News Archive for 03/11/21

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Apps: Ulysses, Déjà Vu, Impression, XRay...

11/21, 8:45pm

Déjà Vu, Impression, XRay

Ulysses 1.0.3 (€100) updates the Mac OS X text editor aimed directly at creative writers. The update brings full compatibility with Panther, drag'n drop tab-resoring, selection feedback, shortcuts, time-based autosave function, and other enhancements. [1.4MB]
Propaganda Productions has updated Déjà Vu 2.5.1, its backup utility for Mac OS X. The preference pane, updated for Panther, allows you to perform scheduled or manual backups of important folders, or even make a bootable clone of your entire system. The $15 works in the background--even when you're not logged in. [680KB]
Simply Maze Crazy for Mac OS X is a new maze creation software: "just enter the information and the maze will be drawn before your eyes. Print out your creation and share it with others." It runs on Mac OS X 10.2 or later and can be registered for $10. [143KB]
Rainer Brockerhoff's XRay 1.08 ($10) updates the File/Folder information utility that adds new batch mode in the Type, Creator & Extension panel and now supports drag & drop for setting options. [1.6MB]
FODOR has optimized Flash AV Players 2.5, its €30 Flash application that broadcasts MP3, SWF (Audio and Video) and JPEG files by loading playlists in XML format. Version 2.5 offers a new mediaplayer skin type with all features in a single screen as well as a new set of extended shortcut keys. [419KB]
The free SwitchIt 1.0 (SI) is a small replacement for the stock fast-user switching menuling that is packaged with Panther. WorkSets 1.3 (WS) is a free set of scripts for generating other scripts that can help manage work spaces on your Mac OS X 10.3 system. [SI, WS]

Apple sees slight recovery in the creative markets

11/21, 8:05pm

Apple seeing rebound?

Apple UK's managing director Mark Rogers says that Apple is starting to see a slight recovery in the creative markets, which Macworld UK reports was confirmed by reports from the MacExpo showfloor, noting first-hand anecdotes in the advertising, photography, and graphic design markets: "We are finding it harder to fill positions now; it seems like there are more jobs than people, which has to be a good indication that things are getting better. The market is definitely more buoyant."

Apple delays opening of second retail in Georgia

11/21, 7:45pm

North Point, GA store delay

MacNN reader Matt Klimshuk reports that Apple has delayed the opening of its second retail store in Georgia to Dec 6: "According to a receptionist for North Point Mall, the location of the second Apple Store in the state of Georgia, the store opening has been pushed from Nov. 21 to Dec. 6. No reason was given. North Point Mall is located in Alpharetta, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. The first Apple Store for Georgia is located in Lenox Square, an upscale mall in the Buckhead district of Atlanta."

Meanwhile, Apple tomorrow at 10 am ET will be celebrating the Gand Re-opening of its Apple Store Tysons Corner in McLean, VA with an iSight Giveway, offering a free iSight video camera every hour for entire weekend. The remodeled store, closed since October 13th, features increased, updated retail space, a longer Genius Bar equipped with 40-inch LCD display panels, and expanded seating in its theater.

iPod users feel connection, share music

11/21, 3:10pm

iPod users connect

Wired News has published a story on the unique camaraderie between many iPod users. "During his regular evening walk, software executive Steve Crandall often nods a polite greeting to other iPod users he passes: He easily spots the distinctive white earbuds threaded from pocket to ears." Crandall also describes the sharing of music by iPod users, "We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."

Analyst gives Apple "neutral" rating

11/21, 3:05pm

Apple \"neutral\" rating

Analyst Ben Reitzes of UBS initiates coverage of Apple with a "neutral" rating. The target price for Apple's stock has been set to $23. Shares of Apple are currently trading at $20.38. According to UBS a research note published this morning, Apple Computer has "significantly strengthened its brand value" with several strategic initiatives in the recent past.

Adobe Acrobat 6.01 offers multimedia, Panther support

11/21, 3:00pm

Adobe Acrobat 6.01 updates

Adobe today posted Acrobat Standard 6.01 and Acrobat Professional 6.01 updates for its software streamlines business document exchange and review of PDF documents. The update provides numerous enhancements to Acrobat 6.0 features, including Adobe PDF file creation, Acrobat commenting, and support for multimedia. It also improves compatibility with Mac OS X v.10.3 (Panther). [Std, OSX]

KB: "damaged" AppleWorks files, iTunes backups...

11/21, 3:00pm

\"Damaged\" AppleWorks file

Apple says that an AppleWorks document is damaged when saving to a file server via AFP under recent Jaguar versions (Mac OS X 10.2.3 through Mac OS X 10.2.8), noting that the "That file appears to be damaged and cannot be opened." and that "the document's file size has increased to several megabytes or gigabytes instead of the normal size that it should be." Apple recommends saving the file locally and then copying to the server. Other KB articles describe how to use iTunes Smart Playlists to make regular music backups and that Apple Hardware Test may incorrectly report that the Bluetooth module is not present. Update: Apple also notes that Soundtrack and Compressor may not open if complete identity information is not present in the Address Book database.

Forums: G5 impressions a month later; G5 bakeoff; ...

11/21, 2:50pm

Forums: G5 bakeoff; iBook

Readers of the MacNN forums today discuss a number of topics, including: a member's story satisfaction with their new Power Mac G5, after one month of use; thoughts on the new dual-1.8GHz Power Mac G5 option available from Apple; Apple's posting of benchmarks comparing its dual-1.8GHz G5 to a dual-3.2 GHz Intel Xeon machine, and a 2.2GHz Athlon-equipped PC; widespread discussion of difficulties with the new 15" aluminum PowerBook G4, including discussion of the infamous "white spot" problem; pictures of a member's new iBook G4, the box, and accessories; an ongoing list of bugs found in Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" by users.

Tech: anti-spam bill; 'Net crime crackdown; ...

11/21, 2:25pm

Anti-spam bill vote coming

Afternoon tech news: The U.S. Congress could vote as early as this afternoon, would end more than six years of failed attempts to enact a federal law restricting unsolicited commercial e-mail; U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said that law-enforcement agents had arrested 125 suspects in a crackdown on Internet crimes ranging from hacking to fraud to selling stolen goods; Computer users must be vigilant in fighting virus attacks, according to industry experts.

Bug in Safari leaves cookies insecure

11/21, 2:10pm

Safari cookie bug noted

Insecure.ws Wednesday noted a was long-standing security vulnerability in Safari that enables "cookie theft" by Web sites. A malicious Web site with a name disguised to appear as that of another site could access cookies associated with the original site. "Apple has been warned and a security update should appear shortly," the site says. Apple's Mac OS X security update released earlier in the week included an update to Safari (version 1.1.1), but it does not address this particular issue.

Apple offers AppleCare program for iPod

11/21, 2:05pm

AppleCare for iPod

Apple today announced an expansion of its AppleCare program to include an extended warranty option for iPods. Customers who pay $60 can now get an additional year of warranty, a total of two years of coverage from the purchase date. Apple has continually improved its iPod warranty, which was only 90 days when the digital music player first debuted.

.Mac adds training, sound effects, audio exclusives

11/21, 2:00pm

More .Mac exclusives

Apple's .Mac is offering several new exclusives, including Apple Training "Going Digital with iMovie and iDVD" ("Learn how to shoot, edit, and share great movies with this latest installment in the iLife training series"), Free Sound Effects from Skywalker Sound (13 iMovie sound effects from the audio wizards at Academy Award-winning Skywalker Sound), and Free Soundtracks from Freeplay Music ("Thousands of professional-quality, royalty-free soundtracks from Freeplay in styles from Techno to Orchestral"). The latter two are available in a members-only directory on users' iDisks.

RAW 1.1 internet audio utility offers iCal support

11/21, 1:40pm

RAW 1.1 internet audio util

Bitcartel today updated RAW 1.1, its Internet audio recorder that saves audio to the MP4-AAC format. It now offers iCal support for scheduled recordings, improved AppleScript support, and bug fixes. Users can schedule recordings to record Real, Windows, QuickTime, Flash, MP3, M3U and EXTM3U streaming media and other media formats and also can simultaneously record multiple news webcasts, music videos, movie trailers and net radio. A free demo of the $20 utility is available. It requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.

Adobe discontinues development of LiveMotion 2.0

11/21, 1:35pm

LiveMotion discontinued

Earlier this week, Adobe announced it would discontinue support for LiveMotion, its tool for professional Web designers and developers to create dynamic, interactive content in both Flash (SWF) and QuickTime formats, according to a posting on its Website: "Effective November 15, 2003, Adobe will no longer distribute LiveMotion 2.0. Though Adobe has decided to concentrate its efforts in other areas, we want to thank our loyal LiveMotion customers for their support. Adobe will maintain person-to-person technical support for LiveMotion until March 31, 2004. In addition, complimentary technical support will be available until further notice via the Adobe Support Knowledgebase and User to User Forums on the Adobe Web site."

New, updated CAD products debut at MacExpo

11/21, 1:35pm

CAD products at MacExpo

Architosh reports on new and updated CAD Programs announced at MacExpo in London, including Cadsoft Solutions' Concepts Unlimited, an innovative new CCAD application focused on conceptual and preliminary design AND Microspot's MacDraft PE, a limited professional version of MacDraft 5.5 Quartz Edition at a substantially reduced price (as well as a MacDraft update for Panther).

DVDRemaster 1.2 offers recompression of DVDs

11/21, 1:30pm

DVDRemaster 1.2

DVDRemaster 1.2 is a utility for Mac OS X to recompress large DVDs so that they fit on standard DVD5. This version offers a smarter user interface, greater compatibility with DVDs, improved speed and quality. The $40 utility includes M2VRequantizer (requantizes the video leaving the motion vectors unchanged) and M2VDownsizer (recompresses the video stream completely, including motion vectors). Both of these modules are based on libmpeg2 and mpeg2enc and released under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

iDay seminar seminar added to Macworld Expo SF

11/21, 1:25pm

iDay seminar at MWSF

Avondale Media and IDG World Expo today announced "iDay Digital Media Seminar" seminar will take place on Friday, January 9, 2004 as part of Macworld San Francisco in January: "iDay is a fun, informative, full-day seminar devoted to helping Mac users maximize their cameras, camcorders, and iPods, Attendees will learn digital photography and video techniques [and] will learn how to create a full range of digital media projects, from photo albums to DVD portfolio discs." Registration is $100 and are offered a 15 percent discount on all Macworld Conference packages.

Digidesign ProTools 6.2.2 offers G5, Panther support

11/21, 1:20pm

ProTools TDM, LE updates

Digidesign today posted Pro Tools 6.2.2, including ProTools TDM 6.22 and ProTools LE 6.2.2. Both offer support for the Power Mac G5 and Mac OS X 10.3.1 with Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox."The Pro Tools 6.2.2 release represents the second phase of Digidesign's multi-phase release plan for Power Mac G5 and Mac OS X 10.3.1 compatibility support. Phase II of the Power Mac G5 qualification phase-in enables both Pro Tools TDM and LE users to take advantage of the power of the new Power Mac G5 architecture, including increased counts for RTAS plug-ins, as well as Apple's latest Mac OS version. With Pro Tools|HD Accel systems on a Power Mac G5, you realize a significant increase in power and performance."

Aspyr updates Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, Tiger Woods

11/21, 1:15pm

Aspyr updates games

Aspyr today released an update for the Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer demo, which adds verification of available VRAM for anti-aliasing use and fixes a white texture problem under Panther (Mac OS 10.3, a crash on startup when multiple volumes are mounted, and detection of supported resolution/anti-aliasing combinations. Aspyr also released an update for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 1.1, which allows it to correctly startup under Mac OS 9 with ATI cards, adds support for more Cinema Display resolutions, and offers better performance using ATI Radeon 8500 and 9000 cards under Jaguar.

Apps: Transmit, Synk, Greppie, ImageBuddy, MacMP3CD

11/21, 11:05am

Transmit, Synk, Greppie

Transmit 2.6.1 updates the $25 ftp client with several fixes for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. The popular application supports SFTP, SSH, flexible list views, batch downloads, folder synchronization, favorites/bookmarks, a built-in text editor, and other advanced features. It requires Mac OS X 10.1 or later. [1.2MB]
Apple has posted Mac OS X Server 10.3 Admin Tools, which contains administration software and tools that you can install on a computer other than your server. The tools, which require Mac OS X 10.3 installs: Server Admin, Workgroup Manager, Server Monitor, Network Image Utility, Server Assistant, and QuickTime Broadcaster. [83MB]
Synk 4.2 is an update to the free native Cocoa file synchronization application that offers an informative preview window gives you full control over what will happen as well as intelligent synchronization. It now has interface improvements, improved drag-and-drop functionality, and a new "Synk Whenever" script in the Extras folder. [629KB]
Mireth Technology has launched version 1.2 of MacMP3CD, its Mac OS X software that allows you to burn and to play MP3 and WMA CDs. This release adds support for unencrypted WMA burning and playback. The $20 shareware offers MP3/WMA CD creation and re-creation using burn lists and supports auto recognize, auto play, auto loop, auto eject, etc. [3.4MB]
Kepmad Systems released ImageBuddy v2.9.0, its $18 photo printing program for Mac OS X, adding support for transparent image backgrounds on contact sheets and improved water mark placement. ImageBuddy also integrates with iPhoto using Drag & Drop to greatly expand your printing options. [Classic, OSX]
Greppie 1.0b3 is a "wrapper application" for the UNIX command "grep" that can search any file on your hard disk for any text, or even search for those items that do not have the text you're searching for. The $14 shareware uses "regular expressions" to help users located text. [1.0MB]

Apple UK posts photos from MacExpo in London

11/21, 10:50am

MacExpo photos

Apple UK has posted photos from MacExpo in London: " With more than 20,000 attendees expected at Islington’s Business Design Centre over the next three days and a mass of iPod advertising lending the local streets a splash of colour, this stylish corner of North London has a distinctly Apple flavour this week. Since the show opened at 10.00am on Thursday November 20th, a steady stream of visitors have flowed through the doors, many of whom have come a long way to visit the UK’s largest Mac-dedicated event."

DEVONagent 1.1 adds new search features

11/21, 8:15am

DEVONagent 1.1

DEVONtechnologies has updated DEVONagent 1.1, its intelligent search agent and alternative browser. Verison 1.1 is optimized Mac OS X 10.3 ("Panther") and now supports "sets," which allow to switch with one click between various self-defined configurations. Other features include a built-in plug-in manager, exclusion of specific domains, three browser views (source, plain text, HTML), a simple progress indicator, RTF export, and an updated preferences panel. It is a free update to the $35 application. It requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later with Safari installed.

Nisus updates Nisus Writer 1.1 with language palette

11/21, 8:05am

Nisus Writer 1.1

Nisus Software has released Nisus Writer Express 1.1, a major update to its word processing application that adds several new features, including a language palette (which allows you to mix and match languages more easily), show invisibles, integration with Nisus Thesaurus, ligature and kerning support, graphics resizing, and more. It is a free update to current owners. The $60 application requires Mac OS X 10.2.

Apple stores to hold shopping season events

11/21, 12:30am

Apple stores to hold events

Next Friday, November 28, Apple will be hosting all-day holiday shopping events at its retail stores designed "for the music lovers on your list." Apple says, "you’ll want to kick off your holiday shopping at the Apple Store ... you’ll find a scintillating array of gifts, plus, a few surprises in store for you."

Additionally, Apple will be launching its Tokyo, Ginza Apple Store on Sunday, November 30th. "Here you will find four full floors dedicated to Apple's legendary products, including our full line of computers, the entire iPod family and the iSight web camera, as well as digital cameras and camcorders."