News Archive for 03/10/20

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Tech: 'Net radio licensing; MS open--source

10/20, 8:00pm

Tech: 'Net radio licensing; MS open--source

Radio stations must pay copyright fees to the artists and record labels whose songs they play over the Internet, a U.S. appeals court has ruled in a decision released today; Microsoft may face upheaval in open-source policy, citing an 'unstoppable' trend for open standards; despite complaining this month that it wanted more time, Microsoft filed its response to European Union antitrust charges just before the deadline expired,

Swinburne implements Apple RAID for cluster

10/20, 6:45pm

Swinburne implements Apple RAID for cluster

Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing recently implemented a fibre channel RAID storage system for its 130-node cluster. “We looked at upgrading the supercomputer but that would have been too expensive for what we needed,” Professor Bailes said. “Although we don’t have much to do with Apple, after seeing its new Xserve RAID storage device we decided to evaluate it [...] The Xserve RAID is the cheapest system of its type and none of the other mainstream players have a comparable price."

ProSQL 2.0 brings Panther support, more

10/20, 6:05pm

ProSQL 2.0 brings Panther support, more

Intelli Innovations today released ProSQL 2.0, a major upgrade to its object-oriented remote database management system for Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. ProSQL connects to remote MySQL, PostgreSQL, FrontBase, OpenBase, REALbasic Database, and ProSQL data sources. Improvements in ProSQL 2.0 include a SQL Favorites feature to store commonly used SQL statements, Support for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther," AppleScript query automation capabilities, drag-reorderable entries, and a new rendering system for displaying on-screen queries. Pricing starts at $100.

SpamSlam 2.0 adds statistical content filter

10/20, 5:00pm

SpamSlam 2.0 adds statistical content filter

ilesa Software today released SpamSlam 2.0, a new tool that "effortlessly blocks all unwanted junk email" from any number of accounts. Version 2.0 adds a new self-training AccuFilter, an advanced Chi-Squared Statistical Content-Based Filter. The new version also supports SMTP Servers that require authentication. SpamSlam's new SMTP Proxy Server can automatically whitelist the recipients of messages users send. SpamSlam is $25.

BIAS debuts SoundSoap Pro, Peak 4 for G5

10/20, 2:20pm

BIAS debuts SoundSoap Pro, Peak 4 for G5

Earlier this month, BIAS announced SoundSoap Pro, a high-end audio restoration plug-in for Mac OS X aimed at professional audio producers, engineers, musicians, sound designers, and forensic scientists. Based on SoundSoap, its application targeted at entry-level users, SoundSoap Pro delivers a single, integrated interface that unifies the restoral process and offers a new approach to multiband noise reduction that focuses on speed, usability, and performance as well as a unique, global, real-time spectrogram. It will ship in the first quarter of 2004.

BIAS also announced that Peak 4, its stereo waveform editing application, includes G5-optimized DSP functions, including support for Audio Unit plug-ins, ImpulseVerb sample-based reverb technology, multi-processor support, Redbook CD burning, a host of new DSP tools, a mastering-quality compressor/limiter, and other enhancements. In addition, Peak 4's graphic user interface sports a new elegant brushed metal look. Peak 4 ($500) is a Mac OS X-only application.

New AppleScripts for iTunes now available

10/20, 1:45pm

New AppleScripts for iTunes now available

Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes has posted several new and updated AppleScripts for iTunes, all free to download, including: New Play Count for setting the Play Count of the selected tracks under iTunes 4.1; New Last Played Date for setting the Last Played date of the selected tracks to today or today minus your number of days; Add or Subtract Play Count to add or subtract a user-entered number from each selected track's Play Count; Delete Selected File from any playlist, remove selected tracks and delete their files; Track Nmaes To Word Caps to capitalize the first letter of each word in selected track names; and Player Position to Start or Stop to set the current track's start or stop time to current player position.

Apps: Smart Scroll, Athenaeums, SSHKeychain

10/20, 12:15pm

Apps: Smart Scroll, Athenaeums, SSHKeychain

Marc Moini has released Smart Scroll X 1.1b1, which brings Panther compatibility to the utility that adds essential user interface enhancements to Mac OS X, including scroll keys, scrolling speed control, and expanded choice of scrollbar arrows. A single-user license is $15. [775KB]
Digital Image MySQL is a application that allows you to browse mysql servers. Users can view/create/add data, tables, and database structures as well as insert image files using iMagine, the company's 2D graphics engine. The freeware AppleScript Studio app for Mac OS X is currently in beta. [107KB]
Painter's Picker 0.5 is an extension to the color picker panel in Mac OS X. It adds the ability to choose related colors from directly within the color picker. It also adds more precise controls for choosing saturation, hue angle, and brightness. Users can choose colors in the CMYK color space while using the popular HSB-style controls. [156KB]
Aspyr has posted a demo of Kelly Slater Pro Surfer 1.0, its surfing game title for Mac OS X: "players experience an all-out adrenaline rush as they drop down huge wave faces, pull into barreling tube rides and pull off hundreds of massive trick combinations and signature pro moves." [88MB]
Athenaeums 1.1.0 is an EIMS filter for archiving of standard EIMS log documents, specifically the error log, mail log, sending error log, and console log. It adds archiving support and control for all of the remaining log documents available within EIMS. It is $30 for the first year. [255KB]
Audio Hijack Pro 1.2.5 can enhance and record the audio output of any application on your Mac. It also brings Panther compatibility as well as improved application launch times and other bug fixes. The $30 audio utility runs on Mac OS X. [2.8MB]
The free OnyX 1.3 system maintenance utility can "configure certain hidden parameters of Finder, Dock, Safari... to remove a certain number of files and repertories become cumbersome, preview the different logs and CrashReporter and more..." It adds a Japanese localization other enhancements. [661KB]
SSHKeychain 0.4 is a graphical front-end for ssh-agent and ssh-add on Mac OS X. It will remove all keys from the agent after sleep or after a minimum period of sleep, when a Screensaver is detected, or when the Apple keychain is locked. It features a statusbar item and dock menu. [186KB]

Stone Studio supports Panther, new features

10/20, 12:15pm

Stone Studio supports Panther, new features

Stone Design has posted the latest Panther compability update for its Stone Studio application suite for Mac OS X. The suite includes updated applications for Create 11.2.1, its $150 drawing, page layout, and web page authoring application and PStill 3.1, its $70 PostScript-to-PDF conversion application. Create 11.2.1 also offers automatic encoding of 'mailto' addresses on web pages, automatic import of MS Word files, right-to-left script support, text completion, and other updates. PStill 3.1 can now create Secure PDFs with user/authoring passwords, 40- or 128-bit encryption, and separate functions for protected printing, copying, and modification. It is a free update to the $300 suite.

Epson announces new high-end Stylus Pro 4000

10/20, 11:25am

Epson announces new high-end Stylus Pro 4000

Epson has announced its newest and most advanced professional-level photographic printer: the new Epson Stylus Pro 4000 creates exhibit-quality images up to 17 inches in width at speeds that nearly double that of previous Epson Stylus Pro printers. The printer features a new eight-channel printhead and seven-color Epson UltraChrome pigmented ink system. It has a 250-sheet capacity, prints at 2880x1440 dpi, and delivers 3.5 picoliter droplets as well as both USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity. It will ship in January for $1,800.

Sony debuts new Dual RW DVD drives

10/20, 8:55am

Sony debuts new Dual RW DVD drives

Sony today announced two new Dual RW DVD drives that support 8X DVD+R recording and also support up to 4X DVD+RW and DVD-R recording, as well as 2X DVD-RW, 40X CD-R and 24X CD-RW recording. The internal DRU-530A drive comes with an ATAPI interface, while the external DRX-530UL drive includes both a FireWire 800 and a USB 2.0 interface. The internal DRU-530A Dual RW drive will be available in December for about $270, and the external DRX-530UL model will be available in January for around $350.

Over 1 million iTunes for Windows downloaded

10/20, 8:50am

Over 1 million iTunes for Windows downloaded

Apple today announced that more than one million copies of its iTunes for Windows digital jukebox software have been download in the 3.5 days since its launch last Thursday, and over one million songs have been purchased and downloaded by iTunes users in the same period: "iTunes users have purchased over one million songs in the first three and a half days since our launch last Thursday, which compares with one million songs in the first seven days when we introduced the original iTunes for Mac users last April," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "We're off to a great start, and our competition isn't even out of the starting gates yet."

Apps: QuickTime Tiler, CDFinder, Key Xing...

10/20, 8:45am

Apps: QuickTime Tiler, CDFinder, Key Xing...

Synchronize! Pro X 3.1 ($100) is a "professional-strength" file synchronization and backup utility for Mac OS X with functions for making bootable backups, archiving old files, scheduling, etc. It adds a 7-day free demo and the ability to mount volumes solely for backups, leaving the backup volume unmounted during the workday. [702KB]
Memory Usage Getter 2.2.2 ($10) displays the memory and CPU usage of each individual process and application, as well as displaying them visually. The free update adds a Japanese localization and a Dock menu. [611KB]
Chaotic Software's QuickTime Tiler 1.0 helps users fill the screen with any type of media files that QuickTime supports to create mosaics of movies and graphics. A 15-day demo of the $10 application for Mac OS X only is available on the Web. [170KB]
Luma Code has released Key Xing 2.6.6, a free update to its $7 shareware utility for Mac OS X which allows you to launch files, programs, folders, URLs, and AppleScripts from the keyboard. It adds Mac OS X 10.3 ("Panther") compatibility as well the ability to remove multiple hot keys at once. [886KB]
Photologist 1.3 is a $20 shareware image management, manipulation, and presentation solution. It can create slide shows and web albums as well as custom print layouts, edit photos, and apply special effects, and add styled text, shapes, and background colors. [3.0MB]
Znippetizer-X 1.5.6 brings Panther compatibility to the small tool that will sort, organize and categorize text snippets using a global floating window. It currently does not support graphics or dragged items. Registration ($15) lifts the 50-item limit. [1.5MB]
West-Forest-Systems's CDFinder 4.2.1 adds Panther compatibility, a new contextual menu, multi-session disc support using the "batch create" function, and other enhancements. The $25 disk cataloging utility for Mac OS 9/X supports virtually any device, can share a catalog on a network and supports various audio file types. [1.3MB]

QuickerTek ships G5 AirPort antenna upgrades

10/20, 8:35am

QuickerTek ships G5 AirPort antenna upgrades

QuickerTek has released two new external antenna upgrades for the Power Mac G5, which it says "add significant range and speed to Apple wireless networks. QuickerTek's solutions move the WiFi antenna from behind the computer and allow users to mount it in a more RF efficient location." The Antenna extender ($55) offers a custom designed cable extender using the stock G5 "T" Antenna, which it says more than doubles the usable range of the Apple supplied antenna, while its 5dbi Omni G5 kit ($130) extends the range up to 500 yards in open space. Both products allow for polarization optimization.

Aqua Data Studio helps manage databases

10/20, 8:20am

Aqua Data Studio helps manage databases

Aqua Data Studio 3.5 is a Java-based universal database tool for building, managing and maintaining enterprise relational databases (Oracle 8i/9i, IBM DB2, Informix, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL). The new release introduces complete schema extraction and SQL scripting of database objects as well as SQL history capabilities and the ability to open multiple query windows. Version 3.5 also comes with improved memory consumption and up to 600% increased query performance as well as PostgreSQL 7.3 support. Personal and education licenses are free; commercial licensing starts at $70.

Jobs comments on competition, iPod pricing

10/20, 3:25am

Jobs comments on competition, iPod pricing

In a Newsweek report, Steve Jobs said that contends that "in the long run the [online music] competition will boil down to Apple and Microsoft: 'Between the license fees and the credit-card charges, there’s no money in online music,' he says. For Apple, the payoff comes in selling the iPod players that work hand in hand with the store.'" Commenting on iPod pricing, however, he says that the No. 1 MP3 player is not too expensive: " No, of course I don’t think it’s too costly. Fifty million homes have DVD players that cost that kind of money. For music lovers, I don’t think it’s a hurdle at all. There are sneakers that cost more than an iPod...We’d love to have a $100 iPod! We just don’t know how to do it right now. We’re constantly trying to make cheaper iPods. We’re working on the next step."

Reaction to iTunes for Windows

10/20, 3:15am

Reaction to iTunes for Windows

Microsoft executives say that Apple's music service is too restrictive for Windows users, according to PC World: "if you use Apple's music store along with ITunes, you don't have the ability of using the over 40 different Windows Media-compatible portable music devices. When I'm paying for music, I want to know that I have choices today and in the future." Meanwhile, Slashdot has a positive review of Apple's service, while another articles says the service is a now a cross-platfrom DRM service, which Apple could expand with video and software offering.

WiebeTech ships Forensic Field Kit

10/20, 3:10am

WiebeTech ships Forensic Field Kit

WiebeTech has announced its Forensic Field Kit ($600), which provides a Forensic DriveDock and a companion FireWire DriveDock along with required power supplies, accessories and cables in field deployable Pelican case. It says that "everything required to image suspect hard drives in the field is included in this kit." The driver-less includes both the write-blocked and standard FireWire bridge for 3.5" IDE hard drives; a power supply capable for two drives; two FireWire cables; a dual port FireWire Host PC Card and a Pelican case.

Freeverse ships Active Lancer game title

10/20, 3:05am

Freeverse ships Active Lancer game title

Freeverse Software today began shipping Active Lancer, its vertical-scrolling shooter with fifteen levels of vertical scrolling action, a variety of pilots and weapon types, and two-player simultaneous local or LAN play: "Set in a time when Earth had befriended a number of extraterrestrial civilizations, and developed the fledgling Utopian Space Order (USO), Active Lancer pits one or two players against the Cherae Ansebash, rulers of the Engaff system, who are determined to conquer the universe, one planet at a time." The $20 title runs on Mac OS 8/9/X.

12" PowerBook replacement hard drive icons

10/20, 12:25am

12" PowerBook replacement hard drive icons

MikeMatas is giving away three detailed 12" PowerBook G4 hard drive icon replacements. The icons were created to "celebrate the beauty and portability" of Apple's 12" PowerBook G4. There are no plans for 15" or 17" versions of the icons, according to Mr. Matas. MikeMatas.com provides icon designs to many Mac OS X software developers, including The Omni Group, Karelia, and Detto.