Low End Mac Editorial Archive
February 2009
- Linux on netbooks is no threat to Microsoft, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.27. Because computer makers have to bear the cost of supporting Linux, it could be less costly to install Windows.
- Safari 4 fastest browser, Apple tops in user satisfaction, Macworld Canada launches, and more, Mac News Review, 02.27. Also 15 free Mac apps for graphic designers, 7% of Firefox users on Macs, two video ports likely on next Mac mini, 8x external Blu-ray drive, and more.
- Unibody MacBook makes old MacBook Pro look old, MacBook cracks, OptiBay for Unibodies, and more, The 'Book Review, 02.27. Also netbooks don't doom Apple, an Apple netbook won't just be for cheapskates, 12,820 mAh battery in 17in MacBook Pro, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,999, and more.
- Apple rethinks iPhone pricing, offline Gmail app, 25,000 Saudis buy iPhones, and more, iNews Review, 02.27. Also Japanese newspapers use iPhone apps to reach audience, satallite phone almost as cheap as iPhone, Bailout Bonanza app, mini microphone for iPhone 3G and current iPods, and more.
- Safari 4 Beta is lightning fast, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 02.26. The beta of Safari 4 zips through HTML and JavaScript, and Flash performance is also better.
- Test driving Safari 4 Beta, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.26. Safari 4 has some clever and useful new features, but it's not the fastest Mac browser for those using dialup.
- Dialup Is outdated, Eudora on Macintel, improving Tiger on low-end Macs, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.25. Ongoing frustrations with Eudora and dialup, ways to tweak Tiger for better performance, and problems with a WD MyBook external hard drive.
- ARM netbooks could make OS X the mobile OS to rule them all, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.24. ARM netbooks won't run Vista, leaving things wide open for Linux, Android, and Apple to create new markets.
- Apple won't ever make a Mac netbook, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.23. Netbooks are small, cheap, and underpowered. Apple should offer a subnotebook, but not something underpowered or cheap.
- iBooks on TV, hard drive swaps, and using an iBook as a desktop, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.23. More in using iVoice III with a 1G iPod touch, moving hard drives between 'Books, and why it makes sense to use a notebook as a desktop computer.
- Color It 4.5 does work with Intel Macs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.23. Color It runs just fine using Rosetta, but you may have to reinstall it or trash your prefs after copying it from another Mac.
- Migrating to an Intel Mac more difficult than expected, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 02.20. Eudora won't configure properly or work over dialup, Migration Assistant isn't importing setting, and Color It 4.5 simply refuses to work at this point.
- I still use my LC, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 02.20. An interview with Scott Baret, who has been using the same Macintosh LC since 1991.
- Mac Hater now loves Macs, Apple slows Mac upgrades, Opera Turbo boosts browser speed, and more, Mac News Review, 02.20. Also what if Apple never updates the iMac, SwiftStore drives connect via gigabit ethernet, and new email and postage software.
- Unibody MacBook vs. 12" PowerBook, 17" MacBook Pro disassembled, living with MacBook Air, and more, The 'Book Review, 02.20. Also replacing hard drive much simpler in new MacBook Pro, netbooks now 20% of notebook market, notebook dock with video, bargain 'Books from $499 to $1,899, and more.
- 10 secret iPhone powers, spreadsheets on the iPhone, the jailbreaking debate, and more, iNews Review, 02.20. Also using the iPhone as a wireless modem, Yahoo! Mobile introduced, Kids Eat Free app, multiport USB wall charger, and more.
- Bringing a zebra stripe SE/30 back to life, Paul Brierley, The 'Book Beat, 02.19. The Japanese call it Simasimac, the horizontal striped pattern that indicates your Mac is terminal.
- 'Mystic' Power Mac G4/500 Dual, Low End Mac Benchmarks, 02.19. Our dual processor G4/450 has been upgraded, and we've done our first Leopard benchmarks on it.
- How to use a 1G iPod touch as a WiFi phone, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.18. All you need is a 1G iPod touch with 2.2 software, a microphone for it, the Fring app, and a Skype account.
- MacBook design limits USB ports, Unibody audio prolem solved, G4 upgrades disappearing, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.18. How to get the headphone jack on Unibody 'Books working again, no more dual 1.8 GHz G4 upgrades, and a letter of appreciation.
- The 25 most important Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.17. The 25 most significant Macs in the first 25 years of the platform, continued.
- The 25 most important Macs (part 2), Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.17. The 25 most significant Macs in the first 25 years of the platform, continued.
- Psystar tries the copyright abuse defense, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.17. Copyright law clearly states that selling modified copies of an original is wrong. Psystar is attacking Apple for abusing its copyright on Mac OS X.
- PowerPC architecture was not a failure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.16. CNET's Brooke Crothers calls PowerPC a failed architecture, but 12 years of PowerPC Macs, IBM's blade servers, and three game consoles tell a different story.
- Is the Mac the Volkswagen of computers?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.16. Apple has been called the BMW, Porsche, and Volvo of computers, but perhaps Volkswagen is a better parallel.
- Low end Macs in an economic recession, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 02.16. "If ever it was important for a website such as Low End Mac to exist, this worldwide recession is it."
- Eee PC 1000HE the model for a Mac netbook, Apple rethinking fixed batteries, LoJac for Macs, and more, The 'Book Review, 02.13. Also spill-proof coffee mug, ultimate high capacity notebook drive, clever USB 2.0 hub with rotating ports, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,999, and more.
- Info-Mac widget, 'Get Well Steve' T-shirt, German Mac clone, Pages templates, and more, Mac News Review, 02.13. Also what's coming with 'Snow Leopard', PowerPC less supported in iLife '09, SongMap music service, and more.
- Hacking Apple TV, iPod touch as phone, Nvidia in next iPhone?, $99 iPhone rumors, and more, iNews Review, 02.13. Also Apple TV at the crossroads, Palm Pre vs. iPhone, universal iPhone unlock software, converter for old iPod docks, location-based dating app, and more.
- What's more practical, a netbook or an iPod touch?, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.12. While the netbook has a larger screen and a real keyboard, those things make it much less likely to be taken everywhere than an iPod touch or iPhone.
- Overclocking a slot-loading iMac G3, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 02.12. Instructions for overclocking a slot-loading iMac (350 MHz to 500 MHz). Proceed at your own risk.
- The Unibody MacBook, MacBook Pro sound problems, welcome to Macintel, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.11. Also the joys of using a small Intel iMac with a big external display and issues with 1 GB of RAM in the Pismo PowerBook.
- Overclocking a tray-loading iMac G3, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 02.10. Instructions for overclocking a Rev. A through Rev. D iMac. Proceed at your own risk.
- First impressions of the Unibody MacBook, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 02.09. Construction is sold, size is just right, the keyboard and mouse require a bit too much pressure, and just two USB ports is impractical.
- Getting more Macs in the workplace despite the recession, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.09. Although Windows is entrenched and IT is slow to change, the reduced costs and increased productivity of letting employees use their own computers a work could change the balance.
- Today's netbook market is too small to interest Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.09. Looking at Apple's sales growth and profitability, it has almost nothing to gain by entering the current netbook market.
- iPhones 'bad for kids', Gmail Tasks for iPhone, next gen iPhone uncovered, Valentines apps, and more, iNews Review, 02.09. Also Apple and Adobe working on Flash for iPhone, why Apple should sell a crippled iPhone, why Mac users might want Google's phone, and more.
- Unlike iPhone, netbooks having minimal impact on Internet usage, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.04. Linux is growing slowly and Windows XP is declining. What are people doing with those netbooks?
- OS X has 10.4% market share, retail decline, new iMac in wings, Macs at RAND, and more, Mac News Review, 02.06. Also next Mac Pro could come in April, Seagate firmware fix, USB cassette tape deck, software magnifying glass, and more.
- Tech journalist a switcher, Hackintosh netbook vs. iBook G4, Obama skins for MacBooks, and more, The 'Book Review, 02.06. Also 17" MacBook Pro delayed, MacBook demand declining?, battery tips for PowerBook and Newtons, obsolete computers at work, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- Using new tech with old tech, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.05. Yes, you can use a 2000 iMac, a Pismo, a G4 iBook, an iPod touch, and several new MacBooks together quite nicely.
- A few words in appreciation of Steve Jobs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.05. "...Jobs has been instrumental in conceiving, popularizing, and enhancing technological innovations that really have changed the world profoundly . . . enriching the lives of millions of users."
- 12" G4 iBooks and PowerBooks are Mac netbooks: Cheap and powerful enough, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 02.05. Recent tests comparing a 1.33 GHz G4 iBook and a 1.6 GHz Atom-based netbook show the old Mac holds its own. It also has some advantages.
- Piracy is the problem, but DRM is not the solution, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 02.04. DRM restricts the rights of honest users, and pirates will always find a way to circumvent it, so not stop using it?
- Netbook or smartphone: What's your best bet?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.04. To choose what's best for you, you need to understand the market each type of device was designed for.
- Used 'Book value, overheating 12" PowerBook, Target Disk Mode weirdness, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.04. Also Leopard breaks wireless printing for some printers supported by Tiger, and Unibody MacBook the right choice over polycarbonate MacBook.
- Charles Moore going Intel with a Unibody MacBook, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 02.03. Although the 5-year-old 17" PowerBook is just fine, refurb pricing makes this a great time to order a Unibody MacBook.
- Mac Trojans exploit user vulnerabilities, not security holes, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 02.03. Trojans come attached to useful software in hopes they'll be installed by unthinking users. Is the Mac in danger?
- Hooked on classics (classic Macs, that is), Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 02.02. An interview with John Meshelany Jr, who has been hooked on Macs since kindergarten.
- 4-way Touch Scroll in Targus mice more than just a cool gimmick, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.02. Instead of a scrollball or scroll wheel that moves sideways, Targus uses an optical sensor that works like a champ and won't gum up.
- Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac an easy way to digitize videotape, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 02.02. Pinnacle's USB 2.0 device records video to iTunes, and from there you can put it on your iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, etc.
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