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Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Wirecast offers Webcasting for Panther

Vara Software has introduced Wirecast for Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther), a simple broadcasting software package built for the professional Webcaster and want to be enthousiast alike. Excellent product.

MacMice announces new MicFlex USB microphone system

The MicFlex is an entirely new approach to the USB microphone, as it works as both a desktop and a portable microphone solution. The entire USB mic assembly is enclosed in a small aluminum pod at the end of an 18-inch long flexible metal tube stalk. And, the stalk can be used inserted into a desktop base, or removed, and used plugged directly into a Powerbook or iBook USB port. MicFlex is plug and play with all Macs with a USB port, running OS 9.1 or higher. The MicFlex will begin shipping on May 7th, from the MacMice, Inc. web site. ( http://www.macmice.com/micflex.html )

O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference call for proposals

The organizers of the 2004 O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference, which will be held October 25-28 in Santa Clara, CA, are seeking conference proposals from "people creating the future of the Mac

Mage Software releases handwriting application inkBook

Mage Software has released inkBook, an application that allows you to use a tablet and stylus to write notes by hand. InkBook works hand-in-hand with Apple's InkWell technology, which recognizes the words you write and allows you to search them for keywords as well as copy and paste them into other applications, turning them into typed text. You can also import documents into inkBook and make notes on top of them, in addition to drawing sketches with its art tools. Smart real Smart!

Jobs to preview Mac OS X Tiger at WWDC Keynote

Steve Jobs will preview Mac OS X Tiger at the company's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco on June 28, 2004. Jobs will give the keynote address for the conference on Monday, June 28, 2004 at 10:00 am.

Maya 6 now shipping

Alias announced on Tuesday that Maya Complete 6 is now shipping globally to both new customers and those who are upgrading. The new version features re-architected Trax non-linear animation, new motion retargeting and motion redirection capabilities, enhanced scene management and more. System requirements call for Mac OS X v.10.2.4, a G4 or G5 processor, 512MB RAM and 450MB hard drive space.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Windows Sasser net worm spreading rapidly; Macintosh unaffected

"Many versions of Windows are at risk," BBC News reports. "Disruption caused by a new internet virus known as Sasser is showing signs of worsening. In two separate cases, companies in Taiwan and Finland reported the worm had disrupted their computers. Sasser, unlike a virus which travels through e-mails and attachments, spreads directly from the internet.""It attacks recent versions of Microsoft's Windows causing the computer to shut down." Make you happy to own a Mac!

Japan retailer deluged with orders for $25 eMacs

Catena Corp. received orders from around 20,000 people for a total of 100 million eMacs after a computer glitch priced them online at $25 each. I think I will order a few myself...

InstallShield available in Mac OS X version

InstallShield Software has released InstallShield X, a Mac OS X-compatible installation authoring solution that enables software application developers to author industry-standard installations targeting just about any platform, operating system and device

Sony launches 'Connect' online music store

Sony Connect Inc. today formally announced the domestic launch of its new Connect online music store. Smell like copy cat!

Students with iBooks get better grades

Writing in the Granite State News about New Hampshire’s Technology Promoting Student Excellence Program, Mary Saliba reports, “The Governor provided each Paul School 7th grader with a Macintosh iBook laptop in January, and in this short time, principal Matthew Jozokos reports, ‘Every child has increased grades.’ He also said there have been decreased absences, and that the students were much more excited to be learning. He added that the teachers were learning a lot too.”

Apple extends iBook logic board repair program

Apple has extended the scope of its iBook logic board repair program to include models manufactured from May 2002 to October 2003. The original program, launched in late January, only covered iBooks made up to April 2003

iBatt: comprehensive laptop battery stats

Wondering how much life is left in your PowerBook or iBook's battery? Rayner Software has an answer to that question: iBatt. The new Mac OS X utility monitors your battery's performance and provides comprehensive information about its capacity, charge, voltage and current state, complete with the ability to view the data in a graph that shows trends over time periods as short as ten minutes or as long as one month. iBatt also assigns your battery a letter grade from A to F and lets you know if you should replace it soon.

Sonnet intros Dual 1.3GHz G4 processor upgrade

Sonnet Technologies on Monday unveiled their latest upgrade: the Encore/ST G4 Duet 1.3GHz. This dual processor upgrade is compatible with most Power Mac G4 systems in the "Sawtooth" series, including the AGP Graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio and Quicksilver (2001 and 2002) models

Apple releases May Security Update

Apple released on Monday Security Update 2004-05-03, which delivers a number of security enhancements, according to the notes accompanying the update. Components contained in the update include AFP Server, CoreFoundation and IPSec. Apple also noted that Security Update 2004-04-05 has been incorporated into this security update. The update is available via the Software Update control panel.