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Apple Geeks thread 2008...


AndyW
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was just out an about, popped into pcworld as was at the shop next door,

dont yet have the new range of macbooks in, so asked when it would be the guy didnt know, also said the old ones should come down, altho he said they were already down some, but the old unibook was £799 i think so not cheap really...

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Its straight forward to be honest Grapo. I used a widescreen monitor with the miniDVI connector for a while, and OS X gives you the usual clone/extended desktop options like you'll be used to with Windows. You can orientate the screen output through 180 degrees too, in case you want to run a monitor on its side to fit A4 pages on it easier.

Set it all up and works brilliantly! Never used two screens on Windows before but this is so cool just dragging stuff onto the second screen

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The only issue I have when using dual screens (through the mini display port adapter) is if you leave it connected and put the mac to sleep (closing the lid) when it wakes it's just frozen, only seems to happen sometimes. It's happened with an external HD as well

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got a new apple flavoured toy!

picked up an apple time capsule 1tb, and then added another 1.5tb of storage externally to it's usb port.

i have used other nas boxes before, but i am really really impressed with this. i won't be using it with time machine, it is mainly being used to store all my HD content for use with plex.

so far i've loaded around 1tb of data onto it and plex has scanned and created my libarary.

also added it to a workgroup so the windows pc's in my flat can access it too.

piece of piss to setup, literally just plugged it in and my mac detected it and set it up.

it even has a gigabit switch, and the wireless N access point built into it, along with a dhcp server if you need to make use of it.

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I bought a 500GB Time Capsule for Time Machine and I agree, the Bonjour networking stuff makes all the autodiscovery stuff so easy.

I'd really love an Apple TV but I can't warrant it when I use a PS3 for all the streaming.

i don't really see the point of the apple tv, other than to have another apple product. if it could play mkv files then i would go straight out and buy one.

next purchase for me will be a usb tv tuner.

Edited by Adam K
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  • 2 weeks later...

Superb kit. My 1TB capsule takes care of both my macs and also runs another Terrabyte drive for my music. Everything is just so seamless.

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i don't really see the point of the apple tv, other than to have another apple product. if it could play mkv files then i would go straight out and buy one.

next purchase for me will be a usb tv tuner.

Or save your pennies and get the media tablet which some are saying will be here before Christmas (and others are saying Q1 next year). This will supersede the Apple TV, most likely.

Also, there's nothing better than a mac mini with dual eyetv tuners. In fact, I am typing this on my living room "TV" right now... Bliss!

Edited by dxg
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Or save your pennies and get the media tablet which some are saying will be here before Christmas (and others are saying Q1 next year). This will supersede the Apple TV, most likely.

Also, there's nothing better than a mac mini with dual eyetv tuners. In fact, I am typing this on my living room "TV" right now... Bliss!

i want to buy usb tuners for my mini, there seems to be a lot of different elgato eyetv products, which do i need to run freeview and watch one channel whilst recording another? is it the diversity that i want?

Edited by Adam K
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To be honest, go play with a 3G. It's a brilliant bit of kit.

I think I'd be a bit biased saying "Get a 3GS" because I've had both, but if you're new to the iPhone check the 3G out before deciding if you really want to shell out the extra cash. Saying that, the 3GS is noticably faster at pretty much anything, the compass is actually a fantastic touch for the mapping, and the voice control works 99.9% of the time. The new autofocus video camera is a massive improvement over the 3G's camera too - There's some sample vids and photos in the iPhone forums on macrumors.com.

I want to see some videos from you :)

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Or save your pennies and get the media tablet which some are saying will be here before Christmas

I will be fitting one of those into the Lupo dash.

As soon as Christmas morning is out of the way.

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i want to buy usb tuners for my mini, there seems to be a lot of different elgato eyetv products, which do i need to run freeview and watch one channel whilst recording another? is it the diversity that i want?

I think you can do the diversity route (but is one of the tuners ont analogue?), or a couple of the cheapest freeview tuners - whatever they're called at this point in time. I have the latter - an old one that was lying around and their current cheapest one (cheaper to buy a new stick than to buy the software alone, and I'd lost the registration code!!).

They claim that twin tuners is experimental and not offically supported, but it works perfectly for me. Rock solid. Only downside is if it's recording on one tuner without another channel being viewed, it forgets that it's got another tuner available. So you have to quickly start another recording, so you can watch that, then stop it can change channels. Sounds more complicated than it is.

The best thing about the eyetv (compared to Windows Media Centre - which I used to have) is that the Mac faultlessly wakes itself up from sleep to record things in the middle of the night. This was alsways hit and miss on Windows.

And the eyetv software is really good. A true "ten foot" experience. Note that the cheaper tuners don't come with a remote, but you can use the Frontview white remote thing just fine...

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I am absolutely loving my 3GS, happy with the quality of the camera, performed better than expected in low lighting. Video is really decent as well.

recently bought the navigon app so it's a full on sat-nav as well!

Also, you can tether without a jailbreak just by changing some settings. Obvs you can't go crazy on the bandwith, but it does the job!

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Want to get a macbook air next month.... if anyone has one forsale i would consider a 2nd hand one....

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Got an air, and to be honest, unless you are purely using it for on the road, wouldn't bother. 13" Macbook Pro would be a better buy

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  • 2 weeks later...
I am absolutely loving my 3GS, happy with the quality of the camera, performed better than expected in low lighting. Video is really decent as well.

recently bought the navigon app so it's a full on sat-nav as well!

Also, you can tether without a jailbreak just by changing some settings. Obvs you can't go crazy on the bandwith, but it does the job!

does the navigon software work well?

i was considering buying an iphone just on the basis of that software being available and is decent.

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Well, I've missed this thread while I've been away!

I have a 3GS now, up from the 3G and the difference is noticable with regards to speed. It's literally twice as fast. There are now 3GS specific apps coming through too. Mine is PAYG so the beauty is, I can upgrade when the next one comes along - and so on and so on..!

Also, I have the late 2008 model of the 13" Macbook, 2Ghz, 2gb RAM, 160gb HD (standard set up) but I am thinking of upgrading to the 15" Macbook Pro in the next couple of months.

Does anybody expect an improvement to Mac hardware with the release of Snow Leopard or do you think the recent facelift was just that??

And what sort of price could I ask for my current Macbook with over 12 months remaining on the warranty? (expires November 2010)

As for NAS External Hard Drives, such as the Apple Time Capsule - does anyone have experience with this Buffalo drive? 1TB is what I am after and it just seems much better value. And I can access the stuff anywhere in the world via WebAccess.

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/7963585/Buff...ve/Product.html

Cheers Geeks! :P

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Well, I've missed this thread while I've been away!

I have a 3GS now, up from the 3G and the difference is noticable with regards to speed. It's literally twice as fast. There are now 3GS specific apps coming through too. Mine is PAYG so the beauty is, I can upgrade when the next one comes along - and so on and so on..!

Also, I have the late 2008 model of the 13" Macbook, 2Ghz, 2gb RAM, 160gb HD (standard set up) but I am thinking of upgrading to the 15" Macbook Pro in the next couple of months.

Does anybody expect an improvement to Mac hardware with the release of Snow Leopard or do you think the recent facelift was just that??

And what sort of price could I ask for my current Macbook with over 12 months remaining on the warranty? (expires November 2010)

As for NAS External Hard Drives, such as the Apple Time Capsule - does anyone have experience with this Buffalo drive? 1TB is what I am after and it just seems much better value. And I can access the stuff anywhere in the world via WebAccess.

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/7963585/Buff...ve/Product.html

Cheers Geeks! :P

I don't think I'd ever want 1Tb of data to exist on just one drive and to be in, what looks like, an enclosure with no ventilation.

I'm running a NetGear ReadyNAS - the cheapest on their range - it is great! Does everything. Streams every kind of media you can think of. Pretends to be a Time Machine for Apple backups. Also has RAID. Doesn't have the remote over the web access that you mention, but I use dropbox for that. It's well worth a look! http://www.readynas.com/

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got myself a 3gs 32gb yesterday,

proper loving it, went to dogs yesterday so hour an half coach trip could do alosrts check out football an f1 results, proper awsome!

anyone recomend any good free apps an costing apps?

Some of the best apps I have...

Remote

Bloomberg

Shazam

Wikipanion

Peggle

Let's Golf

Worms

Tiger Woods

Skype

eBuddy

iFooty Pro

BargainBin

DoodleJump

and of course, Facebook which is about to have an overhaul - see here...

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/08/23/preview-facebook-30/

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My favourates:

Bejewled 2 (Really smooth silky iPhone game, 10'000'000 times better than playing on the iMac.

Zinga Poker (Play with all your facebook buddies)

GPush (Gives you a 'push' to tell you e-mail is on route)

Facebook (only app I couldn't live without)

feX (Connects to facebook and your contacts list and adds profile pics and birthdates to your iPhone contacts list.)

Convertbot (this best converter tool IMO, smooth, looks good and great sounds)

Babelgum (When only good BBC randum vids are good enough)

The Deep (Best Pinball game out the at the moment)

Airport Mania (one of the only 'paid' game apps I still play every week)

Spider - (Bought it, played it untill completion, and then started again to improve my score!)

Monopoly Worldwide - (Really shows off the quality of the iPhone as a handheld gaming device, a joy to play)

Paper Toss - (Just try it, brilliant loo/train/wife conversation game)

Flashlight - (Simple light, had it for eighteen months with no need to see if there are any others out there)

Bump - (Every iPhone user needs to get this ;) )

iHandgun - (Pointless, but hook it up to your car stereo and scare people walking by lol)

Bubblewrap - (Another pointless, but ubber cool app)

Scrable - (Good, but everyone always beat you.. or is that just me?)

Google Earth, will work on 3G, but on WiFi this rocks)

Shazam - (Impress your friends in the pub with this great tool.. use this alot)

iPint - (Best iPhone app for showing off to your friends by none)

Labyrinth - (Best use of the iPhones unique movement sensors IMO)

Sky News

F1 Mobile

Sky Sports Football SC.

EuroSport

Sky+

VLC Remote

Tube Map

Tap Tap Revenge.

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There was a good article in The Times last Saturday about Steve Jobs and the 'cult' of Apple.

The girl from Liverpool that was told to keep quite about her faulty iPod was pretty worrying. Good that her Dad told them to shove it in order to be able to talk about it without fear of litigation.

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Upgraded my 2006 macbook (my main machine) from 2gb to 4gb this weekend and the thing flies now!

320gb 7200 rpm drive arrives thursday to replace the jam-packed 5400 original - can't wait.

Total for both upgrades? Less than £100.

I can't recommend this enough. I was really thinking about getting a unibody macbook, but this is c. £750 cheaper and should make my current machine last for another couple of year, I reckon. Shame I'm stuck with the GMA graphics, though... And I won't have access to CL in Snow Leopard.

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