Mac.LTL

So, I purchased a wireless Apple Mighty Mouse last week and was severely disappointed. I purchased an external mouse for my MacBook because I’ve started writing software again and the trackpad is usable but too slow. Performance is my main driver and I was not prepared to be so underwhelmed (i.e. pissed off).

The mouse response felt sluggish and unnatural. When trying to be precise it felt sticky and jerky. I first thought the bluetooth was a lame interface and the source of my issues, but that was not the case. It was my second suspicion that was confirmed… the problem lies with the mouse acceleration curve (it’s software, it’s in an OS X driver setting, and it can be easily fixed by Apple). But, alas, OS X has no setting for acceleration and apparently has not had one for a long time. The cause and some solutions to the problems of the “feel” of the mouse in OS X has been well described. Read the article, it’s a great overview.

So how do we fix this feeling like our mousepad is a piece of fly paper? Well, my suggestion is to download MouseFix 1.2, a free program by Richard Bently. Why do you want this solution? First, because it’s free. Second, because in version 1.2 someone copied the acceleration parameters from Windows! Get it, run it, it’s great. I suggest setting the acceleration factor command line parameter to 1.8 (the default is 2)… so run it like:

./MouseFix 1.8

After that, play with your tracking speed for your mouse to dial in what feels good. If you are on a laptop, you’ll probably also need to decrease the tracking speed of your trackpad to dial it in. At first you may not like the new feel because you have spent years and years as an unsatisfied user who has eventually gotten used to crap. But after a short period you’ll find it’s much better, even the trackpad is much nicer to use after the fix.

Have fun actually being able to click on things now!

Oh, and as a final rant, why is this issue so infuriating. Because I spent $70 for a mouse… just because it matches my laptop! For double to triple what a good mouse should cost I expect perfection, or at least something pleasurable and effective to use. Yes, this was not a hardware problem, but since Apple controls the whole ecosystem the software that integrates the hardware should be perfect. And anyway, the hardware isn’t even that nice… the “squeeze” feature requires a hard squeeze that is uncomfortable, I sometimes miss-click the left vs right buttons, the ergonomics aren’t that great, and the features that work well are no better than any other $15 mouse. I hate that I am now bought into Apple and form comes before function… except for my iPhone, few complaints over that!

I wouldn’t typically say I talk much about other companies taking or building off of Apple design ideas.  But I was in a Best Buy yesterday and found two computers side-by-side.  One was the current iMac and the other was a desktop computer from HP with a monitor that looked a little too much like the iMac.  It was black around the screen with a metal color around the edge.  Like the iMac, the keyboard fits very well under the computer laying on the base.

Although, I have not too much against this kind of thing.  I was actually a big fan of the eOne from eMachine.

Dear Apple. Where is our webcam?
Yes, Apple does now have built in webcams on many models,
however, several models have been left behind. Abandoned.
With Apple discarding the iSight camera, the Mac Pro and Mac Mini
have been left behind without a replacement by Apple.
What is Apple’s strategy here? To get customers to buy other models?
Who cares? I do! I have a Mac Mini and would like to buy another, but can not
understand why Apple would stop production of the one camera they make,
without making a new replacement. Well Apple, where is it?

Hairline cracks are still an issue with the MacBooks it seems. I purchased a MacBook about when they first came out. I posted previously about the problem I had with that first MacBook and hairline cracks. I actually ended up with a rather poor experience with AppleCare having my MacBook returned with several cracks still present, despite explicitly noting them on the phone. The MacBook was also returned with a new problem that wasn’t there before; the mouse button stuck and had to be pressed much harder and directly in the center to work.

Later, I upgraded to a MacBook with a Core 2 Duo and a bigger hard drive and more RAM. I’ve had it less than a year and I’m having a problem with hairline cracks again. It’s in about the same place where my wrist rests while typing. It’s a bit frustrating knowing that if I want this fixed, I will have to send it to Apple and go without it for seven to ten days.

Browsing through some of my archived data, I found this old project I had worked on in high school. This actually made for a great server at LAN parties for its time. It was also very durable and could take a kick.

Specs…

• K6-2 500MHz
• 192MB PC-100 RAM
• 1.2GB HD
• 4x CD-ROM
• 2 floppy disk drives
• AGP Rage 128 video card
• 2 PCI Trident video cards
• Sound Blaster Pro
• 3 NICs

So what do I find underneath a power strip behind a desk all dusty and forgotten… a Palm Vx from 3com. I wanted one of these so badly when I was in high school. Having an amazing mobile device just seemed so cool. I ended up getting a far less expensive and less feature rich DaVinci. (Copying a certain older brother. You know who you are! Not the best tech investment.)

Now of course, I’m keen on my iPhone and even my slim and sleek Nintendo DS to compliment it. But nonetheless, this was an incredibly nostalgic moment. I immediately looked up all the old specs for the device. I recall there is still a big following for the Apple Newton. In fact, I know of at least one T-shirt you can buy supporting it. This has got me thinking about how tempting it would be to look into some old mobile devices that I can pick up for cheap that are incredibly hackable. I’m too scared to do anything to my iPhone. $400 is an expensive phone to break. And even if I can restore it fine, this is my main line of communication to the world. As soon as I start tinkering with it, I lose that connection while I’m hacking it.

I’ve got my Nintendo DS setup to play ROMs and games like Doom. It’s also setup to be an MP3 player. Which isn’t of much use with the iPhone.

I’m actually pretty amazed with how thin the Palm Vx was. I hadn’t held one since my hands weren’t fully grown. Soon as I get a chance I’m going to see about getting one and tinkering with it. Although, I’ll have to make sure it will work with my computer as best I can.

I remember considering my TI-86 graphing calculator as one of my awesome mobile devices. I use to program games for it with the scripting language they had for it. I could only view five lines of code at a time. That was pretty hardcore. Paradoxically, spending all my time programming using pretty advanced math for my age is the reason I received a D grade in my algebra class. “Hmm… as Adam’s teacher, I really need to get him to return to doing materiel that he finds remedial and not encourage his gift. Who cares if he’s acing all the tests? He needs to be doing his homework! Programming video games is no different than playing them.” Okay, I never actually heard my teacher say that, but I’m sure that’s what she was thinking.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my nostalgia.

This Macintosh keyboard self-destructed. It’s from a Lime G3 iMac. Terrible smell of plastic. A poor child could have burned their fingers.

I went to Macworld again this year. The MacBook Air is incredibly nice. It’s very portable and it’s something you have to pick up and hold to fully appreciate. I was always very happy with my 12″ iBook G4. I thought the size of that was just perfect. I was a little hesitant about a portable laptop with a 13.3″ screen, but it’s still surprisingly nice. Being so slim and light weight really makes up for the other dimensions.

I’d say there are a few good criticisms of the MacBook Air and what was announced, however. With the MacBook Air, Apple also released an external USB Super Drive. It seems that drive exclusively works with the MacBook Air. I was told by the Apple gentleman showing the laptop to me that the USB port had an additional line to provide more power, thus preventing the drive from working on other computers.

I thought the Remote Drive seemed pretty cool. I typically just use disk images on a file server that I mount, but I could see the benefit of having a mounted physical drive from any other networked computer. Asking about that, I was told that the Remote Drive software would only work for the MacBook Air. I can imagine scenarios where that software would be very convenient for me to use.

I have mixed feelings about gesture pads and I’m not certain how much success Apple will have with it. Looking at the MacBook Air, the trackpad button is much smaller and the trackpad itself is 20% larger than the MacBook. If Apple has a lot of success with gestures, I wouldn’t be surprised if they just remove that physical button altogether.

This probably only effects a small group of portable users. But many people buying these ultra-portable laptops are doing so because they’re doing a lot of moving around and field work. As a result, opportunities to plug into an outlet and charge your battery may be few. The MacBook Air does not have a user replaceable battery. So unlike many other laptops, you can’t carry around an additional battery to pop in once you’re running low on battery life. I personally have never needed to do that. Speaking anecdotally, I can think of only one person I’ve ever met that carried around a second battery. But I’m sure there’s some people out there that take long flights and need the additional battery while working on a plane, for example.

In addition to seeing the MacBook Airs, I also had a chance to browse the exhibit hall and for the first time used the ModBook. It’s a MacBook that is modded to be a tablet with the keyboard removed and touch screen added. This illustrates to me a demand for this kind of mobile Mac. I’d really like a computer that is something between my iPhone and my MacBook. I frequently walk around my workplace and could benefit from a Mac that is as easy to hold and use as a clipboard. My iPhone doesn’t have the software and my MacBook requires me to hold it in an awkward way and sometimes balance it on my knee to type.

I was told the ModBook also works with the Tablet Edition of Windows. The ModBook only comes in white, which is a shame, because the gentleman at Macworld had one specially made for him that was black and it actually looked really sleek.

I thought this was very interesting, and creating by one of our own writers here at Mac.LTL, Kevin. While this may be old (or new, I don’t know), I just found it, and was amazed. Hmm, I wonder if I could figure that out on my own…….
*gives up*

Anyway, kudos to Kevin, that is amazing!

The iPod Hi-Fi was confirmed dead by Apple today. Rest in piece, iPod Hi-Fi.

2006-2007