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| January 1992 | ||||||
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| EXPO HIGHLIGHTS AND FUN FACTS by Kristin Dyer You're sure you've seen and heard it all, and managed to abuse every piece of software in the house. But what if you miss something? Here's a guide to the Expo's highlights and must-sees. Utility software: MetroSoft's MetroTools can find your files and archive them, extend your dock, and launch applications, then save your screen with your favorite animation. And on the side, it can import Mac sounds and fonts. . . . Atherton Software Works has created a multilevel dock extender to unclutter your desktop. Engage allows you to keep separate docks for managing your money and writing your tell-all book, just in case you'd get them confused. . . . And Adobe has a New Year's present for you: It will begin bundling 21 free fonts with Illustrator and 14 with TouchType, just in time for Expo. Organizers: You probably don't want to lose contact with all those people you let sleep on your hotel-room floor. OnDuty not only will keep their addresses on file, but a contacts screen will help you remember where you met them. The utility, from Digital Instruments, also has an appointment calender and reminder option. . . . If your problem is arranging conference rooms for 300 people, check out the beta version of Pencil Me In by Sarrus. The group-scheduling app works with e-mail to make sure everyone gets notified. . . . SpeedDex by Technology Management uses a Rolodex-style card stack that holds text and image files. . . . ElectroFile, an electronic filing system from Insight Software, provides a classification window next to a recalled document for making notes. The program was designed for use in litigation. Thumbs up: Come catch a traveling road show of NeXTWORLD's irreverent pair of reviewers, Barlow and Lavin, at 9 a.m. Thursday. And at 5 p.m. Wednesday come hear from a panel of experts about the Ten Most Wanted NeXT products. Steve Jobs: When you're tired of being on your feet and ready for some real entertainment, come hear NeXT's CEO give his vision of future technology, and announce NeXT's plans to port NeXTstep onto Intel machines. Plus, get a load of the surprising partners that will be sharing the stage. That's at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Party circuit: Hob-nob with the rich and famous (or at least the famous) at one of the many parties and hospitality suites hosted by NeXT vendors. NeXTWORLD's own Lt. Sullivan is considering hosting a bash for his sources, if he can figure out a cover. And, if you come from out of town, be sure to break away and enjoy the pleasures of San Francisco. Restaurants, cable cars, and tourist traps are waiting beyond the Expo doors. Storage and more: All this cool stuff, but where are you going to put it all? Tecor's Skyscraper should help solve the problem. A SCSI peripheral, the Skyscraper can stack from 7 to 35 removable 2GB drives. . . . . If your space needs are a bit more modest, PLI offers four new optical drives in 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch formats, as well as a 2GB DAT drive. . . . While you're at it, imagine your computer gently shutting down when the power surges or goes out and gracefully starting back up when the power becomes available. If this sounds like pure fantasy, check out Quest's PowerLink and dream on. . . . German i-link claims to have fulfilled the mission of the DSP card with MIX, a multiformat modem program. MIX can handle your voice, fax, and computer transmissions with one integrated software/hardware package. Sneak previews: As usual, much of the real excitement will be taking place behind closed doors, in private suites and conference rooms. Lucky dogs with invitations will see Modernsoft's new knowledge-based financial modeling program. And Proponent will be showing, under non-disclosure, its SQL database tool, under wraps since early 1989. UniForum: If you remain spellbound and Expo can't feed your appetite for new and exciting, hop on one of the sleek black shuttles and take a trip to UniForum at Moscone Center. Your NeXTWORLD Expo exhibitor badge gets you in free! We can't guarantee what you'll find, but it's sure to be out of this world. Killer T-shirts: One of the big problems with the NeXT has been the lack of ways to output the beautiful images created on the machine. First the Canon Laser Copier (CLC) arrived to help solve the problem. Now, Graffoto, a developer in Vancouver, British Columbia, has taken that one step further. By running the company's Paro paper through a CLC, ambitious users can print high-quality four-color images on T-shirts. The images have higher resolution than traditional silk-screening. "We think Paro is to silk-screening what desktop publishing was to hot lead," said Paul Wahlgren, vice president of Graffoto. Paro costs about $2 a shirt. Check it out. | ||||||