Apple-Notebook Reviews

At this price, the card alone is a good deal. However, this pkg includes the USB minidrive, which allows you to use the card as a highly portable storage device that is recognized by WinXP without any drivers or installation required. This is really handy for many things, such as moving MP3 files (say to a friend's PC) or for copying .txt files for papers that need editing or safeguarding.

XP recognized and installed flawlessly. No digital signature required! Handy 4 foot USB cable for connecting behind pcs. I've looked at many sites that sell this drive and it was never obvious if the 256mb flash card was included. It is. My unit was gray (not blue like most ads show) with a green led. It's a versatile drive because the flash cards work with other devices, like my Rio S50 MP3 player. And different sized cards can be used, 64mb, 128mb, etc. Hardest thing was getting the package open! No different than any electronic gadget. Be careful with the blister plastic. 2 year warranty on the drive, lifetime on flash card. Highly recommended.

Executive summary: 1.44 floppies are just not cutting it. I work with clients and don't want to lug around a CD burner to move files from my laptop to/from their network. I also don't always want to lug my laptop home. Enter Simpletech's Bonzai USB mini drive. It is awesome. If you are looking for high capacity and expandable computer storage in a small, portable, USB-based, no install hassle package, buy the Bonzai USB mini-drive now.

A few details . . .

Insert it into a USB port, wait about 2 seconds and WIN2K and WinXP (home and professional) pop up an acknowledgement of a new removable disk that it found. You use the USB drive just like a hard drive (drag and drop, etc.).

Here are some factoids I wish the product description (or picture) would have told me:
1) A 4 foot USB extension cable is included, which in my book eliminates any negative dealing with the fact that the USB ports on some computers are close together or very tight. (BTW I have a Compaq Presario with 2 USB's on the front and although it is tight the Bonzai works fine there without the extension, even with my mouse plugged in right beside it). Having to carrying a small cable is just not that big of deal folks.
2) It is very small. 2 1/2" long including the USB plug. 1 1/4" wide. 1/2" deep.
3) It is very light. About the weight of one Oreo Double Stuff cookie :)
4) The USB plug has a cap.
5) The case is heavy plastic.
6) A lanyard (i.e big shoestring looking thing that goes around your neck like a Referee's whistle) is included.
7) I have a 60MB zip file on my Bonzai right now which unzips faster than those on my hard drive. Did I mention the Bonzai is fast?
8) The whole thing seems solid and well made.

BTW, a guy I work with and I did some research. We both concluded that Bonzai is the answer to our goal of a slick way to quickly move files between computers, with zero install requirements (at least on Win2K and WinXP). He is very envious of me right now since he opted for the Sandisk Cruzer instead of the Bonzai (because Best Buy didn't have the Bonzai). I picked Bonzai and was delighted to find that amazon.com has it. The Cruzer is about 4-5 times bigger, and doesn't feel nearly as solid in my view.

I opted for the 128MB model instead of the 256MB or 512MB models for two simple reasons: 1) 128MB is enough for me for now (equal to 88 diskettes), 2) the price of Secure Disk (SD) is bound to keep tumbling so I'll pick up a 256 and/or 512 once the 1GB (and beyond) SD's come out and drive down their cost of their little brother and sister :)

Enjoy the Bonzai!

This is, without a doubt, the best 17" PowerBook G4 case ever. Not only can it carry my G4, it can also carry my Tapwave Zodiac, and most of my school stuff. It's comfortable to wear and convenient. If you need a case for a 17" PowerBook, this is it.

This is a great laptop. It's light and sleek with tons of great features. I especially like the built-in Bluetooth, which lets me connect to my printer and PDA without wires. I highly recommend this PowerBook!

Finally retired my Sony Vaio (850Mhz) and made the switch to a powerbook--wanted to do that ever since I realized that Mac OS X is pretty much BSD Unix with a killer desktop. What a great machine this is. Much better than the comparable IBook...twice the processor cache for starters...and none of the problems that have plagued the 1Gz iBook. Weighs just 4.6 pounds and is very portable...aluminium case is very scratch resistant. I get GREAT range with the add-on Airport Extreme card going to a LinkSys 11g access point (there's an antenna in the lid of the unit). I'm very happy with the battery life, the operating system, and the apps I use on this machine (Office X mostly). About a month after getting and using this machine I got a G5 for my desktop and I'm quite happy. If you're looking for a gaming rig, forget Apple but if you're looking for a business-oriented machine that fits in very smoothly with a PC-based office, this is the ticket. Networks much easier than a Windows machine!

A fantastic ultra portable laptop. I bought the 12" Powerbook G4 1Ghz, and have been blown away by it. It has a good metallic design and its size is very easy to carry around, this is the major disadvantage of larger bulkier notebooks. I have had mine upgraded to 1.25 GB Ram, and the performance of applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop is great. You can even play games like Halo on it pretty well, if that is your thing. You can have up to 80GB of HD, and my advice is to buy the largest you can afford. I also have an Airport (802.11g) card installed, and it allows wireless connectivity with a pretty good range. In addition, Bluetooth built-in allowed me to use a very nice wireless mouse with it. The Keyboard is of good quality, an important feature if you have to write long documents in Word! The LCD screen is of good quality too. All in all it made a pleasant switch from my previous bulky Sony Vaio Lap. I would recommend this computer very highly.

Ditto all of the lauditory comments of my esteemed colleagues here on the review page, with a few additional comments. AppleCare is a must since the "logic board" of MACs are notorious for going down. The plan is $300 additonal cost for a three year policy, and you absolutely have to have it (you may buy it during the first year after purchase). The shipping protocol of the computer is excellent, with prepaid shipping containers sent to you, but Apple will charge you an additional $50 to save your hard drive data in the event that it must be replaced, a cost that should not obtain in my judgement given the expense of the add-on policy. The quality of the call-in help line varies (as they all do with PCs), but it's necessary, particularly for PC defectors like me. Lastly, if you have a problem with the enormous heat generated by the unit, get an 11" x 14" zip folder at Staples or Office Depot to place under the unit and also to carry/protect it. And you will carry this unit since this is a truly portable computer with a 3 to 4 hour battery time (my old SONY Vaio pooped out after 40 minutes - it's like a dinasaur next to the PowerBook). Plus, truly amazingly, you can edit video and burn DVDs that work simply great on a home DVD machine. Unbelieveable.

Ah, the Powerbook. For many years, Apple's version of what a laptop computer should be. Then they created "consumer level" ibooks and the Powerbook was elevated to a status of Pro machines (which it always was). There used to be only a couple models (remember Pismo?). Then the Titanium wonder that shocked the portable world. Now, Apple has 3 different sized Powerbooks with various models inbetween those sizes. The compact little gem is the subject here.

This is one of the finest Macs I have ever used. The weight is so light. The aluminum case is amazing. The slot load Superdrive which burns either CD's or DVD's is elegant compared to slide out trays that risk being damaged. The keyboard feels amazing. I could go on and on. Battery life I have gotten has ranged in the 4 hour range...excellent for a G4 equipped laptop. ALthough 256MB of RAM seems rather low, it surprisingly does well (Though I did add a 512mb module later, and watched performance grow). The power adapter itself has hooks to wrap the cord around (though admittedly, the old doughnut design was better looking). The 12" Powerbook is an excellent piece of hardware for those looking to tote a laptop. Two Thumbs Up!

I received a 12" PowerBook for Christmas, and so far, I haven't turned on my old media center pc since. I absolutely love all the features. The computer is quick to boot up, quick to load application, and because of the design of each clock cycle, programs don't interfere with each other on a large scale.
I needed a computer that could edit film and audio, and render quickly and professionally, and while this isn't the fastest PowerBook, it is definitely the one that fits my life the best. It's portable and powerful, and compared to the machines that I was running on before, this is a superior machine. I have Final Cut Pro, Express, Macromedia Studio MX 2004, Adobe suites, not to mention all the handy iApps for simple cut and edit in film. I have yet to get DVD Studio Pro 2, but that's on my list of apps to get. This is the tool for a person who needs power, but the actual physical requirement needs to come second to their ideas and creativity.
The only con is the battery life, rendering and using this processor takes a toll on it, but when I do most of those type of things, it's near a wall socket, so it isn't a big deal. And despite what I had read about this machine before I got it, it is not blazing hot. The wrist rest gets a little warm, but I've yet to find a laptop that doesn't. And unlike those laptops, this one cools down when you put it on a hard flat surface, and I barely notice that the fan is running to vent it. It is a superior machine, and definitely worth the money. Couple this with a 20" Apple display, and you have all the screen space you would ever need.

I bought this card for my Dell laptop and new 20GB iPod. I pulled it out of the box, put it into the PCI slot on the side of my laptop, and my computer located it without a problem. I was up and running immediately. Transfers to my iPod are incredibly fast. I highly recommend this very low-maintenance Firewire card.

Some people are rating this card down incorrecty. To set the matter straight:

The PCMCIA bus specification does not provide enough power to allow the PCMCIA cards to power external devices. Therefore, the PCMCIA Firewire cards do not provide enough power to the Firewire bus.

NO PCMCIA firewire cards can charge an ipod by itself (using the laptop's battery). PCI firewire cards (the kind for you desktop) CAN, but PCMCIA cards (the ones for you laptop) CANNOT. It is not a "feature" that this card lacks.

HOWEVER: Some PCMCIA cards come with an input for an external power adaptor, including this Startech card (as another reviewer mentioned). So basically, you plug an external adapter into the port (which you can see in the picture) and the external adapter will then power the firewire card, letting it charge your ipod. As far as I can tell, this feature isn't available on a lot of cheaper models. But you WILL have to have an external power adapter to use this feature.

So again, NO PCMCIA cards can self power an ipod while charging. Don't rate a product down for something that's not possible.

Bought this to capture DV from Canon ZR20 to Toshiba Laptop with XP Home. Works great. Able to capture video to PC without loss of quality. Editing is easier with MovieMaker than with the included Ulead, but Ulead seems more versatile. I would definitely recommend this card for anyone trying to do the same thing.

why i gave this printer 3 stars? 2 reasons... 1 i can't find the ink anywhere. 2 all of a sudden it's much cheaper than what i paid i just hate when that happens

I saw this by chance and ended up getting it because the price was right and it had the "all in one" feature. I must say, that it has worked really great. The speed of scanning and printing is awesome. I've been able to scan and print photos for framing within 10 minutes, whereas on my HP it took about 30 minutes.

For the price, you get a good scan and printing that is fast and pretty true to what you scan. One caution, I was scanning without printing at first and the scanned image on screen looked too yellowish. I had a cow and had a not so pleasant experience trying to get a useable answer from Lexmark's online tech support. But once they suggested I print the image to show them and I did, I found that the image printed like what I'd scanned. It did not have the off color tints like the image did on the monitor.

Really, I've been surprised and now use it more than my HP. The copy function is cool, because you don't even have to have the computer turned on to use it. Copies are quick and you can adjust the ink levels to get it as light or dark as you want. Plus copies in color or B&W. I like the machine alot and I'm very glad I got it.

I needed a printer, but one that had several features altogether. The scanner, photocopy, and printing features are all great. The quality for printing can be adjusted accordingly especially for rough drafts to conserve ink for final prints. This is a great buy for buyers like myself looking for budget price and having many features all in one. Also the usb cable works fine, I saved about $13 with the included one. I've been using this printer for about two months and no problems whatsoever. Installation is a breeze just follow the manual and display menu. It even has a power save feature that can be adjusted accordingly. Great quality for great price. Of course I bought mine when it was $120 which was outstanding in comparison to almost buying the Lexmark X1150 with no usb cable for $100.

I just purchased a Dell laptop, The touchpad was so sensitive it drove me nuts. So I looked at this model because it seemed to have all the right specs.
It took all of 5 minutes to install the software and have the mouse up & running. It is small enough to work on the right or left side of your laptop. It is optical W/USB & a PS2 adapter. It has a 3' extension. The mouse is small but very ergonomic with a 2 button scroll. Works with all Windows including XP OS & Macs.

I love this little thing. A lot of travel mice are too small, or the wrong shape, or easily broken, but this mouse is just right. The buttons have just the right amount of give to them, the scroll wheel is firm but not too firm, and it tracks well whether I'm using it on a tabletop, on my pants leg, or even on my laptop's wrist rest. Plus, it comes with a sturdy carrying case, so I don't have to worry about it getting damaged in my laptop bag, and an extension cord, in case the three-foot cord on the mouse isn't long enough for whatever reason. It looks stylish, too!

I really love the Traveler mouse. Yes, it's small, but I have very large hands and I've adapted to it quite easily. It tracks smoothly and the wheel has just the right amount of resistance. It even comes with a nice PVC travel case, perfect to slip into your laptop bag without scratching anything else up.

This is a great companion to a Powerbook, too, as it looks cool alongside! Now if Apple would just work on making the right button more useful in OSX...but I digress.

As other reviewers have stated, the hardware itself is great. The computer is visually stunning. And the OS is rock-solid and user-friendly.

Some people have complained about the size for traveling. It's about as small as a 17" computer could be -- but if you are sitting in coach and the person in front of you reclines their seat, it's hard to use. (Get the 12" if you think this might be a problem for you.)

Finally, a word on Apple service. I had some problems with this computer and needed to send it back to Apple several times -- which is a bad thing. On the other hand, I finally reached Roberto, a Powerbook specialist in AppleCare, who was understanding and expedited my repair -- which is a good thing. 4-stars -- would have been 5-stars except for the hardware problems.

I don't know what more I can add to all of these great reviews

but believe the hype!!!

this is one AWESOME laptop!

I'll just make a list of why I love it --- forgive me if it comes off with any irrationality ---

1. Portability ---- seriously, feel free to laugh, but this laptop really is portable....... yes, it can get heavy (by the end of the day) but it really is comparable, if not lighter, than most laptops available......... I commend Apple for doing such a great job on actually making this computer portable enough to throw in a backpack and take with you

2. The Widescreen 17" screen!!! gosh this screen is beautiful! Sometimes I find myself using a smaller computer and I can't stand it ---- I've officialy been spoiled! Even 15" widescreens won't do anymore!

3. Keyboard ---- there's something special about this keyboard - its pretty cool

4. Speed ---- Apple gets knocked around a lot for its speed, but seriously, the G4 in this thing really handles things greatly! I highly recommend 1 gig of RAM, for the ultimate speed and stability ----- this thing will run Final Cut Pro, Garage Band, OS X, all of those programs, greatly! Take my word for it ---- no probs at all!

5. Stablity ---- this is more of a software thing, but OS X is such a great OS!!! Never freezes, never crashes ------ I have five different apps open right now (Safari, AOL, Preview, MS Word, and iTunes) and the speed isn't slowing down one bit!

6. Output options ----- were talking Firewire, Firewire 800, USB, DVI, best of all, SVIDEO and AUDIO output ---- making it VERY easy to connect this baby to a nice TV!!! its pretty freaking cool

I don't know what else to say ---- buy it! IT ROCKS

for those of you afraid to switch, let me give you reasons why ---

- Microsoft Office on OS X (which works better here than it does on XP)

- Final Cut Pro (better than any Windoze editing system)

- All Adobe apps available here

- All Macromedia apps available here

did I forget anything?

Yes, yes, it's heavy and hot as hell. This is not the machine you prop up on your legs to read Google News in bed. Hopefully you have something better to do with your US$3K-$4K anyway.

I'm a professional media designer and image maker, and I replaced my old dual-processor Macintosh with the 17.1" 1.33 GHz Powerbook. This is a machine to tote onto a job site or to a presentation and produce great work...perfect for freelancers and those who might not work at their home base all the time.

Two great things I've not seen other reviewers mention are the audio hardware quality and dual-monitor support; these can't be under-rated. My Dell PC's audio line out is noisy and full of hiss, while the Powerbook's line out is so quiet that many musicians simply plug it into a club's audio system and it sounds great. Dual-monitor support is second to none. After chafing a bit at the widescreen nature of the screen (i.e., only 900 pixels tall), I instantly shut my mouth when I plugged in another monitor and it immediately started running at 1600 x 1200.

While there are some compromises one must make in going mobile, this machine does not disappoint. Rear legs for improved elevation, easy expandability, even a real tray for the DVD-RW drive ... all these things have been removed to make the machine as streamlined as possible. But I happily accept all these compromises to use a Macintosh that is powerful, relatively lightweight, portable...and sexy as all get-out. It's the only computing device I've ever owned that is a conversation starter. Now if these people would only just let me get back to work...

This lock is good (I use one every day) but it isn't perfect. A determined thief can remove the lock given enough time in a concealed space. My friend had his IBM laptop stolen in just this fashion from his private office.

I am very happy with my cable lock. Although it does not make your computer equal to Fort Knox, it will at the very least slow a would-be theif down. I can hang my 8lb laptop off of it, and bounce it up and down with the cable, and it holds firm (trial conducted over my bed, a heavily padded surface). I like how the cable swivels around the actual lock to avoid the cable kinking, and becoming cumbersome. I also like the fact that it is a key operated system. Although combinations are quicker, they can be hacked in about 5 minutes of trying, and slipping a key in the lock and giving a quick turn can't be any simpler. Just remember to keep one key in a safe place, and write the key serial number down somewhere so a replacement can be found. For the money, I don't think there is a better security option for notebook computers, unless you spend the $40 on a doberman puppy, and train it to attack computer theifs. But that would be hard. Buy this lock system, and it could save you $3000.

It does just what it says it'll do: if your PC has a locking slot (almost all do now) and the place where you're working has a secure piece of hardware to secure it the airplane-grade cable (schools, libraries, airports, et. al.), all would-be casual thieves will move on. As for more determined thieves, that's perhaps another story. Back up your data!

The Targus Defcon fingerprint security device itself is works fine. However, the SecureSuite 3.1 software that comes with it suffers from a number of bugs and inconveniences:

1) It does not work with Windows XP
2) It hangs the MS Internet Explorer when accessesing a page with two password fields.
3) It does not support network user accounts, only local logons.
4) It makes attaching to network file and print shares troublesome.

These problems make the device unusable in many typical workplace or home networking environments.

Supposedly there is a software package available free from Targus to provide security for Windows XP. However, the version of SecureSuite (3.5) that reportedly resolves the above problems for Windows 2000 users is not yet available from Targus.

My advice: Don't buy this device until it comes with software that works in real-world computing environments.

this is officially one of the coolest things i've seen in a while, but my obscure mind begs a question...

what if you had a twin? identical, same fingerprints? i know, odds are against it, but think about it! sensitive data and an evil twin... this worries me.

On a direct comparison of Biometric Capture Devices for finger prints this is the best that I have used, and I use many.

The advantages of this device are:
1. Faster than the older/larger chipset.
2. Convienient USB hub so that you don't loose a port for a device you use only to logon and unlock.
3. Easier to get used to than other finger print devices (print placement).
4. easer to use on any of your ten fingers, as with a bio enabled mouse you may find that you can only easily use your right thumb.

My recomendation though is not to use the software bundled with the device, but to get SAFsolution Enterprise Eddition SAFlink Co. (OTC:BB-SFLK) and use that, as it works for local and network accounts, and can be centrally deployed for domain wide security.