Low End Mac Archive for September 24

September 24 in Low End Mac History

iMacTV, take 2, Dan Knight, iMac Channel. iMacTV, a set-top box for computing, playing games, and watching DVDs.

Computers for Dimwits, Jeff Adkins, The Lite Side. The parts of a computer and what can go inside 'em.
Making the Crescendo/7200 more attractive, James Kachel, My Turn. Dear How Sonnet could make the Crescendo/7200 a more attractive upgrade.
Introduction to the X10 system, Evan Kleiman, Mac Daniel. An introduction to home automation using X10 modules.
The 'Book Review 2001.09.24, Charles Moore. Pocket DigiDrive, Laptop Laidback, USB hubs, G4 screen protector, new carrying cases, and hot deals on older iBooks, PowerBooks.

Jaguar joyride, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac. "I have just taken Mac OS X 10.2 (a.k.a. 'Jaguar') for a spin, and I am impressed. There's a lot of energy in this cat."
10 reasons to hate the Gateway Profile commercial, Jeff Adkins, The Lite Side. "Commercial doesn't show time delay between ordering and getting computer from Gateway Country Store."
Internet article leads to Mac addiction, Alan O'Neil, My First Mac. "I had never really given Macs much thought as usable computers, and even bashed them sometimes."

With Word 2004, Microsoft finally gets everything right, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Previous versions of Word were frustrating for taking notes, but Word 2004's Notebook feature addresses that - and then some.
Killing Quark: Three layout alternatives, Jason Walsh, The Low End Designer. Quark Xpress may be the long-term standard, but InDesign, MLayout, and Ragtime give Mac users some good alternatives.
Calibrate your 'Book's battery, Capacity Meter 1.0, FireWire 400/800 CardBus card, Maxtor OneTouch backup, and more, The 'Book Review. Also aluminum notebook protection, BetterRAM.com, triple interface hard drives, a new iPod FM transmitter, and bargain 'Books from $50 to $2,599.

My PowerBook pilgrimage, 1996 to present, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Starting with a grayscale PowerBook 5300 bought end-of-life in late 1996, the author has used six different 'Book models over the past 11 years
Introduction to ripping your DVDs into video files, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing. How to use the free HandBrake program to rip your DVDs so you can watch them from your hard drive or store them on your iPod.
Tips for Linux users coming to Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac. Things work differently in OS X: In most cases, differently means better, and in all cases, more consistently.

MacBook Air makes a convert, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac. Apple's thin, light MacBook Air makes a great field computer for someone who already has a desktop system up and running.
Taking apart a PowerBook G3 (Lombard or Pismo) battery, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing. Step by step instructions for opening up a Lombard/Pismo battery to get to the lithium-ion cells inside.
Car seats for computing, ThinkPads vs. Mac 'books, power outages, and more, Charles W Moore, Moore's Mailbag. Also Time Machine and hard drive failure, more on early portable PCs, UPS for the Mac mini, IMAP and dialup, and more.

Second class software: Now it's Windows' turn, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz. After 20-some years where the Mac version lagged behind the Windows one, if it even existed, the shoe is now on the other foot.

Opera issues resolved, at least for Intel Macs, Charles W Moore, Charles Moore's Mailbag. Good news: Clearing out some old support files got Opera 10.62 working nicely. Bad news: The 10.6 branch is the end of the line for Opera on PowerPC Macs.
iPad most satisfying device, refurb iPads available, iPad disrupting PC market, and more, iNews Review. Also 2G iPad expected in early 2011, Ford Fiesta app, front pocket wallet and cell phone pouch, 6x telescope for iPhone 4, and more.
'Really expensive' laptops, longer battery life through heavy use, the SSD dilemma, and more, Mac News Review. Also 3D laptops struggling to find a market, Apple sues HyperMac over re-used MagSafe and iPod connectors, first 1.5 TB portable bus-powered drive, and more.
Apple tops in customer satisfaction, first USB 3.0 card for Macs, Dragon Dictate for Mac, and more, Mac News Review. Also lots of room for Apple to build better mice, add eSATA to an iMac, 'Fake' programmable browser, and more.