Low End Mac Editorial Archive

April 2009

Apple's 'on target' design sets it apart, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.30. While others take a shotgun approach to product design in hopes some will succeed, Apple knows how to focus on essentials.
External Western Digital drives not recommended for booting any computer and WiFi range reduction, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.29. Most external Western Digital hard drives can't boot PowerPC Macs, and WD actually says none of its external drives should be used to boot a computer.
Computers and the Internet can be key flu avoidance and prevention tools, Charles Moore, 'Book Value, 04.28. As the 'swine flu' spreads, being able to work and communicate from home can be an important element in avoiding infection and preventing its spread.
The iBook Can't Replace the Hard Drive Blues, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 04.28. Replacing the hard drive in a Pismo PowerBook or polycarbonate MacBook is easy. But those iBooks are another thing entirely.
Does using matched RAM make your Mac faster or more stable?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 04.28. Most Macs don't need matched memory modules and seem to run just fine with mismatched brands and capacities, but matching modules may be a bit faster.
Microsoft's focus on 'cheap' PCs cuts both ways, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.27. Arguing that PCs are 'cheap' does nothing to help their image and provides a good argument for looking at Linux.
Farewell to Geocities (and some free alternatives), Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.27. Once a popular place to host a personal website for free, Geocities will be closing its doors later this year. However, there are other options.
Apple's best March quarter ever, Tweetie for Mac, Apple tops in customer service experience, and more, Mac News Review, 04.24. Also tips for reading Mac security articles, powering down at night, fixing network copy problems, iCab beta adds 'Top 10' feature, and more.
Trojan creates Mac botnet, $200 Dell netbook runs OS X well, 10-port USB 2.0 hub, and more, The 'Book Review, 04.24. Also why Apple doesn't yet make a netbook, Windows guru impressed with Macs, rugged notebook hard drives, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,580, and more.
iPhone 'way, way ahead' of other smartphones, sight-free iPhone dialing, ChocoShuffle case, and more, iNews Review, 04.24. Also turning your iPhone into a better camera, recharge your iPhone or iPod with two AA cells, Belkin Micro Charger for your car, and more.
Best non-holiday quarter ever for Apple, but MacBook sales took a big hit, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 04.23. Record income and profits for a non-holiday quarter, sales growth for the iPhone and iPod, but a drop in Mac unit sales - especially notebooks.
Could the iPhone replace Star Trek's tricorder?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.23. "The iPhone is better than a tricorder. It is the tricorder, communicator, and universal translator all rolled into one."
Acer One replaces PowerBook, unbootable WD FireWire drives, WiFi insecurity, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.22. Also keeping a MacBook cool, good enough computing, PowerBook Duo vs. Clamshell iBook, and WiFi range reduction as a security tool.
The importance of feel to the computing experience, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 04.21. Computing power is important, but a keyboard and mouse or trackpad with the right feel may have more impact on productivity.
Hacking a WiFi PC Card to work in Apple's AirPort Card slot, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 04.21. Apple's AirPort Card has become expensive since it was discontinued. Here's how you may be able to adapt an 802.11b PC Card to replace it.
Targus USB 2.0 4-Port Bend-a-Hub with Mini USB Adapter, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.20. This clever, flexible, inexpensive 4-port unpowered hub is light and includes a switch-hitting mini-USB port.
Is Leopard slower than Tiger on G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 04.17. Truth be told, when you have 1 GB of RAM, Leopard benchmarks an insigificant 4% slower than Tiger.
Apple netbook aimed at business?, Dell Adamo teardown, the future of Linux netbooks, and more, The 'Book Review, 04.17. Also the 3G 'subsidy grenade', tips for using the glass trackpad, USB squid hub, preowned Modbooks, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,550, and more.
New education iMac, first third-party Mini DisplayPort monitors, 8x Blu-ray for Mac, and more, Mac News Review, 04.17. Also giving the iMac a matte display, when to reset PRAM, dissecting an eMac, cloud computing for the Mac, and more.
Forrester up on iPhone in enterprise, teens love iPod but reject Zune, ATM Hunter app, and more, iNews Review, 04.17. Also a steam powered iPod charger, free Wall Street Journal app, new Twitter client, never locked iPhone $799, and more.
Introduction to hard drives, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.16. A look at the factors that influence hard drive performance: seek time, latency, throughput, and caches.
How about an 802.11g card for the original AirPort Card slot?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 04.16. There are a lot of old Macs with 802.11b AirPort Cards still in use and with poor security. Someone should make a plug-and-play 802.11g replacement card to provide better security, higher throughput, and improved range.
Is it worth maxing the RAM in old G3 and G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 04.15. Increasing memory can make your old Mac faster and make you more productive, but it probably won't improve resale value by the amount you spend.
InvisibleShield great protection for iPods, notebooks, cell phones, PDAs, and more, Tommy Thomas, The Review Vault, 04.15. The InvisibleShield is nearly invisible and adds virtually no size or weight to your electronic device.
Low End Mac's Overview of G3 PowerBooks, 04.15. A brief overview of the five different G3 PowerBook models Apple has offered.
WiFi security advice, Unibody MacBook or white one?, deleting Mac apps, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.15. Also getting external Western Digital drives to work with older Macs and a PowerBook Duo prototype found on eBay.
Unibody MacBook 'an excellent successor' to 12" PowerBooks and iBooks, Charles Moore, 'Book Value, 04.14. The MacBook is a bit wider and lacks FireWire and a built-in modem, but overall it's a worthy successor to the Apple's 12" 'Books.
How Apple can kill off $1.29 iTunes tracks, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 04.14. Raising the price of popular tracks from 99¢ to $1.29 has already reduced their popularity.
Judging HP by Microsoft's 'laptop hunter' standards, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.14. If Microsoft is going to pick on Apple for overpriced notebooks, its only fair that HP, Dell, and others be judged the same way.
'Mac Migration' an excellent resource for Windows users moving to the Mac, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.13. "'Mac Migration: The Small Business Guide to Switching to the Mac' manages to a pretty much cover all of relevant bases inside of 350 pages."
Can a MacBook replace a 12" PowerBook?, safe wakeup for MacBooks, battery tips, and more, The 'Book Review, 04.10. Also one Mac user goes Windows, MacBook Pro keyboard and trackpad issues, Snow White on a MacBook, wireless USB, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,999, and more.
Fix for sluggish Leopard dialup, iMac a 3D gaming contender, Easter Mail stationery, and more, Mac News Review, 04.09. Also new HP hardware design superior to Mac Pro, 2 GB of free online backup with IDriveforMac, fast and easy ZoHo Writer online word processing, and more.
The importance of WiFi security, using Internet Sharing to work Around USB modem problems, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.08. Also more on the Austin Mini, synching an iPhone with a Pismo, and new software from Vertus.
Apple Store headaches over fixing an overheating iMac under warranty, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 04.08. The fan never seemed to run on this 8-month-old iMac, but it was getting hot and flaky. The problem was mixed messages from the staff of the local Apple Store.
12 years of Low End Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 04.07. Twelve years ago, I put a handful of Mac profiles on my personal website. Today hundreds of thousands visit the site every month.
A dozen years of Low End Mac, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value, 04.07. Charles Moore reflects on 9-1/2 years of writing for Low End Mac.
In praise of netbooks, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 04.06. Apple says it can't make a Mac netbook that won't be 'a piece of junk' for $500, yet Dell's Mini 9 is a very nice netbook at half that price.
Nano nano: The Tata Motors Nano and Apple's iPod nano, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.06. Just as the iPod nano is designed to be the least costly "real" iPod, the Tata Nano is designed to be the least costly "real" car.
Leaving Linux for a MacBook Pro, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing, 04.03. Running the $550 HP notebook with Linux just didn't satisfy, and a good deal on a first generation MacBook Pro made coming back easy.
$50,000 for a Dell?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 04.03. They say Macs are overpriced, but you could spend $50,000 bringing the Dell Precision T7500 to its maximum potential.
Low cost doesn't equal value, OS X market share over 10%, 2009 Mac Pro 'insanely fast', and more, 04.03. Also Safari and Firefox gain market share, WWDC dates announced, 2 TB My Book Mac Edition hard drive, free Car Art calendar, and more.
iPod for a queen, iPod shuffle surges, Skype comes to iPhone, Next Gen iPhone speculation, and more, iNews Review, 04.03. Also PhotoUpLink software updated, field guides for the great outdoors, Recovery Act tracking apps, an iPhone development guide, new hard cases, and more.
CPU for MacBook Air reaches 2.13 GHz, 17" MacBook Pro overpriced?, Laptop Flip Stand, and more, The 'Book Review, 04.03. Also troubleshooting your MacBook, iBook updates can be a challenge, better lithium-ion batteries coming, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,999, and more.
How Apple could change the face of digital music, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 04.02. Internet radio is a great way to try out new music, but what do you listen to when you're away from the Net? How about podcasts designed to showcase different kinds of music.
Obsolescence is relative and sub-56k Internet access, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 04.01. Also whether a Blue and White G3 is a viable platform for Leopard, growth in dial-up Internet access, and WiMAX in Canada.