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Xara takes Xtreme action

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Xara plans to shake up the Graphics world with three major announcements. 1) A new product Xara Xtreme - the fastest most versatile graphics software available 2) Plans to create Linux and Mac versions 3) Plans to Open Source it.

(PRWEB) October 14, 2005 -- Xara plans to shake up the Graphics world with three major announcements. 1) A new product Xara Xtreme - the fastest most versatile graphics software available 2) Plans to create Linux and Mac versions 3) Plans to Open Source it.

"Few companies can take the announcement, that Microsoft intend to get into their market, lying down", says CEO Charles Moir.

Xara, a relatively small player in the graphics market, sometimes described as having a cult following, has decided that there is only one way to compete against these giants, and is doing so in a way they cannot possibly follow.

Charles continues, "The recent acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe can only reduce user choice and will likely see the elimination of hugely popular (and high quality) applications such as Freehand. The graphics world is becoming increasingly dominated by giants, to the detriment of the users. The second recent announcement by Microsoft to try and get into the graphics market is likely to distort the market even more."

Xara Xtreme
Firstly, Xara is announcing the release of a new product, Xara Xtreme. It's built on Xara's history of developing successful, award winning and innovative graphics software for 15 years. This is a new cross-category graphics application that can handle photos, business graphics, drawing and illustration needs.

Charles said "It absolutely knocks the stuffing out of Adobe and the new Microsoft product. In terms of ease of use, shear flexibility and performance. Adobe has tried for 10 years to get close to our performance levels and cannot. Microsoft are not going to be able to either. I guarantee it".

Xara Xtreme is available for Windows now, at just $79 A free trial can be downloaded from xara.com now. http://www.xara.com/downloads/xtreme/

Linux and Mac version
Secondly, Xara plans to create Linux and Mac versions of the graphics application. Charles said, "Mac and Linux users have been asking, in fact begging, for many years that we create versions for their platforms. Our plans are to change the graphics software landscape forever, and that means we have to be cross-platform.

It's ironic that Mac still dominates the creative industries, and yet there are few really good, general purpose, low cost graphics applications now available. You can pay $500 ($900 in the UK) for the latest Adobe Illustrator, but when you can get a new Mac for that price, that's outrageous and unjustified.

With the likely elimination of Macromedia products, Mac users will have even less choice. So by making a Mac version and Open Sourcing it we hope to bring the world's fastest and most versatile graphics software to the Mac platform, at last"

Open Source
Thirdly, Xara intends to make the new Xara Xtreme Open Source. Charles said "We're going to a place that Microsoft and Adobe cannot go. The Open Source world is the acknowledged largest threat to established giants such as Microsoft. We felt it was necessary for us to shake up the graphics world a bit, and making one of the most powerful, easiest to use graphics applications Open Source should do the trick."

Open Source means the source code is made available so that anyone can use it, modify it, develop and extend it. But while the Open Source license allows users to do what they want by giving them complete freedom, it prevents commercial competitors taking advantage of the Xara technology.

"The Linux desktop has come on leaps and bounds in the last year or two. It's now becoming a real challenge to Windows and it's a growing market (40% growth in the last year according to reports). To stand any chance of establishing a following in the Linux world you have to make the product free and open source, so despite the risks involved, that's what we're doing", Charles said.

"Key Apple products such as their Safari Web Browser and the core of the operating system itself are Open Source, so we're moving in with good company", he continued.

Charles concluded "There is a common theme to these announcements. A new product, aggressive price, and new platforms. Perhaps most significant of all, by moving to an Open Source model, we hope to gain from the massive development potential, and from the momentum that platform brings. We also hope to advance the state of the art on the Linux and Mac platforms and be a credible alternative to the two huge companies that look increasingly to dominate graphics market."

A demonstration movie showing Xara Xtreme in operation is available from:
http://downloads.xara.com/products/xtreme/movies/intro.wmv

Photo http://www.xara.com/press/photos.asp
Charles Moir, founder and CEO of Xara, in front of the UK headquarters of Xara Ltd

This historic location is also used as a location for film and TV work, including Rory Bremner, Little Britain, Weightwatchers, Musical videos for Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Will Young and other films and commercials.

EDITORS:
For more information see http://www.xara.com/products/xtreme/

For further details and review copies please contact: Nova Fisher, Communications Director, e-mail protected from spam bots

About Xara:
Xara has been developing low-cost mass-market software since the early years of the Microcomputer era, in 1981. It has focussed mostly on publishing related software products, starting from Wordwise, a hugely popular Word Processor in the '80s, to desktop publishing software (Impression) and graphics products in the '90s for the Acorn RISC computer. Xara's first Windows product, Xara Studio was quickly snapped up and marketed by Corel in the late '90s. The rights were acquired back from Corel and it has since evolved into Xara X and the most recent Xara Xtreme.

Xara has particularly strong technology and innovation history. It pioneered many of the graphics technologies and techniques used by industry today. It was the first to introduce vector anti-aliasing, the first with vector transparency and graduated transparency, the first vector feathering. Many of its User Interface techniques have been adopted by the industry. The graphics engine that is at the core of the Xara Xtreme still remains the world's most powerful.

The technologies used to create Xara Xtreme have been developed by Xara over the years and incorporates many pioneering features. It has been modelled on the successful Xara X1 (sold for $179) as used by many professional graphics and illustration artists but has been significantly re-engineered to open it up to third-party plug-in developers.

Press release courtesy of PRWEB.

Manufacturer Seeks to Revolutionize Skateboard Industry

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Preferred Skateboard Manufacturing, LLC announced today the launch by its Creative Skateboards division of a new Website at www.creativeskateboards.com featuring a concept that could totally revolutionize the multi-billion dollar skateboarding industry.

(PRWEB) October 13, 2005 -- Preferred Skateboard Manufacturing, LLC announced today the launch by its Creative Skateboards division of a new website at www.creativeskateboards.com featuring a concept that could totally revolutionize the multi-billion dollar skateboarding industry.

For the first time in skateboarding industry history, skateboarders can graphically design their own skateboard decks directly online and then have their creations manufactured at prices previously unavailable for customized decks. The CompanyÅfs website was initially launched in April of this year to introduce the concept while the CompanyÅfs BoardCreatorTM program was being developed and refined. BoardCreatorTM allows skateboarders to choose their basic deck color and design from over eighty backgrounds. Customers may then select, from the BoardArtTM portion of the website, artwork for their deck. Moreover, the skateboarder may place his or her name, a team name or a slogan on the deck using a variety of type sizes and font styles. Finally, customers can change, move, resize and reorient all of the images and text to design precisely the type of deck they want and then can view an image of the completed product on their computer screen. Customers may order the deck they have created or may save their creation for later revision. Customers report that BoardCreatorTM is easy to use; no software download to the userÅfs computer is required. Individuals who already have an expertise in graphic design can upload their own designs for manufacture. Skateboarders are limited only by their imaginations.

Nick Wrightsman, one of the CompanyÅfs founders, believes that the concept behind Creative, the ability of a consumer to design his or her own product, is particularly attractive for skateboarders. ÅgSkateboarders have always been identified with individuality; these are people who traditionally havenÅft followed the crowdÅh he stated. ÅgWhy would you want to buy a deck thousands of others have when you can create your own and have exactly what you want?Åh

All Creative decks are individually manufactured in the U.S.A. using traditional materials including seven plies of Canadian Hard Rock Maple and specially formulated skateboard adhesives.

About Creative Skateboards:
Creative Skateboards is a division of Preferred Skateboard Manufacturing, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company. Preferred specializes in the manufacture and distribution of skateboard decks and related accessories

Contact:
Nicholas S. Wrightsman, Manager
Preferred Skateboard Manufacturing, LLC
800.352.6092
www.creativeskateboards.com

Press release courtesy of PRWEB.

New Podcast, Coolness Roundup, Takes Listeners on a Wild Ride Into Consumer Electronics and More

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Digital Media Net columnists Charlie White and Stephen Schleicher announced their new podcast, entitled Coolness Roundup. The weekly podcast is currently available on the iTunes Store and Podcast Alley, as well as via direct download. You've read Charlie White's articles, reviews and rants; you've learned from Stephen Schleicher's reviews and tutorials -- now you can hear what both have to say in this exclusive weekly podcast that takes you on a wild ride through the world of consumer electronics and professional content creation.

(PRWEB) October 5, 2005 -- Digital Media Net columnists Charlie White and Stephen Schleicher announced their new podcast, entitled "Coolness Roundup." The weekly podcast is currently available on the iTunes Store and Podcast Alley, as well as via direct download. You've read Charlie White's articles, reviews and rants; you've learned from Stephen Schleicher's reviews and tutorials -- now you can hear what both have to say in this exclusive weekly podcast that takes you on a wild ride through the world of consumer electronics and professional content creation.

Said co-host Stephen Schleicher, "With constant change going on in the industry -- both consumer and professional -- Coolness Roundup offers listeners an entertaining way of keeping up. Because Coolness Roundup is an archived show, listeners can go back and catch up on information any time they want. This will be very helpful during the upcoming holiday season, because listeners can find out what the hot new toy or product they'd like to see under the tree.

Charlie and Stephen are seasoned professional technology writers with an infectious delight in the world of gadgets, doodads and techno-tools, and in their new hit podcast they entice listeners from all walks of life to learn about the devices that are changing our world. "Coolness Roundup invites you on a fast-paced tour of the best ideas and innovations from around the world," said Coolness Roundup's Charlie White. He continued, "From Athlons to Xeons, from iPods to IMAX, Coolness Roundup will keep you up to date. Each week, we'll answer listener questions, and the best question of the week wins a valuable prize, too."

Why should listeners listen to Coolness? Because Schleicher and White take the tedium out of technology and add a healthy dose of fun to make the varied topics of the discussion continuously fresh. Without talking down to the audience, they explain technology in non-technical terms. They bring complex information to a level that a general audience can understand, presenting facts, tips and knowledge listeners can use to improve their quality of life.

But this is not always an easy-going love feast, either -- sometimes the show gets controversial and the discussion heats up. Things get even more interesting when Schleicher and White disagree, engaging in competitive verbal banter with listeners being the biggest winners. Schleicher, a high-tech product reviewer and journalist for the past decade, knows technology and adds thoughtful insights into how it's used and its effects on everyday life, while White, also similarly qualified, brings to the studio his own pointed opinions about technology that are oftentimes quite different from Schleicher's. But then, keeping things light and fun, the two hosts -- obvious friends even after intense disagreement -- suddenly pull out samples of the latest technology they've brought to the studio to play with and talk about, while explaining how they're used in an often light-hearted way.

The two hosts are also eager to help listeners, approaching their email questions about computers, video, and other technology with a compassionate and sympathetic ear, resulting in answers that will benefit everyone in the audience. Continuously scouring the world of technology, White and Schleicher assure listeners that when a new piece of technology becomes available, they'll be hearing about it first on Coolness Roundup. Its up-to-the-minute podcasting that gives readers a technological edge, assuring them that the technology divide will find them on the side of the well-informed and knowledgeable.

Listen to the podcast here: http://www.podcast.net/show/82111 -- or subscribe it at the Apple iTunes store by searching Coolness Roundup.

About the Hosts
Who are these guys, and why should they be the hosts of such a program? What do they bring to podcasting that is unique? A brief explanation is that they are veterans of the airwaves and technology, and specialize in turning technical information into entertainment. Here's a more detailed synopsis of the careers of these unique individuals.

Stephen Schleicher
Mr. Schleicher has worked as an editor, graphic designer, videographer, director, and producer on a variety of video productions ranging from small internal pieces to large multimedia corporate events. Currently, Stephen shares his knowledge with students at Fort Hays State University who are studying media and Web development in the Information Networking and Telecommunications department. When he is not shaping the minds of university students, Stephen continues to work on video and independent projects for state and local agencies and organizations as well as his own ongoing works.

Stephen is also a regular contributor to Digital Producer, Creative Mac, Digital Webcast, Digital Animators, and the DV Format Web sites, part of the Digital Media Online network of communities ( http://www.digitalmedianet.com ), where he writes about the latest technologies, and gives tips and tricks on everything from Adobe After Effects, to Apple's Final Cut Pro, LightWave 3D, to shooting and lighting video. Stephen has a Master's Degree in Communication from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.

Charlie White
Mr. White is an Emmy award-winning producer, director, author and consultant who has worked in television and radio broadcasting since 1974. White is also a widely-known computer journalist, columnist and contributing editor for a variety of national magazines and Web sites, and has been a busy technology journalist since 1994, writing over 250,000 words a year. In addition to print journalism, White is executive producer of Digital Media Net, a Newport Beach, California-based Web publisher that attracts over 1 million unique visitors each month.

Press release courtesy of PRWEB.

Newest Mother Goose Rocks! DVD & CD Parody Hits Are Rocking Preschools And Rolling With Grownups Too

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Imagine you are driving down the highway with your precious toddler strapped in the back seat. You pop in the latest DVD to entertain ÅgjuniorÅh and are amazed that the music sounds just like Sting and Gwen Stefani -- but it canÅft be. ItÅfs actually Stung and Gwen Stufunny belting out Mother Goose rhymes that sound like their latest hit singles. What a clever idea!

Los Gatos, CA (PRWEB) October 11, 2005 -- Imagine you are driving down the highway with your precious toddler strapped in the back seat. You pop in the latest DVD to entertain ÅgjuniorÅh and are amazed that the music sounds just like Sting and Gwen Stefani -- but it canÅft be. ItÅfs actually Stung and Gwen Stufunny belting out Mother Goose rhymes that sound like their latest hit singles. What a clever idea!

ThatÅfs the concept behind the Mother Goose Rocks! series -- now offering a Top 20 Countdown DVD and Volume Five music CD, produced from the talented minds of Boffomedia, Inc. The DVD, a first in a series of Mother Goose Rocks! DVDs and based on the award-winning series of Mother Goose Rocks! music CDs, comes complete with animated graphics, funny characters, clever storylines and a Top 20 Countdown format. The CD, fifth in an award-winning series of Mother Goose Rocks! music discs, features 13 rockinÅf arrangements of well known kidsÅf songs like Mulberry Bush, Down by the Bay, Skinnamarink, Ants Go Marching, and Home On the Range.

ÅgMy kids have never seen me laugh so hard,Åh gushes mother of twins, Liz Landis of San Francisco. ÅgHooray, an alternative to sing-songy folk music. ItÅfs a sanity saver for parents who spend a lot of time in the car.Åh

ÅgOur latest DVD is a series of animated music videos introducing children to a diverse and timely set of music genres like alternative rock, country, techno, pop and R&B,Åh explains Richard Snee, President of Boffomedia. ÅgEach of our Mother Goose Rocks! CDs is passionately produced combining todayÅfs contemporary music with the safety of familiar G-rated nursery rhyme lyrics. The results are very hip, very safe, very funny, and great for the whole family.Åh

The DVD, priced at $14.95, is targeted toward children ages 2 to 10 -- although grownups will want to stay and watch too! Both the DVD and the CD make their debut online and in stores October 11. Mother Goose Rocks! Volume Five, priced at $9.95, is targeted toward children ages 2 to 8. Like the Mother Goose Rocks! entire CD series, this wholesome and entertaining DVD and newest CD will be available through retail outlets such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Best Buy, Borders, Barnes & Noble and specialty stores nationwide. Both formats are released through Lightyear Entertainment and distributed by WEA (Warner).

If you like Blink 182, Smash Mouth and Jewel, then babysitters, parents and grandparents will chuckle when they see and hear Wink 123, Punch Nose and Diamond perform Mother Goose hits such as Pat-A-Cake and Old Mother Hubbard. So popular are these creative tunes that British audiences catapulted ÅgMad DonnaÅfsÅh Wheels on the Bus to the Top 20 pop charts in England! Click on www.mothergooserocks.com to hear and see it for yourself!

ÅgMy wife and I are elementary music teachers ... and we love this music. Kids know what is good. THIS is good. The variety of styles blows me away and IÅfm an adult. The kids are crazy for it,Åh says Ron Huggins of Wichita, KS.

Mother Goose Rocks! Top 20 DVD provides music video cartoons with your favorite nursery rhymes set to music performed by todayÅfs fictional pop superstars. The whole family will have fun guessing who might pop up in the music video including the alter egos of Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong look-a-likes to President George W. Bush and Bono look-alikes performing Head & Shoulders, Knees and Toes! ItÅfs all done tongue-in-cheek with the soundtrack, lyrics and graphics keeping everyone staying put on the couch until the last song. Mother Goose Rocks! is simply a great blend of parody and good music.

Boffomedia, dedicated to creating and distributing rich, fun and meaningful content for children that inspires interaction across generations, succeeds with this first edition of wholesome music videos and now five utterly amusing CDs.

BoffomediaÅfs website, www.mothergooserocks.com , features free MP3 downloads to sample before you buy. Where else could you discover Lana Moreisless singing Little Miss Muffet? So move over, Weird Al Yankovic -- the talented performers on this mock-rock compilation are good enough to make you believe that the biggest entertainers on the planet stopped by to sing nursery rhymes.

The Mother Goose Rocks! DVD is produced and directed by Richard Snee.

Sampling of music video DVD Song List for Mother Goose Rocks! Top 20 Countdown:
If You're Happy and You Know It, by Wink 123 (a.k.a. Blink 182)
This Little Light of Mine, by Stung (a.k.a. Sting)
Old Woman In a Shoe, by Share (a.k.a. Cher)
Frere Jacque, by Dave Mathshoes (a.k.a.Dave Matthews)
Humpty Dumpty, by Chewygummee (a.k.a.Chumbawumba)†††† †††† †††† ††††
Wheels On the Bus, by Mad Donna (a.k.a. Madonna)

Sampling of music CD Song List for Mother Goose Rocks! Volume Five

Mulberry Bush, By Gwen Stuffunny (a.k.a. Gwen Stefani)
The Ants Go Marching, By April Cansing (a.k.a. Avril Lavigne)
Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes, By Me2 (a.k.a. U2)
Five Little Monkeys, By P-Nut Emanem (a.k.a. Eminem)
Teddy Bear Picnic, By Green Eyed Fleas (a.k.a. Black Eyed Peas)

About Boffomedia, Inc.
Boffomedia, Inc. is a children's entertainment company with the mission to create the hippest, richest, most meaningful, G-rated entertainment content for children. Boffomedia's original content properties include Mother Goose Rocks!, The HeeBee GeeBees, Fairytale Factory, The Abdominal Snowman, Boffo.FM -- Internet Radio for Kids, Book Look Nook, and Movie Makeover.

Press release courtesy of PRWEB.

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