News Archive for 04/07/20

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Apps: Slated, 4D 2003, QT buttons, DAQ plot, ...

07/20, 7:55pm

Slated, 4D 2003, QT button

Slated 0.8 is an iCal utility that automatically imports eVite events into iCal as a separate calendar. All users must do is enter their email address used for eVites and eVite.com password. [Download - 136KB]
4D 2003.4 is now available as a standard maintenance release for current 4D 2003 users with several improvements to ensure even better performance on both Mac OS X and Windows platforms. Current 4D 2003 owners can download the update free of charge.
QT Speed Button Pack 1.0 ($35) is a collection of speed buttons that can be added to existing QuickTime movies. It allows users to view movies at various playback speeds between 0.1x and 3x--both forwards and backwards, allowing for slow motion and faster-than-realtime speeds. It also contains basic transport buttons to play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, repeat five seconds and to go to the beginning of the clip.
DAQ Plot 9.5.1 is the latest version of the application used to view data from sensors and laboratory equipment with voltage connectors. The update adds control features along with real-time strip chart display. [Download - not available]
DeskLapz 1.0 can animate the desktop with up-to-the-minute images of the beach, mountains, or even the Sun with real time-lapse webcam images. The downloadable version comes with three cameras unlocked; register with If Then Software for seven more cameras including Miami Beach and Bourbon Street. [Download - 557KB]
LockSecret 1.0 ($13) is a batch-based file encryption/decryption utility, that processes multiple files. Locksecret can also create archives from one or more files as a convenient way to store or transmit encrypted files. It generates cross-platform compatible archives using the strong Blowfish encryption system with password, random, or file-based key generation. [Classic, OSX]
HP Comm Killer 1.0 resolves HP's multi-function software problems, which one reader says "tends to 'hang' if you power off or disconnect the PSC device. Scanning then becomes impossible until you force-quit a particular HP app. Unfortunately, the app (HP Communications) is 'faceless'." [1.3MB]
Verizon BroadbandAccess Support 1.0 supports the Express Network PC Card (PC 5220) in Mac OS X for use on the Verizon Wireless network. It requires an paid account with Verizon and the necessary PC card hardware. [200KB]

Wolfram releases GUIKit toolkit for Mathematica

07/20, 7:45pm

GUIKit for Mathematica

Wolfram Research today released GUIKit, its Mathematica toolkit for building and running graphical user interfaces. It can be used to create graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for a wide range of custom implementations using a high-level Mathematica expression syntax along with a runtime environment for managing and deploying these reusable definitions. It can be used to build complete platform-independent application interfaces, extend existing Mathematica functions with user interfaces, create wizards for specific Mathematica, or create GUIs directly from Mathematica.

McAfee announces Virex 7.5

07/20, 7:30pm

McAfee debuts Virex 7.5

McAfee today announced Virex 7.5 for Mac OS X, offering improvements over its predecessors such as real-time "on access" scanning, automatic eUpdate functionality, scheduling options for On Demand Scans and updating, and the latest McAfee anti-virus scan engine. Update: McAfee today told MacNN that it expects to ship McAfee Virex 7.5 in August (contrary to wording in its press released issued yesterday). Several readers note that the company has made another beta available to some customers. McAfee also said the product, designed for small businesses and enterprise customers, will start at $37 for an 11-user license. This includes a PerpetualPlus License with 1 year of PriorityPlus Support, according to the company. [first posted 07/19/04]

Forums: AppleCare/insurance; PB problems; 4G iPod ..,

07/20, 4:50pm

AppleCare/insurance

Topics of discussion on the MacNN forums today include: a user's dilemma involving insurance and AppleCare; one member's story of repeat PowerBook problems; speculation about the forthcoming G5-based iMac; ongoing discussion of the fourth generation iPod from Apple; discussion of the latest news and releases of Mac OS X software; discussion of America's Army Special Forces for Mac.

Apple settles Rendezvous trademark dispute with TIBCO

07/20, 4:15pm

Apple Rendezvous lawsuit

Apple has settled its Rendezvous trademark dispute with TIBCO, according to AppleInsider. The dispute stems from Apple's use of Rendezvous as its brand name for its zero-configuration technology that enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on IP-based networks. Although company representatives were unable to discuss the matter, they confirmed that TIBCO had reached an out-of-court settlement with Apple and had filed to dismiss the case, which was brought against Apple in August 2003. The report says that as part of the agreement, Apple will phase out the use of 'Rendezvous', noting that Apple is not currently adding new Rendezvous brand licensees, but will provide licensing program update soon. Update: AppleInsider also reports that Apple filed for an OpenTalk trademark with a similar zero-configuration technology description shortly after it settled the Rendezvous lawsuit.

BTG sues Apple, Microsoft over software update

07/20, 4:00pm

BTG sues Apple, MS

London intellectual property licensing company BTG International has sued Apple and Microsoft, alleging infringement of software technology patents, according to Reuters. BTG, along with Teleshuttle Corp. and Teleshuttle Technologies LLC, has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California against Apple and Microsoft, alleging "infringement on Teleshuttle patents covering Web-enabled software update technologies, which are important in helping protect computer users from viruses and other Internet attacks. Both Apple and Microsoft incorporate automatic software update technology into Microsoft's Windows and Apple's OS X operating systems." Another lawsuit against Microsoft alleges infringements by Microsoft's active desktop and offline browsing technologies.

BPFTP Client for Mac announced

07/20, 3:40pm

BPFTP Client

DigitalCandle today announced the BPFTP Client for Mac. The announcement marks the first foray of the popular Windows BulletProof brand into the Mac world. "We have been asked for many years to bring our products to Mac OS, but we have not done so until now to ensure we could bring the same BulletProof reliability for which we are known to the platform." The new product provides professional and reliable FTP ability for Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X users.

Briefly: Time and Budgets, Piranesi, Phone Valet...

07/20, 1:50pm

Phone Valet review

In Brief: An article titled "Turning Apple iCal into Dollars" discusses how users of the Time and Budgets software can put iCal to work as a time and billing tool; the latest version of Renderworks contains a built-in interface to Piranesi, the award-winning "3D Painting" technology from Informatix Software International; a replay of Apple's third-quarter financial conference call is now available on Apple's iTunes; we've posted a MacNN review of Phone Valet 2.0.

Apps: KidsServer, Opera, Safari Magic, BlogWave...

07/20, 1:15pm

Opera, Safari Magic ...

KidsServer 1.3.0 ($180 and up) & KidsServer 1.3.0 PE ($40 and up) are applications that run as proxy servers to block most harmful content on the Web from loading in a browser. The new version features an improved installer and enhancements to the secondary proxy setting, port setting, and security. [2.4MB]
Safari Magic 1.0 ($20) is a multi-purpose application that gives Safari users the ability to print or Save to PDF just the text, graphics or pictures from a page; add a note or date-time stamp to any text, graphic, or picture from a page; and a plethora of other features. [1.5MB]
Wingnuts 1.3 ($20) updates Freeverse's time action fighter pilot shooter: "Can you catch Baron von Schtopwatch and his time-travelling airforce before it's too late? Take-off from your aircraft carrier and hunt the Baron's robot planes in 30 levels of arcade action. Dozens of cool aircraft to pursue, including bi-planes, blimps and helicopter gunships." [43MB]
DVD Database X 1.3 ($20) is a full-featured database program designed to help you keep track of any size DVD collection. It features movie lookup from the Internet Movie Database Website, DVD label and jacket printing, and automatic playback of unencrypted VIDEO_TS folders. New Features include user-defined fields, MPAA and My Rating for rating movies, and export to HTML functions. A limited demo is available for Mac OS X 10.2 or later. [1.8MB]
BlogWave Studio 1.1 is a $20 blog creation suite that offers integration with Apple's .Mac service. The new version adds roll-over buttons, a CSS visual editor, a new preferences interface, and bug fixes. [4.9MB]
Temperature Monitor 2.0 is an application to read out all available temperature sensors in a Mac. The program now supports an unlimited number of sensors per computer, on-die temperature measurement of G5 processors, temperature measurement of hard disks, and much more. [882KB]
Opera 7.5.3 is an update to the popular alternative Web browser for Mac OS X. Recent additions include: improvements to Opera Mail, IRC chat, and interface enhancements. [4.1MB]
Mail Watch 2.1 ($6) is an application designed to watch your different e-mail accounts and notify you when new mail is available. Mail Watch uses a configuration application and a invisible background application to periodically check your mail. It runs on Mac OS X 10.1 or later. [1.0MB]

Textco releases Gene Inspector 1.6 for biologists

07/20, 1:00pm

Gene Inspector 1.6

Gene Inspector 1.6 is a tool for biologists that provides sequence analyses integrated with an electronic notebook. The intuitive interface allows users to organize large amounts of inter-related information, enabling researchers to plan, annotate, and execute experiments and analyses in a single application. Currently available exclusively for the Mac, it features more than 60 standard analyses for both nucleic acids and peptides including multiple sequence alignments, BLAST searching, dot matrix comparisons, and prediction of the physical properties of translation-product peptides.

NI LabVIEW 7.1 supports multiple languages, more

07/20, 11:55am

NI LabVIEW 7.1 available

National Instruments today released LabVIEW 7.1, the latest version of the company's flagship graphical development environment. Now available in French, German and Japanese, LabVIEW 7.1 extends the reach of Express technology to automated instrumentation and greatly improves analysis performance. It features features more than 50 new mathematical functions for creating custom, low-level algorithms and increases performance by up to 200 percent with advanced analysis libraries that are now based on industry-standard, processor-specific LAPACK/BLAS algorithms. Pricing starts at $1000.

NetXposure debuts Image Portal 3.0, InCaddy plugin

07/20, 11:45am

Image Portal 3.0, InCaddy

NetXposure has released Image Portal 3.0 and its InCaddy Plug-In for Adobe InDesign CS while at the Adobe Partners in Publishing Conference & Expo in Chicago. Version 3.0 of Image Portal is an XML-savvy web-based digital asset management solution that integrates Adobe's image processing technology and provides a central repository for storing, organizing, processing and distributing large libraries of digital files. Utilizing Adobe Graphics Server, users can automate the process of resizing, sharpening, or repurposing images into a variety of formats for the Web or print. Image Portal 3.0 includes versioning, WebDAV, LDAP support, check in/out, auto-tasking, batch tasking, standard pre-set processes/transformations, etc.

Rogue Amoeba releases Detour 1.5

07/20, 10:35am

Detour 1.5

Detour 1.5 ($12) is an update to the System Preferences utility that enables one to specify where applications output their audio, allowing, for example, alert and application sounds to be played through a built-in speaker while iTunes or DVD Player play through external speakers. Additionally, volumes can be set on an application-specific basis. Version 1.5 features a new Detour MenuExtra, allowing for quick access to all of Detour's settings from the menubar.

More details on Duke-iPod deal

07/20, 10:00am

Duke-iPod deal

Today's edition of The News & Observer sheds more light on Apple's iPod deal with Duke University. The initiative, which will see 1,650 20GB iPods given to incoming freshman, will cost the university about $500,000 and is currently a one-time agreement, but could be renewed if the program is deemed a success. Student iPods will come pre-loaded with orientation schedules, calendars, campus tours, and the Duke fight song, while a site modeled after the iTunes Music Store will offer students course content, lectures, and more. Returning students who enroll in a class where the iPod is used with be given loaner models for the semester.

Group Logic ships ExtremeZ-IP 3.2 file/print server

07/20, 9:55am

ExtremeZ-IP 3.2 ships

Group Logic today released ExtremeZ-IP 3.2, an update to its file and print sharing product. This latest update offers greater stability for high-volume servers, improved utility and diagnostic functions, and a variety of other enhancements and bug fixes. The company says that ExtremeZ-IP is the only solution on the market that fully integrates both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 with Windows 2003/2000/NT Server versions as well as Windows 2003 Storage Server and Windows XP Professional. The update is free for customers who own a license for version 3.0 or higher and have an active support contract.

DiskGO FM Transmitter released

07/20, 9:50am

DiskGO FM Transmitter

The DiskGO! FM Transmitter from Peripheral Enhancements is a battery-operated three-band FM transmitter (87.7MHz, 88.1MHz, 88.5MHz) that weighs about two oz. and is compatible with any audio devices with a 1/8 mini jack, including the iPod. The FM Transmitter sells for $30, before $10 rebate (expires July 31).

AppleScript Pro Sessions return

07/20, 8:45am

AppleScript Pro Sessions

Scripting Matters, Inc. has announced its upcoming AppleScript Pro Sessions, which offer five days of classes and tutorials on mastering AppleScript, from starting out with the software to scripting in Panther, QuarkXPress, InDesign, and more. This year the sessions will be held in Newport, RI and will cost $1,200 for any three days or $1,600 for all five. An early bird registration discount is available through October 6.

Apps: OmniWeb, Retrospect, FontAgent Pro, ...

07/20, 8:25am

Apps: OmniWeb, Retrospect

• OmniWeb 5.0rc1 ($30) is the first release candidate for the alternative Web browser. Among OmniWeb 5.0's features are a Tab Drawer for multiple browser windows, Workspaces that save the browser's open sites for quick retrieval next time the it is launched, customizable Site Preferences for individual sites, and more.
  
  
• Retrospect 6.0 5.6.102 (free update, retail starts at $130) brings support for a variety of EZQuest optical drives to the backup utility, as well as support for Iomega's FireWire REV removable external drive, on top of improved memory management and other maintenance fixes.
  
  
• FontAgent Pro 2.1.1 ($90) optimizes support for QuarkXPress under Panther, while the update to the workgroup editions improves performance and takes advantage of Apple's Rendezvous technology to permit zero configuration, zero administration, automatic discovery and font sharing.
  
  
• SOHO Business Cards 1.0.1 ($30) adds a variety of new features to the application for designing business cards, including a "Save As PDF" command, the ability to flip images placed on a design horizontally and vertically, and the ability to give rotated images drop shadows. Also, the SOHO Business Card Design Contest, with prizes including an iPod mini, ends July 31.

KB: iTunes/iPod freezes, DVD-R with iDVD, iPod/iSight

07/20, 7:40am

KB: iTunes/iPod freezes

Apple has recently added several Knowledge Base articles, including: What is iPod Software 3.0?, iPod (Click Wheel): During sync, shows low battery indicator and iTunes "freezes", iPod (Click Wheel): USB cable is incorrectly labeled "PC Only", Ejecting iPod during sync with Windows may cause iTunes to "freeze", Syncing iPod on FireWire with iSight can cause your Mac to "freeze", and Use only DVD-R discs with iDVD 4.

QuickerTek: new Carbon Fiber PowerBook carry handles

07/20, 1:55am

Carbon Fiber PB handles

QuickerTek today announced new Carbon Fiber PowerBook carry handles. Designed for the 12-inch aluminum PowerBook, 15-inch aluminum Book, 15-inch TiBook and the 17-inch PowerBook, the carbon fiber and aluminum handles attach to the PowerBook case and offer an easy way to carry them as well as a tilted stand for desktop computing. "Rather than continue the original aluminum handle construction, QuickerTek has decided to use the latest and greatest material - carbon fiber. Stronger than metal yet much lighter, it makes intuitive sense." They are available for $30 (15" TiBook, 12" AlBook) and $35 (15" AlBook, 17" PowerBook).