News Archive for 03/09/02

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Rolling Stones music available on iTMS

09/02, 8:35pm

Rolling Stones music available on iTMS

Eighteen Rolling Stones albums are now available on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Previously, Rolling Stones music had been "exclusive" to the Rhapsody online music service.

SoftRAID 3.0 for Mac OS X offers RAID support

09/02, 8:10pm

SoftRAID 3.0 for Mac OS X offers RAID support

SoftRAID today announced the release of SoftRAID 3.0, a new Mac OS X version of the drive utility that supports stripe and mirror (RAID levels 0 and 1, respectively) volumes on any combination of FireWire, ATA, SCSI, USB and Fibre Channel drives. SoftRAID 3.0 requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. A special "upgrade" price of $100 is available to everyone until November 1, 2003--after which it will be available for $130 (electronic) and $150 (retail CD). SoftRAID 2.2.2 users who purchased or upgraded SoftRAID after August 1, 2002 are entitled to a free upgrade.

Power Mac G5s used to build supercomputer

09/02, 6:20pm

Power Mac G5s used to build supercomputer

Virginia Tech Tuesday confirmed that it will use 1,100 Power Mac G5s as part of a supercomputer cluster now under construction, according to CNET News.com. Virginia Tech, who said it has been working with Apple for months, will use the cluster to perform research on nanoscale electronics, chemistry, aerodynamics, molecular statics, computational acoustics and molecular modeling, among other tasks.

Apps: Burning Monkey Solitaire, Little Snitch

09/02, 6:05pm

Apps: Burning Monkey Solitaire, Little Snitch

Monkeybread Software has released iTunes and Screensavers v1.0, a freeware utility to pause iTunes music playback while the screensaver is running. [785KB]
Freeverse has released a demo of Burning Monkey Solitaire 3, its $25 suite of more than 20 solitaire games for Mac OS 9/X, including Klondike, Freecell, Pyramid, and 52 Pickup as well as other variants like Osmosis, Eliminator, and Four Seasons. [23MB]
Little Snitch 1.1rc1 ($25) is an application supervisor brings up an alert panel when any application tries to establish a network connection, prompting the user to either allow the connection, deny it or store a permanent rule for similar future-connections. Version 1.1 adds temporary rules, a new alert panel timeout, and more reliable "local network" detection on systems with a dynamic IP-address. [405KB]
ConceptDraw V, an upgrade to cross-platform flowchart and diagramming software, is now available as beta release. Version 5 features a new customizable interface; better support for complex charts; more powerful drawing tools and connectors; advanced libraries of task-specific shapes; a built-in scripting language; and expanded import/export, including XML for Visio import. It is due in October.
POPFileControl 0.9 is a free Mac OS X program designed to help users start and stop the mail filtering program POPFile without having to use OS X's Terminal. POPFile is an automatic mail classification tool that can scan mail as it arrives and either classify it has junk or file into one of several folders. [352KB]

Dual-2GHz Power Mac G5s sent to schools first

09/02, 5:10pm

Dual-2GHz Power Mac G5s sent to schools first

Apple has delayed shipments of its dual-processor Power Mac G5 to consumers by 3-4 weeks, opting instead to ship the first of the fast desktops to schools, according CNET News.com: "Apple, which had promised the first customers of the dual-processor 2GHz Power Macs that their machines would ship by the end of August, is now saying it may take until the end of this month for those people to get their machines. The delay is due to the company's attempt to equip colleges and other educational institutions for the back-to-school season. A number of customers reported receiving an e-mail from Apple over the Labor Day weekend saying that their orders had been pushed back by three to four weeks."

HP PCs, but no Macs in IKEA catalog

09/02, 5:00pm

HP PCs, but no Macs in IKEA catalog

A MacNN reader from Norway writes: "in this year's IKEA catalogue for Norway (and then probarbly also for the rest of Scandinavia) no Macs seem to be represented on any of the photos. In earlier annual versions the Mac used to be very well represented indeed. The odd thig is that almost all PCc on the images are HPs. My guess is they have bought advertising space this way."

Roxio ships Toast 6 Titanium

09/02, 4:45pm

Roxio ships Toast 6 Titanium

Roxio is now shipping Toast 6 Titanium, an update to its CD and DVD authoring solution announced last month. The boxed version ($100) will ship in 3-5 business days, while the downloadable version ($90) is available now. Roxio is offering a $20 mail-in rebate to current registered users as well. Version 6 brings ToastAnywhere tohare CD or DVD burners across a network or the Internet; the ability to turn your DV camcorder footage into a Video CD, Super Video CD, or DVD; Hollywood-style pan and zoom motion effects, cross fades, and soundtracks for photos; Finder integration; and the ability to schedule regular automatic backups. It runs on Mac OS X only.

Aspyr to publish Wakeboarding Unleashed

09/02, 4:20pm

Aspyr to publish Wakeboarding Unleashed

Aspyr today announced today that it will publish Activision's Wakeboarding Unleashed for release later this year: "With a ton of innovative objectives, the game gives players the option to compete in a variety of competitions and unlock secret challenges. The unique rope mechanics enable players to let go of the rope in order to find secret areas and venture into unexplored territory. Gamers can then grab a hold of the rope again to continue exploring exciting new areas." There are six levels of action, complete with tournament-style challenges; and each level features interactive objectives including boat races, water balloon battles and ferrying animals around a flooded city.

LaCie debuts new hard drives, optical drives

09/02, 4:10pm

LaCie debuts new hard drives, optical drives

LaCie today announced it will be shipping later this month its newest line-up of hard drives designed by the famous team at Porsche Design GmbH. The new drives feature up to 7200 rpm 3.5" disks: USB 2.0 versions will be available in 40GB ($100), 80GB ($150), and 160GB ($200) capacities; while FireWire 400 models of 80GB ($160), 160GB ($200), and 250GB ($300) will be available. The drives ship with LaCie's Storage Utilities for Mac OS 8/9 and LaCie's Silverkeeper backup software.

LaCie also announced a newly designed line of DVD drives with both DVD-RW and DVD+RW support and available with either USB 2.0 or FireWire connectivity as well. It is also offering the 52x CD-RW drive in the same stylish design with both FW ($100) and USB 2.0 ($90) connectivity. The FireWire DVD±RW Drives include Sonic MyDVD Video Suite, ArcSoft ShowBiz, and Toast Lite for Mac.

Apps: ffmpegX, Xounds, SaferWep, Synergy...

09/02, 11:30am

Apps: ffmpegX, Xounds, SaferWep, Synergy...

Unsanity's Xounds 2.0 is a $10 shareware "haxie" that brings back Appearance Sounds to Mac OS X, offering audio feedback for menu navigation and Window movements. Xounds now offers a new UI and can now configure sounds for specific events, can use any AIFF sound, and can create Xoundsets. [1.3MB]
SaferWep 0.1 is a set of Java programs that "attempt to improve the security of WiFi networks using Apple's Airport Base Station. It allows you to periodically rotate your WEP key to make it harder to crack." It sets the base station password periodically to something new (based on a SHA1 hash of the date and a shared secret) and simply displays what the current key is via a client. [54KB]
Synergy 1.0a ($5) updates the Cocoa application that offers menubar control over iTunes as well as visual feedback about the currently playing song. It can also automatically download and display the cover of the currently playing album and offers system-wide hotkeys for convenient control. [717KB]
Slides! 1.2 is a freeware full screen image file viewer for Mac OS X: "Just drag some files into the Slides! window from the Finder—or any other application that supports file drags—and click 'Start the Show.'" [254KB]
Fullscreen Movie Player 2.0 is a free full Screen Movie Player. It adds several new menu commands (open folder with movie, next movie, repeat movie, volume control,), support for aliases, and forever playlists. [926KB]
ffmpegX 0.08 is a Mac OS X graphic user interface designed to easily operate more than 20 powerful Unix open-source video and audio processing tools including ffmpeg the "hyper fast video and audio encoder", mpeg2enc the open-source mpeg-2 encoder and multiplexer and mencoder, the mpeg-4 encoder with subtitles support. [5.7MB]

Apple faced with legal costs in Buzzle case?

09/02, 10:55am

Apple faced with legal costs in Buzzle case?

Apple is now locked in battle over who will pay the legal costs, after Apple lost its attempt to have the liquidator of Buzzle (Australian retail chain) removed, according to ARNnet: "There were never any grounds to support Apple's applications to have Wily removed as liquidator, or for having his actions investigated, Aldridge [Buzzle's lawyer] said. Apple's legal action had amounted to a 'high risk strategy' aimed at deferring or delaying the administrator's examination, he said...Apple brought the current case against Wily last year to try to prevent his investigation of Apple executives and their possible role in the Buzzle collapse. The liquidator had also intended to investigate allegations that Apple had channel stuffed and supplied Buzzle with defective stock."

Apple sponsors OracleWorld, skips Seybold

09/02, 10:35am

Apple sponsors OracleWorld, skips Seybold

Apple is listed as an Equipment Sponsor of OracleWorld, which takes place from September 7-11 in San Francisco (though Oracle's site has an incorrect description). Apple will have a booth (1502) at the event, although the event is not listed on Apple's tradeshow listing. Apple, however, is not among the sponsors or exhibitors at Seybold San Francisco 2003 (September 8-11), a conference for the publishing industry. Apple says it will have a "major" presence at IBC 2003, which takes place at the RAI in Amsterdam (September 12-16).

DataViz Password Plus securely stores info

09/02, 10:05am

DataViz Password Plus securely stores info

DataViz today released an update to its Passwords Plus application for securely storing confidential information. It adds new features for import and export capability, printing, customizable templates, and the ability to backup and restore, along with other enhancements. Passwords Plus supports 128-bit encryption and comes with more than 25 templates; such as bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, web site logins and more to help customers enter data quickly. The $30 software runs on Mac OS X and also includes a Palm OS application for users who synchronize with a handheld or smartphone.

AppeLore to attract ex-Apple employees

09/02, 9:40am

AppeLore to attract ex-Apple employees

The AppleLore gathering at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, on Saturday, Sept. 13, is expected to attract more than 1,000 ex-Apple employees, including Steve Wozniak (founder), Mike Markkula (Apple's original angel investor( and Apple's best-selling marketing executive, Guy Kawasaki (but not Steve Jobs due to a conflict with Apple Expo), according to Wired News.

Minolta debuts new color laser printer series

09/02, 8:45am

Minolta debuts new color laser printer series

Minolta today introduced its new series of color laser printers: the magicolor 3300 series offers 1200 x 1200 dpi color resolution at up to 26 ppm print speeds. It also features PostScript 3, PCL 6, PDF, HP-GL, and line printer emulations, Ethernet/USB/parallel connectivity, a 450MHz RISC processor and 256MB RAM (expandable to 512 MB) as well as an optional internal 2.1 GB hard disk for fonts and forms storage, direct PDF printing, collation, and job accounting activities.

ProClip offers automounts for the iPod

09/02, 8:35am

ProClip offers automounts for the iPod

ProClip USA now offers automotive mounts for the iPod to securely hold the portable digital music players in cars, trucks and SUVs. ProClip mounting brackets are clip-on devices that attach to the car or truck's dashboard or console and can be self-installed in seconds. Once the bracket is in place, a custom designed holder is attached to provide a fit for the iPod. The holder with tilt/swivel function is $35 and is available for both the 10GB/15GB iPods and the 30GB iPod.

Epson unveils Stylus C84 inkjet printer

09/02, 8:25am

Epson unveils Stylus C84 inkjet printer

Epson today introduced its new flagship all-purpose inkjet printer, the Epson Stylus C84, which uses Epson's renowned DuraBrite ink for long-lasting output. It offers up to 22 ppm black and up to 12 ppm color print speeds, borderless priting, 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi with three-picoliter ink droplets, and a "new engine and mechanism for this printer, which has resulted in quieter printing of output from the start to the finish." It is available now for $100 before a $20 mail-in rebate.

Apps: Audio Hijack, Detour, MRJ Adapter...

09/02, 8:00am

Apps: Audio Hijack, Detour, MRJ Adapter...

Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack 2.0 is an update to the $16 shareware tool to export from virtually any application to an AIFF file. Version 2.0 adds a new interface, improved timed recording, a built-in Excitifer effect to improve audio quality, post-processing options, automatic presets, and a dock-based menu. [1.4MB]
Detour 1.1 ($12) can be used to redirect the audio output of screensavers as well as any other application; it provides the ability to choose the audio output device for each individual application. Detour can also be used to lower the volume of some applications relative to others. [N/A]
Veta Universal 1.0 Palm Edition allows Mac users to use a Bluetooth-enabled handheld running Palm OS 5.0 to control any Mac application, including iTunes, DVD Player and others. It works with the freeware Romeo 0.9.1 from Arboreal Software. It is $10 shareware. [60KB]
MRJ Adapter is a free Java library that (1) implements a unified API for developers to access Mac specific functionality built into the various versions of the Java virtual machine and (2) provides a path for cross-platform development, so developers can integrate certain Mac specific functionality while not compromising the cross-platform nature of their application. [450KB]
Emagic has released Logic Platinum 6.2.1 for Mac OS X, an update to its professional audio application. The update makes improvements to multitrack recording, bug fixes to the preset menu of Waves plug-ins, and other miscellaneous improvements. [22MB]
ReVision 1.1 ($30) allows QuickTime movies to be played in sync with either Reason and Live with functions for play, stop, fast forward, rewind and frame advance. It adds tempo/time signature changes at the marker locations, AIFF stereo audio export, demo movie export, enhanced scrubbing, and support for multiple ReWire devices simultaneously. [938KB]
iVolume 1.0 ($7) adjusts your iTunes songs to the same loudness level: "Therefore no simple peak analysis is made. Instead, the real from the human ears perceived loudness is calculated with an appropriate algorithm. The results of iVolume are much better than those of the iTunes 'Sound Check'." [620KB]

SilverFast DCPro: high-end digital camera app

09/02, 7:30am

SilverFast DCPro: high-end digital camera app

LaserSoft Imaging's high-end digital camera software SilverFast DCPro combines the unlimited functionality of SilverFastAi with the unique Virtual Light Table that offers the ability to view, organize and manage digital image files. The application also provides essential image correction tools, such as red-eye removal, colour correction, white balance, and exposure adjustment as well as advanced SilverFast features, including ACR, USM, GANE, selective colour correction, and JobManager and support for the Raw Data format of several cameras. It is available for a special introductory price of $300.

Optipix 2.0 Photoshop plugin suite released

09/02, 7:05am

Optipix 2.0 Photoshop plugin suite released

Reindeer Graphics has released Optipix 2.0, a set of image enhancement tools for digital photographers. The suite of Photoshop compatible plug-ins includes tools for correcting common problems in digital images. It includes tools for automatically improving contrast, image averaging, blending bracketed exposures, enhancing edge detail, sub-pixel nudging, and color-safe sharpening. Version 2.0 adds a revamped Auto Contrast tool; exposure value compensation labelled according to the Zone system; a new Layer Modes tool that emulates Photoshop 7 transfer modes as well as six new layer transfer modes; and a a new Detail Sharpener. The $150 suite is available with a $15 discount for a limited time.

SanDisk debuts 8-in-1 media card reader

09/02, 6:50am

SanDisk debuts 8-in-1 media card reader

SanDisk has introduced the SanDisk Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ImageMate 8-in-1 card reader. The new $40 multi-card reader has four slots that accept all industry-standard storage cards including CompactFlash Type I and II cards, SmartMedia, SD card, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and the xD-Picture Card. The four slots can be used simultaneously to transfer data between individual cards and/or the computer. The silver-metallic device ships with an optional docking station for desktop connectivity, while providing a small form factor for portability.

Conversation 1.1 updates iChat-like IRC app

09/02, 6:25am

Conversation 1.1 updates iChat-like IRC app

Conversation 1.1 is an update to the IRC utility with an iChat-like interface. Version 1.1 brings support for character encodings, detailed user info display, away messages and status indicators, auto-join, customizable sounds, time stamps, spell check, and other features. The freeware IRC utility also supports custom colors for individuals, hyperlinks, text-to-speech functions, channel list filter, and other advanced features. (Users can join the MacNN IRC Channel to discuss Mac news and other issues.)

Apple launches .Mac promo in UK

09/02, 6:15am

Apple launches .Mac promo in UK

Apple is offering £20 off the £70 price of its .Mac 'Internet essentials' subscription service with every new Mac purchase. The Every Mac needs .Mac promo, similar to a US promotion that began earlier this year, runs from September 1st until November 30th and requires that the products be purchased at the same time and on the same invoice. Separately, Apple's new TV ad campaign kicks off in the UK this week and runs until the end of September, featuring the new Power Mac G5 commercial, which focuses on its speed and performance and features the voice of Hollywood legend Jeff Goldblum.

Apps: Xupport, CGIScripter, EdenGraph...

09/02, 6:00am

Apps: Xupport, CGIScripter, EdenGraph...

EdenGraph is a freeware graphing calculator that can plot 2D graphs using standard algebraic or trigonometric functions. Users can dynamically shift, track, or magnify the current graph with functions for zoom, export (TIFF, PDF, or EPS), printing, and color customization. [141KB]
CGIScripter 1.48 ($50) Enterprise Edition speeds web application projects by automating the development of Perl CGI scripts which insert/update/query or delete records within MySQL or Oracle database servers. It offers automated Perl CGI script generation, supports web-based image processing, hard-coded forms for better security, and other features. [1.3MB]
Black Cat Systems' iUnit 2.4 ($20) is an update to its measurement unit conversion program, adding about 400 additional conversions between units of measure for acceleration, area, distance, moment, pressure, and volume. iUnit converts between 1137 different units. [Classic, OSX]
PandaWare 'De-PIFScript' is a free AppleScript that watches a user's download folder for files whose extension is ".pif" or ".scr", and moves such files to the trash: "Although Mac users are not susceptible to the programs these attachments run, they can quickly clutter one's download folder." [41KB]
Page Sender 3.1 updates Smile Software's $30 fax software for Mac OS X with scheduled and deferred faxing, manual send, multiple local area code support, ten digit dialing, updated AppleScript support, and other features. [2.9MB]
MediaBase 2.0 is a web-based digital asset management system that offers solutions for workflow automation and content management. It supports MediaMover for uploading and downloading files. New features include a redesigned interface and support for developing custom plugins with the MediaBase SDK.
Xupport 1.3.5 ($20) provides a clean GUI to configure many Mac OS X options, that are not or hard to configure manually, and more. It includes several unix command to optimize and secure your Mac. The update adds a Finder quit command from the dock, adds a functions to Repair Disk Permissions, and improves password verification. [225KB]

Mergemill 2.5 builds web pages from databases

09/02, 5:50am

Mergemill 2.5 builds web pages from databases

Cross Culture's Mergemill 2.5 is a tool for web publishing, database publishing, web graphics processing and data formatting. The software merges 'format' files (or templates) with content source files to generate the desired output to quickly and easily generate many web pages from a database, or reformat database data into readable form for publishing. Version 2.5 adds the ability to batch-process graphics files in different formats for the web, including photo conversions (GIF, JPEG or WBMP), color depth reduction, and thumbnail creation. It is $60 for a single-user license and runs on Mac OS 9/X.

Second Apple Store coming to San Diego, CA

09/02, 5:20am

Second Apple Store coming to San Diego, CA

A MacNN reader notes that a second Apple retail store is under construction in the San Diego area: "I noticed Saturday there is a new Apple Store "coming soon" to the upscale University Towne Center mall in La Jolla/San Diego. This is the 2nd in the area and just up the freeway from the existing Apple Store in the upscale Fashion Valley mall." The mall has more than 155 stores in an outdoor setting, including Nordstrom, Macy's, Banana Republic, bebe, charles david, Crate and Barrel, Warner Bros. Studio Store as well as features an indoor ice rink and food court.

CCIA: reconsider decision to use Microsoft

09/02, 5:15am

CCIA: reconsider decision to use Microsoft

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has urged the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider its decision to use Microsoft software on its desktop and server systems, citing "major security failures" created by the raft of vulnerabilities in Microsoft's developer's products, according to TechWeb: "Because of these recent developments, historical experience, and the inherent risks associated with lack of diversity, we ask that you reconsider your heavy reliance on a single, flawed software platform to protect our national security."

Fortune: Apple iMac, iBook offer best value

09/02, 5:10am

Fortune: Apple iMac, iBook offer best value

Fortune's Back to School: A Cheat Sheet recommends buying the a PC based on the school's recommendation: "If the school prefers one brand or model of computer (and you don't already have a PC), go with what's recommended: Technical assistance will almost certainly be easier to come by. If the school has no preference, the best value comes from Apple, even though prices tend to be higher than for most Windows-based computers. The 17-inch Apple iMac with SuperDrive ($1,799 and up) is a space-saving beauty. On the portable side, I'd pick the 14-inch Apple iBook ($1,499)."