native
Latest
Adium adds videochat via MeBeam
Videochatting has finally come to Adium-- kind of. They report on their blog that a company called MeBeam has been working on a cross-platform Flash solution, and they've hooked up Adium to use that service. On their site, MeBeam seems a little aloof about what Adium is (they haven't actually ever used it), but they seem excited to have Adium users flying through their servers.To get it up and running, you'll need to download the plugin from Adium's Xtras site, and then of course have a camera (and they recommend a headset) ready to roll. Unfortunately, it seems all the plugin does is break open a link to MeBeam in your web browser, and connect the two users up, so it's definitely not a native solution. However, Adium's Eric Richie confirms in the comments that this is not meant to be an end solution-- it's simply a side project "in the meantime." Adium is still working on native video implementation, and so we can still expect to see native video chat sometime in the future.
OpenOffice coming to the Mac natively
Our Weblogs, Inc. buddies at Download Squad bring us this news: OpenOffice is going to be able to run natively on the Mac in 2008.The OpenOffice suite is getting pretty impressive-- while Writer, Impress, and Calc might not be necessary when you have Pages, Keynote, and Numbers around, OpenOffice's Math, Draw, and Base will probably be welcome additions to a few Macs out there. And don't underestimate compatibility-- back when I had to use a PC at work, OpenOffice was a constant tool, and using the same program at work and home has its advantages for people who are forced to co-OS.If you can't wait another year, there is still an alpha version available of the native port, and you might be waiting even longer than 2008 anyway-- we were promised a native port a year ago that apparently never showed up in full form. And don't forget about NeoOffice, either-- it's a very nice branch of the OpenOffice code that already natively runs on the Mac. Why wait for OpenOffice to get in gear when those folks have been punching out a native app for a long time now?
Blizzard's forum policy against foreign languages
This post on the official forums, like many others in languages that aren't English, got closed down. Why? Because it's a policy of Blizzard that they do not "offer foreign language support" on the forums (although, in looking through the Forums Guidelines, I can't see anything that officially says that). At any rate, the rule is no language but English on the official forums, and Timbal is sticking by that policy.And it's not just Spanish-- I've seen this come up on the EU forums as well, when someone posts in French or German. Why is Blizzard so opposed to players posting in their native language? Of course, as Timbal says, not everyone can know every language, but Timbal knew enough Spanish to realize the original thread (called "server latino") was asking for new realms. And this is 2007-- is it too much to ask for one Blizzard forums employee that speaks Spanish, or in the EU, French or German? They may not know enough to actually answer the questions in that language, but they should know enough to police players who are speaking in that language, maybe in a special foreign language section of the forum.Now, also according to forums policy (but also not listed in the "guidelines"), you're also not supposed to request new realms, so even if the thread was in English, it would have been closed anyway. And if someone speaking a foreign language is somehow being obscene, that doesn't belong on the forums either. But it's unfair for people who have legitimate questions or requests and want to posit them in their native language to be shut down by Blizzard automatically. Nine million people play this game, and it's very likely a large number of them don't speak English as their native language-- for Blizzard to completely ignore them on the forums is a poor decision.Update: Our terrific commenters point out that there are French, Spanish, and German forums for the EU servers. But the fact remains that Blizzard closes, without second thought, any thread started in a foreign language on the US servers.
Toshiba updates Regza LCD lineup for native 1080p
Toshiba added 1080p output to their HD DVD line yesterday and since you'll need a TV to watch that on, they also updated their US line with new 1080p Regza LCDs. Unlike the Japanese editions of these HDTVs, they include just one Ethernet jack for Toshiba's THINC network capability to stream photos and MP3s (but no video like the Pioneer Elite plasmas) from a connected PC. The 47-inch 47LZ196 and 42-inch 42LZ196 are part of the Cinema Series Pro line, include 12-bit digital video processing for enhanced colors, 8ms response time but most importantly for HD-XA2 buyers (or Blu-ray users, we won't ask where your 1920x1080 source comes from) feature Native Mode, to display pixel-for-pixel 1080p with no scaling or overscanning. They are both CableCard ready, with dual HDMI inputs and "high-gloss black cabinetry". According to the original press release, the 47- and 42-inch models are due this month with MSRPs of $4,599 and $3,399 respectively, however Big Picture Big Sound says they have been updated to expect them in October, with MSRPs of $3,999 and $2,999 respectively. Combining the sooner date and lower prices sounds like a fair compromise to us.[Via Big Picture Big Sound]
