User group Newsletter Editors: Utilize this content in your newsletter -- PLEASE ... reference The User Group Network UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS_/ _ The Rumor Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe to RUMORS@lists.User-Groups.net 9905.21 The Rumor Manager NacCentral is reporting additional details about Dragon Systems' plans for the Mac OS 1) software will ship before the end of the year 2) will feature functionality similar to the Windows version of the program. 3) The Macintosh version of Naturally Speaking will feature the same true continuous speech functionality featured in the Windows version. In the Windows version, users are able to speak at up to 160 words per minute or more without pauses between words. Dragon was not able to give performance specifications for the Mac version See www.maccentral.com for more details **** NeXT email client??? Meanwhile, www.macosrumors.oom is reporting that OSX will have a new e-mail client based on the NeXT product MailViewer. The new Mailviewer is faster, more intuitive, supports IMAP and other advanced features, and will soon allow the use of Sherlock to search its message database! If true, this would undoubtedly mean the final current for eM@iler including the rumors of it being incorporated into AppleWorks. **** Fairfax IT (an Australian publication), reporting on the World Wide Developer Conference in mentioning the G4 says: "...due before the middle of next year is something even more impressive - the G4 Macs running Motorola PowerPC microprocessors with Altivec technology that, potentially, will enable them to perform 1.4 gigaflops, a feat that only a few years ago was possible only on a Cray supercomputer costing several million dollars."... see: fairfax.com **** Macintouch reported Leister Productions (who produces the genealogy program Reunion) has a new program. IconaRanger. It sells for $39.95 and does the job of combining Icons to display a picture in a window. There was a freeware program called Iconizer 1.02, that did that, but it broke on System 7.5. A demo version can be downloaded at: http://www.leisterpro.com/doc/Ranger/index.html Note: the picture display requires System 8.5 or better, but only 7.5 to create the images. **** HP Leaving Mac? While saying "It is important to understand that HP as a company will continue their relationship with Apple and provide solutions in selected areas.", HP is also saying "Hewlett-Packard's Scanner Division has moved out of the Macintosh environment. This decision has been made based solely on market needs and revenue. The current Macintosh market is relatively small compared to the Microsoft (R) Windows and NT markets. It is because of this relatively small size that HP has chosen not to offer new scanners for this market." It sounds to me like they are not willing to invest minor costs to continue in a market that they dominated for many years. Perhaps the competition is finally kicking their butts. I really don't understand their unwillingness to support a market that has been so good for them for so long and would continue to provide them with additional profits. (After all the only real costs additional costs are in developing the drivers since they already are doing it for the PC). Also, they would not have to include a PCI card for the Mac market. Just provide the drivers in USB, Firewire and/or SCSI versions. Unbelievable! Perhaps Mac people should support the Epson devices and allow HP to eliminate all costs of doing business in the Apple world. See the official report. **** Apple Not Printing? Apparently Apple has now officially left the printer market with the discontinuation of the Laserwriter 8500. You'd thing that there would be an really good market now for Mac printers and scanners. Apple after all at one point, wasn't a small fry in that business. **** Supreme Court Takes Up Driver's License Data Privacy Issues According to an article at IDG.net, the Supreme Court will decide if the Congress overstepped its Constitutional boundries by trying to reign in states from selling driver's licenses info. This one will be interesting to watch. See: the article **** GoLive goes Windows On 5/20, Adobe announced the shipment of GoLive 4.0 for Windows. Once again we loose a Mac only application. **** Epson announced the Photo 1200, a tabloid-format printer that produces Photo Reproduction Quality (PRQ) output at improved speeds--up to 150 percent. It can print images on media as large as 13" x 44" in size, as well as full-bleed 11" x 17" output. $499 (estimated street price). See: http://www.epson.com **** Live Pictures on the Chapter 11 Block After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 5/19/99, Live Picture, Inc. agreed to be acquired by MGI Software Corp. No details were issued. Live Picture was once greatly trumpeted by John Sculley, who left its just a couple of weeks ago to pursue other interests. MGI also produces software for manipulating photos. Amazing, 3 million downloads of a beta product. Yep, that is how many downloads there have been of Quicktime 4.0 in the last month. Some people can't wait to crash their machines. **** A New PowerBook for 'ya? Apple is now saying that the new PowerBooks will ship before the end of May. Guess the 20th wasn't close enough to the end. Anyone wanting to get me one, feel free. I won't mind the delay. **** Lots of new games for the Mac according to e3games.net, some listed are: Madden NFL 2000, Tribes II, Star Wars: Episode I Pod Racer , Half-Life, Deer Avenger II, Diablo, Fly, , Quake 3:, Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, and Star Wars: The Gungan Frontier and more. For details see the article. **** pau Send your rumors: The Rumor Manager is looking for your rumors and tidbits... give him a post! ...or subscribe to RUMORS@lists.User-Groups.net The Rumor Manager is a veteran of the UGN (AOL User Groups Forum) and User Group Network. He's been a supporter and volunteer on many, many UGNet and User Group Academy projects. As a long time user group member, he's served as volunteer from Honolulu to Boston and many points in between. Currently working with the Apple Corp of Dallas, the Dallas Mac Pack, Cowtown MUG of Ft. Worth and TUMS (the Tulsa Users of Macintosh Society) doing newsletter articles and the monthly CD-ROM Update. UG Network Channel _ / _ NEWS _ / _ UG Library _ / _ UG Bookshelf To Advertise or become a sponsor -- Contact Jennifer -- Press Releases for publication -- should be directed to: UGNN News Desk at: News-Editor@user-groups.net. 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