Brand: MacNews

Sorenson Media today announced Sorenson Squeeze, the first variable bit rate (VBR) compression application for QuickTime 5 on Mac OS X. Squeeze offers many of the Sorenson Video 3 features previously available only to customers who used Media 100’s Cleaner video compression utility. The software features two-pass VBR and fast-pass VBR, audio VBR for MP3 encoding, batch processing, and more.

Aspyr Media today announced that it has begun shipping Tomb Raider: The Trilogy for Mac. Tomb Raider I, II, and III are included in the Trilogy, as well as Gold versions of each game. The Gold version of Tomb Raider III — The Lost Artifact — has never before been released on the Mac. Tomb Raider: The Trilogy is available for US$29.95.

c|net has produced a new video that pits an OS X user against a Windows XP user in a debate over which operating system is superior. While barely scratching the surface — focusing on broad and general concepts like ease of use and stability — it’s interesting to watch the video and observe the continued tensions that persist between loyal Mac and PC users.

Total Training has announced Total Training for Adobe GoLive 5, a comprehensive training program for Adobe’s Web page creation tool. Total Training consists of 16 hours of video lessons and an accompanying CD-ROM that contains all the files used by the instructor in each lesson. The series is available for US$249.

FrontBase, creators of the first scalable relational database for Mac OS X, today announced the FrontBase Developer Connection rewards program. For every dollar a customer spends on a FrontBase product, they receive one point. Fifteen points can be redeemed for US$1 at the Apple Store. Additionally, developers who join the program by September 30, 2001 can purchase Apple’s WebObjects 5 for $99 — $600 off list price.