Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2004.05.14
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars, bold links are to
outside sites, and regular links lead to 'Book profiles on Low End
Mac.
iBook G4 Graphics Update 1.0 Released
iBook G4 Graphics Update 1.0 is recommended for the 12" 1 GHz and 14" 1.2 GHz iBook G4. It updates the
graphics driver to fix a compatibility issue that may exist with
applications that use OpenGL.
When this update package is downloaded and installed it will
replace the old ATI driver bundle with a new one.
The installer will guide you through the steps necessary to
install the iBook G4 Graphics Update.
System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.3.3 or later
- iBook G4
New Apple Laptops in June?
DigiTimes.com's
Huang Kung Tien and Steve Shen note:
"In June, Quanta will begin delivering new notebook models to
Hewlett-Packard (HP), Apple Computer, NEC and Sony, further helping
the company expand its notebook shipments for the second half,
market sources said."
Perhaps Apple will just be shifting some PowerBook production
from another subcontractor to Quanta.
Sulphur Fuels Battery Breakthrough
The Register's Andrew
Orlowski reports:
"Tucson-based Sion Power Corporation has demonstrated a new
generation of batteries based on Li-S (Lithium Sulfur) technology.
The demonstration at WinHEC last week powered a Transmeta
Crusoe-based Tablet PC for a working day.
"Long anticipated as the lighter successor to Lithium Polymer,
Sion claims that the Li-S battery pack at 350 watt hours/kg
compared to 150 Wh/kg for today's Li-Poly batteries, and are good
for 300 power cycles...."
Apple Tech Support Rated "Significantly Better
than Dell" by Consumer Reports
In its current "Workhorse Computer" report,
Consumer Reports says:
- "Overall, when it comes to technical support for desktop
computers, Apple rated significantly better than Dell, while Compaq
and HP rated significantly worse. It's not clear how those other
companies handle support; Apple, Compaq, and HP did not
comment."
Consumers Reports also notes:
- "Choose a laptop if price isn't paramount, if you need a
full-service computer that's also portable, and if upgrades aren't
a major issue for you."
As I've been saying for years, laptops are the logical computer
unless you have some compelling requirement for desktop
features.
PowerBook FixIt Guides Announced
PB FixIt announced
the free FixIt Guide series, a very welcome new set of PowerBook
repair instructions. Each FixIt Guide has detailed disassembly
instructions that walk the reader through the process of easily
accessing and replacing damaged PowerBook components.
"Mac users have always fought the status quo. With these FixIt
Guides, we're empowering people to 'Think Different' about
repairing their laptop," said PB FixIt's CEO Kyle Wiens. "I can't
tell you how many PowerBook owners I've talked to who had cracked
their LCD or tripped over their power cord, but couldn't afford
$100/hr repair fees in addition to Apple's insane prices for new
parts. Our revolutionary FixIt Guides walk you through the repair
process step by step, enabling you to replace any part in your
PowerBook yourself.
"Many people have the impression that their laptop isn't worth
having someone fix. They're right - often it's not cost effective
to have others repair it. Our FixIt Guides make it easy for users
to do the repair themselves. That's not just marketing-speak. The
end users we've tested these Guides with rave about how easy it is
to repair their laptops themselves."
FixIt Guides are available for these PowerBook models:
All six FixIt Guides are available immediately for free access
on PB FixIt's website.
Printed full-color, bound copies of the FixIt Guides are also
available for purchase at $14.95.
PB FixIt launched in 2003 as a purveyor of laptop replacement
parts, specializing in hard to find Apple PowerBook parts.
ThermographX 1.2.4 Temperature Monitoring
Utility
ThermographX monitors
the various temperature sensors inside your modern Macintosh G4 or
G5.
- 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.
- Graphs customer-submitted temperature results for comparison
with your own system.
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.
- iBook G4
- G4 Cube
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:
- Added support for April 2004 PowerBooks and iBooks.
- Added user measurements for PowerBook G3/500 MHz.
- Updated with latest user-submitted temperature
measurements.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.2.4 or higher (Panther
compatible); a Macintosh with compatible thermal sensors (so far,
these have been found on the iBook G4, Aluminum 12", 15" and 17"
PowerBooks, the "mirror-door" G4 and the G5, and some G3 PowerBooks
and G4 Cube models).
ThermographX is $7 shareware
EZ-Disk USB 2.0 Flash Drives
EZQuest's new line of USB 2.0
Flash Drives are designed for portability. They are the world's
smallest USB flash drives, the length and thickness of 2 quarters,
and can hold up to 512 MB of information. Sleek, portable, and
inexpensive, the EZQuest USB 2.0 flash drives are the perfect
solution for your portable storage and small file transfer
needs
Features:
- USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 compatible
- Bus powered
- Transfer rate of 950 KB/sec
- Small size, easy to remove protective cover
- Plug and Play on most operating systems
- Mac and PC compatible
- Transfer data easy between Mac and PC systems
- Low cost
EZ-Disk USB 2.0 Flash Drives
Specifications:
- Read Data Transfer Rate: 1000 KB/sec
- Write Data Transfer Rate: 950 KB/sec
- Power Supply: bus powered (4.5v to 5.5v)
- Interface: USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 Compatible)
- Data Retention: 10 Years
- Supported OS: Win 98Se, ME, 2000, XP
- MacOS 9.0, Mac OS 10.1 or later
- Included Software: Instruction manual on mini CD
- Windows 98SE Driver
- Operating temperature: -10 degrees C to +60 degrees C
- Storage temperature: -20 degrees C to +80 degrees C
- Weight: 4 grams
- Dimensions: 1.88"(L) X 0.75"(W) X 0.13"(H)
- Warranty: 1 Year
Windows Watch
New Sony Notebook PCs Aimed at PowerBook
Market
Sony's full-sized notebook PCs go wide this month. The new
VAIO A series PCs pack big
screen entertainment into a stylishly transportable package.
With a 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) display, the VAIO VGN-A190 model
claims the highest resolution display available on a notebook
computer. And Sony's own XBRITE technology ensures that video
playback is crisp and vivid.
Users can create and watch DVD movies with the built-in
DVD±RW drive, as well as live or recorded TV with the aid of
Sony's own Giga Pocket Personal Video Recorder and what is likely
the most powerful TV tuner ever offered with a notebook. The
Sony-engineered tuner is part of an AV entertainment dock that
comes standard with this model.
The AV entertainment dock also includes a variety of analog and
digital AV ports and Sony's S-Master digital amplifier, which
preserves music quality from the PC through delivery to the
specially tuned stereo speakers for true sound fidelity.
"Sony knows entertainment," said Mike Abary, general manager of
VAIO PC marketing for Sony Electronics. "For the A series, we are
using various AV and IT components, software and services developed
throughout the company to deliver the best entertainment experience
possible on a notebook PC."
To ensure that the quality of video playback is optimized for
almost any environment, A series notebooks employ an ambient light
sensor. ErgoBrite technology, originally developed for Sony's
stand-alone IT displays, automatically adjusts screen brightness to
accommodate various lighting conditions. No more worrying about
struggling with configurations when plugging your PC into an
external display device as Sony's Smart Display Sensor
automatically adjusts to a compatible screen resolution and aspect
ratio when using an external monitor or projector.
Intel Centrino mobile technology provides the processing muscle
for this PC, while allowing the unit to run quite, cool and
efficient. The mobile processor also contributes to the computer's
thin profile, making it the lightest notebook of its kind.
In addition to hardware breakthroughs, the A series also sport
newly enhanced Sony exclusive software. Among these are Click to
DVD and SonicStage Mastering Studio applications for effortless DVD
burning and professional quality re-mastering of analog music to
digital formats. VAIO Media, Sony's entertainment networking
software has also been updated to support a wider variety of
digital content formats for video and music.
VAIO A series notebooks will be available at retail and online
in a variety of configurations. In addition to the VGN-A190 model
that will sell for about $2,800, the VGN-A160 model with a 15.4"
wide format display will be available for $2,300 including the AV
dock. For business users, the VGN-A130 model will be sold through
business-to-business channels and online at sonystyle.com. It has a
15" 4x3 aspect display and will be available with an optional
business dock.
Sony Unveils Tiny Wireless Pen PC
The Register's Tony Smith
reports:
"Sony will ship a keyboardless PC in Japan later this month. But
it's no Tablet PC - instead, this pen-operated, wireless-enabled
Windows XP machine will be pitched at mobile media consumers.
"The consumer electronics giant is billing the Vaio VGN-U70 as
the world's smallest full-function Windows PC. The unit measures
16.7 x 10.8 x 2.6cm and weighs just 550g. Much of the machine's
face is taken up by an 800 x 600 transflective colour LCD. The
display can also operate at up to 1600 x 1200, but at this stage
it's not clear if that's a native resolution."
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)
and the titanium vs. aluminum 15" PowerBook G4 at 1 GHz.
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/SuperDrive, extra 512 MB, $1,475
- new 12" iBook G3/800,
128/30/CD-ROM, AirPort, LaCie DVD-RW drive, LaCie FireWire Pslim
Porsche, extra 256 MB, $1,069
New and unopened units
- 14" iBook G4/1 GHz,
256/60/Combo, $1,349
- 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/SuperDrive, $1,499
- 15" aluminum PowerBook G4/1
GHz, 256/60/Combo, $1,799
- 15" PowerBook G4/1.25 GHz,
512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $2,299
- 17" PowerBook G4/1.33 GHz,
512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $2,599
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals,
Best iBook G4 Deals, and Best iBook G3 Deals.
