News Archive for 02/12/16

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Apple's Ive named 'newsmaker' in BBC poll

12/16, 10:55pm

Apple's Ive named 'newsmaker' in BBC poll

Apple industrial design director Jonathan Ive was voted 'Cultural Newsmaker of the Year,' in a poll conducted last week by the BBC. The survey asked readers of the weekly cultural section of its Web site which personalities examined over the past year had the greatest impact on society. Musician Ozzy Osbourne, filmmaker Michael Moore, and soccer player Gary Lineker all won in their respective categories, and will now showdown with Ive for the overall 'Newsmaker of the Year' title.

Logitech giving away mouse/kb combos

12/16, 8:00pm

Logitech giving away mouse/kb combos

Logitech will give away 20,000 of its Cordless Navigator Duo Special Edition mouse/keyboard combos this Friday in a massive sweepstakes intended as a "thank you" to all the Logitech customers who helped make the company "number one in cordless peripherals."

Apps: MacRADIUS, MacAT, FTP Suite, Mellel

12/16, 6:45pm

Apps: MacRADIUS, MacAT, FTP Suite, Mellel

MCF Software has released MacRADIUS 1.2, an update to RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) server with Mac-like operation and simple administration. Version 1.2 fixes bugs in handling proxy RADIUS requests, adds support for the "Ascend abinary type" and introduces a new license key scheme. [Download Form]
MacAT -- a $50 task automation and scheduling ("cron") application for Mac server administrators -- has been updated to version 6.4. This updated corrects a "year bug" relating to one-time taks, addresses a memory leak that could be activated by resizing columns, and implements a "Mount AppleShare IP" task. [Download - 3.4MB]
FTP Suite for REALbasic 1.1 is an update to the set of classes and code modules for FTP implementation in REALbasic projects. The latest update adds the following features/operations: Get Directory -- transfers all the content from a server directory; Get Directory List -- returns a list of all the files and subdirectories; End FTP Session -- stops the current FTP transfer sequence. "Hobbyist" pricing begins at $30. [Download - 3.8MB]
Mellel 1.4 adds built-in footnote/endnote functionality, a new iTunes-like graphic user-interface, smart palettes, real-time word-count, and greatly enhanced RTF import and export to the word processor for Mac OS X. Mellel can be purchased for $20; special pricing for quantity purchases is available. [Download - 2.0MB]

IOGEAR to debut new products at CES

12/16, 6:10pm

IOGEAR to debut new products at CES

IOGEAR is expected to debut a number of products at the upcoming CES technology expo. The 6-in-1 Memory Bank is a high-speed date storage device that offers transfer speeds "4 times" that of a standard digital camera connection. Aditionally, the soon-to-be-released CardBus "combo" combines USB 2.0 and FireWire ports on a single PCI card. Other IOGEAR products featured at CES will include home networking products such as IOGEAR's HomePlug Powerline Networking Adapters and wireless Bluetooth lines.

The-Scientist readers praise iMac

12/16, 5:40pm

The-Scientist readers praise iMac

The Apple iMac has tied with Eppendorf's Personal MiniSpin for the product with the "coolest design" in The-Scientist's annual reader choice awards. The widely-circulated magazine describes the iMac as comprising the "ingredients necessary for both serious work and serious fun." Also notably, GraphPad's Prism -- a Mac OS X application -- received the "most useful software" award. [Free registration Req'd]

Metrowerks unlikely to make Palm app for Mac

12/16, 5:20pm

Metrowerks unlikely to make Palm app for Mac

Metrowerks is currently seeking feedback from developers in order to determine if there is sufficient demand for a Mac-compatible version of its Codewarrior for Palm 9.0 suite. Codewarrior for Palm 9.0 is now available for pre-order, but Metrowerks cautions there are no plans to release a Mac version.

Apps: iDress, TelnetLauncher, EIMS plugin

12/16, 3:15pm

Apps: iDress, TelnetLauncher, EIMS plugin

Incarna has released iDress 1.2, a "significant" update to the $15 template-based solution allows users to generate envelopes, Avery mailing labels, custom stationery, and much more directly from Mac OS X 10.2 Address Book records. It adds customization options, PDF image support, the ability to specify certain fields, sort-before-printing options, and the ability to control the exact positioning of the printed page. [4.8MB]
TelnetLauncher 2.1 launches telnet and SSH sessions under Mac OS X via Terminal.app. Version 2.1 auto-closes terminal windows after each session and "cleanly" launches each session, while other recent changes include font/size preferences for each session, multiple session launches via a single click, and a "clone" session option. Pricing starts at $10. [1.0MB]
Updated: The Auto Reply Plug-In for EIMS is a simple automatic-reply filter that will only send one reply per email address, allowing an administrator of an EIMS server to easily set up a vacation reply. The $50 plug-in keeps a list of all email addresses that the message is sent to, and will only send the message once to any one address. [25KB]

SPSS ships SPSS 11.0 data analysis app

12/16, 2:20pm

SPSS ships SPSS 11.0 data analysis app

SPSS told MacNN that it has begun shipping SPSS 11.0 for Mac OS X, after announcing its data analysis software in March of this year. The new version includes a Aqua interface, web publishing features, mail support (via Mac OS X services), better compatibility with SPSS 11 for Windows, limited AppleScript support, improved database tools, linear mixed models, better statistical procedures, more transformations, and other enhancements. Upgrades to the $1000 application start at $150.

Em Software releases two InDesign plugins

12/16, 2:20pm

Em Software releases two InDesign plugins

Em Software has released InData 2.0, a $400 plug-in for Adobe InDesign described as "mail merge on steroids. You write simple text statements to import and format your text and graphics. Then our menu-driven tools, in a few clicks, build your documents at hundreds, or even thousands, of pages per hour." The company also released InCatalog 2.0, a $800 InDesign plugin for creating transparent links between your Adobe InDesign documents and external data. The $1,200 Pro version now supports ODBC in both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X using supplied DataDirect Connect ODBC v4.0 drivers. [ID, IC]

Similarity XT: new Quark XTension

12/16, 1:40pm

Similarity XT: new Quark XTension

Badia Software today released a new XTension for Mac QuarkXPress 4/5. Similarity XT is a search and replace engine that gathers and makes global changes to items sharing similar attributes. It lets users build search queries with unlimited conditions and restrictions and has more that 50 attributes that can be combined in constructing a search, including picture file information such as resolution, format and color model. Changes are applied using an innovative "recording" feature. Single licenses are $60.

iMac design team nominated for Rave Awards

12/16, 12:20pm

iMac design team nominated for Rave Awards

The Apple Industrial Design Team has been nominated by Wired Magazine for its work on the iMac as part of the magazine's Rave Awards, celebrating innovation and the individuals transforming commerce and culture. The nominees were selected by the Wired Brain Trust, an international jury of visionaries including pioneers such as Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons), architect Frank Gehry, Sun's Bill Joy, MTV networks president Judy McGrath, and other Wired editors. The winners will be announced on January 13th in San Francisco.

Apps: Countdown, EV Nova, Finance...

12/16, 11:55am

Apps: Countdown, EV Nova, Finance...

Ambrosia has updated its Escape Velocity Nova 1.0.3 strategy game with numerous bug fixes. [Classic, update]
SearchBar 1.1b2 can quickly perform searches in your favorite web based search engines, such as Google, Apple Developer Documentation, CNN, the Internet Movie DataBase, MacNN and many more (29 total!) and will display the results in your favorite browser. The freeware is available in English and French. [630KB
Yenco's Finance 4.5 adds Mac OS X support, improved International support for dates and numbers, a better search engine, improved printing, and other enhancements to its $20 shareware utiility for managing checking, savings, and credit card accounts. [838KB]
Waterfall Software's CountDown 3.1 is an application that functions as a virtual alarm clock. It can count down from a specified number of hours, minutes and seconds and can also be triggered at a specific time. The $10 shareware (20% off for the holidays) adds support for multiple windows, a new Clock module with lap function, up-down arrow controls and the ability to disconnect or connect to the internet with actions. [1MB]
MacASP 1.03 is a CGI that provides server side processing to Macintosh web servers using a "easy-to-learn" scripting language similar to Basic. It adds a a new verbose configuration, improved on-the-fly HTML compression, and a new TableSchema method. It runs on Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X and is free for use with MacHTTP or Personal Web Sharing under Mac OS Classic. Full licenses are €299. [Classic, OSX]

RealViz releases ImageModeler 3.5 for OS X

12/16, 11:25am

RealViz releases ImageModeler 3.5 for OS X

RealViz today released ImageModeler 3.5 for Mac OS X, which offers an innovative and intuitive approach to creating 3D models. It extracts 3D information from photographs and helps users to measure and recreate accurate 3D models using automatic texturing from photographs, point-to-point measurements and manual texture creation with an Unwrap Texture. Cross-grades to the $750 application are free for purchases after September 9, 2002 and $250 for other registered owners.

Apple KB: memory issues, video capture...

12/16, 9:20am

Apple KB: memory issues, video capture...

KB roundup: Apple says that some applications may need to be updated to work in Power Macs with more than 1.5GB of memory; An updated article discusses what kind of hard drives are appropriate for video capture and playback using Final Cut Pro (and incompatibilities between certain hard drive system and hardware combinations); and Apple also says that upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2 server may cause mail problems.

Tribeworks offers upgrade path for iShell

12/16, 8:55am

Tribeworks offers upgrade path for iShell

Multimedia tools publisher Tribeworks today announced a limited-time competitive upgrade promotion, offering users of Macromedia Director a substantial discount on its multimedia authoring application. For a limited time, with proof of Director ownership, customers can purchase a Mac OS X version of iShell 3 for $400. A cross-platform version is also available for $600 (special iShell pricing is also available to educators). The offer is valid in North America to registered users of Macromedia Director through January 17, 2003. (The company has also posted a side-by-side comparison of Director and iShell.)

Sharp debuts high-end 20.1-inch LCD monitor

12/16, 8:55am

Sharp debuts high-end 20.1-inch LCD monitor

Sharp today announced a new 20.1-inch LCD monitor. The 20.1 inch UXGA high precision LL-T2020 LCD monitor is capable of displaying 1.9 megapixels (1,600 x 1,200), features Sharp's exclusive 10-bit gamma correction technology, has a high-speed 25-millisecond response time, is equipped with two DVI-I connectors (with support for both analog and digital signals), and supports up to four simultaneous PC connections (via an optional cable). The $2000 LCD monitor is compatible with VESA-standard free mount for wall or arm mounting and is capable of landscape or portrait style viewing. [site not updated]

Apple pulls back on OS X-only plan for Macs

12/16, 8:45am

Apple pulls back on OS X-only plan for Macs

Apple has pulled back from a plan that would have made Mac OS X the primary operating system on all new Macs starting in January, according c|net: "Apple will continue to sell schools some Macs capable of booting up into Mac OS 9, and will continue to sell a Power Mac G4 geared toward professionals such as graphic designers until June 2003," Apple said in a statement to select media outlets. The company said that educational customers are ordering 50% of the its Macs with Mac OS X as the default OS and that it "expects this percentage to climb to over 75 percent by the start of the next education buying season this April." (In September, Steve Jobs said that all new Macs would only boot Mac OS X beginning in January 2003.

PowerBooks outlcass other notebooks

12/16, 8:25am

PowerBooks outlcass other notebooks

Infoworld calls Apple's PowerBook a "PC killer," saying that "After spending quality time with the PowerBook running Mac OS X 10.2.2, we don't care if we ever touch another $3,500-plus top-end PC notebook. Yes, it is that good, and its value has nothing to do with its sleek looks," and concluding "The PowerBook G4 isn't a product to watch; it's the only notebook on the market worth spending $2,500 on, and at that price, it's a steal."

Apple signs education Web-app deal

12/16, 8:20am

Apple signs education Web-app deal

The Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education approved a contract last week with Apple to "provide an Internet site where Chino Valley students can work on homework assignments from home or library computer," according to Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, noting that the board unanimously approved the $375,206 contract for the "Electronic Backpack/ Universal Locker program." (Apple's PowerSchool division offers school administrators and teachers the ability to manage student records, and gives parents real-time access to track their children’s progress.

RealOne Player for Mac OS X goes final

12/16, 8:10am

RealOne Player for Mac OS X goes final

RealNetworks today shipped the gold release of RealOne Player for Mac OS X, completing the beta period for its online media player, which began in July 2002. It features TurboPlay, which offers broadband users near-instant playback of RealVideo and RealAudio by dramatically reducing the time it takes to load or "buffer" a clip prior to playback through the intelligent utilization of available bandwidth. It also gives Mac users direct radio tuner access to 1700 radio stations from around the world as well as supports RealOne SuperPass (news, sports and entertainment content) and RealOne Radio Pass subscription services (50 premium, ad-free, pre-programmed radio stations). [5.0MB]

Apps: Mozilla, VaporSec, Seek...

12/16, 8:00am

Apps: Mozilla, VaporSec, Seek...

Mozilla 1.3a is the latest version of the open-source browser project, bringing updates to the Mail and Newsgroup features, including basic junk-mail classification capabilities, new filtering tools, new Message Views functions to locate, organize and prioritize mail messages, better support for some imap servers, and a bookmark search feature. [18MB]
VaporSec 0.9 serves as a graphical front end to the built-in IPSec capabilities of Mac OS X 10.2. The freeware allows users to create IPSec VPNs between two OS X 10.2 machines or between a client machine and select third-party firewalls. Version 0.9 offers better compatibility and can recreate the IPSec connections on boot and when changing network locations. [532KB]
Wingnut Development has updated its Web search tool Seek 2.5: "Seek takes the hassle out of web searches by bringing you directly to the results of your search in your web browser using 1 of 9 search engines with a total of 48 different search types, cutting search times almost in half." Version 2.5 adds Apple Developer Connection, xrefer, and Yahoo Stock searches, as well as other enhancments." [152KB]
TFM 1.1 is a $25 tool for searching and viewing Mac OS X documentation and source code. It parses C and ObjC, HTML, RTF, and Apple's Java documentation and is able to generate class diagrams, lookup method definitions and provide other developer-oriented abilities (not available in a web browser, HelpViewer or other file "grepping" programs.) [770KB]
Allgood Software has released Spite and Malice 3.0 (previously named "Cat and Mouse"), a Mac OS X implementation of the two player game of patience with three levels of difficulty and support for six different variations. The $15 shareware runs on Mac OS 8/9/X.

Apple launches .Mac promotions

12/16, 7:40am

Apple launches .Mac promotions

Apple is offering a free 20GB iPod to the person with the best web page (with a is 5GB iPod as the second prize) in its new HomePage Creativity Contest. MacNN reader Miles Flinn also notes that .Mac is offering the Mac OS X desktop version of Super Nisqually (with new game pieces, new soundtracks, and five levels of difficulty) and $5 off SuperCollapse.