UGN Info Manager UGN Info Manager
... of Interface Patent War with Apple
According to this article, Apple's patent for its iPod interface has been thrown out, because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Officed decided that there was already an existing patent held by a researcher at Microsoft. That should mean that others could copy the iPod interface, although it also could mean that Apple will wind up paying Microsoft a license to use the interface. Don't things sound interesting. Read the full article (Free registration required) financialwire.net
At the Fall Intel Developer Forum, in San Francisco the Intel CEO is suppose to announce the "next generation architecture to arrive in the last half of 2006. This likely means the end of the Pentium type of chips while Intel moves to something new.
Could the new Apple Intel machines also have this new architecture?
Could be, at least for the professional machines. Which won't be released until '07. ... see the full story...
It is amazing how many applications I keep open since switching to Tiger. Of course having a new iMac may also have something to do with it. "Spirited Away" is a small application that watches windows and if they have been inactive for a specified period of time, hides them. More info and download it at: drikin.com/spiritedaway/
This application is kind of a poor man's design program. It is specific to posters, cards, brochures and a few other documents. A long way from InDesign or even the old Mac Publisher, but it is easier to use than either. It has a $34.95 fee for licensing the download. More info and download at: www.belightsoft.com
Yes, using similar technology to podcasting, video is coming to your Mac. It is in beta now, but you can still try it out. Read more...
According to Wired, some PC hackers have taken the beta version of Mac OS X for Intel machines and have already made it run on Intel machines that are not Dell. Currently Apple has seeded some developers with OS X on a Dell machine and it is only suppose to run on those specific machines and no others. But apparently they didn't have to put much effort into moving it to other machines. Somehow I doubt that it will be so easy to remove the "protection" when the final release happens. ... see the full story...
DittyBot is a workflow and uses Skype, iTunes and of course Automator to have iTunes call your cell phone and play a song you have requested via a text message from your phone. I have simply got to find time to play with Automator. Read about it and get it at: plasticbugs.com
I have mentioned NeoOffice/J before as a possible substitute for MS Office. Personally, I am happy with Word and Excel, but understand completely the desire to find something comparable that is cheaper and not providing Microsoft with additional funds for world domination. However, I haven't personally tried NeoOffice/J. I have tried Free Office and a few other alternatives, but they always came up short in my mind. Read a review of NeoOffice/J at: www.macdevcenter.com
Plentycom Systems has released a drive that adds functions to the Mighty Mouse. It provides shortcut keys, snap to default button in a dialog box, double clicking, right-click and more. Of course, you will have to use Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. But then everyone has Tiger,don't they? Get it at: plentycom.jp
This week we look at an assistant to help you write, Free painting package for Mac OS X, PrintMagic 4.0 from Steve Becker, MailPop, MacPoker Pro, iTunes dupes with TidyUp, Proteus instant messaging, LazyMouse, ClamXav virus checker, and more ... all in this week's Shareware Manager this week's Shareware Manager
If you recieve e-mails from an organisation calling themselves "SPAMIS", or the "Strategic Partnership Against Microsoft Illegal Spam". (www.spamis.biz), dismiss them as spam and please report them to your ISP and/or SpamCop. A quick search on Google turns up plenty of results, a few of which elaborate extensively on the subject. SPAMIS was "founded" by Robert Soloway, a known and prolific spammer. Soloway is using the practice of spamming in order to undermine Microsoft's user-validation technology -- which would close the spammers' access to MSN.com email users. The irony of the issue is that Microsoft is trying to ram the technology down the throats of internet ISPs which if successful would effectively put the internet under MSN's control. See: the ROKSO list, and talkgold.com. Read more...
Bare Bones Software latest version 8.2.3 will for the first time, run natively as a Universal Binary for the Apple Developer Transition Kit hardware. See: Bare Bones
We've told you about PC-Mac PasswordVault before. The latest version runs directly off USB flash drives -- so it's now a portable PasswordVault
This is one of the coolest new utilities for the Mac in a long time. It gives the Finder interface a 3D appearance. See pictures in this article in the Shareware Department
BeLight Software's "Image Tricks runs under Tiger and provides some 35 filters and functions found only in pay-to-own commercial plug-ins... it's FREE and compatible with any Photoshop plug-in friendly application! BeLight
Constrictor for Mac OS X takes easy, flexible screenshots with hot keys and Spotlight support, using a positionable frame to grab the right area every time. Snapshots can be scaled, framed and feathered by Constrictor, to save you from having to post-process your shots manually. And they can be saved in five different file formats, copied to the clipboard, or even, using Constrictor's AppleScript support, e-mailed! Direct download Constrictor's home page
"There is only one thing more powerful
than all the armies of the world,
that is an idea whose time has come."
-Victor Hugo
"Not what we have but what we enjoy,
constitutes our abundance."
- John Petit-Senn
Have a great week... (See last week)
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