Extension Overload 4.6

The ‘Extension Overload Development Team’ has just released Extension Overload 4.6. New features in this version include coverage of the Mac OS 9 control panels and extensions (for a total of 2267 extensions and control panels covered), more detailed descriptions, and better support for non-English versions of Mac OS. You can find the newest version at this site. For more information read our previous review of Extension Overload 4.5.1 here.

PhotoGenetics

Back in June, ATPM looked at this image-editing program and found a few bugs but a huge amount of potential. If you missed the original review, here’s the low-down: PhotoGenetics reduces the voodoo magic of color correction and image enhancement to a series of comparisons. Nevermind Photoshop—this program can give you near-professional results with a little patience and almost no learning curve.

Version 1.1 fixes a few minor problems with the way windows automatically resize themselves when zooming in or out. Overall, the program feels a bit peppier than the previous version. But the best new feature is the addition of three add-on modules (referred to as “Evolutions”), which give you more power to make an image look its best.

The Dewarp Evolution corrects spatial distortions that sometimes appear in wide-angle images taken with a digital camera. You no longer have to download a special file for your particular camera to get this functionality. The Isocolor and Artistic Evolutions, meanwhile, let you distort the colors in an image either individually or all at once.

All three Evolutions cost $29.95, or you can buy them individually. For more information visit http://www.photogenetics.com.

Kaleidoscope

Last month’s Shareware Roundup paid a visit to the interface-overhauling control panel Kaleidoscope. The current version is 2.2.1, which fixes several minor glitches. Drawing popup windows under Mac OS 8.0 or 8.1 should now be crash-free. Kaleidoscope is available at
http://www.kaleidoscope.net.

Chess Works

Tons of new features have been added to this network-gameplay chess program mentioned in September’s Shareware Roundup. In addition to more interface options (different game boards, different piece sets), the ChessWorks server has been heavily tweaked. New features include the option to post messages for other users to read, a checkbox that indicates whether you’re looking for an opponent, and more. The latest version of ChessWorks is 2.0.6, and is available at
http://www.nearside.com/EkimSW/ChessWorks.

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There are far too many Mac products these days for us to review each one, or even keep up with all the ones we have reviewed. Indeed, many shareware authors are revving their products more than once a month! The Update section, new in this issue, is where we acknowledge significant new versions of products that we have previously reviewed. If new features, bug fixes, or other revisions are substantial enough to change our assessment of a piece of software, we will generally publish a full review of the new version.

Send update information to update@atpm.com. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. If you’re interested, write to us at reviews@atpm.com