FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The First Major Network Organizer Comes to Mac OS X
Park City, UT – November 6th, 2001 — Chronos LC today proudly announced
Group Organizer 4.0, the first network organizer for Mac OS 8, 9, and X.
Group Organizer 4.0 sets a new standard for “ease of use” in the complex
world of client/server products. According to Jerry Halls, V.P. of Sales at
Chronos, “Group Organizer 4.0 is a dream come true for those who want to
quickly and easily get their business organized. The new setup wizard
literally makes it as easy as one, two, three.”
Chronos calls its product the “Swiss Army Knife” of productivity software.
It integrates a calendar, address book, word processor, memo taker,
personal journal, phone dialer, and alarm clock into a single easy-to-use
application. To top it off, it synchronizes with all Palm and Handspring
handheld organizers. Group Organizer 4.0 is intended specifically for
network users who need to share information with their co-workers. It uses
an advanced client/server design to provide a robust and reliable group
collaboration solution including the ability for PowerBook users to
disconnect from the network, with information in hand, and synchronize
changes upon return.
Raises the “Ease of Use” Bar
A system administrator is not required to set up Group Organizer 4.0. The
new Administration Wizard was specifically designed to help small business
owners painlessly set up the software themselves. The wizard makes it easy
to create private and public accounts. A custom picture can be assigned to
each account for easy recognition. Group Organizer 4.0 comes with over 20
pictures or users may use their own including digital photographs. The
wizard also guides the user through steps like creating public categories,
assigning access privileges, and specifying automatic backup options. A new
feature called “Auto-Open Accounts” lets users specify which public
accounts should automatically be opened when they log in.
A new Account Bar displays the name of the server being accessed and shows
the account picture for each account which is presently open. The Account
Bar may be placed anywhere on the screen and may also be resized to show
account pictures up to 128×128 pixels in size. The Account Bar takes the
guess work out of working with multiple accounts at once.
Group Organizer 4.0 uses a new security mechanism based on access
privileges rather than passwords. This new system eliminates the need to
constantly enter passwords when accessing public data. Plus, a new Open
Additional Accounts dialog makes it easier than ever to quickly access
public or private accounts to which a user has been granted access.
A new Palm Sync Setup Wizard offers best in class synchronization setup and
management for synchronizing Group Organizer with a Palm handheld. The
wizard uniquely solves category synchronization issues by actually asking
the Palm handheld which categories are being used. The user can then select
the categories to synchronize which eliminates the all or nothing problem
most PIMs face. Group Organizer can even synchronize memos, a common
deficiency in other network PIM products.
Exciting New Features
Group Organizer 4.0 adds a wealth of new features which makes it the most
powerful, easy to use, and striking organizer product for Macintosh
computers. New features include:
* A built-in customizable spell checker which will spell check word
processing documents, journal entries, memos and notes.
* A new completely resizable Button Bar which sports drag and drop
customization for quick access to program features. Favorite applications
may even be dragged to it from the Finder. The Button Bar may be oriented
horizontally or vertically. Plus, users may place an unlimited number of
Button Bars on the screen at once using different orientations, sizes, and
buttons.
* A new progress dialog now prominently displays the account being opened
and the server on which it resides.
* New adjustable mini-calendars in the Day View make switching among dates
a breeze.
* A new Default Account preference lets users specify the account to which
any newly created activities, to-do’s, contacts, or memos will belong–a
big bonus when working with multiple accounts.
* A new Switch Primary Account dialog lets users specify and see which
account is automatically opened when Group Organizer is launched.
* Group Organizer 4.0 comes with a new comprehensive HTML-based online help
system. The help is based on the 250+ page Group Organizer Reference manual
and is fully searchable using Apple’s Sherlock technology. Group Organizer
4.0 retains its one-of-a-kind context-sensitive RealHelp system.
* The speed of nearly every aspect of Group Organizer 4.0 has been
dramatically improved. Accounts open and close 25% to 100% faster than the
previous version. PowerBook mirror files and backups save 500% faster.
* Group Organizer 4.0 is visually stunning. It incorporates Mac OS X’s
standard Aqua interface elements and then takes things to the next level.
The Day and Multiday Views display appointments as aqua objects. Banners in
the Month View appear as aqua bars. The Button Bar and Account Bar use
photo-realistic icons which are resizable from small to very large sizes
including 128×128 pixels.
* Group Organizer 4.0 comes with several new interface themes or skins
which handsomely customize the look and feel of the software. Version 4.0
ships with 8 new background pictures and 23 new account pictures.
Competitive Advantage
* Group Organizer 4.0 offers several significant benefits over competing
products in addition to its new ease of use.
* Group Organizer under OS 8.6-9 works over both AppleTalk and TCP/IP networks.
* Group Organizer can synchronize information from multiple private and
public accounts to a Palm Connected Organizer.
* Group Organizer allows an unlimited number of public accounts to be
created and simultaneously accessed. Plus, each public account has its own
custom list of categories, keywords, etc.
* Group Organizer can synchronize private and public memos to a Palm
Connected Organizer.
* Group Organizer has powerful account access privileges including
read/write, read only, blind access, and no access. Blind access allows
other users to see WHEN activities are scheduled, but none of the details.
* Group Organizer provides a single client application for time, to-do,
contact, and memo management.
System Requirements
Group Organizer 4.0 requires Mac OS 8.6 or above including Mac OS X. The
Group Organizer client application takes 13 MB of disk space and runs in as
little as 5000 K RAM. The Group Organizer server application takes 1 MB of
disk space and runs in as little as 3000 K RAM. The server software may be
installed on either a Mac OS 8.6-9.x computer or a Mac OS X computer. The
server software may be installed on either a dedicated server computer, or
on a computer running the Group Organizer client.
Purchase
Chronos believes users should have the opportunity to try the software for
free before they purchase. A 30 day trial version can be downloaded from
Chronos’ completely redesigned website at www.chronosnet.com. Group
Organizer 4.0 may be purchased for $99.99 per user license. The Group
Organizer Server software is free.
Current Group Organizer users may upgrade to version 4.0 for only $59.99
per user license. For an additional $10 per license, they can get
StickyBrain, “the best utility you never knew you needed.” For more
information visit Chronos at www.chronosnet.com.