Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Blast From the Past, iPhone
Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping
In a surprise move after years of breathless anticipation by users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, Now Software released Now X Client for Mac on Thursday, August 27, 2009. In case you're wondering, yes, this was the calendar and contact app formerly known as Nighthawk.Why the snarky tone? Well,
Even this announcement is somewhat tainted. There's no Windows version of Now X for people in multi-platform offices, the much-touted server module isn't done, and the FAQ page states that "Now X runs on both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard." Uh, guys, while you were developing this application, Apple came out with something called Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Now Software also states that Now X syncs to iPhone, but there's no iPhone client -- it simply syncs Up-To-Date info to Calendar and Contact to Contacts. Most other apps of this type, including Marketcircle Daylite, have an accompanying iPhone app. The company says that the app "is being designed." From past experience, Now X users looking for an iPhone version may have a very long wait ahead of them.
A TUAW First Look of the Now X Client for Mac will be posted soon.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
don montalvo said 6:06PM on 8-29-2009
NUTD is history for my clients. Two plus years of waiting? Bye.
Don
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Ryan Trevisol said 5:21PM on 8-28-2009
NUTD is something my Principal uses. She thinks it's amazing . . . I'm trying to nudge her toward Google Calendar with push for her iPhone.
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Graham Jolicoeur said 5:47PM on 8-28-2009
I just realized my other comment did not qualify for the free Snow Leopard.
I started with Mac OS 8 probably and I am not sure my first version of OS X I used was my family had computers I used in the house that were defiantly 10.1 or earlier and at school. But the first one that I personally owned was 10.3 Panther.
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macxprt said 7:38PM on 8-28-2009
You are posting to the wrong story.
Graham Jolicoeur said 8:35PM on 8-28-2009
Agh… Thanks
Bug said 5:54PM on 8-28-2009
Yea - It's too little too late for Now.
Although many people left the Now software suite, I have to say their support was always top notch. Whenever I had an issue, they fixed it quickly and professionally. I'm sad to see them loose market share because of bad implementation issues... not bad software or for not taking care of their customers.
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Jonathan said 6:09PM on 8-28-2009
in other news, Steve Jobs is expected to host the Apple Special Event next week, and reports are suggesting that the Powerbook G5 should be launched at that event.
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Justin D said 6:12PM on 8-28-2009
Some serious NUTD busting going on here.
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Don Perreault said 6:57PM on 8-28-2009
Downloaded beta and after launch it took about 10 minutes before anything showed up in calendar. However, Now X has no menubar so I can only force quit and I am afraid to because it may still be importing. Should be faster than this on my Mac Pro. Doesn't look like anything special so far. BusyCal has been great during trial, will stick with BusyCal.
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seth said 7:14PM on 8-28-2009
Hey! I grew up next to Hell...in Pinckney.
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cartoonasaurus said 7:26PM on 8-28-2009
Used Now Contact and Now Up To Date for YEARS & YEARS.
The old apps still sorta work, mostly, but they crash a heckuva lot, too. I've moved on to Mobile Me and iCal and Addressbook, but they are not even close to Now...
But 4 years.... Dang, that's some incompetence there, hm?
I've never tried BusyCal, but what about Chronos SOHO Calendar?
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jonathanla said 7:57PM on 8-28-2009
I used to love NUTD/Contact and as an IT Pro I supported it for many, many years. I finally had to give up on it after a disastrous release about 10 years ago and later on Now Software just didn't bother to update it as much as necessary for the client-server base. It's a shame because I've never come across another contact manager that combines so many features in just two programs. The notes feature within the contact database alone is worth the price.
Ah well..too little..too late. RIP.
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Michael Kaplan said 10:27PM on 8-28-2009
I'm one of those Now users who was forced to semi-abandon the program because of sync issues with Apple and other problems.
At this point, either Now needs to enter the 21st century or Address Book needs to understand people need to print out address labels and envelopes from time to time.
For the past year, I've been trying to maintain two separate and incompatible databases, and it's been a major pain. Hopefully, someone, somewhere, has a good workable solution.
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Chris said 10:29PM on 8-28-2009
wow... I was following the nighthawk situation very closely YEARS ago around the time that Chronos imploded and left the company I was working for high and dry. Years ago! Back then I thought it was like a couple months away! I've completely forgotten about it and moved on with my life and here it is? People were so irate back then in the forums for this stuff.
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Dave Barnes said 11:02PM on 8-28-2009
I have been a Now UTDC user since 1995.
I have been using NowX since early this Spring.
NowX is looking good to me.
Yes, it has flaws, but it still provides way more functionality than Address Book.
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Geoff Miller said 3:56AM on 8-29-2009
Since when has the Macintosh Community devolved into a snarky elitist clique? Is this the run-off effluvia from the Microsoft switchers or merely /. wannabees?
The software is solid. It's been through a complete database framework rebuild, extensive testing and will prove to be best in class for a GTD suite of products that is evolving. What made me nearly snort my drink was the whining about a Mac First shipping app that wasn't available immediately for Wintel. Imagine that. Regardless, it will be soon. The server component is being worked on and an iPhone app is in the planning. Get over it. Daylite has an app for the iPhone. Whoopty Doo. What's their market penetration with that? Yeah, I thought so.
There's no denying that the early development cycle for NowX was a vast overstatement. It happens. I suppose you'd rather have half-assed software that ships immediately instead of it being done right?
Am I 100% happy with NowX v1.0? No. Will the things I'm still cranky about get fixed in later revisions? Probably.
Am I switching immediately over? No. Like many, I depend on the server component to make it work for my business. It's good for testing and for a pipeline to sync my iPhone through sync services and to know it better for when I do switch my company and my clients over.
How about a nice subjective review from a more qualified "journalist" (I use that term in the least binding of definitions) that lays out the current state of GTD apps on the Mac and iPhone?
And no. I'm not an employee. I'm a fan of their software because it works and the Now team is good people. They believe in what they're doing and they actually care about this product. Who else would have put up with the catcalling from the peanut gallery if they didn't?
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Jim In Holland said 3:25AM on 8-30-2009
You want to talk vaporeware? Let's talk Typestyler.
Now's late to the game but not as late as Typestyler. I've been
occasionally writing about how long *this* has been in development and still continually ADVERTISED that the "Native OS X version on the way".
It's been "on the way" for over at least 5 years now, probably more.
How many designers have upgraded thinking that they'd have a modern
Mac app, only to see Classic apps and now all PPC-based systems
committed to history. To me it's a very worrisome situation - when you continually advertise something that never, ever comes.
What's more shameful it's the ad's been on the front page of MacSurfer for
least those 5 years, again, perhaps longer.. I've written MacSurfer, and the company, and have commented it on my blog for years now:
http://www.shortcuts.nl/index.php/weblog/comments/the_oldest_vaporware_in_the_macintosh_world/
I've even gotten feedback from the programmer once, but
that's it. The ads and the vapor continue…
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Jim In Holland said 4:04AM on 8-30-2009
Admins, please remove this post. I wasn't watching where I stuck jt and it clearly doesn't belong in the iPhone area. Please do keep it and consider it for background on a story submission.
queenofspades said 2:50AM on 9-07-2009
As a long term NUTD/NC user who waited I'm hopeful that this Now X will get resolved nicely at some point. But I've struggled to move on this past many years and address book simply has crap functionality which renders it largely useless compared to Now Contact.
I'm also migrating to Omni Focus for task management and since they sync with iCal and Address Book I fear my Now files will continue to languish until they get it together, if ever. The Now Sync Agent is a monster and ties up my system whenever I sync and even when I'm not syncing which is simply unacceptable. I've taken to watching Activity Monitor to see when things crash out what is active and it's usually some combo of Now Sync and myriad Mac Sync server and other sync apps.
Just ridiculous. So sad to see such a strong suite of software go down this road.
Fingers still crossed, but not holding my breath.
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