Author: Bill Martens

A.P.P.L.E. Chairman of the Board and Club president -- Bill worked for the founder, Val J. Golding and A.P.P.L.E. from 1981 to 1982. In 1999, he began archiving the materials which were distributed and sold by A.P.P.L.E.. That project led to the group that remained of A.P.P.L.E. Bill was involved in the financial industry in Tokyo and has over 20 major office infrastructure projects to his name. In March 2001, he retired to write books and to spend more time pursuing personal interests. As the president of the users group, Bill is in charge of distribution of Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine as well as the organization of this web site. Bill currently resides in Tokyo, Japan and Shelton, Wa splitting time between the places.

iPhone ActiveGS Version 1.22 now available in App Store

The iPhone / iPad version of the ActiveGS Application version 1.22 is now available in the Apple App Store.    Changes in Version 1.22 include: + 60FPS support for iPad & iPhone4 + CRT Emulation + B&W & Green Monitor The application is freely downloadable from the App Store.  Users can also add their own disk images to the emulator. To get the application go to the App Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/activegs-best-of-fta/id405115025?mt=8  

ActiveGS Plugin Updated to 3.4.459

The FreeToolsAssociation has updated the ActiveGS plugin to 3.4.459.  The ActiveGS Plugin, used in a number of websites around the globe, is the centerpiece  of the Virtual Apple ][ website.  (http://www.virtualapple.org) This version of the plugin has the following changes / updates: + version upgraded to v3.4.x! + New SystemParam propery to set parameters that are only read when the emulator is launched/rebooted + Improved .ActiveGSXML error checking For more information about the plugin, check out the ActiveGS Website at:…

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 SP1 to be Released next Week

According to the OfficeforMac blog (http://blog.officeformac.com/), SP1 for Office 2011 is to be released within the next week.   According to the blog, the biggest change in SP1 will be the ability for Outlook to sync between Outlook 2011 and Apple Sync Services. For more about the update, check out the Microsoft Office for Mac Blog at: http://blog.officeformac.com/

April 1st not Apple’s Incorporation Date? … So Says Woz

An interesting commentary this morning presents a real argument about April 1st being the 35th Anniversary of Apple, Inc.’s incorporation.   While it is known that the company incorporation was filed in April 1976 and that this month IS in fact  the 35th anniversary of the company, According to Steve “WOZ” Wozniak, April Fools Day (April 1st) is not the date of incorporation. Unfortuntely, this date has been presented by many sources and even several within the Apple community as the…

KFest Registration Now Open

KANSAS CITY, MO — March 30, 2011 — KansasFest, the 22nd annual convention dedicated to the Apple II computer, is now open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 19, 2011, through Sunday, July 24, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie. The week kicks off with keynote speaker Bob Bishop, co-founder of Apple’s R&D lab alongside Steve Wozniak and creator of many…

iOS 4.3.1 update released

Apple, Inc. has released an update for iOS.  (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1358) Version 4.3.1 is intended to fix a number of anomalies in iOS 4.3 including: Fixes an occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch (4th generation) Resolves bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks Fixes image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs Resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services The update was not totally unexpected since many users were reporting issues with the iOS…

Apple Releases update for Snow Leopard

Plagued by inquiries from users with issues with their new MacBook Pros, Apple, Inc. has released an update for Mac OS X intended to deal with those issues directly.  Mac OS X 10.6.7 update has come more than a month after the release of the product and is “Intended to resolve stabilitity issues” with the os. The issues with the new line of MacBook Pros are graphics related according to an article in Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/21/new-macbook-pros-freezing-under-heavy-load/) in which the machine feezes…

Don Lancaster releases Apple II Books for Free

Don Lancaster, Curator of the Guru’s Lair website and  author of several Apple ][ releated books including A.P.P.L.E.’s Call-A.P.P.L.E. In Depth Book 4, All About Applewriter, has made a number of his Apple ][ books available in PDF for free download.  The current books he has released are the Apple Assembly Cookbook, Book 1 and Book 2, as well as a number of others. You can find all of Don’s currently released books at: http://www.tinaja.com/ebksamp1.asp

Create Your Killer GS/OS Environment! — WITA2GS

Alex Lee, curator of the What Is the Apple II gs website (http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/) has put together an ultimate collection of system tools, extensions, CDA’s and other plugins for your Apple IIgs.  The collection is available on a single 32mb disk image and is downloadable from the WITA2GS (http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/) website.  The collection has items for every Apple IIgs OS from System 3 to System 6.x. You can download the package at: http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/files/System_Addons.zip You can read the entire article at: http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/system-extensions-or-create-your-killer-gs-os-environment/  

Apple sues Amazon over “App Store” trademark

According to an article carried on Bloomberg’s website, Apple, Inc. is suing Amazon over the use of the “App Store” trademark.  The story at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-21/apple-sues-amazon-com-over-use-of-app-store-trademark.html mentions the fact that Amazon mentioned carrying Angry Birds, one of the most popular packages in the Apple App Store and that Amazon “improperly used the Apple App Store Trademark”. Apple apparently is seeking an injunction against Amazon as well as damages for the usage.

Japan iPad2 Postponed and other mumblings

Many of you readers may have noticed that I have been rather absent in my postings to the website for the past two weeks.  Now, I am back, well shaken, radiated and ready to get this glow in the dark bod back into form here. News events here in Japan have been nothing less than heart breaking and absolutely horrifying.   The thought of so much loss of life and damage is beyond the comprehension of the average person, but I…

Brain Board to begin Shipping on 21 March 2011

Mike Willegal has announced that final beta testing on the Brain Boards has begun and that the kits will be $59.00.  Pre-built units will be available at some point for an additional fee.  Mike has also put  out a beta of the users guide for users to familiarize themselves with the board and created a website for the board at: http://www.willegal.net/appleii/brainboard.htm Orders for the Brain Board will begin to be taken on 19 March 2011 with the first units expected…

Mozilla Releases Firefox 4 Release Cadidate

The Mozilla Organization has released the first Release Candidate fo their new Firefox 4 Internet Browser.  The new browser has come about after a number of delays in the program which initially had the release of the completed browser in February.  However, the program itself is feature rich, with a cleaner and easier to use interface. The new Release candidate should lead the way to a release within a short time frame, however, Mozilla has offered no details on the…

Apple Releases XCode 4

Apple has released the latest version of their developers tool, XCode 4 on their developers website (http://www.developer.apple.com).  Apple is no longer requiring that developers using the program have a developers membership to use XCode.  It is even available from download from the Mac App Store for $4.99. The new version has a number of new features in it including: Single Window Apple LLVM Compiler 2.0 New Debugger Interface Builder is Built-in Fix-it and Live Issues Instruments for Xcode 4 Assistant…

Write Applesoft Basic in Virtual Basic

A new way of writing Applesoft Basic programs has been created by Andres Lozano, known in the Apple ][ world as Loz.  Virtual Basic is a complete BASIC with all of the same operators and commands as Applesoft, except that it is written in a style much like other high level languages of the modern era. The entire system for Virtual Basic is a series of python scripts.   If you are writing Virtual Basic programs, they can written using…

Leadlight Adventure Version 1.2 Released

Wade Clarke has released an update for his Leadlight Adventure. The game itself is quite the adventure.  Your are playing a girl Belinda who’s world is slowly falling apart.  According to the Leadlight website, “15-year-old Belinda Nettle is studying at Linville Girls High School in Australia’s Blue Mountains. After falling asleep in the library one afternoon, she wakes from her mundane existence into a nightmare. Her classmates are transformed, nameless terrors seek her out across the schoolgrounds, and traps and…

Apple Releases Update for iTunes, Java

For the second time this week, Apple has released a new version of their iTunes software.  10.2.1 was made available for download but the documentation of the changes in the program has not been mad available on the Apple website. This is the second update this week, and with the impending release of iOS 4.3 on March 11th looming ever larger in the windshield, Apple is obviously trying to cover all the bases with a slew of updates before hand….

Roxio Toast 11.0 Released

Rovi Corporation announced the release of their latest version of the Roxio Toast DVD burning software.   Version 11.0 which is now available on the Roxio website, with the pro version 11.0 including such new features as: Adobe® PhotoShop® Elements 9 – the latest, full-featured version of the #1 selling consumer photo-editing software for the Mac. The application delivers powerful options that make it easy to create extraordinary photos, quickly share your memories in online albums and unique print creations, and…

Best Buy Squashes iPad for Employees Rumor

Nest buy squashed the The initial rumor meant that Best Buy would have been purchasing nearly 200,000 units just for their employees.  This glut of machines would have likely meant very few machines for actual retail customers. According to the article in the Wall Street Journal (http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/03/07/best-buy-considers-tablets-for-salespeople/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=), they are looking into other alternatives and other tablets but it is highly unlikely now that they will ever give iPads to all their employees.

Second Episode of Open Apple Podcast Available

Mike Maginnis, curator of the Apple II Scans website,  announced the availability of the second edition of Open Apple, the podcast with he and Ken Gagne.  Join them as they delve into their blast from the past and their favorite software from yesteryear. According to the releases on CSA2, “This time, Mike and Ken are joined by Ivan Drucker: two-time  KansasFest alumnus, Juiced.GS staff writer, and Mac consultant based out of New York City. News this month includes a look…