Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2002.01.18
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.
DIY Screen Protectors
Reader Jeffrey Harris writes in response to last week's item about 'Book screen protectors:
- Charles,
I made leather screen protectors for our PowerBooks by going to a
leather shop and buying a nice soft burgundy colored scraps. Enough
for 5 laptops cost me less than US$5. I cut them out with scissors
in 10 minutes.
To buy the same thing from Other World computing would have been
nearly $100 counting shipping and would have taken a week to
get.
You might want to pass this on to other Low End Mac readers.
Cheers
Prof. Jeffrey Harris
Thanks for the tip, Jeffrey.
MyView USB Video Output Supports Rev. A
iBooks
MyView is a new concept in video mirroring - a device that
allows you to display your Macintosh desktop on a 
standard TV, NTSC or PAL monitor, or video projector
without the need for a VGA connector and video scan converter.
MyView mirrors your active 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 desktop sending
the digital stream over the USB bus, where it is encoded to NTSC or
PAL video for external display and/or recording.
Features
- Display any 640 x 480 and 800 x 600 Macintosh desktop on a TV
or projector, or output to VCR for recording
- iMac and iBook compatible - does not use a VGA connector
- Eskape EchoView: for video mirroring
- Eskape VideoView: for full frame rate QuickTime movie
output
- Support for both NTSC & PAL video formats
- Bus powered - no separate power supply required
- USB plug and play - setup in 5 minutes or less without opening
your computer
- High quality flicker filter
- Support for both overscan and underscan output
- S-video & composite video connections
Tech specs
- System (bus) powered external USB device
- Video format support - NTSC & PAL
- Video output: Composite video and S-video
- Resolution support - 640 x 480 and 800 x 600
- Video frame rate: VideoView @ full frame rate; EchoView @ 5-15
fps (system dependent)
- USB v1.1 compliant
- Plug & Play
- FCC Class B and CE compliant
- Dimensions: 4" x 3" x 1.25"
- Weight: 6 oz
- Three-year limited warranty
System requirements
- G3 processor (or higher)
- Apple® factory USB
- Mac OS 8.5.1 or higher
- QuickTime 4.0 or higher
- Available high powered USB port
- iMac, iBook, PowerBook (with built in USB), Blue G3s, and all
G4 Macs
- Available USB port (powered if Hub)
- NTSC or PAL video output device (projector, TV, monitor, VCR
etc.)
Comes with
- MyView device
- 1 meter A/B USB cable
- Composite video cable
- Drivers & hardware setup guide
- Bundled software: EchoView™ Control Strip software,
VideoView™ video out software and QuickTime 4.x
Great Deal on FireWire PC Card Adapter from
OWC
Other World Computing offers the Newer Technology
FireWire2Go PCMCIA FireWire Card for Mac & PC with a 180 Day
OWC Warranty for $39.99.
Back Office Computer Case/Backpack/Portable
Office
The clever design of the unique Back
Office computer 
carrying case allows you
to convert it in seconds from a comfortable, padded backpack to a
single shoulder strap vertical briefcase. The pack opens to create
a functional, well organized portable office, for use on your lap
or on any desk top. The new configuration of this case also
provides quick and easy access to the computer when traveling
through security at airports without the need to open the entire
pack.
- 1000 denier urethane coated ballistics nylon
- 1000 lb. test military spec webbing
- non-slip gripdeck which also provides a thermal barrier between
the laptop and user
- shock absorbing EVA foam
- molded rubber handle
- military spec hardware
- all seams are edge bound
- all stress points are reinforced for increased strength
- will accommodate most large screen computers including the
G4
- 2.5 lbs.
- $149.95 + shipping
Gefen Introduces Easy ADC Converter for
non-ADC Macs (but It's not Cheap)
Want to connect a Cinema Display to your PowerBook? Disgruntled
that Apple makes products that can't connect to each other? Gefen
has a solution with their $400
ex·tend·it VGA to ADC Conversion
Box.
At Macworld 2002, Gefen unveiled its latest
ex·tend·it invention on the showroom floor: the
ex·tend·it VGA to ADC Conversion Box. With the VGA to
ADC Conversion Box, Apple's line of digital flat panel Cinema
Displays may be plugged into older Macintosh computers with analog
VGA monitor connectors, including PowerBook computers.
The ex·tend·it VGA to ADC Conversion Box connects
traditional analog video cards to ADC compliant LCD digital
monitors. The VGA to ADC Conversion Box, enables users to connect
laptops or other legacy computers that are equipped with HD-15
video connections only. The device has the DVI to ADC Conversion
Box built in. The VGA to ADC Conversion Box also enables Apple
PowerBook and iBook users to connect their laptop to the new family
of Apple's flat panel displays.
Since their introduction, Apple's Cinema Displays have only been
able to connect to Macintosh computers with ADC connectors, which
have just recently become available. If a user wanted to plug a
Cinema Display into an older Macintosh, it would not have been
possible. In response, Gefen produced a solution to the problem:
the original ex·tend·it DVI to ADC Conversion Box,
which debuted at Macworld San Francisco in 2001 and enables an
older Macintosh computer to connect to the digital Cinema Display
provided the computer has a graphic card with DVI connector. The
DVI connector is either built-in to the computer or may be inserted
via an additional PCI graphics card.
With the VGA to ADC Conversion Box, Gefen has gone one step
further. Now, Macintosh users can connect a Cinema Display to a
legacy computer equipped with analog VGA connectors. The VGA to ADC
Conversion Box is a simple to implement solution that installs in
minutes. An Apple Cinema Display is plugged into the ADC output on
the Conversion Box; the computer's VGA cable is plugged into the
input on the Conversion Box. Once connected and powered, the
Conversion Box converts the signal within the box from VGA to ADC.
During this transition, pixel representation remains fully intact
with no visible difference in appearance and no loss of image
quality. In fact, the Conversion Box supports three distinct
resolution settings modeled after the three Apple flat panel
displays. Simply connect the supplied VGA (M-F) cable to the input
side of the VGA to ADC Conversion Box. Three different resolution
settings are supported including 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, and
1600x1024.
Like others in the ex·tend·it line, the VGA to ADC
Conversion Box is designed to help computer users bridge the gap
between their old and new computer systems. Conversely, there's an
ex·tend·it solution for those users who wish to
connect a new Macintosh computer to an analog VGA monitor. Gefen's
ex·tend·it DVI to VGA Conversion Box works in
reverse, enabling users to plug an older VGA monitor into a newer
Macintosh computer equipped with a ADC digital connector. It
converts digital signals to analog in an external Box that comes
equipped with its own power supply and cables.
Gefen's ex·tend·it Conversion Box solutions are
currently the only ones on the market in which the transition takes
place externally. "Any Macintosh computer with the old VGA hookup -
even those without a digital graphics card - can now connect to a
digital Apple Cinema Display," explained Hagai Gefen, President,
Gefen Inc. "Plus, it's an external solution with everything taking
place inside the Box, so the solution and the conversions do not
tax the computer's busy processors."
The VGA to ADC Conversion Box for connecting a legacy computer
to an Apple Cinema Display retails for $399. The DVI to ADC
Conversion Box for connecting a DVI-compliant computer to an Apple
Cinema Display is available to order and is currently priced at
$199. The DVI to VGA Conversion Box for connecting a newer
Macintosh computer to an older VGA monitor is currently available
to order and is priced at $399.. Interested parties may order
online at Gefen.com
or through one of Gefen's international dealers.
XtremeMac Deluxe iPod Case And Accessories
Set
Encase your iPod in style and safety with
XtremeMac's Deluxe iPod Case and Earbud Pouch. Choose from
a multitude of colors and materials. Recharge your iPod on the road
with the XtremeMac Premium iPod Car Charger. With the complete iPod
Clip Set, you can securely carry your iPod anywhere.
Set includes:
- Deluxe iPod Case
- Clip-on Earbud Pouch
- Xtra-Secure Belt Clip Deluxe iPod Case
- Clip-on Earbud Pouch
- Xtra-Secure Belt Clip
- Swivel Mount
- Flexible Auto Mount
- Full-Featured Neck Lanyard Deluxe iPod Case
- Clip-on Earbud Pouch
- Xtra-Secure Belt Clip
- Swivel Mount
- Flexible Auto Mount
- Full-Featured Neck Lanyard
- Premium iPod Car Charger
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.
Best price I've seen on a 300 MHz WallStreet!
- PowerBook G4/400, 128/10 GB/DVD,
new, $1,569
- PowerBook G4/400, 128/10 GB/DVD,
refurbished, $1,529
- iBook G3/500, 128/10 GB/Combo,
new, $1,279
- iBook G3/500, 128/10 GB/CD-RW,
refurbished, $1,199
- PowerBook G4/500, 256/20 GB/DVD,
factory refurbished, 1 year warranty, $1,849
- PowerBook G4/400, 128/10 GB/DVD,
new, $1,689
- PowerBook G4/400, 128/10 GB/DVD,
$1,669
