Open Door updates firewall companion utility

Open Door Networks has begun shipping Who's There? Firewall Advisor v1.5, an update to its application that enhances the Mac's security on the Internet by helping users analyze, investigate and respond to access attempts detected by their Mac's firewall. Version 1.5 adds compatibility with the company's new DoorStop X firewall (now available as public beta) as well as with Mac OS X Tiger's limited firewall. It provides users with details and advice on access attempts logged by that firewall and also provides updated information and advice on access attempts to a number of additional services, including Windows trojan horses. The product continues to support Norton Personal Firewall, Mac OS X Server, Brickhouse, and other Macintosh firewalls. It requires Mac OS 10.2.8 or later. It is a free upgrade to the $40 application.

MOTU offers Tiger-specific patches, debuts MX4 v2

MOTU has announced a slew of updates to bring Tiger-compatibility to its audio products for professionals. The company has posted several beta drivers, but says that many of products are already compatible, including its flagship Digital Performer 4.5.2, MOTU FireWire/MIDI/PCI audio interfaces, and Unisyn—MIDI 2.11. Beta drivers are available for AudioDesk—Digital Audio Workstation Software and MachFive—the Universal Sampler. MOTU has also posted a free MX4 v2, an update to its multi-synth instrument plug-in for MAS, Audio Units and RTAS. Version 2 features a new Pattern Gate, Arpeggiator, Pattern Sequencer and Trigger Sequencer as well as more built-in effects, stereo detune, anti-aliased wavetables, hundreds of factory presets, enveloper follower, and new shapers. It is available as a free update to current users or as a 14-day demo.

Apps: Cache Cleaner, iPod.iTunes, ShapeShifter...

• Tiger Cache Cleaner 3.0 ($9) is a Mac OS X 10.4 maintenance utility application. Tiger Cache Cleaner helps simplify system maintenance chores with an easy point and click interface to many OS X functions. [Download - 3.6MB]


• Send SMS 1.0 is a Dashboard widget for Tiger to easily enter an SMS and send it to any mobile number in the world through the Internet. Users can select a preferred color/skin for the Send SMS widget. [Download - 1.2MB]


• Nisus Writer Express 2.1.2 ($60) is an affordable Microsoft Word-compatible word processor. The new version ensures compatibility for Mac OS X 10.4 and adds Spotlight support. [Download - 1.2MB]


• iPod.iTunes 2.8 (EUR 30) synchronizes tracks, playlist, song rating, dates and play counts from any iPod seamlessly into the iTunes music library. Version 2.8 is a maintenance release that adds support for Mac OS X 10.4. [Download - 375KB]


• TextSoap 4.2 ($25) is the latest version of the shareware text processing utility from unmarked software. The release adds Automator support under Mac OS X Tiger. [Download - 3.5MB]


• Mighty Mouse 1.2 ($10) allows users to customize cursors. The new version implements a new installer, adds Tiger support, restores the ability to view cursor sets, adds a command line reset, and resolves bugs. [Download - 3.5MB]


• ShapeShifter 2.1 ($20) allows users change the overall appearance of Mac OS X using themes. This update brings Tiger compatibility (including Mail), Dock themes, and a new installer. [Download - 3.1MB]

Briefly: SoHo store opening, Plaxo for Mac?, ....

In Brief: Some 2,000 people were at the Tiger launch festivities durign the first two hours at the Apple Store SoHo in NYC.... One independent developer is gauging interest in developing a Mac client for the Plaxo online contact solution.... Wolfram Notebook Indexer is a free plug-in for Mac OS X 10.4 Spotlight that lets users perform text searches of all Wolfram Notebook (.nb) documents on their local hard drives, including the Mathematica help system.... SmileOnMyMac has added full Tiger compatibility to all of its products, as well as Tiger-specific enhancements for photoprinto, including support for Spotlight searching and masking with Core Image filters.... IOGEAR has launched its Powerline Networking Kit ($150), a networking tool that can create a network for gaming, internet sharing, and more through the electric powerlines. On May 5th, EMC will release a free update to Dantz Retrospect 6.0 to bring support for Mac OS X Tiger and says it will offer support for Tiger's Extended Metadata and Access Control Lists in a future (free) update.

DoorStop X firewall utility released as public beta

Open Door Networks today announced that it is returning to the Macintosh firewall business and has released a free public beta of its DoorStop X firewall for Mac OS X Tiger. By default, DoorStop X blocks all service-level access attempts from the Internet to the user's machine are blocked and logged. "For users who wish to selectively but securely allow access to certain services on their machine, DoorStop X provides user-friendly lists of the most common services." DoorStop X can allow or deny service-by-service access from specific machines, Internet address ranges, or all of a user's home network; it also offers logging of allowed and/or denied access attempts and optional blocking and logging of low-level "UDP" access attempts. The beta expires on July 25th, 2005. (Pricing has not been set.) [link updated]

Aventail debuts Mac-compatible SSL VPN solution...

Aventail today announced that it is now offering "the market's first" complete End Point Control solution for Mac devices. The company says its SSL-based virtual private network (VPN) solution now offers full support for all Mac browsers, including Safari, Firefox, and Mac IE. The company also said the SSL VPN works with the recently released Mac OS X Tiger as well as Panther. "An increasing number of employees have Macs at home but still need remote access to corporate applications, and with this release, we’ve ensured that Mac users can successfully access those resources from anywhere while ensuring full policy control for the network manager," said Evan Kaplan, CEO of Aventail.

iPod halo effect a myth?

Analyst Rob Enderle says the so-called "halo effect" around the iPod is really just a myth. A Forbes column quotes Enderle as saying that the iPod simply drives traffic to its stores "and the foot traffic helps move product. The iPod benefits the entire Apple product line, but Apple could have done the same thing by having Paris Hilton, or some other celebrity, visit the Apple stores." The column says that Apple's battle to gain marketshare is a lost cause given its extremely small marketshare of 2 percent last year, but that "Apple is at least back to pretending there's a race with Microsoft in terms of advanced features.... And Apple CEO Steve Jobs loves to dig at Microsoft every time he talks about it. At this point, Apple seems to have the upper hand. Microsoft is constantly revising--reducing mostly--the features that will appear in Longhorn."

Government uses Tiger cluster to simulate chess, war

The Australian government will be one of the first government organizations to run Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the The Australian Department of Defense has purchased another Apple server cluster running Mac OS X Tiger, for use in the Defence Science and Technology Organization, which found the research with its previous cluster to be "a lot more fruitful than originally expected. Signed last month, the new Tiger cluster was bought as an "upgrade to a system bought 18 months ago for chess simulation, the game of chess being used as a metaphor for war-gaming. Games are played with all kinds of variations included, different strengths, the ability to have an extra move and hidden pieces that opponents can't see. The players are software agents, not real people. The aim of the program is to explore the strengths and weaknesses of military command and control."

DiscBlaze 5.0 adds UDF-format, Tiger support

Radical Breeze has released DiscBlaze 5.0, an update to its CD/DVD burning software for Mac OS X. This update brings the ability to burn UDF-formated CDs and DVDs, improved Audio CD burning, and support for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger." The utility features "faster than Finder" burning, creation of new disc images (.iso and .dmg), the ability to burn CDs or DVDs in a variety of formats, and custom hybrid CDs with some files visible on a Mac, others on a PC. It can also save time using the Disc List to design and keep commonly burned discs. DiscBlaze runs on Mac OS X 10.3/10.4 and is available immediately for $30.

MacKiev releases several Tiger updates

MacKiev today released several new items and software updates. World Book Widget is a "this day in history" widget that displays significant events in history that took place on the current day. The software developer also released World Book Notepad Spotlight Plug-In, which provides Spotlight compatibility with MacKiev's World Book Notepad. MacKiev also posted Kid Pix Deluxe 3X Tiger Update 1.0.2, a free update that adds Tiger compatibility. Also available is The Print Shop Tiger Update 1.0.7, another free Tiger update, adding compatibility and Spotlight support. Lastly, MacKiev released 3D Weather Globe & Atlas Tiger Update 1.1, which adds a special Tiger widget, as well as Spotlight support.

QuickerTek offers AirPort antennas for new PowerBooks

QuickerTek has announced the first AirPort antenna upgrades for Apple's new PowerBooks. The new antenna upgrades extended the built-in AirPort Extreme signal of the high-speed 1.5GHz and 1.67GHz notebooks: "While the thin metallic chassis used in modern PowerBooks is lightweight, it constricts the available wireless signal range of the internal Airport antenna. QuickerTek's solution is to mount a more powerful antenna outside the PowerBook case, free from the case RF restrictions. These new antennas are similar to the previous QuickerTek PowerBook antenna designs, but the internal connector has been updated for compatibility with the latest PowerBook models." The antenna upgrade kit is available now for $100.

Merrill Lynch expects Apple to grab 4 percent share...

Merrill Lynch said in a report today that it expects Apple to grab over 4 percent of the U.S. computer market share in 2005. "Tiger should help increase Apple's PC share," the investment firm said. Although past Mac OS updates have not boosted Apple's market share, "based on the features of Tiger and the halo effect from iPod, we think Apple's PC outlook is rosier this time." Merrill Lynch expects Mac OS X to run over ten million computers in the U.S this year. According to Gartner, Mac OS will run 2.4% of the worldwide PC installed base in 2005.

Apps: Sample Manager, FmPro Migrator, Isadora, ...

• Sample Manager 2.1 ($70) updates the batch audio processor, bringing full support for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, support for Automator with 28 actions, and a Spotlight-based file-search feature. Other new features include support for µLaw files, new AppleScript commands, and more. It also supports AIFF, WAVE, Sound Designer, ACID, and Apple Loop files. Upgrades are $20. [Download - 2.5MB]


• FmPro Migrator 3.35EE ($100) adds Drag and Drop conversion of FileMaker 3/4 files, improving performance and accuracy of FileMaker metadata retrieval (compared to either ODBC or AppleScript APIs). The application can also perform database migrations from FileMaker 3/4 to FileMaker 7, or any one of 8 other databases including MySQL, Oracle (8, 8i-9i, 10g), Access, SQL Server, Sybase, DB2, PostgreSQL and FrontBase. [Download - 2.6MB]


• Enigmatic Movements 2.0 ($13) is a challenging and addictive puzzle game whose object is to move the tiles on the board, until each row or column contains the same tile. "The challenge is to do this with the least number of moves possible! The difficulty depends on the board size, which can be chosen between 4x4 tiles (piece of cake) and 10x10 tiles (very difficult). In the Challenge Mode, you're challenged to complete a board within the maximum number of moves allowed." [Download - 413KB]


• Isadora 1.1pr ($350) is a graphic programming environment that provides interactive control over digital media, with special emphasis on the real-time manipulation of digital video. Version 1.1 features hardware-accelerated rendering, crossfading, external video output, new controls, more stages, serial output, and new actors. [Download - 2.4MB]


• MegaSeg 3.1 ($200) is a free update of the DJ and radio automation software. It includes support for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and QuickTime 7, as well as the MIDI based Hercules DJ Console controller; it also adds new features to the Scheduler that allows the user to determine when specific categories get reshuffled, along with manual reordering of tracks in a category's rotation, improved accuracy for time-based events, and more. [Download - 5.7MB]


• EasyWMA 2.2 (donationware) allows you to convert WMA audio files to MP3 format for copmatibility with iTunes or other audio players. It features a simple user interface with support for drag and drop operations and batch processing. It now offers ASF file and WMV (audio only) support as well as compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. [Download - 1.6MB]

SilverFast PhotoProof image optimization tool

SilverFast PhotoProof is an add-on to SilverFast DCPro Studio and SilverFast HDR Studio -- software specifically designed to work on images from digital cameras. The image optimization is processed in a media-neutral workflow, based on the RGB color model, while using SilverFast DC Pro Studio and HDR Studio tools. When activating SilverFast PhotoProof, the user immediately sees a CMYK simulation of the image by means of RGB softproofing. Photographers are able to create color-true contact proofs on any suitable, calibrated output device by using the PrinTao print dialog in SilverFast. By using SilverFast PhotoProof, the image data does not need to be converted to CMYK.

OmniPilot releases Lasso Studio for Eclipse

OmniPilot today released Lasso Studio for Eclipse. The full-featured Web application development environment operates within Eclipse, an open-source community whose projects are focused on providing an extensible development platform and application frameworks for building software. The Java-based Eclipse IDE offers support for modeling, language development environments for Java, C/C++, testing and performance, and more. Lasso Studio for Eclipse features an interactive debugger, the ability to execute files within Eclipse, syntax checking, syntax coloring/tag completion, and Lasso Professional Developer for testing solutions locally. It is available from OmniPilot for $200.

Aspyr announces new CSI game title: Dark Motives

Aspyr Media today announced today that it will publish CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Dark Motives (Mac). Due this summer, the game title is licensed by Ubisoft and will be developed for Mac by Critical Path. "Truth always leaves a trace. In CSI: Dark Motives, team up with the entire cast of CSI and a new, improved crime lab to track down the heinous truth in five complex new crimes. No crime is ever perfect. Your job is to find the flaw." CSI: Dark Motives will require Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later and a G4/G5 processor running at 700MHz or faster. The company expects the title to be available for pre-order later this year for $30.

Briefly: Eudora Cocoa, Automator guide, ...

In brief: Qualcomm plans to offer a new Cocoa-based version of the Eudora email client for Mac OS X 10.4 this fall, ... SpiderWorks today announced the exclusive book release of the "Mac OS X Technology Guide to Automator" by Ben Waldie, ... Red Rock customers can now search through hundreds of DeltaGraph charts using a new plug-in for Mac OS X Tiger's Spotlight search tool, ... A MacNN reader notes that "Maroon 5's Celebrity Playlist," which includes 119 songs, is just $10 on the iTunes Music Store, ... Creative content provider WiredMetro announced it will add a series of new content packs for users of Apple's iLife '05 and other creative pro applications (year memberships are $35 through May 15).

PowerEasy ERP Enterprise for Mac OS X Tiger

Effigent today announced the availability of PowerEasy ERP Enterprise for Mac OS X 10.4. The PowerEasy solution enables small and medium sized companies to manage all key business operations in a single, integrated system which includes accounting, sales order management and fulfillment, inventory management, purchase order management and e-commerce. The updated release for Mac OS X Tiger includes customized Dashboard widgets, Spotlight searching, remote application monitoring capabilities using Automator, and more. The new features in PowerEasy will be available in June 2005.

BakBone releases 64-bit backup/recovery solution

BakBone today announced the latest version of NetVault, its comprehensive data protection server solution for Apple's Mac OS X 10.4. BakBone is "the first backup and recovery solution provider to announce 64-bit support for Tiger." NetVault accommodates both single-server backup requirements and dispersed servers and computing platforms. Using a Virtual Disk Library (VDL) approach, users can run nightly backups on the VDL with a much smaller backup window and then transfer data to tape during the day without impacting the production environment. "We're continuing to see considerable enterprise market acceptance for Mac OS X along with a need for data protection solutions that address the exponential data growth and performance requirements of the platform ... Delivering enterprise-class data protection on the Macintosh platform is significant and should bolster Tiger's appeal in corporate data centers."

iPodResQ offers iPod LCD replacement service

iPodResQ has launched a new flat-rate iPod LCD display replacement service. The repair service includes a custom “iBox” that is sent to the customer’s location in the continental U.S. via overnight courier to pickup the iPod. The company will receive the unit, install an LCD the same day, and return the iPod back to the customer overnight. iPodResQ said the LCDs are installed by Apple Certified Technicians. Pricing is as follows: 4G iPod - $145, iPod photo - $220, iPod mini - $130, 3G iPod - $130, 1G/2G iPod - $115.

Apple wins "largest ever" one-to-one laptop program...

Following a report last Friday, Apple today officially announced that the Cobb County School District has selected Apple as its supplier in the "largest ever one-to-one computer learning initiative." The district's program, named "Power To Learn," calls for Apple to provide iBook G4s to every student and teacher in the district, starting with deployment this fall of more than 17,000 iBooks for teachers district-wide and students at four high schools designated as demonstration sites. Pending school board approval, the second and third phases of the program will equip all Cobb County high school and middle school students with iBooks beginning in 2006, resulting in a total deployment of 63,000 iBooks.

Steve Jobs to deliver WWDC 2005 keynote...

Apple today announced that Steve Jobs will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote on Monday, June 6, 2005, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at San Francisco's Moscone West. The five-day event, which runs from June 6 to June 10, will host more than 140 technical sessions with new content designed to serve a wide range of Mac developers, including tracks for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, hands-on labs with the latest Mac systems and an opportunity to work with the Apple engineers who created Tiger.

Time Navigator EE supports Tiger, Oracle 10g database

Atempo has announced that its Time Navigator Enterprise Edition data protection software now supports Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger as well as brings support for Oracle Database 10g on the Mac OS X Server. Time Navigator offers both backup and restore functionality via a high-performance scalable and reliable data protection solution that can integrate Mac OS X into heterogeneous network storage environments. It offers image-based restoral of virtually any "historical" client for easy, convenient data recovery, secured access control, data encryption, web-based administration, policy-based management, tape/disk backups, automated archiving, incremental backup, and SAN/NAS support.

Briefly: Darwin 8.0, QTSS 5.5, Edirol drivers, Tiger

In Brief: Apple has posted the source code to both Darwin 8.0 (corresponds to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger) and Darwin 7.9 (corresponds to Mac OS X 10.3.9).... Mac OS X Tiger Server includes the latest version of QuickTime Streaming Server 5.5, which offers support for H.264 content, better support for 3G streaming, and a new QTSS Publisher.... Edirol has released new Tiger-compatible drivers supporting eleven of its audio devices, including the complete complement of its current USB audio and audio+MIDI devices, as well as some legacy devices.... PC World's "First Look: Tiger Lives Up to the Hype", which gives Mac OS X Tiger 4.5 out of 5 stars, says that the new Spotlight search tool and numerous additions "make Apple's update largely a no-brainer."

Apple releases QuickTime Broadcaster 1.5

Apple has released QuickTime Broadcaster 1.5, an update to the company's live encoding software for streaming audio and video over the Internet. QuickTime Broadcaster captures and encodes audio and/or video into QuickTime-compatible formats including H.264, the industry-standard codec available via QuickTime 7 (for both Panther and Tiger; Windows version is "coming soon"). Version 1.5 also brings increased performance with the ability to deliver 640x480 video at 30fps. The latest version also includes enhanced 3G support to produce live events for delivery over high-speed mobile networks. It is available as a free download from Apple's Website and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later; a G5-based machines is recommended for H.264 content.

Absoft ships Pro Fortran 9.2 Compiler Suite for Tiger

Absoft has released its Pro Fortran v9.2 Compiler Suite for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Version 9.2 provides full support for Apple's 64-bit operating system allowing Fortran developers to fully exploit the entire addressable memory space of the G5 processor. Pro Fortran v9.2 also can produce programs optimized for either 32-bit or 64-bit Mac OS X systems. The new Pro Fortran v9.2 includes the Absoft IDE with programmer’s editor, graphical debugger, graphical libraries and other tools. It also includes a completely rewritten version of Absoft’s application framework, the Macintosh Runtime Window Environment (MRWE) as well as new single and dual processor versions of the high performance ATLAS math libraries. Pricing is $900 with upgrades starting at $300.

Stone Design ships iMaginator for Mac OS X Tiger

Stone Design has released iMaginator, a powerful new image processing application for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger’s Core Image technology; it offers graphics professionals instant access to over 106 effects, transitions, and filters, allowing users to layer images and text, and apply, modify, and re-order multiple effects to achieve subtle enhancements or astounding artistic results from any photo or image. The software can leverage effects built-in to Mac OS X, including crop, scale, rotate, flip, skew, change exposure and brighten it is compatible with industry-standard TIFF or JPEG files and also allows users to create QuickTime movies showing the effects changing over time. It is available now for $50 for a limited time.