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A new keyboard or good prank |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
 This could be considered a simple mod, or a really good April Fool's Day trick to play on someone. The Dvorak simplified keyboard is a slightly altered version of the standards qwerty keyboard. Flickr user sjwalsh384 has pictures showing how he took off the keys on his MacBook and rearranged them to the Dvorak style. the Dvorak style of keyboard is supposed to be easier on heavy typers. The Mac has supported the Dvorak style for years, all you have to do is go to the International preference pane and select the Dvorak style keyboard (with a DV instead of an American flag).
I plan on switching my keyboard around after seeing this and seeing how I do after a week or two. I've been typing on a qwerty keyboard style for the past 25+ years and I don't know how easy it will be to re-learn the keys. Expect a lot shorter articles until I get the hang of it. Does anybody else type on a Dvorak style keypad?
SjWalsh384's DVORAK keyboard mod on Flickr via whitemacbook.com
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V1 CPU cooler a work of art |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008 |
 Thermaltake's V1 CPU cooler is pretty cool looking. Made to cool any Intel Core2 or almost any AMD processor in style. While it might not fit into some smaller or mid-sized cases, I think it was intended for moders who make their own cases or people with really big cases. Roughly 6" x 6" x 4", it is a bit smaller than two MacMini's standing upright back to back.
This is a nice component to see. Priced at $60 it won't break you bank. Some people say that it looks like an alien lung or something, I think that it is a great combination of form and function. Plus when you have a LED light on the fan it just looks even cooler.
From ThermalTake's Website via Engdaget and boingboing.net
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redrive makes hard drives green |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Tuesday, 29 July 2008 |
 Consumers are pushing for more environmentally friendly products all the time. From the organic groceries in your local store to the hybrid cars on the road. Even in the computing world things are going green and Fabrik has announced their latest entry to the green market with the redrive.
Under their consumer product brand of Simple Tech , Fabrik has announced redrive, a USB external hard drive that is made from a bamboo and aluminum frame. The frame itself helps keep the drive cooler, reducing the energy needed for the fans. Simple Tech has worked out a way to get USB 2 to respond better to file transfers, they've named it Turbo USB. This add on feature allows the device to achieve speeds 25% faster than standard USB 2 (not tested; this is from their site). The Turbo USB is a Windows only feature, but it is supposed to be coming to the Mac soon. Without the Turbo USB feature you can still use it on the Mac, but you only get standard USB 1 or USB 2 speeds.
Priced at $160 for a 500GB drive with 2GB of online backup, it looks like a total package, as long as you don't need the FireWire connection. Keep an eye out for Simple Tech and when the Mac driver gets released, I would suggest grabbing this, green and fast. You can't go wrong.
From SimpleTech via Electronista
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SuperTV mod rocks your living room |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Sunday, 27 July 2008 |
 Take a look at this, it could be the next TV/computer you buy. It's called a SuperTV and I'm not sure if it's a mod or a new product, but Luciano Perego from Italy has a pretty good idea. By combining a HD TV and a Mac Mini, he has a real all-in-one entertainment center. Now when I say combining, I really mean combining. It looks like he actually has the Mac Mini inside of the TV. So far he can only do it with Samsung TV's but he is investigating the electronics in Sony/Phillips and Sharp TV's.
The site, supertv.it, is in Italian so you're probably best going to the site through Google's language tools; click here for a direct link to the translated site. There is a link on top for an English version, but as of writing it does not work.
The SuperTV seems pretty nice. While most of us are familiar with attaching a Mac to a HDTV, this allows you to save even more space by combining them in the same form factor. You still have the input/output options of a standard HDTV, but now you have a built in Mac. Since you can bootcamp into Windows as well, this is not just a Mac only mod. I think that Luciano has a good idea here and I'm glad to see that he went with the Mac as the base.
The prices start at 1,800 euros (currently about US$2,800). There are more photos and details on the systems at Luciano's website. I'd love to see how they are built, as they look very smooth.
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Free iPod Touch Firmware 2.0 |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
 Unless you bought an iPod touch after the 2.0 firmware release, you have an out of date iPod. Apple is charging $10 for the firmware upgrade, but it is free to iPhone owners. If you feel that this is wrong, you are not alone. If you happened to purchase the iPod firmware upgrade, but want to have a security net in case something happens, don't fear. There is a way for you to keep a backup of the firmware, and it is so easy, even Amit could do it.
Doing a simple google search for "free ipod 2.0 firmware" will get you a host of results. You can check out the crazy guy on youtube, but it is quicker to just go to www.freeapplieipodtouch.com. Once there, find the link to "iPod1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw" and download it. After downloading hook up your iPod and click on restore with option key held down. Select your freshly downloaded restore package and let the magic begin. The download is about 222 MB so make sure you have a fast connection. Also make sure you have a upgraded to iTunes v7.7 before doing this. Windows users will have to hold down "shift" as they don't have an option ... fitting, no?
MacMod is not hosting iPod1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw and we has no affiliation with anybody hosting said file.
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Simple Mod to expand iPhone base |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Monday, 21 July 2008 |
 Dremels are amazing tools, aren't they? When Apple released the 3G iPhone, they cut the prices, and they also cut some of the standard accessories that came with the iPhone. The base is no longer a standard accessory, and to get it would cost an additional $29. If you already had a first generation iPhone you can take the base that came with it and easily mod it to fit the new phone.
Hard Mac user linathael took his dremel and camera and showed how he easily converted his old iPhone dock to fit the thicker 3G model. The pictures explain the process clearly, mark the space for the new phone and use a high quality bit in the Dremel to get a clean cut. A little bit of polish and you're all set.
Take a look at linathael's slideshow here .
From Hard Mac.
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Google Blocks MacMall.com |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Wednesday, 16 July 2008 |
 In a surprising move, Google has blocked direct access to some of the MacMall.com website from Google's search pages. When doing a Google search of "Mac Accessories" MacMall is the first site that comes up, but there is an interesting warning under it's listing, "This site may harm your computer" . At first I thought it was a joke, kind of like voiding the warrranty as you mod your rig. I opened it along with a dozen other links in my tabs. When I got around to the MacMall tab I was surprised to see that it was serious, and how serious Google is about your safety.
Apparently Google checks the the sites fairly frequently and will place this warning on sites that have links to or will install malicious code, see Google's FAQ for more info on this. Of the 27 pages of MacMall's accessories tested, two script exploits were found over the past 90 days resulting in 3 new processes started on a target machine. Since we have not heard of any Mac exploits, I would think that these are PC specific exploits. The exploits were not hosted on MacMall.com, but were on pages linked via macmall.com. If you are on a PC or are not blocking scripts, I would stay clear of MacMall until this issue is cleared up. If you are using FireFox, you can use NoScript to block all scripts you don't want run. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a look.
I really like the fact that Google is checking these things, and will personally be using Google a bit more because of this extra level of security.
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Mac'in Some Money - 2008-0716 |
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Written by Chris Tangora
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Wednesday, 16 July 2008 |
 Still looking for the perfect Mac job? In our second installment of Mac'in some money we take a look at an established Apple consultant for New York City, macexcellence.com. MacExcellence is a small consulting business that takes a one-on-one approach to the IT industry. By treating each client with respect and attention, MacExcellence strives for a win/win approach to business, both sides walk away feeling good and accomplishing something. Read more about MacExcellence on their about us page at their site.
MacExcellence is looking to grow now. In the business for 15 years as a one man shop, it is time to bring it to the next level. If working for clients like Liz Claiborne, Good Times Media or Columbia House sounds interesting, read on. MacExcellence is looking for not only a Mac aficionado, but also a Mac master. If you love the Mac, eat, sleep, play and work on a Mac, this is for you. If all you want is a weekly paycheck, clock-in, clock-out, this isn't the job for you. The ideal candidate has an entrepreneurial spirit and knows that good service and good customer service is critical for future prospects.
If you want to make the Mac your job, then take a look at MacExcellence and contact Anthony via MacExcellence.com or contact him via his contact page on MacExcellence.com.
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