FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Watson Released for Mac OS X - With Open Architecture for developing new
modules
ALAMEDA, CA, USA, November 27, 2001 --
Today, Karelia Software released Watson (http://www.karelia.com/watson/),
an extendable application for Mac OS X that gives an "Aqua" user interface
to a number of Internet-based services such as stock quotes, telephone
lookup, and movie schedules. Watson functions much like Apple's Sherlock in
that it bypasses the Web Browser for specific functionality. But instead of
being a search engine, Watson connects to a handful of other useful
services available on the Internet.
"Watson came about because I found myself frequenting certain Web sites
that are really applications rather than just content," said Dan Wood,
creator of Watson. "Unfortunately, these Internet-based applications aren't
particularly 'Mac-like.' The Web stole much of the great user experience
from the Macintosh. Watson steals it back."
Intended to complement the Web browser, Watson constructs a facade over
certain services, collecting them in a single Mac OS X application. Modules
share a single window and are selected using a toolbar, just like the
built-in "System Preferences" application. Newly-released modules can be
downloaded and installed directly from the application.
Using Internet services with Watson has several advantages. Watson speeds
up navigation, since HTML does not need to be rendered on-screen and no
superfluous graphics are transmitted over the Internet. Tools integrate
with other Mac OS X applications such as TextEdit, Preview, and the Web
browser. Watson tools can be truly interactive, and show "live" data rather
than requiring a user to manually reload a Web page to see current
information.
Most noticeable in Watson is the Aqua interface that one cannot find on a
Web page. A user of the Yahoo! tool, for instance, browses categories using
a "columns" view rather than a series of separate Web pages. Data lists
appear in scrolling tables rather than free-form text. Details of selected
items in a list appear in a separate "drawer" below the main window.
Watson, downloadable as an expiring, fully functional demo, comes with nine
initial tools installed: eBay auction tracker, exchange rate calculator,
image search assistant, movie schedules, telephone directory, recipe
browser, stock tracker, Yahoo! category browser, and Zip Code lookup.
Additional tools, available to registered users, are forthcoming. A
single-user license costs $29 (U.S.) and can be purchased via Kagi. Watson
works on any version of Mac OS X, and a full-time Internet connection is
recommended.
New tools can be built for Watson by third-party Cocoa developers using a
published API, and "approved" tools can be hosted by Karelia and then
downloaded directly by the application.
SOFTWARE NAME: Watson
TAG LINE: Now Sherlock has an indispensable partner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Watson is an extendable Mac OS X Application that
puts an Aqua
experience on a number of Internet-based services
such as stock
quotes, telephone lookup, and eBay auction watching.
SOFTWARE TYPE: Demo
SOFTWARE COST: $29 U.S.
PRODUCT HOME PAGE: http://www.karelia.com/watson/
DIRECT DOWNLOAD: http://homepage.mac.com/dwjob/Watson.dmg
DIRECT PURCHASE: https://order.kagi.com/?AGJ
SCREENSHOTS: http://www.karelia.com/watson/screenshots.html
PROGRAM ICONS: http://www.karelia.com/watson/img/icon_128.jpg (128x128)
http://www.karelia.com/watson/img/icon_32.jpg (32x32)
DOWNLOAD SIZE: 656 K
CONTACT E-MAIL: watson@karelia.com
