New Releases

Visit distant planets

iS3 1.0 connects to NASA's web servers and uses the NASA Solar System Simulator to return an image of any planet or moon as seen from any other planet (and some man-made objects) at any given time. iS3 is free for Mac OS X, Classic Mac OS, and Windows. http://www.freaksw.com/applications/is3/

Script Debugger

Script Debugger 3.0.8 is an AppleScript authoring environment that offers an editor, a debugger, a dictionary explorer, extensibility via AppleScript, and other features. The new version adds compatibility with FaceSpan 4.0 and addresses issues that came to light following the release of Version 3.0. Script Debugger is US $189 for Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS. http://www.latenightsw.com/sd3.0/index.html

QuicKeys X2 2.1 Released

CE Software last week shipped QuicKeys X2 version 2.1, a free update for registered users of QuicKeys X2 2.0 that improves the recording of shortcuts in QuicKeys, offers additional control over the speed at which QuicKeys types text, and the capability to jump to a particular step in a shortcut. QuicKeys X2 2.1 is a 10.2 MB download, and requires at least Mac OS X 10.2.3. New copies cost US $100, upgrades from previous versions are between US $20 and US US$70, and there's a 30-day trial version you can test drive. http://www.cesoft.com/products/qkx.html http://www.cesoft.com/downloads/updates.html

Battery Update 1.1

Apple is distributing Battery Update 1.1, which it describes as follows:
The Battery Update enhances the performance of the battery to ensure that full capacity is available for your PowerBook or iBook.
System Requirements:
Installation of the Battery Update requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
The Battery Update supports the following products:, iBook (Dual USB), iBook (Late 2001), iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM), iBook (32 VRAM), iBook G4 (12-inch), PowerBook G4 (12-inch), PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI), PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW 800), PowerBook G4 (17-inch), PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.33GHz)
Note: Once the Battery Update software has been installed, each battery you install in your PowerBook or iBook will be updated automatically. http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/batteryupdate.html

Burnz

Burnz 1.1 is a drag-and-drop disc-burning application that burns data discs with any drive and disc media supported by Apple. Burnz does not need extra disk space to burn a disc. You can burn a 4GB DVD-R with almost no free space on your startup volume, and it's faster than the Finder. You can use command+option drags to build a folder of aliases to stuff on your hard drive (even across multiple volumes/drives), and then drag the folder of aliases onto Burnz and have Burnz automagically burn a disc that replaces the aliases with the items that they point to. Preserve your folder-of-aliases, and the next time you drag it onto Burnz, you will be burning a current, updated version of whatever the aliases point to.

Sounds like a simple backup/archiving/disk-publishing system to me. It can create ISO-9660, RockRidge and Joliet discs, and allows content to be configured using aliases. The new version adds an icon browser and an Instant Icons feature that creates a fully-masked photorealistic icon from a picture dropped on the browser. Burnz is US $12.50 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.thinkertons.com/burnz_features.htm

Burn CDs and DVDs

DiscBlaze 3.0 burns CDs and DVDs, burns Toast images, erases rewritable media such as CD-RWs, creates CDs for use on both Macs and PCs, and burns multi-session CDs. The new version can burn audio CDs from any QuickTime-compatible files with audio tracks, burn a CD with both an audio session and a data session, save a volume or folder as a DMG file (in addition to ISO), and more. DiscBlaze is US $19 for Mac OS X 10.2.6 and up. http://www.radicalbreeze.com/blaze/index.html

Apple Menu in Mac OS X

XMenu 1.0 adds menubar menus with functions similar to the Apple Menu in Classic Mac OS. The software, which runs as a faceless background application, includes an application launcher, automatic updating of menus and submenus, the ability to follow aliases and symbolic links, and other features. XMenu is free for Mac OS X 10.3 and up. http://www.devon-technologies.com/freeware.php

Apple on Mars

Apple highlights the use of Mac OS X and Maestro in NASA's Mars mission:
If you're marveling over the incredibly detailed pictures of Mars sent back to Earth by Spirit, the Mars Exploration Rover, prepare to be blown away by what you can do with these images right on your own Mac.
All you need is Maestro, a scientific visualization tool created by the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to work with the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. During the 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission, you can download a free copy of Maestro for Mac OS X from NASA JPL that allows you to see Mars in ways you've never imagined. "It's actually the same software that the scientists use to view downlink data and to plan Rover activities from day to day," says Gene Chalfant, technical staff member at NASA JPL.
This needs Java 3D which only works in Mac OS X 10.3. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2004/01/marsrover/

Catalogue hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppies...

CDFinder 4.2.2 catalogs hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppies, Zip disks, and other media. The new version adds compatibility with Path Finder, improves exporting, fixes some serious networking bugs, and makes other changes. CDFinder is priced starting at US $25 for Mac OS X and Mac OS 9. http://www.cdfinder.de/

Cameraid

A powerful digital photography and JPEG management utility with these features: Lossless rotation and transforms for JPEG format photos , Eliminate duplicate photos , Fast viewer with a photo grading system for quickly marking good & bad photos , Batch processing , Rename patterns using EXIF and file information , JPEG-aware image enhancement expert for digital photographs
• Download photos from many popular digital cameras or transfer them using a card reader. (Classic version only).

Cameraid comes in two versions, Carbon for OS X and Classic for OS 7+.
The downloading feature (which is very useful for Olympus cameras) only works with the Classic version (which will work in Classic under OS X).

JPEG is a "lossy" compression method. This means that when you compress an image with the JPEG method and then open that file again, you'll almost never get the same image back again. If a file is opened and saved enough times, the changes begin to accumulate and can visibly degrade the quality of the file.

It is possible to perform some limited operations on JPEG images without degrading the image quality. Cameraid incorporates special program code from the Independent JPEG group. This code allows you to rotate and mirror JPEG images in a way that preserves image quality. US $20 Shareware.
http://www.cameraid.com/

iView MediaPro and GraphicConverter also offer lossless JPEG rotation. Here's a list of other software that may do it: http://sylvana.net/jpegcrop/losslessapps.html

Synchronize Address Books without .Mac

Address-o-sync 1.1 enables you to synchronize and share Mac OS X Address Book contacts and groups on a Rendezvous network without iSync or .Mac. It allows sharing an entire Address Book or only certain groups and enables password protection for access. The new version adds a log window, syncing of notes in contacts, a "lighter" interface, and other changes. Available for Mac OS X 10.3, Address-o-sync is free for personal use (US $7 donation requested) and US $12 for commercial use. http://www.slamslash.com/address-o-sync/

GarageBand 1.0.1 Update

Apple's GarageBand 1.0.1 is apparently a minor 21.5 MB update to the iLife music program. According to the terse release note, "This update clarifies specific alert dialogs regarding system performance." http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/garageband.html

Digital Pictures on your Wall

PhotoVu LLC released the PhotoVu PV1900, a custom-made, 19-inch, wireless digital picture frame. The unit displays digital images, retrieved wirelessly from a computer's hard drive, on a wide viewing angle 19-inch LCD screen. It offers the choice of custom-made wood frame and matting and also includes wired network and USB connections. Compatible with Macintosh, Linux/Unix, and Windows, the PhotoVu PV1900 is US $1,549. http://www.photovu.com/products.html

Blue screen technology

Nova Design released its first Macintosh version of Cinematte, a PhotoShop plug-in that can automatically create masks and clipping paths using blue/green screen technology. The Mac version includes tighter integration into PhotoShop, improved virtual memory handling for large images, and faster operation overall. Cinematte is US $189.95 for Mac OS X, Classic Mac OS, and Windows. http://www.novadesign.com/

Record audio to the hard disk of a Mac

Audiocorder 4.0 records audio to the hard disk of a Mac and includes timed recording, VOX (voice-controlled) recording, and telephone recording (Mac OS 9 only). The new version adds the ability to have recordings automatically converted to MP3 format using iTunes and added to the iTunes Library. Audiocorder is US $19.99 for Mac OS X and Mac OS 9. http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/audiocorder.html

Backup your data to a DV Camera

DV Backup 1.2.2 can back up data from a Mac to a DV or Digital8 camcorder. It offers backup and restore, verification, 10GB of storage per hour of tape, automatic camera control, file/folder archiving, eight levels of error protection/recovery, support for PAL and NTSC cameras, and more. The new version adds buffer underrun and overrun protection, the ability to start backups by drag-and-drop to the Dock icon, and other changes. DV Backup is US $45 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://coolatoola.com/

Schedule recordings

If you are interested in capturing RealAudio streams, and similar, and converting them to MP3/AAC files for playback at your leisure iRecordMusic appears to do it all for you without fiddling with the command line, editing audio files, writing AppleScripts, queueing cron jobs or whatever. It lets you choose AAC quality settings and gives you a dialogue for placing scheduled recordings into iCal. It's US$20 shareware: The unregistered version only records 15 minutes at a time, so I haven't checked that it senses the end of a streamed file yet. http://www.bitcartel.com/raw/

iSync Update

Apple released iSync 1.4, an update of its contact, calendar, todo, and bookmark synchronization program. The update includes support for more Symbian OS smart phones and the iPod mini, as well as stability improvements. It requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 and up, iCal 1.5.1 or later, as well as Bluetooth 1.5 (1.3.4 for OS X 10.2.x) for Bluetooth connections. The release notes continue:
iSync now has calendar, contact, and to-do synchronization for the Nokia 6600, 3620, 3660 and Siemens SX1. With these phones iSync also syncs the Address Book picture to the contact info, so you can see a picture of the caller when the phone rings. http://www.apple.com/isync/download/

File-transfer utility

Interarchy 7.0 is an FTP/SFTP/HTTP file-transfer utility that includes FTP/SSH and Rendezvous support, transfer queues, delayed and repeating transfers and also a suite of network tools (including packet sniffing and port scan). The new version adds Mac OS X native core networking, tabbed browsing, a full bookmark management system, full support for dragging between windows, enhanced mirroring, detailed packet display, bandwidth monitoring and graphing, and more. Interarchy is US $39 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up (US $19 upgrade from previous versions). http://www.interarchy.com/

Manage multiple iTunes music libraries

Libra 1.2.1 makes it possible to create, use, and manage multiple iTunes music libraries. It can create new empty libraries or duplicate existing ones, rename or delete libraries, and more. The new version improves the reliability of copying and moving an existing library. Libra is free for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.roydesign.net/libra/

GarageBand Jam Pack

Apple also released GarageBand Jam Pack 1.0.1, an update of its package of additional loops, software instruments, audio effects presets, and guitar amp settings. According to the release note: "This update installs a number of additional effects presets." http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/garagebandjampack.html

2D drawing and illustration program

Intaglio 1.9.1 is a 2D drawing and illustration program for Mac OS X, with extensive support for AppleScript, Apple Type Services, ColorSync, Quartz 2D graphics, and the QuickTime image layer. The new version improves PDF conversion. Intaglio is US $89 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/

Replace your desktop picture with changing maps of the world

EarthDesk 2.5 replaces your desktop picture with changing maps of the world that can show sun and moon illumination, political and satellite maps, city lights at night, and an expandable atlas with 10,000 cities. The new version adds full map centering and zoom support for all map projections, and on a system with multiple displays, allows the map update frequency to be specified individually for each display. EarthDesk is US $19.95 and is available for Mac OS X 10.1 and up and Mac OS 9.1 and up. http://www.timepalette.com/earthdesk.html

Audio editor

Audacity 1.2. is an open-source, cross-platform audio editor, which supports recording and playback, importing WAV, AIFF, and MP3 files, plug-in effects, and editing with unlimited undo. This major new release adds recording and editing of 24-bit and 32-bit samples, the ability to handle tracks with different sample rates and formats in the same project, recording of more than two channels at once, improved audio input and output, three new effects for changing pitch and tempo, normalization, gain and pan controls for each track, the ability to find zero crossings, an improved interface, and many other changes. Audacity is free for Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Linux/Unix, and Windows. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/index.php?lang=en

HTML photo galleries

Exhibit 3.0 creates HTML photo galleries for use on the web or on CD. It uses customizable templates to build pages and can scale down images by percentages. The new version adds a redesigned interface with tabs, new HTML templates, a zoom tool for captioning, and some bug fixes for drag-and-drop. Exhibit is $15 for Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS. http://www.melonsoft.com/products/exhibit/

Menu bar power gauge

SlimBatteryMonitor 1.1 is a space-saving menu bar power gauge that monitors laptop batteries and many UPS batteries, provides a variety of display options, and can automatically hide itself (while fully charged, for example). The new version adds flexible low-power warning panels, access to the Energy Saver preferences, and enhanced support for two-battery systems. SlimBatteryMonitor is free for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.orange-carb.org/SBM/

Mac OS X scrapbook

ScrapX 1.3 is a Mac OS X scrapbook that enables content to be pasted or dragged between Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS applications. It can have multiple scrapbooks open at once and handles HTML, PDF, PICT, RTF, RTFD, TIFF, URL, text, movie, sound, and Classic sound resources. The new version adds unlimited undo, rich text editing, text selection, creation of new text items, checkboxes, a slideshow view, searching of text in PDF clips, and other improvements. ScrapX is US $10 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.aqueoussoftware.com/scrapx/

Mac OS X backup utility

Deja Vu 2.6 is a Mac OS X backup utility, installed as a preference pane, that offers manual or scheduled backups of individual folders or an entire system, remote backups to WebDAV, AFP, NFS and SMB servers, synchronization of folders, and the creation of bootable clones. The new version adds separate options for each type of backup, an option to repair permissions before backing up, improved documentation, and other changes. Deja Vu is US $19.95 for Mac OS X 10.3 and up. (Version 2.5 is included for Mac OS X 10.2.) http://propagandaprod.com/dejavu.html

iDVD 4.0.1 Fixes Burning Bugs

Apple has released iDVD Update 4.0.1 for owners of iLife '04. In now-typical Apple verbosity, the release notes read simply that the update is "highly recommended for all users of iDVD 4 and will provide for improved reliability when authoring and burning DVDs." iDVD Update 4.0.1 is a free 2 MB download via Software Update or the link below.
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/idvdupdate.html

Finder Window Manager

Finder Window Manager 1.8 helps manage windows by creating Window Sets that remember the size, placement, and view options of all open windows. It also offers collapsing, expanding, closing, stacking, cloning, stacking, and tiling of windows. The new version adds a feature that watches for opened Finder windows, improved compatibility and speed, expanded documentation and tooltips, and other changes. Finder Window Manager is US $10 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up (some features 10.3 only). http://homepage.mac.com/jonn8/fwm/

How to Do Everything with Mac OS X Panther

McGraw-Hill/Osborne released How to Do Everything with Mac OS X Panther by Kirk McElhearn. The book covers topics such as the new Panther Finder, Mac OS X networking, customization, maintenance, Expose, iChat AV, and .Mac. It also includes "Writers and their Macs," which highlights how three writers work with their Macs. How to Do Everything with Mac OS X Panther is US $24.99. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/007225355X/macintoucwebsite/ref=nosim

AirPort Software Update 3.3.1 Released

Apple posted an update for owners of AirPort Extreme cards and base stations that fixes a troublesome bug that could cause a kernel panic when switching network locations. The update is a free 1 MB download via Software Update or from Apple's Web site.
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportsoftwareupdate.html

A reference utility for musicians

SimpleChord 1.6, a reference utility for musicians, can display notes in a chord, show their positions on the keyboard, and play the chord aloud. The new version adds arpeggiation, 13th chords, an option to choose how accidentals are displayed, and interface tweaks. SimpleChord is free for Mac OS X. http://www.wonderwarp.com/simplechord/

A calendar accessible through the menu bar

Menu Calendar 1.5 provides a calendar accessible through the menu bar. It shows a month at a time, provides navigation by months, and can start weeks on Sunday or Monday. In the new version, click on any day to open that day's entry in iCal. Menu Calendar is free for Mac OS X 10.2.3 and up. http://www.objectpark.net/mc.html

3D model railroad simulation

googol-Choo-Choo 3D 1.4 is a 3D model railroad simulation. You can create a layout by dragging and dropping track and other items, and you can view the layout in 3D from driver's seat of a running train and from several other locations. googol-Choo-Choo 3D is $21 for Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 with 3D graphics acceleration required (minimum of ATI Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce 2 series card). http://www.googolplex.co.jp/us/software/googolchoochoo3d.html

Updated GraphicConverter

GraphicConverter 5.0.1 is a tool for viewing, converting, and manipulating graphics, featuring import and export of many formats, batch conversions, and AppleScript support. The new version adds a bug fix for Version 5.0, which added a browser search feature, conversion to CMYK (including batch), sepia color change, a Repair TIFF feature, an option to export slideshows to movies, XMP import and export, TWAIN acquire and print functions, and many other changes. GraphicConverter is US $35 (US $30 download only) for Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS. http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/graphcon.htm

Text-based tool for creating appointments

iCalMaker 1.6 is a text-based tool for creating appointments in the form of vCal diary appointment files for iCal and other applications. The new version adds improved conversion of iCal files to vCal files, improved handling of poorly formatted iCal files, removal of the five event limit on importing appointments from iCal files, and other changes. iCalMaker is US $25 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.mmisoftware.co.uk/pages/icm.html

Schedule meetings and other events.

RoomDex 1.6 helps schedule meetings and other events in conference rooms, labs, and other rooms. It can handle meetings spanning multiple days and can display and print daily and weekly schedules. The new version adds flexible start and end times, plus printed schedules for all views. Available for Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, and Windows, RoomDex is US $99 for a single-user version or US $249 for a multi-user version (which requires FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro 5 or later). http://www.watzmanassociates.com/roomdex/rddesc.html

QuickTime movie from a series of still photos

Still Life 2.2.5 enables you to create a. The new version adds a new option for tracking down missing image files, prevents the display from sleeping during OpenGL-based exports, and fixes a couple of bugs, including a QuickTime export bug. Still Life is US $24.95 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.grantedsw.com/still-life/

Multimedia scrapbook

ScrapIt Pro X 1.2 is an editable, searchable multimedia scrapbook that can store anything that can be copied to the clipboard, including images, PDF files, clippings, and sound and movie files. It includes a mini-word processor and offers nested folders for organizing your scrap items. The new version adds a complete rewrite of search routines, the ability to drag folders between scrap files, support for dragging folders from the Finder, and other changes. ScrapIt Pro X is US $25 for Mac OS X 10.1 and up. http://www.johnvholder.com/

Typing Tutor

Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor 3.0 teaches keyboard skills to all ages using on-screen characters, skill tests with feedback, and the ability to target areas for extra practice. The new version offers a completely redesigned interface, a streamlined quiz system, automatic detection of US or UK keyboard, and other changes. Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor is US $25.95 for Mac OS X, Classic Mac OS, Linux, and Windows. http://www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com/

50 million iTunes

Apple has announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded over 50 million songs from Apple's iTunes Music Store, not including songs redeemed from the currently-running Pepsi iTunes promotion. The 50 millionth song, purchased last Thursday afternoon, was "The Path of Thorns" by Sarah McLachlan. iTunes users are now downloading 2.5 million songs per week, which is an annual run rate of 130 million songs per year.

Customizable trashcan for Mac OS X desktops

iCan 3.0 is a customizable trashcan for Mac OS X desktops. It includes all the functions of the Classic desktop trash and comes with several different themes. The new version adds full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.3, a system-wide menu, and other enhancements. iCan is US $10 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.kanzu.com/

Automatically create labels for CDs

UnCoverIt 2.0.3 reads CDs and other storage media and automatically creates labels for them, with direct track and playlist import from iTunes. The new version can create covers for Audio CDs, using track information has already downloaded by iTunes or entered by the user, without having to insert the Audio CD again. It also adds the ability to recognize the correct track lengths of VBR-encoded MP3s and a cover template for DVD cases. UnCoverIt 2 is US $14.99 for Mac OS X 10.2.6 and up. http://www.iwascoding.com/uc/

Data Backup

Data Backup 2.0 is a backup, restore, and synchronization utility that offers bootable backups, scheduled backups, programmed actions, backups with encryption, selection of files, and other features. The new version adds improved background performance, better compression, improved encryption performance, and simplified scheduling. Data Backup is US $59 for Mac OS X 10.2 and up. http://www.prosoftengineering.com/products/data_backup.php

Enhancement Pack 1.5 for AppleWorks

This provides over 40 extra features for the productivity suite, including table of contents, small caps, database replace for a batch of records, document compare, and publishing an AppleWorks database on the web. The new version brings Mac OS X compatibility across all features and expands the range of database replace methods. Enhancement Pack for AppleWorks is US $25 for Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS. http://www.tandb.com.au/appleworks/enhance/?MIT

Screen recording program

ScreenRecord 1.6 from macXware is a screen recording program that can capture continuous images on the screen as a QuickTime movie, with background capture and date/time stamps. It supports voice-overs and music, panning, customizable Action Keys, import of other QuickTime movies, and streaming to a DV camera, among other features . ScreenRecord is $24.99 for Mac OS X 10.1 and up. http://www.macxware.com/candypress/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=25

External DVD burner

Kano Technologies released the SLIM K4Xtreme, a multi-format external DVD burner that supports DVD+RW/-RW, DVD+R/-R, CD-RW and CD-R. Equipped with FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces, the unit measures 5.5 x 6 x .75-inches, weighs 14 ounces, and can be bus-powered on FireWire. The SLIM-K4Xtreme is US $329 and includes Roxio Toast 6 Lite for Macs. http://www.kanotechnologies.com/prod/slim_k4x.cfm

11 clipboards for copying and pasting text

Multi-Board 1.0 provides and pictures. It allows switching clipboards using function keys and the Dock icon (or a floating window in Classic Mac OS). Multi-Board is free for Mac OS X and Classic Mac OS. http://www.anomalyindustries.net/multiboard/

MACinations April 04