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My predictions for 2005

2004 was the Year of the iPod and a great year for Apple. Although there were many major Mac developments, including the iMac G5, the iPod took the spotlight this year as the hottest must-have consumer electronic product. The Airport Express was another major innovation we saw from Apple.

Here are my predictions for 2005 and a look back at 2004.

First, a look back at my predictions for 2004.

• G5 based XServes. I was right on this one.
  
• A limited edition system, perhaps a colored iMac or a new Cube, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh. I missed this one.
  
• A small, inexpensive, limited capacity iPod, probably around $100-200. The iPod Mini didn't get down below $200.
  
• Faster G5s, possibly reaching 3 GHz at MacWorld Expo, pushing 4 GHz by the end of the year. Not quite. The G5 only reached 2.5 GHz.
  
• A major iLife update. GarageBand!
  
• A redesign of the iMac, possibly a headless iMac. Half right. We saw the G4 iMac, but still no headless model.
  
• Wireless connectivity for the iPod, either Bluetooth or Airport Extreme. No.
  
• MacOS X 10.4 will be released late in the year. No.
  

• A flash-based iPod for under $200 and a higher capacity iPod Mini. Other iPods will gain more capacity.
  
• This year we'll see a low-cost headless iMac. We may also see a G5 based midrange desktop line priced lower than the current G5 minitowers.
  
• IBM will sell rebranded XServes as part of their server line.
  
• The G5 will finally reach 3 GHz.
  
• A G5 PowerBook. It seems very unlikely now, but Apple has surprised us with the impossible in the past.
  
• Tiger will be released March 24.
  
• A major upgrade to GarageBand that will make it easy to create and modify software instruments and the ability to use sampled instruments.
  
• Apple stock will continue to soar, yet pundits will still predict Apple's imminent death.
  
• The iPod's "halo effect" will bring a major increase in Mac sales and market share as more windows users become disgruntled with Microsoft.
  
• Airport Express will gain more capabilities, including the ability to stream audio from applications other than iTunes. A third party product has already been announced, but we will see it offficially supported by Apple later in the year.
  

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Buy a PocketDock and help tsunami victims

SendStation will donate $5 for tsunami relief for every PocketDock sold through the SendStation online store before January 31, 2005 to help victims of the Tsunami in South Asia. To support iPod users who may be eager to help contribute to the relief efforts, SendStation will also be offering free shipping on all orders through the end of January.

At the end of the fundraising effort, half the funds will be donated to the United Nations Children’s Fund (www.unicef.org) and the other half to Aktion Deutschland Hilft ("Mission Germany Helps", www.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de), which unites the efforts of the ten largest German relief organizations.

The PocketDock is a tiny adapter which lets you connect a standard USB or FireWire cable to the iPod's docking connector. Three versions are available: the original PocketDock FireWire, featuring a single FireWire port; PocketDock Combo, featuring a FireWire and a USB port; and the PocketDock Line Out, featuring a FireWire port and an audio line out jack.

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Tsunami/Earthquake Relief Resources

Over 80,000 people in Asia have died in Sunday's massive ocean flooding. UNICEF warned today that without immediate, wide-scale action to provide safe water in the communities hit by the tsunamis, millions of people will be at grave risk of water-borne disease.

Apple has dedicated their home page to charities that can help those victims. Here are the links, in case Apple changes the page.

American Red Cross International Response Fund
AmeriCares South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund
Direct Relief International International Assistance Fund
Médecins Sans Frontières International Tsunami Emergency Appeal
Oxfam Asian Earthquake & Tsunami Fund
Sarvodaya Relief Fund for Tsunami Tragedy
UNICEF South Asia Tsunami Relief Efforts

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Oz Music Code releases Alphabet Soup version 2

Oz Music Code
www.ozmusiccode.com

The good chefs at Oz Music Code have just released version 2 of their product Alphabet Soup.

Alphabet Soup version 2 is a simple, yet powerful sample player, editor, effects processor and mixer aimed at live performances (e.g. DJ's, theatre, radio, backing tracks) and education, without requiring external musical equipment.

With its drag & drop user interface and its low-latency performance, Alphabet Soup allows you to play your computer.

Alphabet Soup version 2 now also adds the following functionality:

- Support for Audio Units plug-Ins
- Support for both QWERTY and MIDI input
- Support for over a dozen file types including MP3
- Continuously saves your mix as you play
- Edit sounds while playing. Cut, copy and paste regions of sounds
including riffs from MP3 files onto playable keys
- New SOUPP file format allows you to save audio files, keyboard
layouts, volume and pan settings in one portable session file.

A download demo of Alphabet Soup is available at:
http://www.ozmusiccode.com/alphabetsoup/WhereToBuy.html

While you are visiting our site, be sure to sign up for our news feed.

http://www.ozmusiccode.com/alphabetsoup/CookingHints.html

Alphabet Soup - mix well before serving

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AbsolutVision Stock Photo "End of the Year" Sale

Save 50%. Get one year of AbsolutVision images for just $49.90!

Starting now and lasting through January 6th, customers can save 50% on the annual online subscription photo gallery! AbsolutVision Stock Photo Gallery gives you thousands of pictures (and hundreds added each month) for a fraction of what you may pay elsewhere for a single image!
To order, simply visit AbsolutVision online store and enter absoluthoho as the promotional code.

Visit AbsolutVision Photo Gallery today to find out more on this special sale.

About AbsolutVision.com

Founded in 2002, AbsolutVision Stock Photo Gallery creates and sells royalty free digital images to the consumer, business and creative professional people. The company's subscription-based model is cost effective and allows users to download thousands of quality pictures for a fraction of the cost and time typically inherent in gathering images for commercial or personal use. Individual downloads are also available at the site. For more information, visit www.absolutvision.com

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Great moments in microprocessor history

The microprocessor changed the world: how did we get from the first 4-bit models in the 1970s to today's 64-bit multicore monsters? This article covers the history of the micro from the vacuum tube to today's dual-core multithreaded madnes.

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Advanced Web Ranking v3.5 Released

Release date: Dec 27, 2004

Manage Your Search Engine Web Rankings

Caphyon LLC is pleased to announce the release of Advanced Web Ranking 3.5, a tool that helps check your web site position on all major search engines. Advanced Web Ranking runs on Mac OS X, Windows 98/2000/XP, Linux and Solaris.

Checking your web site position is a very time consuming task. For example, if you have 10 keywords that you want to monitor, and you want to check the top 20 positions for 10 search engines, you need to perform about 200 (10 keywords * 10 engines * first 2 pages) individual searches to get the results. Then you need to compare the results one by one to find where your site is positioned. It may take you days to complete this task if you do this manually. That's where Advanced Web Ranking comes to help.

Advanced Web Ranking is able to query over 200 search engines and quickly find out if you're moving up or down in the rankings, or if your site is listed at all. It will track the progress of your rankings over time and display that information in an easy to read and understand graphical and tabular reports. It can help you check not just the position of your website but the position of your competitors' web sites as well.

Advanced Web Ranking has the ability to generate and email reports after an update was finished. Couple that with the Scheduled Updates ability, and you will be able to turn on your computer in the morning and find reports on your websites ranks waiting for you in your Inbox. As a SEO, you can have updates being run and sent to your customers every night without even lifting a hand. Various types of reports (Current Rank, Top Sites, Web Site, etc.) can be created in any of the formats Advanced Web Ranking supports (PDF, HTML, Excel, XML or Text). Then they can be emailed to any of the addresses you pick from the Address Book, or saved to a folder where you can access them over the Internet.

What's new in Advanced Web Ranking 3.5
======================================

This version features the ability to display all the active scheduled tasks, suggest keywords using the Google Suggest service and the ability to zoom in and out in the Rank Evolution charts.

- Added a new dialog that shows all the active scheduled tasks
- Added a keyword suggestion feature in Project Settings that uses Google Suggest
- Added the ability to zoom in and out in the Rank Evolution chart
- Added the ability to stop update if an URL is found
- Added the ability to save the report with a custom file name
- Added the ability to import URLs from a web page
- Added the ability to select the location of the backup/restore folder
- Added the ability to customize the date format

Advanced Web Ranking costs USD $149 for the Professional edition. Users who don't need certain advanced features like printable reports can purchase the Standard edition for USD $59.

The application can be downloaded from:
http://www.advancedwebranking.com/download.html

More details about the application can be found at:
http://www.advancedwebranking.com

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Space Penetrators (Mac OS X) version 1.7 released

The Calm Before the Swarm...

Unfortunately, an ill-natured evil brain has penetrated deep inside your homeworld and you are the last line of defense for your once peaceful planet. Use your planet's sole cannon position to blast the menacing cerebrum and its protective swarm into stardust.


www.SpacePenetrators.com

A Mac Zealot armed with a Powerbook makes his first game.

• 3 unique customizable cannon choices
• 5 challenge rounds
• 4 difficulty levels
• 1 Nasty Brain
• Up to 19 levels of fast paced swarming
• An occasional U.F.O.
• Loads of lightning zaps, laser blasts, missile launches, power-up bonus drops, explosions, chaos, mayhem and total carnage.

New to version 1.7 Mac OS X:
• New enemy unit added: "Thorn Swarm Walkers"
• All 3 cannons are now customizable
• Each cannon now possesses one Master Attribute far exceeding the other 2.
• New Challenge Round 5 added: "Shooting Swarm in a Barrel 2"
• New Main Menu screen added displaying a few game tips
• Many game play tweaks to compensate for the new enemy units and customizable cannons.

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iGetter v2.1 for Mac OS X released

Presenta Ltd. is pleased to announce the new release of iGetter version 2.1 for Mac OS X.

New in version 2.1:

• Site Explorer is the new major feature included in v2.1. It allows exploration of entire web or FTP sites, so you can easily find and download files you're interested in.
  
• When the Site Explorer is used iGetter displays the web contents rendered in a separate view below the site tree. This makes the process of exploration very convenient as you see the web page directly in iGetter as you would with a web browser.
  
• Site Explorer works with all known FTP server types (Unix/OSX/MSFTP/ PublicFile/VMS/WFTPD/NetPresenz(Mac)/NetWare FTP).
  
• Improved compatibly with some FTP servers.
  
• Added support for FTP sites in the "Process Web Page" function.
  
• Fixed improper sorting of items in the FileAvenue and Most Popular views.
  
• Fixed a bug in Item Settings that prevents case sensitive modifications of the file name.
  
• Other fixes and improvements.
  

• Mac OS X 10.2 or later
  

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iPod & iTunes Garage: New Book Authored by Kirk McElhearn Reveals the Power of this Dynamic Duet

Upper Saddle River, NJ – December, 2004- Hear ye, hear ye! Attention all iPod and iTunes music junkies! Please briefly remove those conspicuous white earbuds and pay attention to hear this! Author Kirk McElhearn is the grand host of the iPod & iTunes coming-out party.

His new book, iPod & iTunes Garage, shows both Mac and Windows users the tips and tricks to transform their iPods into the most useful electronic device they own. And he demonstrates how to manipulate the iTunes digital music management program to make it the most entertaining piece of software in existence. The book covers the best features of iTunes and the iPod, including the new 4G model and the iPod mini. [And to be totally current, readers can visit McElhearn's blog-- www.mcelhearn.com -- to download a complimentary PDF update to the book detailing news about iPod photo, the iPod U2 and the latest versions of iTunes and the iPod software.]

McElhearn’s coverage ranges from the practical (“Installing the iPod Software”) to the sublime (“Turning your iPod into a Total Music System”.) The book has five basic parts. The first covers the iTunes software: both as an application independent of the iPod, then as the conduit to funnel music to the iPod itself. The rest of the book is devoted to the iPod: first, its features, as well as tips and tricks on using the iPod; then additional external software and hardware add-ons available to transform it into a comprehensive musical system and personal digital assistant.

For example, did you know that you can take your audiobook files, even those not purchased from Audible.com or the iTunes Music Store, and make them bookmarkable, so you don't lose your place when you listen to them? Or that you can use the iTunes Party Shuffle like a radio, or as a DJ to queue up tunes for a party? Or how about using the iPod in shuffle mode—do you know how many ways you can use this random playback?

“Most users don't know the tips and tricks that can help make iTunes a much more powerful digital music management tool,” said Kirk McElhearn. “And iTunes is the key to getting the most out of an iPod. My goal was to create a book that tells all.”

Starting modestly with the essential information such as how to install iTunes, in no time McElhearn breaks the sound barrier by presenting all the key features, such as how to create the twenty-first century equivalent of a compilation cassette tape: the playlist. McElhearn shows readers how to take control and organize their iTunes library so they're not overwhelmed when their music file collections balloon into the thousands.

McElhearn then turns his attention solely to the iPod, and first and foremost, aims to show readers how to leverage its primary function as a portable digital music player. He covers the basic functions that are essential for any iPod owner, including selecting and working with playlists, and important information not readily known, such as how to extend the device’s battery life and how to troubleshoot technical problems.

But skip ahead just a few pages, and McElhearn pushes the iPod to new limits. A sneak peek of these special topics includes how to transfer music files from one iPod to another, how to connect the iPod to a stereo, and how to store digital photos on the iPod. And for readers who frequently travel, McElhearn shows them how to charge their iPods on the move, how to listen to iPods in a car, and the best kind of headphones to filter out airplane noise. (And he even explains how to use the iPod as an alarm clock on business trips!)

Beyond this wealth of technical information, McElhearn weaves in one other dimension, which is to take a big-picture look at the sweeping cultural implications of iTunes and the iPod. Industry giants such as Steve Wozniak and Janis Ian share their opinions. And, McElhearn got in touch with dozens of musicians and authors, asking them what their “Essential Music” is. Musicians like Bob Weir, Peter Frampton, Chuck Garvey, John Foxx and Harold Budd; and authors like Arthur Golden, Peter Robinson, Christopher Priest and James Morrow share their favorite tunes.

In keeping with the spirit of the new Prentice Hall PTR Garage Series, the book is organized into more than 80 easily digestible topics to assist readers in immediately locating the desired material.

iPod & iTunes Garage (ISBN 0131486454) includes helpful screenshots and has an accompanying website: http://www.phptr.com/title/0131486454. The book will be available through major chain and independent booksellers nationwide and through online vendors at a suggested retail price of US $24.99.

About the Author

Kirk McElhearn is a freelance writer, journalist and translator. He has written or co-written 6 books on the Macintosh, and, as a journalist, he is a regular contributor to Macworld magazine and TidBITS. A native New Yorker, he has lived in France for almost two decades, and currently lives in Guillestre, a village in the French Alps. He has several thousand CDs, and three iPods so far. He ruminates at his blog, Kirkville: www.mcelhearn.com.

iPod & iTunes Garage is one of the flagship books launching the Garage Series from Prentice Hall PTR, a new street smart series of books about technology built on the premise that technical books don’t have to be boring, or be written in the impersonal voice of an all-powerful narrator. Already published within the Series is Web Search Garage by Tara Calishain, Java Garage by Eben Hewitt, and coming soon is “Web Design Garage” by Marc Campbell, “PHP-Nuke Garage” by Don Jones, “ActionScript 2.0 Garage” by Dan Livingston, and “Linux Desktop Garage” by Susan Matteson. Series Editor Eben Hewitt is the author of several other Java books for Prentice Hall PTR, including Java for ColdFusion Developers. He has several years of web-based programming experience in a variety of languages, and works as a senior programmer architecting and developing J2EE applications for an Arizona state government entity.

About Addison-Wesley/Prentice Hall PTR
Addison-Wesley (www.awprofessional.com) and Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference (PH PTR) (www.phptr.com) are respected publishers of quality computer science and engineering books and software for technical professionals. Both imprints are units of Pearson Technology Group, the world's largest provider of consumer and professional computer, information technology, engineering and reference content. Pearson Technology Group is an operating unit of Pearson Education, the world's leading educational publisher. Pearson Education is part of Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO), the international media company.

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Basasoft releases BasaOne Web Classes 1.1

Basasoft has released a new set of free classes and example projects that speed up Web Application Development with BasaOne.

The new release contains among others the following:

- Currency converter (simple and advanced)
- Finder window type box
- Alert
- Checkbox with text
- Text with bullet
- Alert example project
- Round corner box


and more...

Previously released classes include Menus, Panther tab-panel, Server with authentication, Countries popup, etc.

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BeLight Software announces Business Card Composer 3.0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BeLight Software announces Business Card Composer 3.0, a new version of DIY business card tool, to be released in January, 2005. The package contains 23.000 clipart and Avery paper for 100 business cards. Everyone who buys current Composer from December 21st to January 21st will receive the 3.0 box for free:
http://www.belightsoft.com/composer/

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Implications for Power Architecture

Major electronics companies have come together to form a new standards body focused on Power Architecture technology. Power.org will create and promote a family of standards, reference designs, and more. Here's a developer's-eye view of the future and implications for Power Architecture standardization.

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Rage Software Releases Macintosh Explorer 4.2.1

Rage Software today announced the immediate availability of Macintosh Explorer 4.2.1. A free update to the integrated file browser and file management tool and the first Macintosh file browser to include tabbed file browsing.

Macintosh Explorer brings the hierarchical navigation style of Windows Explorer to the Mac. Complete with filter based file browsing and all new tabbed browsing, Macintosh Explorer surpass the functionality of Windows Explorer. Also offering powerful file management tools such as the batch file info changer, back up utilities, folder archiving features and extended file information, Macintosh Explorer is a new, unique way to navigate files.

Macintosh Explorer 4.2.1 fixes the find file feature which was broken in version 4.2, fixes a potential crash when deleting more than one file at once and adds a check for update feature at launch and from the Apple menu. Macintosh Explorer 4.2.1 is a free update to registered 4.x users.

Macintosh Explorer is available for users of Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X 10.2 or later. It can be downloaded from the Rage Software web site at http://www.ragesw.com/explorer.php.

Macintosh Explorer can be purchased for $15.95 US from Rage Software's online store at http://www.ragesw.com/onlinestore.php with volume discounts also available. An upgrade to version 4.x from previous versions of Macintosh Explorer is $7.95 US.

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REAL World 2005 Schedule Posted

REAL World 2005 is scheduled for March 23rd through March 25th and the session schedule has just been posted! There are over 35 sessions on a wide range of topics for all REALbasic users from beginning to advanced. Check out the schedule at http://www.realsoftware.com/realworld/schedule/

All of the speakers at REAL World are experts in their field. Check out their bios at http://www.realsoftware.com/realworld/speakers/

Read the great things that REAL World 2004 attendees had to say: http://www.realsoftware.com/realworld/quotes/

You can save $100 by registering for REAL World before January 1st so don't delay.

REAL World is a great place to increase your productivity, enhance your skills and meet other enthusiastic REALbasic users.

For more information, or to register now, check out http://www.realsoftware.com/realworld/ .

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Aquafadas releases a new version of iDive the award winning digital video catalog

Aquafadas Software today released iDive 1.2, the latest version of its digital video catalog and exploration tool for Mac OS X.



MONTPELLIER, FRANCE – 15 DECEMBER 2004 :
Aquafadas Software (www.aquafadas.com) launches today version 1.2 of iDive, its digital video management application. With new features and extensive improvements, iDive v1.2 succeeds in combining innovative indexing and visualisation of digital video tapes with powerful annotation and search capabilities.

The new features in iDive v1.2 include :
- new support for the capture of DV footage from the camera
- new compression capabilities for the captured footage using any of
the installed Quicktime codecs.
- new clip splitting functionality, both on sampled clips or clips with
associated footage.
- support for the display of footage/samples/thumbnails with 16:9
aspect ratio.
- seamless integration with iMovie, Final Cut Express/Pro through the ability to drag and drop clips from the catalog into the editing application itself.
- ability to edit clip dates and aspect ratio
- many UI enhancements, in particular when navigating, changing views,
changing sort orders,....
- ...and a new icon by Bryan Bell (www.bryanbell.com)

For more information, please contact
Product contact :  idive@aquafadas.com

Pricing and Availability
The iDive 1.2 release is available immediately for download from the Aquafadas web site, www.aquafadas.com, or by following the link :  http://www.idivepro.com/software/iDive.dmg. The iDive documentation can be found at http://www.aquafadas.com/documentation.html
A single user license key sells for US$69.95, with academic prices being offered at US$49.95. Volume discounts are also available.


About iDive
iDive offers amateur and semi-professional users a robust on-screen digital video shoebox to store clips and still images. The application includes truly innovative tools that make navigation both easy and fast, regardless of the number of clips being stored. Power previewing, customizable views, "drag & drop" attribute tagging and a timeline display turn any assortment of disorganised tapes into an instantly accessible catalog of digital video that can be enjoyed at any time. Designed to sit alongside DV editing applications, iDive promises to eliminate the frustration and time-wasting in locating and viewing clips hidden amongst hours of footage, by simplifying visualisation, tagging, storage, organisation and retrieval of digital video clips and photos.
iDive is the runner-up winner of the O’Reilly Mac Innovation Award 2004, International Category  (press.oreilly.com/pub/pr/1245)


About aquafadas software

Founded in 2004, aquafadas was formed to develop and promote high quality software solutions for the digital video community. Aquafadas is based in the south of France.
Visit their web site at http://www.aquafadas.com

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Speakers and Sponsors Join SCALE 3x

Many new speakers have been added to the SCALE 3x lineup:

Norm McEntire - Servin Corporation
Paul Von Stamwitz- AMCC
Daryll Strauss - Digital Ordnance
Cecil Watson
Ted Gould - Inkscape
John Ousterhout - Electric Cloud, Inc.
Gideon Romm - Symbio Technologies
Kim Brand - Computer Experts, Inc.
David Uhlmann - Uversa Inc
Sumitra Srinivasan - Georgia State University
Dennis Rex
Ted Gould - Inkscape

These sponsors are newly signed with the Linux Expo:

Yosemite Technologies - registration sponsor
TOLIS Group - basic sponsor
LinuxQuestions.org - media sponsor
FedoraNews.org -- media sponsor
Star Communications - media sponsor

The following LUGs or non-profit groups have signed up to man a booth at SCALE 3X:

Debian, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Free Software Foundation, Gentoo, GNOME, KDE, KnoppMyth, LAMPSIG, Linux Astronomy, Linux Terminal Server Project, LinuxChix of LA, Santa Barbara Linux Users Group, Socal Wireless Users Group, and WikiPedia Foundation.

If your LUG, or other non-profit Open Source organization would like to be represented at SCALE 3X, please contact gareth@socallinuxexpo.org for a booth. Don't delay; booths are being assigned to LUGs and other ORGs steadily.

SCALE 3X will be held February 12th and 13th, 2005, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Linux Expo of Southern California was established in 2001. Our mission is to evangelize the advantages of Open Source software.

For more information, see http://socallinuxexpo.com, or email info@socallinuxexpo.com.

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PR: CS ODESSA RELEASES CONCEPTDRAW CREATIVE MANAGER BUNDLE

Odessa, Ukraine, December 16, 2004 - CS Odessa releases ConceptDraw Creative Manager - the bundle of ConceptDraw V and ConceptDraw MINDMAP, diagramming and brainstorming products. The bundle offers 20% savings on both products and costs $399.

ConceptDraw Creative Manager enables project managers, consultants, sales people and other professionals to effectively brainstorm and develop ideas with their teams, create pro-quality business and technical diagrams, make convincing proposals, reports and presentations both on-screen and on-line.

For more information, trial versions and ordering please visit: http://www.conceptdraw.com

ABOUT CS ODESSA Founded in 1993, Computer Systems Odessa supplies cross-platform productivity tools and graphics technologies to professional and corporate users. With headquarters in Odessa, Ukraine, CS Odessa sells their products internationally from reseller offices in 25 countries.

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KeynotePro Announces Barcelona Theme Release

KeynotePro is pleased to announce the release of Barcelona - an exploration of classical design, bringing aged paper and coarse, loosely trapped blockprint color together with crisp type and the timeless icon of world travel - the postcard - into a style that is both raw canvas and a well-worn tome. Custom ink-spot bullets, warmly textured chart fills and traveled, crumple-edged postcards overlay the canvas in a timeless blend of style and metaphor spanning 31 Slide Masters in both 800x600 and 1024x768 sizes.

Along with the basic theme, Barcelona also includes a selection of object-based extras, including Ink and Coffee Stains, as well as free-floating Postcard objects that allow you to create your own photo-based layouts with ease - down to the stamp on the back of the card, which you can customize with your own photo, illustration or company logo.

Barcelona is available for immediate download for $19.95, or in a Bundle with 2 other themes for $48.95 at http://www.KeynotePro.com.

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Inside the Mac Revolution

Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original Macintosh engineers, has written a new book, Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the typewriter and notebook ruled, and the computer as an everyday tool was simply a vision. Revolution in the Valley traces this vision back to its earliest roots: the hallways and backrooms of Apple, where the groundbreaking Macintosh computer was born. The book traces the development of the Macintosh, from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979 to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond.

The stories in Revolution in the Valley come on extremely good authority. That's because author Andy Hertzfeld was a core member of the team that built the Macintosh system software, and a key creator of the Mac's radically new user interface software. One of the chosen few who worked with the mercurial Steve Jobs, you might call him the ultimate insider.

When Revolution in the Valley begins, Hertzfeld is working on Apple's first attempt at a low-cost, consumer-oriented computer: the Apple II. He sees that Steve Jobs is luring some of the company's most brilliant innovators to work on a tiny research effort the Macintosh. Hertzfeld manages to make his way onto the Macintosh research team, and the rest is history.

Through lavish illustrations, period photos (many never before published), and Hertzfeld's vivid first-hand accounts, Revolution in the Valley reveals what it was like to be there at the birth of the personal computer revolution. The story comes to life through the book's portrait of the talented and often eccentric characters who made up the Macintosh team. Now, over 20 years later, millions of people are benefiting from the technical achievements of this determined and brilliant group of people.

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Inventive Releases iClip 3.4 Productivity Software for Apple Mac OS X

New Version Features Copy/Paste Via Keyboard, Improved International Text Handling



Inventive, Inc. announces the release of iClip version 3.4, their award winning productivity software for Mac OS X. iClip enables users to quickly store, organize, and access snippets of information without having to save them as entire documents.



Newly available in iClip is a way to copy and paste from clipping bins using only the keyboard. Users can now set Hot Keys that make transparent labels appear over the bins, enabling them to quickly choose one to copy or paste with the simple press of a key. Also available in version 3.4 are improvements to non-Unicode, international text handling, which is beneficial to those who use iClip with some older applications.



"We've had many requests to provide copy/paste using only the keyboard, and I feel that for iClip 3.4, we've developed a very elegant, Mac-like solution for doing so," said John Casasanta, President of Inventive.



iClip is a multiple clipboard/scrapbook application designed to improve user efficiency and productivity for various computing tasks. iClip enables users to store and retrieve various clippings, such as text, pictures, URLs, file aliases, movies, etc. in it's multiple bins. Clippings can be arranged into groups to keep users organized. iClip helps eliminate redundant typing, especially in tasks like filling out online forms. It's widely used to assist general purpose tasks such as word processing, web browsing, and research, while webmasters, graphic designers, and programmers also find iClip to be useful in their more specialized tasks.



Pricing and Availability



iClip 3.4 is available now for Mac OS X 10.2 or later as a "try-before-you-buy" download at http://inventive.us/iClip/ or on CD at select retailers. It can be purchased for $19.95 USD for the trial version or $29.95 USD for the CD version. The version 3.4 upgrade is free to registered users of any previous version.

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Synth PatchBank Vol #1 released for GarageBand & Logic

MacSongTools releases the first in a series of products for Apple's GarageBand & Logic. Synth PatchBank Vol #1 contains 400 presets for the built-in software synthesizers. A wide range of sounds are included from Pads, Sweeps, Bells, Leads, Analog to FM. Synth PatchBank Vol #1 is available now and can be purchased and downloaded online for only $19.99. Visit: www.macsongtools.com

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Mac OS X 10.3.7 Update Available

The Mac OS X 10.3.7 Update is now available via the Software Update panel as a 26.4 MB download.

Key enhancements include:

• improved AFP support for saving documents with long file names
  
• improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
  
• improved FireWire device compatibility
  
• updated Preview application
  
• improved compatibility for third party applications
  
• previous standalone security updates
  

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Digital Juice VideoTraxx 2 Stock Footage Ships

Ocala, FL, Dec 16, 2004. Digital Juice announces the immediate release of VideoTraxx 2: 3,000+ clips for $599. This high-quality, professionally-shot stock footage and archive material is an outstanding value at less than 20 cents a clip.

VideoTraxx 2 delivers:

• 3,000+ original film and video clips
  
• 30+ categories of royalty-free footage
  
• 32 DVD library
  
• Multiple angles available for numerous scenes
  
• NTSC QuickTime MOV format
  
• Free Juicer 2 processing software (Mac/PC) converts media to any format
  
• Keyword searchable index, media management and instant previews within Juicer 2
  

Digital Juice's online galleries let producers preview the entire collection, but the real strength of the library is the sheer quantity of material a production house can have on its shelves at such an affordable price.

Categories Include: Americana & Antiques, Artisans & Crafts, Autos & Motorsports, Business & Office, Child’s Play, Cities & Architecture, Country Club Sports, Recreation, Expressions, Fun & Relaxation, Home & Garden, Industry, International Faces, International Life, Money, Music, NASA, Nightlife, Old War, On the Farm, On the Job, People, Religion, Romance, Salutations, Teens, What’s Cooking, Wind/Gravity Sports, Women’s Beauty, Youth Sports and more.

VideoTraxx 2 is available now and sells for just $599. No other stock footage library gives you so much for so little.

www.digitaljuice.com

sales@digitaljuice.com

(352) 369-0930

Digital Juice, Inc.
1736 NE 25th Ave
Ocala, FL 34470

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Games Pavilion at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco Showcases Best New Games for 2005

FRAMINGHAM, MA, December 15, 2004 – IDG World Expo, the leading producer of world-class tradeshows, conferences and events for technology markets around the globe, today announced that the Macintosh Games Pavilion at the upcoming Macworld Conference & Expo® in San Francisco will provide the year’s first look at the best new games coming to the Mac in 2005. Located on the Macworld exhibit floor, the Macintosh Games Pavilion will highlight new games showcased by top game publishers including Aspyr Media, MacSoft, Freeverse and Ambrosia Software.

Macworld Conference & Expo will take place January 10-14, 2005 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

In addition to exhibits by top game publishers, the Macintosh Games Pavilion will feature a wide selection of games, including Doom 3, World of Warcraft, Myst IV, Call of Duty: United Offensive, Rise of Nations, Halo, Unreal Tournament 2004, and many more. In the Arcade, Macworld attendees will be able to experience top AAA game titles first-hand running on PowerMac G5 and iMac G5 systems. Attendees can also test their gaming skills against and with others at the tournament area, all on the best G5 gaming hardware available.

For creative professionals interested in getting started in the game industry, Macworld Conference & Expo features a one-day tutorial on Tuesday, January 11 by Jeannie Novack, Founder & CEO, Author, Game Development Essentials, Indiespace. This workshop will help creative professionals expand their career opportunities by providing background on the industry, strategies for creating game content, and guidelines for working with game developers and publishers as team members or freelance talent.

In this one-day tutorial, you will learn features of:

• Game industry history
  
• Player market demographics
  
• Game platforms, genres and applications
  
• Game storytelling and character development
  
• Gameplay and how it intersects with story
  
• Level design and how to structure the game world
  
• Interface design and player control
  
• Game audio and how it applies to music, sound design, and dialogue
  
• Game development team roles, responsibilities and tools
  
• Phases in the game development process
  
• Marketing and player communities
  
• Networking, entrepreneurship, and portfolio preparation
  

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Adobe Intelligent Documents with J2EE - Not your father's PDF

Adobe's combination of PDF, XML and productive use of J2EE and WebSphere, creates Intelligent Documents that can dynamically interact with core applications and integrate people into business processes. This article describes a joint solution by Adobe and IBM that enables interprises to communicate more effectively, automate document-based processes, access systems offline, and share information securely.

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CS Odessa Releases LeadingProject, the New Project Manager Tool for Windows and Mac OS X.

Odessa, Ukraine, December 14, 2004 - CS Odessa, the author of award-winning ConceptDraw productivity line, releases LeadingProject 1.0 - the professional project manager tool for Windows and Mac OS X. The new product enables users to effectively manage multiple projects, share tasks and resources and create projects of unlimited size and length. LeadingProject also starts LEADING Line - the set of tools designed to facilitate the tasks of professional project managers and business leaders.

LeadingProject helps visually plan and track progress of several concurrent projects, e.g. development projects or marketing campaigns; create detailed product schedule and effectively coordinate production and sales efforts.

The product's key feature, the Workspace document, lets start several projects with a shared Global Resource List and allows embedding one project into another, preserving dependences and synchronizing changes. The other important features include toolset for quick and easy editing of Gantt charts; Set Up Project Calendar; and ability to start projects of any size and length.

For better communication of project data, the software offers extended data and file exchange opportunities including support for MS Project XML that allows seamless communication with MS Project users. The import of ConceptDraw MINDMAP Outline lets brainstorm project task list in mind-mapping tool and read them as whole projects with LeadingProject. The cross-platform compatibility allows exchanging LeadingProject files across Windows and Macintosh platforms.

You can read more information and download Free Trial version at: http://www.leadingproject.com

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

LeadingProject is available for $249 from the LEADING Store at: http://www.leadingproject.com/buy/ The special cross-grade price for users of ConceptDraw products and academic discounts are offered.

ABOUT LEADING LINE

LEADING line offers versatile team and business management tools specifically tailored for the needs of small and mid-size businesses. All software titles are cross-platform and available for Mac OS X and Windows. Today the line consists of LeadingProject, the project planning and management software, LeadingReporter, professional business reporting tool and their bundle - LeadingSuite.

ABOUT CS ODESSA

Founded in 1993, Computer Systems Odessa supplies cross-platform productivity tools and graphics technologies to professional and corporate users. With headquarters in Odessa, Ukraine, CS Odessa sells their products internationally from reseller offices in 25 countries. Their award-winning ConceptDraw Productivity Line ( http://www.conceptdraw.com ) is used by hundreds thousands of people all over the world.

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OmniPilot Software Partners with Brian Dunning to Offer Lasso Training Classes

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - December 13, 2004 - OmniPilot Software, Inc. has partnered with Brian Dunning, a software industry expert, to offer Lasso training classes for Lasso users. The Lasso Master Class is a two-day intensive seminar that will leverage the strong built-in integration between Lasso Professional 8 and FileMaker Server 7 Advanced.

Chad Roll, chief operations officer, OmniPilot, said, "We are excited about our partnership with Brian Dunning, our Lasso customers will benefit greatly from his first-class Lasso training seminars."

The two-day seminar provides an intensive immersion into Lasso Studio, the Lasso coding language, secure modern site architecture and integration with FileMaker 7 data sources. The Lasso Master Class is optimized for hands-on training and take home materials will be provided. No prior Lasso experience is necessary.

The Lasso Master Class will be offered at the following cities:

Los Angeles, Jan. 24-25
Seattle, Feb. 7-8
New York, 2/28-3/1
Atlanta, Mar 21-22
San Francisco, Apr. 4-5
Chicago, Apr. 25-26
Denver, May 9-10
Washington DC, May 23-24
Phoenix, Sept. 1-2

The Lasso Master Class was created by industry expert Brian Dunning, and is taught by some of the most highly qualified and experienced instructors in the Lasso community. The two-day class costs $995.

For complete information and online registration, please go to:
http://www.briandunning.com/lasso-training/

OmniPilot Software, Inc. is a software development company offering cross-platform business management solutions designed to help small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs) optimize their online presence. With eight years of custom application development and its 2004 acquisition of the Lasso product line, OmniPilot Software applications ensure that clients benefit from time-tested efficiencies, which have proven to yield success. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starmark International, named to the Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest growing private companies in America for the seventh time in the company's 26-year history, the third company to ever achieve this distinction.

OmniPilot's software is used by over 1,000 educational institutions and more than 15,000 corporations around the world, including Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW).

For more information on OmniPilot, please visit http://www.omnipilot.com.

# # #

Media Contact:
Valerie Milkins
Starmark International
954-761-1600
vmilkins@starmark.com

Lasso Master Class Contact:
Brian Dunning
949-510-9681
brian@briandunning.com
http://www.briandunning.com/

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Comment spam update

I've taken additional steps to prevent comment spam which will no longer affect normal site operation, so full posting features are once again avaialable.

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MarsEdit 1.0 Released

Ranchero Software has released MarsEdit 1.0, a weblog editor for Mac OS X that makes weblog writing like writing email—with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support.

MarsEdit works with various weblog systems: Blosxom, Conversant, Drupal, Manila, Movable Type, Radio UserLand, TypePad, WordPress, and others.

MarsEdit 1.0 is free to owners of NetNewsWire 1.x or $24.95 if you don't own NetNewsWire.

For more information or to download a free demo, visit Ranchero Software.

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iTunes Music Store now accepts PayPal

Apple® and PayPal today announced that the iTunes® Music Store in the US will now accept PayPal for purchases of music downloads, audiobooks and gift certificates. Starting today, iTunes Music Store purchases can be funded through PayPal’s virtual wallet, allowing customers to pay in the way they prefer—using a credit card, bank account or stored account balance. The first 500,000 customers to open a new iTunes account in the US using PayPal as their form of payment before March 31, 2005, will receive five free songs.

“We are thrilled that PayPal users can now buy their music on the world’s number one online music store,” said Todd Pearson, general manager of PayPal’s Merchant Services. “PayPal’s virtual wallet offers iTunes customers the convenience of paying in the way they prefer.”

With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod® and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for PC and Mac® users to legally discover, purchase and download music online. The iTunes Music Store features more than one million songs from the major music companies and 600 independent record labels, over 9,000 audiobooks, gift certificates and exclusive music not found anywhere else online.

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Build your own iTablet from an old iBook

Apple hasn't taken the dive into pen-based computing, but that hasn't stopeed MacModder Joseph Deruvo Jr. from developing his own personal iTablet. The mod pieces together parts from two iBooks, a troll-touch touch screen, dual hard drives, integrated bluetooth, additional firewire ports and even an integrated compact flash reader. Read all about it on MacMod.com

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MacJams announces unlimited free song hosting for all Mac musicians

MacJams.com has announced that it is now offering free, unlimited song hosting for all Mac Musicians. MacJams allows users to upload their original musical creations and share them with an online community of thousands of users. The songs can then be listened to, downloaded, rated, and critiqued by all MacJams users.

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Apple announces second Dashboard Widget Contest

Apple has announced a second Apple Dashboard Widget Contest. Now through January 5, developers have another chance to win a 40GB iPod and receive public recognition for their work. Enter the Apple Dashboard Widget Contest today to take advantage of this terrific opportunity to begin developing Widgets for Tiger. Entries will be judged on technical excellence, innovation, and ease of use. The contest is open exclusively to Apple Developer Connection members whose memberships include access to pre-release versions of Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger. Submissions must be made between December 9 and January 5, 2005.

What Is a Dashboard Widget?

The Dashboard and Dashboard Widgets are intriguing new technologies that will be available in Mac OS X Tiger. Dashboard is a semi-transparent layer that zooms across your screen at the press of a key. It’s also home to a new kind of application called a Widget. A Widget can be self-contained like a clock or calculator, display information from the Internet like headlines or the status of an order, or enhance an application by adding features or making the application easier to use. Great Widgets are small, lightweight, and simple, with a compelling interface that’s fun to use.

More information is available here.

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iStopMotion helps to educate Isle of Man children

Munich, Germany - Oct. 9th 2004. Boinx iStopMotion is quickly gaining
importance in education. Most recently, the Isle of Man Department of
Education ordererd licenses for all 35 primary schools of the country in
recognition of the usefulness of the tool in the curriculum. At the
January BETT show in UK, iStopMotion will be playing a big part on the
show floor.

Technology for the future

"iStopMotion is giving our schools the opportunity to move their
creative use of ICT to new levels," says John Thornley, Information &
Communications Technology Adviser of the Isle of Man Department of
Education. "The simplicity of the software means that children can
concentrate on their project without being distracted by the
technology." Boinx iStopMotion will be used in the 35 primary schools of
the island. The Isle of Man is situated in the heart of the British
Isles. The country is an internally self-governing dependent territory
of the British Crown. It is not part of the United Kingdom but is a
member of the British Commonwealth.

iStopMotion at BETT

"The education market, especially in and around the UK, has taken well
to iStopMotion", says Oliver Breidenbach, head of Boinx Software, "at
BETT in January 2005, iStopMotion will be present at no less than 3
booths." Apple Destinguished Educator (ADE) Oscar Stringer of South
Street Studios and iStopMotion reseller Solutions Inc. will be at Booth
P15, iStopMotion reseller ICT-Links will be at Booth SW13 (close to
Betty's Food Court) and Anglia Polytechnic University's Ultralab will be
presenting the results of their summer school at the "Create at Bett"
booth.

About Boinx Software

Boinx Software is a trademark of GeBE Computer & Peripherie GmbH, based
in Munich, Germany. Boinx Software develops and publishes fun and easy
to use applications for the creative user. Boinx iStopMotion is the
leading solution for stop motion animation and time lapse capture for
your digital hub and won the O'Reilly Mac OS X Innovators Award in 2003.
Boinx FotoMagico is a tool to create and perform professional live
slideshows and won the Mac OS X Innovators Award in 2004. Boinx iVeZeen
turns your webcam into a digital camcorder. Information about Boinx
Software and its services can be obtained from its website
http://www.boinx.com

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AFDragHandler 1.1 released

Basasoft has released the AFDragHandler 1.1 REALBasic plug-in. This plug-in delivers some long awaited functionality, allowing creation of applications with extended Mac OS X drag & drop support. It allows implementing translucent drag, drag tracking and Finder drop.

The new functionalities added by 1.1 include... among others: fixing drag to locations, deferred file content creation and determination of drag origin.

AFDragHandler may be tested for free. A license key is 20 Euro.

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Press release: Now ConceptDraw users receive National flags.

For the last eighteen days, in Kiev the capital of Ukraine about one million people have remained stand still on the central square of Kiev expressing their political views. There are people both from all over the country and from abroad. And the whole wide world has once again realized how difficult it is to change the political structure of a state which has always been under somebody's authoritarian thumb. The current political situation in Ukraine can serve a bright example of a real democratic breakthrough. And millions of people all over the planet Earth have been closely watching the latest events in this country.

CSOdessa is a Ukrainian Company that has provided World Market with numerous software products for the last 11 years. Specializing in development and publishing of business graphic solutions CSOdessa takes the leading position as a producer of cross-platform software for Apple Macintosh and PC Windows. Its outstanding ConceptDraw products have been five-year decent competitors to MS-Visio and are world-recognized leading business tools for Macintosh users.

No matter to what outcome will the current political situation lead in the end, the latest developments in Ukraine have reflected people's good will and their firm intention to change their country's way of life. These days orange has been the symbol of these exciting events for the whole World Community. That is why CSOdessa has come up with a pioneer orange idea of donating to their users the National Flag of Ukraine.

About CS Odessa

Founded in 1993, Computer Systems Odessa supplies cross-platform productivity tools and graphics technologies to professional and corporate users. With headquarters in Odessa, Ukraine, CS Odessa sells ConceptDraw tools internationally from reseller offices in 25 countries. For more information please visit: http://www.conceptdraw.com.

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The Mac Support Store Affiliate Program

The Mac Support Store has launched its first Affiliate Program on its website at: http://www.macsupportstore.com. Recognizing a demand for an Affiliate Program exclusively for Apple products, qualified Affiliates will earn unlimited commissions from web banner and text links placed at their own websites. As an additional benefit, Affiliates receive discount coupons for purchasing Apple products at The Mac Support Store. Those interested in signing up can view the program details at: http://www.macsupportstore.com/showpages.asp?pid=1020

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DropDMG 2.5 is now available

DropDMG is the easiest way to create Mac OS X disk images. Just drag and drop a folder or file, and DropDMG will create an image in ".dmg", ".img", or ".smi" format--or a Zip or StuffIt archive. Or, you can drag an existing image or archive file onto DropDMG to easily convert it to any of the other supported formats.

DropDMG supports encryption, segmented images, and custom icons, and it can create images with rich-text license agreements in multiple languages. There are many time-saving features such as temporary preferences when you hold down Option, remembering recent folders, configurations to keep track of popular combinations of settings, and the ability to create more than one image or archive at a time. All the options are available from AppleScript and from the "dropdmg" command-line tool.

New in this Version:

• Can now create archives in Panther's Zip format; can convert Zip
  archives to images and vice-versa.
  
  
• DropDMG can now create StuffIt X archives, convert StuffIt archives
  to disk images, and vice-versa.
  
  
• Can now convert ".tar", ".tgz", ".tar.gz", and ".tar.bz2" archives
  to disk images (as well as to ".zip" and ".sitx").
  
  
• Added support for ".cdr" (DVD/CD-R master) images.
  
  
• DropDMG can create a custom icon for the mounted image.
  
  
• You can now save named Configurations_ of DropDMG's preferences. By
  switching between different configurations, you can instantly recall
  different combinations of options.
  
  
• When you ask DropDMG to create an image from a volume, it
  automatically creates a *device image*, an exact copy of the volume,
  which is bootable (if original volume is).
  
  
• DropDMG now has a system service, which lets you easily create
  images/archives from items selected in the Finder, without DropDMG
  being open or in the Dock.
  
  
• Added **Mount Image At...** command, which lets you mount images at
  arbitrary locations in the filesystem, rather than on the desktop.
  
  
• Add **Ask Later** option, which makes DropDMG prompt you for a
  destination folder each time it needs to save an image or archive.
  
  
• Added **Confirm** button to let you verify a passphrase after typing
  it.
  
  
• DropDMG can now process multiple commands from AppleScript or the
  command line at the same time.
  
  
• Complete Change List: http://www.c-command.com/dropdmg/manual.shtml#version-history