Year: 2002

WiebeTech today released an upgraded version of its FireWire DriveDock, a device for converting internal IDE drives to a FireWire connection. The new unit is smaller, occupying just three cubic inches of desk space, supports IDE drives up to 160GB, and features the Oxford 911 bridge chipset with benchmark speeds in excess of 30MB/second. The FireWire DriveDock is available now for US$99.95. An optional power supply, required for external use, costs $29.95.

Hewlett-Packard today announced that preliminary estimates show that shareholder’s approve of the company’s merger with Compaq, according to Reuters. The US$21 billion merger has come under fire in recent months from outspoken critics of the merger, including Walter Hewlett, the son of HP’s co-founder. Compaq shareholders are expected to widely approve the merger in a vote tomorrow.

Extensis has released QX-Tools Pro, an upgradedversion of its collection of productivity XTensions for QuarkXPress 4 and 5.New features include the ability to import MS Excel and PowerPoint graphicsand tables, a palette that allows faster access to keyboard shortcuts, andpreflighting support via Extensis’ Preflight Online service. QX-Tools Pro isavailable now for US$199.95; upgrades from previous versions start at$59.95.

Sig Software has released Classic Menu 2.5.1, the latest version of its utility that adds a classic Apple menu to the Mac OS X menu bar. Classic Menu sells for US$10.

Shawn King, the host of weekly radio show Your Mac Life, will be in Tokyo, Japan this week for Macworld Expo. Beginning this evening, the Your Mac Life site will feature audio, video, and pictorial updates from throughout the show, which kicks off on March 22 (the evening of March 21, ET). Due to the event, Your Mac Life’s regular Wednesday broadcast has been cancelled this week.