Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Top Stories
Apple Executives On Upcoming WWDC
"People are going to be blwon away by Panther."
Apple Announces Chicago, Tokyo, SF Stores
Apple announced that during the next 12 months it plans to open 20 new Apple retail stores, including its first store in downtown Chicago, on North Michigan Avenue; its first store in San Francisco, in Union Square; and its first retail store outside of the U.S., in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district.
News
NetNewsWire Lite Update Fixes Bugs, More
Ranchero Software has released NetNewsWire Lite v1.0.3, a new version of the Mac OS X-native RSS newsreader.
Creative Labs I-Trigue: Giving Voice To The iPod
Now that you have your new iPod, you'll want a desktop speaker system that converts your small white wonder into a reverb room of sound.
WWDC Early Bird Registration Ends Friday
The Early Bird registration discount for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which offers a savings of US$300, ends this Friday, May 23.
U2, Johnson Top Apple Charts
Although these initial numbers are impressive, they represent a small portion of the music industry's $11.5 billion annual revenue.
"The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" : Compositing The Middle-Earth Adventure
The visual effects... were produced at WETA Digital, New Zealand's foremost production facility.
MacSoft To Ship Unreal Tournament 2003
Unreal Tournament 2003 is the latest version of the popular first person shooter.
Opera Updates Leave Macs In The Cold
Opera may be keeping its Linux and Windows updates synchronised, but it has deliberately let its Mac OS X development efforts lag.
Opinion
Would You Buy A Mac With Intel Inside?
When you look at one of Apple's elegant computers, and experience the joys of its easy setup and superior reliability, do you really care about the name of the processor that's making it all happen?
Is The Backlight Supposed To Be Blue?
Don't Underestimate Macworld NY Just Yet
The focus of Macworld East is for general Mac users and for creative professionals and hobbyists. For some of us, this is the really fun stuff.
Review
Taking An iTrip: Three FM Transmitters
iTrip is by far the best of the lot if you have an older iPod that works with it. I just hope Griffin can come up with a version that works with the third-generation iPods.
BookIt 3.2
BookIt 3.2 is Everyday Software's application for comprehensive bookmark managment.
MSN Messenger 3.5
[MSN Messenger] offers a very good alternative to iChat on the Mac and with newer versions of Messenger on the way... things can only get better.
Spell Catcher X
Spell Catcher X is undeniably good at what it does, and it caused no noticeable slowdowns in other applications while it ran in the background.
QuicKeys X 1.5.4: Missing Features, But Getting Better
Although we still miss power features such as conditional branching, QuicKeys X offers you the fastest route to Mac automation without having to learn AppleScript.
PocketMac Pro 2.0: Software Opens PocketPCs To Mac Market
PocketMac may be a flawed app, but for now, it's the only game in town. If you're in love with the huge power of PocketPC hardware and software, it's worth the hassle. If not, you're better off with a Mac-compatible Palm — or waiting for another company to step up with a PocketPC-to-Mac utility.
Page Sender 3.0: Top-Notch Fax Application
X-Plane 6.5: Simulator Lets You Fly — Courtesy Of Your Desktop
Complex though it may be, X-Plane is unquestionably the king of the hill in Mac flight simulators.
Traktor DJ Studio 2.0: Pro DJ Software Comes To The Mac, Mixes Great Sound
The fact that you can leave your DJ hardware at home and just bring your laptop to your next party makes this program well worth considering.
TimeLiner 5.0: Teacher's Pet
TimeLiner 5.0 provides teachers with an effective tool for teaching across the curriculum, putting any chronological or numerical information on screen for students to see.
Why I Ditched Mac OS X For Linux
For my uses, Mac OS X isn't all it claimed to be.
17-Inch PowerBook Could Be Your One And Only
This is the first PowerBook I'd be comfortable using as my one and only computer.
MSN Gives Mac Users Another Choice
Although MSN will seem a bit too tame for some (especially without community features), parents and those looking for a slightly cheaper alternative to AOL will greet MSn for Mac OS X warmly.
A Decision Well Made, And Still Loving My Little AlBook
Here is a quick overview of some of the compromises made when I bought this PowerBook and how they have stacked up over the last couple of months.
Sidetrack
STEVIE IS NOT THERE : With the absense of Steve Jobs at Macworld NY, I thought it will be a good opportunity for some other vendors to steal the show.
In the past, with Apple announcing products left and right during expos, any announcements from third-party vendors will be sidelined. This year, Apple will not do keynote, which means ample space for a good vendor with a great product to fill in.
Will we get surprised this year? Will we be delighted?
Wintel
Microsoft Still Playing Hardball
Microsoft's use of aggressive sales practices to defeat competition for other operating systems, namely the open-source Linux platform, have put the company in potential hot water again.
Bug-Zapping, Microsoft Style
Mike Nash takes offense when people (like me) bash Redmond's software, because it's up to him to make it safe. Here's his defense.
Microsoft Drafts Allies To Squash Worms
Microsoft has formed a virus information alliance with antivirus software makers Network Associates and Trend Micro.
Microsoft Sends Message With Unix Deal
Microsoft's licensing of rights to Unix technology from the SCO Group helps Microsoft combat Linux, a growing marketplace threat to its operating system, analysts said.