News Archive for 04/08/03

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Staz ships FutureBasic 4 for BASIC development

08/03, 8:10pm

FutureBasic 4 shipping

Staz Software today began shipping FutureBasic 4, its BASIC development environment for Macintosh. It offers several new features and enhancements, including a rewritten IDE with support Carbon applications and a completely new editor and project manager. Version 4 also features an improved interface, with streamlined menus and operations. The new version also offers instant integration with Apple's website for referencing Apple's toolbox functions, a new keyword-based search for its online help, and a built-in scripting system to build XML scripts to automate editing actions. It is $170 for a 1-year subscription and $100 per year for renewal.

Sonnet debuts Allegro USB 2.0 PCI adapter

08/03, 8:05pm

Allegro USB 2.0 PCI card

Sonnet today announced its new Allegro USB 2.0 PCI adapter card, the latest addition to Sonnet’s line of PCI adapter cards. The Allegro USB 2.0 adds five high-speed USB 2.0 connections. It features one internal and four external USB 2.0 ports--each of which support data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbits/s as well as backward-compatibility with all USB 1.1 devices. It works with Mac OS 9, but Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later is required for USB 2.0-compatibility. It is supported by the Power Mac G3 (Blue and White) and all Power Mac G4/G5 models except the Cube. It is expected to ship on August 16 for $30.

Apps: AlchemyTV DVR, Agenda, Menu Calendar, Morph Age

08/03, 2:20pm

Agenda, Menu Calendar...

AlchemyTV DVR 2.1.2 is the latest version of the application that lets users watch TV in full screen mode on a Mac. New features in version 2.1.2 include: extended plug-in support, TV window size 2:1 as a preset, and picture optimization. [Download - 9.7MB]
Agenda 3.1.0 ($20) is a virtual device which can greet you, tell you the current date and read off your pending events and to-do items for the day. This update includes a new alarm system to set reminder alerts for events, disables delete and info buttons when no list selection has been made, and enables double clicking list items to open the info editor screen. [Download - 1.26MB]
Menu Calendar 2.5 Public Beta is a "pocket calendar" and that offers easy access to to-do items, acessible from an icon at Mac OS X the menu bar. Version 2.5 adds current to do items to the menu icon tooltip, automatically shows 12h time format, iCal calendar colors to the schedule text, and more. [Download - 675KB]
Morph Age ($100) is a application for morphing/warping images and movies, such as faces, and save the result to a QuickTime movie. It can be used in conjunction with iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD and Final Cut Pro to create stunning video of your friends and family or even broadcast quality special effects. [Download - 6.0MB]
Plasticom 1.0 ($150) is an application for pre-operative plastic surgery communication between the patient and the surgeon. "Plasticom is the missing link, as it provides visual, interactive information to both of them at the same time." Plasticom is based on Morph Age 2.0 warping engine. [Download - 3.0MB]
Tunes Music Alarm Clock 4.0 is a stay-open script application that transforms iTunes into a music alarm. The latest version bundles another utility, batched track enabler, to its growing tool pack, further extending the script's functionality. A snooze function was also added to the alarm. [Download - 560KB]

Briefly: dinc, VectorWorks Japanese, 30" desktops...

08/03, 1:40pm

PlasmaDesign 30\" desktops

In Brief: dinc has extended the availability of its Spyboy fontset by one day, because it will be the last free commercial fontset for the summer; Nemetschek North America is now shipping VectorWorks 11 localized for the Japanese market; PlasmaDesign has added twenty three new desktop images to its site, all available for sizes up to 2560x1600 pixels (matching Apple's new 30" display); Apple today announced the launch of the eagerly awaited iPod mini in India.

Intego releases new WiFi Locator device

08/03, 1:20pm

WiFi Locator

Intego today announced the launch of the WiFi Locator ($30), a pocket-sized device to find wireless AirPort and WiFi networks. With the Intego WiFi Locator, users can find available AirPort and AirPort Extreme (802.11b and 802.11g) networks to get wireless Internet access for their AirPort-equipped PowerBook or iBook, WiFi-equipped laptop running Windows, Unix or Linux, or WiFi-equipped PDA or phone. The Intego WiFi Locator is small, discreet and easy to use, and finds available wireless hotspots in less than one second.

iRiver Introduces Portable Media Player series

08/03, 12:15pm

Portable Media Player

iRiver today announced the PMP-100 (Portable Media Player) series. The PMP-100 series ($500-$600) allows customers to enjoy their favorite recorded TV shows, movies, home videos, music and photos on a single, portable player. The PMP-100 series supports widely used video, audio, and picture formats (AVI, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, WAV, ASF and JPEG) and features an intuitive video conversion application to further ensure video compatibility. Featuring a sharp 3.5-inch color display, the PMP-100 series is available in 20GB and 40GB sizes. The largest capacity PMP-100 series player stores up to 150 hours of video and 1,200 hours of digital music. In addition to playing media files, the PMP-100 series supports USB host transfers allowing customers to download content directly from supported digital cameras and storage devices.

New Diskology Disk Jockey laptop adapters

08/03, 11:35am

Diskology laptop adapters

Diskology today added two new laptop adapters to its product line. The adapters, known simply as “Fred” and “Steve” allow users to attach 2.5” IDE laptop drives to the Disk Jockey IDE hard disk cloning / diagnostic tool. By using the laptop adapters users can transfer data between laptop drives at high speeds, copy data from a laptop drive to a standard 3.5” desktop IDE hard disk drive or from a 3.5” hard disk drive to a laptop drive. Fred ($10) is the less expensive of the two laptop adapters and is described as being for the person “who likes wires and boards and things on your tech bench." Steve ($35) resembles a drive sled: "With Steve the laptop drive is inserted into the sled and the sled then connected to the Disk Jockey."

FileMaker announces FileMaker Work Requests

08/03, 11:10am

FileMaker Work Requests

FileMaker today announced FileMaker Work Requests, a new business application that streamlines an organization's work order process from the initial request through completion of the work order. FileMaker Work Requests automates the work order process by consolidating work order information in a single, centralized location for easy access by members of the organization, minimizing phone calls, data entry and paper work. The application is designed to increase the efficiency of the work order process for multi-department organizations. It costs $120.

The Orphanage releases 'eLin' to the public

08/03, 10:30am

The Orphanage eLin

The Orphanage -- whose recent visual effects efforts include “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Hellboy” -- announced today the release of a key piece of its visual effects technology to the public. Called eLin, the software consists of a suite of plug-ins and scripts for Adobe After Effects that allow compositors to work in the expanded photographic color space of film. eLin is free of charge for noncommercial use, and $500 for commercial use.

Kanaka offers desktop user access to NetWare services

08/03, 8:40am

Kanaka plugin for Mac OS X

Condrey Consulting today announced Kanaka, a plugin for Mac OS X that delivers fully automated desktop user access to NetWare services including their personal and collaborative storage. Kanaka integrates with Mac OS X's authentication, providing users single sign-in to authenticate to Mac OS X and Novell eDirectory. Kanaka then auto discovers the user's home directory and collaborative storage locations based solely on the user's identity and then auto-mounts the external volume. "Kanaka's auto-discovery feature totally eliminates the need for users to know where their storage is located on the network, and the manual process of mapping associations to the storage."

Kodak debuts 5MP digital camera with 10x optical zoom

08/03, 8:30am

Kodak EasyShare DX7590

Kodak today launched its new EasyShare DX7590, a new five megapixel digital camera which it says features a "unique combination of sophisticated features, exceptional performance, and trademark ease of use gives amateur photographers the opportunity to shoot like a professional." Due later this month for $500, it features a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 10X optical zoom lens; dual-sensor, low-light precision auto focusing; multiple shooting modes; an extra high-resolution (311,000 pixels) electronic viewfinder; JPEG fine and standard compression options; flash compensation; and rapid click-to-capture (0.2 seconds).

BW: Signs of the 'halo effect' emerging?

08/03, 8:15am

\'Halo effect\' helping

BusinessWeek says the "halo effect" of the iPod and its retail presence may be showing signs of growing the Mac user base: "But watch this space. For starters, it's too easy to dismiss the impact of the stores and the iPod when it comes to developing interest in the Mac. The fact is, Apple's share would almost certainly be even lower without them. And Apple says roughly half the PC buyers in its stores are first-time Mac customers or returnees from Wintel PCs....In a recent survey of likely home PC buyers by the Technometrica Institute of Policy and Politics, 8% of respondents said they intended to buy an Apple. That's second only to Dell -- and up from 5% in May..."

Brother launches flatbed color-inkjet MFCs

08/03, 8:10am

Brother flatbed MFCs

Brother today launched its next generation of low-profile color inkjet flatbed Multi-Function Center (MFC) models, including the new MFC-210c ($130), MFC-420cn ($150) and MFC-620cn ($200). The new line of compact all-in-ones offer up to 6000x1200 dpi photo-quality output, print speeds of up to 20ppm (monochrome) and up to 15ppm for color (draft mode), borderless printing for all standard photo sizes, standalone fax functions, digital memory media slots, USB 2.0 connectivity and a front-loading paper tray as well as a 10-page automatic document feeder and built-in Ethernet on the MFC 420cn and MFC-620cn models. Additionally, the MFC-620cn features a built-in telephone handset and up to 29 minute digital message center. They are expected to be available in September.

Apple Distinguished Educators to teach at DLexpo

08/03, 7:50am

ADEs at DLexpo

A host of Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) are scheduled to teach at the first Digital Lifestyle Symposium, which will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center from August 13-15. DLexpo's Southern California symposium features renowned experts and teachers working in the digital technology field; ADEs from across the country share their expertise in the latest technological tools and how to implement digital technology into the classroom. DLexpo has partnered with the Orange County (California) Department of Education and is offering special pricing for anyone working in a K-12 school or in higher education. With a valid educator or student ID, entry into the expo is $5, workshops are $13 each, and the 12-hour, two-day symposium is $30.

iPodResQ offers support for "4G" iPods

08/03, 7:45am

iPodResQ supports 4G iPod

ResQ Systems today announced that its iPodResQ 24-Hour Nationwide iPod repair program now supports the new "4G iPod", the fourth generation of Apple's popular MP3 player: "iPodResQ is the only service of its kind offering 24-hour turnaround on repairs and nationwide, overnight pickup & delivery at the user's location." The service is now stocking parts and performing repairs on 4th generation iPod models. The cost of the iPodResQ 24-Hour Repair Service is $30, which includes the 3-way overnight shipping, the initial diagnostic service, and the iBox, which the customer may keep for future use.

Report: iMovie strips FairPlay DRM from iTunes songs

08/03, 7:40am

iMovie strips iTunes DRM

Apple's iMovie can be used to strip the FairPlay digital rights management protection (DRM) on iTunes songs, according to a report by German news site Macnews.de. The site reports that Apple's own video tool can be used to create unprotected song files that be played on any computer without recompression, circumventing iTunes' DRM protection. iMovie users can use the "Share" feature of iMovie to export any imported (protected) song from the iTunes Music Store. The exported songs can either be stored in the un-protected AAC file format (used by Apple at the iTMS) or in the raw WAV file format; both of these formats are supported by iTunes.