Jason Ball's TechBytes

Like any Mac devotee, I rushed out and bought me a Mighty Mouse as soon as possible. My first impression was good, then I installed Apple’s Mighty Mouse drivers and was met with horror as my System Preferences went haywire. They still switch on me at every restart. [Update] Apparently, this is a widespread problem.

Then my mouse started sticking when I would click. I thought it was me, but I’ve returned the mouse and am sitting here with a new one- I definitely had a defective Mighty Mouse the first time.

I still can’t program the scroll wheel to do a cmd+W. Hopefully, Apple will add more ability to program the mouse *exactly* like you want it, instead of how they want you to use it.

Overall, the mouse performance is fine for my needs- as long as I can add cmd+W- and is light as a feather. It’s just like using the original one-button apple pro mouse, but with the ability to right click. If you’ve got the spare cash, pick one up- just avoid the Apple Mighty Mouse Driver.

–

Update

Mighty Mouse number two has died. The scroll wheel stopped working last night… It’s going back to the Apple store tomorrow and I’m getting my money back.

Plus, my hand actually hurts from using this mouse. It is incredibly non-ergonmic. I’ve seen other people mention wrist and hand problems after extensive use of this mouse- I can coo-berate those claims. The Mighty Mouse has to be one of the worst releases from Apple in ages.

Filed under: Apple

Rogue Amoeba – Airfoil for Mac OS X: “Airfoil lets you send any audio to remote speakers attached to your AirPort Express. AirPort Express – It’s not just for iTunes anymore.”

Rock.

Via O’Grady’s Powerpage

Filed under: Apple

Rogue Amoeba – Airfoil for Mac OS X: “Airfoil lets you send any audio to remote speakers attached to your AirPort Express. AirPort Express – It’s not just for iTunes anymore.”

Rock.

Via O’Grady’s Powerpage

Filed under: Apple

I finally caught Steve Job’s Macworld 2005 Keynote. Of course the highlight was “Looks like there’s a bug there. That’s why we have backups”. Other honorable mention goes to the London store stats:

1. The London Store is the largest Apple store in the world (in terms of sq ft)
2. The London Store ranks number two store in terms of global retail sales

Perhaps statisics like those show that Apple might be waking up to the reality that there are many, many people who live outside of the US and they should be catered to. Also, Steve might have realized there are also, many, many expats living in London.

Filed under: Apple

I finally caught Steve Job’s Macworld 2005 Keynote. Of course the highlight was “Looks like there’s a bug there. That’s why we have backups”. Other honorable mention goes to the London store stats:

1. The London Store is the largest Apple store in the world (in terms of sq ft)
2. The London Store ranks number two store in terms of global retail sales

Perhaps statisics like those show that Apple might be waking up to the reality that there are many, many people who live outside of the US and they should be catered to. Also, Steve might have realized there are also, many, many expats living in London.

Filed under: Apple

There’s good reason to suspect that the net’s next ‘killer app’ will be developed on Apple’s OS X operating system. Among many computer developers, there is a strong movement from Linux to OS X.

Why? First, OS X combines a open-source Unix core with the world’s best GUI and best-of-breed applications like iTunes and iPhoto. Rumors also indicate that Apple is going to be ‘integrating’ Linux with OS X in their 10.4 revision.

OS X has relatively short application development times because it is heavily object-oriented. The OS is also improving very rapidly. Longhorn is going to be out in 2006 (maybe); meanwhile OS X has a major upgrade yearly and already includes components such as tight video card integration that Windows won’t have until Longhorn.

Developers spend a lot of time with their computers and they want a pretty one. Apple makes the only computers that could be defined as stylish.

These developers will naturally develop their apps on OS X first. The world’s first web browser was implemented by Tim Berners-Lee on NeXTStep, a direct ancestor of OS X. The seminal video game Doom was also developed on NeXTStep.

If VoIP and Video-oIP are the next killer apps on the net, Apple already includes truly turnkey VoIP and Video-oIP in OS 10.3. They will sell you the hardware (an iSight plug-and-play auto-focus video camera) that integrates Video-oIP directly into AOL Instant Messanger’s namespace. Watch for them to extend it to the PC platform like they did with the iPod.

(Via Weekly Read :: Here.)

Filed under: Apple

There’s good reason to suspect that the net’s next ‘killer app’ will be developed on Apple’s OS X operating system. Among many computer developers, there is a strong movement from Linux to OS X.

Why? First, OS X combines a open-source Unix core with the world’s best GUI and best-of-breed applications like iTunes and iPhoto. Rumors also indicate that Apple is going to be ‘integrating’ Linux with OS X in their 10.4 revision.

OS X has relatively short application development times because it is heavily object-oriented. The OS is also improving very rapidly. Longhorn is going to be out in 2006 (maybe); meanwhile OS X has a major upgrade yearly and already includes components such as tight video card integration that Windows won’t have until Longhorn.

Developers spend a lot of time with their computers and they want a pretty one. Apple makes the only computers that could be defined as stylish.

These developers will naturally develop their apps on OS X first. The world’s first web browser was implemented by Tim Berners-Lee on NeXTStep, a direct ancestor of OS X. The seminal video game Doom was also developed on NeXTStep.

If VoIP and Video-oIP are the next killer apps on the net, Apple already includes truly turnkey VoIP and Video-oIP in OS 10.3. They will sell you the hardware (an iSight plug-and-play auto-focus video camera) that integrates Video-oIP directly into AOL Instant Messanger’s namespace. Watch for them to extend it to the PC platform like they did with the iPod.

(Via Weekly Read :: Here.)

Filed under: Apple

[UPDATE]
This post was getting so much traffic on my old site, I thought I would repost it here and add the fact that I also bought iCleaner to get rid of the scratches on both the plastic and the metal.

The iCleaner worked more or less as advertised, however it did *not* return my iPod to a factory-like finish. Also, the cleaner has now separated eight months on, so I’m not sure how effective it would be cleaning an iPod or iBook now. The short shelf life of iCleaner is disappointing and the results are mediocre. Think long and hard about it before you spend your $20…

 

Guess who got an old-school iPod for Christmas? That’s right. And what was the first thing I wanted to do? Restore it to factory conditions. I have *not* followed this article yet to clean my iPod, so proceed with caution.

From iPodlounge.

Warning: Do not attempt to disassemble iPods with non-moving, touch sensitive scroll wheels. The following methods are only for iPods with mechanical, moving scroll wheels.

Step 1
Here you have your iPod, Looking pretty and in one piece. Not for long.

Step 2a
Get yourself a length of tape. We are using Pressure Sensitive Scotch Tape, but masking tape will work just as good. Place the tape either top-to-bottom or side-to-side covering the scroll wheel as shown in the photo at left.

Step 2b
Gently pull the tape taught from both ends until the scroll wheel "pops" up.

Step 2c
As you can see this is an easy, safe method for removal. We spotted this method at iPodingand tried it ourselves and liked the results. I’m sure you’ll agree once you give it a try.

Step 3
Here you have the disc and center button completely removed.

Step 4
A closer view of behind the scenes. Notice the steel ball bearings in which the scroll wheel tracks on.

Step 5
Take a look at how thick the disc is. Suprising build quality. Now your ready to clean your scroll wheel. I recommend using a can of Dust-Off or Endust compressed air for electronics. Spray the compressed air in short bursts to remove any dust. If there is any dirt or grime, clean it with a slightly damp (with water), soft cloth then dry it off completely. You can also use the can of compressed air to dry it. Give a quick cleaning to the inside of the iPod with the can of compressed air. Now it’s nice and clean and ready for reassembly. Note: You can buy Dust-Off or Endust at any large electronic stores.

[Update August 2006]

Three further posts that might be of interest to you:

1. Sony MDR-EX71 Review
2. Shure Ec2 Review
3. iPod HiFi Review

[Update February 2007]

As you read through the comments, you’ll see people talking about the iPod mini, iPod nano and video iPod. There is a new how-to site that offers videos to walk you through your repair process step by step. If you’re going to operate on your pod, you might want to watch these videos first…

Filed under: Apple