Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2003.03.21
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.
Mobility Electronics' "Juice" Multifunction
Power Adapter to Support PowerBook and iBook Computers
Mobility
Electronics, Inc. has announced its new Juice power
adapter's support for the Apple platform, expanding the company's
footprint in the mobile computing industry and offering Mac users a
powerful complement to their PowerBook and iBook computers.
Juice is the first and only product that enables users to
simultaneously charge their laptop and a mobile phone
or handheld from any power source - standard wall
outlet, auto outlet or airline outlet - allowing mobile Mac users
to carry a single power device for all their laptop, mobile phone,
and handheld device power and charging needs.
Juice's sleek, silver package combined with its all-in-one
functionality makes the product appealing to Mac users who
appreciate Apple's signature design and world-class performance.
Mac users depend on their iBooks and PowerBooks to provide maximum
functionality in a compact package, ensuring they have access to
the tools they need wherever they go. Juice's powerful
functionality allows Apple users to stay powered up whether at the
office, on the road or in the air, while its compact design lets
them maintain the mobility their lightweight iBooks and PowerBooks
afford them.
"Apple users represent a significant portion of the most
sophisticated and innovative mobile computing consumers," said
Charlie Mollo, CEO of Mobility Electronics. "We are happy to reach
this critical audience by working with Apple, and expect this
program to play a key factor in achieving our goals for the power
product category.
"We expect Juice to be a hit with iBook and PowerBook owners
looking for a power adapter that will make their mobile computing
experience easier and their bag lighter," he continued.
Beginning in March, Juice will be available through the online
Apple Store, at Apple Retail Stores, and through select Apple
Authorized Resellers for the suggested retail price of $119.99. In
addition, Juice is also available toll-free (1-800-DIAL-IGO), on
iGo's website, and
through major U.S. computer hardware retailers, leading
distributors, and resellers who carry Apple products
nationwide.
eyelighter Ear-Mounted LED Illuminator
See everything, in total darkness, with both hands free. The
eyelighter is
one of the coolest must-have gadgets to come around in a while.
Looking like it came straight out of Star Trek, this overdriven,
super-bright LED lighting module is
attached to a secure positional ear clip allowing this minuscule,
10 gram unit to completely illuminate your field of vision. Much
more useful for computing than the USB flexy lights in use today,
the eyelighter illuminates anything and everything you look at, not
just a portion of the keyboard.
The unit is battery powered and will illuminate for over 40
continuous hours. It will last for months when used for 2-3 hours
per day. The unit features squeeze-to-light and an on/off switch
for the ultimate in convenience. Great for astronomers,
photographers, mechanics, engineers, electricians, plumbers,
backpackers, campers, law enforcement, and others.
eyelighters are available in three illumination colors: bright
white, bright blue, and red. Blue and red are perfect when dark
vision needs to be maintained. Affixes to right ear; compatible
with eyeglasses.
Features:
- Phenomenal brightness from a 10 gram unit.
- Adjustable, very secure ear clip. Will stay in place even while
running or jumping.
- Long-lasting, user-replaceable batteries.
- Inexpensive enough to simply replace.
- Virtually indestructible, unbreakable LED "bulb". Thousands of
uses.
eyelighter specs:
- two 3v CR2016 lithium cells (replaceable)
- adjustable, plastic-coated alloy ear loop
- colors: bright white, bright blue, or red overdriven
light-emitting diode
- weight: 10g (total)
All Colors: $9.95
Racer-X Bags For PowerBook 15" and 17"
When you just need your PowerBook and a few accessories, throw
the Racer-X
on your shoulder and head out. This tough compact case with a plush
interior and a Mountain Bike Grip protects your laptop from life's
hard knocks.
Designed for the Apple PowerBooks 15" & 17"
- 15" PowerBook dimensions = 14.5" x 11" x 4"
- 17" PowerBook dimensions = 16.5" x 11.6" x 4.5"
Includes suspension shoulder strap.
Willow Jacques Titanium Backpack
The Jacques
Pack has been specifically designed to maximize the
protection of your Titanium and to compactly carry the accessories
that are a part of your working system. It is extremely
comfortable, stylish, and discreet.
Willow Titanium Case Features:
- elegant design - at home on the road and acceptable in the
boardroom in its briefcase form.
- increased personal security by making your case not look
like a briefcase or laptop carry case
- superb laptop protection through a centrally protected location
surrounded by thick, single piece foam padding on the back, sides
and bottom
- additional protection ensured by internal TiBook compartment
corrugated dividers sandwiched to a "gushy" foam padding to isolate
the TiBook from the external pack walls.
- front protection is assured by three separate levels of foam
layers
- easy storage of cables, and some accessories with a convenient
Velcro secured, fold-down accessory divider /pocket system in the
laptop compartment.
- additional storage for the power supply and other accessories
by a removable, mesh topped zippered pocket located in the upper
section of the paperwork compartment.
- extreme carrying comfort with contoured, padded shoulder straps
which are quadruple layered at the back panel connection line for
extreme durability.
- removable sternum strap for increased stability and comfort as
well as a removable waist belt for shifting your load to the hips
and legs.
- contoured pack back and bottom which will not allow anything to
dig into your back, especially in your low back area
- additional thickly padded removable wrap handle for extra
comfort in briefcase or vertical handle carrying mode
- .090 thickness of high density polyethylene reinforcement
underneath the web handles with quadruple rivet reinforcing for
even greater strength and durability
- a thickly padded traditional single shoulder carrying strap
when you want to look more cosmopolitan
- room in the paperwork compartment for a eight centimeter (2.5")
depth of letter sized file folders or other items plus a centimeter
(0.5") of legal sized file folders.
- lots of organizer pockets in the outer pocket and throughout
the case
- convenient shoulder strap flap to hide away shoulder straps
which can double as an easy to get to newspaper or magazine
pocket
- security pocket on back panel hidden under shoulder strap
flap
- convenient shallow outer zippered pocket for airline tickets,
change or other items you want fast access to
- new easy access cellphone pocket which can be attached securely
to either of the two shoulder straps. (A second pocket for
sunglasses or other items can be ordered for an extra $15 Cdn ($10
US).
- two highly reflective luminescent patches on the cellphone
pocket and opposite shoulder strap for increased safety through
nighttime visibility. (These patches can be removed if
desired.)
- lifetime guarantee against defects in materials or
craftsmanship.
Available Colours: Black Charcoal Navy Teal Purple
Pricing: $228 Cdn/$153 US
Nvidia, ATI, Push Latest Chips Into
Notebooks
From Extreme
Tech:
"Nvidia Corp. and ATI Technologies moved further ahead in the
mobile graphics space, adapting their desktop graphics cores for
use in notebook PCs.
Nvidia shifted its GeForceFX 5200 and 5600 cores into the mobile
market, improving the video core while using new power-management
techniques to reduce power consumption. ATI, meanwhile, is expected
to announce its Mobility Radeon 9600.
Both of the Nvidia and ATI announcements capitalize on the
sudden interest in notebook applications, prompted by the launches
of the Intel Centrino and the AMD Athlon XP-M processors on
Wednesday. Nvidia has also succeeded into pushing its GeForceFX
into the high-end and mainstream segments in both the desktop and
notebook markets in just over 100 days."
MacResQ Launches Nationwide PowerMac/iMac
Repair Service
MacResQ
has announced the launch of a unique new nationwide repair service
for Power Mac and iMac computers. The service, known as
PowerMacResQ, will provide Mac users throughout the United States
with a source for 24-hour repairs on their computers.
PowerMacResQ is the only service of its kind offering 24-hour
turnaround on repairs and nationwide, overnight pickup &
delivery from the user's location. The service eliminates the
extended delays and headaches frequently associated with trying to
get Macs repaired locally. If a local repair center is available,
costs are usually high and turnaround time is unacceptable for
users who rely on their Macs on a daily basis.
"PowerMacResQ is the perfect compliment to our highly successful
PowerBookResQ program that we launched in 2002," said Shannon Jean,
President of MacResQ. "PowerMac users will now be able to
experience the same award-winning service that PowerBook users have
come to rely on with PowerBookResQ."
The PowerMacResQ program offers fast, safe, and reasonably
priced repairs for PowerMac owners. Customers start by visiting
PowerMacResQ.com or calling the toll-free number, 1-866-Mac-Repair.
After just a few questions, MacResQ dispatches a custom-designed
"PowerBox", built to insure safe transit for all PowerMacs and
iMacs, via overnight courier to the customer. Upon receipt of the
empty PowerBox, the customer simply slides their PowerMac into the
container and attaches a preprinted shipping label. A quick,
toll-free phone call brings a courier to the customer's location
for overnight shipping back to MacResQ's service center. A MacResQ
technician conducts a thorough diagnosis and contacts the customer
with a detailed repair estimate. The repair is then completed
within one business day and the PowerMac is returned to its owner
via overnight service.
The cost of the PowerMacResQ program is just $129. This includes
the 3-way overnight shipping, the initial diagnostic service, and
the PowerBox, which the customer may keep for future use.
"During the past ten years, our technicians have repaired more
than 50,000 Power Mac and iMac systems," said Jean. "Through this
extensive experience, we've developed exclusive processes that
allow us to offer repairs in an unheard-of 24-hour time frame to
meet the demands of Mac users everywhere."
For computer resellers and repair centers, PowerMacResQ offers
discounted rates on products and services. Computer dealers can
send overflow service work or seamlessly outsource their entire
PowerMac repair operation.
Asante Accelerates Adoption of Gigabit
Ethernet
Asante Technologies,
Inc. has announced significant pricing actions on its
comprehensive line of gigabit ethernet switches and adapters. "As
file and disk drives increase in size, demand for faster network
speeds has grown dramatically," says Jim Hsia, Asante Vice
President of Marketing. "These new prices on FriendlyNET GX5
switches have made gig even more affordable to small- and
medium-sized businesses. By using the latest silicon designs,
Asante has engineered these products at breakthrough prices. We're
pleased to pass on these savings to our customers to make upgrading
their networks an easy decision."
Asante offers higher-performance GigaNIX adapters optimized for
the 64-bit PCI bus inside Apple Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows 2000,
and Linux/Unix servers.
For organizations and workgroups are upgrading from fast
ethernet to gigabit ethernet, Asante's FriendlyNET GX5-208 is the
ideal switch. This dual gigabit switch features eight 10/100 ports
to connect legacy device that don't require 1000 Mbps throughput.
Priced at $299, it's less than $30 per port.
Two years ago, Asante's 4-port gigabit switch was priced at
$1,199; today, the GX5-400 is priced 67% lower - just $399
($99/port). The popular 8-port GX5-800 is ideal for digital design
professionals. It's now priced at $599 ($75/port).
"With gigabit ethernet becoming so popular, network
administrators and users want more gig ports at an affordable
price," Hsia continued. "The GX5-1300, GX5-1600, and GX5-2400
switches deliver 13, 16, and 24 ports of gigabit ethernet in just 1
rack unit (RU) high form factor."
Bargain 'Books
There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233
MHz, the cacheless MainStreet
version and the later Series II
with a level 2 cache. It's not always possible to determine from
the vendor's listing which is being offered, so we've included
links within this paragraph to the two models. The same goes for
the PowerBook G4/667 (Gigabit
Ethernet/2001) and G4/667
(DVI).
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500, 256/12 GB/DVD, $1,049.95
- iBook 366, indigo,
128/10/CD-ROM, $699.95 (available April 15; taking preorders)
- iBook SE/466, graphite,
128/10/DVD, $799.95 (available April 15; taking preorders)
- refurbished 12" iBook 700,
128/20/CD-ROM, $899
- refurbished 12" iBook 700,
128/20/CD-ROM, $1,099
- refurbished 12" iBook 800,
128/30/Combo, $1,368
- refurbished 12" iBook 800,
128/30/Combo, $1,149
- refurbished 14" iBook 800,
256/30/Combo, $1,299
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals
and Best iBook Deals.
