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The 'Book Review

Compiled by and edited by - June 22, 2001

Except as noted, prices are in U.S. dollars, bold links are to outside sites, and regular links lead to 'Book profiles on Low End Mac.

• Full Grain Leather Screen Protector Fits 2001 iBooks
• 20 GB IBM Travelstar Hard Drive for $112.50
• PowerBook G4 and iBook Dual USB Memory Specs
• Wide-Ranging PowerBook Performance Specs Posted
• Pre-Owned Electronics Launches Refurbished Mac Auction Site
• Bargain 'Books

Full Grain Leather Screen Protector Fits 2001 iBooks

The new 500 MHz iBook doesn't have the problem of its keys fouling the display when it's closed, like the Lombard through TiBook PowerBooks do, but J.R. Hill & Company notes that their $12.49 Full Grain Leather Screen Protector fits the 2001 iBook perfectly - and any other laptop that has a keyboard of 11" x 5" or less. J.R. Hill can also do custom sizes and custom embossing, and the PowerBook and iBook Screen Protectors are newly available in black, blue, green and red. Washing instructions are included with the protector which comes with a lifetime warranty.

20 GB IBM Travelstar Hard Drive for $112.50

Sigh. I paid $159 for a 10 GB Toshiba hard drive for my WallStreet last November. Now The Computer Geeks Discount Outlet is offering the IBM Travelstar 20 GB ATA/66 2.5'' Notebook Hard Drive 9.5mm for only $112.50 . Includes a 1 year manufacturer's warranty.

This 20 GB IBM Travelstar 20GN 9.5mm height drive features a 4200 RPM spindle speed, an Average Access Time (Read) of 12.0ms, & a 2048 KB Buffer (Up to 173 KB out of 2048 KB used for firmware).

Features/Specifications:

• IBM Model: DJSA-220
• Capacity: 20 GB
• Spindle Speed: 4200 RPM
• Data Buffer: 2048 KB
• Average Access Time (Read): 12.0ms
• Latency (average): 7.1 ms
• Form Factor: 2.5''
• Height: 9.5mm
• Interface: ATA/66 ATA-5
• Drive Only

System requirements: Slot at least 9.5mm high (should work with all PowerBooks)

PowerBook G4 and iBook Dual USB Memory Specs.

The RAM upgrade notes on Apple's PowerBook support page cites acceptable RAM module specifications for the TiBook:

Small Outline-Dual Inline Memory Module (SO-DIMM) format

• 38.1 mm or 1.5 inch height or shorter
• 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, or 512 MB
• 144-pin
• PC-100 Type RAM

Note: SDRAM from earlier PowerBooks that meets these specifications can be used with your PowerBook.

The maximum amount of RAM you can install in your PowerBook is 1 GB, using 512 MB DIMMs in both the upper and lower RAM slots.

Specs for the iBook (Dual USB):

The new iBook's RAM expansion slot accommodates a standard SO-DIMM using SDRAM devices.

• This SO-DIMM can be in a size of 32, 64, 128, 256, or 512 MB.
• The RAM expansion slot can handle SO-DIMMs up to 1.25 inches in height.
• The SO-DIMM standard defines nominal heights of 1, 1.25, 1.5, or 2.0 inches.
• The new iBook therefore can use ONLY the 1.0 and 1.25 inch high SO-DIMMs.

Wide-Ranging PowerBook Performance Specs Posted

MacSpeedZone.com has posted benchmark performance results for PowerBooks ranging from the PowerBook 5300/117 to the PowerBook G4/500 Testing was done using ZoneBench 2000. The base machine for ZoneBench 2000 is a Blue & White G3/350 tower Macintosh, which receives a score of 100. We've come a long way from the 5300!

Pre-Owned Electronics Launches Refurbished Mac Auction Site

Pre-Owned Electronics, a provider of remanufactured Apple parts, as well as Macintosh computers and peripherals, has launched a new online auction site offering refurbished Macs plus displays. Current PowerBook listings are:

• PowerBook G3/500 MHz (Pismo)
• PowerBook 5300cs/100 MHz

Registration is free. A credit card info is required to bid.

Prices on older PowerBook's are beginning to drop in the wake of the new iBook introduction.

Overstock.com

• PowerBook 3400/200 16/1.3/6x/33.6/10Base-T ethernet, refurbished, two batteries, $495. Ground shipping is a paltry $3.95, and a 180-day house warranty is included
• PowerBook 5300cs, 100 MHz, two batteries, ethernet PC Card, $299

Small Dog Electronics

• iBook, blueberry, G3/300 64/6 GB/CD/56k, $929

The PowerBook Guy

• PowerBook 1400c/133, 16/750 MB/floppy $449.95
• PowerBook 1400cs/117, 12/500 MB/floppy $379.95

MacWorks

• PowerBook 1400cs/133, 32/1.3 GB/floppy, refurbished, house 90 day warranty, $399.99

DataTech Remarketing

• PowerBook 3400C/200 16/2 GB/CD/33.6, $599 with 180 day guarantee.

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Links for the Day

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