Worth Reading at the MacDevCenter

Collaborative Editing with Rendezvous
Apple's adoption of Zeroconf networking (branded as "Rendezvous")
has opened the door to new ways of sharing information on local
networks. In this article, Wei Meng Lee shows you how to use two
collaborative editing tools: SubEthaEdit and iStorm.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/12/02/rendezvous.html

iPod as Digital Photographer's Best Friend
Yes, the iPod can store thousands of songs. But now you can use
it to upload thousands of pictures too, directly from the memory
card. And thanks to Panther, that's only the beginning of what is
sure to become an indispensable tool for many digital photographers.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/12/02/photo_ipod.html

Panther Maintenance Tips
Yes, Mac OS X is incredibly stable, but here's a comprehensive
list of tips to keep it that way for the duration of your OS
install. What? You don't do any maintenance at all? Well, read on.
That might change.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/11/21/maintenance.html

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Visual QuickStart Guide Available!

So you're finally ready to find out what all the fuss is about! Whether you're switching from a Windows system or upgrading from an older Mac OS, this task-based guide represents the surest way to go from 0 to 60 in no time flat with Apple's much anticipated Mac OS X Panther--more mature, powerfully enhanced, and with an improved GUI that will knock your socks off! In this thoroughly revised volume--which includes an expanded iApps section and new chapters on networking (including AirPort networking), security, Unix, Classic Environment, and System Preferences--you'll find the task-based, step-by-step instructions that have become the hallmark of Peachpit's enormously popular Visual QuickStart series. Veteran author Maria Langer uses plenty of visual aids and clear, concise instructions to step you through the process of installing and configuring the new OS before moving on to explore its many capabilities and bundled apps. Tips, tricks, and sage advice round out the package. Finaly a Panther Book!

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: Visual QuickStart Guide
ISBN: 0321213513
664 pages
www.peachpit.com

O'Reilly Releases "The Best of the Joy of Tech"

Even the geekiest geeks get frustrated and frazzled by
technology now and then or, even worse, discover that their cynicism is
starting to wane. For these folks and anyone else who faces a computer on
a regular basis (or knows someone who does), "The Best of the Joy of Tech"
(O'Reilly) by Nitrozac and Snaggy offers the perfect boost to
get a fresh and funny look at the geek world and restore their sense of
humor along the way. With a style that's simultaneously retro and
modern, smart and sexy, The Joy of Tech comics poke fun at the latest
cultural and technological trends, including those mired deep within the
recesses of the IT world. From geeks to corporate giants to the funny
world of Macintosh culture, nothing is sacred, and "The Best of The Joy of
Tech" will have readers laughing at it all.

The book is a collection of the very best from The Joy of Tech online
series, the hilarious technology-centric comics created by the dual
processing powers of Nitrozac and Snaggy. Long a favorite of those in the
know--from the techies in the trenches to those who lead and shape the IT
industry--these comics are appearing for the first time in the time-proven
and stable "book" interface.

The Joy of Tech comics feature a cast of characters ranging from Bill
Gates and Steve Jobs to aliens, curvaceous female geeks, and a strange guy
in a black suit. But as David Pogue says in his introduction to the book,
"In the end, though, you get the idea that the real stars of The Joy of
Tech--the unkempt male schlumps who populate most of its panels--don't
really mind not being Leonardo DiCaprio (or even the Dell Dude). They get
their pleasure elsewhere: from RAM upgrades, from blogging, and from new,
unattainably expensive PowerBook models."

For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index,
author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/bestjoytech/

The Best of the Joy of Tech
Nitrozac and Snaggy
ISBN 0-596-00578-4,

iNotePad v2.0p2 Released

Our friends at VoJou Software has released iNotePad v2.0p2 for Mac OS X. A feature-rich alternative to Apple's NotePad application, iNotePad can create styled text notes with pictures, save them, and export them to an iPod. This new version adds AES-128 encryption, window transparency, and several bugfixes.

The older iNotePad v1.6.2 for Mac OS 8/9/X is still available.

iTunes Monitor v1.1 Released

With iTunes v4, music sharing between computers became possible, but as of v4.1, there is little information as to who is connected, accessing your music. This application monitors iTunes and provides a detailed display of who is connected at any given time. find it on the www.versiontracker.com site

Competition for the iPod Market; Dell DJ

We have seen the new competition for the Apple iPod: The Dell DJ is a remarquable
20 Gig portable music player. Anyone looking for an intuitive portable that offers high value. While it lacks the advanced features found on some of the more sophisticated, and therefore expensive, players listed above, it compensates with excellent sound quality, strong control layout, and solid value.

Keep your eyes on that one it might just meant real competition to the iPod

HP Enters Digital Music Scene

An HP spokesperson has confirmed that HP will be launching its "digital storefront" some time in January '04. The company will make a showing with several digital music offerings, including a digital music player which will be revealed at the coming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 8-11.

This offering will make HP the third major computer manufacturer to launch on-line music stores and digital music players.

Mac OS X: Security Update 2003-12-05

Apple has posted a security update (2003-12-05) in your software update:
Security Update 2003-12-05 updates Safari to prevent unauthorized access to a user's cookies.

California Makes Recording in Cinema a Crime

According to this article in the Sacramento Bee, recording devices will be outlawedand you will be able to make a citizen's arrest if you observe someone recording a movie. I don't advocate piracy, but this just looks to me like industry pressure (although the MPAA, et. al. are not mentioned). What if my cellphone has a camera? My favorite quote from an LA city attorney: 'If you carry one of these into a movie theater, you have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?"'"

Freeway Express Panther Up Date 3.5.12 Available

If you are registered Freeway Pro or Freeway Express user, you are invited to download the Freeway 3.5.12 Updater.

This updater will fix all known incompatibilities between Freeway and Mac OS X (Panther), as well as improve your Web design experience on other versions of the Mac OS. The updater will locate your current copy of Freeway, and any FAST Packs you have installed, and update them to the current versions. Your current Freeway folder will be renamed "Freeway (old 3.5)" and saved as a backup.

FREEWAY PRO USERS:
Any custom or third-party Actions you may have installed will not be copied over to your new Freeway Actions folder. Your previous Freeway Actions folder will be in a folder called "Freeway (old 3.5)" on your hard drive. You will need to move the custom Actions into your new Freeway Actions folder before you can use them.

New Version of Adobe FrameMaker Extends Powerful XML Capabilities

Upgrade Includes New Migration, Import Features and Support for Popular Graphics Formats to Capitalize on Existing Assets

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe FrameMaker 7.1, an upgrade to its award winning, enterprise-class authoring and publishing solution. FrameMaker combines the simplicity of word processing with the power of Extensible Markup Language (XML), making it easier to repurpose content and publish to multiple channels, including print, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and the Web.

FrameMaker 7.1 includes new features for cross-referencing between documents and allows multiple variations of a document to be stored as a single file. With FrameMaker 7.1 users can now migrate legacy technical documents and assets from Quark XPress and Adobe PageMaker® formats, while expanded support for popular graphics file formats means Adobe Photoshop® files can be imported directly into FrameMaker, saving valuable time.

Sneak Preview of Toon Boom Studio Version 2.5 for Mac at MacWorld San Francisco 2004!

Toon Boom Technologies is excited to announce that a sneak preview of Toon Boom Studio version 2.5 for the Mac will be presented at the upcoming MacWorld San Francisco, January 6th to 9th 2004. The team will also be participating at the Mac User Group University Event on January 5th at the Argent Hotel.

This new release will include exciting new features, such as sound scrubbing in the Timeline, the ability to draw in Sceneplanning and support for scanning. The customer release is scheduled for Spring 2004.

All current customers using version 1.2 that have registered their license key at toonboomstudio.com will receive their upgrade electronically at no charge.

Check out Toon Boom's web site for more details.

Surfin' the Internet at 39,000 Feet

Singapore Airlines Installs High-Speed Internet Access on All Long-Haul Aircraft

Singapore Airlines (SIA), already providing the most sophisticated in-flight entertainment system available in the sky, will soon offer passengers the ability to use laptops to gain high- speed connections to the Internet. Connexion by Boeing, an industry authority in mobile information services, will install its innovative in-flight connectivity service on all of SIA's long-haul aircraft by third quarter 2004.

The system provides full access to personal and business e-mail accounts and files, including the capability to attach files to outgoing e-mails, open attachments from incoming e-mails, download the latest news, look up information or shop online.

SIA's in-flight connectivity also will feature real-time television, adding up to 12 television channels to the existing selection of more than 200 on-demand options.

Discreet Delivers Strong Growth in HDTV Sales

Third-Quarter High-Definition Systems Unit Sales Rise 162 Percent Year-Over-Year

Discreet, a division of Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) , announced today that unit sales for its high-definition television (HDTV) post-production systems for its fiscal third quarter ended October 31, 2003 were 162 percent higher than the comparable period of the previous year. In addition, nearly two thirds (64%) of all Discreet systems sold in Q3 FY2004 were HD configurations of its visual effects systems inferno(R) and flame(R), and editing/finishing systems fire(R) and smoke(R).

Time to get the Huge HDTV Set you always wanted?

Macworld US 'Eddy' awards announced

Macworld US has named the winners of its nineteenth Editor's Choice Awards for 2003.

Also known as the 'Eddy' awards, these are given to the year's top hardware and software products chosen by Macworld US's editorial department. US editors "looked at nearly every new Mac product on the market between November 1, 2002 to November 1, 2003, evaluating their overall quality as well as their utility, innovation, and elegance," the magazine said.

Macworld US editor-in-chief Jason Snell said: "Macworld's editors spend all year evaluating products in the Mac market, and now it's time to honour the very best of that bunch.

Listed in alphabetical order by company, Macworld's 2003 Eddy Award recipients are:

SketchUp 3.0 (@Last Software.), After Effects Professional 6 (Adobe Systems.), Creative Suite Premium Edition(Adobe Systems.), Photoshop Camera Raw (Adobe Systems.), 1GHz 12-inch PowerBook G4 (Apple), Dual-2GHz Power Mac G5 (Apple), DVD Studio Pro 2 (Apple), Final Cut Pro 4
(Apple), iChat AV (Apple), iTunes Music Store (Apple), Safari 1.1 (Apple), Xserve RAID (Apple), Mailsmith 2.0 (Bare Bones Software), EOS Digital Rebel (Canon), i960 Photo Printer (Canon),
PowerShot A80 (Canon), DV Backup 1.1 (Coolatoola), Painter 8 (Corel), Stylus Photo R300 (Epson),
ReVision 1.1 (Granted Software), MotionBuilder 5 (Kaydara), Contribute 2 (Macromedia), Dungeon Siege (MacSoft), Digital Performer 4.1 (Mark of the Unicorn ), SpamSieve 2.0 (Michael Tsai),
MultiSync LCD2080UX (NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America), OmniGraffle 3 Professional
(The Omni Group), Easy Grade Pro 3.6 (Orbis Software), Palm Tungsten T3 (PalmOne), NetNewsWire
(Ranchero Software), Revolution Studio 2.1 (Runtime Revolution), Salling Clicker 2.0 (Salling Software ), Disclabel 1.2 (SmileOnMyMac), Page Sender 3.1 (SmileOnMyMac), ExecutiveSync
(Weber Ventures).

(British)MacExpo survey results released

Nearly half of MacExpo attendees have already upgraded to Mac OS X 10.3, according to a survey conducted by the show organizers.

This confirms Apple's success in convincing its customers to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). 44% of respondents are already on the new OS, while 36% use OS X 10.2. Just 20% of attendees use Mac OS 9 or earlier, according to the results.

New TechTool Pro 4 Finally Available

Micromat has finally releasedTechTool Pro 4. There are too many new features to describe here, just head over to the TTP4 site to see them.

We can't wait to give it a spin and of course will do a full review in a upcomming issue of the Digital Dispatch. Stay Tune!

Memorex to launch DVD-R & DVD+R at 8X

Memorex has announced its Dual Format DVD drive, which writes DVD-Rs and DVD+Rs at 8x, CDR Info reports.

The drives also write DVD+RW/-RW at 4x, CDRs at 40x and CDRW at 24x. CDs and DVDs are read at 40x and 12x respectively. Memorex also claims improved rewriting capability with the new drive.

Memorex plans to ship units in January 2004

Apple updates Soundtrack 1.1 music composition tool

Apple today released Soundtrack 1.1, an update to its music composition software. Users can create custom music for video, DVD or Web projects; the software includes pre-recorded Apple Loops which you drop into the timeline to start building a song, and it automatically syncs up the loops to your project tempo and key. Version 1.1 offers general improvements as well as automatic linking to relocated files on your volume. It is available via the Mac OS X preference pane.

Apple offers workaround for OS X DHCP vulnerability

Apple in a Knowledge Base article describes how to protect your Macfrom the DCHP security issue under Mac OS X, noting that users can configure Directory Access to protect your Mac from a malicious DHCP server: "In many cases, your Mac is protected from this kind of exploit because the malicious DHCP server has to be part of your local network, or "subnet". If your computers are the only ones on your local network and you have a broadband connection (DSL or cable service) with a Network Address Translation device--such as an AirPort Base Station--this exploit is not possible." (Source Macnn)

Apple Cinema Updates Delayed

Appleinsider provides some disappointing news for users awaiting a refresh of Apple's Cinema Displays. The rumor site does not expect revisions to take place until after the introduction of the next generation of PowerMacs which are placed sometime in early 2004.

Appleinsider, however, had previously cited "reliable" sources that Apple LCD Revisions would take place in November 2003. November, obviously, brought no such revisions.

HP Music Player and Music Store

CBS MarketWatch notes that HP will also be entering the music-download/player arena in January 2004 with its own version of a digital music player and service.

The new offerings will be shown at the Consumer Electronics Show which runs Jan 8-11, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Great Idea From MacSlash; Donate Your Jaguar!

"Since Apple charges for a new license of Mac OS X every year, there are unused copies of Jaguar and Puma in most Panther user's closet. Why not donate these to a local school for a tax deduction of the current value (~$50 on ebay)? Since our public schools are so poor, they would be glad to use Jaguar over Mac OS 9 on their iMacs.

Do your part Panther Users!

@Last Software Announces a SketchUp Plug-in for Architectural Desktop

@Last Software, developer of 3D design software for the AEC Industries, today announced the availability of a software plug-in that allows the import of SketchUp’s native 3D geometry directly into AutoDesk’s® Architectural Desktop (ADT) program. Translation of data from SketchUp to ADT can be automatic or user specified.

- Download a copy of the ADT plug in at: www.sketchup.com/ADT

iPod Launcher version 1.4, available

The iPod Launcher version 1.4, available for immediate download at
. This release adds a
number of usability enhancements to the preferences pane. The sample
AppleScripts have also been updated. The backup script is much faster (only
updating files that have changed) and a new script has been added that uses
your iPod as a conduit for syncing folders between multiple Macs. Now you
can keep the files on your Macs up-to-date simply by plugging in your iPod!
For full details of this release visit
.

About iPod It:
Automate your iPod.
Automatically launch applications and scripts whenever you connect an iPod
to your Mac. Auto-sync your personal information via iPod It. Backup your
vital data using an AppleScript (samples provided). The possibilities are
endless!

Zapptek Release new version of iPod Launcher

This release adds a number of usability enhancements to the preferences pane.
The sample AppleScripts have also been updated. The backup script is much faster (only
updating files that have changed) and a new script has been added that uses
your iPod as a conduit for syncing folders between multiple Macs. Now you
can keep the files on your Macs up-to-date simply by plugging in your iPod!
Visit them at: www.zapptek.com

New Griffin iTalk Voice Recorder?

 

A very interesting discussion thread over at SpyMac has caught our attention. Within, a user who attended last week's Mac Expo (UK) claims to have gotten the inside scoop from a Griffin Technology employee on the forthcoming iTalk voice recorder. The iTalk allegedly is similar in operation to the Belkin Voice Recorder, but with certain advantages:
• Better looking and integrated with iPod
• Better quality microphone for recording
• Better quality speaker for playback
• Microphone Passthrough connector to connect a high-quality EXTERNAL mic
• Headphone Passthrough connector to listen to recordings through headphones
The source indicated that Griffin had been working closely with Apple on the creation on this device. There is information regarding the release date other than "sometime soon."

SubRosaSoft.com debuts CipherDisk

SubRosaSoft.com today announced CipherDisk, which offers on-the-fly data protection on any internal or external volume. SubRosaSoft CipherDisk provides "driver level" 448-bit transparent encryption for Mac OS X volumes: "Once you convert a plain volume to an encrypted volume, it will be inaccessible to anyone until you enter a password to unlock it. When unlocked, the drive will run and behave normally like a regular volume." It supports both Panther and Jaguar and uses either Blowfish (448-bit), TEA (128-bit), or SRS (128-bit) encryption.

Return of 'Home on iPod'?

 

Appleinsider claims that the 'Home on iPod' will return in an upcoming incarnation of Mac OS X 10.3.

Most of the information about the Home on iPod feature comes from Apple itself, when it left the description up on one of the Panther information pages.

Ever thought you could carry your home in the palm of your hands or in your pocket? You can. Panther's Home on iPod feature lets you store your home directory — files, folders, apps — on your iPod (or any FireWire hard drive) and take it with you wherever you go. When you find yourself near a Panther-equipped Mac, just plug in the iPod, log in, and you’re “home,” no matter where you happen to be. And when you return to your home computer, you can synchronize any changes you’ve made to your files by using File Sync, which automatically updates offline changes to your home directory.

Samsung unveils 57-inch LCD

Samsung has developed a 57-inch liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel, the largest such panel in the world, the company said yesterday.

The panel was produced on the company's new fifth-generation TFT (thin film transistor) LCD production line that began operation in September 2003.

The maximum size that an LCD screen can be manufactured at is regulated by the size of glass sheet a production line can produce. Fifth-generation manufacturing lines can accept glass up to 43-x-51 inches, making the 57-inch panel possible, said Samsung.

There are no plans to begin mass-producing the panel, which was developed mainly to demonstrate and test the technology for such size screens, said Park Sung Hae, a spokeswoman for Samsung in Suwon, South Korea. The company has also yet to begin mass production of a 54-inch panel announced last year. Samsung currently offers a 46-inch panel as its largest commercial product, she said.

The 57-inch panel has a resolution of 1,920-x-1,080 pixels, matching that required for wide-screen high-definition television. Other attributes include a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 600 candelas per square metre brightness level, maximum 8ms response time and 75 per cent colour reproduction

Apple film festival planned for ’04

Apple is planning a pilot run of an international online film festival next year, according to the San Diego Screenwriter's Association(SDSA) yesterday.

Apple's movie move could be considered an appropriate one for the company as it enters the year that marks twenty years since it screened its landmark '1984' ad at the US Superbowl, and introduced the Mac.

The news comes in SDSA's announcement that award-winning director/producer Marc Anthony Massimei of MAPresents will be a guest speaker at its next meeting, which takes place tomorrow (December 3).

Massimei will present a movie called Purgatory. The SDSA calls this: "a short film Marc directed and produced for Apple Computer's pilot run of the online film festival tentatively scheduled to debut internationally in early 2004 at Apple.com."

The presentation will focus on digital filmmaking on a Mac, and screenwriting for low-budget, high-quality movies in High Definition format.

Mac Halo: December 11th

MacSoft has published a promo page for Mac Halo with the appropriate title: "The Circle is Complete"

Halo for Mac will finally be released on December 11, 2003. This will complete a long standing detour after software developer Bungiewas acquired by Microsoft in June of 2000.

Halo was originally on a Mac/PC development track until this acquisition which then directed Halo development and release towards the XBox.

PodWorks v2.6.1 Released

Sci-Fi Hi-Fi has released an update to "the premier iPod song transfer utility for Mac OS X", PodWorks. A utility that allows the copying of tracks from a Mac iPod to a Mac, this v2.6.1 release offers the following improvements over the previous version:
Replaced window animation effect with a sheet to show copy progress.
Fixed bug that could cause occasional crashing under Jaguar.
Fixed compatibility problem with iTunes 4.0/4.01.
Made a number of other small improvements.

apple.com is # 1, beats out Dell by 53%

Apple.com was the most visited computer hardware site on the web for the week ended November 16, according toNielsen/NetRatings.

With 4.5 million hits, the result put Apple 53% ahead of the next most popular computer hardware site, dell.com, with chalked up 2.95 million visitors. Hewlett-Packard (hpshopping.com) was third with 2.7 million.

Rumor: Apple Giving Motorola the Pink Slip?

After a 20-year CPU partnership, Apple may be about to jettison Motorola as a chip supplier, Apple Insider reports. Instead, Apple will reportedly turn to IBM for CPUs for its iBooks.

AppleInsider states that Motorola's inability to produce sufficient quantities of the PPC7457 (notably absent from the recently-refreshed PowerBook G4s), has pushed Apple to switch to IBM entirely.

The iBook is expected to be equipped with the PPC750VX, a G3 derivative. Its successor will be the 750VXe, which is expected to top 2GHz by 2005. The PPC750, despite its G3 antecedents, will not be a step backwards from the current iBook G4; it will sport Altivec, additional pipeline stages and advanced power management.

New Version of Adobe FrameMaker Extends Powerful XML Capabilities

Upgrade Includes New Migration, Import Features and Support for Popular Graphics Formats to Capitalize on Existing Assets

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe® FrameMaker® 7.1, an upgrade to its award winning, enterprise-class authoring and publishing solution. FrameMaker combines the simplicity of word processing with the power of Extensible Markup Language (XML), making it easier to repurpose content and publish to multiple channels, including print, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and the Web.

FrameMaker 7.1 includes new features for cross-referencing between documents and allows multiple variations of a document to be stored as a single file. With FrameMaker 7.1 users can now migrate legacy technical documents and assets from Quark XPress and Adobe PageMaker® formats, while expanded support for popular graphics file formats means Adobe Photoshop® files can be imported directly into FrameMaker, saving valuable time.

Making XML Easier to Use

FrameMaker gives corporate users the ability to easily create, edit and import valid XML content in full WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mode when authoring documents. FrameMaker 7.1 introduces conditional text support for XML to allow multiple variations of an XML document to be stored in a single file. This greatly streamlines the production of documentation with subtle content variations, such as region-specific information for different electrical requirements or warranty and customer service details.

For more detailed information about new features and upgrade policies for Adobe FrameMaker, please visit: www.adobe.com/products/framemaker.