News Archive for 04/11/12

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Forums: AppleCare, iMac video, OS X 10.3.6...

11/12, 5:25pm

Forums roundup for Nov 12

Topics of discussion on the MacNN forums today include: A member's positive experience dealing with Apple and the AppleCare program.... looking at various laptops as desktop replacements.... discussion of G5 iMac video performance.... initial impressions of the recently-released Mac OS X 10.3.6 update.

Panic discontinues Audion music player

11/12, 4:10pm

Panic discontinues Audion

Panic announced today that, after much deliberation, the company has decided to officially "retire" Audion, its once-popular Mac MP3 player/encoder. "Panic isn't going anywhere, but Audion will be soaking up the sun in Software Florida, if you will... The good news is that, instead of pulling Audion from the market entirely, we've decided to make Audion 100% free of charge -- it can still be downloaded freely, should continue to work for the foreseeable future, and can be registered freely with a provided serial number... This obviously wasn't an easy decision. So, why do it? Put simply, it all boils down to an inability to compete fairly with iTunes, which is free and, you know, pretty good. But the story isn't that simple -- there's much more to Audion's past than one simple sentence."

Briefly: Longhorn D.0.A. T-shirts, MacSpeech...

11/12, 2:40pm

Longhorn D.0.A. T-shirts

In Breif: Macsurfshop has announced a set of "Longhorn D.0.A. T-shirts" available in both long and short sleeved.... A commercial seen airing on ABC is advertising a free iPod and iTrip with the purchase of any new Ford, though no details of the promotion are mentioned on the web.... MacSpeech announced that company CEO and Founder Andrew Taylor will be giving presentations on speech recognition featuring iListen at two New Jersey area Apple stores the week of November 15th.... Integration today released version 2.0 of Impressario Xtra ($440) for Macromedia Director.... MacMonkies has released its Friday Icon Edition with 3 New Icon Sets from Isabelle Laffy, elpincho Designs, and Steven Smith.... Iconkits.com has announced its latest icon kit, XPhat Base Kit ($200) which including 160 high-quality royalty-free icons.

Marathon Computer introduces RePorter Port Extender

11/12, 12:30pm

RePorter extends USB, FW

Marathon Computer today announced its RePorter Port Extender. The spherical device is made of high-impact injection-molded plastic and features a flat front face with two USB Type A ports, a FireWire 400 port, a FireWire 800 port, an two 1/8-inch stereo audio mini jacks--one for audio in and one for aduio out. The device connects to a Mac or PC using a 1.5-meter cable that reaches around to the computer's rear panel and splits apart into one-foot lengths with separate connectors. The Marathon RePorter is available now for US($59).

Apps: iDrum, AgentEYE, Booxter, iNotePad...

11/12, 12:15pm

iDrum, AgentEYE, Booxter..

iDrum 1.0 ($70) "turns any Macintosh computer running Mac OS 10.3 or later into a slamming beatbox ready to lay down your grooves, your way. From ambient downtempo to bangin' hip hop to frenetic drum and bass, iDrum has got your back (beat)." iDrum offers a virtually unlimited number of sample-playback channels and comes with a giant collection of percussion samples from which to choose. The software can also be used as a plug-in for Pro Tools 6.4 or later. [Download - 13.8 MB]
AgentEYE ($99) is an SNMP agent that monitors OpenBase database activity, database size, and active connections. The software keeps statistics on selects, updates, inserts, and deletes per second, and also scans message log files and tracks error messages. AgentEye licenses ranging from a free trial to a $549 PowerCenter Multi-Server license. [Download - Register Form]
Booxter 1.6 ($15) is an easy to use application that helps you manage your book collection.  It gathers book information from various sources on the internet to allow you to view, edit, sort, categorize, export and print books in your collection. The new version doubles the number of searchable sites from which book information can be obtained, improves iSight video scanning, and adds several new book attributes and sets of country and currency codes. [Download - 979 KB]
BATTERY 2 takes drum sampling to the next level with a powerful new sampling engine, enhanced sound shaping and modulation capabilities. The new version, available in demo form, also sports sophisticated sample controls and a revised, yet simple user interface. The BATTERY 2 demo version comes with a selection of five drum kits, and is available now as a free download on the NI website. [Download - 23.7 MB]
iNotePad 2 ($14)is an alternative to Apple's Classic NotePad that can store text notes with styles and pictures, print them, or export them to an iPod. The new version delivers color labels for notes and folders, contextual menu support, an improved info drawer, .doc import support, a preference to check for updates automatically, and more. iNotePad 2 is shareware and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. [Download - 614 KB]
GRASS 5.4.0 ($40) is a Geographical Information System (GIS) with raster, topological vector, image processing, and graphics production functionality that operates on various platforms through a graphical user interface and/or command line. A state-of-the-art NVIZ 3-D visualization program is also included. The new version offers an optional installation of the experimental GRASS 5.7.0 - a preview of GRASS 5.1. [Download - 19.1 MB]

Griffin XPress Digital Cable for AirPort Express

11/12, 10:20am

XPress Digital Cable

Griffin Technology today announced the Griffin XPress Digital Audio Cable. The XPress Digital Cable provides a way for you to connect an Airport Express to the digital input on a home stereo for the highest quality audio possible. The 9-foot digital optical cable has Toslink based connectors on both ends and comes with two Toslink-to-mini digital cable adaptors. The digital mini connectors are the same connectors that provide digital audio output on the Airport Express, as well as the new iMac G5 machines. The XPress Digital Audio Cable costs $20 and is available now through the Griffin's Web site.

Dosch 3D: Industrial Objects V2 released

11/12, 10:10am

3D Industrial Objects set

Dosch Design has announced "Dosch 3D: Industrial Objects V2" a set of 106 industrial 3D-models of great variety from workshop, factory and warehouse environments. Contained in the package are 3D-models of: pallet jacks, container & tool carts, trash containers/bins, hand trucks, product slides/conveyors, drums, scissor lifts/platforms, various shelves, cabinets and storage units, pallets, metal crates, warning signs/barriers, ladders and more. The 3D-models are provided in multiple file formats for use with 3DS, 3dsmax, Lightwave, DXF, OBJ, Maya, Softimage XSI, VRML and Cinema 4D. The product is compatible with Mac and Windows computers and is priced at (US)$119.

Silver Creek to bring 5 new games to Mac OS X

11/12, 9:50am

Silver Creek games for Mac

Silver Creek Entertainment today announced that it is bringing five of its award winning casual games to Mac OS X. Over the next week the company will begin a public beta for each of the games: Hardwood Solitaire III, Hardwood Spades, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Euchre, and the new Ruckus Buck's Dangerous Mines. The company says it is 'dedicated to making excellent Mac games' and is seeking feedback on each of the titles from Mac users. Ruckus Buck's Dangerous Mines is the company's latest title, which will be released first on Mac OS X, with a Windows launch to follow. Players can immediately download and provide feedback on the first Mac OS X public beta of each game through Silver Creek's beta forum.

Nisus Writer Express updated to version 2.1

11/12, 9:15am

Nisus Writer Express 2.1

Nisus Software, Inc. has announced the release of Nisus Writer Express 2.1, a free update to all previews owners of the company's Mac OS X native word processor. The new version includes speed enhancements, introduces French localization, and contains a number of bug fixes. Nisus Writer Express 2.1 is available online for $60; CDs cost $70. The company also announced the immediate availability of the Nisus Writer Express Family Pack, which includes 3 licenses for the software for only $100. A CD version retails for $110.