MacGizmoGuy’s Apple Gadget Blog

MacBook SSD - OCZ Agility Solid State Drive A Perfect Match

2 days ago
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It's been a few months since I upgraded my Apple MacBook solid-state hard drive to a next generation SSD. And I discovered for the second time that an SSD upgrade was once again the BEST money I've ever spent on an upgrade in a quarter century of personal computing. Few realize what a bottleneck conventional spinning-patter hard drives really are - especially smaller laptop size drives which tend to lag full-size drive performance somewhat.

I guess if SSD's didn't exist, I'd buy a little 7200 RPM, large cache Western Digital Scorpio BLACK series 2.5" drive. They're really quite snappy compared to what originally came in my White 1st generation MacBook. My first SSD totally changed my Macintosh experience. But this somewhat faster, next generation OCZ Agility SSD is noticably smoother - in both reads AND writes. EVERYTHING just flies as fast as I can decide what to do next on my computer.

If 2009's solid-state drive technology won't convince you, wait till you see the refinements that come in 2010. They'll get a little cheaper, a little bigger, a little faster. A little. We won't see huge performance jumps again until SATA III becomes widespread. But a little more is all the SSD market needs to send older drive technology to the bargain bin once and for all.

Discount MobileMe and Cheap Apple Care Plan Options

Oct 29, 2009
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With a bit of foresight it's easy to find DISCOUNT MOBILEME activation or renewal opportunities. I no longer pay full-list $99 a year to keep my @mac.com / @me.com email address and web & sync services if I can help it. I jsut shop for cheap Mobile Me - DotMac activation codes in discounted retail boxes from 3rd party sellers and save myself a serious chunk of change.

Dot.Mac - MobileMe is ultimately, simply - a renewal-activation code in a retail box. And as long as you can rustle up a cheap sealed retail box - it's valid no matter how old the retail packaging is.

Likewise, Mac warranty plans are worth every cent and significant Apple Care savings are possible too. The majority of Apple Mac buyers are opting for a MacBook laptop purchase these days - these AT-RISK lightweight computers deserve the peace of mind and expedited service an extended Apple-Care warranty provides. But I shop around for DISCOUNT APPLECARE Protection Plans featured at this link. With AppleCare savings of over $20-70 possible from the Apple Store full-list pricing -- it's smart money to skip the high-pressure in-store sales tactics - and to shop for your protection plan later.

Skype For Mac : Talk IS Cheap With Low-Cost VOIP Long Distance Calls

Jul 25, 2009
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Ever felt like getting REVENGE with your local phone company for their outrageous long distance calling charges? Switching to VOIP for your calls may be the best way to protect your purse or wallet for their high per-minute costs.

Voice Over Internet Protocol - VOIP is proving to be a compelling alternative to the per-minute expenses of long distance calling. By using your existing broadband internet connection and your Apple Mac computer, you can begin to enjoy the cost savings of VOIP on your Macintosh. Skype leads the pack with it's free download of Skype for Mac software - now at version 2.8. Mac users with a built-in microphone - and iSight webcam for optional video chat - have all they need to initially explore VOIP on their computer and then decide if a dedicated IP phone or headset is justified.

Because of Skype's popularity not only for Mac - but for Windows and LINUX as well - it's proving to be a great voice and video calling solution for any platform. It's free to download, free to use with other Skype users in a 1:1 connection - and optionally lets you call out to existing landlines (Skype-Out as it's called) at very low rates by purchasing either a package of cheap minutes - or with a very low-cost monthly calling plan.

Because of Skype's broad use - there's a great range of Skype compatible USB phones and Wireless handsets that are designed for and work well with Skype. I recently got an Ipevo USB handset that works well with Skype integration with Apple's AddressBook on OSX - and it's built-in LCD display lets me quickly find and choose who to initiate a call with. Aside from a few intermittent issues with echo, the calls have been otherwise reliable. That USB phone is paying for itself - I'm already saving money!

Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Speakers for Mac and iPhone 3 OS

Jul 4, 2009
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Well it's all finally coming together. STEREO Bluetooth audio for Mac just wasn't available on the Macintosh until OSX 10.5 Leopard arrived, and it took the latest iPhone & iPod touch 3.0 OS update to finally bring critical A2DP streaming stereo support to the handheld market as well. Prior to that, MONO Bluetooth was the best you could get.

So why is Apple's rollout of A2DP support in iPhone OS and OSX so important? Well it goes just beyond getting from mono to stereo. The audio compressors (CODECS) in the A2DP Bluetooth profile also allow much higher quality, higher bit-rate audio more suited to full-range hi-fi music listening.

I expect the market for wireless Mac Bluetooth speaker systems to explode in the year ahead. There are a handful and then-some portable and home Bluetooth stereo speakers available now. But I think it's the explosion of MILLIONS of A2DP capable iPhones out there - owned by both Mac and Windows PC users that's going to really kick up the interest in Bluetooth speakers - and wireless BT STEREO headsets as well.

There's still some 'gotchas' with Bluetooth audio to keep in mind:

1. Bluetooth is implicitly a CLOSE-RANGE personal area network that often only works well within 30' of your Bluetooth transmitter. So don't roam too far - or you can expect signal dropouts.

2. Apple still hasn't come up with a full AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control) Bluetooth implementation that allows for FULL music control such as skip/forward and back. Right now, only pause and play are supported - tho many Bluetooth devices already have buttons that CAN support the full range of AVRCP commands. So we still need Apple to keep updating OS X and iPhone OS to add this important AVRCP functionality via a software update.

Mac VOIP Phones + Video Call Gear For Apple Computers

Jul 4, 2009
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Mac VOIP Phones + Video Call Gear For Apple Computers

http://www.mac-voip-chat.com/

Mac compatible Voice Over Internet - VoIP and video calling solutions abound for Apple Macintosh computers running OSX. With the microphone & iSight web camera built into many (though not all) Macs - The basic tools for exploring VOIP and video-conferencing on Mac are there.

Portable USB Computer Speaker Systems : ONE Cable

Jun 25, 2009
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WHY I LIKE USB BUS-POWERED STEREO SPEAKERS

Ever get tired of the growing RATS NEST of wires involved with your computer system? Or just HATE the horrible, tinny, weak sounding speakers in your MacBook, iBook or Mac mini? Looking for a compact self-powered audio solution?

USB bus-powered computer speakers can bridge the gap between mobile laptop speaker portability and full-blown desktop speaker systems - and consolidate and minimize some of the tangle of wires. The ability for USB speakers to get both pure digital stereo audio AND power over a single USB cable can be appealing - especially for road warriors who want acceptable audio in a compact form factor for music listening or doing a presentation and need to fill a room with sound.

Although the 5 volt, 500MaH power available from a USB port does limit these travel speakers wattage to typically 1.5-3 watts RMS -- the Best USB speakers with sensitive, well-engineered drivers and enclosures CAN deliver surprising volume, frequency response and loudness. There are also multi-powered portable speakers that may use USB, as well as have optional battery or AC power supplies to provide versatile power options - AND higher volume levels when additional power is available.

Tritton's little SoundBite USB speaker (and it's newly revised sucessor) the SoundBite xTreme are just one example of a surprisingly loud and nice sounding USB speaker the size of a Big Mac hamburger - TO GO! No batteries required. For those of you wanting wide-stereo separation in a truly mobile and lightweight 2-piece USB speaker system for the road, Logitech's V20 USB speakers have garnered rave reviews for each units 2" driver and 3" passive radiator cone to deliver decent bass response drawing only USB port power.

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MacGizmoGuy has seen 25 years of computer gadgets come and go. But one of the best back-at-home Desktop USB peripherals I've ever bought has been my Logitech AudioHub multi-function USB speaker.

This AC-powered speaker has full 2.1 stereo sound with 2" drivers and a 3" sub-woofer - AND - a built-in 3 Port USB 2.0 Speed hub. AND OFTEN SELLS FOR LESS THAN SOME USB 2.0 HUBS SELL FOR! It's like getting free computer speakers thrown in for nuttin'! It's done wonders for giving me a one-piece speaker unit with USB hub that instantly cut my wiring nightmare in half. Although it does require (and includes) an AC power-supply, it can pump out 15 watts RMS of great sounding audio. Highly recommended for you Less-Is-More types.

Best Mac Web Cameras For OSX Leopard-Tiger

Jun 3, 2009
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Not all Macintosh computers have built-in iSight web cameras. Older G4 and G5 Macintosh owners, or those with a Mac Pro tower or Mac mini often discover finding a fully Mac compatible web cam to be a challenge. Not all webcams made (especially in the mid to low-end price range) work on a Mac, or even have webcam drivers for anything other than Windows PCs.

Ideally you want to buy a web camera based on a new webcam standard: UVC - "USB 2.0 Video Class" which is supported by OSX 10.5 Leopard - and 10.4.11 Tiger. NO DRIVERS NEEDED, the driver needed is built into OS X - so getting a webcam working is just plug and play easy.

It is important to note that Video Class compliant webcams are based on the USB 2.0 speed standard. So you've GOT to have at least a fairly recent Mac (generally with a processor speed of 1GHZ or faster) to take advantage of a modern driverless webcam. USB 1.1 is just TOO slow to deliver the video chat quality and frame-rates you need for video conferencing.

Beyond iChat and PhotoBooth included with current Macs - other great video chat and capture programs are worth exploring - including Skype For Mac, Yahoo Instant Messenger, ISPQ, CamFrog - and more.

For those wanting to make and upload their own videos for YouTube or elsewhere - Using PhotoBooth or QuickTime Pro's video capture function is simple and straightforward. Lastly, It's important to know that external USB webcams can't be used directly with Apple's iMovie: You've GOT to use some other program to capture the video, then you can bring it into iMovie for final editing. Only FireWire webcams like the original 1394 iSight or select DV camcorders with FireWire can capture directly in iMovie.

Solid-State SSD Drives For Apple MacBook, iMac, mini

May 30, 2009
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I'd been watching the solid-state flash memory drive marketplace for 3 years - when it still wasn't a consumer market. SSDs had been around for the industrial, military market for years, at insane prices, for high shock vibration, extreme temperature sorts of uses where durability mattered more than drive speed.

I'd even set up a website: www.ssd-solid-state-drives.com to try to capture what naescent interest was out there. It took until January 2008 at the Consumer Electronics Show that SSD disk drives for the average person began to be marketed - and SSD read/write performance would really start to matter. At least it did to Geeky benchmark freaks and early-adopters with deep pockets.

But things have really changed in 2009. As 2nd, and now 3rd generation SSD disks have advanced so rapidly, many of the newest models run circles around even the fastest-of-the-fast spinning platter hard drives. Apple computer helped push this market too: with an SSD first introduced in the MacBook Air - and now in the Aluminum Unibody MacBook and MacBook pro with SSD build-to-order options.

With prices on 30GB SSD's as low as $100 - It was clear there was a market for MacBook, iMac and Mac mini SSD drive upgrades for OS X - and so a new Apple solid-state specific site was born. Insanely fast solid-state disc performance is already here. And for those who need to replace a dying hard drive - or just want an absolutely DELICIOUS speed boost to everyday Macintosh tasks -- SSD are an affordable, and often easy to perform upgrade.