St. Clair Software has released version 3.2.1 of Sleeper, its popular screen saver and energy-saving utility.Sleeper delivers a host of energy-saving features that now work on nearly every Macintosh, from the Mac Plus to the latest iMacs and G4 PowerMacs.

Sleeper provides more options, greater control, and broader hardware compatibility than Apple's Energy Saver control panel. This gives older Macs many of the energy saving features of Apple's newer hardware, and provides newer Macintoshes with more extensive and more flexible power management. Users have also reported that Sleeper has helped them overcome problems they've experienced with Apple's Energy Saver control panel. Sleeper's greater configurability, combined with its independence from many of the Mac's built-in power saving functions, allows them to avoid some of the common "insomnia" and "permanent sleep" problems that occur on iMacs and G3/G4 PowerMacs.

Version 3.2.1 supports Apple's latest iMacs and G4 PowerMacs, expands AppleScript support, and improves compatibility with AppleShare 6.3, RAID arrays, and OS 9. Further details and download links are available online .

Sleeper 3.2.1 is free to registered users of earlier versions of Sleeper.

About Sleeper:

Sleeper is a control panel that spins down the hard disk, dims the screen, and powers off Energy Star compliant monitors on any Macintosh. Users simply select desired sleep times in the control panel and Sleeper takes care of the rest. Preferences can also be set to have Sleeper password-protect, sleep, or shut down a Mac after a period of inactivity, and a hotkey can be used to put the Macintosh to sleep on demand.

Sleeper offers many advantages over Apple's bundled Energy Saver control panel, even on newer Macintoshes. It works more consistently than Energy Saver in many configurations, provides more precise control, includes more customization options, and supports disk sleep on all hard drives, not just those supplied by Apple. Sleeper also offers password protection and coexists intelligently with Energy Saver for users that want to "mix and match" features from both utilities. And because Sleeper can work without help from Energy Saver or the Mac's built-in power management code, it works even when Energy Saver doesn't, supporting everything from the Mac Plus to the latest PowerMacs and iMacs.

Sleeper's capabilities include:

• Hard disk sleep
• Energy Star monitor support
• Password screen locking
• A very frugal screen saver
• Timed sleep and shutdown
• Configurable hotkey options
• Support for the Sleep command in the Finder's Special menu
• Kaleidoscope and Mac OS 9 compatibility
• PowerMac-native support for both IDE and SCSI disks
• Support for multiple IDE and SCSI buses
• Full SCSI Manager 4.3 compliance
• Balloon help

Sleeper will operate on any Macintosh running System 7 or higher, including Mac OS 9, and is accelerated for PowerPC. It is distributed as shareware, requiring a $25 registration fee for use beyond a free 30 day trial period.

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March 18, 2010