Techworld looks at Oracle 10g for Mac OS X

Oracle 10g for Mac OS X has much improved management over previous versions, but the optimal performance is still achieved by a trained DBA and the installer needs a lot of manual intervention, according to a Techworld review: "The Mac version of Oracle is, in reality, little different from the other versions – or, at least, the other non-Windows versions.... The company's been thrown a bit of a bouncer now that Apple has proclaimed its desire to start using Intel processors instead of the PowerPC, but according to Oracle's product chaps it's no big deal because Mac OS on Intel is that much closer to the core Linux build structure than Mac OS on PowerPC. Although there's a bit of a hiatus in Oracle's Mac OS development department at present, the company insists that as well as producing Intel-based applications, the PowerPC version will be supported for as long as Apple supports it.

Band uses Apple's Logic Pro, PowerBooks to fill void...

Apple has published an article on Keane, the musical artists who lost their lead guitarist in 2001 only to fill the void with Apple's Logic Pro software. Since Keane's album "Hopes and Fears" hit the shelves in May 2004, the band has sold over four million copies. The band has been headlining major festivals all summer and supported U2 during their sold-out European tour.

Animation Bureau debuts Animated Desktop Backgrounds

Animation Bureau today released Volume I of its Animated Desktop Backgrounds for both Macintosh and Windows. The animated backgrounds are designed to add depth to the desktop without bringing distraction, and some provide functionality such as clocks. Such themes as fish swimming idly by and a Sisyphus forever pushing a rock up a hill are featured. Several free examples are available; others can be purchased individually for $3 each or compiled on a CD for $12.

Oracle debuts 10g RDBMS for Mac OS X...

Oracle today released its 10g Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) for Mac OS X. Oracle has long been the best known enterprise Relational Database Management System, and support for Macs is an important factor to the growth of Apple's server market. Apple's recent announcement that it will switch to Intel architecture, however, begged some important questions about support and compatibility. Oracle will continue to support the PowerPC version for as long as Apple supports it, according to the report from Techworld. The Oracle development team apparently noted that the move to Mac OS on Intel won't be a problem because it is that much closer to the core Linux build structure. This means a Mactel version should be forthcoming.

Intel-based Mac OS restricted to Mactels

In a report published today, CNET News.com confirmed the existence of the TPM module (trusted platform module) in Mactels, Apple's Intel-based Power Macs. Members of Apple's Developer Connection were seeded with Intel-based Power Macs, following the Intel-shift announcement at Apple's WWDC conference in June. The report confirms that Intel-based Macs systems contain a digital signature necessary to install Mac OS X, following earlier speculation and first-hand reports that TCPA-DRM was being incorporated into Intel-based Macs. The article notes that users are able to install other operating systems such as Windows and Linux on Intel-based Macs, but that it was not possible to install from the DVD containing the Intel-based Mac OS X on similar x86-based PCs (i.e., systems that lacked a TPM). The new chip would prevent users from purchasing generic PCs and installing copies of Mac OS X for x86, preserving Apple's control over the total hardware/software "Mac" solution.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 for Mac to debut in November

Aspyr Media today announced the upcoming release of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 for Macintosh. Featuring 3D graphics and a new "CoasterCam", players can build, operate and ride the attractions. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is the first in the highly successful Rollercoaster Tycoon series to come to Mac users, and includes crowd scenes with enhanced park guests and characters as well as over 170 rides. Other new features include realistic day and night cycles, still-picture/movie-making capability and the new Fireworks MixMaster enabling the creation of pyrotechnic shows synchronized to music. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is expected to be available in November for $50.

Tekserve debuts Tiger training DVD

Tekserve today announced the availability of its eight-hour Mac OS X Tiger training DVD, Inside Mac OS X. It offers the tools required to get up and running quickly utilizing all of Tiger's new features, applications and system preferences. Aimed at both novice and experienced Mac users, Inside Mac OS X ($35) provides dozens of professional tips and tricks to tap the power of Tiger and integrate these into daily workflow.

LAJ Design releases Widget Maker X 1.0

LAJ Design today announced the immediate availability of Widget Maker X 1.0, an application to create, modify and manage Widgets in Mac OS X Tiger. The first public release, version 1.0 incorporates a "Widget Wizard," which is based off some of the example projects provided by Apple and gives users a starting widget that has all the base features (saving preferences, flipping front to back, etc.). Widget maker is a full version that will run for five days; registered users ($17) receive access to product support.

iPodNN: HouseParty, iCandy, copy-protected CDs

iPodNN roundup: UK-based iPod accessory maker PodGear today launched of HouseParty (pictured at right) for Apple's iPod... Earth VideoWorks has released its iCandy visual collection for Apple's iPod photo.... Speck yesterday introduced the SkinTight Armband for the iPod shuffle.... The latest copy-protected CDs from major music lables continue leave iPod users without a solution.... A new unique iPod case was launched to promote awareness and raise funds for the FTBC.... Thought Out today announced the new FlexPed, a flexible pedestal for the iPod.... Yahoo has begun testing a new search feature that will sort through millions of songs offered by online music services such as iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster.

Radiologist views migraines, body language with Mac

Apple has added another interesting profile on Nouchine Hadjikhani, a radiologist at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital who seeks to understand migraines and how peoples process body language. Using a dual-processor Power Mac G5 and NeuroLens, she views all her MRI scans before conducting extensive data analysis on her Linux systems. NeuroLens is a program that can deliver brain images many times faster than her Linux system and allows her to pinpoint problems with her scans almost instantly. "The first time I saw NeuroLens on the Mac I was so shocked, normally it would take several days before I could look at the results. Now I come back from the scanner with a CD loaded with files and put it in the Power Mac computer and click on NeuroLens and in less than 10 minutes I have the results."

Apple to raise iTunes prices in 2006?

Apple may be forced to raise song prices at the iTunes Music Store next year, according to a report from Japan. "Japan's Nikkei recently reported that record labels have been 'abuzz with talk about Apple's 2006 problem'. That refers to label licensing renegotiations scheduled for next year... Specifically, labels have been pushing Apple to increase its current fixed a-la-carte pricing structure in the US, Canada and Europe." Apple's two-tiered approach used in Japan may foreshadow possible increases, while at the same time bolstering the labels' case for higher pricing; however, for now, Apple's lower pricing in Japan has forced some of its main competitors in the region--Sony's Label Gate, Yahoo Japan and Excite--to lower pricing. The report says that Apple's licensing of its FairPlay DRM will also be an issue, as labels have recently begun shipping copy-protected CDs that are not compatible with the popular iPod.

Amazon may launch digital music service

Internet retailer Amazon.com may be preparing to launch its own digital-music service by the end of the year, according to a report in The Wallstreet Journal. The new service would bring yet another player to an already crowded that includes Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Napster, and RealNetworks. "Amazon has held talks with record-label executives in the past two weeks about licensing music, according to people familiar with the discussions. Amazon of Seattle has discussed a music offering that would include options such as song-by-song downloads and a monthly subscription service, those people say. Amazon has discussed tapping MusicNet, a New York distributor of digital music, to support the service, people familiar with the talks say. Amazon indicated that it is interested in launching a digital-music service in the fourth quarter of this year." [subscription required]

Briefly: Windows Vista virus, Dallas store, Xcode

In Brief: An Austrian hacker has written the first known virus for Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which take advantage of a new command shell, code-named Monad, that is included in the Windows Vista beta code.... Apple is reportedly opening yet another Dallas-area Apple Store in the Northpark Mall in December, just a few miles away from the Knox Street store in Highland Park.... Mark Szymczyk's book "Xcode Tools Sensei," now available in print for $35, is a guide to the developer tools that ship with Mac OS X, covering 25 graphical and command-line tools.... "The Designers 5 Pack" ($30) offers five new themes for Realmac's Rapidweaver web publishing tool: Business Clean, College, Visionary, Photography and WoodLand themes.

RadTech offers CableYoYo for cable management

RadTech today announced the immediate availability of the CableYoYo, a compact cable management system that’s mountable and stackable. "CableYoYo brings order to the computer-user’s world by cleaning up workspaces, desktops and travel bags. The CableYoYo stores cables neatly and cleanly, requiring much less space and affording much greater organization. Makes traveling with the typical plethora of cables a hassle-free delight. CableYoYo also provides elegant storage and operation when attached to a wall, behind a computer monitor, under a desk, or anywhere." Each CableYoYo includes a small adhesive-backed mounting post which attaches to walls or desks. It is available in three colors: White, Silver or Black for $5 each.

Diskology offers new Disk Jockey "Forensic Kit"

Diskology today announced a new version of its Disk Jockey portable hard disk duplicator. The new model includes a write blocking feature, which can be used for computer forensic examinations. The new unit is available as part of a "Forensic Kit," which also includes a serial-ATA (SATA) adapter as well as longer cables for connecting to drives. The Disk Jockey mounts IDE hard disk drives via USB 2.0 or FireWire as well as mirrors, spans, copies, compares, tests and erases hard disk drives using either a 1-pass or a 3-pass erase per the National Security Administration (NSA) guidelines. The Disk Jockey "Forensic Kit" retails for $430 and includes the write-blocking Disk Jockey, SATA adapter and extended 2.5-inch and 3.5inch cables. The standard Disk Jockey (without write blocking) is available for $350.