Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2002.06.07
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars.
MCE Technologies Announces Combo Drive Upgrade
for Early PowerBook G4s
MCE Technologies,
LLC, an Apple Developer, has announced an internal
CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive upgrade for the PowerBook G4 (Titanium) 400 MHz and 500 MHz
models. The MCE
PowerBook G4 Combo Drive 
upgrade
is designed to replace the original CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive that
shipped inside those PowerBooks. Customers may ship their
PowerBooks directly to MCE, or they may have the upgrade done at an
Authorized Upgrade Center. MCE began accepting PowerBooks for
upgrade on June 3.
"The MCE PowerBook G4 Combo Drive upgrade enables customers to
burn CDs and play DVDs on their PowerBook G4 without the added
weight and hassle of extra hardware and cables to drag around."
said Arnie Ramirez, President, MCE Technologies. "It also brings
them up to par with the currently shipping PowerBook G4 models
which ship standard with a Combo drive."
The MCE PowerBook G4 Combo Drive writes to CD-R media at 8x
speed, to CD-RW media at 8x speed, reads CD-ROM discs at 24x speed,
and reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x speed. The drive is bootable and is
compatible with both Mac OS 9 and OS X, as well as
Apple's iTunes, Disc Burner, and DVD Player software. The MCE
PowerBook G4 Combo Drive is also certified by Dantz Development as
compatible with Retrospect.
The MCE PowerBook G4 Combo Drive has a retail price of $299.
Customers may arrange for the upgrade via the Web or by calling MCE
Technologies directly. Turnaround time is expected to be one to two
business days. Repair and upgrade shops interested in becoming an
Authorized Upgrade Center for this product should contact us either
by phone or send an email to dealersales@mcetech.com
MCE Technologies, LLC designs and markets a wide range of Apple
Macintosh-related products and solutions to distributors, dealers,
and end users domestically and internationally. For additional
information contact MCE Technologies, LLC, 30 Hughes, Suite 203,
Irvine, California, 92618; telephone (949) 458-0800, fax (949)
458-1803, or on the Internet.
Sonnet Lowers Prices On Crescendo/WS Processor
Upgrades for WallStreet PowerBooks
Sonnet's Crescendo/WS G3 500/1M processor
daughtercard upgrade has been reduced to $299.95 from $399.95.
The Crescendo/WS line of products is compatible with the
following models:
- PowerBook G3 Series 233
- PowerBook G3 Series 250
- PowerBook G3 Series 266
- PowerBook G3 Series 292
- PowerBook G3 Series 300
30 GB Fujitsu 2.5" IDE Hard Drives, $115
Wagener Media is offering brand new Fujitsu 2.5" IDE hard
drives for $115. ($7 extra international shipping 
charge added for Europe/Asia/Australia customers.)
They'll fit the following PowerBooks: 190, 5300, 1400,
3400, and G3
(Kanga), and all G3 Series (Pismo/FireWire, Lombard/Bronze, WallStreet, etc.).
Units are new and ready to install. They carry the full
manufacturer warranty.
These will also fit any PC laptop that accepts 12 mm drives.
They are fully ATA-5 compliant.
Model MHL2300AT
- Height 12.5 mm (0.49 in)
- Storage capacity (formatted):1 30.0 GB
- Disks 3
- Heads (read/write) 6
- Track capacity (formatted) 185,856 to 287,232 bytes
- Bytes/sectors 512
- Track per cylinder 6
- Cylinders: 19,936
- Sectors/track: 363 to 627
- Seek time
- Track to track: 1.5 ms typ.
- Average: 12 ms typ.
- Maximum: 22 ms typ.
- Average latency time: 7.14 ms
- Rotational speed: 4,200 rpm
HD-225 Translucent Blue USB 2.5" IDE Portable
External HDD Case
The HD-225 is a 2.5" external enclosure. When you upgrade your
notebook hard drive, it is suitable for 
you to install your old 2.5" HDD in to become
a portable 2.5" drive.
- USB to IDE 2.5" HDD case. It can be used with PC or Mac.
- Easy to install.
- Portable for your 2.5" HDD.
- Supports plug and Play.
Compatibility/Requirements
- HDD height must be 12.5 mm or less
- Compatible to PC Win98/SE/ME/2000 and Mac OS 8.6, 9.0, and
higher.
Package Includes
- Translucent Blue USB to IDE 2.5" Translucent Blue HDD
Enclosure
- 6 ft USB Cable
- User Manual
- Driver on CD
Price: $14
You can check it out at PC
Micro Store.
Edge Memory Upgrades for Titanium PowerBook G4
and eMac
Peripheral
Enhancements Corporation has announced that it now has in
production memory upgrades for the new 700 MHz eMac and 800 MHz PowerBook G4. Peripheral, a Premier
Apple Macintosh Developer, offers 128 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB
SO-DIMM Edge memory modules for the PowerBook G4, and 64 MB, 128
MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB 168-pin Edge memory modules for the
eMac.
"We continue to do our best as a manufacturer in staying ahead
of the curve by being able to offer memory upgrades tailored for
these new systems when they go to market. Memory upgrades,
especially for Mac users who run many graphic intensive programs,
are extremely important for optimum performance. We're pleased to
be able to offer high-quality upgrades for these new machines,"
stated Brian Sartorius, Vice President of Operations for Peripheral
Enhancements.
With speeds up to 800 MHz and 1 MB of L3 cache for an impressive
performance boost (a first in a notebook computer), the new
PowerBook G4 renders large digital files and digital video. With
its elegantly engineered slot-loading combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW),
the PowerBook G4 enables movie editing, DVD viewing, as well as CD
burning capabilities. Additionally, the PowerBook G4 promises top
performance, a wide workspace, and exceptional portability.
The new eMac was designed for educational use and was sold only
to schools, universities, teachers, and student until this past
Monday. Some of the benefits of the new eMac are G4 power, Mac
OS X reliability and productivity, and sophisticated design.
The eMac is also the most affordable of Apple's G4 systems.
USB2 CardBus Controller 2-Port USB 2.0
CardBus Host Controller
Simple to install and setup - adding USB 2.0 support to your
portable computer has never been easier. USB 2.0 offers transfer
speeds up to 480 Mbps (faster than FireWire, and 40 times faster
than USB 1.1), perfect for next generation of external high-speed
storage devices that's available on the market today.
The bundled Mac OS X driver enables hi-speed USB data transfer
for storage devices such as the FireXpress USB2 storage conversion
kits.
CompuCable's USB 2.0 CardBus Controller has the
ability to sustain a high-power (500 mA) USB 2.0 device, such as
bus-power USB hub, without external power input. The controller can
automatically detect the devices power consumption and enable 500
mA support on demand to the required port, and provides
over-current protection to protect your investment. Optional DC
input allows two high-power devices connected to the
controller.
The USB 2.0 CardBus host controller supports MacOS 8.6, 9.x and
OS X, and Windows 98 SE/ME/2000/XP and works with 3.3 Type II
PCMCIA.
Features:
- Add two USB 2.0 High-Speed ports to portable computers
- Low-Profile extended back design to eliminate dongles which is
prone to breakage and misplacement
- Supports hot-plug and swapping of USB devices
- Supplies High-Power (500 mA) to one bus-power USB device
without external power supply
- Over current protection
- Supports optional external DC power source
- Mac and Windows compatible, with unique Win98/Me hot-plug
utility
- Mac OS X USB 2.0 Driver included
FireXpress 250 USB2 Combo 2.5" FireWire + USB
2.0 External Hard Drive Conversion Kit
Looking for external Mass Data storage but not sure if you want
to go with USB for its popularity, or do you go with FireWire for
it's speed advantage? The
FireXpress 250 USB2 Combo is now faster than ever
with USB 2.0 support.
This external 2.5" ATA hard disk drive conversion kit provides
the USB 2.0 and FireWire interface to connect to both Mac and PC.
The data stored on the hard drive is fully accessible with either
interface, and do not require special partitions. With maximum
transfer rate of 400 Mb/s or higher on either of the Bus, you are
guaranteed superior performance with any system.
Whether you are extending the life of a current notebook drive,
or putting in a brand new high-capacity drive, FireXpress 250 USB2
Combo can provide you with blazing fast portable storage
.
The conversion kit includes a premium IEEE 1394 cable, USB
cable, driver software, FireCable - Universal FireWire power
adapter, and a vinyl pouch (large enough to hold the drive, cable
and driver/utility CD.)
FireXpress 250 USB2 Combo is also available preinstalled with
2.5" HDD.
Features:
- Provides IDE to FireWire and IDE to USB 2.0 conversion in one
kit
- Supports 2.5" Notebook size IDE hard drive (supports drive
height up to 12.5 mm, such as IBM TravelStar 60 GB)
- Supports IDE ATA100/66 protocol
- Transfer Rate: Up to 400 Mb/sec FireWire; 480 Mb/sec USB 2.0
(backward compatible with USB 1.0/1.1)
- Hot-swapping capability (Including between USB and
FireWire)
- Easy installation, no jumper or ID setting
- Dual LED: Indicate power and driver activities
- FireWire bus-power feature supported
- Bundled with FireCable system
- Milk-white casing with protective end caps
PowerBook G4 S-video to Composite Adapter
Fulfillment Program
Some new PowerBook G4 systems with an integrated DVI port may
not have the S-video to composite adapter included in the accessory
kit as stated in the product manual. If your PowerBook G4 did not
come with an S-video to composite adapter, use this Web
page to order a free replacement.
6 GB hard drives for all G3 Series PowerBooks are $29.97, while
4 GB drives for Pismo/Lombard only are $23.97.
Rob Art Morgan of Bare Feats has posted some PowerBook G4/800
and new PowerBook G4/667 performance
benchmarks. That G4 TiBook is one quick machine!
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.
Free Installation & Setup
- PowerBook G4/667, 512/30
GB/DVD/AirPort, Factory Refurbished, $2,149
- PowerBook G4/500, 256/20 GB/DVD,
Factory Refurbished, $1,888
- PowerBook G4/550, 256/20 GB/DVD,
Factory Refurbished, $1,949
- PowerBook G4/400, 128/10 GB/DVD,
Factory Refurbished, $1,649
- PowerBook G4/667, 256/30
GB/DVD/AirPort with MCE Transport Pro 40 GB Portable FireWire &
USB Hard Drive, factory refurbished, 90 day warranty, $2,439
- PowerBook 190cs, 8/500/10.4" Dual
Scan 256 color display, System 7.5, Refurbished, 90 day warranty,
$149.99
