Brand: MacNews

Richard Kerris, head of Alias|wavefront’s Maya for Mac project, has left the company as well as eight other unnamed individuals, reports Macworld UK. It’s unclear what impact Kerris’ departure will have on the software, which many perceived as a large feature in Apple’s cap. Maya is one of the world’s most powerful 3D environments, and the announced of a Mac OS X version made headlines last year. Maya is currently scheduled for release in mid-summer.

Olympus has introduced the D-370 digital camera, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera that features USB auto-connectivity (no drivers needed), 2 MB of built-in internal memory with support for SmartMedia cards, 6-mode flash, and a QuickTime movie mode. The camera carries a US$249 price tag, although Olympus expects the camera will sell for $50 less than that.

As part of its effort to be profitable, Excite@home today announced that it will be closing its media operations in France, Germany, and Spain due to the poor condition of Internet advertising. The company will instead focus its efforts Excite UK and Excite Italia.

Onkyo’s MSE-U33HB is an external USB Digital Audio Processor that functions somewhat like an external sound card, adding additional audio features and improving sound quality. Input devices connect to the MSE-U33HB, which itself is connected to your Mac and an external speaker system. The product carries a US$199.95 price tag and comes bundled with Peak LE and FUSE. It’s unclear whether the product is shipping now or not.

Macworld UK reports that Callserve has announced a handset-based voice-over-Internet solution called “Webphone” at Internet World UK yesterday. The phone connects to a USB computer, and while presently available for PCs only, a Macintosh version is coming within the next two months, according to the report.