News Archive for 05/03/04

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Judge delays subpoena ruling until next week

03/04, 6:50pm

Mac websites ruling delay

Apple and a few Mac websites will have to wait until next week for ruling on whether the court will uphold with its tentative ruling, made on Thursday, against a protective order to prevent Apple from gaining access to information on the journalists' and bloggers' confidential sources. In a preliminary decision based on the filed documents by both parties, the Santa Clara County Superior Court ruled that it would allow Apple to seek information about the leaked unannounced "Asteriod" project from PowerPage's internet service provider. Ater oral arguments this morning, the judge declined to issue a ruling from the bench and said that he would deliver an opinion on the case sometime next week. As noted earlier today, if the Court upheld its tentative ruling, lawyers for the Mac websites said they file an appeal, which would delay Apple's subpoena to the ISP even further.

Forums: Next G5, Mac mini/HDTV, iPod models...

03/04, 5:30pm

Forums roundup for Mar 4

Topics on the MacNN forums today include: Deciding between a PowerBook and an iBook.... The difference between the various types of memory available from RAM vendors.... Ongoing speculation about the next Power Mac G5 generation.... Using the Mac mini with an HDTV.... iPod owners' various reasons for choosing a particular model.

Reviews: Combo 1.8" ION Drive, Travel Roller

03/04, 4:35pm

ION Drive, Travel Roller

Reviews: We've published a review of IOGEAR's Combo 1.8" ION Drive. The devices offers 40GB of storage and has Firewire and USB2.0/1.1 interfaces. The Combo 1.8" ION Drive is slick looking, offers good performance, and is well-built, but unfortunately is not bus powered. We also look at Macally's Travel Roller, which allows users to transport a PowerBook as well as other items. It looks like a conventional suitcase and is compact and easy-to-move, with lots of pockets.

Pythagoras 10.30 offers tools for land surveyors

03/04, 3:50pm

Pythagoras 10.30

Pythagoras is an integrated drawing and calculation program for land surveyors, civil engineering companies and utilities. Version 10.30 adds many new features, including a forced import of adjusted (GPS) coordinates, advanced AutoCad compatibility, and real-time GPS link with Thales Z-Max receivers. Additionally, the new version offers ODBC link with external databases, and realtime data capturing from any brand of total station. In addition to all CoGo functions, Pythagoras contains modules for Digital Terrain Modeling and Road Design, import from all kind of data collectors, and the ability to work with raster images. The software is fully customisable through VBA programming and offers GIS possibilities.

Briefly: Intel's Mac mini clone, DVD Fest...

03/04, 1:20pm

Mac mini clone

In brief: MacroEnter is offering Architosh readers a $100 Discount off the Encad T200 Plus wide format CAD and graphics color plotter.... On Saturday, March 5, the fourth annual DVD Fest will be held at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. The showing of the films will begin at 7:30 in Carleton’s Concert Hall.... "The potential of the immaculately designed Mac mini to replicate the runaway popularity of the iPod [...] has Intel worried. Why else would it [exhibit] a concept that is almost a carbon copy of the Mac mini?".... When PC Pitstop introduced its new PC optimization software in September 2004, it buried a special financial consideration clause in the license agreement: and after 4 months, one person finally noticed.

Drexel education students to get free iPod photos

03/04, 12:10pm

iPods to Drexel students

The Drexel University School of Education will distribute free iPods to incoming students next fall in an attempt to integrate technology into teaching, according to The Daily Pennslyvanian. The program is based on part on a similar, but much larger program by Duke University: "With a similar objective, Duke gave all of its 1,650 freshmen 20GB iPods last fall....Drexel came up with a smaller-scale version of its own. Depending on the school's acceptance rate, between 30 and 50 students will receive the latest iPod Photo players." Drexel says the program will have a dual purpose: to capture the interest of students as well as ask students to develop their own ideas for incorporating the technology into teaching, including recording sessions (lectures, group interviews, audio blogs, interviews, etc.) and "podcasting." An evaluation for Duke's iPod program is expected next week.

Apps: Synergy, iSnip, ImageBuddy, 4D 2003, Disk Order

03/04, 11:20am

Synergy, 4D 2003

Synergy 1.7 ($10) is an update to the popular iTunes add-on, which puts buttons to control iTunes in the menu bar and provides global control over music using system-wide hot keys. Today's update delivers Growl support considerably increasing the number of ways in which users can interact with iTunes, and the ability to run scripts and launch items on track changes. [Download - 1.0MB]
iSnip 1.4 (free) is a "snippet manager" that allows users to hold many text clippings at once. Version 1.4 features many new enhancements, including the ability to autofill forms and also a brilliant new icon by Wolfgang Bartelme. [Download - 286KB]
ImageBuddy 3.2.0 ($19) is a photo printing and digital image layout solution from KepMad. The latest version adds improved preference support to stream your work flow, imbeds image DPI in print to file output, adds square image bounds for consistent images sizes, and fixes bugs. [Download - 2.7MB]
4th Dimension 2003.6 is a maintenance update to the 2003 edition of the software solution for developing and deploying database applications. "Although 4D 2004, a significant upgrade, was released last year, we are proud to show our customers that we continue to update our older software applications." [Download - options]
Disk Order 1.1 ($23) is the latest version of the advanced file manager with built-in FTP for Mac OS X. This version adds a built-in FTP client, two file selection modes, eject buttons by volume and FTP session names on file listings. [Download - 940KB]
Super Get Info 1.2.2 ($20) is an update to the easy-to-use utility offering a powerful alternative to the Mac OS X Finder's Get Info command. Version 1.2.2 is a maintenance release that fixes several reported issues from previous versions. [Download - 1.1MB]

Prudential raises sales, EPS numbers for AAPL

03/04, 10:40am

Prudential upbeat on AAPL

Prudential Equity Group raised its forecasts on AAPL--both its sales and earnings-per-share estimates--saying it believes that the first quarter "is tracking above expectations driven by strong demand for the company's music products, including the iPod Shuffle. CBSMarketWatch reports that the broker told clients it is convinced that "the music story not only has legs but is capable of materially moving the revenue and earnings needles." Prudential raised its revenue forecast for the second quarter to $3.16 billion from $3 billion and its EPS estimates to 25 cents a share from 23 cents a share.

Briefly: NI raises prices, iPod/iTunes competition...

03/04, 9:15am

iPod/iTunes competition

In brief: Native Instruments says will raise the price of its NI Komplete 2 synthesizer software to $1500, starting in April.... Napster has boosted its fourth-quarter revenue estimate based on the expected popularity of its new Napster To Go subscription service while Creative has dropped the prices of its Zen Micro MP3 players to match those of Apple's iPods.... "Any fears that Powerbooks' reputation as the best in the business might have been eclipsed were put to rest after the revamped lineup appeared on Jan. 31," AP says in a review.... PortalPlayer today announced its next-generation PP5022 System-on-Chip (SoC) that enables hard-disk drive-based personal media players to have triple the battery life, according to the company.... Construction on Apple's second Manhattan retail store is now underway.

LinkBack brings embedded objects to the Mac OS X

03/04, 8:15am

LinkBack for Mac OS X

Nisus Software, The Omni Group, and Blacksmith announced LinkBack, a new technology that brings embedded objects to the Mac OS X platform. LinkBack makes it possible to edit text or graphics pasted from another application by double-clicking on it. The technology will be included in future releases of Nisus Writer Express, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and Chartsmith. The technology is also available today as an open source framework for use by other Mac developers.

Intel inside Apple's Xserve RAID storage system

03/04, 3:45am

Apple uses Intel chip

Apple is using an Intel chip inside one of its currently shipping products. CNET News.com reports that Intel at its developer conference is showing off Apple's Xserve RAID, an enterprise storage system that offers up to 5.6 terabytes of storage in a 5.25-inch-high rack-mounted system: " Intel included one of the rack-mounted storage systems in a display at this week's Intel Developer Forum here. The device sat in a rack, surrounded by products from more familiar Intel customers such as IBM and Dell. According to Intel marketing materials, the Xserve RAID uses Intel's IOP 331 chip, a derivative of the XScale processor. The IOP chip, which is used in many storage systems, is designed to speed the task of shuttling data in and out of a computer system."

RadTech ships Mini Cocoon iPod cover, mouse carry bag

03/04, 3:40am

Mini Cocoon iPod cover

RadTech today announced immediate availability of the Mini Cocoon, a stylish and versatile, semi-rigid clamshell case for iPod mini. Designed for maximum protection, the iPod case features a 2-in-1 design: a tough, outer clamshell completely encases the iPod mini for rugged protection, while a silicone skin allows access to all control elements and ports, providing added protection when used separately or in conjunction with the outer case. It features an integrated belt clip and comes with a lanyard. The case also includes a storage pocket for items such as ear buds and cables. RadTech also announced its RadPak, a compact, semi-rigid clamshell case for the BT-500 mini Bluetooth Mouse. (Site not updated; product pricing not available.)

MaxUpgrades offers notebook sleeve, cleaning cloth

03/04, 3:25am

MaxSleeve for notebooks

MaxUpgrades today released its MaxSleeve, an impact-resistant sleeve for PowerBooks and iBooks that provides shock protection. It is made of Visco-Elastic Memory Foam, encases the entire notebook, offers foam padding throughout the entire surface, and has a two-zipper pull design, which it says are protected from the laptop. Designed to be slipped into a notebook bag or briefcase, it is available for 12- and 14-inch iBooks ($24), 12-inch PowerBooks ($24), 15-inch PowerBooks ($25), and 17-inch PowerBooks ($28). MaxUpgrades also announced the iProtect Cleaning Cloth ($9), which is made with ultrafine microfibers for laptop maintenance. The cloth features two different surfaces: a soft vanquished surface (front surface) is designed for fine particle removal and dust cleaning, while the rough and interlacing strands of the knitted surface (reverse side) is designed to clean fingerprints, grease and marks.

iPod owners spend millions on accessories

03/04, 3:20am

iPod economy growing

Envisioneering Group, a market research firm in Seaford, N.Y., says that the iPod economy is worth millions and that it capitalizes on users' unique emotional attachment to the digital music player, according to the The Times-Picayune: "Few gadgets inspire the fervor and devotion of Apple's iPod. Owners of the digital music player do not simply see the iPod as a convenient way to listen to 50 Cent and Coldplay. They view the iPod as one of life's essentials, and they act accordingly, spending millions of dollars on iPod accessories....The companies producing iPod accessories seem to thrive on the style, inventiveness and simplicity of the iPod, responding to each new version with additional products to extend the usefulness, and even the style, of the music player."

Apple offers discounted first-gen iPod minis

03/04, 3:10am

first-gen iPod minis

Apple is now selling discounted versions of un-opened first-generation iPod minis. The Apple Store is offering Silver, Green, Blue and, Pink versions of the 4GB iPod mini for $180. These models include both a USB 2.0 Cable and a FireWire cable, which is not include in the new generation iPod mini; however, the newer model feature longer battery life. As noted yesterday, Apple is also offering discounted previous-generation iPod photos.

Official Star Wars iPod cover to ship in April

03/04, 3:05am

Star Wars iPod cover

StarWarsShop.com has introduced the "first and only" official Star Wars iPod Cover. Available at the official Star Wars Store from Lucasfilm, the cover features Episode III Darth Vader in flames. The iPod skin, developed by MacSkinz exclusively for StarWarsShop.com, adds an extra level of protection and uniqueness to the iPod. It includes a front and back matching set. It is as thick as a credit card and form fits the iPod. The covers are produced using a glossy, scratch and chemical resistant plastic with the image embedded in the material. Available in two sizes, they are designed for the fourth-generation iPod with Click Wheel. It is available in both "thick" (40GB iPod model) and "thin" (20GB iPod model) sizes for $30 and will ship in April.

Apple hearing against Mac websites set for Friday

03/04, 2:50am

Apple vs. Mac websites

Apple on Thursday won a tentative ruling against an order that would protect AppleInsider, PowerPage and other sources from disclosing information about their confidential sources. In its argument, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) cited the First Amendment as well as both federal and California laws, which it said would prevent Apple from serving a subpoena to the PowerPage's internet service provider for information on confidential sources related to project "Asteriod," an internal company codename for Apple's yet unannounced audio device. Details of the preliminary ruling, awarded in state court in San Jose (CA), were not immediately available; however, a full hearing is scheduled for Friday morning. EFF said that if the Court upheld the ruling after oral arguments, it would seek a writ from the court of appeals that would protect the journalists from disclosing information about their sources.