Portable News
 PB Zone

 iMac News
 Daily iMac

 Forum
 MacDebate.com

 Gaming News
 Mac 3D Dot Com

 Mac OS X
 X Appeal

 
 Quotes

 
 

November 16th through 23rd Archives

Thursday, November 21st 2002 11:55 CST

The Triumphant Return of the TidBits

It's been awhile--probably over a year and a half--since we've done our lots-of-small-news-items feature called TidBits. Here they are:

• MacNN reports today that Apple, and its marketing partner MarketSource, are planning to do another full month of "demo days" to support Mac sales during the holiday season. There aren't any details yet...we'll post them when we get 'em.
• Though Comdex, the ultra-large computer trade show in Las Vegas, isn't what it once was, Apple did have at least some presence there. MacCentral covers the Phil Schiller "panel discussion" here.
• New Problems at Newer Tech? Macintouch has a reader email today that suggests the possibility that formerly-bankrupt Newer Technologies is again in some sort of financial trouble. However, they did release a new product last week (The PowerBook G4 handle) and are in partnership with Other World Computing on all their products. We've got emails in to both companies inquiring.
• flymilesmicro.com has the factory-refurbished PowerBook G4/800 MHz for $2049 with a one year warranty. Shipping is one penny. According to dealmac, it's the best deal by $100.
• In other price drop news, GoogleGear has dropped the price of the IBM Travelstar 40 GNX 20 GB 5400RPM 2.5" hard disk drive to $95, which is a new low for 5400RPM drives. Shipping is 50 cents. We think it'd go great with one of our enclosures.
• AppleCare extended warranty protection is available at a really low price at 2BuyStore.com. $264.50 is $15 less than any other offer of AppleCare. By comparison, buying it from the Apple Store online costs $349.

Wednesday, November 20th 2002 16:42 CST

More PowerBook Experiences

A few more readers sent in their thoughts on their new PowerBook G4s:

I like the machine, but Airport reception is worse than my 550. No question about it. I rely on Airport a great deal, so if this can't be fixed, this is going to be a big problem for me. I'm typing this in a location where I always get a signal of at least two bars with my 550. Here, nothing! I have to go to the kitchen to send this, and there, where I get 4 bars with the 550, I get three with the 867. Very disappointing.

---

I got my 1ghz tibook equipped with the superdrive today from CompUSA. Amazing machine. It's not only quieter but COOLER than my 667. It also feels much more sturdy. Having the install/restore DVD instead of multiple CDs is great. Added VRAM and new GPU seem to make a huge difference when scrolling and resizing windows. The real tibook has finally arrived. The only way I could improve on this machine is to give it a faster hard drive. It sometimes is obvious that the processor is far outpacing the disk access.

---

This past Friday I went to the Salem NH Apple Store with the intent to buy an iBook. The sales folks there pointed out that they had a returned 867 in the back, and that it was going to be resold for just over $200 off the original price. So how could I say no?

I got the RAM doubled, and am currently using it to replace my first Mac, the first-model iBook 500. What I've noticed about the powerbook is largely related to the differences between the two models, however what seems to be a big difference between this model and earlier PowerBooks is the fact software included with these newer models is on a single DVD-ROM, rather than a number of CD's. Also interesting to note is that the power brick included sports a three-prong plug, and the required ground connection in comparison to the compatible power supply used for current iBook models. I just purchased a supply for my iBook a few weeks prior, and the one that came with my TiBook is clearly superior.

---

Got my 867 G4 on Friday. Previously had iBooks (2) and a Pismo. Very nice, but I'm still struggling a bit with the loss of the iBook, which is simply a great all-around machine (small, light, capable, and mostly bulltproof). I worry about its fragility, paint, etc. and do find its size (as a portable, and after the 12" iBook) a bit of a drag. That said, it's dimensions when I lay it on a desk, or on my lap for that matter, are just fine.

Great to have all that display real estate, although for some reason I imagined a higher res on the display than you get . I'm babying the thing after hearing all the chipped, scratched, blistered paint stories, but already I think it may not be as bad as I've been led to believe. Get a good sleeve case, don't throw it around, and it should be fine. Speed with 768 RAM is good... but not mindblowing. It is VERY quiet. Hard drive barely a whisper. Combo drive whines a bit, but not in a bothersome way. The reports of having to load a CD/DVD 80-90% into the slot before it catches are correct. Wish the display was a bit brighter.

Most of my comments border on nit-picking... I'm simply comparing it against an ideal, so take them for what they're worth. I'm very pleased with this purchase. It IS an incredible piece of work and, as the last in the line of upgrades to this form factor, is showing itself to be a mature, glitch-free product. Oh... the PC portable users (mostly) at work (I'm the Director of Marketing) just drool at my set-up: my TiBook comes to work, docks to a 17" Apple Flat Panel Display, transfers its files around on a SmartDisk FireLight 40 GB drive (what a great little unit!), and connects via one USB cable to Gyration's absolutely stupendous wireless mouse/keyboard combo that doubles as a presentation remote. Plug in my iPod, put OS X through its paces, fiddle with a couple of iApps, and you need to hand out rolls of Bounty to handle their salivary output. Yeah, it's a great time to be a Mac user.

Tuesday, November 19th 2002 13:44 CST 

PowerBook Medic Comes Aboard

Our latest advertiser here at The PowerBook Zone is PowerBook Medic. It joins at least two other companies who specialize in PowerBook parts and repairs.

They really do have substantially lower prices on PowerBook parts you may have been looking for and also offer daily specials. Today's special is a Lombard 400 MHz with a docking station for $749.

Last, they buy old PowerBooks, working or not. If you've got a G4, G3, or iBook, see what they'll give you for it. Visit PB Medic today.

Three New PowerBook User Reports

We've received a few reports that shipping time is taking awhile on some models. However, at least three readers have received their PowerBook G4s:

I received my new PB 867 last tuesday from Macconnection -- with the free 512 MB upgrade. This PB is replacing my first generation 400 mhz Powerbook, so there are definitely some noticeable differences, but I can't say if these are changes from the last generation or not. I remember reading that the combo drives "grabbed" the CD's only when they were inserted 60-75% of the way -- this is probably the biggest mechanical difference I've noticed from my 400.

Besides the drive, the welcome addition of a command button to the right of the spacebar (I never figured out how to remap the enter button in OSX) and the new DVI monitor interface that I believe came with the last generation- the "Powerbook G4" writing is now in Apple's new typeface, which I think is a derivative of Myriad -- not quite as strong as Myriad Bold, but stronger than the normal roman font.

Running the machine through its paces, using photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, explorer and Quark in Classic, checking mail etc., the machine has kept plenty cool -- and I've yet to hear the fan -- this could be because we have the windows open here, but this machine seems a bit cooler than my 400. Besides that, I think I notice slightly better Airport reception ( I can lily pad off of my neighbors in more areas of my apartment in addition to my own wlan) and battery life seems average.

The PB came bundled with a DVD with os 9 and X system software, a CDR and a hardware test CD.

---

Received a PowerBook G4/1GHz/Combo with 1 Gig of memory from MacConnection on 11/14/02. I thought about waiting (3-4 weeks) for the SuperDrive model, but it was going to replace my "aging" iBook G3/500/Combo anyway.

I really don't need to burn DVD's at 1x speed on the road (I can use my PowerMac G4/Dual 1GHz/Superdrive for that). To make a long story short, I have noticed that the PowerBook plug in gets pretty toasty when charging the battery. Once the battery is fully charged the temperature of the transformer goes to a more comfortable level. I also tried to use my previously purchased MadsonLine slim adapter and I was afraid I was going to melt the transformer (love the smell of toasty plastic).

Just interested in finding out if anyone else has had similar experiences. I have owned many iterations of the PowerBook, performed many processor upgrades, and to me this transformer heat is one step away from being able to fry something. Battery life is pretty good (about 3.5 hours on "Performance" settings in MacOS X 10.2.2). Fan tends to run quite a bit more than other PowerBooks I have owned. AirPort reception is at a constant 4 bars without wavering.

A CD or DVD needs to be manually inserted nearly 90% of the way before it will automatically insert. Crisp clear screen with no dead or stuck pixels. Restore software is on DVD!

---

I just got the SD Powerbook to replace my 800ti the other day and am in love!!! I ordered it from smalldog.com and they delivered it asap... First thing I did was partition the drive and reinstall the OS... FROM THE DVD. The install program took probably half of the time from the DVD as it did from the CD on my dual gig Quicksilver. Another thing I noticed was that there are two settings for the fan... Although the fan is on more often than my 800Ti, I think that it is a little quieter. Another important thing to note is that the new superdrive is alot, I mean A TON quieter than the old combo drive... This is very nice!

I do also think that they did use a new paint on these Ti's... It does feel better than that on the older models.

Monday, November 18th 2002 13:59 CST

New PowerBook Experiences?

By now, the first PowerBook 867/1000 MHz should have arrived in some lucky readers' hands. We want to know how they perform, if anything's significantly different in the packaging and presentation of the new PowerBook, the items that are included with the PowerBook, and other details.

Send in your report to info@pbzone.com.

MP3 Player Air Whisper Released

It's not necessarily PowerBook news, but we think this is a great idea for an MP3 app, especially for those users who are getting by with an older PowerBook:

November 18, 2002 ­ Today Kanex Group Inc. has released new version of the compact MP3 Player for Macintosh. Air Whisper 1.2 puts transparency to its skins to better match Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) look and feel. Three levels of transparency allow Mac OS X 10.2 users to adjust Air Whisper skins on such a way that it does not interfere with other applications, while being visible.

While skins transparency works on Mac OS X 10.2 only, Air Whisper supports previous Mac OS X version, as well as classic Mac OS. Air Whisper is instantly accessible floating on top of all other programs running and enabling a high-quality playback and easy browsing through MP3 files. And what is important, Air Whisper places about two to three times less system load then other popular MP3 players for Mac.

Air Whisper feature the ezFFS (easy free form skins) technology for skins creation, which fully utilizes Mac OS X imaging power and allows to create almost any skin imaginable. Some great skins are included with Air Whisper and more extra skins can be downloaded for free at http://www.softwarium.com/airwhisper.html.

Apple Gives Thanks

Apple is hosting a Thanksgiving shopping event at all its retail stores. On the "biggest shopping day of the year," the day after Thanksgiving, Apple will give away free stocking-stuffers, the chance to win a 15" iMac, and "special values" from 6 PM to Midnight.

Gefen Drops Price on VGA to ADC Conversion Box

As part of an end-of-the-year sale, Gefen dropped the prices on several of its product. Of note for PowerBook users is the drop on the VGA to ADC conversion box, which allows you to hook up Apple Display Connector monitors to pre-DVI PowerBook G3 and G4s:

WOODLAND HILLS, CA [November 18, 2002] In response to customer demands and product upgrades that incorporate streamlined technologies, Gefen has reduced the price on two of its most popular products.

The first, the ex-tend-it VGA to ADC Conversion Box allows users to connect the VGA graphics from a PowerBook G4 or other desktop computer (Mac or PC) to any Apple flat panel display. Since its release earlier this year, a more economical yet reliable power supply alternative was incorporated in the product design, thereby reducing the price by $100 on those boxes currently being produced.

Gefen has also reduced the price on one of its DVI distribution hubs. The ex-tend-it DVI Hub, which is designed to split a DVI source and send it to two DVI flat panel or projector screens, is now available for $499. Gefen's DVI Hub enables both monitors and projectors to connect to a computer equipped with just one DVI port and also extends both output signals up to 330 feet from the computer. It is particularly useful for those who want to view simultaneous images on multiple screens, including high definition television screens.