for future trade shows as well."

OS X 10.2.2 to bring new journal file system

10/15, 1:55pm

OS X 10.2.2 to bring new journal file system

Apple will reportedly add a new "journaled file system" to Mac OS X designed to provide enterprise customers with a new, historical view of their data. The journaling technology, code-named "Elvis," will make its debut in the forthcoming Mac OS X 10.2.2, which Apple is reportedly on track to post as a free update within the next three weeks, according to eWeek: "The journaled file system, which will run atop the Mac's traditional HFS file scheme, will be switched off by default; users will be able to switch it on via the command line, sources said. They reported that while Elvis runs in the background, enabling JFS will slow current system performance by 10 percent to 15 percent."

Apple salutes Carter with Think Different

10/15, 12:50pm

Apple salutes Carter with Think Different

Several readers note that Apple's homepage highlights Jimmy Carter's recent Nobel Peace prize using the "Think Different" slogan.

Apps: TDF Czar, Translator Lite, iDraw 1.2

10/15, 12:00pm

Apps: TDF Czar, Translator Lite, iDraw 1.2

Several applications have been updated including, TDF Czar 2.2, Translator Lite, iDraw 1.2, and VideoOut plugin for REALbasic:

TDF Czar 2.2 adds the ability to extract data from an HTML table and export it to a tab-delimited format (for import into a database or spreadsheet). TDF Czar can also input, sort, filter, merge and output such data. Scripts can be easily recorded to automate repetitive operations. A 20-record limited demo of the $20 application is available onilne. [1.1MB]
Translator Lite is an application that provides quick language translations via global floating palette. The application supports 16 languages, offers a quick search function, works on Mac OS 9/OS X, and is fully compatible with all Word Translator Dictionaries.
The $40 illustration and animation program for Mac OS X, iDraw 1.2, features "many of the features of high-end design programs, such as smooth anti-aliased rendered paths, different fill types including semi-transparent colors and gradients, object transformations such as tapers and arcs, text shape manipulation, and much more." Version 1.2 adds is optimized for Mac OS 10.2, has improved image and animation export, has a new multi-line text tool, and includes other bug fixes. [545KB]
VideoOut Plugin, based on QuickTime Video Output Components, enables REALbasic programmers to output DV and DVCPRO video streams via the FireWire port. Developers who do not have a hardware device can still provide support in their applications by using VideoOut emulators. It is available for both Classic and OS X.

Java-based CAD viewer available

10/15, 11:45am

Java-based CAD viewer available

Tailor Made Software today released CADViewer 7 with advanced CAD and engineering file viewing collaboration and redlining. The Java-based application brings viewing and redlining of popular CAD and engineering files, such as Autodesk's DWG/DXF, Adobe PDF, Bentley MicroStation DGN and popular raster graphic files. It includes enhanced support for saving redlines as a layer and in multiple file types, a configurable toolbar, improved measurement tool for scale and calibration, drawing comparison features, remote open/save functions, better printing from IE/Netscape, and expanded language support (Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and Russian.)

iCal2html 1.0 displays iCal info via Web

10/15, 11:40am

iCal2html 1.0 displays iCal info via Web

iCal2html 1.0 reads the data stored by iCal and creates Web pages which show the same data in iCal-like format on the Web: " They don't rely on custom-written modules, CGI, ASP, or anything besides the basic HTML-serving capabilities of any web-server software. Just copy the folder onto your web site, whether it's Personal Web Sharing running under OS 9, a Windows file server, or Apache." It's free for non-commercial use.

Apple launches iStudent rental program in UK

10/15, 11:35am

Apple launches iStudent rental program in UK

Apple UK has launched iStudent, a flexible lease rental programme that offers an opportunity to lease an iBook and PowerBook computers for a one, two or three years with an option to buy the equipment for a nominal fee of just £50, after the term expires. Students are offered the option to purchase an AirPort card and/or an AirPort Base Station; the AppleCare Protection Plan, which gives you up to three years of Apple-certified service and support, is also included.

QuickTime 6 downloads top 25M in 100 days

10/15, 11:30am

QuickTime 6 downloads top 25M in 100 days

Apple today announced that more than 25 million copies of QuickTime 6 have been downloaded in less than 100 days: "QuickTime 6 has taken off like a rocket, with over 25 million downloads in 100 days," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Why pay for a proprietary streaming solution when Apple is offering the first widely distributed end-to-end, open-standards-based streaming solution for free?" Apple released QuickTime 6 on July 15, 2002. Apple also noted there have been 200,000 downloads of the free QuickTime Streaming Server and the open-source Darwin Streaming Server.

Key Xing 2.2: shareware OS X utility

10/15, 11:20am

Key Xing 2.2: shareware OS X utility

Luma Code's $7 shareware OS X utility, Key Xing 2.2, allows you to launch files, programs, folders, URLs, and AppleScripts from the keyboard. Version 2.2 adds a greatly improved Google search window, a toggle listening hot key, a status window, import/export of hot key lists, an improved installer, and other improvements.

Apple opening third AppleCentre in China

10/15, 11:20am

Apple opening third AppleCentre in China

BeiMac, Beijing's Macintosh User Group, reports that Apple is opening an AppleCentre at Oriental Plaza in Beijing, China: "The Oriental Plaza is located in an extremely downtown region in Beijing and has excellent transportation links. The grand opening will be just after 9 AM local time on Saturday, 19 October 2002." It also notes that that a second AppleCentre has opened since August (when it was originally noted), making the Oriental Plaza location Apple's third AppleCentre.

WebMerge 2.0 generates Web pages

10/15, 9:45am

WebMerge 2.0 generates Web pages

Fourth World has released WebMerge 2.0, a tool for Mac OS and Windows that generates static Web pages from database or spreadsheet files. Version 2.0 provides many more options for specifying how pages are generated, and supports more than a dozen new tags HTML templates can use for assembling and linking Web content, including conditional statements and an INCLUDE tag to merge the contents of any text or HTML file into a template. It is available for $70 ($10 off) through the end of October. [Classic, OSX]

Font Reserve 3.1.1 updater fixes bugs

10/15, 9:10am

Font Reserve 3.1.1 updater fixes bugs

DiamondSoft's Font Reserve 3.1.1 update (Single User) addresses issues encountered when working in Mac OS X, including activating fonts for Classic applications and handling permissions. In addition, the update resolves issues with Font Reserve's plug-in for Adobe InDesign, which provides precision automatic font activation. Font Reserve features system-wide font activation for Mac OS X along with precision automatic font activation for Adobe InDesign 2, Adobe Illustrator 10, and QuarkXPress 5. The update is free to all registered users, while the full Font Reserve 3.1.1 is available for Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 for $90 (electronic download).

HTMLColorPickerX 1.1.2 adds Spanish, German

10/15, 8:50am

HTMLColorPickerX 1.1.2 adds Spanish, German

HTMLColorPickerX, Smile Software's HTML Color Picker for Mac OS X, has been updated to version 1.1.2 to included Spanish and German localization. HTMLColorPickerX from Smile Software re-introduces the HTML Color Picker allowing users to specify HTML colors in hex and to snap the sliders to web-safe colors. All Cocoa applications can use HTMLColorPickerX and with Jaguar, most Carbon applications will work as well.

Optigold ISP 3.1 management app released

10/15, 8:35am

Optigold ISP 3.1 management app released

Optigold ISP 3.1 for Mac OS 8/9 and OS X (as well as Windows and Linux) was released today. This cross-platform business software package runs all aspects of an internet service provider - from billing to server management. A free working copy can be downloaded after filling out an information request form. Version 3.1 adds web interface options, new variable flexibility, additional CVV2 support, updated QuickDNS events and a few other miscellaneous feature requests.

iListen 1.52 upgraded for worldwide auidence

10/15, 8:30am

iListen 1.52 upgraded for worldwide auidence

MacSpeech today released an update to its flagship speech recognition product, iListen 1.5, for European Language Compatibility. iListen 1.5.2 has improved text output to handle a wider range of European languages and also improves the handling of high ASCII characters such as the trademark symbol and the Euro sign. This update is free to current users of iListen 1.5 and iListen 1.5.1. Owners of iListen 1.2.1 and earlier can upgrade to iListen 1.5.2 for $40 from the company’s online store.

MoniSwitch ADC shares Apple Flat Panels

10/15, 8:25am

MoniSwitch ADC shares Apple Flat Panels

Dr. Bott announced today announced its MoniSwitch ADC for sharing Apple LCD displays between computers will ship this month. The $300 MoniSwitch ADC is compatible with Apple's Flat Panel Displays that incorporate the Apple Displacy Connector. DVI displays can also be used with the MoniSwitch when used with an adapter such as Dr. Bott's DVI Extractor and any computer with a built-in ADC connector.