News Archive for 04/09/09

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

Briefly: iMac G5 dev note, TV over ADSL, 'Eye' on Woz

09/09, 11:35pm

iMac G5 dev note

In Brief: Apple's iMac G5 developer note gives a technical description of the 17" and 20" iMac G5, providing information about the computer’s internal design, input-output features, and expansion capabilities.... Optibase, Media 100's parent company, today announced that it will demonstrate its new compact carrier-grade TV streaming platform, at IBC in Amsterdam (September 10-14) and that will deliver live TV services to 20,000 ADSL subscribers in Taipei, Taiwan.... Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has joined the advisory board of a small software upstart, Eye Games.... CE-ATA is a newly proposed drive interface for miniature hard drives used handheld consumer electronics (e.g., the iPod) to help with cost, size and power consumption.

Western Digital offers new USB 2.0 external drives

09/09, 10:55pm

New WD drives with USB 2.0

Western Digital (WD) today expanded its external hard drive line, adding a USB 2.0 model to its existing WD Dual-option product family, which features software on-demand or automated backup (with data protection via its Safe Shutdown feature). WD also introduced its value-oriented WD Essential external drive line with a 2MB buffer (expected to ship in 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 200GB, and 250GB capacities). Both product families feature the same stackable, horizontal/vertical enclosure, a front-mounted power button; a USB 2.0 interface; and a 7200 RPM drive mechanism. The WD Dual-option USB 2.0 drive is bundled with Dantz Retrospect Express for data backup. It is available in both 120GB (2MB buffer, $200), 160GB (8MB, $230) and 250GB (8MB, $330) capacities with 120GB (8MB) and 200GB (8MB) versions expected later.

Lexmark X7170 AIO integrates hardware, software

09/09, 9:40pm

Lexmark X7170 AIO

Lexmark this week introduced the Lexmark X7170 All-in-One (AIO), which combines faxing, scanning, printing and copying functions into a single device designed for small businesses. It features an integrated document management application (accessible via a graphical interface) that offers the ability to create multiple page PDF files from a variety of formats, convert scanned documents into text files via Lexmark OCR, drag & drop of document thumbnails to perform a variety of functions (print, fax, email, convert, etc.), print from PictBridge-enabled cameras, and view flash tutorials, download templates, and receive updates via the Web.

Tech: RIAA sued, OpenGL 2.0, US broadband rollout...

09/09, 6:30pm

RIAA sued, OpenGL 2.0

Tech: The RIAA is being sued by a peer-to-peer partner software company for violating its patents to upload phony/corrupt files to p-to-p networks.... Yahoo has struck a deal to produce, host and sell advertising for the official Web site for the second and third season of NBC's "The Apprentice."... OpenGL 2.0, collection of application programming interfaces, or APIs, for creating 2D and 3D computer graphics, is now available in a final form.... U.S. communications regulators on Thursday insisted the United States was making progress in rolling out high-speed Internet service, despite falling further behind other countries.

New Nokia phone bundles Mac-compatible sync software

09/09, 5:40pm

Nokia 7280 supports Mac

Nokia today introduced a new phone which offers native Mac synchronization support. As part of its launch of three new cell phones inspired by the glamour and elegance of the lavish 1920s, the new Nokia 7280 pushes the boundaries of traditional mobile phone design by blending old world art deco styling with an edgy, modern day twist. The company touted the Mac-compatible software in the press release as well as notes Mac-compatibility on its website. Using the Mac OS-comaptible Nokia Collector software, users can transfer photos, ringtones, wallpapers, music and videos from the Nokia 7280 to and from your Mac. It will be available in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The company currently offers Mac software for its high-end Nokia 9110i Communicator, while iSync provides support for many Nokia phones (as well as third-party tools such as

Apple, Pixar among most innovative companies

09/09, 4:05pm

Apple No. 1 in innovation

Apple was chosen as the most innovative company in the past 75 years, according to a BusinessWeek survey of 500 senior-level business executives. More than 35 percent of executives picked Apple, while Microsoft was second with 32 percent and Pixar was third with 31 percent identifying the company as most innovative; however, Microsoft's Bill Gates (50%) topped Steve Jobs (47%) as respondents were asked to identify the most innovative CEOs (others included Michael Dell, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and eBay's Meg Whitman). More than half of those surveyed named the personal computer (56%) and the Internet (51%) as the greatest innovations of the past 75 years, followed by DNA (49%) and television (34%).

Apple's Casanova to keynote at CTIA Wireless 2004

09/09, 3:20pm

Apple at CTIA Wireless

Apple's Senior Director of Quicktime Product Marketing Frank Casanova will be among the keynote speakers for the upcoming CTIA Wireless I.T & Entertainment 2004, which takes place on October 25-27, 2004 in San Francisco, California. "Mr. Casanova drives the worldwide strategy and product marketing behind Apple's innovative and award-winning media technology products. His responsibilities include Core Audio, Core Video and Core Image technologies in OSX, the QuickTime family of products and business development for Apple's industry-leading 3G mobile multimedia solutions." Other speakers include palmOne's Ed Colligan, Intel's Sean Maloney, Microsoft's Ron Markezich and Scott Gode of Microsoft, and other executives from Qualcomm, Vodafone, Yahoo! and Clearwire.

Apps: Xserve firmware, Hardware Monitor, Camino...

09/09, 2:55pm

Xserve firmware, Camino...

Xserve G5 Firware Update 5.1.7f1 includes changes for initializing and running a Xserve G5. It provides enhanced reliability during reboot sequences as well as support for the Xserve G5 PCI Hardware RAID Card. It is required for the Xserve G5 PCI Hardware RAID Card kit and "is strongly recommended for all Xserve G5 systems with earlier firmware versions." [1.1MB]
Hardware Monitor 1.2 (7€) is an application that can display information from hardware sensors in many Macs. It can display, visualize, store and export measurements. A free, limited version of the temperature monitor is included. Registration unlocks other readings for battery (on portables), voltage, current (amperage), fan speed, and power/load. [1.1MB]
Camino 0.81 updates the open-source browser with a fix for four possible security vulnerabilities in Gecko, support for the new Mozilla 1.7.2 Gecko engine, improved startup (disabled prebinding on Mac OS X 10.3.x systems), and several fixes to improve localization. [9.1MB]
iDo 1.0 ($10) is a task management system, offering a simple-to-use interface that can track notes, link folders/documents (and URLs), set priorities, create due dates, assign task categories, sort tasks, and more. Users can also search task names and print summary or detail versions of lists. [1.6MB]
DragThing 5.3.1 ($30) is mainenance release to the alternative dock application for Mac OS X. It fixe problems displaying the number of unread mail messages on the dock icons of certain mail applications and also adds support for IMAP, Hotmail, and Exchange accounts in Entourage, and IMAP accounts in PowerMail. [4MB]
Speed Download 2.3.6 ($20) has been updated and optimized for Mac OS X 10.3.5; it is now created with Apple Xcode, offers better integration with Safari, adds full support for .dmg file, better contextual menu support, better queueing, and other fixes. The system utility helps organize, schedule, and accelerate downloads. [2MB]

Flexi, PhotoPRINT now available for Mac OS X

09/09, 2:30pm

Flexi, PhotoPRINT for OS X

Scanvec Amiable, a leader in providing complete, professional software solutions from design to production for the sign making and large format digital printing industries, today announced the release of its Flexi and PhotoPRINT Products for Mac OS X. The Flexi product line offers five different products for professional sign making, from text layout and vinyl cutting to high-end production features with cutting and printing tools; The PhotoPRINT line offers four different products from a seamless background RIP to a high production server application and large format printing. Available immediately, both offer key features as full design control, RIP, color management, print & cut and more.

Briefly: iMac ship date, FMPro hosting, free icons...

09/09, 2:20pm

iMac ship date, free icons

In Brief: Apple's new iMac may not ship in volume until early October as delivery estimates for early orders are scheduled for September 26 (from Apple) and a few weeks later for other distributors and resellers.... Point In Space Web Hosting today announced immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 7 database hosting on FileMaker Server 7 Advanced... nova media today announced a distribution agreement with filetransfer.co.uk to distribute "Mobile High Speed for Mac OS X" in the UK.... The Iconfactory's latest freeware icon collection is "an adorable collection of circus cuties," which is available for Mac, Windows PC or as a Pixadex iContainer.

Trendy Geek offers Pod Shield sleeve for "4G" iPods

09/09, 2:00pm

Pod Shield case for iPods

Trendy Geek today announced that its high-static Pod Shield protective sleeve is now available in two sizes, large and small, fitting the new 20GB and 40GB fourth-generation iPods. Pod Shields help keep the player's screen and exterior clean and scratch free without "concealing its coolness." They are made of a thin material that clings to the iPod using high static. The front film covers the iPods' delicate screen. The back film is designed to fully cover the stainless steel back and sides of the unit while still enabling users to place their iPod comfortably in a docking station. Pod Shields are available for $13.

Destineer debuts Close Combat: First to Fight website

09/09, 1:55pm

Close Combat website

Destineer and Globalstar today launched the official website for Close Combat: First to Fight. The website includes new in-game video and screenshots, new details about the game, insight into the game's story, and information about how the US Marine Corps helped Destineer make Close Combat: First to Fight. Close Combat: First to Fight is an authentic, team-based first-person shooter created under the direction of active-duty United States Marines fresh from the front lines of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ILY to ship portable CD/DVD duplicator in October

09/09, 12:35pm

Portable CD/DVD duplicator

ILY Enterprise today announced that it will begin shipping its SlimDVDup CD/DVD duplicator in early October. ILY says the SlimDVDup is "the industry's first truly portable CD/DVD duplicator," allowing users to quickly make identical copies of video, data, photos or audio discs without being connected to a computer. Weighing slightly more than today's ultra-light notebook computers, it measures 6"x 7" x 1.5" and is housed in a sleek, rich silver and blue case, featuring a LCD status display. SlimDVDup supports a large variety of media, including CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R/RW or DVD-RAM formats. The SlimDVDup can also be used as a portable external drive or a backup CD/DVD burner via its high-speed USB 2.0 interface. It will be $700 and is compatible with Mac OS X or later.

Kanguru ships 1GB FireWire portable flash drive

09/09, 12:20pm

FW portable flash drive

Kanguru today released "the first" FireWire-based flash drive, a high speed 3-inch portable FireWire drive. The new Kanguru Fire Flash is available in capacities ranging from 128MB to 1GB and utilizes a 6-pin FireWire connection for high-speed data transfer. It can be easily plugged into a FireWire port and automatically recognized by a computer for instant plug and play access. Weighing 30g, the Kanguru Fire Flash works with Macintosh and Windows, requires no external power and is driverless with most operating systems. It ships with a 4-pin adapter and a desktop docking station. Prices are $70 (128MB), $100 (256MB), $160 (512MB), and $280 (1GB). 

Real: Song sale doubled market share, reduced Apple's

09/09, 12:10pm

Music market share numbers

RealNetworks said its 49-cent, three-week promo sold an estimated 3 million songs and that its market share rose to 20% from 10%, while Apple's marketshare fell to 60% (from 70%); however, Apple disputed those numbers, saying that it did not see any drop in market share during the past three weeks and that its iTunes sales grew each week, according to the USA Today. "Real gained customers, but it will lose $2 million from the promotion, says market tracker Forrester Research. Now, Real says, it will offer a weekly top-10 singles selection for 49 cents. Current artists include the Beastie Boys, Maroon 5 and Ray Charles. Regular-priced songs are 99 cents."

Bear Stearns downgrades AAPL; shares hit target price

09/09, 11:45am

AAPL downgrade

Bear Stearns Thursday downgraded Apple Computer's stock rating, saying the stock has already reached the target price target set by the firm's analysts. The research firm changed the rating on Apple from "peer perform" from "outperform," as the shares hit $36.50, saying that there is a "lack of compelling upside" headed toward next year: "Our view is that the valuation already reflects multiple product catalysts and potential for strong December quarter results given Apple's seasonal strength in consumer and leverage from several synchronized product cycles."

Memorex offers 2GB flash drive with USB 2.0

09/09, 8:30am

2GB Memorex TravelDrive

Memorex today introduced a 2GB version of its Memorex TravelDrive. The company says the drive features read speeds of up to 25MB per second and write speeds of up to 20MB per second via USB 1.1/2.0 connectivity. It features a data protection switch that prevents accidental deletion of important data. "The TravelDrive features the slimmest profile among portable Flash drives and sports a unique silver and black design that fits right on a keychain. A soft-to-touch, thumb-sized, rubber grip area makes the TravelDrive ergonomic." the 2GB flash drive is expected to ship later this month for $300; it is also available in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB capacities, with prices from $35 to $180.

Briefly: Alpine iPod interface, RealNetworks sale....

09/09, 8:15am

Alpine iPod interface

In Brief: The Alpine KCA-420i iPod control interface for Alpine car stereos is now available for pre-order from Crutchfield for $100 and is expected to ship on October 10.... RealNetworks is ending its 49-cent song sale after selling 3 million songs, but will continue to offer a discount on 10 of the most popular songs--in a promotion with music magazine Rolling Stone.... Sports and Leisure Volumes I/II ($32 ea.) are two new clip art collections that feature over 230 new vector EPS images showcasing a wide variety of seasonal sports and leisure activities....Walt Mossberg concludes that "MSN Music is no match for iTunes -- yet. But if you don't have an iPod and want or need to buy music in Microsoft's format, it may be a good choice over time."

Apps: SQLiteManager, ResellerPower, URL Manager Pro..

09/09, 8:00am

SQLiteManager, MegaTrack

Entourage Today 1.0 ($25) is an add-on application for Microsoft Entourage that places upcoming calendar events, tasks, and unread messages into a single window--to "give you a bird's eye overview of the day or days ahead." It displays any number of event/tasks based on a user-selectable date range. [2.2MB]
SQLiteManager 1.2 ($40), for SQLite databases, can create and browse tables, indexes, and views, insert, remove, and edit table records, and execute arbitrary SQL statements. Users can also save commonly used SQL scripts directly in any database as well as export data in HTML, CSV, and XML formats. It adds drag & drop support for columns and updated documentation. [Classic, OSX]
ResellerPower 4.0 ($350) is an integrated database system for small businesses that offers quoting, order entry, purchase order, etc. as well as double-entry accounting, inventory, checking and much more. It brings a new interface, keyboard shortcuts, discount features, new support/call/expense/Till modules, a new affiliates features, and integration with Address Book/iCal.
URL Manager Pro 3.3.1 ($25) updates the popular system bookmark utility for Mac OS X 10.2 or later. It adds support for import of Opera 5's bookmarks and OmniWeb 5's toolbar favorites as well as automatic generation of its History file in HTML format to work together with HistoryHound. [4.5MB]
Missing Sync Fix for 10.3.5 v4.01b5 (beta) fixes a problem where a kernel panic occurs in Mac OS X 10.3.5 when using the desktop mounting with a Sony CLIÉ handheld. The beta also offers improved Internet Sharing and Wi-Fi sync, requires an existing version 4 license code. Mark/Space also plans a fix ("soon") for the Mac OS X 10.3.5 desktop mounting issue for Sony CLIÉ v3.0.9. [11.5MB]
MegaTrack 1.1 (open-source) is a tropical storm tracking application that is designed to track 2004 storms. Version 1.1 can now copy active map to clipboar, print the active map, save active map to a JPEG file, and fixes a display issue. It also now offers documentation. [2MB]
Echelon 1.1 ($20) is a MPEG-1/2 video encoding program that accepts a wide array of media formats with custom settings/presets. Supported media includes avi (divx, 3ivx, etc.) MPEG-1/2, .mov and other formats. It contains queue functions and has a built in preview window. Version 1.1 adds bin file support, multiple file selection for application of settings, DV file support, and a French localization. [1.8MB]

Optibase offers MPEG MovieMaker 200S PCI board

09/09, 7:30am

MPEG MovieMaker 200S

Optibase today announced that MPEG MovieMaker 200S, its high-end MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 encoding board, is available for Power Mac G4/G5 running Mac OS X. MPEG MovieMaker 200S helps users with the creation of DVD, SVCD and VCD content and accelerates the encoding phase when used with Apple's DVD Studio Pro (or other tool). It supports advanced encoding features including: bit-rates up to 10Mbps, VTR control, digital inputs, real-time 5.1 Dolby Digital pass through, variable bit-rate encoding and automatic scene detection. In addition, MPEG MovieMaker offers live previews while encoding and is bundled with Optibase’s fully featured encoding management application for selecting either preset consoles or individual encoding parameters. (Pricing not available).

Sony debuts Cyber-shot DSC-M1 digital camera

09/09, 7:20am

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1

Sony today announced its "futuristic" new Cyber-shot DSC-M1 digital camera, featuring what is calls "extraordinary video features." The 5.1-megapixel camera features a slim, matte-black finish and is about the size of a deck of cards. It is held vertically and features a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD that swivels upward and rotates a full 270 degrees. "This new shooting orientation provides more surface area to access both the menu navigation buttons and two 'hot' buttons for direct access to recording stills and video." It will be available in December for about $600.