Product Watch

You don’t need a high-end digital-video system to make movies. XLR8’s (316/636-5544, https://www.xlr8.com ) $99 InterView captures video from a camcorder, VCR, or digital camera and sends it to a Power Mac through the USB port.

Micro Conversions, developer of the Game Wizard game accelerator, has closed its doors after 14 years as a Mac hardware vendor. A new company called iWonder (817/633-4011, https://www.iwonderinc.com ), headed by Micro Conversions founder Greg Smith, will continue offering the Game Wizard as well as future iMac products. iWonder will also handle technical support for Micro Conversions hardware.

Some popular apps have found new homes. Digital-video-system producer Media 100 (508/460-1600, https://www.media100.com ) bought Terran Interactive, developer of Media Cleaner Pro. Terran will still focus on software for video encoding and streaming. Smith Micro Software (800/964-7674,  https://www.smithmicro.com ) acquired STF Technologies and plans to keep producing the latter’s Faxstf fax software for the Mac. Smith Micro also plans to develop a Mac client for conexs.com, a Web site that lets you place Internet phone calls, have real-time chats, and participate in videoconferences. No release date was announced.

The Mac isn’t entirely free of Y2K problems. Intuit (800/446-8848, https://www.intuit.com ) has released a free update of QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro that brings both versions into compliance with the company’s Year 2000 Compliant Standard. Intuit also announced that it will no longer support payroll functionality in QuickBooks for Mac and that it is discontinuing the Tax Table Service for Mac. Instead, users will receive a subscription to Aatrix’s Mac-based tax-table service.

Xerox (800/275-9376, https://www.xerox.com ) introduced its first Mac-compatible personal laser printer, the $700, 1200-dpi, USB-equipped DocuPrint P1202. LocalTalk and Ethernet connections are options. HP (800/752-0900, https://www.hp.com) unveiled the LaserJet 4050 series, a family of 17-ppm printers ranging from $1,100 to $1,600. Each printer includes a built-in 10/100BaseTX Ethernet print server. NEC Technologies (800/632-4636, https://www.nectech.com ) announced the SuperScript 1800, a 1,200-dpi laser printer that sells for $1,198, including an Ethernet card required for Mac connectivity.

Make the most of your business tools. Microsoft (800/426-9400, https://www.microsoft.com ) has released a free Office 98 plug-in that imports FileMaker Pro databases into Word or Excel. Download it from https://www.microsoft.com/mac/.

August 1999 page: 28