Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2004.06.11
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.
12" PowerBook: Small Is Beautiful
The Sydney Morning Herald's
Garry Barker says:
"Ah, the frailties of man. Here I am, in wedded bliss with my
15-inch PowerBook, roses in the garden and bluebirds in the thatch
(please, do not ask about the bats), and along comes her little
sister to tempt me....
"For the past week I have had as constant companion one of the
new 12-inch PowerBooks and, although I am not about to change my
view that the 15-inch machine is the best notebook I have ever
used, this newcomer has powerful attractions.
"It is the neatness of it that is so attractive. Among Wintel
notebooks several, such as Sony's Vaio, are slim and pretty, but
their compactness often means lack of optical drives, and few can
match the little PowerBook's features and power...."
The New 15" PowerBook: A Laptop for All?
Computerworld's
Ken Mingis says:
For the past two weeks or so, I've had my hands on the latest
incarnation of Apple Computer Inc.'s midrange, bread-and-butter
PowerBook, the new 15-in. model unveiled in mid-April. And with
this version of its sleek aluminum laptops, Apple has really hit
its stride....
I do have a minor quibble with the LCD screens Apple uses. To be
blunt: I want a higher-resolution screen.... Don't get me wrong.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the current resolution; it
certainly wouldn't stop me if I were eyeing a new PowerBook.
"But given the higher resolutions offered on the PC laptop side
(some of them too high, in my book), I'd like to see Apple offer
more choice in its LCD screens.
"Under the assumption that we'll be seeing G4 chips in
PowerBooks for the foreseeable future, I hope that Apple will view
new screens as a smart way to goose sales when it updates its
PowerBooks down the road.
Mac Attack: PowerBook Performs with the
Best
Government Computer News'
Carlos A. Soto says:
"Because benchmark results from the Mac OS version of the GCN
Lab's Alterion Corp. benchmark software differ slightly from those
of the PC version, directly comparing the PowerBook G4 with the
other notebooks in this review would literally be a case of Apples
and oranges.
"But after a month's use, I can say that the 1.5 GHz PowerBook
with 512M of RAM and 80G hard drive multitasks on complex
applications as easily as the IBM ThinkPad T42 or the Dell
Latitude."
First Aftermath Report on Overclocking with
iCook
We first covered this overclocking utility last week. Now hardmac.com's Lionel
reports:
"We finally got enough feedback to sum up what to expect by
overclocking with iCook.
"Everybody but one person seem to be able to gain at least 50
MHz, and one third of the testers have successfully pushed up to
100 MHz.
"A lot of 900 MHz iBooks can reach 1 GHz."
iCook only works
only with PPC 750 FX equipped iBooks.
The iBook's Dirty Little Secret
Eric
Schwarz says:
"I've been a Mac user for years, always buying used Macs for
tinkering and doing work with. When I went off to school, I decided
that it was time I got a new Mac.... This was a little more than 2
years ago. My two choices were the iBook and Titanium PowerBook. I
decided to go with the iBook, due to the the PowerBook's fragility
and higher price....
"After about 6 months, my iBook started acting up. Files would
disappear off of the hard drive, and then minutes later, the
machine would freeze. Rebooting was impossible, as the hard drive
appeared corrupt.... Shipping it off to Apple resulted in a new
motherboard and hard drive.
"Two months later the same thing happened. The motherboard was
again replaced and this time my iBook behaved....
"On 19 April, my iBook started behaving strangely when I closed
the lid to put it to sleep... When the lid was positioned at a
certain angle, the backlight would shut off (anywhere in the 110-80
degree range), but the picture would remain on the screen. Later
that day, the backlight stopped working completely.
" Since my machine was out of warranty, Apple wanted to replace
the entire screen and everything associated, adding up to quite a
bit of money....
"After putting the iBook on the back burner for awhile,... I
stumbled upon an Apple Discussion Board thread about this problem,
and many were able to get the specific part for a mere $20 from
Small Dog Electronics. I figured that I would give it a try and
that in the worst-case, I'd be out $20. Apple Part #922-5017 was
sent to me and I received it yesterday.
"...sure enough, the inverter cable/reed switch component had 3
wire broken.... I now have a perfectly working iBook again...."
Book of Fire: My PowerBook G4 is Going to
Ignite
PowerPage's
Jason D. O'Grady says:
"Have you ever pulled you PowerBook out of your bag only to
discover that it is hotter than a broiler oven? This has been
happening to me with more and more frequency of late with my
PowerBook G4 15-inch 1.25 GHz (Mac
OS 10.3.3 and recently 10.3.4).
"...I removed my 'Book from my bag to discover that it was so
hot, I was worried that the plastic on the LCD was going to
melt....
"The most recent appearance of my Book of Fire was with no
screen saver running and the machine completely asleep: I took it
out of my bag to find its ambient temperature at around 120
degrees.... "
Linux Car MP3 Player Made from Lombard
PowerBook
geekculture.com
reports:
"Just today I finally ironed out all of the bugs (I hope) in the
software, and also in the hardware. I'm just waiting for my remote
control to come from Newegg.com
.
"Here's how it works: PowerBook G3
Lombard: Boots Debian-linux woody with my own custom kernel
(powered off of cig adapter). LCDProc drives the screen (usb). I
built a sheet metal + electrical tape case for the screen, and also
put on a little power button. Once it boots, it auto-logs in and
starts a set of perl scripts called CAJUN (Car Audio JUkebox
Network or something like that). For now it uses keyboard input to
control it, and it works quite nicely creating playlists and moving
through them, etc...."
Paul Thurrott Gets a 12" PowerBook
Internet Nexus'
Paul Thurrott says:
"So I finally purchased the PowerBook last night, at the Apple
Store in Chestnut Hill. Overall, it was a middling affair: The
Chestnut Hill store is kind of crummy, and the people there were
alternatively irritating (trying to get me to purchase every add-on
on the planet) and idiotic (warning me not to touch the PowerBook's
box or open it at one point). Guys, I'm spending $2000 here. Maybe
you could treat me slightly better than crap. Also, they didn't
have the extra battery in stock (despite promising me that they did
when I had called before going to the store); I'll just grab one
the next time I'm out and near a CompUSA or Apple Store. Overall,
the store experience was lousy....
As for the PowerBook itself.... so far so good.... it's
interesting (for me, anyway) to compare the size of this thing to
my previous Mac portable, an aging 500 MHz iBook...
"Overall, I'm happy with the purchase, though I'll want to do
some performance comparisons to see where this machine falls within
the range of portables I've got here for review currently... I'm
hoping its also a bit snappier than the 1 GHz iMac it's
replacing."
Lapvantage Laptop Stand Raises Ergonomics to a
New Height
The Plasticsmith, Inc. has announced the release of its newest
Lapvantage laptop stand -
now at a lower price and with more options for the notebook user.
It features height adjustability to position the laptop's screen at
eye level, allowing users to work ergonomically without the eye,
neck, back, and wrist strain usually associated with notebook
computers.
The CDC recommends against using laptops as primary computers
unless they are used in a way consistent with neutral posture.
Lapvantage can help make your laptop compliant with CDC's ergonomic
guidelines at a fraction of the cost of docking stations and
external monitors.
Macworld's Mac Beat writes that Lapvantage lets "laptop users
work in style as well as comfort." PC Magazine includes it in their
High-Tech Holiday Gift Guide as one of their picks of "Gadgets for
Grown-ups." MacOpinion's Road
Warrior gives Lapvantage its highest rating.
Now introducing a grey model to the line of already popular
black and white models gives users one more color choice,
specifically designed to complement Apple's line of laptops, each
stand at the attractive price of $59.95, a 25% savings from the
original price. Silicone feet are included to raise the laptop to
keep it running cool, and now cord clips are included to reduce
cord clutter.
As more and more people are replacing their desktop computers
with laptops, Lapvantage creates the ideal design to improve
ergonomics and flexibility in height adjustment and swivel-ability.
Its small footprint saves valuable desk space and allows for an
external keyboard and mouse more suitable for comfort to be tucked
under the platform.
A new clear plastic slip-on shelf that sells for $12.95 is now
available to support a USB hub or docking station. With docking
solutions like Kensington's PocketHub USB 2.0 or a Kensington
Portable Universal Docking Station, also sold by The Plasticsmith,
Lapvantage helps turn notebooks into full-fledge
desktop-replacements.
Find out more about the ergonomic benefits of Lapvantage as well
as complete product description on The Plasticsmith's website
iSkin ProTouch PB Laptop Keyboard
Protector
Under your iBook or PowerBook G4's keyboard lie all the important
electronics that make it tick. If anything foreign gets in between
your keys, it can pose a serious threat to your computer's health.
If you love your iBook or PowerBook, you will want to protect it
against the everyday hazards caused by spills, dirt, food crumbs,
and other unwanted elements that may get on and in between the
keys. It also prevents the keyboard's keys from general wear and
tear caused by everyday use.
The ProTouch
PB is designed to cover each key of the keyboard and create a
non-slipping protective layer that allows you to type normally and
comfortably. Since it's made of durable, flexible silicone, it's
soft to the touch and dampens the sound of the keystrokes - handy
when in quiet zones like libraries, meetings or classrooms.
When washed regularly or removed before closing, the iSkin
keyboard protector eliminates screen staining by reducing the
occurrence of finger oils and dirt particles being transferred to
the iBook/ PowerBook screen.
The ProTouch PB Keyboard Protector is available in two
transparent skin tones: Arctic (frosted clear) and Sonic (electric
blue). Skin Tones add a splash of subtle color to the keyboard.
The new ProTouch PB is offered through the iSkin Tattoo service
with custom logos, web site addresses and corporate messages
printed on the spacebar.
Designed to fit all Apple iBooks, PowerBook G3, and PowerBook G4
. North American (ANSI) and International (ISO) keyboard
compatible.
Price: $19.99
DeskMac Reintroduces Older MacMice
Products
MacMice, Inc. has announced that many of the company's
previously discontinued acrylic products are again available to
customers.
A new website at has been
launched to display and accept orders for several popular clear
acrylic products that were discontinued over the past year by
MacMice because of too-high production costs. At the persistent
request of customers, the company has put these products back into
limited production. Included in the reissue are the SightClip,
iPerch, iBracket, iScoot, IceMate, and PodPerch. All are in stock
today for immediate shipment.
AluICE 400 GB - Largest Capacity
FireWire & FireWire 800 Hard Drive
MacWay, the French leader
in innovative storage solution for 13 years, has introduced what it
claims is the largest capacity FireWire & FireWire 800 Hard
drive ever made: the AluICE 400 GB.
Featuring an industry first 400 GB single
drive capacity, the AluICE 400 GB offers a whopping 60% more
storage space than the biggest competing product, revolutionizing
digital-media storage experience.
To deal with such a volume of data, speed is the key, and so the
AluICE 400 GB was built for speed : it combines Hitachi's latest
and greatest Deskstar 7k400 7200 rpm 8 MB buffer 400 GB hard
drive, with the fastest FireWire and FireWire 800 chipsets,
yielding the best speed ever.
With its FireWire or FireWire 800 & USB 2 Combo interfaces
and its compact design, the AluICE 400 GB allows very quick and
easy sharing of this staggering storage capacity that's worth more
than 84 DVDs, 45 hours of HDTV broadcast or 100,000 high-quality
MP3 recordings.
But this breakthrough isn't the only one; the AluICE 400 GB is
based on MacWay's brand new external hard drive "AluICE" lineup
entirely made of plain Aluminum.
This new design matching Apple G5's style, shares the innards of
the unanimously press raved "ICE" FireWire hard drives and inherits
all the qualities that made those the most awarded external Hard
drives ever, by the French press.
Hence, The AluICE 400 GB, available both in FireWire or in
FireWire 800 & USB 2 Combo version, features the technical
specifications of the best external hard drive to date :
Features:
- Fastest FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 chipset (Oxford 911 and
Oxford 922)
- Fastest 7200 rpm hard drive mechanics: Hitachi's brand new
Deskstar 7K400 400 GB 7200 rpm
- 8 MB Buffer (for AluICE 400 GB)
- Up to 35 /s in FireWire 400, or up to 60 /S in FireWire 800
mode throughputs
- Silent, stylish, and practical design
- Totally silent fanless design allowed by an advanced passive
cooling.
- Thick (1.8 mm), high quality, plain Aluminum material.
- Vertical design allowing a very small desk footprint
Connectivity
- FireWire 400 version: 2 FireWire 400 standard 6 pins connectors
allowing daisy chaining
- Combo FireWire 800 & USB 2 version featuring triple
interface solution: 2 FireWire 800 standard 9 pins connectors
allowing high speed daisy chaining, one FireWire 400 standard 6
pins connector for direct compatibility with legacy computers, one
USB 2.0/1.1 connector.
All cables included: 3 cables for FireWire 800 & USB 2 Combo
version (one 9-9 pins FW 800 cable, one 6-6 pins FW 400 cable and
one USB 2.0/1.1 cable)
Perfect plug & play compatibility
- Mac OS 8.6 to Mac OS X.3 or better compatible
- Bootable on Macs
- Windows 98SE/Me/XP/2000 PC compatible
Bundled software for backup and cross platform use
- Intego Personal Backup X. 3 (Mac OS): Intego's flagship backup
software allows backups automation, bootable cloning and more
- Mediafour MacDrive 5.0 (Windows): Allows Mac formatted hard
drives to mount directly on the PC's desktop for an easy data
sharing between Mac and PC
The new AluICE lineup is available in two interface
versions:
- FireWire 400 only interface or triple FireWire 400
- FireWire 800, USB 2 interface.
Available in the following capacities: 80 GB 7200 rpm, 120 GB
7200 rpm, 160 GB 7200 rpm (8 MB buffer), 250 GB 7200 rpm
(8 MB buffer), and 400 GB 7200 rpm (8 MB buffer).
Prices range are from 119€ to 499€ without taxes
(142€ to 597€ including taxes).
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.
- open box refurb 12" PowerBook
G4/867, 256/40/SuperDrive, $1,149
- 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/60/Combo, free USB watch (after rebate) plus Power Max $25
rebate, $1,299
- 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/80/Combo Drive, free USB watch (after rebate) plus Power Max $25
rebate, $1,319
- 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/Combo, free USB watch (after rebate), $1,329
new discontinued inventory
- new 14" iBook G4/1 GHz,
256/60/Combo, $1,199
- new 12" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/SuperDrive, $1,499
- new 15" aluminum PowerBook G4/1
GHz, 256/60/Combo, $1,799
- new 17" PowerBook G4/1.33 GHz,
512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $2,599
- 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.
