When we published Flash Cards: A Solution for Low Memory Macs in June 2000, Maxwell Cabral suggested using CompactFlash (CF) for virtual memory. The scenario: Pop a CF card into a PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) adapter, plug that into the PC Card slot on your PowerBook, format it as a Mac volume, open the Memory control panel, and […]
New iBooks and PowerBooks, Combo drive upgrade for dual-USB iBooks, SkyLINE 802.11b WiFi PC Card, and more.
A bit more than six months after bumping the fastest TiBook from 667 MHz to 800 MHz, Apple once again updated the titanium workhorse with faster processors (867 MHz and 1 GHz) and ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics (with 32 MB of video memory on the slower model, 64 MB on the faster).
The November 2002 14″ iBook runs at 800 MHz, 100 MHz faster than its predecessor. The new Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics offers improved video performance and has 32 MB of video memory, twice as much as the previous 14-incher.
Apple improved the popular iBook by boosting CPU speeds another 100 MHz. The entry-level 700 MHz model has a CD-ROM drive, while the 800 MHz one includes Apple’s Combo (CD-RW/DVD) drive. The new iceBooks use ATI’s Mobility Radeon 7500 with 16 MB or 32 MB of VRAM.
2002: I always find spin amusing. Microsoft’s victory last week sends pretty clear messages that are being spun every which way. The following is a list of messages I gleaned from the ruling.
Of all of the Triassic Macs, the Mac Plus has the most sentimental value among the Low End Mac community. For many 1980s computer users, it was the first Mac they ever owned. For others, it was the first device they used as a replacement for the venerable typewriter.
Not even two years old yet, the PowerBook G4 is growing long-in-the-tooth and ready for an overhaul. And what an overhaul it’s going to be!
PowerBook LCD and screen backlight replacements, colorful iBook bag, other cases, and more.
Except as noted, prices are in US dollars. PowerBook 1400 G3 Upgrade Deal RadTech: New Online Supplier of ‘Book Accessories Dana PDA-based Alternative to a Laptop Computer Netgear MR314 Wireless Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch for $79.88 PowerPad High Capacity Laptop Accessory Batteries PC Card Modem/Ethernet Cards Bargain ‘Books PowerBook 1400 G3 Upgrade Deal Megamacs […]
2002: In my previous column, I touched on the idea that as more people switch, Apple will have to become more attentive to customer needs. In the same vein, Apple has to realize that they are gradually gaining a higher profile in the weblog “blogosphere”.
What is happening to email? Once upon a time, email was nothing more than plain text that came to you on a blank screen in a font that could be read by just about anyone. Now two new forms of email have appeared. The first is mildly annoying; the second is wildly impractical for Macs […]
Triassic Macs? Since the creation of the Abandonware Petition in the late 1990s, the use of epoch terms for the evolution of life started to be applied to low-end Macs. The battle cry Allow Jurassic software to roam free became a common phrase among vintage computer users.
2002 – I was going to spend last Wednesday putting a bigger, faster hard drive in our Beige Power Mac G3 and tell everyone what a big difference it made on Thursday. Well, things didn’t work out that way.
Wireless laptop charging, LapCop lets your stolen ‘Book phone home, Newer Tech G4 Pismo upgrade, OWC Mercury drives gain USB 2.0 support, and more.
2002 – I had big plans for today. I was going to tell everyone how easy it was to put a big, fast hard drive in a Beige Power Mac G3 – and how much that improved performance. At least that was the plan.
New PowerBook G3 repair service, iBook monitor spanning, using the Escape key during startup, Palm Zire introduced, and more.
2002 – As I said last time, the more I use Mac OS X, the more I like it. This is especially true since replacing the stock 10 GB Toshiba drive (4200 rpm, 1 MB cache) with a larger, faster 20 GB IBM Travelstar drive (5400 rpm, 8 MB cache).
The latest thing in laptops is using them as desktops. Devices such as the Lapvantage Dome and forthcoming Oyster Laptop Dock let you move your ‘Book off the desk to position the screen at a more comfortable, more ergonomically correct height.
2002: As more people switch over to the Mac, Apple will have to be more diligent and responsive to consumer needs. This is would appear to be self-evident. If there are more consumers, there are more people to get annoyed with your products or what might be perceived as corporate arrogance. Apple is surely familiar […]
2002 – One thing that has really been overlooked about the Mac is its excellent compatibility with Windows. While compatibility has long been a part of the Mac OS (including PC Exchange and DOS cards for Quadras and early Power Macs), in the past couple years it really has been ignored as a feature.
Fix for PowerBook audio glitch in OS X, user guide for HomePlug networking, tiny 4-port USB hub, and more.
Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say, My child is an Honored Student at Hogwash Elementary? How about My Other Car Is a BMW? or even Honk If You’re a Goose!?
New Oyster laptop dock, OWC and CMS cut hard drive prices, replacement hinges for Titanium PowerBook, and more.
2002: The Komando has landed with both feet planted squarely on the iMac. Now, don’t get me wrong: Criticism of the Mac is perfectly acceptable and, in fact, necessary to keep Apple on its toes. And, of course, an opinion is just that: an opinion.
G3 upgrade for PowerBook 2400c, Hubzilla 4-port FireWire hub, lighted PowerBook G4 keyboard, and more.
2002 – A few weeks ago, I jumped five years of computer history. I switched from a 200 MHz 603e-based Motorola StarMax 3000 Mac clone to a recently discontinued 933 MHz Quicksilver 2002 Power Mac G4.
2002 – For years the Mac faithful heard promises about Apple’s next generation operating system. Copland or Rhapsody (or whatever it was being called at the time) would be fully buzzword compliant, would run on any Power Mac ever made, and have us chomping at the bit to upgrade.
PCMCIA to CardBus PC Card upgrade, hot rodding the PowerBook 3400, PowerBook Sleep of Death, and more.
While researching this series of articles on small form-factor PCs, I was not entirely altruistic in my motives. I was also looking at a way of putting together a small form-factor computer of my own. My goal was a computer that I could take places without breaking my back or my wallet.
