MacWEEK articles from August 1997

MacWEEK archives from August 1997

Mac's great leap forward: Power, Motorola offer blazing CPUs. (Power Computing's PowerTower Pro G3 275 and Motorola's StarMax Pro 6000 P300 and 266 PowerPC-based systems) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... A revolution in personal computing dawns this week. The occasion is the introduction of the first systems based on the PowerPC 750, the new PowerPC processor until now known by its code name, Arthur. We tested three prototype units, all of which...

AIM partnership unveils new chips. (Apple, IBM, Motorola) (IBM and Motorola debut PowerPC 750, new versions of Mach 5 processors)(Product Announcement)
August 4, 1997... This week's Macworld Expo in Boston will serve as the backdrop for the latest act in the PowerPC story. Processor partners IBM Microelectronics Division and Motorola RISC Microprocessor Division will roll out the G3 chip architecture with the...

Apple intrigue centers on Jobs. (CEO rumors about Steve Jobs) (Company Operations)
August 4, 1997... The rumors surrounding Steve Jobs' possible return to the top spot at Apple reached a crescendo last week, with most of the reports claiming he would be named CEO or chairman of the board at this week's Macworld Expo in Boston. Speculation...

FileMaker Pro 4 to plug into Net. (Claris' Web-enabled DBMS)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Claris Corp. will continue to embrace the Internet with its product line by folding Web connectivity into the upcoming version of FileMaker Pro, sources said. FileMaker Pro 4.0, expected early this fall, will reportedly let users publish their...

Mac distributor moves toward U.S. (Computer Warehouse Group) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... London-based cloner Computer Warehouse Group this week will enter the U.S. market at Boston's Macworld Expo. The company said it will set up digs on the East Coast this fall and expects to start selling machines in the fourth quarter. Computer...

Apple, Arthur and the 386: lessons from ancient history. (clone makers offer systems based on PowerPC 750) (The Second Decade) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
August 4, 1997... Back in the mid-1980s, when Intel Corp. introduced its 386 processor, Compaq Computer Corp. was first to market with systems incorporating the new chip. This coup turned the Intel-standard PC market on its head: The Houston company was no longer...

Hitachi brings camera to Mac. (Hitachi Home Electronics' MP-EG1A video camera and adapter kit)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Three months after shipping a PC version of its MPEG digital camera, Hitachi last week announced an adapter kit that lets the device work with Macs. The MP-EG1A camera, to be demonstrated at the expo this week, is priced at $2,400. On its...

Microtek drops scanner prices. (Microtek Lab' ScanMaker E6 color flatbed scanner, ScanMaker V300) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Microtek Lab Inc. last week dropped prices on two of its entry-level scanners. Aimed at the small office, home office market, Microtek's 30-bit ScanMaker E6 is available for $299, a 17 percent reduction from its original $359 price tag....

Future dim for Imaging. (Apple div) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Apple's Imaging division reportedly will play a diminished role in the company by the end of the year. Sources said Apple will pull the plug on further development of most products, including its low-cost StyleWriter inkjet printer line, digital...

RealPC emulator shoots for gamers. (Insignia Solutions' emulator supports MMX) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Insignia Solutions Inc. will add to its emulation arsenal later this summer with RealPC, a new PC emulator with support for the full Pentium MMX instruction set and Microsoft's DirectX, as well as sound for DOS titles. RealPC, to be priced at...

OS 8 flying off shelves. (Product Information)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... One week after its premiere, Mac OS 8 appears to be a summer blockbuster. Launched in a flurry of publicity, Mac OS 8 is the best-selling system upgrade ever, Apple said, and resellers report emptying their shelves with record-breaking sales....

Show picks. (Aug 1997 Macworld Expo) (includes related articles on Mac OS and Internet Explorer) (Industry Trend or Event)
August 4, 1997... Another August, another Boston Macworld Expo. Despite Apple's current tribulations, the company will join a host of diehard Mac vendors in "the Athens of America" this week to reaffirm their platform independence. Companies will show off...

StockWatch 07.31.97. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... 07.31.97 weekly close change Apple 17.50 1.69 NASDAQ 1593.81 24.68 MacWEEK Composite* 132.09 6.52 Adaptec 42.13 ...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 4, 1997... Defending Mac OS 8 Letting your resident curmudgeon, Henry Norr, review Mac OS 8 (07.21.97, Page 1) is a bit like asking Eeyore to comment on what a beautiful day it is outside. Henry has a unique capacity to always see the gloom through the...

Beta testers hail XPress upgrade. (Quark's QuarkXpress 4.0 page-layout software) (Product Development)
August 4, 1997... After years in turnaround, QuarkXPress 4.0 is almost ready for prime time. According to beta testers, the upgrade to Quark Inc.'s venerable page-layout application is worth the wait. When Quark formally introduced the $995 product last week, it...

FrameMaker 5.5 to gain Web controls. (Adobe Systems' long-document creation software) (Product Development)
August 4, 1997... Adobe Systems Inc. this week will add a new chapter to FrameMaker, the company's package for long-document creation. FrameMaker 5.5 is scheduled to ship later this month for Macs as well as Unix workstations and Intel-standard PCs. Adobe said,...

Opal Ultra a gem of a high-end flatbed. (Linotype-Hell's scanner) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... Opal Ultra 4 1/2 Linotype-Hell Co. has enjoyed a high degree of success in marrying its LinoColor software to desktop flatbed scanners, and its latest offering, the $8,650 Opal Ultra, continues the trend. Using the same hardware as UMAX...

QuarkXPress 4 flexes its muscle. (Quark's page-layout software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... QuarkXPress 4.0 Beta Test QuarkXPress users have endured a Herculean wait for a major upgrade to the market-leading page-layout program. While Adobe PageMaker adherents have seen PageMaker change hands and go through no less than three version...

Epson to ship PhotoPC 600 digital camera. (Epson America)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Epson America Inc. this week will ship its latest digital camera, the PhotoPC 600. The $799 device captures 24-bit images at 1,024 by 768 pixels in picture modes including full size, panoramic, close-up, digital zoom and a multi-image...

Deneba to make a Mac CAD debut. (Deneba Software's DenebaCAD)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Deneba Software marks its entry into the Mac CAD market with the release of DenebaCAD this week at Macworld Expo in Boston. The $799.95 application features an integrated environment for 2-D drafting, 3-D modeling and photo-realistic rendering,...

Delving into why 'good enough' screen color isn't. (color on the Internet) (Out of Gamut) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Column)
August 4, 1997... Managing color on the Internet is today's hot topic. It's clear that the Internet represents Microsoft Corp.'s main impetus for adopting color management for future flavors of Windows, although its strategy is still unclear. Abetted by...

Radius accelerator breaks $400 mark. (Tempest family of graphics cards)
August 4, 1997... Reflecting a new focus on midrange users, Radius Inc. next week plans to unveil Tempest, a low-cost family of 2-D and 3-D graphics boards. The first Tempest board will ship in mid-August for $399, with other cards to follow within the year,...

QuickTime VR gains new tools. (Apple's QuickTime VR Authoring Studio virtual reality software, PictureWork Technology's Spin PhotoObject tool for object movies) (Product Development)
August 4, 1997... NASA's Pathfinder QuickTime VR panoramas of Mars have given Apple's virtual-reality technology some high-profile Web exposure. The technology will make news again this week at Macworld Expo in Boston when Apple unveils a new set of professional...

Animation tools to enter Bryce terrain. (MetaCreations' Bryce 3D terrain generator) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... MetaCreations Corp. this week will spotlight Bryce 3D, a new version of its 3-D terrain generator that can move mountains. The company said it plans to unveil the new version of its Bryce package at Macworld Expo in Boston and ship the software...

Studio Vision Pro rev good, a little flat. (version 3.5.4 of Opcode Systems' MIDI software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... Studio Vision Pro 3.5.4 3 (Good) Studio Vision Pro 3.5 has taken a half step forward with the latest release of Opcode Systems Inc.'s MIDI sequencing and digital audio recording software. With a better organized interface and native PowerPC...

ICEfx to shave cost, boost effects speed. (version 4.0 of Integrated Computing Engines' rendering engine)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Integrated Computing Engines Inc. is warming up Version 4.0 of its ICEfx rendering engine. The upgrade is due to debut at this week's Siggraph 97 show in Los Angeles. Scheduled to ship in September for $8,999, the new version of the...

CPIC thumbnail viewer will enter Mac market. (Photodex's CompuPic multimedia file management package) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... After getting its feet wet with Windows, Photodex Corp. in September will try its hand at the Mac market with a new version of its CompuPic thumbnail viewer and multimedia file-management package. Called CompuPic for Macintosh, the $49 package...

Adobe to roll out free video plug-ins. (Adobe Systems' Path Text effect and Animated GIF video plug-ins) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Adobe Systems Inc. this week will introduce two free plug-ins for its After Effects video-effects package: one that animates text on a path, and one that exports animated GIF files. Adobe will demonstrate the plug-ins at this week's Siggraph 97...

Optek tunes guitar tool for Mac. (Optek Music Systems' SmartLight Interactive System MIDI tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Optek Music Systems this week will transpose its SmartLight Interactive System - a sophisticated MIDI-based tool for teaching guitar - to the Mac. Previously available only for Windows, SmartLight now includes Mac drivers. The system features...

CyberStudio sequel to go live at expo. (version 2.0 of GoLive Systems' Web authoring tool; Macworld Expo 1997)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Just four months after shipping the premiere release of CyberStudio, GoLive Systems Inc. this month will roll out Version 2.0 of the WYSIWYG Web-authoring tool. CyberStudio lets users drag and drop text and pictures on a grid. Among the...

Roaster revision to brew JDK 1.1. (version 3.1 of Roaster Technologies' Java development tool; Java Development Kit)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Roaster Technologies Inc. is bringing support for Java Development Kit 1.1 to Roaster, the company's Java development tool for the Mac. Roaster Release 3.1, being shown at this week's Macworld Expo in Boston, will be the first Java development...

StarNine joins Men & Mice to tailor DNS. (StarNine Technologies; domain name server; WebStar QuickDNS Responder Plug-in load balancing utility)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... StarNine has teamed up with Icelandic developer Men & Mice Inc. to direct Web-site traffic and balance site loads. The companies said they are shipping a free WebStar plug-in that works in conjunction with Men & Mice's QuickDNS Pro 2.0, the...

Flash 2 benefits from new audio, animated color. (Macromedia's streaming Web tool) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... Macromedia Flash 2.0 4 (Very good) Designers looking for a Web animation tool have no shortage of options, but we think the choice is easy: Macromedia Flash 2.0. There's no better program for creating relatively fast, vector-based streaming...

Mail-merge utilities customize messages. (Galleon Software's eMerge 1.1 and Spinfree's OutBox)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Users seeking to ease the burden of running e-mail marketing campaigns can turn to two new tools for sending bulk mail messages. Galleon Software and Spinfree have introduced utilities to send and customize mass mailings. Galleon's eMerge 1.1,...

Count your CGIs. (shareware CountWWWebula available as part of plug-ins) (Technology Information)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Count your CGIs. Shareware author Gregory S. Combs has updated his counter add-ons for Mac Web servers. CountWWWebula, now available as Version 1.4 of Combs' CGI and Version 1.1.2 of his StarNine WebStar plug-in, provides a graphical access...

PaceWorks to ship DancePacks series. (animation clip images)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... PaceWorks Inc. at Macworld Expo this week will ship the first in its DancePacks series of predesigned animation and clip media CDs. Designed to complement the company's ObjectDancer Web animation program, each DancePack will cost $49.95. The...

Colada to add Java twist to Canvas illustration app. (Deneba Software's Web publishing tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Deneba Systems Inc. later this month will give Canvas users a perk with Colada, a free Java-based Web-publishing tool. Colada will convert only documents created with Deneba's Canvas illustration software. Since all page design will take place...

PaperPort app makes solo debut. (Visioneer's PaperPort Deluxe 5.1 image editing tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Visioneer Inc. this week is introducing a stand-alone version of its new PaperPort software that the company said will work with almost every scanner or digital camera on the market. Previously available only with hardware from Visioneer or its...

MindGate spices up print utility. (MindGate Technologies' PrintChef 2.5)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... After a trip back to the kitchen, MindGate Technologies Inc. this month will deliver a new version of its printer-driver enhancement that offers a more palatable interface and a new name that's less of a mouthful. PrintChef 2.5, an upgrade of...

Apple preps 20-ppm laser. (LaserWriter 8500)(Product Announcement)
August 4, 1997... Overshadowing new laser printers from Sharp Electronics Corp. and GCC Technologies Inc., Apple this week at Boston's Macworld Expo will debut the fastest cross-platform workgroup printer it has ever shipped - the LaserWriter 8500. Apple is...

Teamsoft to put Web on Agenda. (TeamAgenda 3.0 group scheduler)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Teamsoft Inc. will bring Web capabilities to its group scheduler when it unveils TeamAgenda 3.0 at this week's Macworld Expo in Boston. Version 3.0 will allow users to create, modify or cancel meetings via any JavaScript-capable Web browser....

Chancery to graduate Mac School to 4.0. (Chancery Software's information management software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Chancery Software Ltd. said it will ship this month Mac School 4.0, a new version of its information-management system for educators. Mac School 4.0 will include stronger cross-platform integration, an enhanced interface and native PowerPC...

Taking up the fight against Apple's mind-share problem. (The Mac Manager) (Product Information)
August 4, 1997... Mac managers these days seem to spend as much time fighting the Apple/Macintosh mind-share problem as they do servicing their customers. Because Apple is unlikely to fix the mind-share problem anytime soon, Mac managers must fix it as best they...

ARA 3 ready to go. (Apple Remote Access)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... The long-awaited Version 3.0 update of Apple Remote Access will be out by the end of August, Apple said. Optimized for Open Transport, the new version of Apple Remote Access, or ARA, will embrace the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and will show...

UMAX C500LT PPC 603e clones woo the low end. (UMAX Computer's SuperMac C500LT 180 and 200 PowerPC-based systems) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
August 4, 1997... SuperMac C500LT 4 (Very good) While Apple tries to claim the high end of Mac OS hardware, clone vendors have quietly gained an edge in the low-end sector. UMAX Computer Corp. has been a visible player in this area, offering its low-cost "C"...

ISDN slows while 56K, DSL gain. (Technology Information)
August 4, 1997... Although many believed ISDN could make it up the hill of user acceptance, there were some daunting hurdles. Luckily the Web was the application that pushed ISDN up the incline, making it a clear choice for users frustrated and bored with slow...

Vertegri ships hefty portable. (Vertigri Research's imediaEngine V5 PowerPC-based notebook)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Vertegri Research Corp. released at the end of July the imediaEngine V5, its high-performance, high-style Mac OS system that redefines mobile computing. Offered as a presentation vehicle, the $6,973 V5 has such desktop features as a 200-MHz...

Orange Micro brings its DOS cards to Performas. (Orange PC 530)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Bringing cross-platform compatibility to the all-in-one market, Orange Micro Inc. said it will ship later this month a DOS card for Apple's Performa 5400 and 5500 models. The OrangePC 530 will have a 7-inch form factor to fit in these compact,...

Apple shows some products, rather than vapor, this year. (Macworld Expo 1997) (MacInTouch) (Product Information)(Column)
August 4, 1997... At the annual Macintosh show in Boston a year ago, Apple made the weakest presentations imaginable. The company was trying to sell vaporous fantasies of Copland and OpenDoc magnificence to people burned by years of false promises and fumbled...

Lower-priced digital cameras flood the market. (includes table of products)(Buyers Guide)
August 4, 1997... Digital-camera sales continue to increase, and while prices fall, the market swells. An explosion of digital cameras for business and consumer use over the past year has brought lower prices, more features and higher quality to the...

Budget-smart digital cameras popping up all over the map. (Technology Information)
August 4, 1997... The current buyer's market has produced a diverse pack of digital-camera enthusiasts. Dan and Nick Buettner of MayaQuest Inc. in Minneapolis are using an Apple QuickTake 150 and QuickTake 200 to take photos in the Central American jungle....

Finances cloudy as Apple fights losses.(Making the Grade) (Company Financial Information)
August 4, 1997... Apple's report in July of a third straight quarterly loss was viewed by many as just another event in the most tumultuous period of the company's history. And while drastic staff cuts and cost savings had lessened the losses by July, the fiscal...

Apple underachieves, gets surpassed by quicker licensees. (hardware development)(Making the Grade) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 4, 1997... One exception is Apple's PowerBooks, still the leaders in the portables class. When it comes to hardware, Apple is the class dunce. The bright kids - Power Computing Corp., Motorola Computer Group, UMAX Computer Corp. - come to class early...

Software, OS still Apple's shining stars.(Making the Grade) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 4, 1997... Apple has gained a reputation for promoting technologies and then neglecting them. In 1997 Apple again trimmed software, but the company did so in order to strengthen its core technologies. Although Apple shelved pet projects such as OpenDoc,...

Apple's marketing neglected, ineffective. (Making the Grade) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 4, 1997... Few aspects of Apple's embattled operation were as much excoriated as the company's marketing efforts during the first half of 1997. In the months that followed January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple abruptly abandoned its ad strategy...

Poor developer ties continue to dog Apple.(Making the Grade) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 4, 1997... The Mac industry was racked by almost a half-year of indecision following Apple's acquisition of NeXT Software Inc. While some knotty issues seem to be nearing resolution, Apple's relations with hardware and software vendors remain strained....

Of knifes and men. (Mac the Knife) (News Briefs)(Column)
August 4, 1997... Contour for aerodynamic contour, Mac the Knife's profile may not match the streamlined elegance of your average nuclear projectile, but when it comes to the industry's annual hajj to Macworld Expo, this utensil is a veritable heat-seeking...

MetaCreations ships Ray Dream 5.(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... MetaCreations Corp. in July shipped a revision of its general-purpose 3-D modeling, animation and rendering package, Ray Dream Studio, Version 5, priced at $499, features several new modeling and animation tools. In addition, the software's...

How may we serve you? (New Atlanta Creation Communications' ServletExec software for letting servers run Java servlets)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... How may we serve you? New Atlanta Communications LLC has unveiled a WebStar plug-in that will let Web servers run Java servlets, Java-based alternatives to CGIs. The Alpharetta, Ga., company said the ServletExec plug-in is based on Apple's Mac OS...

Java gets Wired. (JStream's WiredWrite document creation software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... Java gets Wired. At this week's Macworld Expo in Boston, J*Stream will distribute a limited number of free beta copies of WiredWrite, its Java-based document-creation software. The tool creates documents in the J*Press Document (JPD) format;...

WebTen goes to 1.1. (Tenon Intersystems' Web server)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... WebTen goes to 1.1. Tenon Intersystems of Santa Barbara, Calif., last week brought WebTen, the company's Mac Web server, to Version 1.1. The update, available now, offers reduced memory and disk footprints, and it improves CGI scheduling,...

PointCast gets a lift. (PointCast Network for the Mac 1.1 push front-end)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
August 4, 1997... PointCast gets a lift. PointCast Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., last week shipped Version 1.1 of PointCast Network for the Mac. The upgrade to the free "push" technology product adds five new channels, and the software now works with Web browsers...

License feud ignites Macworld fireworks. (licensees air grievances during Macworld Expo) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 11, 1997... Boston - Relations between Apple and its licensees hit a new low as the aggrieved parties skirmished in public last week at Macworld Expo. Entering the show without contracts for Mac OS 8 and the Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP),...

Jobs, Gates strike deal: Apple turns over board; Ellison joins pack of high-tech execs. (Company Operations)
August 11, 1997... Ellison joins pack of high-tech execs Boston - In a surprise move here last week, Apple announced a wholesale facelift of its board of directors. But the new team included a familiar mug: Steve Jobs. "It's time for a change, and this change...

Microsoft sinks $150M into Apple. (investment marks end of era of competition) (Jobs, Gates Strike Deal; Apple Turns Over Board) (Company Business and Marketing)
August 11, 1997... Boston - "The era of competition between Apple and Microsoft is over," Steve Jobs told a keynote audience here at Macworld Expo last week. In a presentation the Mac community and financial analysts had anxiously anticipated, Jobs outlined a...

Users keep the faith on expo floor. (Macworld Expo 1997) (Industry Trend or Event)
August 11, 1997... Boston - While events away from the convention halls grabbed the headlines at last week's Macworld Expo here, there were places to go and products to see throughout the expo show floor. "I thought I was going to have to go over to the Intel...

IXmicro to debut accelerator line. (IXmicro IX3D Ultimate Rez, IX3D Pro Rez, IX3D Mac Rocket accelerators)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... IXmicro will bring 3-D display technology closer to consumers when it releases a new family of accelerator boards in September. The IX3D family will build on the 128-bit 3-D technology in IXmicro's TwinTurbo line. The $659 IX3D Ultimate Rez...

Apple to tap 'new' advertising agency. (TBWA Chiat/Day replaces BBDO West) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 11, 1997... After bringing back Steve Jobs and embracing Microsoft Corp., Apple will turn to yet another historic partner: TBWA Chiat/Day, the advertising agency that made its legendary "1984" commercial 13 years ago. Apple said it will name Venice,...

Ziff-Davis, IDG Mac pubs team up in joint venture. (International Data Group) (Macintosh publishing operations merged under Mac Publications LLC) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 11, 1997... Longtime competitors Ziff-Davis Inc. and International Data Group have revealed plans to merge their Macintosh publishing operations into a new joint venture, based in San Francisco. The new company, to be called Mac Publications LLC, will begin...

Chief adviser's address leaves key questions unanswered. (Steve Jobs) (The Second Decade) (Company Operations)(Column)
August 11, 1997... Perhaps it was too much to expect that Steve Jobs' keynote address at Macworld Expo would answer all, or even most, of the big questions hanging over Apple, but I for one had hoped for a more detailed statement of the company's direction. Not...

Siggraph brings out best of 3-D. (graphics industry trade show) (Industry Trend or Event)
August 11, 1997... Los Angeles - Stunning images from the Mars Sojourner Mission competed with manmade special effects at last week's Siggraph 97, where about 40,000 attendees took cover from the heat to see the cutting edge of 3-D graphics. Attendees at the Los...

ICG drum scanner nears U.S. debut. (ICG North America Titan582 platesetter, 360 drum scanner)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... ICG North America will debut an upright drum scanner and demonstrate its long-promised Titan582 platesetter at September's Print 97 show in Chicago. Aimed at the prepress industry, ICG's 360 drum scanner was first introduced to the European...

Extensis retools effects XTension. (QZ-Effects 3.0 QuarkXTEnsion)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Extensis Corp. last week spun out a sequel to QX-Effects, a QuarkXTension that lets users apply a variety of effects to text, graphics and objects within QuarkXPress layouts. Extensis announced the $129.95 QX-Effects 3.0 at Macworld Expo in...

Parametric plans CAD for Rhapsody. (Parametric Technology to port Pro/Reflex to Apple's operating system)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Citing the strength of the Mac platform in the architecture, engineering and construction markets, Parametric Technology Corp. recently announced an agreement with Apple to port its Pro/Reflex high-end architectural modeling software to Apple's...

PDF's promise not fully realized. (Portable Document Format) (Technology Information)
August 11, 1997... When most people think of Portable Document Format files, it is in the context of downloading a document from the Web and viewing it with an Acrobat plug-in browser. However, the PDF is not only a convenient way of distributing electronic...

Digital coming into focus. (Canon PowerShot 350; Kodak Digital Science DC120 Zoom; Minolta Dimage V digital cameras) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
August 11, 1997... PowerShot 350 4 (Very good) Kodak Digital Science DC120 Zoom 4 (Very good) Dimge V 4 (Very good) It's increasingly difficult to keep track of sub-$1,000 digital cameras, as they're proliferating at a dizzying rate. But while the first...

Myriad boosts annotation tools. (Informative Graphics' Myriad 2.2)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Informative Graphics Corp. recently revised Myriad, a software tool that enables users to view and annotate a variety of document types even if they lack the native applications. Myriad 2.2, which shipped earlier this year for $595, features...

Microspot revs 3-D World pack. (3D World 2.5)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Longtime Mac developer Microspot USA Inc. last week released a new version of 3D World as well as a series of plug-ins that add high-end features to the QuickDraw 3D-based application. Both 3D World 2.5 and the new Designer plug-in package,...

Hitachi camera takes shot at Macs. (Hitachi MP-EGIA digital camera)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Three months after shipping an Intel-standard PC version of its MPEG digital camera, Hitachi last week announced an adapter kit that connects it to Macs. Hitachi demonstrated the MP-EG1A at Macworld Expo in Boston; the connectivity kit will be...

FreeStyle adds SMPTE, sensing. (Mark of the Unicorn ships FreeStyle 2.0 MIDI sequencing and composition package)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Letting the music take over, Mark of the Unicorn last week delivered Version 2.0 of FreeStyle - its MIDI-sequencing and MIDI-composition package - at Macworld Expo in Boston. FreeStyle 2.0, priced at $195, includes SMPTE synchronization,...

Scitex upgrade rounds out MicroSphere. (Scitex Digital Video ships SphereOUS 1.4.6, free upgrade for MicroSphere digital video-editing system)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... Scitex Digital Video Inc. in July shipped a free software upgrade to its MicroSphere digital video-editing system. The dual-stream system, which consists of Truevision Inc.'s Targa 2000 RTX card and Scitex's SphereOUS software, costs $13,500....

Digital preps punchy multimedia projector. (Digital Projection Power 5dv multimedia projector)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 11, 1997... A newcomer to the U.S. market this fall will deliver a second high-powered member of its multimedia projector line. Digital Projection Inc.'s $85,995 Power 5dv will feature a Xenon arc lamp that can output 5,000 lumens, allowing the device to...

A Las Vegas story: Digital narratives arrive - from Coke. (The World of Coca-Cola exhibition features interactive stories)(Key Frame) (Technology Information)(Column)
August 11, 1997... Digital tools such as QuickTime, Adobe Premiere and Macromedia Director have enabled a handful of artists to develop interactive stories as family histories, personal documents and social commentaries. While mainstream multimedia developers were...

Java security issues brewing; many believe that safety should be part of tool itself. (Technology Information)
August 11, 1997... With the security concerns raised for Java usually on the client side, it is easy to forget that its creator also needs to protect its intellectual property. But Java's strength as an interpreted language that can run across platforms leaves it...