Pioneer brings 8x external DVD recording to market

Pioneer today announced its forthcoming DVR-S706 external DVD/CD writer, which features 8x DVD recording in both +R and -R formats. It can also burn DVD-RW/+RW discs at 4x and CD-R/-RW at 24x. The external drive features both FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity and employs new quiet drive technology that reduces the drive's operating noisy by up to 75 percent as well as various enhanced recording capabilities to ensure precise burns. The DVR-S706 will be available in early May

New Personal Organizer software

Haxial Software is proud to announce the release of a new product for MacOS X, Haxial Organizer. Its features include encrypted personal databases, reminders, calendar, and world time conversion.

iStumbler Release 84

iStumbler is a free, open source tool for finding wireless networks and devices with your AirPort equipped Macintosh. iStumbler combines a compact user interface with a real time graph of signal strength and complete debugging information such as network type, name and mac address. Real-time visual feedback of signal strength and encryption allows you to quickly find open networks, perform site surveys or just have a look at your wireless neighborhood.

Apple releases iPod 2.2 firmware update

iPod Update 2004-04-28 supports all models of iPod and iPod mini introduced before April 28, 2004. This update is required to take advantage of new features in iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store.

Belkin to ship Digital Camera Link for iPod May 1st

Peripheral maker Belkin Corp. on Tuesday announced that its Digital Camera Link for iPod ships on May 1, 2004. The peripheral enables digital camera users to transfer images to a third-generation iPod, thus freeing up space on their camera's internal memory and memory cards.

BluePhoneMenu adds cell phone Caller ID to your Mac

Developer Reel Intelligence has released BluePhoneMenu, which adds Caller ID for one or more Bluetooth-equipped cell phones to your Mac. It alerts you to incoming calls and keeps track of calls received, listing names, times and which phones received them. It can also monitor the signal strength and remaining battery power of your phones, as well as alert you to new voice messages and tell you if your phones are on silent mode or off the hook. BluePhoneMenu is free and requires Mac OS X v.10.3 "Panther" or higher and a Bluetooth adapter or a Bluetooth-enabled Mac.

PalmOne Introduces New Handhelds, Reaffirms Mac Support

PalmOne added a pair of color handhelds to its Zire product line Wednesday. But more important to Mac users, the PDA maker also reaffirmed its long-term support for the Mac platform in the aftermath of reports that the next version of Palm OS would drop native Mac support.

iTunes at one: more than 70 million songs sold

Wednesday, April 28th marks the one-year anniversary of Apple's iTunes Music Store. The company has announced that since the iTunes Music Store opened, it's sold more than 70 million songs -- well short of the 100 million song target that Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned la

iPod update supports iTunes 4.5 features

Apple has released iPod Update 2004-04-28. Developed for use with all iPods and iPod minis purchased before April 28, 2004, the new software offers compatibility with iTunes 4.5 and the new third-generation iTunes Music Store and improves playback support. What's more, Dock connector-equipped iPods and iPod minis can now support the new Apple Lossless encoder.

iMovie update improves performance, reliability

Apple on Wednesday released iMovie 4.0.1, an updated version of the digital video editing application the company includes as part of its iLife 04 software suite. The new version improves performance when working with large projects, increases reliability when opened, when titles are added to the timeline and when third-party plug-ins are removed, and more. The 1.2MB update can be downloaded from Apple's Web site.

GraphicConverter 5.1 Available

Lemke Software made GraphicConverter 5.1 available for download from their Web site on Wednesday. GraphicConverter is a tool for converting images from one format to another and manipulating them. This update offers a long list of changes, including improved compatibility with Photoshop plug-ins, extra options for picture downloads from digital cameras, the addition of a glass blocks effect and various other bug fixes and enhancements. The upgrade is free for registered users

QuickerTek combo: Whip antenna, Buffalo 802.11g PC card

QuickerTek combo: Whip antenna, Buffalo 802.11g PC card

QuickerTek's Whip PowerBook antenna is compatible with Buffalo Technology's 802.11g PC Card, the company has announced. QuickerTek is now offering both products in a bundle that they say can significantly boost wireless range in G3 and G4 PowerBooks. The Whip antenna plugs into a port on the Buffalo card, which is compatible with Mac OS X v.10.2.6 "Jaguar" and higher. The bundle sells for US$169.95. QuickerTek is offering a $35 rebate to users who trade in a working AirPort card when they make the purchase. Read a complete review of quickerTek Whip antenna in the Digital Dispatch Summer Special Issue available in May.

Apple releases AirPort Software 3.4.1

After numerous complaints from users about signal strength and dropped connections following the AirPort Software 3.4 update, Apple on Monday updated the software again, bringing it to version 3.4.1. According to notes provided with the update, AirPort Software 3.4.1 provides improved antenna output control; Enhanced logging from your base station which is compatible with syslog; and Performance improvements for WPA security implementations. The update is available via the Software Update control panel.