News Archive for 04/05/27

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

Tech: spam sentence, RIAA suit, e-mail privacy...

05/27, 7:25pm

Tech: spam sentence...

A man who sent 850 million junk e-mails through accounts he opened with stolen identities was sentenced to up to seven years in prison on Thursday; Tammy Lafky, a sugar mill worker and single mother in Bird Island, became the first Minnesotan sued by the recording industry this week for allegedly downloading copyrighted music illegally; A bill under consideration by the California senate would place strict privacy restrictions on e-mail providers in the state, but it appears to fall short of barring Google's new service.

Apps: iSticky, FileWave, Money, SQLiteManager ...

05/27, 5:50pm

Apps: iSticky, FileWave...

iSticky 1.2 ($23) is an application that makes it possible to stick notes on your desktop, or the desktops of others. The new version comes with many improvements, including the ability to send notes via Rendezvous, improved note customization, and note management. [Download - 2.8MB]
FileWave X 1.6.1 is an automated software distribution tool for Mac OS X. This update includes a number of speed increases to the FileWave XServer and FileWave XAdmin, a new multithreaded FileWave Booster, and UNIX based daemon. [Download - form]
Money 1.3 is a $25 application for Mac that offers an simple and uncluttered approach to basic accounting and personal financial management. Money version 1.3 features scheduled transactions, subcategories, transaction types, "action" tool, label rename, CSV format support, improved printing, search, QIF support, and more. [Download - 524KB]
SQLiteManager 1.1 ($40) is a database manager for SQLite databases. With SQLiteManager users can create and browse tables, indexes, and views, insert, remove, and edit table records, and execute arbitrary SQL statements. [Download - OS X, Classic]
Compost is a utility that enhances the Mac OS trash can. Using Compost, users can specify the length of time that files are allowed to remain in the trash or the maximum size to which the trash is allowed to grow. [Download - 44KB]
Cheap Impostor 2.0 ($35) is a simple yet powerful alternative to expensive page imposition applications. Version 2.0 adds a completely new PDF parser, and support for incrementally-saved PDF files. [Download - 329KB]

iPod's global marketshare numbers overblown?

05/27, 11:30am

iPod global marketshare

Business Week Online columnist Alex Salkever notes that while Apple's iPod is a "bona fide hit," its 25% global marketshare number may be overblown: "Too bad their assumption is off base: The iPod's global market share may actually fall well below the 25% mark....Very little good data exists on international sales of consumer electronics -- digital-music players included. With the exception of Japan, information out of Asia is sketchy. According to one of [the MP3] chipmakers and to industry analysts, worldwide shipments of digital-music-player chips hit about 15 million last year. An April, 2004, report from investment bank CIBC on this market estimated global sales of flash and hard-drive music players at 17 million. If that's true, then the 1.5 million iPods sold in 2003 gives Apple 8% to 10% of the global market."

Apple's PowerBook G4 wins D&AD Silver Award

05/27, 11:20am

PowerBook G4 wins D&AD

Apple won a Silver Award from the D&AD (Design and Art Direction) last night for its PowerBook G4, according to Macworld UK: "The product took a Silver (affectionately known as a 'Yellow Pencil') in the Products for Work or Industry sub-group of the Product Design category. ...D&AD is a UK-based educational charity that works on behalf of the international design and advertising communities."

Microsoft to undercut iPod price, offer more choices

05/27, 11:00am

Microsoft music players

Microsoft will begin selling portable music players for as much as 80 percent less than Apple's iPod, according to The Denver Post. "The Microsoft-branded devices will 'look and feel' as good as the iPod for as little as $50, said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of MSN at Microsoft Corp., at the Goldman Sachs fifth annual Internet Conference in Las Vegas. The iPod sells for $249 to $499. Microsoft will release a number of music players when it launches its online music service later this year, giving customers more choices than Apple, Mehdi said."

EI launches Electric Image Animation System 5.5

05/27, 10:40am

EI launches EIAS 5.5

EI Technology Group has launched Electric Image Animation System 5.5, an update to the cross-platform professional 3D animation application. It includes dozens of new features, including caustics, a built-in scripting tool, new shaders, HRDI support, an array of new Animation capabilities, new deformation tools, and GrangerFX Plug-in support. The software also features Radiosity, multi-processor support, Match Move, Material Library System, Macromedia Shockwave support, unlimited network rendering, character animation tools, global illumination, and more. It runs on Mac OS 9/X. Upgrades from v5.0 are $300 and $500 for other versions.

"Dream Studios" at Macworld Expo Boston

05/27, 9:00am

Dream Studios at Macworld

IDG World Expo and the Berklee College of Music today announced "Dream Studios", an interactive exhibit at Macworld Expo in Boston (July 12-14) that "will simulate state-of-the-art music studios based on the Mac. Designed and developed by Berklee faculty and students, the Dream Studios will provide attendees with an opportunity to experience the most sophisticated and innovative tools for audio production. The Dream Studios will showcase the latest hardware and software available to build cutting-edge music production setups. Music students, hobbyists, songwriters, cover bands and professionals will be able to take self-guided tours of the Dream Studios, participate in demonstrations and listen to presentations by Berklee faculty."

MacSpeech updates iListen for German users

05/27, 8:50am

iListen for German users

MacSpeech today released an updated German version of its iListen speech recognition application, offering the ability to learn new words faster, improved transcription functions for Medical & Legal Professions, a special adaptation feature for poor pronunciation, new "Hands Free" correction functionality, larger font size support, new voice commands for Mac OS X, dictation and correction directly into virtually any application, and improved recognition and performance. It is a free update to all current users.

Sony, Apple race to sign music deals in Europe

05/27, 6:45am

Music deals in Europe

Independent record labels in the UK, France and Germany have signed a licensing deal with Sony ahead of the company's launch of its Sony Connect online music store in those countries next month, according to Reuters: "The deal comes as Sony races to launch in Europe ahead of Apple's leading iTunes Music Store, which may have the necessary licensing contracts to launch in Europe by the middle of next month, according to sources familiar with Apple's plans."

In Brief: Pixar rise; LimeWire on top; ExpansionPack.

05/27, 1:00am

In Brief: Pixar rise; ...

In brief: Wired has published a look at how Pixar became an animation superpower and "left Disney in the dust"; LimeWire was the top download for Mac on CNET Download.com this week, with 91,203 downloads; AMG will soon be releasing its ExpansionPack for GarageBand, a massive collection of software instruments for use with Apple's GarageBand software.