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The time now is 06-01-2009 |
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SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER
MACWORLD
BluEye connects iPod to cell phone via Bluetooth
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Gear4 has announced that it’s shipping BluEye, an interface that connects your iPod to a Bluetooth 2.0-equipped cell phone. It also lets you remote-control your iPod and it incorporates an FM radio receiver. BluEye comes in black or white and costs £49.99 (US$98.0 .
BluEye connects your Bluetooth-equipped cell phone to your iPod. When you get incoming calls, it sounds a ringtone in your headphones and displays the caller’s caller ID on your iPod display, and will automatically pause music then resume it once the call is finished. It also lets you make calls, and works with voice-activated dialing if your mobile phone supports that capability.
The device also features an FM receiver, and can store up to 15 preset stations. You can also manually tune the BluEye up and down using buttons on the device.
The BluEye connects through the iPod’s dock connector, and is compatible with fourth- and fifth-generation iPods, the iPod mini and first and second-generation nanos. It also works with all Bluetooth 2.0-equipped cell phones.
The BluEye lets you use your own headphones, and works using the iPod’s batteries, so there’s no need for internal batteries. What’s more, it’s firmware-upgradeable. A clip enables you to attach it to your clothes.
BluEye
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16-12-2006 |
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TUESDAY 19TH DECEMBER:
MACWORLD:
EyeTV 250Review
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The EyeTV 250 is Elgato’s follow-up to its successful EyeTV 200 () product. Like the 200 model, it is an analog TV tuner with a built-in MPEG encoder (digital cable or satellite subscribers need to go through their converter box). It lets you watch live TV on your Mac or schedule recordings, which you can easily archive to DVD or your video iPod.
The EyeTV 250 requires a single 500MHz G4 or greater and OS X 10.4. Since the unit has a hardware MPEG encoder — unlike Elgato’s other product, the EyeTV Hybrid ()—the computer processor is only minimally taxed when recording even the highest quality MPEG-2 video.
Whereas the EyeTV 200 was a FireWire device, for the EyeTV 250, Elgato chose to go with a USB 2.0 interface. Though the move to USB doesn’t affect the quality of TV recordings, the 250 now requires an external power supply rather than being bus-powered. It’s not a big deal, but I never seem to have a free electrical socket.
The EyeTV 250 can record TV programs as either MPEG-2 (for DVD) or MPEG-1 (suitable for Video CD). These recordings can be edited with the included EyeTV 2 () software to remove commercials and unwanted material. You can even pick a specific section of your recording to export. EyeTV 2 is tightly integrated with Toast 7 (not included), making it easy to make DVDs of your recorded TV programs. The EyeTV 2 software also has a button for single-click video iPod export.
Elgato includes a breakout cable with S-video and composite RCA video connectors with the EyeTV 250. Using this cable and the included VHS Assistant software, you can create digital backups of your old VHS home movies. You can also plug in a gaming console so you can play games on your Mac’s monitor. Normally, this would be difficult with a device that contains a hardware encoder, which usually adds a delay while rendering the screen. But Elgato lets you turn off the hardware encoder while in game mode, so there is no delay.
Elgato’s EyeTV 2 software is the premium TV recording software available for the Mac today. EyeTV 2 works seamlessly with TitanTV to schedule recordings. You can even access program schedules from within EyeTV 2 (the previous version of EyeTV required you to go to the TitanTV Web site). In a recent update, Elgato added a Front Row-like full screen mode for their software. You can now navigate, schedule recordings, and play video from your couch, all via a supplied remote control, or with an Apple Remote.
Macworld’s buying advice
The EyeTV 250 is a great personal video recorder for Mac users. This is a particularly useful unit if you have a slower Mac, as the hardware encoder ensures high quality recordings without stressing the computer’s processor.
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MediaCentral adds surround sound
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Equinux has announced the version 2.5 release of MediaCentral, their media center software for Mac OS X. A free update for registered 2.x users, Media Central costs $29.95.
Devised to turn the Mac into a home theater system, MediaCentral provides a centralized way of managing everything from movies to IP TV to online video clips, games, music, music videos, Internet radio, pictures and other peripheral devices.
New to the 2.5 release is support for Dolby Digital Surround and enhanced performance for DVD playback. MediaCentral has now been localized into 13 languages, as well. The Dolby Digital Surround feature works with thusly encoded DVDs; if you have a digital receiver hooked up to your Mac, you can now watch DVDs played on the Mac using surround sound.
A new DVD Options menu provides settings for sound, audio tracks, subtitles and angles, as well as keyboard shortcuts that you can customize. And new to this release is localization in Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish, Dutch and Czech.
System requirements call for a G4/1GHz or faster, Mac OS X v10.4 or later and an active Internet connection.
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19-12-2006 |
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THURSDAY 21ST DECEMBER
MACWORLD RELEASE 'Introducing the iPod and iTunes Superguide'
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About a year ago, Macworld started releasing our Superguide series of downloadable e-books. In the intervening year we’ve released four books, learned that a lot of people preferred to buy printed copies of the books instead of downloading a PDF, and generally have been satisfied with the quality of the books and the enthusiastic response from readers.
Back in the spring we released our second book, a guide to the iPod and iTunes, and it sold pretty well. But a funny thing happened not too long into that book’s life cycle: iTunes 7 came out and massively changed the entire iTunes experience. Meanwhile, we’d put quite a bit of work into generating a Windows edition of the book for our pals up the staircase at PC World.
Anyway, all of a sudden, we had a serious challenge: our book was out of date! After moving our Superguide schedule around, we decided to create a new edition of the Macworld iPod and iTunes Superguide. I’m happy to announce that the new edition of this impressive 80-page book is now available.
It’s been completely updated for the latest iPod models and iTunes 7, and like the iPod, it’s now compatible across platforms, covering both the Mac and Windows. The book still contains great advice from Macworld’s team of iPod experts, including Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes. If you’re curious, you can view an 11-page sample.
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for yourself or someone else on a holiday gift-giving list, may I humbly suggest that our entire line of Superguides is worth a look? And here’s some good news — we’re among the dozens of companies participating in the MacSanta promotion. That means that between now and December 25, if you enter in the coupon code MACSANTA as you’re checking out, you’ll receive 20 percent off your order.
On to 2007, and more Superguides to come!
iPod and iTunes SuperGuide
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21-12-2006 |
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WEDNESDAY 03RD JANUARY
MacWorld News:
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TechTool Protogo turns iPod into repair tool
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Micromat on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of TechTool Protogo, a Mac OS X application that turns an old iPod, flash drive other device into a bootable diagnostic tool containing several Micromat utilities. It’s expected to begin shipping at next week’s Macworld Expo and will cost $135.
The Protogo software ships on a DVD that includes a configuration app, TechTool Pro Classic (for Mac OS 9 systems), TechTool Pro 4 (for Mac OS X) and DiskStudio, Micromat’s disk configuration software.
With Protogo, you can boot most Macs, diagnose and repair hard drive problems, test major hardware components, find viruses and system conflicts on “Classic” Mac OS systems, optimize and defragment hard drive volumes, rebuild directories, recover data, repartition hard drives dynamically without losing data and more, according to Micromat.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4 or later, DVD-ROM drive, 512MB RAM or greater, and an external FireWire device like an older iPod.
Micromat Link:
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03-01-2007 |
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WEDNESDAY 10th JAN
MACWORLD:
Microsoft reveals details of Office 2008 for Mac
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Intel-based Mac owners will have a Universal version of Microsoft’s Office to call their own later this year. Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit revealed some details about Office 2008 for Mac Tuesday—namely that the suite of office productivity tools would ship in the second half of 2007.
Office 2008 adds plenty of new features, but the one sure to grab Mac users’ attention is its ability to run natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based machines. Office had been one of the last remaining marquee Mac applications that had yet to add native support for Apple’s latest hardware.
“I’m really impressed with the speed [of the Intel version], especially with graphics intensive tasks,’ Sheridan Jones, group marketing manager for the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit, told Macworld.
Office 2008 for Mac will share some technologies with its Windows counterpart, Office 2007, making for seamless compatibility between the different versions, according to Microsoft. Both Office releases will use the Office Open XML Formats, which will enable users to easily save files and open files in either platform.
Office 2004 users are not being left out of the new file formats, either—in February, Microsoft will release a free beta of the file format converters for the current version, so users can read and write the new Office Open XML Formats. Six to eight weeks after Office 2008 for Mac is launched, Microsoft intends to ship final versions of the converters.
Office 2007 for Windows includes a new user interface feature called the Ribbon that gives users quick access to specific tools. The Mac version will include a similar feature dubbed the Elements Gallery and Document Parts that can automate some of the most common document tasks, such as adding a table of contents or headers and footers to documents.
“We want things to be more discoverable,” Jones said. “We really worked hard on the user interface of Office 2008 for Mac, but we worked just as hard on enhancing the usability.”
Other new features of Office 2008 for Mac include a Publishing Layout View that lets users create layout-rich documents in Word and Ledger Sheets that enables Excel to handle common financial management tasks such as budgets, invoices, and registers, without requiring users to whip up complex formulas on their own.
“It really opens up specialized management tasks, so that you don’t have to be an Excel guru to do sophisticated financial management,” Jones said.
Another smaller application that will be included with Office 2008 is My Day. The stand-alone application allows users to track priorities and stay on top of daily tasks no matter what application they’re currently working in and without launching Office’s Entourage personal information manager. My Day lets users color-code everything for visualizing daily priorities.
Microsoft did not announce pricing for Office 2008; that will come as the software’s second half of 2007 ship date draws closer, Microsoft said.
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LiveWorship church presentation app goes Universal
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LiveWorship, a cross-platform church presentation application, has been updated with a Universal Binary version that adds native compatibility with Intel-based Macs. The free update, which requires QuickTime 7.0.3, is available from the LiveWorship Web site.
LiveWorship lets church members build presentations with song lyrics, images, and video using drag-and-drop capabilities. The software comes with preloaded Bible translations and a database for keeping track of song lyrics.
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IntelliScanner ships mini barcode scanner, software bundle
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IntelliScanner scaled down the size of its barcode scanner with the release of IntelliScanner mini. The ultra-portable scanner serves the same purpose as IntelliScanner’s previous offerings: organize collections and home assets using barcode technology to scan and store a list of books, DVDs, and other possessions.
IntelliScanner mini is about the size of a car keyfob, and works by scanning the retail barcode or printed tag. The software then searches Internet databases for detailed product information and organizes the object in one of IntelliScanner mini’s six included programs. Wine Collector calculates bottle maturity and cellar locations, Media Collector tracks DVD libraries, including titles on loan. Comic Collector, the latest addition to IntelliScanner’s software offerings, prints IntelliScanner Comic Tags for uniform issue management.
IntelliScanner mini includes a free account at IntelliScanner.net, where users can share their media, wine, comics, assets, and more online. Users can automatically create a personal home page with their collections.
The IntelliScanner mini bundle includes a portable scanner, six programs, a neck lanyard, and keychain clip. The $299 bundle is shipping worldwide. Macworld Expo attendees can see the program in action at booth #S437 at Moscone Center.
Page Link:
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10-01-2007 |
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THURSDAY 11TH JANUARY
News from MacWorld
Miglia TVMini HD+ brings TV, DVR functions to Mac
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On the same day Apple unveiled final plans for its Apple TV offering to bring Mac content to television, Miglia Technology announced a product to bring TV to the Mac, with its new TVMini HD+.
The USB device imports analog CableTV, unencrypted digital cable (ClearQAM) and free-to-air HDTV (ATSC) signals to a Mac. TVMini HD+ plugs into a USB 2.0 port to watch and record TV in 10-bit video and stereo sound. It also includes a remote control and sports Composite, S-Video, and stereo audio inputs.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) features include the ability to play, pause, rewind, and record live TV; schedule future recordings; consult the integrated electronic programming guide; edit recorded clips to remove advertisements; and DVD burning.
System requirements for TVMini HD+ include Mac OS X 10.4. HDTV programs require Macs with either Dual G5 or Intel Core Duo processors.
TVMini HD+ will be available at the end of February 2007; Miglia has not yet set pricing.
Site Link:
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Punch unveils new 2-D/3-D CAD application
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Punch Software announced ViaCAD, a 2-D/3-D design product that relies on a patent-pending adaptive user interface and LogiCursor technology.
In ViaCAD, 3-D designs automatically create 2-D details, plans, and elevations with a single mouse click. The software also provides interoperability with Google SketchUp, AutoCAD 2007, Adobe Illustrator and other common 3-D formats. The new release creates section and detail views and Bill of Materials lists. It also includes complete 3-D editing tools, annotation, and dimensions, among other features.
Other key features of ViaCAD include data entry windows for precise creation of geometry, unlimited undo and redo histories, sketching functions, support for multiple monitors, and switching between 2-D and 3-D functions.
The software’s LogiCursor technology “thinks” while users draw and sketch, attempting to anticipate the next move and provide a way to snap to elements and find intelligent locations of centers and endpoints.
Price at $99, ViaCAD will be released
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11-01-2007 |
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FRIDAY 12TH JANUARY 2007
NEWS FROM MACNN:
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Inventec to ship 100,000 Apple TVs in Jan
Inventec Appliances will serve as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the Apple TV, which debuted at the Macworld Conference & Expo on Tuesday morning. The manufacturer will ship the first batch of Apple TVs later this month, which serve as a multimedia content hub for up to five computers. Inventec will ship its first batch of 100,000 Apple TVs in late January, amounting to associated revenue of around NT$500 million. Inventec sources said Apple accounted for 70 percent of the company's appliance sales in 2005, and that Apple was responsible for 65 percent of the company's Appliance sales in 2006. Inventec is planning to reduce the proportion further in 2007 to lessen its reliance on a single customer, according to DigiTimes.
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Beta software for SpaceNavigator released
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3Dconnexion released the beta version of its software designed for use with its SpaceNavigator device under Mac OS X. The SpaceNavigator is a three-dimensional navigation device that offers 3D designers intuitive 3D navigational control. The SpaceNavigator is a companion to the mouse that is held in the alternate hand, designed to significantly reduce the number of times users need to switch tools to manipulate 3D imagry and increase productivity. Users can pan, zoom, and rotate 3D objects using the device. 3Dconnexion plans to release the final version of the software -- which will ship with the SpaceNavigator device -- by the end of March 2007, and will enable the device to work with select 3D applications on Mac OS X such as GOogle SketchUp.
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WMS 100 Image projector adapter ships
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NewSoft America has unveiled its new WMS 100 Image, a wireless projector adapter and software broadcast suite that offers presenters an easier-to-use approach to connecting to projectors. The WMS 100 Image allows users to eliminate tangled wires by linking a Wi-Fi-ready laptop directly to the projector, and supports broadcasting from anywhere in the room while allowing others access to the same projector when additional information is needed but may not be on the presenter's own laptop. WMS 100 includes NewSoft's Presto! WMS sending software with a hardware receiver, and features presentations with a frame transfer rate of 15fps. The device and software support Mac OS X running on Intel Core 2 Duo platforms.
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Presto! BizCard Reader 5.0 for Mac OS X
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NewSoft America has introduced Presto! BizCard Reader 5.0 for Mac OS X, offering native support for Intel-based Macs. The Presto! BizCard Reader quickly and easily converts contact information on business cards into a convenient, searchable, digital database that is easily synchronized between Macs, PCs, PDAs, Outlook, Goldmine, and other popular PIMs. Boasting a compact design, the Presto! BizCard Reader includes a palm-sized gray-scale scanner that automatically retrieves contact data from any business card, according to NewSoft. The company's advanced OCR and SFIT (Smart Field Identification Technology) assigns the data into fields for rapid search and retrieval. The card reader recognizes up to seven different languages which include English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch. BizCard Reader 5.0 is available for $130.
Site Link:
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12-01-2007 |
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WEDNESDAY 17TH JANUARY
MacWorld:
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See Eye 2 Eye turns iSight into teleprompter
Bodelin Technologies on Tuesday introduced a new peripheral called See Eye 2 Eye, a $99 device that turns your webcam (or iSight-equipped Mac) into a teleprompter.
See Eye 2 Eye is designed to move your gaze up to look directly at your webcam instead of down at your display, if you’re having a teleconference and want to read notes or information dispalyed on your computer screen. See Eye 2 Eye works by reflecting the window of the person you are chatting with onto a two way mirror, or beam-splitter, over your webcam. The result is that you can turn your Mac into an inexpensive teleprompter without requiring any additional software.
See Eye 2 Eye is available in two different versions: One is designed to work with external webcams and video cameras, including Apple’s iSight. The other can clip directly on to laptops with built in webcams, including MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
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Autodesk announces Maya 8.5
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Autodesk has announced Maya 8.5, a new version of its 3D animation, modeling and rendering software. It’s available for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows platforms. Maya 8.5 is available starting at $1,999 with upgrades also available for users of previous versions.
Maya — the industry-standard 3D software for game designers, film and television visual effects artists and others, now features “Maya nCloth,” which lets artists control cloth, plastic, metal and other materials, simulating air pressure models.
Also new in this release is Python scripting. Python is an open-source programming language that lets you create custom scripts and automate Maya workflows.
Maya 8.5 is finally available as a Universal binary, so it runs natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs.
Other new features enable you to transfer polygon attributes, make the mental ray renderer easier to use, localized Japanese language support, and a new “Nucleus” unified simulation framework.
Maya 8.5 is available in Complete and Unlimited versions for $1,999 and $6,999 respectively. The Unlimited version adds fluid effects, hair, fur and other capabilities.
System requirements call for a G5 or Intel-based Mac, 1GB RAM, 2GB hard disk space, OpenGL-based graphics, three-button mouse and DVD-ROM drive.
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ConceptDraw Project 3 released
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CS Odessa on Tuesday announced the release of ConceptDraw Project 3, a new version of their project management software for Mac OS X and Windows. It costs $199, or $99 for upgrades from previous versions.
Now a Universal binary version for Intel and PowerPC-based Macs alike, ConceptDraw Project 3 also features a redesigned interface, task filtering and sorting and other new features.
You can set color, font and filling for almost any element on the screen, and floating dialog boxes have been added to provide access to frequently performed tasks.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4 or later, G5 or faster and 128MB RAM.
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17-01-2007 |
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TUESDAY 23RD JANUARY 2007
MACWORLD:
iSnug kit bundles four iPod accessories in one
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HandStands has announced the $45.99 iSnug Accessory Kit, which includes four separate iPod accessories together in a single case for easy portability.
The devices include an FM transmitter, so you can hear your iPod’s music on your car radio; an AV adapter, to enable you to view photos (or, in the case of video iPods, watch movies) on your TV or listen to music on your home stereo; a headphone splitter that lets you share your music with another listener; and a 12v car charger, so you can top off your iPod’s battery while you’re on the road.
All accessories have been authorized by Apple’s Made for iPod program, according to HandStands. They’re all included in a hard-shelled accessory case. The devices were primarily designed for iPod nanos and video iPods, but HandStands notes they’ll work with any iPod with a dock connector.
Page Link:
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RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! is Mac-bound
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Aspyr Media on Monday announced plans to release a Macintosh version of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked!, an expansion pack for the popular strategy game that puts you in charge of a theme park. Soaked! is coming in March, 2007.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 makes you responsible for the management of an amusement park, where you have to build the rides, lay out the park, staff it effectively, and, in some cases, design the rides as well. Depending on how well you’ve done your job, people will come and spend money — then you’re on your way to tycoonhood. Once you’ve built the rides you can even go on them, to see what they’re like from the rider’s viewpoint. It’s the latest installment of a wildly popular game franchise on the PC, and the first installment to be available for the Mac, thanks to Aspyr.
Soaked! is the first expansion pack for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, and it enables you to build a water park, complete with wave rides, flue rides, water slides, aquatic shows, beaches and more. You can blast visitors with water cannons, build coasters, laser light shows and more.
Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked! will soon be available for pre-order from Aspyr’s Web site. As an expansion pack, it will require the full, original game to operate.
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23-01-2007 |
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TUESDAY 30TH JANUARY
MacWorld:
iChatUSBCam extends Mac webcam support
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Ecamm Network on Monday released an updated version of iChatUSBCam, their video conferencing software that enables Mac to work with USB webcams. It costs $9.95, and updates are free. A demo is available.
iChatUSBCam is an add-on for iChat AV that enables your Mac to support USB-based webcams in addition to the iSight or other DV cameras. It also works on Macs that would otherwise fall below Apple’s system requirements for video conferencing with iChat AV.
The new 2.2 release adds support for many new Logitech USB webcams. Support for video devices with multiple inputs has been added, and Italian and Swedish localization is new. other fixes and enhancements have also been made.
A list of supported cameras is online.
System requirements call for iChat AV 2.0 or later, a USB webcam or other video source, and PowerPC or Intel processor.
Product Link:
Supported Cameras:
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