Mac Corner

IBM Via Voice: IBM has released the latest version of its voice recognition software for Mac, Via Voice for Mac, Enhanced Edition. New features include "Direct Dictation," to allow suers to dictate and edit speech directly into supported applications; voice commands for Web browser navigation and chat interaction; and USB support. The program currently is available in U.S. English, and IBM is offering a rebate to its Mac users who upgrade from prior versions.

Information: Reader Response no. 241.

E-Business Suite: Apple Computer Corp. and Oracle announced that its Macintosh computers have been certified for use as a client with the Oracle E-Business Suite. The suite is a comprehensive set of business applications accessible through Web browsers. It includes software that Oracle hosts as an application service provider, along with customizable Web- and Java-based business management systems that organizations can set-up on their own.

The Oracle E-Business Suite works with clients running Mac OS 9.0.4 with Macintosh Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.2.3. The companies said the suite will be available in 2001 for the Mac OS X. Oracle also says that it will add the Mac to its support services.

Information: Reader Response no. 242.

iListen 1.0: MacSpeech Inc. has released its speech recognition product, iListen 1.0. It was developed in partnership with Phillips Speech Processing, using its FreeSpeech 2000 speech engine. Users can dictate into most Macintosh application, using TalkAnywhere dictation technology, which converts spoken words into typewritten text.

Information: Reader Response no. 243.

Calibrator: LaCie Ltd. has released its USB Blue Eye Hardware Monitor Calibrator for the Macintosh.

Users can adjust electron guns inside the monitor to control red, green, and blue individually. Once the settings are adjusted, the calibrator generates a "ColorSync" profile that can be used in applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, QuarkXpress or Macromedia Freehand.

It also can produce software calibration by creating a "ColorSync" profile on any monitor, the company says.

The USB blue eye was developed as an option for its high performance electron 19blue II, and electron22blue II professional monitors.

Information: Reader Response no. 244.