Hands-On Report: Apple Expo 2003 Part II
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Hands-On Report: Apple Expo, Paris, with Photos Show Floor Report 1 Copyright 2003 All Rights reserved Return to Macs Only! Front Page |
This is the second report from Thierry Lorthioir who attended Apple Expo in Paris. His overview, posted September 19th, is on this web page. Here are some intersting observations from Apple Expo's show floor:
Books
Peripherals
Dr. Bott presented an impressive selection of practical and innovative products. The naviPod, the first wireless remote control for iPod is available for all three generations of iPods.
Shown for the first time were the TiCase 17, TiCase 15 and TiCase 12, a series of heavy duty brushed aluminum briefcases which may also double as mobile office thanks to built in telescopic riser (Liftomatic) which allows for cooling while working with the case open. Opening the case is enough to access all the ports on your PowerBook. There is ample storage underneath for software and cables, etc.
A new Firewire to iPod adapter, the Pocket-Dock allows a connection from the docking port to a standard 6 pin Firewire cable.
Also shown was a prototype of an iPod "boombox" with stereo speakers and centered docking station. The Ezison from Bird Electron will provide a practical solution for an iPod looking for speakers to travel with. This elegant and understated solution was shown with an iPod 2G but will be available for all configurations.
An updated version of the DVIator was shown in an aluminum finish to match the new line of PowerBooks. Cinema Displays can now be used with older Powerbook.
Also introduced were MoniSwitch Pro ADC toshare ADC screens between 4 Power Macs , VGAtor an adapter for using ADC screens with the 12" PowerBook, SGI-Saver a DVI-LDI adapter for Silicon Graphics SW1600 screens and an updated line of KVM switches.
Macally introduced a 3-port Firewire 800 card, a portable USB 2.0 storage drive (FlashDrive2 in 128, 256 and 512MB), a 2-port USB 2.0 cardbus adapter to be available to the US soon. A 4-port USB 2.0 slim mini hub and USB 2.0 hub and card reader will be sold in Europe only.
Music
MOTUwas demonstrating its line of software and hardware music management tools including midi interfaces, its 828mkII FireWire Audio Interface, MachFive software sampler Digital Performer 4.1, an integrated digital audio and MIDI sequencing production system designed to take advantage of the new G5.
EMAGIC introduced Space Designer, a premium reverb plug-in for Logic Platinium X 6.2 which was the first version optimized for the Power Mac G5. Space Designer ships with more than 1,000 high quality impulse responses and synthesized settings, including real rooms and halls, as well as legendary classic and contemporary reverb units.
IK MULTIMEDIAintroduced SampleTank 2 a sonic sampler with a wide array of controls and over 5000 sounds available. With a new synth engine called STRETCH ™ an engine that pitch shift, stretch, works on timbre and harmonics.
Calibration
Color Calibration System Software introduced two high-end CRT Diamondtron monitors with an internal hardware calibration system.
Camdynamics GmbH, a company designing specialized and innovative image processing software for demanding photographers, demonstrated lens&light optimizer . This tool identifies and corrects many optical lens defects with high precision.
Ovolab introduced two new products, InTouch and RemoteTunes and an update to AAChoo. InTouch with the Ovolab Telecom Adapter, can answer telephone calls and identify the caller, thanks to Caller ID. After answering a call, Ovolab InTouch records a message and stores it on your Mac. Working with Applescript, InTouch can work as a remote to operate your Mac, change voice mail to e-mail. AAChoo can encode any kind of sound file in AAC format. RemoteTunes works over the Internet or intranet to control your playlists remotely from another Mac. All three have a polished metal interface looking identical to Apple's iLife suite. Buttons having identical function as theses in iLife have an identical appearance.
Health
M@cDent presented its complete, 4-D based dental office management system. Directed mainly toward the French market, this comprehensive solution covers everything from detailed dental records to accounting, billing and more.
SurgeryManager 1.0 is a FileMakerPro modular application which exells at sticking to the point, almost a minimalist management tool, with an easy to use GUI which shows intentional restraint. Easily adaptable to any language.
Gesdent-Groupe Visiodent has specialized in Information Technology for dental cabinets since 1983. Two products were demonstrated: Gesdent 2 OS X, a comprehensive dental cabinet management solution that is only for the French market at this time and RSV OS X (Radiology System Visiodent ) which allows for diagnostics and comparisons through digital X-ray imaging. This latest solution may be used worldwide. Benefiting from a simple visual interface and a self-explanatory organization, it makes high-quality X-rays very attractive. This latest solution is a hardware (CCD captors) and software combination .
Enterprise/ Business
Batibox is a construction site comprehensive management solution. Although only available in French currently, the demonstrator insisted that it would work well in any country.
OpenOffice. OpenOffice.org reports that an estimated 16 million+ people have downloaded the software which is free. Install Apple X11 then OpenOffice and you will have a complete office suite which includes:
WRITER, a powerful tool for creating professional documents, reports, newsletters, and brochures. You can easily integrate images and charts in documents, create everything from business letters to complete books with professional layouts, as well as create and publish Web content.
CALC is a feature-packed spreadsheet which can turn boring numbers into eye-catching information. Calculate, analyse, and visually communicate your data quickly and easily. Use advanced spreadsheet functions and decision-making tools to perform sophisticated data analysis. Use built-in charting tools to generate impressive 2D and 3D charts.
IMPRESS is the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will truly stand out with special effects, animation and high-impact drawing tools.
DRAW will produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations and special effects.
The Database User Tools give you all the tools you need for day to day database work in a simple spreadsheet-like form. They support dBASE databases for simple applications, or any ODBC or JDBC compliant database for industrial strength database work.
This is a Beta version. All documents may be saved in popular formats such as RTF, MSWord, Exel and Powerpoint.
Mor@l Informatique: E-Genie. This WEb-Object management tool for portals is based on a robust program implemented for two French national TV chanels a few years back. Its web-object shell guarantees a modular structure. It was introduced on Sept.16.
Productivity
Speechissimo is an impressive Text To Speech application for Mac OS X. It support drag and drop or copy and paste. An amazingly simple solution at a moderate price. Languages supported at this time are French, US English, German and Spanish
Other Hardware & Software
Nikon presented the new D2H Pro Nikon Digital SLR which delivers 8 pictures-per-second and features Nikon's exclusive new JFET Imaging Sensor LBCAST 4.1 effective megapixels. comfortable. With the new WT-1A accessory, it can instantly transmit images to your LAN computer-access point using 802.11b (Airport) .
Fuji had a number of new digital camera including the 6.7 Mega Pixel Fine Pix F700, FinePix A 310 and the FinePix S5000
Olympus celebrated Ferrari Scuderia F1 sponsorship with limited edition Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003. The Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003 is a special limited-edition model developed to celebrate the Olympus sponsorship of the Ferrari Scuderia Formula One Racing Team. For this occasion the Olympus stand was decorated like Ferrari racing’s garage.
The Ferrari DIGITAL MODEL 2003 is based on the stylish and all-weather µ [mju:] 400 DIGITAL. It is designed to reflect the beauty and quality that are hallmarks of Ferrari craftsmanship, and is the first digital camera in the world to be officially sanctioned by the Ferrari organisation. The body of the camera is finished in distinctive Ferrari Red, and the lens barrier is adorned with the world famous "Cavallino Rampante - Prancing Horse" logo featured on Ferrari cars and F1 racing machines. When the camera is switched on, the built-in colour LCD monitor displays the Ferrari name and logo, as well as an image of a Ferrari F1 racing machine. To reflect the fact that this is a limited-edition model with a production run of only 10,000 units, the body of each camera has been stamped with a special serial number.
HP presented the 38 new products for the Macintosh that were introduced on Sept.11. Of note in the printer category was the PhotoSmart 7960 with 8 inks, 4800x1200 resolution and HP PhotoretPro redeye correction. The Deskjet 5850 has built-in ethernet, USB and 809.11b. Two extremely compact projectors, the sb21 and the xb31 (1500 ANSI) whose small rectangular form factor would make them a practical companion for PowerBook users. Among the all-in-one units, the PSC 2510 PhotoSmart sports USB and optional 809 .11b or Ethernet. Not new but still desirable is the small portable printer Deskjet 450ci/cbi which can print 350 pages on one battery charge and is equipped with USB, infrared and Bluetooth.
Epson introduced two inkjet printers, the Stylus C64 and C84 with resolution up to 5760 DPI and speeds up to 22 ppm for the C84.
All new Scanners now feature USB 2.0 connectivity. New models include the 1670, 1670 photo and the Epson Perfection 3200 PHOTO Color Scanner which is also equipped with Firewire. ( 3200 x 6400 dpi resolution, 4" x 9" transparency unit adapter, 48-bit scanning ).
Two new Digital cameras were released: The PHOTOPC L-300/L-400 with 3.24 and 4.07 Megapixels. Both have aluminum and steel casing and a 3x optical zoom. Epson claims a new low consumption engine leads to exceptional performance even with a couple of standard alkaline batteries.
Two new home theatre projectors, the TW10 (1000 ANSI lumens) and the EMP-S1 mobile projector (1200 ANSI lumens SVGA projector-Smart Remote Control Kit ) complete the new offerings.
Ultralingua Software offered two new multilingual translation tools. According to its maker, Ultralingua translation tools with dictionaries in French and English, French and German, French and Spanish are able to work in either direction. Grammatica is a grammar and spelling checker offered in either French, English or Spanish or in a bundle with both French and English. All are native OS X software applications. They are priced at 30 Euros ($34.40) each except for the last bundle which is 60 Euros ($68.80). A Palm version is also available.
Assistiveware demonstrated two remarkable assistive software for people with disabilities: SwitchXS and Keystrokes 3. At the top of their literature lies this quote: “SwitchXS opens the doors to Mac OS X for users with neural-motor issues and it does so with an attention to detail and a subtle elegance that makes users feel like first class citizens - now that is what accessibility is about!” - George McKinlay, Research & Educational Planning Center, University of Nevada
After assisting with a short demo to someone who had never tried nor heard of the software, I was amazed with its accuracy and ease of use. Within twenty minutes one learns to operate the Mac with slight moves of their head.
From the same developper, KeyStrokes 3 for Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X is a fully-functional advanced virtual on-screen keyboard that allows you to type with a mouse, trackball, head pointer or other mouse emulator to type characters into any standard Macintosh application.
Disclabel won best of Show at MacWorld CreativePro last July and would win again if we would compare CD label makers. It takes into account all info accumulated into iTunes from track to album names, song duration etc. It comes with a large number of templates. After acquiring a copy of most CD labelers in the past three years I feel that I do not have one which compares with this.
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