Type of Article: MacMinute Web Site

AOL Time Warner and Sun Microsystems have announced a collaboration to begin testing ways to enable the two companies’ instant messaging initiatives to communicate with each other, according to c|net. Tests will be conducted in order for Sun-owned enterprise software company iPlanet’s instant messaging service to work with AOL Instant Messenger.

Carvware has released GamePad Companion 1.0, a utility that lets Mac OS X 10.1 use game controllers with Mac OS X games and applications that don’t support them (including Classic applications). The $15 utility works with any HID compatible device, including gamepads and joysticks.

While Apple announced yesterday that its iPod will begin shipping on November 10, the Apple Store is showing a 3-4 week estimated delivery (November 14-21), the same as what dealers contacted by MacMinute have been told. Apple CEO Steve Jobs yesterday said the company expects keeping up with demand for the product during the holiday season could be difficult.

In an effort to bolster its finances, EarthLink intends to shift its broadband strategy from a DSL-centric approach to one that focuses more on high-speed cable access, which offers higher profit margins. The company plans on using AOL Time Warner’s cable network, now that the service is available to competing ISPs. The vast majority of EarthLink’s current 406,000 broadband customers use connect via DSL.

Marcel Bresink has released TinkerTool 2.0, a new version of his popular utility for easily “customizing” many aspects of Mac OS X. The new version adds the ability to control the size and placement of the background image, control the position of scrollbar arrows, disable automatic play of audio CDs and VCDs, and more. TinkerTool is freeware.