Press Releases Edited By Applelinks Contributing Editor Charles W. Moore


Spymac Rolls Into Online Services Market With Wheel
Data Rescue X 10.4.2 Recovers Data From Crashed Disks
Sendstation Systems' PocketDock Combo
Sendstation Systems' PocketDock Line Out
Alien Skin Software Releases Eye Candy 5: Textures [/url]
eDial Introduces IM Web Access Server 2.0; Version 2.0 Delivers Unprecedented Scale While Supporting Multiple Browsers [/url]




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Spymac Rolls Into Online Services Market With Wheel

Spymac Network Inc. has announced today a new Internet service called Wheel. The service will be released at Macworld Conference & Expo in Boston in July and consists of software and online services produced in-house by some of the industry's leading developers. Wheel ships on a single hybrid CD that works on both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems and is $39 (US) per year.

The new service includes a first-class 1 GB e-mail account (with POP3, IMAP and Web-mail access), iCal and web page hosting and a growing suite of applications designed to harness the convenience of the Internet. The package also includes WheelDrive, an online hard drive that integrates seamlessly into both Mac OS X and Windows desktop environments. WheelDrive includes 250 MB of online storage and uses synching technology to ensure fast and easy operation.

"Before Wheel, Mac users had few choices regarding the online service to use. Wheel offers more than competing services at a dramatically lower price," said Kevin April, Spymac's Chief Technology Officer. "Since the service works on Mac OS X and Windows, Wheel is an ideal choice for users who work with both platforms."

In addition to WheelDrive, the package also ships with WheelGuard, software that makes backing up to hard drives, CDs, DVDs and WheelDrive hassle-free and simple. The backup software is currently only available for Mac OS X, though the Windows version will be released shortly.

An exciting variety of additional Wheel software is under development, and will be provided to members free of charge upon release. Wheel members will also receive gifts, discounts and other member specials that add extra value to the package.

Wheel replaces the former Spymac.NET Pro service. All current subscribers to Spymac.NET Pro will be upgraded to Wheel free of charge. Pre-orders for the new service are currently being accepted at a special discounted rate of $20 (US).

Wheel is developed by Spymac's team of established programmers that are recognized experts in their field. Leading the team are Donald Brown and Alexander von Below. Brown is a founding partner of CE Software, Inc. (OTCBB: CESF). He is well-known as the online personality GadgetDon, and was instrumental in creating such legendary applications as QuicKeys and QuickMail.

Alexander von Below holds an advanced degree in Computer Science from the Aachen Institute of Technology (RWTH) and started developing software on the original Mac OS. He has worked for Silicon Graphics Inc., and spent more than ten years developing Macintosh and PC software for Roxio Inc.

Spymac Network Inc. (Spymac), a New York City based corporation, produces a variety of innovative products and services. The company sells its own line of notebook cases, accessories and furniture, and offers professional web hosting packages that are competitively priced and easy to use. In addition, the company is the proud creator of Spymac World. With more than half-a-million members, Spymac World represents the largest online body of Macintosh users actively engaged in discussion, advocacy, and the advancement of a worldwide Internet community. According to Charles Bermant of The Seattle Times, Spymac's combination of services "could (be) the behavioral template of the future."

For more information, visit:
http://www.spymac.com







Data Rescue X 10.4.2 Recovers Data From Crashed Disks

Do you have a corrupt hard drive or one that no longer mounts? Are other tools failing to even recognize your bad drive? Did you accidently delete pictures from your digital camera?

Data Rescue is the best data recovery utility on the market for recovering files from a problem hard drive. Other utilities can cause more damage to your hard drive and files by trying to 'fix' the problem, instead of focusing on recovering your files.

Data Rescue is a tool for recovering lost Macintosh volumes and file. It recovers files and folders from crashed hard disks, floppy disks, or removablecartridges. Recovered data are saved to another medium, leaving the original disk untouched.The main interest in Data Rescue is that the strategy for finding lost files is original, different from the strategies used by other tools like 'NortonUtilities'. Not only will it find your data in situations where the other tools fail, but it will recover them in a much better condition, restoring icons,dates and even folder hierarchy.

System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.1.5 or higher

Also available:
Data Rescue Classic Mac OS 8.6 to 9.x$89.00 
Data Rescue Legacy Mac OS 8.1 non-PowerPC$39.00 

Data Rescue X sells for $89.00

For more information, visit:
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php







Mac Fanatic Annouces the Launch of Updated Online Store

Mac Fanatic, offering a unique combination of high level expertise, customer friendly service and a large selection of Apple-Macintosh products at discounted prices, is proud and excited to announce the launch of it's new and improved online store, http://www.macfanaticshop.com . Now customers can purchase any Mac computer or accessories online, ensuring completely safe transactions.

To celebrate the launch, Mac Fanatic is offering customers free shipping on all online purchases over $999.00. To take advantage of this offer, simply place an order on http://www.macfanaticshop.com, no coupon or special code is required. Mac Fanatic offers a unique combination of high level expertise, customer friendly service and a large selection of Apple-Macintosh products at discounted prices.

For more than 6 years, Dennis Charalambides DBA/Mac Fanatic has been selling MAC products to hundreds of customers in USA and Canada. Recently expanding operations online on e-Bay and at macfanaticshop.com. Easy to browse, large selection of PowerMac, iBook, Powerbook and iMac computers, always in stock and ready for shipping! Mac Fanatic also operates a Warehouse distribution center in Blaine, WA from which all orders are shipped.






Sendstation Systems' PocketDock Combo

The PocketDock Combo offers USB and FireWire ports in a package hardly larger than the original PocketDock. It accepts industry-standard USB 1.1 or 2.0 cables and 6-pin FireWire cables, allowing the user to connect to Macintosh and Windows systems at will using one convenient adapter.

Just like the original PocketDock, the new PocketDock Line Out is smaller than a box of matches, and is compatible with all Apple iPods featuring the Dock connector, including the new iPod mini. SendStation Systems continues to offer some of the most compact and convenient iPod connectivity solutions on the market today.

When you’re on the road with your iPod, listening to your favorite hits, you may unexpectedly want to connect to another Mac or PC. When you need it most, you’ll probably find that you didn’t bring the special iPod docking cable — it’s at home connected to your computer. Since you can find USB cables almost anywhere — just unplug a printer or scanner — the PocketDock Combo let's you get connected, anytime, anyplace.

Charge your iPod's battery from any powered (6-pin) FireWire port, found on all current Macs and many PCs. The iPod Mini can also be charged from a high-power USB port.

Use either USB or FireWire cables to charge or update your 3G iPod

Price: $22.95

For more information, visit:
http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=5222-PDUB







Sendstation Systems' PocketDock Line Out

PocketDock Line Out offers the same 6-pin FireWire connector as the original PocketDock, but adds an industry-standard 3.5 mm (1/8") stereo jack for high-quality audio output. The stereo jack connects directly to the iPod’s line level circuitry, bypassing the iPod’s headphone amplifier for optimal sound quality when connecting to an external amplifier or stereo system.

Just like the original PocketDock, the new PocketDock Line Out is smaller than a box of matches, and is compatible with all Apple iPods featuring the Dock connector, including the new iPod mini. SendStation Systems continues to offer some of the most compact and convenient iPod connectivity solutions on the market today.

This makes the new PocketDock with Line Out an ideal accessory for professional DJ’s, HiFi enthusiasts, and anyone else who would like to take the iPod’s great sound quality to its full potential anytime, anywhere, without interference and distortion from the headphone equalizer and amplifier circuitry.

Mobile FireWire and Audio connections — more convenient than ever with the new PocketDock with Line Out.

The PocketDock Line Out Pack includes two 6 ft. ultralight and ultra-compact white audio cables: One with 3.5 mm (1/8") stereo plugs on both ends, one with stereo RCA and 3.5 mm plugs. They are slim enough to fit into the palm of your hand and come with detachable velcro straps for convenient storage and cable management. Their beautiful design is a perfect match for both iPod and iPod mini — just like the PocketDock itself.

Price: $29.95

For more information, visit:
http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=5221-PDLO







Alien Skin Software Releases Eye Candy 5: Textures

Alien Skin Software has announced the immediate availability of Eye Candy 5: Textures (Textures), a plug-in collection of 10 texture generators for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro(TM) and Macromedia Fireworks. The first of a three-part upgrade to Eye Candy 4000, Textures produces a variety of surfaces, including photo-realistic snake and lizard skin, fur, brick, stone and wood. Graphic designers, Web developers and 3D artists can quickly create backgrounds, skins, seamless tiles and more.

Users who rely on stock textures are often limited by the contents of their libraries. Textures provides a limitless variety of photo-realistic effects for the cost of a typical stock CD. With the addition of a seamless tile option for every filter, tiling is quick and easy.

Textures includes settings for over 200 frequently used effects. An improved settings management system makes it easy to browse, share and expand this settings collection.

Textures works with 16-bit images and does not compromise expanded color depth. Color transitions are smoother, with less banding, and print documents reproduce colors more accurately.

Animal Fur simulates the fur of almost any jungle beast or household pet.

Brick Wall creates a limitless variety of brick, tile and block textures. (New)

Diamond Plate beefs up wimpy text and creates tough embossed backdrops. (New)

Marble creates virtually any style of architectural marble from Travertine to Brecciated.

Reptile Skin reproduces almost any scaled skin using Lizard or Snake patterns. (New)

Stone Wall simulates a wide variety of stonework from cobblestones to residential veneers. (New)

Swirl transforms images into impressionist paintings, aligning spirals and whirlpools with image details.

Texture Noise creates lighting effects, grain and static, as well as psychedelic textures.

Weave simulates woven textures, such as denim or satin.

Wood quickly creates realistic sawn wood surfaces such as pine, mahogany, and oak.

Textures is the first of three Eye Candy 5 plug-in collections. The remaining two, 10-filter upgrades will be released in 2005. Eye Candy 5: Nature will simulate fire, smoke and more. Eye Candy 5: Impact will include the graphic design effects that made Alien Skin Software famous. For those who want bevels, shadows and other classic effects now, Eye Candy 4000 remains available.

Pricing and Availability: The estimated street price for Textures is $99. Registered users of other Alien Skin Software products receive discount pricing when ordering direct. Online delivery is available at the Alien Skin Web site: http://www.alienskin.com . Textures is also available worldwide through stores, catalogs and resellers.

Host Requirements: Textures is a plug-in; it must be used with one of the following: Adobe Photoshop 7 or later, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2 or later, Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004 or later or Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 or later.

System Requirements:
Macintosh users must have at least a 500 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 256 MB RAM and Mac OS X 10.2.6 or later.
Windows users must have at least a 1 GHz Pentium III processor, 256 MB RAM and Windows 2000 or Windows XP.






eDial Introduces IM Web Access Server 2.0; Version 2.0 Delivers Unprecedented Scale While Supporting Multiple Browsers

eDial, Inc., a leading provider of SIP-based applications and platform solutions that enable service providers, system integrators and OEMs to quickly develop and deploy rich communications and collaboration services that increase productivity, has announced the availability of its IM Web Access Server 2.0 (IWA). With IWA, enterprises and service providers can provide their employees, customers and partners, inside and outside the firewall, with the ability to access Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003's enterprise instant messaging (IM) and presence capabilities without the need for any additional desktop client software, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), or changes to enterprise firewalls.

IWA 2.0 allows users to access Live Communications Server 2003 from outside the firewall in a seamless and efficient way though the use of a web browser. With this latest release, IWA adds support for multiple browsers including Netscape, Safari, Mozilla, Opera and Firefox. In an era where enterprises have a heterogeneous user community, the latest release of IWA extends support for desktop environments such as Macintosh or Unix. Thousands of users can now log on from outside the enterprise from non-Internet Explorer browsers.

"As corporations today become increasingly scattered beyond the confines of an office, solutions like eDial's IM Web Access Server help extend the IM and presence features in Live Communications Server 2003 throughout the mobile enterprise, making it simpler, faster and more efficient for companies to conduct business," said Marc Sanders, lead product manager, Microsoft Corporation. "With eDial's solution, customers will be able access the features of Live Communications Server 2003 from a web browser."

IWA 2.0 is the latest in a family of SIP-based applications and platforms designed to facilitate group communications and collaboration by providing an integrated means to access the installed telephony and data infrastructure, via the user's preferred device or end-point. IWA enables organizations and service providers to offer an extension of their IM and presence services to users beyond the firewall, and to upgrade to add integrated calling, conferencing, document sharing and collaboration, accessible via an intuitive browser-based client.

"In recent years, the use of instant messaging has gained enormous traction as companies are looking for better ways to collaborate on projects when team members are scattered and service providers are looking to offer new premium-based services to their business and residential subscribers. Microsoft has led this innovation with its Live Communications Server 2003," said Jill Smith, president and chief executive officer of eDial. "With the addition of scalability and multiple browser support in IWA 2.0, enterprise employees, customers and partners will be able to communicate and collaborate from a single point of access."

eDial, Inc. offers service providers, enterprise system integrators and OEMs a flexible platform for the development and deployment of customized scaleable, real-time media services over existing network architectures. eDial addresses the rapidly escalating demand by carriers and partners to have access to new premium service revenues streams that will ultimately increase profit margins and give them a true competitive edge. For more information, visit the Web site at: http://www.edial.com


Charles W. Moore