Thursday, May 4, 2000
News
Zip Drive Gets FireWire
Iomega on Wednesday announced that it is shipping a FireWire adapter for the 250MB USB Zip drive. The $79.95 adapter allows the drive to be connected to one of the Mac's FireWire ports.
Iomega Launching Mac Attack
Iomega's new rewritable external CD drive will now work equally well on PC or Macintosh systems. And Macintosh compatibility will be a given in future innovations, as well.
The New World Of Online Films
Next time you want to catch a good movie, see whatís playing on your Mac. Now that independent filmmakers have the power to bring their films to a screen near you, your Mac can become as natural a destination as the local megaplex.
Choose How You'll Glow In The Dark
Your screen saver can say a lot about you. Like a billboard from your personal style counsel, the screen saver you choose often tells others what you think is the ultimate in hip, whether itís your latest favorite movie, sitcom or rock & roll band.
Opinion
Apple: Serve Mac OS X Online
Give users a taste of Mac OS X by hosting a demo version on the Web.
Living This Wired Life
A quick example: Jason Snell, my estimable editor, often goes home from a long day of publishing Macworld.com to sit down at his Mac and write, edit, and produce teevee.org, a Web site devoted to television criticism, something that has brought forth sputtering confusion from his relatives and non-computer friends. "Why would anyone do at home exactly what you do at work?" They just don't understand. We've all said that too.
Review
AppleWorks 6 Updater Redeems Apple
AppleWorks 6 is still a bit slow to get going, but performance is greatly improved after it launches. The addition of RTF translation capability is particularly important, as it lets you save your AppleWorks documents in a format that can be easily read by other word processors, such as Microsoft Word.
IceView USB Hub
If you're looking for a USB hub, the IceView is a good product at a good price.
HP DeskJet 952C
In short, the HP 952C can satisfy both the picky photographer and the plain-paper text jockey, at a price that won't break the piggy bank.
BJC-85 Color Bubble Jet Printer
If you're not a speed demon and you're looking for a highly mobile printer, the BJC-85 is a good choice. The print quality is very high, comparable to that of many desktop units, and the printer handles just about any printing surface you're likely to use. Overall, the BJC-85 is a well-designed tool for the mobile Mac user.
Civilization: Call To Power
The new entrant in the Civilization series is a profound disappointment. If you've never played Civilization before, this game's worth a look. Otherwise, just go for Alpha Centauri.
Street Atlas USA 6
No other Mac product in this arena compares to Street Atlas USA, so if you need street-level mapping, by all means pick up a copy today. We just wish DeLorme had made the program easier to use - and to trust.
DoorStop Personal
If you're using a continuous connection, you need a firewallñit's simply not optional in today's dangerous Internet environment. Despite some minor problems, DoorStop's low price, easy setup, and unobtrusive operation make it a great choice.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
These annoyances aside, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Sixña game that demands forethought as well as an adept trigger fingerñis challenging and rewarding enough that it might just hold you hostage.
Sidetrack
From a reader of Scripting News, Karl Martino: This is a particularly bad virus - it's an open source virus. Anyone can modify the script to be even more destructive and send it back out.
From a reader of SlashDot: I really think Microsoft has been getting a lot of things backwards. I think a more appropriate name for Outlook would have been Lookout!
Have you been loved today?
As The Apple Turns (May 2nd, 2000) : We're sure you noticed that [Mac the Knife] has been MIA for months now, but you may not have been particularly worried, since his, er, "unique pharmaceutical orientation" has led to unplanned hiatuses in the past. This time, though, we're starting to think that everyone's favorite blade may be gone for good.
Wintel
Microsoft Zeroing In On Defense Plan
Microsoft Corp. may ask a federal judge to deny the Justice Department's proposal to break up the company, under the argument that the government improperly based the proposal on evidence that wasn't presented at trial, according to people close to the antitrust case.
Love Note Virus Spreads At Epidemic Rate
A new type of computer virus is infecting computers throughout the world, cloggin e-mail systems and destroying data at the most rapid rate for a virus yet seen — even faster than last year's Melissa virus, virus experts said.
Can You Upgrade To Pocket PC?
It's not as easy as downloading software, but you can get the new OS.
Dells Clips Flat-panel Display Prices
Supply is catching up to demand and pushing down prices (for now).
Would A Breakup Of Microsoft Matter?
Technology is moving so fast that by the time this legal mess is resolved, consumers may not even notice or care whether Microsoft is one company, two, or 57.
Microsoft Executive Decides To Make A Leave Permanent
Nathan P. Myhrvold, the chief technology officer of the Microsoft Corporation, announced his departure yesterday, joining a wave of executives and senior engineers who have left the company in the last year.
Will IBM Eclipse Sun?
It appears that Microsoft wasn't the only target on IBM's radar screen when it decided to adopt Linux and tie together all of its platforms. A little birdy very close to the company informs me that Microsoft was an afterthought. The real target was Sun.
Linux Kernel Release Falls Behind Schedule
The next version of the heart of Linux likely will appear later than expected, the leader of the Linux movement said today.
Sun CEO Slams Competitors, Predicts Rosy Future
Sun Microsystems chief executive Scott McNealy, an avid hockey fan, hip-checked his company's arch rival Microsoft as well as IBM, dot-coms and even Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan while speaking to investors today.