As new machines continue to roll out of Cupertino, along with the release of Tiger this week, my old iBook Dual USB 500MHz continues to decline in value. So, what do you do with that old iBook/PowerBook that just isn’t worth getting rid of? Kitchen appliance, car stereo, stereo component? What’s your take on the use, reuse, recycle, potential for your dust attracting ‘Book? Read more for suggestions on where to send your PowerBook on retirement…

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Amazon has spilled the beans on a new G5 configuration.
Part Number: M9749LL/A
Dual 2.7 GHz PowerPC G5 processors
512MB of DDR SDRAM
250GB hard drive
16x Dual Layer SuperDrive (CD/DVD+RW)
Ships with Mac OS X10.4 Tiger
Amazon is selling the machine for US$2,994.99, but it is not listed in stock as of yet.
[Update]
Amazon has posted pages for new dual 2.0GHz and dual 2.3GHz machines:
Mac OS X10.4, code named Tiger
Dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 processors
512 MB of DDR SDRAM
160 GB hard drive
16x Dual Layer SuperDrive (CD/DVD+RW)
Mac OS X10.4, code named Tiger
Dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 processors
512 MB of DDR SDRAM
250 GB hard drive
16x Dual Layer SuperDrive (CD/DVD+RW)

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I am a lucky owner of a new Olympus R1018 TDA (tough digital assistant) and my main computer is a PowerBook. It comes with Windows ce.net or Linux. Since the Bluetooth support is not finished in Linux, I’ve settled for ce.net for now.
It took me quite a few hours but I did get the TDA hooked up to my Airport and I was able to surf the Web but Google Maps wouldn’t load! As far as I can tell, there is no file sharing or networking software that will let me move files back and forth to my PowerBook. I can ping one from the other, so they can see each other but I’m not sure what protocols are on the TDA. So that’s my first question, is how do I share files?
The second question pertains to the Bluetooth support. I’ve been able to see my BT device (it offers a serial port profile), but I can’t find a terminal program in the limited program menu of the TDA. The help says to go through the communications sub menu but that doesn’t exist. Is there a terminal program available that I can connect to a serial port device? Zterm?

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PowerPage reader Phil asks:

What is the normal operating temperature of a PowerBook G4 15″ AL 1.25. Right now the CPU temperature is 138. The power Supply is 145. I never hear the fan. Is this normal? Here at work I drive a 20″ DVI LCD.

Read More…

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When it was originally announced I panned the iPod shuffle’s ugly design, which I still stand by today, but I have to admit to having a sweet spot in my heart for the shuffle despite its flaws. Read more..

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There are a number of characters and factors which make me appreciate my Mac mini. Read More..

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A reader theorizes that Apple may be developing high-defintion (HD) displays:

I was browsing Apple’s new Tiger page, and after checking out the Dashboard and Spotlight videos, realized that the desktop in the videos has a 16:9 aspect ratio–the same as HD television. Currently, all of Apple’s widescreen displays feature a 16:10 aspect ratio.
Is this a small hint that Apple might be adopting the HD aspect ratio in future displays, e.g. the upcoming iMac G5 revision?

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To eulogize the eMac is difficult, but now when there is a Mac mini in its place perhaps a lot easier. Read More…

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The International Herald Tribune is reporting that President Bush has had an iPod since July 2004. Read More for W’s playlist…

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The objective of this article is to compare PowerBook screen brightness to other notebook LCDs. I’d like to turn this into an across-the-board comparison on brightness, with your help. Read More…

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