Macworld editors pick the Best of Show
Once again, Macworld's editors have selected the hottest new products introduced at Macworld Expo. To be eligible, the product had to receive its public debut at Macworld Expo New York. We also had to see the product in action, although software evaluations were often based on beta versions.Check out the Best of Show list below and also check out the RealAudio version of the Best of Show ceremony.
iMac
Apple (408/996-1010, www.apple.com) announced its sleek new consumer Mac several months ago, but saved the official rollout for Macworld Expo. Few products at any Expo have generated as much excitement among Macintosh users.
RAMDoubler 8
The latest version of the $45 memory-management utility from Connectix (415/571-5100, www.connectix.com) features a new interface, faster performance, and greater flexibility in allocating memory resources. Plus it's optimized to run Microsoft Office 98.
Conflict Catcher 8
Upgraded to support Mac OS 8.1, the latest version of Casady & Greene's (408/484-9228, www.casadyg.com) popular system utility features an improved file display and lets you backtrack during conflict tests. It also makes system updates easier by letting you merge a newly installed "clean" System Folder with an existing System Folder.
QX-Tools 4
This package of handy QuarkXTensions from Extensis (503/274-2020, www.extensis.com) adds several enhancements for QuarkXPress users, including object styles and the ability to import Microsoft Word tables, Excel charts, and PDF files.
Font Reserve 2.0
The latest version of the Diamondsoft (415/381-3303, www.fontreserve.com) font management utility offers faster performance than its predecessor and supports AppleScript for workflow automation. The $100 package also lets you print type specimens sorted by type foundry and other criteria.
WebPainter 3
This upgrade from Totally Hip Software (604/685-6525, www.totallyhip.com) offers a full set of painting and Web animation features for just $99.
MacLink Plus 10
The $99 file conversion utility from DataViz (203/268-0030, www.dataviz.com) offers a new stand-alone application that lets you preview the contents of a file before you convert it. The software also decodes e-mail attachments-including .zip files-and features translators for Microsoft Word 98 and Excel 98.
Palm Pilot Software
Thanks to improved software from Palm Computing (650/237-6000, www.palmpilot.com), Mac loyalists are no longer second-class citizens when using the Palm Pilot organizer.
Road Rocket
This Cardbus-based graphics accelerator from ixMicro (408/369-8282, www.ixmicro.com) lets you drive a big-screen monitor from a small PowerBook.