I wanted to see if there were any alternatives to the $100 superdrive that seems pretty fragile and some people suggested this Fastmac [URL] for $110, which can ready Bluray discs.
I did a little diging on this forum and found this tread [URL], which basically says it's a Panasonic (Matshita) UJ-120 drive in an external enclosure and an IDE-to-USB bridge.
Then I went on eBay to see if they sell the UJ-120 and found this seller ([URL]) selling it for $80.
I took the plunge and bought it, and it works fine. When I plugged it in, nothing happen, but when I inserted a DVD it played it and when I inserted a blank disk, it let me burn it with itunes.
Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know that this is a great alternative for $80. I haven't tried the bluray yet, but I got what I wanted.
[URL] I just found out about these. Looks interesting, and fairly cheap too. The specs are fairly low, but they are absolutely quiet, smaller than the Mac Mini, and still does what it was made to do... basic web browsing, HD video streaming, maybe a music server, etc. basic stuff. And it is fairly cheap, too. Just thought you guys might want to know about something cool I found on the intronet.
So now that iStat is a paid app (don't get me wrong I like the app but thats not what this thread is about) I went looking for an alternative app with the same functionality, but free I came across MenuMeters and it is VERY similar, lightweight, and best of all its free.
I'm looking for a decent mouse that has great comfort, but also matches the iMac as well. I do not enjoy any of the apple mouses, even the magic mouse, mostly because of comfort reasons. I've looked at a few Logitech mouses, and the MX Resolution is by far very comfortable, but doesn't really match or look as great with an iMac. So i'm curious what you are using, and what other mouses you think would go hand and hand with the iMac and provide comfort? I'm thinking about getting the Explorer mouse from Microsoft, but mouses that have charging bases are a bonus, just like the Logitech MX Resolution. Just looks better
I need to do a clean install and don't have a superdrive. I could pick one up but I'm not sure I'll need it much outside of getting up and running with a fresh OS.
What's the next best alternative to avoid dropping the $100 on the drive?
I just installed a 160gb Gen2 Intel in my 15" macbook pro, and its flooring me with its speed. Amazing upgrade. All editors, designers, etc... should do this upgrade.
Optibay Alternative ----
Now I want to put another SSD in there for Raid0 or just the stock 500gb for now.. for storage.. but the cost of the Optibay is pretty high. I saw a link to an alternative, called USCaddy or something, I forgot. Can someone link that one in, and comment if its ok?
Slim Superdrive Enclosure -----
And what are people putting their old superdrives in? I want something slim lined, USB bus powered.. etc... Any comments on one that works really well and looks cool
MacBook Air challenges Sony Z series ! Let me know your thoughts ! Updated with basic specs of both great piece of arts !1. MacBook Air ( 1.6Ghz , 120GB HDD ) ( www.apple.com )- 2GB Memory- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Graphics- 13.3 Inch great display- Multi Touch + 3 Pounds- Great Design !- Price = $1799 + Tax !2. Sony Z ( 2.40 Ghz, 250GB HDD ) ( http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-Z550N...5159984&sr=8-4)- 3GB Memory ( upto 4 )- Intel GMA 4500MHD & Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS - 13.1 Inch XBrite Display- 3.31 Pounds ( Almost same weighs compare to Air )- Price = $1800 with no tax and free shipping !
I was thinking, for the next generation MacBook Air, would you want a slightly thicker (thickest part is 0.9in, tinnest is ~0.35in) laptop with a built in Superdrive, more ports, etc, or would you perfer that Apple moves away from this with a thinner computer (0.1in thinnest, 0.6in thickest), but with same limited ports.
I would actually perfer thicker with a superdrive, since I want an air but I want it to be like a MacBook but thinner. What do you think? Btw, this is assuming the regular MacBook does not change in size, since that would sway peoples opinions.
I need to make a slideshow with a ton of impact, I have about 80 images and and what we have now is very basic, check it out .its way too slow for the amount of pictures takes an eternity to get through.We found this slideshow on the net.its very effective and you can see our pictures in a minimal amount of time. Only problem is i have no idea how to replicate this effect, I was thinking maybe premier pro but have had a look and cant get anywhere close to it.
my Screen Sharing within my LAN isnt verygood. Its very stuttery and screen splintersa lot and doesnt update some things. My router is a 'G' router which should be able to cope with these things.also, the screen res on my Mini is slightly different to my MBP, which i use as the remote screen to control it and therefore the picture isnt as sharp. Can i make it as sharp as if i was looking at MBP stuff?
I am looking for a great grammar checking software, I have downloaded the demo for Grammarian Pro X and really enjoyed it; however, I wanted to ask you guys if there is anything better than Grammarian?
I purchased a Mac Pro last Thursday after running a G4 350 MHZ machine for far too many years. But it had been such a good machine I focused on it and took my eyes off of technological progress. I thought the PCI buses in the Mac pro were just faster versions of the kind of PCI in the G4. The G4 was outfitted with a Revolution 7.1 sound card from M Audio and that fed into a Creative 6.1 speaker system (with internal amp). The sound was amazing. It was my hope that I'd be able to transfer this card to the Mac Pro and discover even higher quality sound. But before I even tried plugging it in I did some checking and found that PCI Express is an entirely different technology than PCI.
M-Audio has stopped making the Revolution even though they still have drivers for OS X 10.5 (for folks who put this OS onto machines with the original PCI slots, I suppose). So now that this dream has shattered I am wondering what are my options for being able to hear great sound from my new computer. The internal speaker is OK for the beeps and buzzes produced by an OS that wants to get your attention but it sounds horrible when you're trying to watch a surround sound DVD. I'd like to hear from any Mac Pro owners who have found a way to make their computers deliver high quality sound. I know the Mac Pro has optical in and out but have no idea how I could make use of this other than to plug into a rather high priced surround amp.
I've kept my Mac on for days in order to test out these memory leaks that Safari, iTunes, etc supposedly have.
Safari is now using 1.01 GB of memory. And that's not from having 100 windows open or anything. I usulaly have a few windows open with a few tabs each most of the time. But it's just the size to which Safari has grown. It started out much less. Under 100mb I think.
iTunes is up to 280mb from 50mb and I believe it was even higher earlier in the day somewhere in the 330mb range.
I have 4 gigs of RAm on my aluminum iMac, but now I have only 58mb of free memory left!!!
When memory runs out what will be the result? Is Safari just using a gig of memory because it can??? Will this slowdown my system? Or will Safari and/or iTunes give up memory starting with the oldest data first? Am I reinventing the wheel here? What will this test or observation prove?
I'd like to restore my OEM Snow Leopard Installer disk (Disk 1). It won't read anymore. I've tried things like toothpaste which usually works and a metal polisher but those didn't work for this dual layer.
What's a good brand of scratch remover? How do I restore it? It's good if I get to restore it so that when it's resold later (for an upgrade), everything's original and complete. I'll do my best to find it in the stores here.
For all you scientists on AI: I just came across the 'Papers' app after reading a glowing Ars Review.I've been playing with it for the last hour and it is hands on the best literature organizing software I've come across thusfar, and it's not even at 1.0!
Just got my 8800 card today and I thought some of you may be interested to see what is in the box. By the way the card works great with the 2600 in leopard.
Can anyone with experience using the Google browser vouch for what makes it so great? When I have tried it (on four different computers, different networks and locations) a lot of websites don't seem to work at all. I keep running into situations where some plugin seems to be required, but no plugin or fix exists. Why then are so many technology news sites writing such flattering reviews of this browser? Is it really fit to compete with Safari and Firefox?
I am trying to find an updated screen capture program (not video recording, just stills) that works well in Snow Leopard and will run OK in 64bit mode too. One of my favorite old programs from Windows was called "Hypersnap" and I would like to find something that good or better for the Mac. In that program you could do things like add highlights to the image, draw arrows or place clip art on the image too. After looking at Google, I just could not find anything like that, at least current for Snow Leopard use.
I've been having problems with the optical drive on my G5 Quad for the last few months. It makes a clanking noise every few minutes, similar to the sound it makes when you put in a cd. Also, every now and then when I put in a cd it just doesn't read it, and it makes itunes crash. The drive is an LG HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4165B. I have read lots of bad things about this drive on the internet, and it also happens to be much slower at importing dvds than the pioneer drives that are (or were) also shipping with some G5s.
I finally went down to my apple store, in The Netherlands. I explained the problem to the tech guy, and he said they would replace it under warranty. However, when I asked if it was possible to get a pioneer drive, he said they had no control over which brand they receive on replacement parts, but that almost always they get pioneers. Well, I took it in and they replaced the drive. They refused to do a test on it though, arguing that they were fixing another G5 and wouldn't be able to hear the noises I was complaining about (there was also a strange noise coming form one of the fans). The guy suggested that I brought it back some other time, and said he was absolutely sure he wouldn't find anything (turns out these guys also happen to be clairvoyants, or so they seem to think!) Coming from America I find it really hard to believe how rude and stupid the apple people can be at this store in The Hague, but unfortunately I can't avoid having to deal with them while I live here (there are endless horror stories about this particular shop). I don't have a car, so I had to take a cab there and back, which ran to about � 20, plus all the trouble and the wasted time. But sure, why not just bring it again some other time like the guy said?............
As a windows user, I love ccleaner. It cleans out all the privacy data from firefox, windows, ie, and more.
Is there a ccleaner for windows?
Meaning is there an app that I can run to securely delete all my history, cookies, temp files in safari, firefox, empties trash, and cleans up any mac temp directories.
OK I know most reviews say the SSD is not worth the extra money. But, when I worked on my friends SSD I must say it just feels faster in normal use. I also know this from my previous laptop where I had SSD.
So I'd like to know: are there SSD's out there that we can buy and install ourselves? Which ones and how much do they cost?
I believe it needs to be 1,8 inch with Ziff connection... right?
this will be my first mac - and i need some advice on applecare
my friend has kindly bought a MBA from hong kong on my behalf and i'll get it later this week (can't wait!). what i need to decide is if i should purchase some sort of 'insurance cover' for this MBA.
applecare is the obvious choice. however, �199 for the 2 additional years seem quite pricey. although i have links with my university, i believe i won't be able to get the educational price (�47) given the MBA was purchased from the HK online store.
do you think the �199 applecare will be important or are there 3rd party insurance covers out there i can consider?
I just got my macbook a few days ago. Does anyone know if there is an "end" feature or a "home" feature on macs? It's kind of annoying to not be able to just hit a button to get to the end or beginning of a line while typing. Nothing major, but it would help if I knew where it was if there is one. Also, what does the FN button do in the lower left hand corner on the keyboard?
I'd discuss this with those of you looking at a Sony Z series, Sony F series, etc when looking at MacBook Pro alternatives since it looks like Apple will never release a computer with a new processor again. I grew tired of the wait, and purchased a Sony F series, you have probably seen (and have been annoyed by) my comments about the experience. It's been great, that quadcore i7 blows through my daily paces of photoshop, programming projects, games, etc. The battery life isn't so bad either, easily besting my PowerBook G4 (I had a MacBook, that.. was much better though).Build quality seemed good. Initially. It is more physically solid than say, a MacBook. However, this is only superficial.
So apparently every time I restart, iStat pops up annoyingly and tells me its now a paid program, and I don't want to pay for it. Are there any alternatives to see my CPU speeds and temperatures, also my memory usage in the top bar? I want something that I can always see.
Is there a way to back-up, without having to log in to user profile? Snow Leopard, 10.6.8. I can no longer log in to my Macbook Pro, my last back up was 6 weeks ago. Information: Mactintosh HD says maximum capacity full.
Info: MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.53 GHz), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
