Apple’s Mighty Mouse can’t seem to catch a break. I’m still amazed at the bad reviews it gets. And almost all the reviews of the new wireless version seem to have the same ‘Too little, too late’ mantra.
This review may be a little different. I have been using a Mighty Mouse exclusively for the past ten months, and I couldn’t be happier. It seems to address nearly every beef I’ve ever had with other mice. These three points are where the Mighty Mouse shines for me most:
1. Size & Weight
I have a problem with large, bulky mice (I don’t have dainty hands, by the way). The way I mouse, I basically use my thumb and ring finger to move, and index and middle for clicks. I have never liked ‘mitting’ my entire mouse. Too many mice that are ‘ergonomically’ designed seem to REQUIRE you to do a full on, sweaty-palmed wrap around. As a lifelong Mac user, I’ve always worked with quick mousing and lots of keyboard shortcuts. I don’t get stuck into the right-click, click, right-click, click mode that Windows traps you in. That is just too slow and constricting for me.
The Mighty Mouse is svelte, lightweight, and easy to glide. It has a low profile and symmetric Tic-Tac like shape. It’s easy to grab, move the pointer, and get back to the keyboard. You don’t need to conform your hand to the shell of the mouse just to move it. Continue Reading »
Taking a cue from the latest MacRoundtable Podcast episode I thought I would do a mini review of the STM bags, specifically the Loft bag, as we became a supplier at work a few weeks ago.
We have a range of STM bags in the showroom, but by far my favorite is the Loft. While Sports 2 is the official educational bag for Apple in the US (for good reason; they carry everything a student could need), the Loft is much smaller and suits people like me who like to carry everything we need, but limit ourselves to not carrying the things we don’t.
Loft comes in two sizes; medium (15″) and small (13″) and is produced in two color combinations; grey & grey or tan & orange (depending on whether you are a PC user or a Mac user). The bag seems incredibly small when you get it in your hands and yet holds a lot. I took a medium sized bag and tested it with all my work papers and pads, a 15″ MacBook Pro, power cord, Ethernet cord, iPod connector and a range of other power cords I typically carry and it was great. My iPod fit into the small pouch on the strap, the notebook felt very secure and protected with the padding and extra “lid” on the Loft. It genuinely felt lighter than carrying the exact same stuff in my usual setup; a regular backpack with a cheap notebook sleeve in it.
I think build quality is one of my biggest concern with notebook bags since my current backpack is starting to wither. The straps (on my current bag) are coming apart from the bag, the bottom is looking thin and overall I don’t want to carry any real weight in it anymore. With the Loft however the build quality is such that I would feel comfortable carrying anything in there, especially with the extra padded strap so your shoulder won’t hurt. It feels strong both in the materials and in the stitching. In addition, the strong metal clasps on the straps (something most manufacturers cheap out on with plastic) make it feel even more secure and make me believe it’s robust enough to last for a least a few years of good use.
Of course it looks great and not at all like a laptop bag, so I would feel more secure walking around town with it (the reason I have my current setup). In short; I am getting a small one as soon as possible in the hope that I will someday be able to afford a MacBook. I love it, and can sell this product just like I do my Macs; with absolute confidence in every aspect of it’s design and ability.
One final note to you Mac Mini owners; you may want to checkout one of STMs other offerings, the Mac Mini lunchbox. One thing is for sure, STM knows how to appeal to an Apple owners sense of cool design.
Whenever I think of running for a long period of time I can’t help but remember that scene from Back To the Future III (my favorite movie series of all time). Doc is at the bar and talking with a man from 1885 and telling him about the future (bad idea if you don’t want to disrupt the space time continuum). He says that they have great forms of transportation and the “auto-mobile”. The old man says “doesn’t anyone ever walk or run?”. To which Doc replies “oh, yes but for recreation”. And then the line that I always say, but no one ever catches on (because as I get older so do the movies) “RUN FOR FUN!”.
All that to say, that man had no idea what the future would hold for running. I have run over 250 miles in the past 12 weeks and so needless to say my running shoes were shot (actually the right heel started to cave in). So I was in the market for some new shoes. Well, me being the geek that I am planned it just right. Nike just released a new line of Nike+ shoes that work with your iPod Nano. There is a chip that you put in your shoe and that sends your speed and mileage to the Nano which keeps track of your run and displays the info on screen or via voice through your headphones.
Based upon the paradigm of opendoc containers there is a long time player RAGTIME. Starting as a Mac only program it now is available for Mac and Windows alike. Version 6 is right now in (public) beta-testing. Ragtime 5.6 private is free
for anyone to use, within the limits of the free license.
What is RagTime? First of all it is based upon the opendoc (CORBA) paradigm, meaning all files are containers whose content depends upon the program that acts upon it. In short RagTime is the complete office suite in one program, or the AppleWorks program for that matter but with qualities to stylesetting more compatible to QuarkXpress. To create a document you have to create a frame of a certain dimension and assign a content to it. Afterward you can manipulate the frame and the content as wanted, or even create a frame from a collection of line and bezier tools. Just do not forget to – after closing a frame up so it has one boundary – assign a content to it. Each file belongs in a so called container, each container can contain information of a particular nature: text/drawing/bitmaps/spreadsheet/movie/sound et-cetera.
RagTime completely supports AppleScript, there is a somewhat minute version on the windows platform but they will have to do with what that is. Ragtime also has built in scriptability so you can define on a frame a button to start certain actions, or connect to some remote ODBC-database. One press on a menu-item provides you with a presentation of your screen without ever leaving the program. Did I mention RagTime was the first program to allow you multiple languages on a single paragraph? Or different letter- directions for that matter? Left-right/right-left-bottom right-
top left. It will be supported. You like to rotate frames to create one A4 or a letter page two half size pages? Create the frames and rotate them and place them specifically with a precision to .01 inch and cm, and 0.01 degree in rotation. The best feature for creative people is the possibility to create a frame consisting of several bezier curves and close them, afterwards changing their shape to your liking and then making them contain a certain content: text/picture or what else you would like. It makes for nice decorative uses, and just your own imagination is the limiting part there. In short for a free program, this is a very well designed all in
one information processor. For a paid solution it gives you the best between word and quark, no more hassle to place a picture at a certain position, it is there and stays there and you can tell your text what to do: flow around it or skip below it. In short it starts to deliver where word stops and quark seems needed.
Message from Adam:Listener Stephen sent me this email with some great observations about the effect additional memory has on Rosetta performance in the new Intel systems.
By Stephen Hall
Well, I’ve had my 17-inch iMac Core Duo, for 15 days now. I’ve used in 512 MB, 1 GB, and 1.5 GB memory configurations.
I purchased this machine as pretty much a tower. I always knew I wanted to get an intel Mac as soon as they were released. I had hoped that that would mean I could replace my 12-inch Powerbook 1.5GHZ G4 with something like a 13-inch Mac Book Pro. Of course, Apple did not make a sub-15 pro notebook and may not ever again. Because of this I decided to keep my Powerbook, for I don’t need more power than the 1.5GHZ G4, when not at my desk. Furthermore, at my desk I always have it connected to my Apple Cinema Display, so I have a desktop experience. Continue Reading »
I was lucky enough to attend Macworld 2006 and, while there were a ton of cool new products and innovative software titles at the Expo, I was really excited to see the new, made for Mac, keyboard and laser mouse from Logitech. This killer combo was being displayed at just about every other booth. Looks like Logitech wanted to make sure you saw it over and over again. As for myself, being a two button mouse guy and the owner of a MX Duo, I am very glad to see this product finally hit the market. The Logitech system offers a look and feel that rivals that of Apples own mouse and keyboard. The keyboard has a soft textile feel to it and the mouse is laser which makes it more accurate than an optical mouse. The keyboard offers a Mac button layout which includes the eject button, volume controls and also a set programable buttons. Without a doubt this keyboard is, to me, the best you can get for your Mac. With an estimated price tag is approx $100 it’s a good value and this baby also boasts battery life of up to 6 months, which is awesome. The mouse also has a built in on/off switch for more energy savings. The Logitech S530 a must have for any two button Mac user.
Samsonite XT780
This review is on a piece of hardware that is usually given only a slight afterthought. I’m talking about the case your mac goes into. I’ve had a Samsonite XT780 for about 3 months and I’d say its a perfect mac companion. The front semi-lockable (its as if you’re locking a door by turning a knob) compartment holds your chargers and portable mice. The Apple charger fits perfectly into one of the compartments, as does the Apple mouse.
Now, onto the most important feature: the computer. If you have a 15 inch powerbook or 14 inch ibook, then you’re in luck. It fits perfectly. But if you have anything else, it’s not going to fit snug enough to provide adequate protection.
There are pockets galore on the TX780, but many of them I found rather unhelpful. A few papers and a small paperback book can fit into the final back compartment- that much I understand. But there are some pockets I cannot find a use for. For instance, in the front compartment where the charger and mouse holders are, are 3 small pockets less than an inch deep. I can’t even fit my iPod firewire cord in it. Flipping back to the other end of the bag, there is a zipper for a sizable pocket. However, the stitching on the bag (and the fact that its leather) doesn’t allow for expanding, so you’re left with a large pocket that can only hold very wide thin things, I suppose A magazine or ONE legal pad may fit in there.
Overall though, the bag looks smart, and has what I look for in a bag, plenty of pockets. Although some seem confusing and useless.
JoT Coffee Widget – Chad Rebel (Free)
This review will be small, mainly because the application i’m reviewing isn’t very big itself. In fact, it’s a widget. Day by day goes by with me working behind my desk and falling into a routine of PC applications one after the other. I rarely open the emails in my inbox that have the subject line starting with the phrase “Fw:â€, because I rarely find a forwarded joke funny or short enough not to bore me. Don’t get me wrong, humor is a big part of my life. For example, I enjoy the times that I remember to head over to the Geek Culture’s “Joy of Tech†website to catch their latest comic . They are usually short, funny, and not vulgar, but still meant for adults usually carrying a Mac theme. There are two widgets to choose from right now listed on their site to help you remember to stay on top of the funny. Out of the two, I recommend the JoT Coffee Widget. Continue Reading »
PixelNews – Pixelated Software ($25.00 USD)
I have to admit that when I heard about the new version of Safari coming with built-in RSS technology, my thoughts were “So what?â€. Well now I view RSS feeds about as commonly as I open iPodder with my figers crossed that i’ll see that progress bar start up showing that a new episode of The MacCast is available. RSS has become a part of my normal day as skipping breakfast or complaining about gas prices. Somehow though, I felt that while Safari has gotten me hooked on this new fancy information train, it was still lacking in providing news in a way that I was satisfied. Continue Reading »
Tone Heaven Vol. 1 – MacSongTools ($19.99)
Imagine having instant access to hundreds of the most recognizable guitar tones in the world at your fingertips. This is the promise of Tone Heaven Vol. 1, a series of 450 guitar presets for GarageBand and Logic from MacSongTools.com. Whether you want to rock like AC/DC or pretend for just a moment that you have captured the fabled tone of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tone Heaven provides more variety than you might expect for under $20. Continue Reading »
Apple’s Mighty Mouse can’t seem to catch a break. I’m still amazed at the bad reviews it gets. And almost all the reviews of the new wireless version seem to have the same ‘Too little, too late’ mantra.
