MacWEEK articles from December 1994

MacWEEK archives from December 1994

Dantz to dip into PC client backups over Novell LANs. (Dantz Development Corp's Remote 10-Pack for NetWare add-on for Retrospect Remote backup software; expected at Jan 1995 MacWorld Expo) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Mac managers hoping to step across platforms will soon be able to turn to a new Retrospect Remote add-on for PC clients on Novell networks, sources said. Dantz Development Corp. of Orinda, Calif., is expected to unveil Remote 10-Pack for...

Feds scrutinize Microsoft, Intel over charges of anticompetition. (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Federal investigators are revisiting two of the personal computer industry's dominant players on charges of anticompetitive business practices. The U.S. Justice Department is expanding its antitrust investigation of Microsoft Corp.'s $1.5...

Apple extends push for more VARs. (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Apple USA, seeking to increase its base of more than 2,000 value-added resellers, last month unveiled a plan aimed at allowing dealers other than its three largest distributors to enlist VARs. The pilot program, which runs through March 31,...

StockWatch.
December 5, 1994... 11.30.94 Weekly % close change Apple 37.25 -2.30 Software developers Adobe 33.00 -0.75 Caere ...

MacWEEK index. (PCs in US banking)
December 5, 1994... The U.S. banking industry is poised to buy twice as many computers per year by the year 2000, but it intends to purchase smaller, less expensive models. As a result, unit shipments will grow, while total sales decline. Sales figures for 1994-2000...

Metrowerks builds PC apps; CodeWarrior 2.0 to boost scriptability. (also version 1.2; plans for tool to develop Intel-compatible programs from Mac) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Almost a year ago, Metrowerks Inc. appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere, like a hungry shark taking large bites out of its competition in the programming tools market. Never stopping to rest, the company will deliver an incremental upgrade...

BreakThru. (Spectrum HoloByte Inc's BreakThru for Macintosh action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Spectrum HoloByte Inc.'s $44.95 BreakThru might be the company's first knockoff of Tetris that has the addictive appeal of the original game. The goal of BreakThru is to remove all the bricks and foreign objects from a wall in a set time....

New RasterOps CEO takes charge; Doctor prescribes cure for company. (Louis Doctor)
December 5, 1994... Despite posting a $15.8 million loss, reducing its work force, losing its CEO and dropping out of the graphics accelerator market, RasterOps Corp. is bent on refocusing itself as a leader in the expanding video market. Leading the charge is...

Off the wire.
December 5, 1994... Executive defections and appointments, as well as the settlement of a trade-secret dispute involving a leading Mac networking vendor, highlight this week's wire. Former Apple executive Delbert Yocam resigned abruptly last month as chief operating...

AOL acquires third Internet company. (America Online's buyout of Advanced Network & Services) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... America Online Inc. has gobbled up its third Internet service company in as many weeks; the company last month announced the buyout of Advanced Network & Services for $35 million in cash and stock. The proposed purchase calls for ANS to become...

Letters. (Letter to the Editor)
December 5, 1994... Safety first The article about Technoggin Inc.'s safety notification (MacWEEK, Nov. 14, Page 4) misstated some important facts and omitted other substantial information. Technoggin is contacting owners of PowerPlates to recommend that they...

IBM needs a new script. (Macintosh operating system licensing) (Brief Article) (Editorial)
December 5, 1994... In the classic film "Chinatown," the hard-boiled detective, played by Jack Nicholson, uncovers the truth by slapping it out of a world-weary and obscenely rich heiress played by Faye Dunaway. In one famous scene, a more pitiful than tragic...

New 68K emulator gearing up for PCI. (faster emulation planned for next generation of PowerPC systems)
December 5, 1994... When Apple introduces its first PCI-based Power Mac in May, the ROMs will include a new 680x0 emulator that could boost emulation performance by 50 percent to 100 percent, compared to the version built into current Power Macs. The emulator...

Stuff toys for your Mac into stockings this holiday season. (The Second Decade) (Column)
December 5, 1994... 'Tis the season when even the most serious of Mac managers has to take time out to buy presents -- if only by mail order -- so this week The Second Decade offers a grab bag of gift possibilities for your Mac-using friends and loved ones. To...

Coalition calls for interoperable CTI; Apple key partner. (IBM, AT&T, Apple and Siemens Rolm Communications form Versit for computer-telephone integration)
December 5, 1994... Add another entry to the long list of industry partnerships: Versit. Apple last week joined three other companies in announcing this coalition to promote interoperability between computer and telecommunications products. AT&T Corp. and Siemens...

Plug-ins to power Adobe future. (Adobe Systems Inc)
December 5, 1994... Now that the dust has settled from its acquisition of Aldus Corp., Adobe Systems Inc. has sketched out plans for creating synergy among its array of graphics applications. The $520 million Mountain View, Calif., company, the fourth largest...

Lighten up folks: the Mac is the best darn toy around. (Bandai's Mac OS-based video game) (The Mac Manager) (Column)
December 5, 1994... Let's admit it, as good as multimedia PCs are at playing games, Macs kick their butts. No contest. If you want 16-bit sound, a jillion colors on the screen, CD-ROM, animation, QuickTime movies and all the rest of the stuff that makes up today's...

Collage 2.0.1 makes layered images easier to construct. (Specular International Ltd's digital composition package) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
December 5, 1994... Specular's upgrade still relies heavily on Photoshop's abilities Score Card: Collage Specular International Ltd. Version tested: 2.0.1 List price: $399* Overall value: 3 Collage 2.0.1 complements Adobe Photoshop by providing a...

For the record. (Correction Notice)
December 5, 1994... A story in the Nov. 14 issue (Page 18) incorrectly stated the price for ACI US Inc.'s 4D Open for 4th Dimension. The module costs $150.

FullWrite Professional 2.0; word processor's features expand beyond the basics. (Akimbo Systems) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
December 5, 1994... Overall value: 4 Akimbo Systems' FullWrite Professional 2.0 is the first significant upgrade of this word processor in several years. The $395 program, now in the hands of its fourth owner, retains its many editing, layout and long-document...

Marathon. (Bungie Software Products Corp's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... It's been hard to avoid the Doom craze for the past year. Companies nationwide have banned the game, as roving bands of networked players on Intel-standard PCs brought enterprises to their knees. Well, get ready, Mac managers: We're about to join...

Cosmology of Kyoto. (Yano Electric Co Ltd's adventure game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... It's not often you find yourself wishing you'd just go to hell. But if you want to progress to the Imperial Palace through the dusty, demon-infested streets of Kyoto at the turn of the last millennium, that's where you must go. Many times. As...

Wolfenstein 3D. (MacPlay's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Before achieving fame as the purveyors of Doom for Intel-standard PCs, Id Software released its first-generation, first-person, texture-mapped shoot'em-up, Wolfenstein 3D, itself a reincarnation of the classic maze game for the Apple II....

Sensory Overload. (Reality Bytes Inc's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Sensory Overload from Reality Bytes Inc. is another entry in the growing line of scrolling 3-D maze adventures for the Mac. Hunting, gathering and plenty of killing action are all provided in abundance in this $69.95 game. You play the role of...

Quantum Gate. (Hyperbole Studios adventure game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... So, as it turns out, Earth will be uninhabitable toward the end of the 21st century. Don't panic; brilliant scientists have found a way to solve the problem. But it's real dangerous, and that's where you come in. That's the basic premise...

The Gingerbread Man. (ION's entertainment/hobby software) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Flushed from the shadows of their dank circus tents, The Residents return with another serving of their homespun CD-ROM psychosis. In ION's $49.95 The Gingerbread Man, you become the fairy-tale prankster peering into the deepest recesses of the...

SimTower. (Maxis' SimTower for Macintosh office tower simulation game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... SimTower from Maxis is the zenith of intelligent urban-planning games. Your task: to design a vertical city up to 100 stories high and place the Unidenominational Cathedral on top as a shimmering crown. To win the $44.95 game, you must manage...

Gadget. (Synergy Inc's adventure game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... The turgid text of '30s and '40s pulp fiction is brought to life in Synergy Inc.'s $59.99 CD-ROM story game, Gadget: Invention, Travel and Adventure. Gadget was produced in Japan, and, unlike the more energetic game offerings from the States,...

PGA Tour Golf II. (Electronic Arts' PGA Tour Golf II for Macintosh golf simulation game) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... It's not the Olympic Club, but PGA Tour Golf II is better than your average municipal course. The $59.95 game from Electronic Arts features seven courses, six tournaments and several great viewing options. PGA Tour Golf II requires at least...

The 7th Guest. (Virgin Interactive Entertainment's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Welcome to the mysterious home of Henry Stauf, an eccentric who rose from a dark past to become a great toy maker. Six others have come before you, none of whom have ever left. In each room lie clues as to why you are here and puzzles to be...

Monopoly. (MacPlay's Monopoly for Macintosh computer game) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... True lovers of this classic American board game will be in for hours of joyous real-estate acquisition and capitalist adventure with MacPlay's easy-to-navigate and graphically accurate version of Monopoly. Race car, thimble, wheelbarrow and all...

Head Candy. (Brian Eno and Ion join forces on CD-ROM) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Head Candy combines five original tracks of music by ambient pioneer Brian Eno with ION's visual wizardry to produce a sensorial exploration that will mesmerize even the most seasoned astral travelers. Strap on your prismatic glasses and turn...

Museum Madness. (MECC's computer game) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... MECC's Museum Madness is a game where you have to think a lot. It's for ages 10 to 13. The idea of the $49.95 game is there is a big science and history museum that got messed up by a computer virus; you go to different exhibits like the...

Rebel Assault. (LucasArts Entertainment Co's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... The force must have been with LucasArts Entertainment Co. the day it created Rebel Assault, the No. 1-selling CD-ROM on Intel-standard computers. But when it brought the game to the Macintosh, the company was seduced by the dark side. Rebel...

Chiral. (Ambrosia Software Inc's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Ambrosia Software Inc. has a reputation for sublime shareware versions of popular games; Maelstrom, a revisitation of Asteroids, set the standard by which all Macintosh asteroid games are measured. But we yearned for the day when Ambrosia would...

Spectre VR CD. (Velocity Development Corp's combat strategy game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Spectre VR CD is Velocity Development Corp.'s $69.95 CD-ROM update to its classic combat strategy games, Spectre and Spectre Supreme. What's new this time around is more than an hour's worth of video clips integrated into the action,...

Flying Colors. (Davidson and Associates Inc's paint program) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... With lots of shimmering stamps and 256 colors, you can create wonderful pictures in Flying Colors, a $59.95 paint program for all ages from Davidson & Associates Inc. For example, you can make pictures of dragons guarding gems and gold with a...

Jump Raven. (CyberFlix Inc's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Jump Raven is a fast-paced, flying, shoot'em-up arcade game set in the post-disaster future of New York. Dialog-based interaction with animated characters and text screens help set the environment. Published by CyberFlix Inc. and distributed by...

Night Trap. (Digital Pictures Inc's interactive movie) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Night Trap is a CD-ROM interactive movie from Digital Pictures Inc. that first gained notoriety last year in its Sega CD incarnation, when stores yanked it and members of a U.S. Senate subcommittee blasted it for its violent imagery. Now it's...

Glider Pro. (Casady and Greene Inc's Glider Pro computer game) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Glider Pro is the $49.95 sequel to Casady and Greene Inc.'s Glider. In this game, you fly a paper airplane through a house and the world outside it. Each world has a number of stars that you need to pick up to win the game. Along the way you...

Lode Runner: The Legend Continues. (Sierra On-Line Inc's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... It's not deja vu, but it's close. You still have to work your bounty hunter Jake through level after level of subterranean labyrinths, fending off the mad monks of the evil empire in your mercenary quest for bags of gold. Yes, Lode Runner is...

Prince of Persia 2. (Broderbund Software Inc's action game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... If your tastes run toward arcade games, you won't want to miss Broderbund Software Inc.'s Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame. Picking up a few days after the original story ended, the $40 sequel places the newly married Prince in...

The Cat Came Back/Digby's Adventures. (Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corp's computer games) (Software Review) (The MacWEEK Play List)(Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Interactive stories are staples of children's software -- and the genre keeps getting better. Two good ones are available on CD-ROM from Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corp.: The Cat Came Back and Shelley Duvall's Digby's Adventures. In both...

PowerPoker. (Electronic Arts' sports/gambling game) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Are you the chump of your Friday night poker games? The one who always leaves the table broke after a night of misplayed bluffs and failed flushes? Well, stop moping and get yourself a copy of Electronic Arts' $39.95 PowerPoker. This is not only...

Eric's Ultimate Solitaire. (Delta Tao Software Inc) (The MacWEEK Play List) (Software Review) (Evaluation) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... It came out too late for us to include in last year's games issue, but Eric's Ultimate Solitaire from Delta Tao Software Inc. is a keeper that deserves mention. Seventeen solitaire games are packed into this $49 program, ranging from the staid...

Macs selling in record numbers. (Oct 1994 totals)
December 5, 1994... Users are snapping up Macs in record numbers from dealers and other personal computer stores nationwide. About 73,000 Macs were sold in the United States in October -- the best sales month Apple has registered this year, according to Stella...

Apple releases free MacTCP update. (MacTCP 2.0.6) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Late last month Apple released MacTCP 2.0.6, a free update to its TCP/IP software for Macs. The new version fixes problems in handling domain names, including a potential memory leak; it also improves the handling of various domain-name syntax...

Macs are selling; let's sell more. (MacWEEK Insider) (Column)
December 5, 1994... As we note above, Apple's doing a good job of selling Macs right now. Unlike the numbers Apple trots out in its quarterly earnings report, Computer Intelligence InfoCorp's StoreBoard numbers represent units sold, not shipped. I like the fact...

PaperPort scans, converts, faxes docs. (Visioneer Inc's multipurpose scanning device) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Offering help to victims of desk clutter, Visioneer Inc. this week will ship a hardware and software solution for converting text on paper into electronic documents that can be edited, faxed and printed. PaperPort, priced at $399, includes a...

Read-It! O.C.R. gains tools, speed with MacInTalk. (version 5.0 of Olduvai's text-recognition software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Olduvai Corp. last week shipped a new version of its Read-It! O.C.R. optical character recognition application. The company said the new version ramps up speed and accuracy while offering a new palette for easier access to tools. With a list...

CanOpener gets PowerMac boost, new file formats. (Abbott Systems Inc's CanOpener 3.0 disaster recovery/format conversion software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Abbott Systems Inc. uncorked an upgrade to CanOpener. Version 3.0 adds native Power Mac code and support for more than 20 file formats to the long-standing file reading utility. Like earlier versions, CanOpener offers access to the contents of...

For the record. (Correction Notice)
December 5, 1994... The Nov. 7 review of the Apple Color StyleWriter 2400 (Page 39) listed an incorrect price. The correct price is $525.

Microtech ships pocket-size storage. (Microtech International's PocketPac 320, 500 hard drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Users on the go will be able to get a handle on data thanks to a new line of compact drives from Microtech International Inc. of East Haven, Conn. The $865 PocketPac 320 and $1,094 PocketPac 500 are 2.5-inch drives based on 323-Mbyte and...

Toshiba touts 3.4-speed CD-ROM. (Toshiba America Information Systems' XM-5201 CD-ROM drive) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. of Irvine, Calif., last month unveiled the XM-5201, a new 3.4-speed CD-ROM drive with a list price of $275. Expected to hit the streets in February, the drive will use a variable-speed playback technology...

Get set to output on the road with notebook-size printers. (ten portable printers) (Buyers Guide)
December 5, 1994... Smaller size, ever-lower prices and more functionality make portable printers more appealing. It is inevitable. If you're going to compute, e-mail and fax on the road, you're going to print there as well. And with the latest...

Those hip Macy's ads are digital- and timely, too.
December 5, 1994... In less than six months, Macy's got rid of X-Acto knives and paste-up and brought in a high-end Mac-based publishing system. Macy's is more than a department store: It is also an advanced publishing operation. The retail chain's sales promotion...

System 7.5 includes problems with installer. (MacInTouch) (Column)
December 5, 1994... Another set of System 7.5 bugs and tips starts us off this week, and some Installer issues highlight an important area in which the Mac is falling behind. Several readers have written to complain about the System 7.5 warning dialog that pops...

Making a bootable 7.5 disk. (Ask David Ramsey) (Column)
December 5, 1994... Q. How can I make a bootable System 7.5 disk? The minimal install option for my Mac won't fit. A. This one's easy: Just duplicate the Disk Tools disk, which is a bootable System 7.5 disk for any Macintosh or Power Mac. If you have the CD-ROM...

New EveryWare scheduler gets hooks into databases. (EveryWare Development Corp's Enterprise Time Capture comprehensive scheduler and billing software) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... EveryWare Development Corp. this week clocked in with multi-user Mac software that offers comprehensive tracking of schedules and billing throughout a business. ETC, or Enterprise Time Capture, lets workers create to-do lists, book meetings...

Markets without borders work. (Mac the Knife)
December 5, 1994... The ecumenical spirit that's swept through the culture these past few weeks was about as expected as a foot of new powder at Lake Tahoe in July. Evidence is everywhere. Elected representatives and former presidents of both parties came...

Ricoh moves MO mechanisms. (RS-5060E Turbo) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Ricoh Corp. of San Jose, Calif., recently shipped its RS-5060E Turbo, a new magneto-optical drive. The $3,100 Fast SCSI-2 unit features a caching scheme that offers 19- and 15.7-millisecond average access times with 1.3-Gbyte and 650-Mbyte...

Storage bits & bytes. (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... The economies of volume production and a tough market are evidenced in the recently released annual floppy drive report by Mountain View, Calif.-based Disk/Trend Inc. The study said that 1993 3.5-inch drive sales totaled 51 million units, and 9.1...

Mirror unveils slew of RAID units; line includes fixed, removable systems. (Mirror Technologies' Precision disk arrays) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Mirror unveils slew of RAID units; Line includes fixed, removable systems Reflecting Mac users' need for fast, reliable storage, Mirror Technologies recently released a new series of RAID systems. The Precision arrays comprise a Fast and Wide...

DynaTek prepares build-your-own RAID system. (DynaTek Automation Systems Inc's AddArray) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Users will be able to line up their own speedy storage when DynaTek Automation Systems Inc. this month releases AddArray, a hardware RAID controller for do-it-yourself arrays. The $1,499 device will work with up to six connected hard drives to...

ClienTrac 2.0 contact manager puts multimedia spin on records. (Whiskey Hill Software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Whiskey Hill Software Inc. last month began shipping what it said is the first multimedia contact manager for the Mac. ClienTrac 2.0, priced at $99, lets users annotate their contact records with QuickTime movies and voice and picture notes....

Chisholm projection panels leave mark on presentations. (Rainbow 20/15 and 20/20 active-matrix LCDs include wireless pens, digitizer pads) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... A series of LCD projection panels from Chisholm offers a new level of interaction with presented material, thanks to a digitizer pad that lets users annotate Mac-based presentations and video sequences. The Rainbow LCD projection panel line...

Notes-outlining app gets upgrade. (Donner Lake Software's QuikDraft 1.3.1) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Donner Lake Software has drawn an upgrade to its Mac application designed to help users organize their notes. QuikDraft 1.3.1, available now, succeeds the original version, which shipped last year as NoteTaker. The upgrade includes several...

DynaTek CD-ROM jukebox holds 2,750 discs, juggles 1.8 terabytes. (DynaTek Automation Systems' infiniDISC) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... DynaTek Automation Systems Inc. last month introduced the infiniDISC tower, a high-capacity, modular CD-ROM jukebox that holds up to 2,750 discs. The device is expected to ship in the first quarter of 1995. The large digital library system will...

Apple RAIDs Workgroup Servers; promised utility ships free to users. (Apple RAID disaster recovery/prevention software for PowerPC Workgroup Servers) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Network managers could have given Apple thanks in November after it shipped the long-awaited RAID software for its PowerPC-based Workgroup Servers. The software provides data striping and mirroring, also known as RAID, or redundant array of...

Smith Micro's MacComCenter Plus gets it done; version 2.0 to add GX printing controls. (Smith Micro Software Inc's fax/data communications package) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... A new entrant in the retail fax software market is bringing years of experience gained from modem bundles. Smith Micro Software Inc. last month announced MacComCenter Plus 2.0, a $99.95 fax and data communications package that will let users...

COPS buys Dayna's LocalTalk cards for PCs, will support with COPSTalk. (CoOperative Printing Solutions purchases Dayna Communications' DL/2, DL/2000; will rewrite software) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... CoOperative Printing Solutions Inc. has moved closer to total domination of the PC LocalTalk world with its purchase of Dayna Communications Inc.'s LocalTalk cards for Intel-standard PCs. According to COPS, the acquisition makes it the only...

Euronis lands PPP on Planet ISDN; one-channel driver aimed at Internet. (Planet-II ISDN communications board) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Euronis joined a growing group of vendors applying ISDN as a means of accessing the Internet when it added Point-to-Point Protocol support to its Planet-II ISDN board last month. "We have been a vertical market supplier to graphics houses; now...

SQL database kit crossing platforms. (dtF Americas Inc to ship developers kits for relational database engine) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... dtF Americas Inc. this month expects to ship cross-platform developers kits for its SQL relational database. The tools will allow Mac, DOS, Windows, Unix and OS/2 programmers to create applications based on dtF's database engine. The current...

Mega Drive Enterprise adapts to storage needs. (Mega Drive Systems' Enterprise, MX/500 disk arrays) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Mega Drive Systems Inc. last month previewed its Enterprise, a high-performance modular storage system slated for a March release, along with the MX/500, a modular RAID system due in January. The Enterprise is a $1,200 eight-bay enclosure with...

Information Electronics opens e-mail gateways to Windows NT. (PostalUnion/SMTP Services for Windows NT) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Information Electronics last month shipped PostalUnion/SMTP Services for Windows NT, an e-mail gateway suite linking SMTP to QuickMail, Microsoft Mail and Lotus Notes. Information Electronics takes a modular approach to building e-mail...

VST upgrades EMMpathy, offers rebate for Technoggin owners. (VST Power Systems' EMMpathy 2.0 diagnostic software for Apple PowerBook 500 intelligent battery; also announces AutoAdapter 500 power adapter, competitive rebates for PowerPlate customers plagued by sulfuric acid leaks) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... VST Power Systems Inc. recently upgraded its PowerBook 500 intelligent battery diagnostic tool, shipped an automobile adapter for the 500-series portables and offered rebates to owners of PowerPlate external batteries from Technoggin Inc. >...

PowerWerks ships low-cost battery for PB 100 series. (PWBP006A battery, PWBC001A charger) (Brief Article ) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Start-up company PowerWerks last month shipped a new low-cost battery and charger for the PowerBook 100 series that carry one-year warranties, six months longer than the industry standard. The PWBP006A battery and PWBC001A charger are priced at...

Tapping into hotel telephone lines. (techniques for attaching notebook computer modems) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Most modern hotels are modem-friendly, but some older phone systems still have not been updated to post-Watergate standards. However, with a few tools any road warrior can get around these communications blockades by tapping directly into the...

Newton utility adds customizable menus. (Tanis Development Corp's Elegance 1.1 operating system enhancement) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Tanis Development Inc. has updated its Newton utility, adding several new features, including context-sensitive application menus. Elegance is a horizontal tool bar for the Newton that lets users select from three different fonts (including...

Cracks in Duo screens blamed on production; repair covered by PB warranty. (PowerBook Duo 270c, 280c) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... Repair covered by PB warranty PowerBook Duo 270c and 280c owners who have handled their subnotebooks gently can now stop blaming themselves if their LCD screens are cracked. According to Apple, the cracks are the result of a manufacturing...

New Isaac PDA targets cognitive dysfunction. (Center for Rehabilitation Engineering (Sweden) modifies Apple Newton) (Brief Article)
December 5, 1994... The Center for Rehabilitation Engineering at Lund University in Sweden has modified a Newton in such a way as to redefine the term personal digital assistant. By combining a Sharp Expert Pad with a Sony CCD (charge-coupled device) digital...

Gaia alters face of Newton notes. (Gaia Software Inc's Personal Media OS command shell for Apple Newton MessagePad) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Gaia Software Inc. last month shipped a new work-space environment for the Newton that features a drag-and-drop interface and allows users to resize and combine multiple notes. Personal Media uses a desktop metaphor in which users can create...

Media 100 video system upgraded; version 2.0 improves images and editing. (Data Translation Inc's digital video software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... Data Translation Inc. last week shipped Version 2.0 of its Media 100 digital video system, offering improved image quality, editing features and QuickTime interchange. Media 100 Version 2.0, which comprises two NuBus cards, an external...

ElectricImage zips up 3-D speed with native Power Mac version. (Electric Image Inc's ElectricImage for Power Macintosh 2.0 animation software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
December 5, 1994... ElectricImage has warped to Power Macintosh speeds. A native version of the $7,495 3-D application shipped last week from Electric Image Inc. "The rendering speed of ElectricImage is just astounding to begin with; even the first [native] beta...