We are all protective enough of our paperwork, keeping it fireproof filing boxes, and yet we do not do the same for our electronic data. Very few of us take the time to make a regular back up of our vital information, despite the fact that it can so easily be lost. A power surge, the theft of a computer, or a domestic accident can all result in us losing all of our valuable data, and yet, making a back up is a simple task that takes almost no effort at all.With an Aegis Mini 1.8” USB Ultra Portable Hard Drive you can make a back up of all your data and keep it safe. It is small enough to keep in your pocket, yet big enough to contain upwards of 30GB of files, making it the perfect companion for your computer.

The Aegis Mini 1.8” USB Ultra Portable Hard Drive comes in a choice of sizes from 30GB up to an enormous 100GB, and yet is incredibly lightweight and weighs just 3.5oz. Unlike many competing products, this tiny device does not require an external power supply, and simply plugs into the USB port on your computer.

Whether you are looking for a portable drive to let you transfer files between your home and office; additional storage space because you have filled up the drive on your computer; or want to keep a secure back up of all your important files, the Aegis mini 1.8” USB Ultra Portable Hard Drive is the answer to your needs.

This mini hard drive is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers, and is fully shock mounted to protect the internal components when you move it, and comes complete with all the security and encryption software that you need to ensure that no-one but you can gain access to any sensitive information that you have.

The Aegis Mini USB Drive ranges from $119 to $279 depending on its storage size. You can read customer reviews and purchase the drive from Apricon web store.

Apple Inc. describes the iPhone as a combination of three products; a mobile phone, an iPod and an Internet communications device – packed with email, web browsing, maps and searching functions. I love the fact that Apple has incorporated Google Maps into the iPhone. Now, if a GPS accessory add-on for the iPhone os introduced, I can leave my current GPS device at home whenever I go car cruising.

Priced reasonably at $499 (4GB iPhone) and $599 (8GB iPhone) and 2 years contract with Cingular, the iPhone is poised to end up in consumers pockets and handbags in the millions. It is also envisioned that many accessory for Apple iPhone will be designed and produced for this lucrative market. For one, iPhone skins will sell like hot cake as the current iPhone screen screams to be scratched.

This increase in readership has indeed encouraged me to continue bringing you great accessories for your Mac products. I have in mind a few ideas to serve you better and one immediate actions I have is to add a forum. So, what do you think? Should MacGears have a forum? Participate in the poll below and help me decide.

Allow me to once more thank you for visiting MacGears and wish you a very Happy New Year!!

If you really want to draw the full potential of your iPod and really want to listen to music as it should be, do yourself a favor and get one of these Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia. These earphones comes with an extension cable for longer reach and 3 earpieces so as to allow the owner to find a comfortable fit.

These earphones fit into your ear canal and does in fact block off external noise allowing music to then flow in all its majesty into your eardrums.

Upfront, the notable change you will see when launching iPhoto 6 is the interface. The interface now matches that of iTunes 6, which looks very smooth and attractive. It has a soft touch of blue in the sidebar where your albums reside, and the rest of the interface has a nice aqua edge too it.

Faster Loading
One of the heavily marketed features in the new iPhoto is the major speed enhancement. When you open iPhoto your photos now load considerably faster. Scrolling through your photo library is also a much speedier experience. iPhoto now has the ability to store and organize up to 250,000 images, so the speed incensement will be dearly loved by those with larger photo libraries.

Photocasting
Apple’s brand new feature to iPhoto, Photocasting has been talked about a lot among Mac fanatics. Photocasting allows .Mac members to share photos anywhere, anytime, all around the world.

When you click on an image, you can click the Photocast button, and it will publish the image to your .Mac account, along with automatically creating an RSS feed which others can subscribe to and view your images.

Once your Photocasting RSS feed is created, friends or family can subscribe to the feed directly through iPhoto, or if they use a Windows computer, the images can be viewed through any RSS reader.

Full Screen Editing
iPhoto 6 now allows you to take advantage of every pixel of your display, with its new feature called “Full Screen Editing”. Full Screen Editing allows you to edit your images in a full screen setting; you see your image in the centre of the screen, surrounded by black darkness. When you move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, editing options pop out from the bottom of the screen, allowing your to perfect your images to the last, tiny detail.

Full Screen Editing has great potential to be expanded and updated by Apple. Hopefully we will see a similar feature in future iLife upgrades to other applications, such as iTunes.

One Click Effects
One of my favourite iPhoto features is the exciting effects you can add to images. This year, Apple has made applying effects to images a whole lot easier, with the new feature, “One Click Effects”.

When viewing an image, simply click on the “Effects” button, and you are greeted with a small pop-up box, with 9 awesome effects you can apply to the image with the click of a button.

Greeting Cards
A feature inspired by iPhoto’s “Book Printing”, Greeting Cards are a welcome new addition to iPhoto 6. This new feature allows you to create a stylish Greeting Card to share with the family. To create one, simply pick one of the elegant Apple templates, drag your images into the template, and create your custom-greeting message. Once completed, hit the “Buy Card” button, and follow the prompts. This is another huge time saving feature.

Final Thoughts
iPhoto 6 is a major upgrade to the iPhoto application. All previous users of iPhoto should be eager to upgrade to the new version.

New features are plentiful, and the application now run’s noticeably faster. Anyone with a large photo library will want to upgrade for iPhoto’s stunning new speedy interface. Apple has added enough features to warrant an upgrade. In my eyes, and essential purchase for any iPhoto user.

1. iMac
2. Apple Keyboard
3. Mighty Mouse
4. Apple Remote
5. Power cord
6. install/restore DVDs
7. Printed and electronic documentation

As for the processor, you’ll get the 1.83GHz with the 17″ iMac or a 2.0GHz with the 20″ iMac.
512MB of DDR2 SDRAM (667Mhz). Full specifications can be obtained from Apple site.

This iMac has made it to my wishlist. If only Christmas was tomorrow.

Apart from the screen cracks, iPod Nano owners are also complaining of screens being easily scratched despite being careful compared to the previous iPod models. Hhhmm… gives me the next idea for MacGears blog..;)

< < trackback

Some of the obvious benefits of fuel cells are:

• Reduction in weight (fuel cells are lighter than traditional batteries)
• Longer electronic usage duration
• Reduced reliance on electricity
• Reduction in environment damage

It is expected that the fuel cells will be made available commercially in 2007. Till then, let’s hope and pray that the engineers have made this fuel cell safe enough to be held in our hands and pockets.

On sale in 2 different storage sizes (4GB and 2GB), the iPod Nano is capable of storing approximately 1,000 songs or 25,000 photos. Not only do you use your iPod Nano for songs and photos, it comes loaded with games and calendar functions. The battery is expected to last 14 hours between recharge.

The new iPod Nano comes in either black or white and in 4GB or 2GB storage. The 4GB model retails at $249 while the 2GB model is priced at $199.

For more details on the iPod Nano and customer reviews, check out Amazon Store.

Firstly, if you are stuck with your PC and have no way to get your hands on a mac, why no get yourself some Mac emulation software or beautify your PC with Mac stuff at http://www.osx-e.com/.

Secondly, buying a new Mac can be an expensive affair to some. New Mac users are always very cautious before taking the plunge as they worry that Mac will not suit them. However, to calm those nerves, many Mac users (previously Windows users) said to me that they will never go back to Windows. Instead of buying a brand new Mac, you are able to find a cheaper alternative by buying second hand Mac which may not be the latest version but will still be adequate for most computer users and also to give you the necessary experience in handling the Mac.

This warning is taken from the CPSC site:
“Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge. After removing the recalled battery from their iBook or PowerBook, consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.”

If you suspect that you may be one of those affected, you may contact Apple at (800) 275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday. The other alternative is to log on to Apple’s web site at www.apple.com/support/batteryexchange to check your battery’s serial number and apply for a replacement battery.

With a size of 6.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches length by 2 inches tall, the Mac Mini (lowest specification) boasts of 1.25GHz G4 processor, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) drive retailing at $499.

Now, for the same price, you will get the Mac Mini with 512MB of RAM for all models, AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth on some models. Detailed specification are available from Apple’s Mac Mini page.

The Apple Mac Mini is retailed at $499 (1.25GHz), $599 (1.42GHz) and $699 (1.42GHz Superdrive). You may obtain your very own Mac Mini at Apple Store.

This site does not function like a television where I speak and you listen; do participate by commenting on posts about your Macs, iPods, iBooks and the likes.