Now Up-to-Date v5

Now Software today introduced , a major update to its cross platform calendar and contact management solutions. Version 5 provides a wide selection of new features and improvements, including advanced group scheduling features, new server management tools, easier import and export, and improved interface features. NUDC 5 also sports a redesigned interface including customizable toolbars, dozens of general enhancements and improvements, and also provides support for the new Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The company says that Tiger-specific features, including Dashboard Widgets and Spotlight support, are due later this year as a free update.

"We are very excited to roll out version 5," said John Wallace, president of Now Software. "NUDC remains a critical tool for thousands of users and we believe that this update and these new features will make a difference for people managing complex schedules, organizations, and projects."

Version 5 introduces the new Schedule View, which allows meeting planners and managers to select multiple users and display their calendars simultaneously for a given day. This quick, at-a-glance view is ideal for tracking staff availability, activities, and for selecting and scheduling meeting time.

Also new in version 5 is the Now Server Manager. The Now Server Manager makes installing, configuring, and managing group calendars and shared contacts simple for anyone - even non-technical users, according to the company. Now Server Manager's interface allows users to install and manage any number of calendar and contact servers, simplifying the management of a single office or department or the differing needs of a large organization. The Now Server Manager also allows for one-button, automatic web publishing for calendars and address books.

Version 5 also brings new import and export features that provide drag and drop support for iCalendar and vCard standards and allow for the subscription to published iCal calendars. Using NUDC's Sets feature, users can easily create and switch between multiple calendar views displaying sport team schedules, movie releases and holiday schedules.

The upgrade also includes a features new manual written by best-selling ebook author Joe Kissell; the in-depth guide will be available soon as a free PDF that's designed for easy onscreen reading. A hardcopy version will be available for sale as well.

Now Up-to-Date & Contact for Macintosh 5 is compatible with NUDC for Windows version 4.5.2 and the previous Mac OS X version (4.5.3). It also supports the "Classic" Mac OS with NUDC version 4.0.3. The new Now Server Manager supports all the latest versions seamlessly; version 5 clients also can access existing version 4 Now Up-to-Date & Contact servers.

Now Up-to-Date & Contact 5 for Macintosh is currently shipping and is priced at $130 for the boxed version, or $120 for the electronic download. Upgrades are available to licensed users of version 4.x for $50. In addition, Now Software is providing free upgrades to anyone that has purchased Now Up-to-Date & Contact on or after March 28, 2005. Volume licensing is also available for education, business, organizations with multiple users, and government customers.

by MacNN Staff