Review & Evangelisation of All That is Digital For The Mac Enthousiast. Read all about it with a Free Subscription to The [Digital][Dispatch] Mag published every month email me: info.digtaldispatch@sympatico.ca visit our web site for more rich features

Friday, January 13, 2006

Battery pack powers iPod, doubles as dock for syncing with iTunes

- Leading iPod accessory manufacturer XtremeMac debuted another new product on day three of Macworld Conference and Expo with the announcement if its new MicroPack battery pack for all Dock connector iPods. Capable of providing up to five times as much audio playback time as a fully charged iPod nano, MicroPack also serves as a syncing dock when connected to a computer via USB cable. Depending on iPod model and settings, MicroPack can provide up to 80 hours of audio playback for the iPod nano and up to 8 hours of video playback for the iPod with video.

MicroPack is encased in a sleek, compact housing that features an integrated Universal Dock for iPod to accommodate any size iPod with a Dock connector. MicroPack is designed to position the iPod at a precise angle for optimal viewing, serving as a convenient base for the iPod while watching video content. In addition, MicroPack offers dual headphone ports with independent volume controls so that two people can watch and share the same video and audio content.

"MicroPack is a perfect travel companion for the iPod," said Gary Bart, CEO of XtremeMac. "Providing extended playback time and a base to hold the iPod while watching video, MicroPack is great for taking your content on the go."

MicroPack will begin shipping in Spring 2006 . For more information, visit the XtremeMac Web site at www.XtremeMac.com

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.4

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.4 in your Mac OS X software update. Apple releases this today alongside a number of other software (iTunes 6.0.2, Quicktime 7.0.4, iLife '06, iWork '06) and hardware (Intel iMac, MacBook Pro).

The 10.4.4 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users.

It includes fixes for:
- SMB/CIFS and NFS network file services
- Bluetooth wireless access
- Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- Spotlight indexing and searching
- AppleScript, iChat, DVD Player, and Safari applications
- Dashboard widgets: Calendar and Stocks
- Software Update and Sync Services
- compatibility with USB and FireWire devices and third party applications
- previous standalone security updates

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n302810.
For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798.

Job's Keynotes In A Nutshell

Apple rolls out new iMacs, MacBook Pro, iLife '06 asreported by AppleInsider
- Apple Computer co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs today kicked-off one of the most highly-anticipated Macworld Expo trade shows ever by providing an update on retail and iPod figures.

Retail
He said Apple currently operates 135 retail stores world-wide, which combined to serve over 26 million visitors during the recent holiday quarter. The stores also achieved their first $1B quarter last quarter.

iPods
Moving on to the iPod, Jobs said Apple sold 14 million iPods this past holiday quarter -- a rate of over 100 iPods per minute. This compares to 4.5 million last holiday quarter. In total, Apple has shipped 42 million iPods to date.

iTunes
As is the case with iPod sales, Apple's iTunes Music Store continues to excel. Jobs said iTunes customers have purchased and downloaded over 850 million songs so far. Customers are now purchasing songs at a rate of over 3 million per day (over 1 billion songs a year).

Similarly, iTunes Video sales are also on the rise, with 8 million sold since Oct 12th, 2005. Jobs said the music store would also be adding new Saturday Night Live television content throughout the day.

Before drawing his attention completely to the Macintosh, Jobs introduced a single new iPod accessory for fifth-generation iPods: a $49 iPod Radio FM tuner / remote that plugs into an iPod's display to offer on-screen tuning.

Mac OS X 10.4.4
Promising that the rest of his keynote presentation would focus on the Macintosh (which drew applause), Jobs performed a brief demo of the company's new post production image editing tool called Aperture and then immediately shifted to Mac OS X.

Jobs announced Mac OS X 10.4.4, which he said would feature updated calendar and address book widgets from Apple and new widgets from Google and ESPN. Since the release of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger last April, Jobs said Mac OS X users have created over 1500 authorized Dashboard widgets.

iLife '06
Shifting to digital lifestyle software, Jobs introduced the iLife '06 application suite, which he described as a "giant release" with new music, movies, photo, and blog tools.

iPhoto
A new version of iPhoto is faster than its predecessor and now holds up to 250,000 photos (1000 photos a month for 20 years). The application features full support for Photocasing, which Jobs described as 'podcasting for photos.'

Users of the application can create private and public photo albums and choose to have their public photo albums update automatically on the Internet when changes are made in iPhoto. The new version also adds a greeting card creation feature and a module that will let users create calendars with images.

iMovie
While Jobs proclaimed that last year would be the year of HD for iMovie, this year he said the company is adding animated themes for movies, real time effects, and new audio tools. The new version also features multiple project support, real-time effects, and the ability to export video to an iPod.

iDVD
Jobs also introduced a new version of iDVD with support for wide-screen menus, vastly improved slideshows, enhanced map viewing, and support for third-party DVD burners. The new version packs a "Magic iDVD" feature that lets users choose a theme, drop in movies and photos and then click a single button to create a DVD.

Garageband
Talking about Garageband, Jobs said Apple has built Podcast creation directly into a new version of the audio creation application. The updated application even integrates with iChat for remote interviews, Jobs said. Other new additions to Garageband include 200 royalty-free sound effects, 100-plus royalty-free jingles, automatic "ducking" effect, and a speech enhancer.

Rounding out the iLife '06 announcements, Jobs introduced a sixth application, dubbed iWeb, which lets users share photos, movies, video podcasts, music, blogs, and more on the Web. iWeb features several templates and modules, support for AJAX technology, and one-click instant blog publishing.

iWork '06
Jobs said Apple will sell the new 6 application iLife suite for $79 beginning today. He also announced iWork '06, which includes new features such as advanced image editing, image reflections, free form and masking tools, tables with calculations, and new themes and templates.

Intel Macs
Next, both the Intel Bunny Suit Man and Intel chief executive Paul Otellini joined Jobs on stage to begin introducing the first Macs with Intel processors.

New iMacs
Jobs announced that the first Macs to go Intel would be the iMac, with new 17- and 20-inch models that are nearly identical to their predecessors but sport Intel's new Core Duo processors. Benchmarks show the new iMacs to be 2-3 times the speed of the current iMac G5.

The iMacs will begin shipping today with a native version of Mac OS X 10.4.4, which Jobs said would include all native applications. Additionally, iLife and iWork '06 are both universal binaries.

Pro Apps
Apple will be updating many of its Pro applications to universal binaries in March, Jobs said. This includes Final Cut Pro and Aperture. Customers who have already purchased a current version of Apple Pro software will be able to trade in their disc for a universal binary disc for $49.

Third Party Universal Binaries
Jobs said several third party developers are also working on universal binaries of their applications. Microsoft, he said, is "on track" to deliver universal binaries of Office and Messenger sometime in the future while Quark this week will begin shipping a native binary of its desktop publishing software.

One More Thing...

Just before closing out his speech, Jobs kept to tradition and announced that he had "One More Thing..."
He said the 15-inch PowerBook product line would be going away in favor of a new "Mac Book Pro." The laptop features a 15.4-inch display and is a hair thinner than the 17" PowerBook. Additionally, it's about 4-5 times as fast as the previous PowerBooks, Jobs said.

Mac Book Pro includes a built-in iSight, IR sensor, Apple Remote, and new Power Adapter. It weighs 5.6lbs and will ship with Front Row software. A 1.67 Core Duo model will retail for $1999, while a high-end 1.83GHz model will sell for $2499.
All prices are in USD, expect to pay more in CDN.

Intel offers Apple programming tool beta

Intel began offering a beta version of software developer tools for Intel-based Apple computers Wednesday, the chipmaker announced. The tools are available to any Apple developer, Intel said, and the final products will ship in the second quarter. Apple began selling Intel-based computers Tuesday, though the new models lack any external Intel logos.

The software includes Fortran and C/C++ compilers to translate human-written source code into instructions the computer understands as well software libraries to speed the processing of audio, video and images. The software is integrated with Apple's Xcode development environment.

Apple shares hit all-time high

Apple shares yesterday hit a record high on the news of the company's decision to switch to Intel microprocessors, as well as Apple's better-than expected revenues for the December quarter and impressive iPod and iTunes sales, reports the Associated Press. Apple shares jumped US$3.04, or 3.8 percent, to close at a split-adjusted record high of $83.90 on Wednesday.

MWSF Quick Bytes

Sonnet Technologies Announces Tempo SATA E4P,
-First with Port Multiplier Capabilities to Support Up to 20 Disk Drives
Sonnet Technologies, a worldwide leader in upgrades for Apple Macintosh® computers and iPod® digital music players, today announces a new line of Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Serial ATA host adapters. The Tempo™ SATA E4P with four external ports and the Tempo SATA E4i with four internal ports are compatible with the newest PCI Express Power Mac® G5s and PCs with PCI Express slots - each offer unmatched scalability in both capacity and performance to meet a wide range of application environments like uncompressed high-definition video editing and digital imaging.
Sonnet was the first company to introduce eSATA ports on Serial ATA host adapters, and has been an industry leader in the space ever since. Sonnet is also introducing the Fusion 500P, a new five-bay disk drive enclosure with a built-in port multiplier. A Tempo SATA E4P can support up to four Fusion 500P disk enclosures to create amazingly fast storage solutions and very large storage repositories.
The new internal Tempo SATA E4i provides a portal for adding additional high-performance SATA storage inside a Power Mac G5 with PCIe slots. Sonnet has also updated the popular G5 Jive internal drive mounting system to be compatible with both PCI-X and PCIe Power Mac G5s.

Adobe Unveils Lightroom Public Beta and Delivers New Technology for Digital Photography Workflows
-Adobe today introduced the public beta of AdobeR LightroomT,
an all-new digital imaging solution for professional photographers.
Lightroom's goal is to deliver a complete photography workflow, and Adobe
welcomes feedback from photographers to help shape the modules and feature
sets of the software. Lightroom beta can be downloaded from
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom and a training video is also
available on the web site.

Stone Design Ships Pac the Man Editor v1.0
- Stone Design, the makers of Stone Studio, iMaginator™ and Create®, today announced immediate availability of “Pac the Man Editor” - a free application to create and edit new game levels for McSebi’s acclaimed and free “Pac the Man” video game for Mac OS X. Pac the Man Editor ships as part of the new Pac the Man X game - simply choose “Launch level editor” from Pac the Man’s X’s Game Menu. Users of Pac the Man 2 can also just download the editor to use it independently.
According to Stone Design’s CEO, Andrew Stone, “McSebi has done a fantastic job improving Pac the Man with the new X version. When my son was disappointed that the “Create New Levels” menu item was disabled in Pac the Man 2, we set out to create a standalone editor. Our free Pac the Man Editor lets your imagination go wild in creating new and challenging levels and even new level files to enhance your enjoyment of this classic video game”.

Features include:

    - Add or duplicate as many levels as you want
    - Design levels graphically with click and drag
    - Automatically saves and launches Pac the Man game to test
    - Move a new level to Level 1 for easy testing
    - Move a level to any postion
    - Add new backgrounds
    - Add/move more super pellets
    - Change maze color
    - Change wait times for ghosts
    - Change background image
    - Move initial positions
    - Move citadel
    - Change citadel style and tile style
    - Save/Load levels to/from other files
    - Automatically restore to Factory Levels in case of problems!
    - Create and edit new levels files

You can download the editor as part of the McSebi’s Pac the Man X distribution:
http://www.mcsebi.com/download_manager

Or you can grab just the editor at:
http://homepage.mac.com/stone_design/.Public/Pac_the_Editor.dmg

Tango for iPod From XtremeMac
-Fill a room with quality sound—at any volume.
Introducing the Tango Audio System from XtremeMac.
This high-end sound system gets the best, biggest sound out of your iPod in a small footprint. Tango is a full-featured 2.1 speaker system in an elegantly sized box.
To get that big sound, we packed in three speakers with Neodymium drives PLUS a downward firing subwoofer. The result: deep powerful bass and crisp, clear vocals. To keep it all sounding clean and rich, we gave Tango built-in vibration dampening.
Tango isn't just about great sound, though. With a built-in 3.5mm audio/video line out jack, you can enjoy video content from your iPod with video on a home entertainment center or a TV.
You can control the system with the iPod's Click Wheel or from across the room with Tango's wireless remote. Tango powers and charges your iPod and works with all Dock connector iPod models.

Chrysler Group and Apple announce iPod integration
-The Chrysler Group on Sunday announced that it will be the first American automaker to provide full iPod integration as an option in most of its 2006 models, with over three million 2006 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models offering seamless iPod connectively beginning this spring. Exhibiting at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, the auto maker said drivers will be able to select and listen to their music by artist, album or playlist with either radio or steering wheel controls. Selections will also appear on the radio's display screen.

"We're thrilled that over three million Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge automobiles will offer great iPod connectivity in 2006," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. "Over 40 percent of all cars sold in the US in 2006 will offer iPod connectivity." Chrysler joins 16 other auto makers that currently offer iPod integration in their vehicles.

Airfoil 2 Pumps The Volume Up And Rocks the House Down!
- From booth #431 at Macworld San Francisco, Rogue Amoeba Software is pleased to release Airfoil 2.0 to
the world! When it was released back in March, Airfoil was designed as a companion to the AirPort Express, enabling any audio (not just iTunes) to be sent to the device. With version 2, however, Airfoil is taking
things to a whole new level.

Starting things off with a bang, Airfoil 2 makes it possible to send
audio to multiple AirPort Express units simultaneously and in sync!
Using Airfoil and multiple AirPort Express units, it's possible to
"wire" a house for audio, wirelessly, for a fraction of the cost of more
expensive audio players. To add audio to a room, just plug in an AirPort
Express (and speakers, of course), and Airfoil can send the audio there.
Heck, not even iTunes can do that, but Airfoil will work with iTunes!
In addition to this killer new feature, Airfoil 2 has added many
additional new features and updates. It can now send audio to password-
protected speakers, as well as adding audio effects like a 10-band
equalizer to any transmitted audio. Further, Airfoil can now send audio
directly from Dashboard widgets, USB radios like the RadioShark, general
audio devices like microphones, and even all System Audio, using the
SoundFlower component. Top all that off with a sleek new GUI and full
AppleScriptability, and you've got a heck of an update.

Key New Features In Airfoil 2:

* Support For Multiple AirPort Express Units
* Support for sending audio to password-protected units
* Audio Effects, including a 10 band equalizer, as well as volume and
balance controls
* Support for sending audio to password-protected units
* Send audio from new sources, including USB radios, Dashboard widgets,
and audio devices
* Send all audio playing on the system
* Support for sending audio to password-protected units
* Includes and supports Smart Crash Reporting
* Fully Applescriptable

Airfoil 2 is immediately available as a free demo from the Airfoil
website. Version 2 is a free update for licensed users, new users can
purchase Airfoil through the Rogue Amoeba store.

RadTech releases several new products and solutions at MWSF 2006.
– RadTech™, makers of mobile computing and iPod accessories and more, today announced immediate availability of several new products and solutions. RadMouse™ HID Driver Software for all RadTech Bluetooth Mice.
Take full control of your RadTech Bluetooth mouse with RadMouse - RadTech's Bluetooth HID Driver & System Preference. Assign mouse buttons and scroll wheel to single or multiple keystrokes or actions; adjust cursor tracking and scrolling speed, acceleration curves and more. All custom settings can be applied on a global, or application-by-application basis. RadMouse only affects RadTech Bluetooth mice, and can be used alongside other HID driver software.
RadMouse is a free download for RadTech mouse owners from any RadTech mouse product page, or direct via: http://www.radtech.us/Software/RadMouse-10b3.dmg

Impact™ Ruggedized HDD Enclosures Available with 64-bit Hardware Data Encryption.
Ruggedized 2.5 and 3.5in data storage enclosures combine multi-layer hardware protection with blistering data transfer speeds. Available with ultra-secure, platform independent 64-bit hardware encryption using patented Enova X-Wall™ technology, encrypting and decrypting data in real time, with no data transfer speed degradation. All models include USB1&2 connectivity, plus a choice of FW400 and/or FW800.

The full selection of Impact encrypted and non-encrypted Impact HDD enclosures is available here: http://www.radtech.us/Products/Impact.aspx


Sleevz™ Case for iPod 5G and nano.
RadTech’s unique, control-through Optex™ sleeve case is now available for iPod 5G and nano. Handmade in the USA, each Sleevz for iPod combine high-styled device protection while adding minimal bulk. Sleevz allow unrestricted access to all ports, plus complete control of the device right through the sleeve.
The complete line of Sleevz for iPod is available here: http://www.radtech.us/Products/SleevziPod.aspx


Acclaro™ Transparent Acrylic Clamshell iPod Case for 5G and nano.
A compact, lightweight and transparent Acrylic clamshell-style protective case for iPod nano and 5G. Rugged and stylish, Acclaro lets the beauty of the iPod show through, while surrounding it with an ice-like layer of hard-shell protection. Acclaro offers great bump, drop and finish protection for iPod's thanks to it's hardened Acrylic composition and generous 1.5 - 2.0mm wall thickness. Complete information regarding Acclaro is available here: http://www.radtech.us/Products/Acclaro.aspx


ClearCal™ Transparent Mylar Protective Panels for iPod 5G and nano.
A pair of ultra-thin and super-tough Mylar protective panels, which invisibly protect 5G and nano iPod front and rear surfaces. ClearCals are easy to apply and can be cleaned and reapplied multiple times with no reduction in performance. ClearCal's low surface tension adhesive features a healing effect that effectively hides minor surface defects and abrasions: http://www.radtech.us/Products/ClearCal.aspx


Gelz™ Economy Silicone Case for iPod.
Form-fitting Silicone protective case for Apple 4G, 5G, mini and nano iPods. Colorful, rugged, stylish and durable for long-lasting protection of your iPod's elegant finish. Skin-tight case enhances your grip when carrying and handling, and provides good impact protection from bumps and drops. Made from low-tack, medium density Silicone so it won't attract lint and debris. Belt-clip, lanyard and armband options are available for most: http://www.radtech.us/Products/Gelz.aspx

Cables & Connectivity for iPod.
For all cabling and connectivity solutions below: http://www.radtech.us/Products/CablesiPod.aspx
RetractCable™
-A selection of retractable connection cables and earbuds for iPod – USB, Firewire and analog varieties.
AutoPower™
-Automobile power port adapters providing female USB-A or female 6-pin Firewire connection ports.
CarConnection™
-Cassette player adapter routes analog music player audio to any cassette player.

XtremeMac Introduces MicroMemo High-Fidelity Voice Recorder for iPod
-At the Macworld Conference and Expo today, XtremeMac announced a new voice recorder for the iPod with video. The recorder, called MicroMemo, utilizes the iPod's high-fidelity audio capabilities to record 16-bit audio via an included, removable microphone, or any compatible microphone with a 3.5 mm plug. Powered by the iPod's internal battery, MicroMemo features a microphone with a flexible neck for recording memos and other audio content directly into the iPod. It connects via the Dock connector at the bottom of the iPod and includes a built-in speaker for instant playback without headphones. XtremeMac notes that this is the first recorder developed to take advantage of the new iPod's high-fidelity capability and is the only recorder of its kind to offer a removable microphone and built-in speaker. MicroMemo also boasts a one-touch recording feature that activates the recording mode even when the iPod is in play mode. With the press of a button, MicroMemo automatically switches the iPod from play to record mode.

"Tango is the newest member of our growing line of audio products for iPod." said Gary Bart, CEO of XtremeMac. "Our goal was to deliver phenomenal sound quality at any volume level, giving our customers the most flexibility in the way they use Tango, and we have succeeded in doing that."

"This is a groundbreaking device in the world of iPod accessories," said Gary Bart, CEO of XtremeMac. "MicroMemo adds a whole host of digital recording capabilites to the iPod, from simple voice memos to high quality digital audio from professional recording equipment. Now any audio device with a 3.5 mm connection can record directly to your iPod."

MicroMemo is scheduled to begin shipping in late Spring 2006 and will sell for a suggested retail price of $79.95. For more information on MicroMemo or Xtrememac, visit www.XtremeMac.com.

Stone Design ships Stone Works for INTEL
- Stone Design today announced immediate availability of fourteen of its top applications optimized to run on either INTEL or PPC in one handy download. These applications run natively on both architectures.
The download includes these applications:
    Create® - advanced page layout, illustration and web authoring
    iMaginator™ - image processing made easy
    PhotoToWeb® - quicklly make websites of your photos
    PStill™ - make PDF of all types and more
    TimeEqualsMoney™ - instant time tracking and billing
    SliceAndDice™ - turn images into web pages with hot links
    FontSight™ - add a visual font menu to native OS X apps
    GIFfun™ - make web animations
    Global Warmth™ - check the weather around the globe
    StampInStone™ - watermark any PDF
    PreferenceCommander™ - manage sets of preferences for any app
    iPhoto to PhotoToWeb plugin - quickly export iPhoto images to PhotoToWeb
    PackUpAndGo™ - quickly archive/unarchive cross-platform tarballs
    TrueBlue™ - convert your TrueType and OpenType fonts to PS Type 1 fonts

According to Stone Design’s CEO, Andrew Stone, “With Apple’s advanced development environment, we were able to quickly port all of our applications to run natively on INTEL processors. When I first launched Create on a 3.6 gigahertz CPU, my mind was blown by how fast it was! Apple has a real winner on its hands, and we wanted to be there right with them when they hit the ground running.” Stone Design’s acclaimed LicenserKit - a complete licensing solution for Mac OS X developers - is also now available for both INTEL and PPC.

For more information, please visit www.stone.com!

Keyspan announced today its A/V Dock and wireless A/V Remote for Apple's iPod.
-The feature-packed dock and wireless remote for iPod provide a simple and
convenient way to enjoy iPod music, photos or videos on a stereo or TV. They
are on display in booth #1049 at Macworld Expo.

New SleeveCase for Apple MacBook Pro from www.sfbags.com
-WaterField Designs have just started shipping a SleeveCase designed
specifically for Apple’s newly-introduced 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The
MacBook Pro SleeveCase is a slim, durable covering made of a sturdy
ballistic nylon shell and a high-grade neoprene interior that envelopes
itself around the MacBook Pro for a snug fit. It can be used as a
stand-alone case, or can be inserted into briefcases, messenger bags, or
backpacks. Customers have the option of personalizing their MacBook Pro
SleeveCase to match their own needs.WaterField Designs have just started shipping
a SleeveCase designed specifically for Apple’s newly-introduced 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The
MacBook Pro SleeveCase is a slim, durable covering made of a sturdy
ballistic nylon shell and a high-grade neoprene interior that envelopes
itself around the MacBook Pro for a snug fit. It can be used as a
stand-alone case, or can be inserted into briefcases, messenger bags, or
backpacks. Customers have the option of personalizing their MacBook Pro
SleeveCase to match their own needs.

MAXTOR EXTENDS SHARED STORAGE SIMPLICITY TO MAC USERS
-Maxtor Corporation (NYSE: MXO), the leader in consumer storage and backup solutions, announced today that it will be shipping its Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution with Mac support in February. With the same simplicity and ease of use found in all Maxtor external and network storage solutions, the enhanced Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution makes it easier than ever for Mac users to connect, store, share, stream, print, and automatically back up computer files, digital photos, music and videos to one central location on a home or small office network.

“After years of helping the Mac community store and protect data, our simple, elegant and automatic backup experience is now available for Mac users across our entire family of Maxtor OneTouch and Maxtor Shared Storage external storage and backup solutions,” said Stacey Lund, vice president of marketing, Maxtor Branded Products Group. “With the new Maxtor Shared Storage Plus, Mac users can rest assured they now have the ability to easily centralize and automatically back up all data on their home or small office network.”

As home network adoption continues to grow—approximately 61.9 million home networks will be deployed worldwide by the end of 2006 (IDC 2005)—the need for a simple and easy-to-install centralized storage solution becomes paramount. For instance, many first-time home network buyers are interested in sharing entertainment content between different devices, including using both Macs and PCs on a shared network. With the new Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution, a family could simultaneously listen to a music collection via a networked sound system upstairs, play movies on a networked theatre system in the living room and view a slide show of recent vacation photos on a laptop in the kitchen. Because the Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution is based on industry-standard DNLA and UPnP AV guidelines, consumers can easily share their digital content with a broad array of consumer electronics devices on the market.

Key features and benefits of the new Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution include:

Supports Bonjour for automatic network configuration, providing quick and easy installation for Mac users
Up to 20 users can simultaneously access and protect their files using multiple Macs or PCs on a shared network.
A quick-start CD automatically gives Mac or PC users a desktop icon for easy access to a shared public folder and a set of personal, password-protected private network folders.
Designed to industry-standard guidelines, the Maxtor Shared Storage Plus solution requires no active Mac or PC on the network to share and stream digital files to networked home entertainment devices.
The solution includes two USB ports to connect and share two USB printers or two additional external storage drives or one of each.
Industry-compliant media serving capabilities allow users to stream content on compatible UPnP AV digital media adapters for viewing content on televisions or listening to music on stereo systems.
Users can set privacy levels for shared folders with an intuitive browser interface.
To organize digital files, Maxtor's exclusive Drag and Sort™ feature automatically identifies and sorts more than 100 different file types and puts them in specific music, photo, movie, Web, software or documents folders.
The solution’s SimpleView™ feature acts like a built-in IT administrator, providing detailed backup and storage status at a glance to all users on the network.
Integrated and easy-to-use software allows users to automatically back up hours of creative work stored on networked Mac or Windows computers, such as digital video and audio files as well as vital home or business documents.

NEW From Versiontracker! The MacIntel Resource Centers
Intel-based Macs represent the biggest upheaval in the Mac universe since the introduction of Mac OS X. Developers have been cooking up "Universal Binaries" and "OSX-Intel Native" versions of their apps for months now, and the quickest way to find them is with the sleek new MacIntel Resource Centers, where we have collected software listings, troubleshooting tips, and newsbits for the new platform.

http://www.versiontracker.com/macintel/
http://www.macfixit.com/macintel/

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Got a iPod and 60 seconds? We Got a Review for you

The Digital Dispatch has launched a free Mac Product Review Service aimed at iPod with Video owners.
In order to supplement the monthly publication of Canada #1 Mac Tip sheet the Digital Dispatch is making available to all
Mac fans 60 Seconds Reviews capsules in .m4v format, to be played back on any iPod with Video or iTunes player.

"It's something you can watch over and over or even bring with you inside of a store to guide your purchase process,
"It will be a revolution in itself, and so much more practical than say trying to read a review from your iPod" Declared
Hugo Trottier Editor of the Digital Dispatch 60 Seconds Reviews.

The first 3 "Digital Dispatch 60 Seconds Reviews" are:

-The Digital Dispatch 60 Seconds Review Featuring The Cult of iPod Book From No Starch Press.

-The Digital Dispatch 60 Seconds Review Featuring The iDog by Hasbro.

-The Digital Dispatch First 60 Seconds Review Featuring Getting Started With
Adobe InDesign CS2 Personal Seminar from Peachpit Press.

They are all available for download now and are free at:
http://www.ourmedia.org/node/129950

The Digital Dispatch as never stop innovating by starting one of the first Canadian "All Mac All The Time" News Site
As well as publishing over 200 PDF (The Digital Dispatch Magazine), 20 Podcast (Mp3) and as recently open a "Portal"
(The Digital Dispatch Help Center) to answers Mac related Questions and exchange on various Mac
Subjects. All of that for FREE and without advertising revenues. Making for the end users one of the most credible source of information about Mac products in Canada.
The Digital Dispatch as been in operation since the year 2000.