Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2004.06.04
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.
iCooking the iBook
iCook is a small
OS X kernel extension that allows simple overclocking of the IBM
750fx processor found in some Apple iBooks. It should be compatible
with all iBooks that have 16 MB or more video RAM, but not the new
iBook G4s. At this time iCook requires OS X 10.3 or higher,
however this will change in a future version.
Apple has made it more difficult to change the iBook's speed. It
seems that current versions of OS X continually monitor the
CPU speed and set it back to normal if it is changed.
iCook gets around this by patching the kernel image in memory to
disable it's ability to set the CPU speed. It then sets up a
sysctl called hw.cpuspeed that allows the CPU speed to be
set and monitored by the user. iCook makes no permanent changes,
and everything goes back to normal after a reboot.
I am able to run my 700 MHz
iBook at speeds from 300-800 MHz, although 800 MHz is not
entirely stable. CPU performance scales nicely along this range.
iCook allows speed settings from 300-1200 MHz in 50 MHz increments
and comes with the full GPL'd source code.
Because iCook disables OS X's ability to change the CPU speed,
the Processor Performance settings in the Energy Saver System
Preferences will not work after the iCook kernel extension has been
loaded. The settings become active again after the next reboot.
Note: Proceed with experimentation at your own risk. Use of
iCook could invalidate your iBook's warranty.
Is Handling Responsible for iBook
Failures?
A MacInTouch reader
reports:
"While I was attending a meeting abroad my four-month old
iBook (12" G4/800) died suddenly
the dead screen death. Shortly before the video circuitry went
black the cursor had frozen....
"Looking at the iBook I noticed that its frame appeared slightly
bent, i.e. when the lid was almost closed, the gap between the
front of the screen and the frame was slightly larger on the right
side (the side of the power connector).
"In my desperation to get access to some files I gently
straightened the frame, and to my surprise the iBook started up
normally. While this 'cure' did not last for very long it allowed
me to move important files to a memory stick.
"This is the third time within 18 months that an iBook has died
on me...
"This raises the question whether Apple has not yet resolved the
problems underlying the iBook Logic Board Repair
Extension Program. Wasn't this program recent extended to
include some newer G3 iBooks? Should we now expect that the G4
iBooks have to be included, too?"
Mac Desktop or Mac Laptop? The Eternal Question
Remains
Bill Palmer
says:
"At a recent user group meeting, a reader asked me what my
thoughts were on the whole desktop vs. laptop issue, now that I was
more than a month removed from my heavily-researched (yet
last-minute) decision to go with a used G4 PowerBook instead of a
shiny new eMac. I actually had to pause for a moment to recall the
fact that at the time I made the decision, I wasn't more than about
51 percent sure that I was doing the right thing. It's ironic,
because at this point, there's just no question that I did the
right thing for myself, and in hindsight I'm amazed that I was ever
even on the fence in the first place. And if there was even the
slightest bit of doubt remaining in my mind at all, the
circumstances of this past week have all but erased it....
"Few technology-related answers are more annoying than 'it
depends on what you're going to use it for,' but it's the answer
that I invariably give to people when they ask me whether they
should buy a laptop or a desktop, whether an iPod is worth its
price, or whether they should invest in a SuperDrive. With a
laptop, it comes down to two factors: how often you're going to
travel with it outside of your home, and how often you're going to
want to use it in locations within your home other than your desk.
It's not an easy prediction to make if you've never had a laptop
before, because in-house mobility is one of those things that you
can certainly live without until you finally have it, at which
point you'll either just shrug at it or find that you can no longer
live without it at all...."
For my take on this issue, see Desktops
Aren't Going Away, But 'Books Are Still the Logical Mac on
Applelinks.
PowerBook G4 Takes Design Award
Macworld UK's
Jonny Evans reports:
"Apple took a prestigious Silver Award from the D&AD (Design
and Art Direction) last night for its PowerBook G4.
"The product took a Silver (affectionately known as a 'Yellow
Pencil') in the Products for Work or Industry sub-group of the
Product Design category."
Redmac.ca, a New Canadian Mac Gear
Outlet
Redmac offers a hand-picked
& careful selection of items that represent one or more of the
following attributes:
- The best product.
- The fastest product.
- The best value product.
Need RAM? You have a Mac, you need RAM, you live in Canada?
Redmac's RAM Wizard is here.
Simply choose the amount of RAM you'd like, indicate your model
and current amount of RAM, and Redmac will handle the rest.
- PowerMac G4 256 MB RAM - starting at $89
- PowerMac G4 512 MB RAM - starting at $139
- PowerBook G4 256 MB RAM - starting at $99
- PowerBook G4 512 MB RAM - starting at $199
The Redmac.ca product offering is not built from a spreadsheet.
If there is an item that you need that they don't have, they would
be more than pleased to research and locate a product that meets
you needs (even if they can't sell it to you!) If there is a
product that you think others should know about, we would also
appreciate the feedback! The Macintosh community, especially in
Canada, has been built on the sharing of information and
recommendations. Continue that tradition.
Notebook Makers Want Space in Your Living
Room
The Register's Tony
Smith reports from Computex, Taipei:
"The notebook, not the desktop, could become the ideal living
room PC form-factor if a number of new high-end machines from Asus,
Acer and Elitegroup prove to be market leaders.
"All three used Computex Taipei this week to demonstrate
large-screen, slimline notebooks that are not only styled like
consumer electronics hi-fi product - all aluminium, silver paint
and black plastic - but are designed to operate as standalone music
and video players.
"Each machine - Elitegroup's G900, the Asus W1N and Acer's
upcoming Aspire 1800 - features a dedicated control panel for
playing and pausing discs, skipping backward and forward between
different tracks, controlling the volume and so on.
"Crucially, each machine's panel operates with the lid closed
and without having to boot the computer up first."
Asus' W1N is perhaps the most living-room friendly of the lot,
with its own TV tuner, TiVo-like functionality, remote control....
and an LCM display on the front of the machine to provide track and
TV channel information....
"With its aluminium shell and low-slung screen-hinge, the W1N is
decidedly reminiscent of Apple's 15in PowerBook G5, though there's
no slot-loading optical drive, alas, just a plain old
drawer-mechanism job."
LaCie and Roxio Team Up to Deliver First Mac
Double-Layer DVD Solution
Roxio, Inc. and LaCie have
announced the first comprehensive double-layer burning solution for
the Mac platform. Effective immediately, Roxio's award winning
software, Toast 6 Titanium, will begin shipping with LaCie's new DL
DVD+/-RW drive.
The LaCie DL DVD+/-RW drive combined with the new DVD+R Double
Layer capabilities of Toast 6 Titanium will enable Mac users to
burn nearly twice the amount of personal data (from 4.7 GB to 8.5
GB), or record more than three hours of MPEG-2 (DVD quality) video
content on a single DVD +R DL disc. In addition to double layer
recording capabilities, the new drive will support both DVD-RW and
DVD+RW formats at 4x speed, as well as CD-R and CD-RW formats.
"LaCie's decision to offer Toast 6 Titanium with their new DL
DVD+/-RW drive targeted at the professional and business market is
a true testament to the product's technical depth and powerful
feature set," said Dave Cornella, Director of OEM Business, Roxio.
"We are extremely pleased to be partnering with a company that
shares our commitment to product innovation and technical
excellence."
With the LaCie DL DVD+/-RW drive and Toast 6 Titanium, Macintosh
video professionals will have the power and flexibility to create
full-length productions without using complicated and expensive DLT
(digital linear tape). Additionally, all users will benefit from
the ability to back up personal DVDs without having to first
compress the dual layer into a single layer, a step which requires
additional software and sacrifices video and audio quality.
Toast 6 Titanium includes the following powerful Double Layer
capabilities:
- Data format: backup and create data discs with up to 8.5 GB of
data on a single DL DVD disc
- Copy format: create one-click copies of non-encrypted
dual-layer DVD movies
- Video format: author DVDs with more than three hours of
video
"We fully recognize, as our customers do, that Toast is the
standard for CD and DVD burning on the Mac and a brand synonymous
with high quality and value," said Salem Tirane, Optical Drive
Product Manager, LaCie. "The inclusion of the full, rich
capabilities of Toast 6 Titanium with our premier drive ensures our
customers' double layer recording experience is uncompromised and
rewarding."
The LaCie DL DVD+/-RW Drive bundled with Toast 6 Titanium will
be available in June 2004 through authorized resellers, specialty
stores and mail order partners with prices beginning at $249.
SimpleSpeaker
for iPod
Madsonline's
SimpleSpeaker is a very small and light stereo loudspeaker which
works without batteries. It can be connected directly with the
headphone jack of your iPod without using any audio cable.
The foldable design of SimpleSpeaker allows it to use the iPod
both in horizontal and vertical position.
The SimpleSpeaker packs and travels easily and enables to use
the iPod even as a travel alarm clock.
SimpleSpeaker for iPod sells for$14.95.
Think Different Store Shipping iTalk Voice
Recorder for iPod
The Think Different Store has in-stock the iTalk
Voice Recorder for iPod. The iTalk retails for $40.00 and is on
sale till June 8th for $37.75. This stylish matching accessory
snaps directly on top of the iPod and turns it into a fully
functional voice recorder and playback device. In addition to it's
superior built in microphone and internal speaker; the iTalk has a
connector that supports both headphone monitoring and the use of an
external microphone.
With iTalk connected to an iPod, users can
record literally thousands of hours of seminars, meetings, classes,
and other events up to 100 feet away. Its built in microphone was
designed to record crystal clear audio and provides Automatic Gain
Control that assures the best possible signal level. For even
higher quality recordings users can connect an external microphone
directly to iTalk via a mini-jack connection on top of the
unit.
The iTalk can play back recordings through its very capable
integrated speaker. In fact, it is loud enough to be clearly heard
across an office or in a car - making it a great solution for
listening to audio books or sharing the playback of an event. But
iTalk also includes a pass-through headphone jack that allows
monitoring of voice recording, or simply to listen to music without
having to remove iTalk from the iPod. Users can also download
recordings to their computer for playback or archiving.
Matias Announces First Aluminum Hard Case for
iPod mini
With looks to match
Apple's wildly successful iPod mini, Matias has announced its
newest iPod Armor aluminum hard case, the iPod Armor
mini.
The new case features a rugged and stylish aluminum shell, hard
ABS window, docking port access, and iTrip compatibility.
"Based on our original iPod Armor design, iPod Armor mini offers
the best protection available for your iPod mini," said Vesna
Vojnic, Marketing Manager for Matias. "With the new display window
and the addition of iTrip compatibility, the new mini case is even
better than the original. It's even better looking."
The iPod Armor mini case comes bundled with the Armor Clip belt
clip, and retails for $49.95.
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.
- new 15" aluminum PowerBook G4/1.25
GHz, 512/80/SuperDrive, built-in AirPort. Also includes:
MacCase Briefcase 15in Pure Silver and a Macally Screen Protector,
$2,375
- new 14" iBook G4/1 GHz,
256/60/Combo. Also Includes iSight Audio Video for iChat/MacMice
iFlex Portable Flexible iSight Holder, iSkin ProTouch PB Arctic
White Keyboard protection, $1,535
Purchase with a one year extended warranty for $70 extra.
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals,
Best iBook G4 Deals, and Best iBook G3 Deals.
