Low End Mac Archive for July 28

July 28 in Low End Mac History

Sonnet Tempo Ultra ATA66 Macintosh PCI Host Adapter, Dan Knight. At US$99, the most economical way to put IDE support in a PCI Power Mac - and it's fast.

Laptop Laidback computer stand, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. When you don't have a desk or table to work at, the Laptop Laidback could be your perfect solution.

Microsoft Office 2004 for Macs does more than just match the Windows version, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has given Office 2004 users useful features unavailable on any Windows version of Microsoft office.
Which older Macs make the most sense? And why you want an OS 9 machine, Jason Walsh, The Low End Designer. Which older desktop models and 'Books make sense in a design shop - and why you may want to have both OS 9 and OS X up and running.

Christian discipleship, cultural warfare, teen suicide, and genocide, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Readers discuss religion vs. discipleship, dangers of the culture war, the hard road to Christ, the pain of teen suicide, and the powers behind genocide.
Developer systems impress, expanding the Mac base, vague transition plans, first Intel 45nm fab, and more, The Macintel Report. Resellers unsure about Intel transition, why Apple chose Intel over IBM, tomorrow's CPUs, and more.
'Adult' podcast problems, iPod history, iPod alarm clock, musical hallucinations, and more, iPod News Review. Also death of the album, fight hunger in Niger, picking the right iPod, new replacement batteries, Radio Days announces song titles, and more.

A $25 iMac! It's a steal, but what to do with it?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. A $25 iMac (less mouse and keyboard) from the local thrift shop was a great find, but what would be the best way to put it to use?
Apple 'Books now 12% of market, MacBook Pro's 'daft power supply', pimp your MacBook, and more, The 'Book Review. Also more Americans taking laptops to work on vacation, updates on MacBook noise and discoloration, dozens of burned Dell laptops, bargain 'Books from $335 to $1,799, and more.
Is 512 MB enough?, Macs gain share in business, wireless Mighty Mouse, Toast adds Blu-ray support, and more, Mac News Review. Also OWC's FireWire 400 & 800/USB 2.0/eSATA drives, miniXpress 160 GB drive, Jeep flash drives, SteerMouse supports up to 8 buttons plus vertical and horizontal scrolling, and miniStat2 system monitor.

Macs are where I want to be, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum. From his first exposure to the Mac in 2001, Simon Royal has been hooked by the 'better alternative' to Windows.
Bumps in the road for G3 Macs, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing. MobileMe wouldn't sync with the Pismo, and Skype's software refused to install, but both problems were solved.
Free mEdit text editor excels at handling and combining multiple documents, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Most word processors are designed for office work and short documents. mEdit is designed to work with multiple documents and multi-part documents.
Is Windows XP better than Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger'?, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age. Vista is a bust, and Leopard won't run on G3 Macs. How do legacy G3 and G4 Macs with Tiger compare with a fairly modern 2 GHz PC running Windows XP?

iPhone 3GS an even better computer, but not a better phone, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac. The lastest iPhone is faster, less expensive, and has a better camera, but "phone performance remains, at best, so-so".
Apple's tablet: The iTouch cometh, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. Apple's long rumored tablet is likely to have a 10" screen and run the iPhone OS rather than Mac OS X.

The 2010 Mac Pro value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. New and improved Intel CPUs including 12-core build-to-order options are tempting, but how much power do you really need?
The 2010 iMac value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. The 2010 iMacs have Intel Core 'i' CPUs, HyperThreading, and Radeon graphics across the board. But what about close-out prices on 2009 iMacs?

Death and rebirth of a Power Mac G4, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. One week ago, a power outage killed my production Power Mac. A week later, it's running again. The story behind it.
Pentax Optio E90 well built, takes great photos, and a real bargain, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. The Optio E90 is a great little snapshot camera with some very cool features - and it takes AA batteries, which you can always find.