port

Apr 27 2009

USB gadgets for your ‘Book

While I wait for the USPS to deliver the supplies I ordered to complete my

iBook mod, I thought I would share with you all a few of the USB gadgets

I’ve found that you might consider packing with you as you port your portable.

This is a topic I am bound to revisit, so don’t worry if I missed your favorite

doohickeyóI

missed mine too. Just

drop me a note and let me know for the next installment. For now, he’s what

I recommend….

thumb USB gadgets for your Book

Thumb

Drive – These things are so handyóno pun intended. Almost every

company that makes digital media makes some kind of USB flash disk or

“Thumb Drive.” GMx gave high praise to the Fuji

USB Key Drive but others are available. Look for durability in the

case designóthe more ruggedized and rubberized the better. Pay attention

to the clip and the ring where the lanyard attaches. Some drives have

both, some have neither. Make sure your’s has what you need. And of course,

look to get the best drive capacity for your money. Give eBay

a search for these from time to time.

+: Tiny drives, perfect for backing up or transferring files

unworthy of burning to CD.

-: The cost per megabyte is currently a bit of a deterrent.
mouse USB gadgets for your Book

Mouse

– I realize, of course, that you don’t really need a mouse if you learn

to master your ‘Book’s trackpad. But some occasions call for dragging

and clicking maneuvers that call out for a good mouse. There are quite

a few “mini mice” on the market that take up minimal space in

your case (I’ve reviewed a Macally

and a Swann)

and there are also full-size mice with retractable cables fit for the

road (the Kensington

Pocket Mouse Pro comes to mind).

+: Some things are just easier with a mouse.

-: Might be hard for some to justify carrying a mouse when they

already have an onboard trackpad…get over it.
light USB gadgets for your Book

Task

Light – If you are not one of the chosen few who can afford a 17″

G4 PowerBook with the fancy-schmancy illuminated keyboard, you will one

day more than likely find yourself in a situation where the ambient light

is so low that you can’t see the keys of your keyboard. In these circumstances

it’s nice to be able to reach into you backpack and pull out a USB powered

keyboard light. There are several makes and models to choose from. Try

to stay away from those that clip to your screenópressure on the

LCD just ain’t healthy. Kensington’s FlyLight is pretty nice.

+: Just enough light to see what you need to see, but not so

much that you disturb anyone.

-: Come on, man. Learn to touch type.
card USB gadgets for your Book

Card

Reader – If you’ve got a digital camera a 6-in-card reader can be

a lifesaver when your camera’s battery has been drained and you need to

access those pics. Also, while you wait for high capacity thumb drives

to come down in price, you can improvise using much cheaper Compact Flash

cardsóa 128Mb CF card goes for under US$20 these days on eBay.

It doesn’t look nearly as cool clipped to your jeans, but when you’re

on a budget, you do what you have to. icon biggrin USB gadgets for your Book

+: If you use the cards, you will eventually wish you had a card

reader.

-: You could just plug your camera directly into your ‘Book.

With all of these USB gizmos at your disposal and only a finite number of USB

ports on your ‘Book, you will soon be sacrificing the use of one gadget for

another unless you get yourself a…

hub USB gadgets for your Book

USB

hub – I use these things all the time and I have yet to find one that

I really like and can proclaim to be the one USB hub to rule them all (the ones pictured to the left are quite good, though).

They all seem to sneak their way out of your USB port mid-transfer or

or have the USB plug bust off inside your ‘Book under the strain of the

multitude of attachments. But if you are a gadget addict like I am, they

are a necessary evil.

+: The only way to get more than a couple USB devices attached

at a time.

-: Unfortunately I have yet to find the hub for me. If you know

of a really good one, let

me know.

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Apr 27 2009

Gifts I gave, Gifts I got

(republished from The
Inner-workings of the Merc Mind)

This Christmas I found a few choice items under the tree while also putting
a few there for others to enjoy. Here are a few I can recommend for those of
you looking to spend your returned gift money or the cash Aunt Martha gave you
this year.

ipodskin Gifts I gave, Gifts I got

iPod
Skin from Speck Products I am usually a big fan of iSkin
products, but for rubberized iPod sheaths my nod goes to the iPod
Skin from Speck Products. It’s not as sticky as the iSkin so it goes in
your pocket with less of a fight and the flip out bottom on the 3G model
allows for access to the docking port without stretching or disfiguring
the Skin. The cut-out on the top of the sheath also allows you to add
an iTrip with very little modification to the iPod Skin.

+: Protects the slick iPod surface from scratches. Isn’t as sticky
feeling as the iSkin
Exo and offers easier access to the docking port.
-: Also hides the slick iPod surface from view. Does not include
a screen protector or belt clip like the iSkin
Exo
itrip Gifts I gave, Gifts I got

Griffin
iTrip FM Transmitter for iPod Anything that makes the world a
little more cordless is a good thing. 2 or more cables left beside each
other without supervision will eventually braidóit’s a fact. It is also
a fact that, in many parts of the world, it is illegal or al least dangerous
to drive while listening to music on headphones, so being able to transmit
your iPod music over an FM signal to your car radio is terrific. The good
news and bad news is that the transmitter isn’t that powerful: bad because
you need to find just the right place to put your iPod while it transmits
but good because, most likely, the guy waiting for the light to turn green
in the lane beside you won’t be listening to your tunes on his radio.

+: Wirelessness rocks! FM signal not strong enough to be stolen
by cars in the next lane.
-: FM signal sometimes not strong enough to be used by the car carrying
the iTrip.

iskinpb Gifts I gave, Gifts I got

iSkin
ProTouch PB Finally, the people at iSkin have released a keyboard
protector for the PowerBook layout. What? You thought the “PB” stood for
“peanut butter”? Well, it might. Since the ProTouch keyboard protector
will stand between your keyboard and your sticky, greasy “PB&J” fingers
and protecting the fragile keys from subatomic
toasticles. I bought this for my
roommate, CJ.

+: I love these things! No more crumbs and hairs in my keyboard.
-: The texture takes some getting used to.

The
Official eBay Bible by Jim Griff Griffith (not exactly inkeeping
with WDW’s mobile theme) I had already bought a copy of this book
for myself to find out how I might scuttle the parts of my now defunct
iBook on the World’s Online Marketplace. But as I read through it, I kept
thinking to myself, “George needs to read this.” George
is a SCUBA diver and likes to collect bottles that he find on his
dives. He’s always wondered what it would take to sell a few of these
items or at the very least find out what they’d go for. This book goes
into all of that and more. If you’re an eBay addict or are thinking of
cultivating an addiction, this book will have you freebasing Beanie
Babies in no time.

+: Tips for buying, tips for selling. Tips on everything from
setting up your eBay account to leaving feedback.
-: PC-centric informationónothing to worry about though.

Gotta go, I think the folks at the Future Shop just figured out that someone
is scamming their wifi signal.

Happy New Year!?

-Rick

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Apr 27 2009

IRC Update

To join us on the bleeding edge of the 2005 MacWorld Keynote, you’re going to need an IRC client. Pick one up here and join us Tuesday (details).

ChatZilla

First off, if you are browsing with Firefox, all you have to do is install the ChatZilla extension. This add-on acts as an IRC client within Firefox and has more options that you’d expect from an extension.

mu IRC UpdateColloquy

If you’re hung on the iChat interface, here’s a free IRC client with a polished and very Aqua interface. It supports plug-ins and file transfers.

mu IRC UpdateConversation

Here’s another iChat look-alike. Conversation supports drag-and-drop and is the pick for several of us at MacMerc.

mu IRC UpdateMacIrssi

If your flavor is a little more geeky, try this uber-terminal port of the UNIX Irssi client.

mu IRC UpdateFire

In this new 1.5 version of the OS X classic multi-protocol chat app you’ll find tabs, logging and more.

You ought to be all hooked up for the Keynote now. See you Tuesday. Oh, and do enter your identity info into your client. I don’t want to see an ircNewbie in the channel.

Brian

mu IRC UpdateDownloads provided by MacUpdate

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