Black Macbook Fund

Those of you out there with an observant nature have probably noticed the equivalent of an old hat on the sidewalk has been added to the left column disguised as "Macbook Fund". It's quite simple really; I've noticed a lot of other blogs and websites out there have been begging for donations, so I figured why not me? I provide a service too, right? Okay, maybe not, but you have to admit I am pretty cool... no? Well, maybe you feel sorry for me then. At any rate, I think the button speaks for itself. I'm looking for donations to get myself a Black Macbook. That is all. Unboxing pictures (along with "thank you's" to all who donated) will be provided in the miraculous case I actually make my goal and get a 'book.

Other than your pity, I really can't offer you anything else. If you're a website and want to be mentioned here, I will readily admit that I'm for sale. Donate, and you'll get a shout-out. Heck, if I like your site, I might even say nice things about you while I'm at it.

[EXPERIMENT ON]

Hack-A-Zune?

Say what you will about the new iPod Zune, I mean, Microsoft Zune... it may be the worst device in the history of portable music players out of the box, but there's one thing I have come to realize in the past week: one day, it might become an underground hit.

How, you might ask?

Well, it appears, with the early hacks that have surfaced, the Zune might end up being one of the most hackable and therefore customizable players out there. If folks continue their desire to hack this little baby, it might reach Tivo-like proportions in the "customizing" community and therefore end up the underground hit of 2007.

Or I could be wrong and it will end up in the bargain bin with all the other "iPod Killers".

New Nano in the Hizzouse!!

I've always wanted to talk like that. While the title is not exactly true (I'm still waiting for the FedEx delivery... I think FedEx has been bought out by someone's grandma, or perhaps some Amish folks who are delivering packages on a horse and carriage), I have ordered one of the new black 8gb iPod Nanos (black is the new black, folks, in case you didn't get the memo).

I can't wait to receive my new toy, but it does leave me in a bit of a pickle. Counting my new purchase, I will have a total of 4 iPods... a white 30gb 5G iPod, a 2gb black Nano and a 512mb Shuffle. My plan is to sell off everything but the Shuffle, so if anyone is interested, shoot me an email (my address is at the bottom of the left-hand column). I can say that both the 30gb and the 2gb are in excellent shape. I added Power Support Crystal Skins to both soon after purchasing them, and they have each been in cases as well. Also, I have the original boxes for both. Pictures available upon request.

One More Thing...

Apple had its big "It's Showtime" event earlier today, announcing several new products including:

• iPod goes from 60gb to 80gb with better screen resolution and battery life, but still no widescreen format.
• iPod Nanos get new colors and form factor, get bumped to 8gb at the high end and the 1gb Nano is retired.
• iTunes 7 released with an updated layout and gapless playback (translates to iPod too).
  
• Movies now available for download from iTMS.
  
• A new set top box dubbed iTV that will help marry iTunes on the computer to the living room (available Q1 2007).
  

Nothing that surprising, considering the name of the event. I think all those "in the know" predicted the movie store at least, and the rest is just a natural extension of that. For me personally, the thing I'm most interested in is the new Nanos. I could care less about watching movies on an iPod and the prices seem a little steep to me ($9.99 to $14.99). I would have hoped they would be significantly cheaper than buying the DVD, maybe $9.99 as a top-line price.

But the new Nano is interesting to me for the fact that they have now been increased to 8gb, and also because they have gone "old school" a little bit and brought back the design element of the former iPod Mini. I think this is a good move, as it gives the Nano its own personality, so to speak. I just hope the new Nano is as durable as the Minis were.

They also revealed a new iPod Shuffle, which looks like an aluminum version of the iPod remote. It's cute and all, but it doesn't really interest me personally.

Apple Truck

I just purchased a new truck a few weeks back. Well, not a new truck, but new to me. Anyway, it's a pretty common style and color for around these parts, so I was thinking that I might have to do a little something to set it apart from the others. The obvious choice is a novelty license plate for the front, but I don't want the normal "I'd rather be golfing" or "I'd rather be driving a Titleist". I want something a little different. Everyone around here knows I'm a computer geek, so what I was thinking is that I wanted to get one with an Apple computer logo. Problem is, I can't find one anywhere. What I was looking for is basically the top of a Macbook Pro or Powerbook, a simple brushed metal design with the Apple logo. I've looked all over the net and can find nothing. Anyone got any ideas?

Apple Boot Camp Public Beta Announced

A few weeks ago John C. Dvorak received a bunch of flak because of his idea that one day Apple might ditch OS X for Windows. Actually it wasn't his idea. It came from some dude named Yakov Epstein. But Dvorak has more readers than Epstein, so he ended up taking most of the heat for the idea. Anyway, with Apple's announcement today of Boot Camp, which is their own attempt at supporting Windows on an Apple, I get the feeling that someone might owe Dvorak an apology on some level. While I'm not too sure that I agree that Apple will end up dumping their OS altogether, if they can accomplish seamless integration with Windows at some point in the future, one can't deny that Dvorak and Epstein are right in their predictions, at least in some weird, twisted way.

read more | digg story

Mac Update

I absolutely love my new Mac Mini so far. It does take a little getting used to. The mouse movements are, for lack of a better word, a little "muddy". Thankfully, I found a nice little program called Steermouse via a post on Plastic Bugs. Other than that little hiccup, I would have to say that working on a Mac (compared to Windows) is an exercise in elegance. Everything about it OSX seems to have been put together with 'user experience' in mind. This is no surprise to me, being an iPod user. The iPod user experience is second to none in my opinion.

Next to OSX, Windows feels more of a tool. OSX is an experience. Admittedly, this is from someone who's Windows experience is now old news, but I think I would be safe in saying that someone who switched from OSX to Windows would not come to the reverse conclusion.

I will say that my experience with Front Row has not been all that I expected. I'm still having some troubles getting it to talk to my Windows machine, as my plan was to be able to stream content from my main box with more drive space (Windows) to my Mac Mini. I'm sure this is just some setting that I'm not seeing, and truthfully, I've not taken the time to try to figure it out. I purchased the Mini as a computer first and media center second, so right now Front Row is not a big priority.

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a few things I still have to do that are Windows specific, I'd probably get rid of my Windows box altogether and make the Mini my full time PC.

Taking the Plunge

Well, I've finally gone and done it. I've been waiting and waiting, and with today's announcement of new Intel-based Mac Minis, I have taken the plunge and placed my order. I look forward to my first real foray into the world of Apple and, more specifically, Macs. I have to admit that I've been an Apple fanboy for a while now, which might seem odd to some, seeing as how I just admitted that this new purchase will be my first Mac. But with all I have read and heard over the last couple of years, and with my love of all things iPod, I just like the company and have wanted to experience Macs for a while, in all their glory.

I kicked around the idea of a MacBook Pro for a while, but finally decided that with my plan to use it as a part-time computer, coupled with my bank account cringing at the thought of shelling out $2,000+ for a laptop, I decided the Mini would be the best choice for me... at least for now. So anyway, hopefully I will be posting my review of my new toy sometime in the next couple of weeks.