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Photo to Movie from LQ Graphics
Synchronize! Pro X 3.5 Makes Bootable System Backups & Syncs Files
GriffTax Canadian Tax Software
Wallflower Systems Announces the Next Generation of Internet Connected Digital Picture Frames
Intaglio 2.1 Drawing & Illustration App Gets ClarisDraw File Import
NetOp School Provides Affordable Solution for Web Conferencing via Terminal Services and Citrix
"PC Hacks" Released by O'Reilly[/url]
Photo to Movie from LQ Graphics
LQ Graphics, Inc is new Macintosh software that offers a quick and easy way to turn a digital photo collection into a QuickTime movie slide show utilizing a powerful version of the Ken Burns effect.
Photo to Movie uses a drag-and-drop timeline metaphor. Simply drag your photos onto the timeline, and then add sophisticated transitions, titles, voiceovers and a soundtrack to create a QuickTime movie. Finally, the movie can be written to DVD or emailed to family and friends. A revolutionary algorithm optimizes each frame of the movie to nearly eliminate flicker when showing the movie on a television.
Photo to Movie QuickTime movies are ready to use in iMovie or iDVD. It also works with Final Cut, DVD Studio Pro, Roxio Toast 6 Titanium, or any other software that utilizes QuickTime movies.
Photo to Movie 3.1 retails for $49.95.
For more information, visit:
http://lqgraphics.com/software/phototomovie.php
Synchronize! Pro X 3.5 Makes Bootable System Backups & Syncs Files
Synchronize! Pro X is a professional-strength file synchronization and backup utility for Mac OS X. As a way of introducing you to Synchronize! Pro X,
Bootable OS X backups - Synchronize! Pro X backs up your OS X startup disk to another hard disk, so that the backup disk is bootable. Make a copy of your system so that you can start up any Macintosh from the backup, or move your current OS X system from one computer to another - even to a different model Macintosh.
Archive old files - Keep old files in an archive, so that you can go back to them if you need to. Archived files can be grouped for convenient burning to CD. As the archive fills up, the oldest files in the archive are automatically removed to make space for newer files.
Quickly update your backup - Subsequent backups copy only the files that have changed, instead of copying all your files over again, so that updating the backup is much faster.
Schedule your backup - Run your backup automatically at a convenient time, when you're not using your computer.
Synchronize! Pro X has many other uses, too. As an example, you can sync your home folder with a file server, or your PowerBook, or a FireWire disk, so that the files on both are up-to-date.
Synchronize! Pro X actions can be scheduled to be performed at night or at any preset time, once or periodically, without anyone present. Passwords can be supplied automatically for file server connections. Â
Synchronize! Pro X is specifically engineered for OS X, taking advantage of the modern properties of the new operating system, such as pre-emptive multitasking, and supporting the full capabilities of the file system, including 255-character Unicode file names and OS X file permissions. Files are copied at the maximum speed possible, using pre-emptive multitasking to full advantage. It makes bootable backups of OS X system disks, without logging in as 'root'. Old files can be archived rather than deleted.
New in this version:
• This update is free for anyone with a license purchased within the last two years; otherwise, a license renewal must be purchased.
• Added an optional completion window when a backup completes. See "Completion Options" in the Options menu.
• Added "Use name only to identify a volume" to the Disk Errors page of the Preferences. When this box is checked, only the name of the disk is used to identify it, instead of identifying each disk uniquely.
• Added a warning when the direction of a backup is changed.
• Locked aliases are now copied without error.
• Skipping a large number of files no longer results in a "too many files open" error.
System requirements:
Mac OS X 10.2.3 or higher
Synchronize! Pro X is $99.95 demoware. To use it free for 7 days, click the Webpage link to get an eval serial number, download Synchronize! Pro X and try it out.
For more information, visit:
http://www.qdea.com/pages/downloads1.html
GriffTax Canadian Tax Software
Use GriffTax Classic to complete your Canadian federal and Quebec income tax returns.
A tax software program that's so easy to use, your taxes could be done in as little as 10 minutes.
GriffTax has the tax software you need, whether you are completing your personal tax return or preparing one for a company.
If your business is preparing tax returns for others, see GriffTax tax products for professionals.
Both GriffTax Simple and Classic have NetFile approval from CRA
GriffTax Simple is NetFile certified. Existing users should download the most recent update to be able to NetFile. New users should download the most recent full version.
GriffTax Classic products are CRA certified for printing and NetFiling your 2003 tax return. Download your GriffTax Classic update now.
GriffTax Classic is the easiest tax software for individual and professional Macintosh users.
GriffTax Classic for Mac 2004 update.
The 2004 release of GriffTax Classic for Macintosh and updated patch files are now available for download. GriffTax Classic for Macintosh can be downloaded here.
GriffTax Classic for Mac – Individual Edition allows users to prepare and file their Canadian income tax returns using Macintosh computers.
GriffTax Classic for Mac – Individual Edition contains forms suited to the majority of employed, self-employed and retired taxpayers and includes the ability to file self-employment returns.
The tax calculations of GriffTax Classic are validated by Revenue Canada through the NETFILE certification processes. Copies are available for the preparation of returns for 1995 and later.
System requirements:
GriffTax Classic will run under Mac OS X Classic as an OS 9 application. This allows us to continue supporting the large number of our clients who still prefer OS 9, and incurs no real performance penalty on newer Macs that can only boot OS X.
Grifftax are presently determining which method of bringing GriffTax to OS X will best suit our user community, and will offer an OS X-native application next year."
Please note that these are 27 MB downloads.
GriffTax Classic - Personal Download
NEW Purchase – $40 + taxes
GriffTax Classic - Personal Download
RENEWAL Purchase – $30 + taxes
GriffTax Classic - Personal CDROM
NEW Purchase – $45 + taxes
GriffTax Classic - Personal CDROM
RENEWAL Purchase – $35 + taxes
GriffTax Classic - Professional
NEW PURCHASE - $645 + taxes
GriffTax Classic - Professional
RENEWAL PURCHASE - $445 + taxes
Note: Renewal purchases only work if a full edition of GriffTax Personal has been previously installed. DO NOT use this button if you have not purchased GriffTax Personal.
For more information, visit:
http://www.grifftax.ca/
Wallflower Systems Announces the Next Generation of Internet Connected Digital Picture Frames
Wallflower Systems, Inc. has announced availability of the Wallflower 2 Networked Digital Picture Frame. Featuring a vibrant 12.1" or 14.1" LCD screen, huge on-board media storage, wired and wireless network support, and easy operation, the Wallflower 2 is simply the best way to enjoy and share digital photos, video clips, and personal music collections.
"The Wallflower 2 Networked Digital Picture Frame builds on our concept of combining digital technology with quality craftsmanship to take the sharing of digital memories to the next level," said Mitch Kahn, president of Wallflower Systems. "The Wallflower 2's superior features, image quality and internet connectivity put it head-and-shoulders above the competition."
Like previous Wallflower products, the Wallflower 2 is a finely crafted, wood and steel encased networked digital multimedia frame. Image, video and music files are transferred to the Wallflower 2 via a simple "drag-and-drop" operation in both the Windows XP and Mac OS X environments. A web-browser interface allows the user to change settings such as display order and display time as well as access more advanced features. Since the Wallflower 2 makes use of networking capabilities built-in to both Windows XP and OS X, no software installation is required on either platform. Files can also be loaded on to the Wallflower directly from digital cameras and USB memory card readers.
The Wallflower 2 includes the company's patent pending Pollinate(TM) technology, which provides the sharing of digital content via e-mail and the web. A Wallflower 2 can be configured to synchronize new content with other Wallflowers or simply to receive content through e-mail or web downloads. You can even display the latest news and sports scores in a scrolling news feed across the bottom of the screen. And unlike other internet connected digital picture frames, there are no service fees of any kind.
The Wallflower 2 stores more than 90,000 multi-megapixel digital images, 20 hours of video and thousands of songs on its internal 40GByte hard disk drive. LCD screen resolution is 1024x768 with 16 million colors and images and movies are automatically resized before playback. Audio output is available from the built-in speaker or from line-level outputs that can be connected to any stereo receiver. Virtually all image and movie formats are supported (check our website for details). MP3 and WAV audio formats are supported. A software upgrade provides playback of Microsoft PowerPoint and Macromedia Flash files.
Currently priced between $649 and $999, depending on frame style and finish, Wallflower digital picture frames can be ordered online at:
http://www.wallflower-systems.com
Intaglio 2.1 Drawing & Illustration App Gets ClarisDraw File Import
Intaglio is a traditional Macintosh drawing & illustration application exclusively for Mac OS X.
Patterned after the original Macintosh drawing applications, Intaglio is intuitive to beginners and familiar to traditional Macintosh users. Intaglio builds on the 2D graphics, text, color, and scripting capabilities of Mac OS X to provide unprecedented power and flexibility in an inexpensive drawing program. Intaglio isn't just compatible with with Mac OS X, it was designed from the ground up to fully exploit the capabilites that make this platform ideal for graphics work.
Naturally Intaglio is great for casual users, but it is also an ideal tool for experienced graphics experts who need special features or want a simplier experience than what is provided by the usual multi-platform graphic franchises.
Intaglio takes full advantage of the following technologies built into Mac OS X:
• AppleScript
All graphic operations within Intaglio are fully scriptable and recordable. This provides a huge degree of flexibility to experts and, since anyone can record a working script, allows the novice to take advantage of AppleScript. Scripting makes it easy to automate repetitive tasks and access features that are otherwise cumbersome to use for some tasks. It also means that if a particular Intaglio function doesn't do exactly what you need, you may be able create a custom function taylored to your exact needs. Various included samples show how this can be done.
• Apple Type Services
Intaglio supports the full capabilities of the Apple Type Services to create dramatic text effects and get the most from all of your fonts. This includes access to all variations, such as those provided in multi-master fonts, and complete access to all font features such as ligatures, vertical position, letter case, and all alternate characters, which are frequently not accessible from most applications. Of course you also have full control of leading and baseline and kerning adjustments.
Text can be included in any of the graphics operations provided by Quartz and is edited directly in place regardless of any graphic transformations that have been applied to it. For more complex graphics operations, text can be converted to a graphic path to allow the full range of drawing manipulations.
Intaglio is fully compliant with the international text standard unicode, and supports direct input of characters from complex Asian alphabets.
• ColorSync
Intaglio uses ColorSync to calibrate all colors used within graphics and maintains any color profiles embedded in bitmap graphic image files. Every drawing has a default color space and maintains ColorSync profiles for each color space used.
• Quartz
Intaglio makes complete use of the Quartz 2D graphics environment. This allows Intaglio to provide traditional drawing features plus many advanced features previously found only in expensive high-end graphics tools. For example, complex "paths" made from lines, curves, and arcs can be drawn with various fills, line joins, caps, and optional dash patterns. In a feature unique to Intaglio, arcs retain their geometry (they aren't converted to curves) so their angles and radius can always be easily changed.
Advanced graphics features also include arbitrary 2D transformations like scaling and rotation, clipping, antialiasing, opacity, pattern and gradient fills, and PDF import/export.
• QuickDraw
There is a gap between applications that use the classic Macintosh graphics layer called QuickDraw and the new Quartz graphics layer in Mac OS X that most applications can't cross. Intaglio bridges this gap by providing the ability to convert QuickDraw based pictures (i.e., vector PICT graphics) into its own Quartz based graphics, allowing them to be edited in Intaglio. This means you can continue to use files created by traditional Macintosh drawing programs that don't run natively on Mac OS X.
• QuickTime
Intaglio uses the QuickTime graphics layer for importing and exporting bitmap images. This means Intaglio can import and/or export over a dozen image formats and will automatically support new formats as QuickTime is updated.
New in this version:
• Add ClarisDraw file conversion.
• Add Freehand tool.
• Update file format to prepare for Spotlight searches in Tiger.
• Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements.
System requirements:
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
Intaglio sells for $89.00
For more information, visit:
http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/
NetOp School Provides Affordable Solution for Web Conferencing via Terminal Services and Citrix
CrossTec Corporation ( http://www.CrossTecCorp.com ), the North American distributor of the NetOp product line, is supplying organizations with an affordable solution for web conferencing and remote training. With NetOp School, networked computer lab management software, organizations can conduct web conferencing sessions including real-time remote presentations of actual software applications by broadcasting a presenter's Terminal Service (TS) session to one, some or all attendees at once. In addition, a presenter can whiteboard projects by passing off control of their TS session to other attendees and using 'Marker Mode' they can draw on the desktop for better explanation. NetOp for Terminal Server also enables presenters to record a demonstration for a later broadcast to other conferences or for replay by Terminal Session users. The thin conferencing tool even provides users with a great solution for monitoring the remote users' terminal sessions.
Since NetOp School is a product, purchased with a one-time fee, there is no per-user, on-demand, or monthly service charges associated with the use of the application. Once purchased, an organization has the freedom to use the software whenever they prefer to remotely demonstrate to the number of users that their licenses permit.
When combined with the NetOp Gateway, a presenter gains the ability to broadcast their actual desktop to remote Terminal Service attendees. This way, the technology can be used to host advanced presentations, conduct software (that may not be compatible with Terminal Services) training, as well as, any other application on the desktop. In the event that a presenter would like to broadcast a cross-platform desktop, a NetOp Remote Control Guest/Host combo will enable them to broadcast the desktop of any Windows, Linux, Sun Solaris, CE device, Pocket PC or DOS PC machine to the remote attendees logged into the Terminal Service session.
"The nice thing about this technology is that you don't have to be on a Windows platform to attend a web conference on Terminal Services", Robert Rounsaval, technical product manager for CrossTec, explains. "Free Remote Desktop software is available for just about every operating system out there that enables a user to remotely connect to a Terminal Server." This way, cross platform conferencing can be conducted from both ends of the presentation; by the attendee and presenter.
NetOp School, developed by Danware Data A/S, starts at $875.00 for one presenter and 10 simultaneous attendees. The optional NetOp Gateway is $395.00 and a NetOp Remote Control Guest/Host combo is available for $189.00 for advanced presentation configurations. Those wishing attend an online demonstration of the NetOp School thin conferencing technology may schedule a demo by contacting a sales representative at: (800) 675-0729.
For more information, visit:
http://www.ThinConferencing.com
"PC Hacks" Released by O'Reilly
PCs are pricey, notes Jim Aspinwall, author of the new "PC Hacks" (O'Reilly, US $24.95). That's why he shows you how to make the very most of your investment by hacking your PC to extend its usefulness and life. "The basic PC is timeless," he says. "A few simple hacks to boost performance, and even your old PC can have a nice new life."
Aspinwall, the Windows Helpdesk columnist and feature editor for CNET.com and author of three books on PC maintenance, covers the full spectrum of PC fine-tuning in his latest book. "I've touched on just about everything from getting people started with PCs to troubleshooting and repairing, from a reference guide on PC configuration to wireless networking," says Aspinwall. "And I take it to the extremes of PC-modding with water-cooled CPUs and video cards, tricked out enclosures, and fancy lighting and display accents."
With his hacks and tweaks, Aspinwall promises, "you'll gain performance and reliability for little or no cost other than the time it takes to download, install, and run a few pieces of software or figure out how to add yet another widget without bursting the box at its seams."
Aspinwall believes there is too little information out there about how PCs really work. "It's important to get inside your PC and find out what makes it tick, if you are so inclined, and this book offers a lot of areas to peek inside." But he's a realist--he knows that the non-techies among us want to do some hacking, too. "I realize that many users simply want their PC to work and may not have an appetite for bits and bytes." There's something--lots of things--for everyone in "PC Hacks."
PC users will find proven techniques for enhancing performance, preventing problems, and getting the most out of their PC hardware and software. This step-by-step, hack-by-hack guide, with invaluable tips and tricks throughout, will get readers hacking the system board, CPU, BIOS, peripherals, and operating system. Aspinwall shows readers how to:
-Customize, configure, and upgrade the BIOS, which can control everything from the current date to the CPU's clock speed
-Make the most of the CPU, whether it's to crank up the speed or just run the CPU in a cooler climate
-Take control of RAM: control how the operating system swaps to disk, make the memory run a bit faster, and optimize memory usage
-Configure and partition hard disks: choose the optimal settings for speed and set up multiboot systems
-Protect the system: make backups, clone the system, and safeguard it against viruses, spyware, and malicious hackers
Techie or non-techie, readers of this book will be armed with everything they need to make sure Aspinwall's motto always rings true: "The machine never wins."
Several sample hacks, including "Tame the Windows 95 and 98 Cache," "Fix the Master Boot Record on FAT Partitions," "Change Logical Drive Letters," "Detect Drive Failure Before It Happens," and "Continue Anyway," are available online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pchks/chapter/index.html
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pchks/
PC Hacks
Jim Aspinwall
ISBN: 0-596-00748-5,
304 pages,
$24.95 US, $36.95 CA
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
Charles W. Moore
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