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Trillian IM client being ported to OS X - private alpha testing begins
Filed under: Software, Switchers, Internet, Internet ToolsWhile it's pretty hard to imagine why they'd bother, Cerulean Studios is porting Trillian, their wildly successful Windows multi-IM client, to OS X. How will Trillian (a commercial product) compete against Adium (a free product), particularly considering that Adium is a number of years ahead of Trillian on the Mac, and is by all accounts a very strong multi-IM implementation? As someone who used Trillian for a number of years in Windows, I can say that Adium has completely met my instant-messaging needs on my Mac. I'm what you might call a heavy IM user, with 6 accounts that I use regularly.Now, to be fair, Cerulean Studios states that this is in fact not a port at all, but a ground-up reimplementation of Trillian. The teaser screenshot on their announcement page is certainly intriguing. From the announcement:Though this first alpha build of the OS X version of Trillian is still very preliminary and minimal - the functionalit...

Delicious Monster previews Library 2 web export
Want to show the world the contents of your bookshelves? David C. at Infinite Loop previewed the much-anticipated Delicious Library 2's HTML export feature, which you can see in demo form over at Delicious Monster's site. With lovely sliding panels and gorgeous book covers, the web export looks like it will live up to the graphical standard set by the original Delicious Library.I'm very much looking forward to DL2, which as previously noted will be Leopard-only. Delicious Library is still the app I launch when I want someone new to the Mac to enjoy the feeling of having their jaw hit the floor.Worthy of note: the current preview site, which works fine in Safari 3 and also apparently on the iPhone, doesn't behave as expected in Firefox 2 (no detail panels).Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Student Mac ownership at Cornell more than tripled over 5 years
Filed under: EducationIt may have slipped past last month, but Daring Fireball reminded us of September's TidBITS article about the student computing profile at Cornell University. Since 1999, Cornell has required students to report their OS when signing up for Ethernet connectivity in campus housing; prior to '99 the reporting was voluntary. Back in the early 1990s, Mac-using students made up more than a third of the self-announced connected population, but by 2000, after the start of mandatory registration, that number had dropped to only five percent of the base.Times, as they say, have changed. 2007 stats show that 21 percent of the attached student computers are running Mac OS X, a dramatic increase over the past few years. This isn't necessarily a surprise, but it's still nice to see. It also aligns with reports noted by MacRumors yesterday which show dramatic share gains for the platform at other schools, including Princeton (60 percent of on-campus sales this year are...

Apple working on pressure sensitive touchscreens
Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends, AppleApple Insider's got the latest on yet another Apple patent application, this one for not just touch sensitive screens, but for pressure sensitive touchscreens. Right now, the iPhone can tell where you're touching it, but not how hard you're pressing on it. The device described in the patent could do just that, and use the force information "for purposes of providing command and control signals to an associated electronic device."Pretty interesting. I can't think of a great use for it besides the one Wacom and other high-end input tablets already use (the harder you press, the darker mark you can make with a virtual pencil), but then again, I'm not an award-winning user interface designer (just a pretty average user interface user). Who knows what Apple could come up with using an interface like this-- maybe flip through CoverFlow albums front-to-back as well as horizontally?Of course, like all patents, as AI notes, Apple has no obligation...

TUAW Best of the Week
Filed under: Features, TUAW Business, Weekend ReviewHow was the week that was? Good, bad or indifferent, we don't want you to miss a moment -- so let's run down some favorite stories from the last 168 hours.TUAW Interviews: Andrew Welch & the Pixelmator TeamMat goes all Mike Wallace on the iToner developer and the brothers Dailide.Liveblogging the big iPhone 1.1.1 hackIf it wasn't clear enough by now: Erica dreams in C.Getting ready for the next big catTips from Nik on basic Leopard-proofing. Step 1: procure extra-large sack of Fresh Step.iPod Therapy: Bringing your backup failures into the openI'm no Dr. Phil, but I think we'll all agree that you can't retrieve what you don't back up.notMac Challenge winner declaredBen Spink turns on the sync, makes $9K. I thought that's what the faucet handle was for.EyeTV 2.5 offers free slingbox-style video streamingMind you, there's no security on this sharing -- everyone will know you watch America's Got Talent.Rumorland: Bungie...