Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2007.01.12
PowerBook, iBook, MacBook, and other portable computing is
covered in The 'Book Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products
Software
News & Opinion
Things to Never Do to Your Mac
InformationWeek's Sharon Gaudin says:
"While a lot of Mac users could easily fit into the die-hard,
they'd-never-use-anything-else category, that doesn't necessarily
mean they're good to their machines.
"Bob LeVitus, known as Dr. Bob to the readers of his tech column
in the Houston Chronicle, says he's always amazed at how
people treat their beloved machines - that is, how badly they treat
their machines. To curb some of these bad tendencies, Dr. Bob is
offering a session at Macworld Expo called 'A Dozen Things You
Should Never Do To Your Mac.'....
"In an interview with InformationWeek, LeVitus offered up four
of his tips for keeping your data safe, your computer out of the
repair shop, and your IT workers from yelling at you."
Editor's Note: Excellent and concisely presented advice. Don't
miss this one. cwm
Link:
Things to Never Do to Your Mac
New 802.11n AirPort Extreme Has Five Times the
Performance, Twice the Range
PR: Apple has introduced the new AirPort Extreme, a
simple and elegant wireless networking solution delivering up to
five times the performance and twice the range of the previous
AirPort Extreme. Based on 802.11n,* AirPort Extreme extends a
wireless network to even more areas in a home or office and makes
streaming digital content and transferring large files faster and
easier. The new AirPort Extreme Base Station features a sleek, new
design with connections for networked computers, printers and a USB
hard drive to quickly and easily share files or back up valuable
data and content.
"The new Airport Extreme is the most powerful and
easy to use WiFi base station that we have ever made," said Philip
Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product
Marketing. "With five times the performance and twice the range,
now you can transfer bigger files faster and get access to the
Internet and your favorite digital media from many areas in your
house you couldn't reach before."
Using MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) smart antennas and 802.11n
technology, AirPort Extreme now delivers greater data throughput
and extends the reach of wireless connectivity to more areas of the
home, business or school. With the ability to operate in either the
2.4 GHz or 5 GHz wireless frequencies, AirPort Extreme also reduces
the possibility of interference from appliances and cordless phones
that operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency. AirPort Extreme is backward
compatible with Macs and PCs using previous generation 802.11b/g
wireless technologies.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station features a simple, new design
that is just 6.5" square and 1.3" tall, and a built-in USB port
allows users to print wirelessly to a USB printer or turn any
external USB hard drive into a shared drive so they can share files
or backup valuable data from multiple computers on a network. New
AirPort Utility software included with every AirPort Extreme makes
it very easy to set up a secure, wireless network for up to 50
simultaneous users within minutes. Users can also set security
restrictions, including Internet access limits on their childrens'
computers.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station also includes:
- 802.11n WiFi wireless networking;
- MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) smart antennas;
- dual-band antennas for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies;
- three 10/100 Ethernet LAN ports;
- one 10/100 Ethernet WAN port;
- one USB port;
- WiFi Protected Access (WPA/WPA-2), 128-bit WEP encryption;
and
- a built-in NAT firewall.
Pricing & Availability
The new AirPort Extreme Base Station will be available in
February through the Apple Store, at Apple's retail stores, and
Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $179.
Nearly all currently shipping Macs** support 802.11n when updated
with 802.11n Enabler software, which ships with the AirPort Extreme
Base Station.
Intel Releases Workstation-friendly Quad-core
Xeons
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"CES 2007 Intel today rolled out a pair of four-core Xeon server
chips for single-socket systems. The two CPUs, the Xeon X3210 and
X3220, are effectively Core 2 Quads rebranded. Both combine two
dual-core processors in a single chip package.
"The two Xeons are clocked at 2.13 GHz and 2.4 GHz,
respectively. Both run over a 1066 MHz frontside bus and contain
8 MB of L2 cache - 4 MB of shared cache per pair of
cores."
Editor's note: Apple uses the dual-core Xeon in the Mac Pro. This paves the way for 8-core
Macs with two quad-core CPUs. dk
Link:
Intel Releases Workstation-friendly Quad-core Xeons
Macs Crowd Out Linux but No Threat to
Windows
LinuxWorld's Phil Hochmuth writes:
"The growth of Macintosh desktop clients in enterprises will be
more of a hindrance to Linux desktop growth than Windows, one
analyst firm says in a recent report.
"Gartner says the increasing popularity of Apple's desktop
operating system in some enterprises could come at the expense of
Linux desktops. Popular marketing and advertising campaigns for
Macs has the machines on the minds of some corporate computer
users, while Linux desktops are still somewhat obscure."
Link: Macs
Crowd Out Linux on Corporate Desktops but No Threat to
Windows
Intel Adds 'Wolfdale', 'Yorkfield' to Desktop
Roadmap
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Intel's 45nm desktop dual-core processor will be codenamed
'Wolfdale' and appear in Q4, the latest roadmap slide to leak out
of the chip giant has revealed. The part is based on 'Penryn', the
45nm incarnation of the Core 2 Duo architecture and the first
platform to support SSE 4.
"Alas, the slide, published by Chinese-language site HKEPC,
simply says Wolfdale is a 45nm, dual-core part with a 65W TDP, as
per the current generation of Core 2 Duos."
Link:
Intel Adds 'Wolfdale', 'Yorkfield' to Desktop Roadmap
Mopar Expands Availability of iPod Integration
for Chrysler Group Vehicles
PR: Mopar, DaimlerChrysler's original equipment
manufacturer, announced it has expanded availability of its
factory-engineered iPod Integration Kits for most Chrysler Group
vehicles. The audio integration system accessory was launched in
early 2006. The iPod Integration Kit from Mopar Authentic
Accessories provides direct connectivity between the customer's
iPod and the vehicle's audio sound system.
Offering true interface, the iPod attaches to the custom cable
port located in the glove box. The iPod adapter module is concealed
under the vehicle dash, translating and then sending the signal to
the vehicle's radio receiver. Once attached, all iPod control
functions are available through the vehicle's audio sound system.
This hardware interface provides optimal digital audio quality so
all passengers can enjoy the iPod tracks. Using the audio system or
steering wheel controls, drivers can browse their iPod music
collection of playlists, song titles, and artists that are viewable
on the radio display face. Radio display and audio prompt features
vary between radio model. While the iPod is connected to the cable
port, it's continually charging - whether it's playing or turned
off.
"People love their iPods and they love their cars. Expanding
availability of our iPod Integration Kits means more Chrysler Group
vehicle owners can hit the road and enjoy both," said Chris Cortez,
Senior Vice President - Global Service & Parts, Chrysler Group.
"This iPod accessory lets our customers put 'their' music on
hassle-free. We're committed to pioneering OEM accessories to
enhance the driving experience for our customers."
The popular iPod, iPod mini, iPod photo, iPod nano and iPod
video are compatible with Mopar's audio integration systems. iPod
device is sold separately. Specifically engineered to interface
with select model year 2006 and newer Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge
vehicle electronics, the iPod Integration Kits from Mopar are
available for purchase and installation at Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge
dealerships across the country. The following iPod Integration Kits
are available:
- Can-B Integrated (#82209617AC, $215) for the Chrysler Aspen,
Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger,
Dodge Caliber, Dodge Ram, Dodge Durango, Dodge Dakota, Jeep
Compass, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander
- J-1850 Integrated (#82209616AC, $179) for the Jeep Liberty,
Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and
Chrysler Pacifica There are also two FM-modulated versions
available:
- FM-Bounded (#82210181, $139) for Jeep Liberty, Jeep Commander,
Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot, Chrysler Pacifica,
Chrysler 300, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler Aspen, Chrysler Town
& Country, Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan, Dodge Charger,
Dodge Magnum, Dodge Ram, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Dakota, Dodge
Durango
- FM-Bounded (#82210848, $139) for Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Nitro,
Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger The iPod Integration Kit will be
installed in a Chrysler 300C at the North American International
Auto Show. Visit the Alpine Electronics of America booth for a
device demonstration. The iPod Integration Kit from Mopar is
covered under DaimlerChrysler's 3- year/36,000-mile New Vehicle
Limited Warranty or Mopar's 12-month/12,000-mile Limited Warranty,
whichever is more favorable to the customer. These warranties are
serviced by Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships.
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for
a dedicated parts supplier led to the formation of the Chrysler
Motor Parts Division. In 1937, Mopar (a simple contraction of the
words MOtor and PARts) was created for the business of distributing
parts through a depot system and car divisional wholesalers. Mopar
made its mark in the 1960s - the muscle car era. Beginning in 1962,
Mopar carried a line of "Special Parts" for super stock drag racers
and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance
Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, the Chrysler Group's Global Service & Parts division is
responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly
250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and
accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold around the
world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar
parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to
DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.
Hitachi Shatters Capacity Record with World's
First Terabyte Hard Drive
PR: Consumers' ability to store video, photos, music and
other valued data will reach new heights as Hitachi Global Storage
Technologies today announced the industry's first terabyte (TB)
hard drive. Delivering superior performance and reliability, as
well as capacity, Hitachi's 1 TB hard drive meets the needs of
consumers who want to create, share and store their digital
information, and lots of it. Hitachi's Deskstar 7K1000 will begin
shipping to retail customers in the first quarter of 2007 at a
suggested retail price of $399, or 40 cents per gigabyte (GB). This
new consumer-friendly price makes ultrahigh storage capacity more
affordable and accessible than ever before.
Along with the Deskstar 7K1000 for the retail market, Hitachi is
also announcing today a CinemaStar version 1 TB hard drive,
which provides optimized capabilities specifically designed for
digital video recording (DVR) applications. Consumers have come to
rely on their digital video recorders (DVRs) to record and store
their favorite programs, and with the increasing availability of
high-definition (HD) TV programming, 1 TB of storage will
become a necessity. High-definition video requires 4 to 5 times
more storage capacity than standard-definition video and a terabyte
drive allows viewers to easily store and retrieve almost 250 hours
of HD programming (additional storage facts can be found in the
accompanying press release addendum).
"The industry's first one-terabyte hard drive represents a
milestone that is 50 years in the making, and it reasserts the hard
drive's leadership as the highest-capacity, lowest-cost storage
technology," said Shinjiro Iwata, chief marketing officer, Hitachi
Global Storage Technologies. "In the 51st year, Hitachi is leading
a new era for hard drives - not only providing large amounts of
affordable storage, but also customizing and optimizing hard drives
to deliver products that are smarter, more durable and more useful
to the consumer."
Consumers have entered an era where everything they capture on
digital still or video, listen to and write, can be saved and
shared for future enjoyment. In the connected home, storage becomes
the epicenter of the home network, linking the living room, the
office and the bedroom together in a truly digitally-connected
home. The family's games, home movies, photos and music can be
stored and accessed from a variety of digital entertainment devices
within the home. As the distribution of video content to social
networking sites and to handheld devices becomes more commonplace,
storage capacity requirements will reach new heights. In this
scenario, consumers can begin to imagine what they would do with
all that capacity. With 1 TB, Hitachi's Deskstar 7K1000, for
PCs and home media centers and the CinemaStar 7K1000 for DVRs help
to usher in this new era.
Hitachi's 1 TB products deliver the performance and
reliability required for the digital lifestyle. The 3.5" 7200 RPM
Parallel-ATA/Serial-ATA hard drives are built on the industry's
most reliable perpendicular magnetic recording technology, first
established with Hitachi's Travelstar 2.5" and 1.8" product
lines.
"Consumers who increasingly rely on hard disk drives to store
their digital memories are seeking higher capacity and more
reliable HDDs," said John Rydning, research manager for hard disk
drives at IDC. "Reaching 1 TB of capacity in a disk drive is a
testament to 50 years of innovation by the hard disk drive
industry, and helps to ensure sufficient storage capacity is
available to meet increasing consumer storage requirements."
Maximizing Value - The "Smart" Hard Drive
Hitachi is focused on maximizing the value of the hard drive by
spearheading the era of the "smart" hard drive. Customized features
have been incorporated into Hitachi's hard drives, tailoring them
for the application-set that they serve. To that end, Hitachi's
1 TB hard drives are targeted to two distinct application
areas:
- Deskstar 7K1000 - gaming and high-performance PCs, external
storage devices and upgrade applications
- SATA 3.0 Gb/s and PATA-133 interfaces
- Ramp load design for increased shock protection
- Three low-power idle modes to boost power efficiency
- CinemaStar 7K1000 - DVR applications
- Adaptive error recovery and SMART command transport for
optimized video streaming and picture quality
- Smooth Stream Technology to optimize the drive for audio/video
applications requiring reliable storage
"Bedroom Quiet" Acoustics
Finally, an enterprise version of the TB drive designed for
lower duty-cycle, high-capacity enterprise environments is
currently under evaluation at major OEM customers and is expected
to be available in the second quarter.
Pricing and Availability
The Deskstar 7K1000 SATA version will be available in Q1 2007 at
750-GB and one-TB capacities. The 1 TB capacity point will
have a suggested retail price of $399.
The CinemaStar 1 TB hard drive will be available in the
second quarter.
Technical Specifications
- 1000/750 GB - SATA (GB = 1 billion bytes, accessible capacity
may be less)
- 148 billion bits per square inch maximum areal density
- 1070 Mb/s max. media data rate
- 8.7 ms average seek time (with command overhead)
- 7,200 RPM, 4.17 ms average latency
- Serial-ATA 3.0 Gb/s
- 32 MB data buffer - SATA
- 26.1 mm in height (max)
- 700g in weight (max)
- 5/4 platters, 10/8 recording heads - SATA
- 300 G/1 ms pulse nonoperating shock
- 9.0 (5 disk)/8.1 (4 disk) watt idle power - SATA
- 2.9 Bels typical idle acoustics
- 5-60° C operating temperature
Link: Hitachi
Products
Pretec i-Disk Jelly Colorful Flash Drives
PR: Pretec, the inventor of i-Disk Tiny and i-Disk Charm,
has expanded the portfolio of the smallest USB flash drives in the
world by introducing the new i-Disk Jelly, a soft touch cover and
fashion accessory based on patented i-Disk Tiny.
With lively housing
design, Pretec i-Disk Jelly combines characteristic concept and
amusing feature to add to your storage vivacity and style.
Capacities ranging from 128 MB to 4 GB, the housing is
changeable with translucent orange, green, blue, red, and black. An
extra Jelly housing is included for changing to match your mood or
outfit.
Special software features such as Auto login, Mobile lock, and
Mobile mail management for productivity and secure data mobility
and confidentiality. Auto login software offers a solution to login
to web pages automatically without entering a password or special
information requirement. Mobile Lock makes USB flash disk as a key
to protect user computer. When user removes the USB flash drive,
Mobile Lock will lock the PC or notebook with a photo slideshow
until a password is entered. Mobile Mail allows the user to send or
receive email without leaving and personal data in public PC.
Based on Pretec i-Disk Tiny (the smallest USB flash drive in the
world until 2005), which has been hailed by TIME Magazine (Nov.
2003) as "Best Gear of 2003", capacity up to 4 GB, enough for
2-hr video playback in MPEG4 format, i-Disk Jelly integrates
security and productivity software with a stylish design and is
another innovative combination of eye-catching fashion accessory
and digital gadget that can enable a sense of "Store In Style",
satisfying both your business and personal storage needs in trendy
settings wherever you go.
Link: Pretec
Toshiba Enters Personal Storage Market with USB
2.0 Portable Hard Drives
PR: Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the industry
pioneer in mobile storage products, will capitalize on its 2.5"
hard disk drive (HDD) technology expertise and consumer brand
leadership with a new line of USB 2.0 portable external hard drives
in 100 GB, 120 GB and 160 GB* capacities. Available in North
America, Toshiba's new personal storage line of 2.5" HDDs provides
a unique solution for data back-up by enabling automatic power-on
and save capabilities for worry-free content management.
As consumers are embracing a digital lifestyle, the importance
of easy-to-use back-up solutions for personal memories and other
entertainment content is critical. Toshiba's USB 2.0 Portable
External Hard Drive line provides a worry-free solution for back-up
of cherished photo, video, music and data files for the growing
digital home and home office.
"The need for backing up and preserving digital data is
increasing quickly among the massive consumer base," said Dave
Reinsel, director of storage hardware research at International
Data Corporation (IDC). "In 2006, more hard disk drive terabytes
shipped into personal storage devices worldwide than in the
enterprise storage market. This important inflection point
exemplifies the critical need for companies to offer reliable and
easy-to-use backup solutions that will help the masses protect and
preserve their digital memories."
Simple, Scheduled, Automatic, and Reliable
The Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive is
automatically powered through a USB cable when the computer is
turned on for switch-free on/off functions. Bundled with the
award-winning NTI Shadow™ software, the back-up solution
eliminates the need to push a button or click an icon to activate
back-up once parameters are set. The NTI Shadow™ software
runs in the background, capturing updates to files and
automatically saving them to the external drive. The often tedious
back-up process is further simplified by choosing continuous or
specific days, times and frequencies for back-up operation in the
setup process.
"We married our expertise in hard drives with years of consumer
insight as a leading retail brand to design the best possible
personal storage products," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of
marketing, Toshiba SDD. "This solution is for everyone from tech
aficionados to novices - especially people who have been afraid of
data back-up but know they need a solution for treasured personal
memories. With click-free and switch-free operation, data back-up
is a snap."
Style with Substance
Packaged in sleek black aluminum housing with a blue power-on
indicator light, the Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
is an attractive complement to any notebook or desktop PC. At 5.6"
long by 3.5" wide and less than 1" tall (142.08mm by 88.0mm by
23.65mm), the drive is a space-saver on the desktop. The new
external hard drive incorporates Toshiba's all-new, patent-pending
shock mounting and ventilation system for a trouble-free mobile
storage solution. For added security, Toshiba is including a
one-year limited warranty program for its personal storage
devices.
Availability
The Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive will be on
retail store shelves in Spring 2007 at price points starting at
$139.99.
Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- Capacities 100 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB
- Dimensions 0.94" (H) x 3.5" (W) x 5.6" (L) 23.65mm (H) x 88.0mm
(W) x 142.08mm (L)
- Interface USB 2.0; (USB 1.1 Compatible)
- Compatibility Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista /Macintosh OS X
10.3.9 (Universal Application)
- System Requirements
- Available USB 2.0 Port
- CD-ROM Drive (for software)
- USB 1.1 requires 2 USB Ports
Link: Toshiba
Storage
LaCie Introduces Six Storage Solutions with
Professional Performance & Design
PR: LaCie begins the new year by introducing six new
storage solutions to help people easily manage their digital lives,
from professionals to everyday users. New products pair innovative
design with powerful technology, and LaCie has partnered with
trusted tech companies EMC Insignia, Panasonic and Roxio to deliver
the most comprehensive storage solutions available.
LaCie US CEO Scott Phillips said, "These six new products are
representative of what you can expect to see from LaCie in 2007. We
will expand our professional ranges such as networking, RAID and
biometrics, while continuing to offer extremely competitive pricing
for consumer products. LaCie is your one-stop shop for storage and
high-end peripherals."
Four products feature LaCie's trusted d2 case design made of
sturdy aluminum alloy. Each has a different functionality from
biometrics to networking and more. The d2 design was originally
created in 2003 by Neil Poulton and stands upright, lays horizontal
or can be rack-mounted.
New products include:
- LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive is the first external Blu-ray solution
for Windows/Mac available worldwide. Fully equipped with Roxio
burning software and dual FireWire/USB interfaces. The drive
records, rewrites and reads 25 GB or 50 GB BD-R (recordable) and
BD-RE (rewritable), as well as DVD±RW DL and CD±RW.
Comes with one 50 GB Blu-ray Disc from Panasonic. Pre-order today
for $1,149.
- LaCie Quadra Hard Drive is a versatile storage solution with
quadruple interfaces (USB/FW400/FW800/eSATA) for use in
professional environments. Equipped with new LaCie Shortcut Button
- the blue button on front of the drive - to quickly launch
favorite applications, documents or back up files at the touch of a
button. Bundled with EMC Retrospect Express Backup Software for
Windows/Mac. The 500 GB is available today for $299.
- LaCie d2 SAFE Hard Drive is a biometric access hard drive
designed to protect private data from unauthorized use. Comes in
LaCie's sturdy d2 case with triple interface (FW800/400/USB 2.0)
and triple security levels including a biometric sensor, 128-bit
AES data encryption and chain lock port. Register up to 10
fingerprints - five users with minimum two prints each - and
lock/unlock the drive with the swipe of a finger. Comes with LaCie
1-Click Backup Software for Windows/Mac. The 500 GB is available
today for $299.
- LaCie Ethernet Disk mini & Ethernet Big Disk are network
storage solutions designed for small office/home office use with
five different capacities and price points to fit any budget. Disks
allow even novice users to set up a home network via simple
installation wizards, and instantly create a central repository for
files accessible over FTP, HTTP or a home wired or wireless
connection. Equipped with two USB ports for using as a personal
hard drive off-network, expanding capacity over the network, or
sharing photos directly from a digital camera. Comes with LaCie
1-Click Backup Software for Windows/Mac. Available today for $199
(250 GB), $249 (320 GB), $299 (500 GB), $349 (640 GB) and $499
(1 TB).
- LaCie Ethernet Disk RAID is a flexible RAID 5 network storage
for small business or workgroups, powered by an Intel 80219
processor. Comes with a complete system backup and recovery client
for Windows that allows for automatic incremental backups from
localized client machines and network/remote booting. Offers file
sharing for Windows/Mac/Linux, RAID security (0, 1, 10, 5+spare),
four hot-swappable SATA drives, and more. Equipped with two Gigabit
LAN ports to act as a DHCP server or a local Gigabit network, and
two USB 2.0 ports for easily adding storage to the network.
- LaCie FireWire Speakers are the first-ever set of FireWire
bus-powered speakers in a sleek and compact black-and-white design
by Neil Poulton. Built-in FireWire cable provides power, no AC
adapter needed. 8-watt minimum output for left-right speakers
offers excellent sound fidelity. Available today for $79.
New products will make their debut at Macworld Expo in San
Francisco's Moscone Center from January 9-12. Visit LaCie Booth
#S2226 for a hands-on look. LaCie will also offer special Macworld
pricing on its most popular hard drives for a limited time via the
LaCie Store Online or direct at 503-844-4502.
Link: LaCie
Belkin Flip DVI-D Lets You Use One
Dual-link DVI Monitor with Two Computers
PR: Belkin Flip DVI-D lets you share your keyboard,
mouse, speakers, and DVI monitor for both your computers, keeping
your desktop free of extra peripherals and cables. A simple,
stylish remote button sits on your desk and lets you flip between
your two computers.
Now Mac users can enjoy using their large Apple cinema display
for both their computers, whether they be notebooks or
desktops.
- Flips easily between computers with a simple press of the
remote button
- Supports both single link (1600 x 1200) and dual link (2560 x
1600) video modes
- Provides full support for all USB-based Mac and PC keyboards,
including special function keys
- Supports both Mac and Windows desktop and notebook
computers
- Lets you listen to music files on one computer while you work
on the other
- Features a 2-color LED that indicates which computer Flip is
accessing
- Comes with a Belkin 3-Year Warranty
Availability
February with launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia to
follow.
Flip DVI-D 2-Port KVM Switch - $149.99
Link: Belkin
Software
Power Manager Reduces Your Mac's Energy
Costs
PR: DssW has announced the launch of Power Manager 3.5
for Mac OS X. The new version of Power Manager makes energy
saving easy. Power Manager 3.5 introduces a Schedule Assistant to
help users start saving immediately; a status menu that provides
quick access to upcoming events; and AppleScript, Automator, and
UNIX scripting to give advanced users greater control over their
schedule.
The status menu gives users easy access to their schedule. It
takes advantage of new flexible scheduling in Power Manager 3.5,
allowing users to cancel or delay any pending event with a single
click. The status menu features a new Quick Schedule function, the
fastest way to schedule one-off events.
Power Manger 3.5 has some great new features for administrators
and advanced users. "Scheduling your Mac has never been so easy,"
said Graham Miln, DssW's director. "The new engine puts the full
capabilities of Power Manager in the hands of our users."
AppleScript, Automator, and UNIX scripting, allows administrators
to control and customise Power Manager 3.5 to meet the individual
needs of their organisation. Security is now delegated to the Mac
OS X authentication services, providing better integration of Power
Manager 3.5 with existing solutions.
The Power Manager System Preference features an improved
interface, allowing users to name events in their schedule; and
undo support, giving users the freedom to experiment. The System
Preference is home to the Schedule Assistant. The Schedule
Assistant helps users get started with Power Manager 3.5 by
creating a customised schedule to suit their lifestyle.
Other new features include launched support, improved
notification dialogs, and software update checks.
Power Manager helps users save energy by automating their Macs.
Users can schedule their Macs to start up or wake, shut down,
restart, log out, switch to the login window, and sleep.
Whether you have one Mac or 10,000, Power Manager makes saving
energy simple.
System requirements are Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.
Version 3.5 is free for registered users of Power Manager 3.
Power Manager is available today for €20. Volume
discounts for 100+ Macs are available.
Link: Power
Manager
Magellan and Mac Together at Last
PR: MacGPS Pro software connects GPS receivers and your
Mac. It works with Garmin and Magellan GPS receivers for
transferring Waypoints, Routes, Tracklogs, and GPS satellite
Almanacs. It works with many brands of GPS receivers for a
real-time display of GPS information on a moving map on the
Macintosh screen. The software, which requires Mac OS X 10.2
or later, is available for $50 ($10 more for CD-ROM)
Link: Magellan
and Mac Together at Last
Hardware Monitor Reads All Mac
Sensors
PR: Hardware Monitor is an application to read out all
available hardware sensors in Macintosh computers
Hardware Monitor is an application to read out all accessible
hardware sensors in Macintosh computers. Currently more than 100
different Macintosh hardware sensors and more than 200 hard drive
temperature sensors are supported. The program can visualize the
history graphs of the readings, display measured values in a large
variety of fashions, or announce readings by speech output. It can
also store and export readings. Depending on what sensors are built
into your Macintosh system, the following data can be accessed:
- Temperature readings at different locations
- Battery data of portable computers
- Voltage sensors
- Current (amperage) sensors
- Fan speed sensors
- Sensors for pulse-width controlled fans
- Power and load sensors
- Ambient light sensors
- User-defined artificial sensors to monitor the operating
system
New in version 4.1:
- Added support for a large number of voltage, current
(amperage), power, and light sensors for Intel-based Macintosh
systems.
- Added full support for the new Apple Xserve Quad Xeon.
- Added support for S.M.A.R.T. temperature sensors in SATA drives
connected via an SAS bus.
- Removed support for the internal Intel CPU sensor monitoring
the target value of the core voltage. This is now superseded by the
voltage sensors monitoring the actual core voltage supply.
- Added new "disk saver" preference which allows users to stop
monitoring of internal hard drive sensors when the system is idle.
Idle drives can now enter sleep mode and be held in sleep mode,
independently of S.M.A.R.T. monitor time interval settings.
- The user interface for drawers in the history windows has been
consolidated. There is now a single drawer for colors and extreme
values.
- The color preferences for the visualization of sensors can now
also be set via the color drawers of history windows.
- Added feature to add small labels to history curves. The labels
use the sensors' short names configured in preferences.
- Added feature to automatically recover from situations where
one sensor stopped responding and the application was about to be
halted by the operating system. (These situations can typically
occur in machines where hard drives need more than 12 seconds to
wake up from sleep mode, or where third-party applications are
blocking the ATA busses for extended periods of time.) When such a
situation is detected, the application will automatically stop all
its activities, allowing the operating system to resolve the
problem. After a certain amount of time, the application will
reactivate itself and resume operation.
- The rounding of readings from frequency sensors of x86
processors has been updated according to Intel's
recommendations.
- Access to sensors where the user preference "Don't acquire
readings" was switched on is now prevented completely at the
hardware level.
- Corrected a problem where the installation of the driver for
extended x86 sensor support could fail if the application had been
put in a folder which had a name with non-ASCII characters.
- Corrected a problem where a memory sensor in portable Core 2
Duo systems was misidentified as being a memory riser-card
sensor.
- Corrected a problem where the internal temperature sensor of
Hitachi Deskstar 7K500 drives was no longer seen as functioning
sensor.
- Corrected a problem in the preference panel where some settings
in the user interface were not updated correctly when the
configuration tables for history windows and alerts were only
controlled by keyboard, not by mouse.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.2 or later
System support: PPC/Intel
Price: $10 Shareware
Link: Hardware
Monitor
Nisus Software Announces Nisus Writer
Pro
PR: Nisus Software has announced Nisus Writer Pro, an
advanced, yet easy to use word processor for Mac OS X.
Building on the core of the highly successful Nisus Writer
Express, Nisus Writer Pro brings new features such as Table of
Contents, Cross References, Bookmarks, Text Wrap Around Images,
Widow and Orphan Control, and Line Numbering. Classic Nisus Writer
users will remember such features as attribute sensitive Find and
Replace, Glossaries, and many, many additions to the Nisus Macro
Language.
"This is the major upgrade we have promised our customers" says
Jerzy Lewak, president and CEO of Nisus Software, Inc. "Classic
Nisus Writer users will recognize that Nisus Writer Pro has most of
the best features they have come to depend on plus more, which
should be a pleasant surprise."
Nisus Writer Pro will read Word (.doc), Word Perfect, and
AbiWord documents.
Nisus Writer Pro will be available in late Winter/early Spring
2007. Pricing will be announced at that time.
System Requirements
- G3 (or better), Intel-based Macs
- Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later (Mac OS X 10.4 recommended)
Link: Nisus Writer
Pro
Bare Bones Software Releases
TextWrangler 2.2
PR: Bare Bones Software, Inc. has announced the release
and immediate availability of TextWrangler 2.2, a significant
upgrade to the award-winning text editor.
With more than a hundred new features and improvements,
TextWrangler 2.2 represents a major interface overhaul for this
popular, general-purpose text processing tool. The changes are
designed to streamline navigation and ease discovery of
TextWrangler's powerful feature set.
"TextWrangler gives the Mac community a strong, capable text
editor," explained Rich Siegel, founder and CEO of Bare Bones
Software, Inc. "As the little brother to BBEdit, this update brings
to TextWrangler the well-conceived, attractively presented
enhancements and features which help increase our customers'
productivity. For TextWrangler 2.2, we've taken a huge leap forward
in interface polish and usability, increasing the potential for the
Mac community to be more productive than ever."
TextWrangler is a...
- General Purpose Text Editor
- Programmer's Text Editor
- Unix And Server Administrator's Tool
- Powerful Text Transformer And Manipulator
- Good Mac OS Citizen
- Powerfully Useful Tool
- product developed in the best traditions of Bare Bones
Software, with high performance, ease of use, a rich feature set,
and the ability to read its own release notes
TextWrangler 2.2 provides extensive improvements to the layout
and usability of text-editing views including a revised and
simplified tool bar, and enhancements to the navigation bar to
speed navigation within the current document. An expanded status
bar displays document properties at a glance, and allows quick
access for adjustments.
TextWrangler 2.2 can now read and write the "binary property
list" format used in Mac OS X 10.4. The ability to seamlessly
open and save of gzip-compressed (.gz) text files, extends to
binary property lists that are themselves gzip-compressed.
Version 2.2 also provides significant improvements to the
built-in Java, TeX, and JavaScript language support. Plus,
customers can now adjust display and editing options on a
per-language basis, providing maximum control in the pursuit of
improved productivity.
TextWrangler's Preferences window, the nerve center for
controlling and customizing TextWrangler's behaviors, has been
extensively revised and simplified. A new Menus preference panel
provides unified control over TextWrangler's menu structure,
including adjustment of keyboard equivalents and the ability to
show and hide individual menu commands and even entire menus.
The powerful Find Differences feature highlights specific
character differences within a changed line. An improved FTP/SFTP
browser is now more discoverable, and in TextWrangler 2.2
immediately becomes available when choosing "Open from FTP/SFTP
Server." The revised Disk Browser window now presents a
hierarchical file listing, and provides the ability to apply
TextWrangler's powerful file filters to reduce the size of the
list, if desired.
TextWrangler 2.2 incorporates version 5.0 of the Perl-Compatible
Regular Expression library (PCRE). TextWrangler 2.2 also now
supports "check spelling as you type."
Detailed information on all of the changes and improvements
implemented in TextWrangler 2.2 can be found at
http://www.barebones.com/support/textwrangler/current_notes.shtml
TextWrangler 2.2 is available immediately, free of charge for
all Mac users and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
TextWrangler 2.2 may be obtained from Bare Bones Software
at:
Commercial licensing terms are available for companies who wish
to add value to their products by including TextWrangler 2 in the
product distribution. For additional details on TextWrangler 2 and
other Bare Bones Software products, please visit the company's
website, send email to sales@barebones.com, or call (781)
687-0700.
TextWrangler is the sibling product to BBEdit, the award-winning
HTML and text editor for the Macintosh. BBEdit offers professionals
and passionate hobbyists even more power, from the advanced HTML
and CSS tools to seamless integration with version control systems,
Text Factory, Glossaries and much more.
TextWrangler 2.2 System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.4 or later
- Universal Binary (for PowerPC and Intel processors)
System support: Universal Binary (for PowerPC and Intel
processors)
TextWrangler 2.2 is available immediately, free of charge for
all Mac users.
Registered TextWrangler users may upgrade to BBEdit at a
significant discount. BBEdit offers professionals even more power,
from advanced HTML and CSS tools to seamless integration with
version control systems, Text Factory, Glossaries and much
more.
Editor's note: TextWrangler is one of the invaluable freeware
tools we use when producing content for Low End Mac. dk
Link: TextWrangler
Desktop Mac
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