Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag and From The Archive, October 13, 2008

• Leopard on a G4

• From The Archive Learning To Love Leopard

Early Days Yet, But OS 10.5.5 Feels Like A Winner On My Old G4 PowerBook

I finally got around to installing the OS X 10.5.5 update on my G4 PowerBook over the weekend. I haven't noted anything really dramatic in terms of differences from OS 10.5.4, but so far it's been all good.Sometimes there's just an intangible, je ne sais quoi "feel" about an OS version update that provides the impression that it's a good one (more common in the higher point number updates)

Which PowerBook? - From The Road Warrior Archive

Nearly a decade ago, on December 10, 1998, I posted the Road Warrior column republished below, which provides an interesting sanpshot of the state of Apple laptops ten years back. Aside from the particularities of the hardware, much of my commentary still holds up I think, especially on the matter of timing one's system upgrades

Is There A Solid State Drive In Your Laptop Future?

“In my estimation, two of the biggest SSD advantages are that with no moving parts, they run cooler and quieter than hard drives, which helps advance my ideal of dead silent computing unsullied by hard drive or cooling fan racket”

The Road Warrior Mailbag September 29, 2008

• Cheap Windows Notebooks

• From The Archive - Road (Warrior) Testing A PowerBook G3 (1998)

Cheap PC Laptops Are, Well, Cheap, But Check The Bottom Line

Still, I have to concede that sometimes it’s been tempting

From The Road Warrior Archive: On Hardware Failures And Low End File Recovery

The Archive pick for this week was first published in August, 2002, just after the processor fried in my then 3 1/2 yeaar old WallStreet PowerBook. What I didn't know at the time but was able to confirm later was that the fault was indeed with the processor, and the fix was the simple matter of installing another processor daughtercard, which I did after someone kindly supplied me with a surplus one

The Road Warrior Review: Targus Mini Kaleidoscope Optical Retractable Mouse

The Targus Mini Kaleidoscope’s marquee features are its patented color-radiating design that cycles through seven brightly glowing colors (or fog lights as Targus calls them) when it’s powered up, and its retractable cord

Lombard: Still The Mac To Have If You’re Only Having One - From The Road Warrior Archive

At the Worldwide Developers Conference in May, 1999, Steve Jobs unveiled the second iteration of Apple's G3 Series PowerBooks - the alimmed-down Lombard - a bit of a transitional machine, being the first PowerBook with "New World" ROM and USB and the last to support SCSI

The Road Warrior Review - MacCase Classic Case 2008 For MacBook, iBook and PowerBook

The Classic Case for MacBook and iBook with styling by the rounded shape of the original clamshell iBook, offered in a choice of all five colors and a 1999-esque price tag of under $50

The Road Warrior Mailbag And From The Archive - September 8, 2008

• Laptop Desk Futura And 17" Laptop
• From The Archive - The Environmental Irresponsibility Of Non-upgradable Computers

Why Samsung’s X360 Is The Ultralight The MacBook Air Should Have Been

Late last week at the IFA Consumer Electronics trade fair in Berlin, Samsung announced its new X360 ultralight, ultrathin laptop aimed directly at the MacBook Air's wheelhouse. In short, the Samsung X360 is, if not everything, at least most things the MacBook Air should be but isn't

The Road Warrior Mailbag - September 2, 2008

• Thank You For The Article On Wireless Networking
• Sorting Out Intel's Core 2 Duo Mobile Processors - Past, Present, And What's Coming
• Sorting Out Intel's Core 2 Duo Mobile Processors

The Road Warrior Review - Laptop Laidback 3 Stand For Reclined Computing Re-Engineered [UPDATED]

Lighter in weight and 30 percent cheaper than the previous model, but still the gold standard of reclined laptop stands

PowerBook 1400 Gets Another Trip To The Fountain Of Youth - From The Road Warrior Archive

On St. Valentine's Day. 2000, I posted this The Road Warrior piece, discussing processor upgrades for the PowerBook 1400, which was one of the most upgradeable Apple laptops ever, and one that benefited mightily from being upgraded, vaulting it into the G3 era