Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2003.10.10
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.
NuPower High Capacity Pismo, Lombard, and
WallStreet Batteries
Newer Technology Inc. and Other World Computing have introduced
a new line of high-capacity batteries designed for Apple Computer's
PowerBook G4 and G3 models.
The NuPower line
of Lithium Ion batteries from Newer Tech offer up to 30% more
capacity than stock batteries standard with the PowerBooks - and at
prices as low as $139.99.
"The NuPower batteries set a new standard for battery life for
G4 and G3 users everywhere," said Larry O'Connor, president of OWC.
"Everyone knows that battery life is a very critical aspect of
successful on-the-go computing. Whether you'd like to replace an
older battery that just isn't performing like it used to or are in
the market for a spare, our NuPower Li-Ions deliver the longest run
times of any stock replacement batteries available today."
The NuPower Li-Ion G4 Titanium Battery works with all 15"
titanium PowerBook models (400 MHz to 1 GHz) and delivers 14.8
volts and 4400 mAh, providing 65 watt-hours and making it the
longest lasting PowerBook G4 battery available today by as much as
30% compared to the original Apple Battery. Retail price:
$139.99.
NuPower Li-Ion G3 Batteries for G3
Lombard (1999/Bronze Keyboard) and G3 FireWire (2000/Pismo) PowerBooks are 10.8
volts and 5400 mAh, providing 12.5% more capacity versus stock
Lombard and FireWire batteries. Retail price: $149.99.
The NuPower Li-Ion G3 Battery for G3 WallStreet (1998/Black Keyboard)
PowerBooks delivers 14.4 volts and 4500 mAh, providing 25% more
capacity than the stock Apple Battery. Retail price: $139.99.
"You really don't think about your laptop battery until you need
to," O'Connor said. "It's when you're dimming your screen and
engaging every last power-saver mode to get those extra minutes
that you're wishing your battery lasted longer. In those situations
our NuPower batteries come in mighty handy."
Revised OS X 10.2.8 Update Fixes iBook and
PowerBook Battery Problems
PC Pro
reports:
- "Apple has confirmed that the latest Mac OS X 10.2.8 update,
released on Friday, should solve any problems that iBook and
PowerBook users have been having with battery life.
"The original update, Build 6R65, could cause the battery life
indicator to inaccurately show the remaining battery time. The
latest update, Build 6R73, fixes this, according to http://
www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n86501.
"The battery needs to be recalibrated from time to time to keep the
onscreen battery time and percent display accurate. You should
perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then
every few months thereafter.'
"Basically, this involves fully charging the battery and then
running your Mac until the battery is exhausted. Full instructions
can be found at http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n86284."
MacInTouch Benchmarks PowerBook G4/1250 vs. 5
Other Macs
How do the new 1.25 GHz PowerBook G4 and 1.8 GHz Power Mac G5
compare with older models? MacInTouch has benchmarks
comparing the following systems
- PowerBook G4/1250: 15" aluminum
with 1.25 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM (512 KB L2 cache); 80 GB 5400 RPM
Hitachi hard drive (HTS548080M9AT00), SuperDrive, ATI Mobility
Radeon 9600 with AGP 4X and 64 MB DDR SDRAM (1280 x 854, millions
of colors), Mac OS 10.2.7, "highest" processor setting; firewall
off
- PowerBook G4/550: 768 MB of RAM
(256 KB L2 cache), 40 GB 4200 RPM IBM TravelStar 40GN
(IC25N040ATCS04-0), Combo optical drive, ATI Mobility Radeon
graphics with AGP 4X and 16 MB DDR (millions of colors, 1152 x
768), Mac OS 10.2.8
- 14" iBook 700: 640 MB of RAM,
standard Apple hard drive, CD-RW
- iMac 17"/1000: 17"
flat-panel, September 2003 model with 256K of RAM (256K L2 cache),
80 GB 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda (ST380023A) hard drive;
SuperDrive, Nvidia GeForce 4 MX graphics, Mac OS 10.2.6
- Power Mac G4/733: 256 MB of RAM
(256 KB L2 cache), ST340016A hard drive
- Power Mac G4/800: 768 MB of RAM
(256 KB L2 cache), IBM-IC35L040AVER07-0 hard drive
- Power Mac G5/1800: 512 MB of RAM
(512 KB L2 cache), ST3160023AS hard drive
LowePro Stealth Reporter 650 AW Camera/Computer
Bag
The LowePro
Stealth Reporter 650 AW is a discreet, all-in-one shoulder bag
designed for digital photographers and photojournalists.
- top zip for instant access to gear padded notebook
compartment
- adjustable dividers and padded
- lens cups to customize the removable padded liner for camera
equipment, including many makes of 300mm f/2.8 lens (with hood
reversed)
- All Weather Hood for light protection from the elements plus
easy access to gear
- All Weather Cover for greater protection from challenging
conditions
- tripod straps for a small tripod or monopod
- attachment loops to take optional SlipLock add-ons
- includes a padded, contoured shoulder strap
Capacity:
- large pro SLR (up to Canon EOS D2000 or Nikon D1H or D1X) with
80-200mm f/2.8 lens attached; additional body; 2 short lenses;
large notebook computer; memory cards; flash; charger and small
tripod
- size (exterior): 17" W x 10.5" D x 12.5" H (43 x 26.5 x 32
cm)
- size (interior): 14.5" W x 8.5" D x 11" H (37 x 21.5 x 28
cm)
- outer fabric: water-resistant 600D TXP™ ripstop and 2000D
ballistic nylon
G3 PowerBook 16x10x24x Combo Drive
Wanna get more use of your PowerBook? Slide this Combo
Drive in your right side bay, and experience your
PowerBook's maximum capabilities.
Combo drive allows full DVD and CD-RW capabilities,
including:
- 8x DVD
- 16x CD Burn
- 10x CD Rewrite
- 24x CD-RW/CD capabilities
Fully compatible with OS 9 and OS X 10.2 Jaguar. Burn with
iTunes, or use the desktop CD Burner to save your data. Identical
to original DVD or CD-ROM drive (same exact faceplate, same look,
etc.). No ugly faceplates or non-matching hardware!
Fits:
- PowerBook Pismo G3
- PowerBook Lombard G3 (some models require DVD CardBus Decoder
Card for DVD playback).
Features:
- Bootable: Just hold "C" when booting
- Buffer underrun protection: No more bad CD's!
- Fully compatible with iTunes, CDBurner, Toast, even
Retrospect
- New mechanism by OEM mfr.
- Just slide into your right hand bay, and you're in
business.
Get $40 rebate for sending in your old DVD drive (dead or
alive).
Price $299.99
Need a better bargain and don't care about aesthetics? Another
option is a 16x10x24x Combo mechanism. Put this in your old sled,
install the drivers, and you'll be up in no time. Drive is Hitachi,
new, and is $199.99.
Water Cooling Could Be Used in G5
PowerBooks
Cooligy,
Inc. has announced a new technology for active cooling of
microprocessor "hot spots."
Initially demonstrated at Stanford University, Cooligy's Active
Micro-Channel Cooling technology can effectively cool the breed of
powerful, hot microprocessors destined for the next generation of
workstations, servers, and high-end PCs. For the first time,
Cooligy is unveiling the technologies that form the core of
Cooligy's Active Micro-Channel Cooling system.
The next generation of microprocessors not only produce higher
overall temperatures but also create one or more concentrated hot
spots of particularly high heat on the chip. These hot spots,
typically found above areas where the most work is performed on the
chip, must be kept to within a specified temperature to ensure
high-performance and reliability. Traditional means of cooling
these chips, such as heat sinks, fan sinks, and heat pipes, require
a large mass of metal to passively absorb and spread the heat to
air cooled fins. These passive technologies cannot effectively cool
the hot spots produced in next generation microprocessors.
Cooligy's Active Micro-Channel Cooling technology utilizes
highly efficient means to absorb heat from the chip's hot spots and
quickly dissipate it to keep the chip cool. The Cooligy cooling
system employs a heat collector fabricated from a thin layer of
micro-machined silicon that fits on top of a microprocessor
package. A very dense area of Micro-Channels etched into the
silicon enables fluid to circulate through the heat collector and
efficiently absorb and take away heat. Cooligy's system has been
shown to effectively cool microprocessor hotspots of up to 1000
watts per square centimeter.
The Cooligy approach also employs a new, innovative, solid-state
Electro-Kinetic pump. The Electro-Kinetic pump circulates the fluid
in the cooling system through the Micro-Channel heat collector and
to the heat radiator that transfers the heat to air. With no moving
parts to wear out, this noiseless pump - the first of its kind - is
small, cost-effective, and highly reliable for long-term use.
Although some form of fluid cooling has existed for the most
sophisticated computer systems during the past four decades, none
have provided the precision, reliability, or cost effectiveness
needed to cool the hot spots of the next generation of
microprocessors. Cooligy's Active Micro- Channel Cooling and its
innovative solid-state Electro-Kinetic pump is the first solution
to solve the difficult cooling challenge presented by intense hot
spots in future chips.
The company will begin supplying qualification systems to
computer systems developers and manufacturers later this year.
According to The Register's Tony
Smith:
- "The company also said it has prototyped the system with Intel,
AMD and Apple. The Intel test produced the highest performance
Intel had ever seen from any cooling technology, Cooligy
claims.
"The Apple connection is interesting since Cooligy's could play a
major role in allowing the company to ship G5-based PowerBooks. The
64-bit CPU requires a major computer-controlled cooling system in
its desktop incarnation, rendering it effectively useless for
mobile applications.
"The chip is expected to clock to beyond 3.2 GHz in the Q2 2004
timeframe, when IBM begins volume shipments of a 90 nm version of
the chip. IBM has said it has already started sampling 90 nm parts.
However, while the die-shrink reduces the power consumption on a
clock-for-clock basis, pushing up the core frequency quickly
eliminates the gain.
"Apple has already said it is exploring a range of cooling
techniques for future machines, including liquid cooling
systems."
ThermographX 0.7.0 Temperature Monitoring
Utility
ThermographX
monitors the various temperature sensors inside modern Macintosh G4
or G5 models, including aluminum PowerBooks, mirror drive door
Power Macs, and the new G5s.
Features:
- Records maximum and minimum temperatures.
- Shows temperature records over time, using a zoomable display
so you can analyze short-term or long-term.
- Shows individual sensor temperatures on models that have
them.
ThermographX compatibility is still being determined. So far, it
is known to provide accurate sensor readings on these models:
- 12" & 17" PowerBook G4.
- "Aluminum" 15" PowerBook G4.
- "Mirror Door" G4.
- Power Macintosh G5.
Note: Motorola's MPC7450CE/D Rev 5 errata indicates "The thermal
assist unit (TAU) is no longer supported on the MPC7450, MPC7451,
or MPC7441." Because of this, you will not be able to measure the
junction temperature on any system with these processors. At
current, this includes the "Gigabit" PowerBook G4 and the "2001
Quicksilver" G4s.
New in this version:
- Add long-term measurements window.
- Added proper identification of G5, new PowerBooks.
- Bug fixes to temperature recording and submission feature.
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.2.4 or later
- a Macintosh with compatible thermal sensors (so far, these have
been found on the Aluminum 12", 15" and 17" PowerBooks, the
"mirror-door" G4 and the G5).
ThermographX is $7 demoware.
Ideative's FlexUSB Now Available at Micro
Center and J&R Computer World
Ideative, Inc. has announced the availability of FlexUSB (first reported in the
July 3 'Book Review) in all
Micro Center
stores nationwide and J&R
Computer World's mega-store in New York City. FlexUSB is a
fully adjustable USB adapter that bends, rotates, and flexes in
response to the changing needs of the user.
The introduction of FlexUSB in Micro Center and J&R marks
the beginning of the company's plans to make FlexUSB available in
retailers worldwide. Both retailers also offer FlexUSB online.
FlexUSB continues to be available directly from Ideative with
current sales in over eight countries worldwide.
"FlexUSB solves the two problems experienced by notebook and
desktop computer users," says Tavis Schriefer, Ideative's
president. "First, USB ports are in difficult to reach locations.
Second, devices plugged directly into USB ports are often damaged
because they are in risky orientations. FlexUSB eliminates these
problems with its patent-pending, fully adjustable design."
FlexUSB is designed to work with both Windows and Macintosh
computers, and all USB devices, including USB 2.0 - and backed by a
one year warranty.
Connecting FlexUSB between a USB peripheral and computer allows
the device to be rotated to almost any position - securely holding
the device beside the machine, neatly and conveniently. FlexUSB is
ideal for products such as card readers, flash memory sticks and
other USB peripherals.
Dr. Bott Announces PocketDock for 3G iPod Now
Shipping.
The new PocketDock
lets you connect the new iPod's docking port to a standard 6-pin
FireWire cable.
"PocketDock is the simple solution to
a common problem" said Eric Prentice, CEO of Dr. Bott. "And it fits in your
wallet. What more could you ask for in an iPod accessory?"
Designed and built by SendStation Systems,
PocketDock allows owners of the new 3G iPods to leave their docking
cables at home but retain the easy access to their iPod. "When
you're on the road with your new iPod," says André Klein,
SendStation Systems founder, "and you want to connect to another
Mac or PC to exchange files or just to charge the battery, you'll
probably find that you didn't bring the special docking cable -
it's at home connected to your computer. The PocketDock, small
enough to carry anywhere, is a simple and elegant solution."
The PocketDock is smaller than a box of matches and allows a
standard 6-pin FireWire cable to connect to the iPod's proprietary
docking port, giving the user the freedom and independence he or
she has come to expect from Apple's iPod.
PocketDock is compatible with Apple iPods that use the dock
connector, 10 GB (M8976LL/A), 15 GB (M8946LL/A), 20 GB (M8976LL/A),
30 GB (M8948LL/A) models, and 40 GB (M9245LL/A).
PocketDock is available exclusively from Dr. Bott and its
authorized dealers worldwide, including The Applelinks
ThinkDifferent Store, Apple retail stores, and the Apple online
store. It retails for $18.95.
New IBM ThinkPad Introduces Airbag-like
Detection to Protect User Data
IBM has unveiled a
completely updated line of ThinkPad notebook
computers, including new ThinkPad R50 and T41 models that include
the world's first automatic hard drive protection technology.
Because smaller, lighter, and more mobile systems are at a
continual risk of being dropped and damaged, IBM developed a
patent-pending hard drive protection technology to help protect
people's data. The IBM Active Protection System, similar to the
technology used in automobiles to deploy airbags upon impact, uses
a microchip on the system board to detect system acceleration (such
as in a fall). The system responds by temporarily parking the
drive's read/write head until the system is stabilized. This rapid
response can help prevent hard drive crashes that could occur in
some falls, to help prevent total data loss and reduce warranty
costs.
Some insurance and analyst reports indicate that more than 10.5%
of notebooks in a corporate enterprise are damaged annually, and
that accidental damage accounts for the majority of PC loss claims.
Of the three notebook components most prone to damage - hard drive,
display, and keyboard - hard drive damage results in the loss of
valuable information and productivity.
"Applying this lifesaving technology to personal computing is
revolutionary. If you're rushing to finish a report in an airport
and you accidentally drop your notebook, with any other machine
you'd face a greater potential for losing all your data," said
Peter Hortensius, vice president, Think Offerings, IBM Personal
Computing Division. "IBM is committed to providing our customers
with the most reliable notebooks in the industry. This new
technology and Rapid Restore Ultra are two great ways of doing
that."
The new ThinkPad R50, available in 14" and 15" models, has a
travel weight of less than 6 pounds and measures 1.3" thin. The
ThinkPad R50 features a long-life battery, and by adding a second
system battery option users can achieve almost 10 hours of battery
life, providing users with a truly mobile computing experience.
Select ThinkPad R50 and T41 models are available with Intel
Centrino Mobile Technology or with integrated IBM 802.11a/b/g
wireless. Both the ThinkPad R50 and T41 feature select models with
the IBM Embedded Security Subsystem and, when used with
industry-standard wireless encryption, are claimed to provide the
most secure wireless computing environment in the world.
IBM also announced the updated ThinkPad X31, R40, R40e, and G40
models featuring faster processors, integrated wireless technology
on select models, and some of the latest ThinkVantage Technologies.
The ultraportable ThinkPad X31 now features integrated 11 a/b/g on
select models and shares a common software image with the R50 and
T41, giving flexibility to organizations purchasing various
ThinkPad models by enabling a single image to be deployed across
multiple platforms. Additionally, for the first time, select
wireless models of the ThinkPad T40, T41, R40, R50, and X31 feature
enhanced wireless security as defined by the WiFi Protected Access
(WPA) and Cisco Compatible Extensions certification programs,
providing enhanced wireless data security for organizations of all
sizes. The Cisco Compatible Extensions program ensures
compatibility with Cisco Aironet Access Points through independent
third-party testing.
All new ThinkPad models are available immediately through IBM.
IBM personal computers are also available through select business
partners. Prices for the ThinkPad R50 start at $1,529; prices for
the ThinkPad T41 start at $1,649; prices for the ThinkPad X31 start
at $1,449; prices for the R40 and R40e start at $1,129 and $849,
respectively; and prices for the ThinkPad G40 start at $899.
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).
- new 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/Combo, Corel Graphics Suite 10, Kensington StudioMouse USB
for Adobe and Graphics, Macally Screen Protector, $1,850
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
512/60/SuperDrive, AirPort, $2,099
- new 17" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
512/60/SuperDrive, AirPort, $2,599
- refurb 17" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
512/60/SuperDrive, AirPort, $2,499
- refurb 12" iBook 900,
128/40/Combo, $1,149
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/867,
256/40/Combo, $1,199
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/867,
256/40/SuperDrive, $1,399
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/867 ,
256/40/Combo, $1,599
- refurb 15" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
512/60/SuperDrive, AirPort, $1,999
- refurb 12" iBook 700,
128/20/CD-ROM, $729
- refurb 12" iBook 800,
128/30/CD-ROM, $799
- refurb 12" iBook 800,
128/30/Combo, $999
- refurb 12" iBook 900,
128/40/Combo, $1,079
- refurb 14" iBook 800,
256/30/Combo, $1,199
- refurb 14" iBook 900,
256/40/Combo, $1,249
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals
and Best iBook Deals.
