Jump to content

Mac Air and I-touch


teacher

Recommended Posts

I was lucky enough to get the MacAir for my birthday this year. I took advantage of the deal to get an itouch with it. I am extremely happy with the Mac Air. It does everything I want it to do. I find it not much of a problem to carry the USB optical drive nor the USB ethernet with it. I have had a few little things, however, that are puzzling me.1. The newest OS for Macs is doing the same thing on MacAir that it did on my MacbookPro. I must select my wireless every time despite it being told to "remember my setting". I changed from a hidden SSID to an open one to see if that made any difference. Zilch. Nada. The previous version of the OS had zero problems with this.2. Why would they not make games available on the itouch like you can have on the ipods? I love to have the games handy when I find myself suddenly with nothing to do while waiting somewhere.3. There must be a way to sync the ical between the two devices. I have not found it yet. I have the itouch loaded with all my appointments and I would love to sync it to my air so I can print out calendars for hubby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Hi, Julia:

I was lucky enough to get the MacAir for my birthday this year. I took advantage of the deal to get an itouch with it. I am extremely happy with the Mac Air. It does everything I want it to do. I find it not much of a problem to carry the USB optical drive nor the USB ethernet with it. I have had a few little things, however, that are puzzling me.
I have the MacBook Air too, and also love it.
1. The newest OS for Macs is doing the same thing on MacAir that it did on my MacbookPro. I must select my wireless every time despite it being told to "remember my setting". I changed from a hidden SSID to an open one to see if that made any difference. Zilch. Nada. The previous version of the OS had zero problems with this.
I don't have this problem with Leopard. In fact, if anything, it's annoying to me that it connects to whatever is around indiscriminately. There is a setting that enables that functionality, though. And maybe that's somehow turned off on your Macs? It's here: System Prefs > Network > AirPort > Advanced > Remember any network this computer has joined.
2. Why would they not make games available on the itouch like you can have on the ipods? I love to have the games handy when I find myself suddenly with nothing to do while waiting somewhere.
You can't install iPhone 2.0 software on iPod Touch? That's a problem.
3. There must be a way to sync the ical between the two devices. I have not found it yet. I have the itouch loaded with all my appointments and I would love to sync it to my air so I can print out calendars for hubby.
There is a way. It's called .Mac or now MobileMe. You pay $99 a year, unfortunately. But it will let you sync iCal calendars on multiple machines. The assumption, though, is that all those machines belong to you. So another way might be to publish iCal calendars. This is something that I've never done, but I have subscribed to them. Check this Google search to see what I mean:http://www.google.com/search?q=iCal+calend...=utf-8&aq=tThere has to be a way to do this privately.Cyndy is switching to the Mac at home, and I'm facing the same problem, so if you solve it, let me know! :thumbsup: -- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Games:I have the iPhone software but it does not let me play my games that I had on my ipod. There are online games but that does not do you any good when you are sitting somewhere in public waiting unless you happen to catch free wifi.I have the advanced setting set to remember networks. I have tried both ways. That is what is so irritating about it - I know I have it set correctly. It just does not change. I am thinking of going cli to see if I can figure out the problem. That will have to wait until I have another day of rest. I have even played with locking the settings and leaving it unlocked.I discovered MobileMe when the forum was down I love it. It does allow me to sync my calendar with my MacAir. I just tried it with hubby's imac and his macbook pro (he got mine as an excuse to upgrade). That gave us the capability of each adding to the calendar and it showing up everywhere when you sync. You do have the choice of syncing automatically hourly, daily or weekly and which direction to sync. Hubby just had major surgery and we have multiple appointments and the start of the school year to juggle so it is nice having it update. I just went and synced between hubby's imac and my old macbook pro and my mac air. Th only kink in the works was I discovered you had to completely close ical on hubby's imac to get his to sync correctly. I had not problems with the other three and my iTouch. It is worth the $99 a year to sync all four devices. At the state conference last week I was on the go from 7 am to 10 pm. It was nice just to put my MacAir in my purse and go. That was much simpler than in years past as I then carried around a laptop bag as well. The only time I carried an additional laptop was when I presented at two sessions - one on open source software and the other on using an online testing program. I wanted to be able to demonstrate the software and really needed to be windows based for the software portion - even though I went through what was available and which OS(es) it worked with. I probably could have just as easily used the MacAir but I went ahead and used my work laptop. I also had a little travel wireless router that greatly simplified our connections in the room. The hotel signal was weak in our room but my little pocket size router did the trick.Like you I have no desire to publish my calendar. That is just too much info to be out on the air. The extend of my publishing was sending a page of my weekly schedule to my officers and hubby for the week. It was bad enough that I had folks coming to my room during my little break to ask questions (I still don't know how they found my room out of 28 floors in the hotel and quite a few rooms on each floor!)It will take some really major event to get me to give up my MacAir. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Games:I have the iPhone software but it does not let me play my games that I had on my ipod. There are online games but that does not do you any good when you are sitting somewhere in public waiting unless you happen to catch free wifi.
What kind of games? Even though I've owned iPods for years, I know nothing about iPod games. Wasn't sure if you meant iPhone 2 software or just the previous generation. If the latter, you definitely should check out the games that are available with the new software, released only 2-3 weeks ago. There's a long list of interesting stuff up there, some of it free, some of it for very small annual fees. It's very cool. I don't know for sure whether they released iPhone 2 software for iPod Touch though.
I have the advanced setting set to remember networks. I have tried both ways. That is what is so irritating about it - I know I have it set correctly. It just does not change. I am thinking of going cli to see if I can figure out the problem. That will have to wait until I have another day of rest. I have even played with locking the settings and leaving it unlocked.
That is strange. Does it happen with all wireless networks or just one? Is it possible it's something configured on the router? I do recall, though, that there were people who had wireless networking problems with Leopard right after it was released. Apple wound up having to issue a series of AirPort updates over a period of months. Have you installed all the Apple updates? You probably have, but it's the only thing I can think of. My Macs work in two different networking locations, and transition back and forth seamlessly. They also remember network configurations from hotels, airports, hotspots, etc. I have to periodically go in and clean them out.
Like you I have no desire to publish my calendar. That is just too much info to be out on the air. The extend of my publishing was sending a page of my weekly schedule to my officers and hubby for the week. It was bad enough that I had folks coming to my room during my little break to ask questions (I still don't know how they found my room out of 28 floors in the hotel and quite a few rooms on each floor!)
When you sync with your husband using MobileMe, do you each keep separate calendars that show the other's stuff, or is it one shared calendar. The distinction is visibly not apparent, but it's an important difference for me that I haven't tested yet. I do think there's a way to publish locally. You might have to set up a bit of an intranet to do it. Or you might be able to do it with Apple's built-in Web features in a private way. I could certainly set up a Web page on my website that was password protected. There's a way to go that route too.The problem for me is that iCal is not the only thing you can sync with MobileMe. For example, bookmarks, keychains, etc. I want to share that stuff with MY other computers but not my wife's or kids' Macs. And while there are controls to prevent that, they're not that flexible.To be honest, though, you may know MobileMe better than I do. I've been a .Mac user for almost two years, but I haven't spent much time with MobileMe (.Mac's replacement), which works differently.
It will take some really major event to get me to give up my MacAir. :thumbsup:
Ditto. Cyndy is getting my MacBook Pro 15, a Core Duo with a 120GB HD, 2GB RAM, and Parallels+XP. It's a very nice machine, but that was four Macs ago for me. What's funny is that I thought the MacBook Air was a really bad idea, until Apple sent me one for eval. and I tried it out. Using is believing with this computer. I carry my main computer back and forth from work every day. This machine replaced a MacBook Pro 17. The difference was, and still is, freeing. I bring the computer to meetings now, and tote it around the house. I take it on the road much more often than I used to, out shopping or whatever, when I might need to check on something between stores. The addition of a USB-based air card (my company pays for this) makes the Air's utility pretty incredible.I'm evaluating an iPhone 3G right now and I can't warm up to it as the tool to reliably access web data on the go. It's still not fast enough for me. There are too many dead zones in my areas. It's not Apple's fault, it's AT&T's fault.-- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What kind of games? Even though I've owned iPods for years, I know nothing about iPod games. Wasn't sure if you meant iPhone 2 software or just the previous generation. If the latter, you definitely should check out the games that are available with the new software, released only 2-3 weeks ago. There's a long list of interesting stuff up there, some of it free, some of it for very small annual fees. It's very cool. I don't know for sure whether they released iPhone 2 software for iPod Touch though.
I have the latest software. There was an update about a week ago. You are right. There are now ames for the itouch and iphone. I am in the process of downloading a few free ones and a few of my favorite puzzle games. Thanks for nudging me to check back in again.
That is strange. Does it happen with all wireless networks or just one? Is it possible it's something configured on the router? I do recall, though, that there were people who had wireless networking problems with Leopard right after it was released. Apple wound up having to issue a series of AirPort updates over a period of months. Have you installed all the Apple updates? You probably have, but it's the only thing I can think of. My Macs work in two different networking locations, and transition back and forth seamlessly. They also remember network configurations from hotels, airports, hotspots, etc. I have to periodically go in and clean them out.
It is with all networks. It does not matter what router. I have used it with my school router, my home router, hotel routers, my travel router. It is always the same. I always do all the updates. I think I will eed to stick my head in at Mac Forums and see if others have the same problems.
When you sync with your husband using MobileMe, do you each keep separate calendars that show the other's stuff, or is it one shared calendar. The distinction is visibly not apparent, but it's an important difference for me that I haven't tested yet. I do think there's a way to publish locally. You might have to set up a bit of an intranet to do it. Or you might be able to do it with Apple's built-in Web features in a private way. I could certainly set up a Web page on my website that was password protected. There's a way to go that route too.The problem for me is that iCal is not the only thing you can sync with MobileMe. For example, bookmarks, keychains, etc. I want to share that stuff with MY other computers but not my wife's or kids' Macs. And while there are controls to prevent that, they're not that flexible.To be honest, though, you may know MobileMe better than I do. I've been a .Mac user for almost two years, but I haven't spent much time with MobileMe (.Mac's replacement), which works differently.
I have only been playing with it for a week. I have different calendars and I hae set them to sync all as I use it so Tom can see where I am and knows when he is setting up a conflicting appointment. So far I really like it. I like syncing all of my address book and bookmarks as well as it really makes it much easier when on the road.
Ditto. Cyndy is getting my MacBook Pro 15, a Core Duo with a 120GB HD, 2GB RAM, and Parallels+XP. It's a very nice machine, but that was four Macs ago for me. What's funny is that I thought the MacBook Air was a really bad idea, until Apple sent me one for eval. and I tried it out. Using is believing with this computer. I carry my main computer back and forth from work every day. This machine replaced a MacBook Pro 17. The difference was, and still is, freeing. I bring the computer to meetings now, and tote it around the house. I take it on the road much more often than I used to, out shopping or whatever, when I might need to check on something between stores. The addition of a USB-based air card (my company pays for this) makes the Air's utility pretty incredible.
I remember your being hard on it in your first write up. I kept thinking everything sounded good to me. I carried my portable optical drive with me to my conference and it never left the hotel room. I did not even need the ethernet cable. About the only think I could find that I should have carried with me was the plug to use it for my presentations but I really had no intention of using it for presentations and instead carried my monster school laptop (in comparison).
I'm evaluating an iPhone 3G right now and I can't warm up to it as the tool to reliably access web data on the go. It's still not fast enough for me. There are too many dead zones in my areas. It's not Apple's fault, it's AT&T's fault.
AT&T just does not have the range of coverage here so I have resisted that temptation.-- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the Mac forums and found a jewel of a little program called OnyX. It is a program that goes through and cleans, fixes and does maintenance. It is definitely worth checking out: http://www.titanium.free.fr/index_us.html. I think my network problem is fixed!I think I am going to install it on all my Macs!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the Mac forums and found a jewel of a little program called OnyX. It is a program that goes through and cleans, fixes and does maintenance. It is definitely worth checking out: http://www.titanium.free.fr/index_us.html. I think my network problem is fixed!I think I am going to install it on all my Macs!
I've been an Onyx user for almost two years. I totally agree.MacPilot does even more, but I don't like the way that company markets its product. It times out after so many days without much warning, and users are left to pay in order even to revert the changes they made with the product.Do you know what it was you did with Onyx to fix the problem?-- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi

Onyx is great as is Main Menu and TinkerToy and Bejeweled 2 (errr, wait that's a game! LOL!), and a bunch of tiny wonderful utilities for Macs!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Onyx is great as is Main Menu and TinkerToy and Bejeweled 2 (errr, wait that's a game! LOL!), and a bunch of tiny wonderful utilities for Macs!
Hey, Bambi. I love utilities so I went to check out your recommendations.I'm thinking you mean TinkerTool 3.9, right?And here's the Version Tracker page for Main Menu 1.7.3.They're both freeware.What were the other tiny utilities??-- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been an Onyx user for almost two years. I totally agree.MacPilot does even more, but I don't like the way that company markets its product. It times out after so many days without much warning, and users are left to pay in order even to revert the changes they made with the product.Do you know what it was you did with Onyx to fix the problem?-- Scot
I ran through everything and it fixed some errors under network configurations. However, a day later all was back to how it was so I am going to have to try again!Julia
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi
Hey, Bambi. I love utilities so I went to check out your recommendations.I'm thinking you mean TinkerTool 3.9, right?And here's the Version Tracker page for Main Menu 1.7.3.They're both freeware.What were the other tiny utilities??-- Scot
Exactly Scot! Thanks! I started calling TinkerTool TinkerToy awhile back and keep forgetting that's not it's real name. And that's the funny part, because TinkerTool is a wonderful Mac tool set and one I wouldn't be without! Here are just a few others are (at their current versions) -- I didn't have time to go through all my utilties today:Little Snitch 2 - well worth the purchase $29.95 but sometimes can get it for half price at other places around the webNet Monitor 4.4.7 $12Fugu 1.2.0 Mac OS X SFTP, SCP and SSH Frontend freeSnapNDrag 2.4.4 standard is free. Pro is $4.95 and free with EasyCrop $11.95Books for Mac OS X 3.1.10 freeCarbonCopy 3.1.1 free/donationwareDropDMG Trialware ($20)ImageTricks 2.4 Standard is free. Download Page Pro is $14.95 Highlight 1.4 freewareiResizer 1.2.1 free/donationwareMOST are free, a couple are pay to play or trialware, several are noted as Donationware, but likely any of the free ones would take donations if offered I would imagine.As I say, these are only a few of the ones I have found useful over time on the Mac.Maybe someone else can pick up where I left off.Good to revisit these things periodically and update the versions you have onboard. :thumbsup:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At summer conference the connection area for USB and what not became warped a little bit and would not close properly. It would only go back half way. I could see a bent piece of metal. We stopped by a mall in Raleigh close to our hotel for the night and they had an Apple store. I talked to the guys there and they told me to bring it over. I zipped back to the hotel and brought it back. They told me it was "abuse" and the warrantee/coverage I purchased would not cover it. I was surprised at that. They took it apart and put it back together and told me I needed a replacement for a $15 part and it would cost $135 to install it because it was a "level 2" repair.You know me. I arrived back home tonight and promptly took the laptop apart. (They said I would lose parts and never get it back together correctly - silly them). Anyway I took it apart and found the bent piece. I carefully bent it back to the appropriate shape and tested it several times, put my MacAir back together and it is now as good as news. I guess I just saved $150. The moral of the story is to watch what you have connected and make sure it does not put any stress on the connection. I'm delighted it looks brand new once again and pleased that it was that easy. The biggest challenge was laying all the screws out in order they came out so I could reassemble it correctly. Julia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi
At summer conference the connection area for USB and what not became warped a little bit and would not close properly. It would only go back half way. I could see a bent piece of metal. We stopped by a mall in Raleigh close to our hotel for the night and they had an Apple store. I talked to the guys there and they told me to bring it over. I zipped back to the hotel and brought it back. They told me it was "abuse" and the warrantee/coverage I purchased would not cover it. I was surprised at that. They took it apart and put it back together and told me I needed a replacement for a $15 part and it would cost $135 to install it because it was a "level 2" repair.You know me. I arrived back home tonight and promptly took the laptop apart. (They said I would lose parts and never get it back together correctly - silly them). Anyway I took it apart and found the bent piece. I carefully bent it back to the appropriate shape and tested it several times, put my MacAir back together and it is now as good as news. I guess I just saved $150. The moral of the story is to watch what you have connected and make sure it does not put any stress on the connection. I'm delighted it looks brand new once again and pleased that it was that easy. The biggest challenge was laying all the screws out in order they came out so I could reassemble it correctly. Julia
Great job Julia! Whoever said women can't play with tools and get down and dirty in electronics! LOL!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fran, I'm going to digest your post and come back to it later. I need to look at some of the programs I don't know on your list. I think my list, the A-List of Mac Software, is posted around here somewhere, but there it is again so you can see my (somewhat outdated) list. I'm planning on working on it in the near future. You'll notice that our two lists overlap in some places.Julia, in a forthcoming long-term evaluation of the MacBook Air I plan to talk quite a bit about issues with the fold-down USB port. I can definitely understand how you might have bent that little port enclosure or the support area inside it. Many USB drives and devices do not fit this properly. If your MBA is on a desktop with a USB device that's too large, it will literally lift your computer off the desk and if you lean on it, things can get bent out of shape. I've almost done it a couple of times.There is a device you can buy for $15 that will make any USB device connect to the MBA correctly, no matter how large it is. I'd offer a link, but I have to dig it up. I bought the smallest USB air "card" that Verizon offers (my company uses Verizon as its provider), and it still would not fit the MBA's USB port properly. But with stand off device, it fits fine.The problem reminds me a lot, though, of the stupidity of the recessed headphone port in the original iPhone. None of the headphones I own (including the Bose QuietComfort headphones) would fit the iPhone audio port properly -- and the upshot was that you couldn't hear anything. The fix was a short cable adapter that I had to purchase for about $10. But why doesn't Apple test this stuff in the real world??The MobileMe fiasco is another example. Apple needs to get better about beta testing and *listening* to constructive criticism.I notice that Apple often rejects the input of the industry and users in a somewhat arrogant way, and then later quietly implements the exact changes that were recommended. As a small example, you can now double click the Safari tab bar to add a new tab. I suggested that two years ago and the suggestion was met with quiet eye rolling.It was refreshing to hear that Steve Jobs owned up to the errors behind MobileMe, but why only internally? Does Apple actually think people believe it is perfect? I think it is afraid to admit that it isn't.Clearly, the MacBook Air's USB port needs work. I think it could use one more port, too, such as Firewire port or even possibly a second USB port. With the new CPU and chipset from Intel, a new motherboard is in the offing for a future version of the MacBook Air, and I think that might be the right time for Apple to make a minor revision to the MBA's port design.-- Scot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem reminds me a lot, though, of the stupidity of the recessed headphone port in the original iPhone. None of the headphones I own (including the Bose QuietComfort headphones) would fit the iPhone audio port properly -- and the upshot was that you couldn't hear anything. The fix was a short cable adapter that I had to purchase for about $10. But why doesn't Apple test this stuff in the real world??The MobileMe fiasco is another example. Apple needs to get better about beta testing and *listening* to constructive criticism.
It wouldn't surprise me if Apple doesn't consciously make decisions to design products, like the iPhone audio jack, in such a way that people will have to buy a small, inexpensive, accessory. Wasn't the iPhone jack adapter available right after they released the iPhone? They knew is was a necessity for a number of people. However, I do have a set of the Bose QuietComfort over the ear headphones and they attach to my first gen iPhone with no problem or adapter.I've had a .Mac account, now MobileMe, for a couple of years. Apple absolutely blew it with this one. It was definitely not ready for public release. The "push" e-mail functionality still doesn't work. It works great for the calendar and contacts feature, but not e-mail. I can read a message on my iPhone and it might, or might not, appear as read on the web site. If I delete a message from the iPhone, it will stay in the web site Inbox for hours. If I've deleted multiple messages, they'll all still be in the web Inbox, but as soon as I delete one of them at the web site, the rest will all disappear. At the same time, I can add a calendar entry to either the web interface or directly on the iPhone and have it appear on the other within seconds, so the concept does work.I'm starting to think that Apple is releasing products as general release before they should and then use the public as beta testers. There's a die hard base of Apple users who will jump all over whatever is released, thinking the company can do no wrong, and will happily deal with the "minor glitches" that shouldn't even be there. As Apple's market share grows, this is going to come back and bite them as the newer users will wonder why their friends told them how great Apple is (and usually how bad Microsoft is), when their first Apple experience is buggy.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi
Fran, I'm going to digest your post and come back to it later. I need to look at some of the programs I don't know on your list. I think my list, the A-List of Mac Software, is posted around here somewhere, but there it is again so you can see my (somewhat outdated) list. I'm planning on working on it in the near future. You'll notice that our two lists overlap in some places.
Thanks for posting the link to your A-List, I am going back over it LOL! And yes, our two lists would overlap since I got many of my list from yours! LOL! And you may have gotten a few from me too I think after I got my Mac Mini. :w00t:
There is a device you can buy for $15 that will make any USB device connect to the MBA correctly, no matter how large it is. I'd offer a link, but I have to dig it up. I bought the smallest USB air "card" that Verizon offers (my company uses Verizon as its provider), and it still would not fit the MBA's USB port properly. But with stand off device, it fits fine.
I wonder if any of these items from CablesToGo.com's USB 2.0 extender page would be helpful? They have several types of extenders and patch ends for USB.
The MobileMe fiasco is another example. Apple needs to get better about beta testing and *listening* to constructive criticism.I notice that Apple often rejects the input of the industry and users in a somewhat arrogant way, and then later quietly implements the exact changes that were recommended. As a small example, you can now double click the Safari tab bar to add a new tab. I suggested that two years ago and the suggestion was met with quiet eye rolling.
That is sooooo true! It is one of my main beefs with Apple.
It was refreshing to hear that Steve Jobs owned up to the errors behind MobileMe, but why only internally? Does Apple actually think people believe it is perfect? I think it is afraid to admit that it isn't.
Yes, that was very big of Steve Jobs to do that. I thought it showed a depth of understanding and humility I was beginning to worry he wasn't acquainted with. :whistling:
Clearly, the MacBook Air's USB port needs work. I think it could use one more port, too, such as Firewire port or even possibly a second USB port. With the new CPU and chipset from Intel, a new motherboard is in the offing for a future version of the MacBook Air, and I think that might be the right time for Apple to make a minor revision to the MBA's port design.
You know, I would have agreed on that until I got my Rosewill 7-port, powered USB 2.0 adapter. That tiny little guy makes it easily possible to take a single USB 2.0 port and regardless of the power requirements, I have been able to run anything USB on it so far. And it fits in the Mac Mini's USB ports easily because it's really just an little extender cable (little over 2 ft long) that connects to it, so you can put it where you might need to put it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fran,In spite of what I said, I'll still recommend friends get a Mac over a Windows based system every time, unless they have some specific issue that requires Windows. Everyone I know who switched has not regretted it, but I don't think any of them have iPhones or use .Mac / MobileMe.Bruce

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi
Fran,In spite of what I said, I'll still recommend friends get a Mac over a Windows based system every time, unless they have some specific issue that requires Windows. Everyone I know who switched has not regretted it, but I don't think any of them have iPhones or use .Mac / MobileMe.Bruce
That's great to hear Bruce. As far as general malware goes, Mac and Linux both will keep you safer than Windows.But I do worry about the GIFAR type of thing that hits all OSes by running in the browsers. Maybe it time to start thinking about some realtime protection or Mac or Linux? Or as my hubby says, it's no worries if you don't have browser plugins like Flash, Java, etc.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the moment, I'm not too concerned about real time protection on my Macs. The last "proof of concept" I saw for something that supposedly proved how vulnerable OS X was still required a couple of different manual actions by the user before anything could happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow. It sounds like I am not that far off from the normal customer with my port issue. I am not surprised to hear it has been an issue. I have a lot of short USB extensions laying around. I think I will keep one with my parts. I definitely will treat it with tender loving care.I agree Scot, one more USB port would be great. I found myself debating whether to use the USB for my optical drive or my usb drive when I really would have liked to have both attached. I thought all my duplicate e-mails were because of my server settings for my emails. I know I have my work computer set to not remove messages from the server but I did not think about it much after that. It can be a pain deleting messages from two places but I would not want the messages to be removed from the server to place on my itouch. It is really great for me to sync the calendars but I am getting some duplicate entries since I have put things down twice - once on each device and not paid close attention to the category assigned. MobileMe is still much better than no capability.I still recommend a Mac to folks over windows. I am still surprised by folks thinking that they have to have a pc for some specific file. They forget about the capability of running a windows file even if I never run Windows on my Mac.Thanks for everyone's comments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if any of these items from CablesToGo.com's USB 2.0 extender page would be helpful? They have several types of extenders and patch ends for USB.
Right you are, this is the one from CablesToGo. Also, Belkin sells the exact same part, though it's tough to find. I own both of them.
You know, I would have agreed on that until I got my Rosewill 7-port, powered USB 2.0 adapter. That tiny little guy makes it easily possible to take a single USB 2.0 port and regardless of the power requirements, I have been able to run anything USB on it so far. And it fits in the Mac Mini's USB ports easily because it's really just an little extender cable (little over 2 ft long) that connects to it, so you can put it where you might need to put it.
I have two of these Kensington Dome USB hubs, and I love them. Yours looks cool too, I've never seen it before. What I like about the dome is that it has a very low profile. Most of the 7 ports are on the back, but there's one on the top for easy access (perfect for air card or USB stick). And it's very stable. Nothing is going to pull it over. It's a very nice hub.But there's a different issue with the MacBook Air. Its external SuperDrive optical drive cannot be used through a USB hub. It must be directly connected to the MBA's USB port. Plus dragging even a tiny hub around is annoying. On the road I use an air card, and if I have put a USB memory stick in for even 30 seconds I have to disconnect from the Internet.Also, I miss Target Disk Mode, which requires Firewire. What I really wish is, though, is that Apple would rewrite TDM to support USB.-- Scot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LilBambi
Right you are, this is the one from CablesToGo. Also, Belkin sells the exact same part, though it's tough to find. I own both of them.
Great to know. How was the pricing on the part when you got yours? Often CablesToGo is more economical for stuff, but not always.
I have two of these Kensington Dome USB hubs, and I love them. Yours looks cool too, I've never seen it before. What I like about the dome is that it has a very low profile. Most of the 7 ports are on the back, but there's one on the top for easy access (perfect for air card or USB stick). And it's very stable. Nothing is going to pull it over. It's a very nice hub.
Those are very nice too! I haven't had any trouble to date with mine being unstable but a Mac Mini is not the same type of thing as a MacBook Air. I can certainly see why the dome style would be much more desirable for a laptop/mobile environment. :thumbsup:
But there's a different issue with the MacBook Air. Its external SuperDrive optical drive cannot be used through a USB hub. It must be directly connected to the MBA's USB port. Plus dragging even a tiny hub around is annoying. On the road I use an air card, and if I have put a USB memory stick in for even 30 seconds I have to disconnect from the Internet.
Wow, really? I have read of problems and have experienced problems running things through USB HUBs (not the Rosewill) in the past for similar reasons, as a matter of fact quite a few things, but I never would have guessed Apple would have been so short sighted as to have a situation where you have to choose between a SuperDrive and an Internet connection. How stupid is that. Of course, in that case, a secondary, actually 3-4 total built-in USB ports would be advisable then. They are so tiny and unobtrustive (if not stacked), I can't imagine why the didn't do it in the first place.
Also, I miss Target Disk Mode, which requires Firewire. What I really wish is, though, is that Apple would rewrite TDM to support USB.
Firewire is one another area that Apple just seemed to get right, at least for PPC (no Intel Mac experience other than for clients). It is extremely reliable. Wish I could say the same for the PC running Firewire under Windows. ;) But with the new USB 3.0 specs coming out, Firewire seems so superfluous, especially if they are not going to include ports on all systems for it.I really don't see why they couldn't put in at least one Firewire port regardless and several USB ports. I bet it still would have fit in the Interoffice envelope. ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...