LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: OWC Mercury On-The-Go FW400/800/USB2/eSATA Portables High Performance A/V Rated, **Bus Powered** **Up to 500GB in the Palm of your Hand** Macworld Editor's Choice, CNET 'Very Good' - from $75.99!
My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted
articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things
Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your
submission to Dan Knight
.
I recently spent a month in China. My PowerBook
2400c came along for the ride. Here is a short guide about taking
your PowerBook to a foreign country based on my experiences.
When I was away, the PowerBook was mostly used to save images from
my Fuji 1400 Zoom digital camera. The problem with this was that the
camera ordinarily attaches to a Mac via a USB cable, but
my 2400 doesn't have USB. I invested in an inexpensive ($25)
SmartMedia PCMCIA (or PC Card) adapter, which works well and doesn't
need a driver. (CompactFlash adapters are even cheaper, about $10.)
If your PowerBook has USB, it would be easier to just plug the camera
into a USB port and transfer files that way.
The second problem with using the PowerBook is that the electrical
outlets in China are a different shape. They look sort of like this:
\/ instead of Edison plugs that look like this: ||. The friendly (or
not-so-friendly) people at Radio
Shack stock a ton of adapters. I got a travel kit for $20 that
includes adapters for Japan, England, Europe, Australia, and China.
They all work really well.
One thing you have to beware of is the voltage difference. Most of
the rest of the world runs on 220v or 240v current. Almost all
PowerBook AC adapters run fine on this higher voltage, but double
check. On the bottom of the adapter is "Operating Voltage" followed
by, for example, 90-240v. This tells you that the adapter will
function with 90-240v current, meaning that you can travel anywhere
in the world and use the adapter.
If you can, try to obtain an extra AC adapter, especially if
you're going for an extended amount of time. Sometimes the outlets
are a little flaky and can damage your adapter. Another good piece of
advice is to use a surge protector. My original 36w Apple adapter was
blown by a flaky outlet in Inner Mongolia, but I had a backup brick
from my old 1400 that I switched to. If I hadn't had, I would have
been stuck without power for two weeks.
AirPort cards must run on different channels in different
countries. To avoid problems, if you have an AirPort card installed,
turn it off using the AirPort Utility. If you have a third-party
card, leave it at home or disable it using the driver software.
Other pitfalls include power rationing (not fun) and bad phone
lines (if you're trying to use a modem). The information above should
help you in case you go to another country with your trusty
PowerBook.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 08.18.
When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 07.30.
Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: Quadra 700, Oct. 1991 - The successor to the Mac IIci ran a 'wicked fast' 25 MHz 68040 processor.
List of the Day: Apple TV List The Apple TV List is a forum to discuss the Apple TV.
August 29 in LEM history: 00: My lowest low-end Mac - 01: Uncluttered organization - Microsoft wins over Mac user - 02: Salute to SatireWire - 03: Wireless Internet popping up everywhere - 05: World domination, online or off - A 3-dimensional Dock replacement - 06: Productive at the low end - PowerPC vs. Intel - Secure wireless
Recent Content on Low End Mac
Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.29.
Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac.
Best Power Mac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29.
Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575.
Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29.
Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400.
Best iPod nano Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29.
Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28.
A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28.
Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27.
Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27.
The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For
price quotes and advertising information, please contact
at BackBeat Media
(646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.
Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer
5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We
recommend Firefox
for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more
secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox
than any other browser.
but
my 2400 doesn't have USB. I invested in an inexpensive ($25)
SmartMedia PCMCIA (or PC Card) adapter, which works well and doesn't
need a driver. (CompactFlash adapters are even cheaper, about $10.)
If your PowerBook has USB, it would be easier to just plug the camera
into a USB port and transfer files that way.
