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Stuff for my PowerBook 12"

G

gamestriker

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 18, 2004
174
0
I'm a senior in high school right now, getting ready for college. I got my first mac a couple of weeks ago, a PowerBook G4 12" SD, and I love it (I'll probably right a review for it in this forum when I get a chance). Now I'm trying to figure out what else I should get for it. I got a wireless mouse, and MSOffice, and an Incase for it. I'd say I got about $1000-$1100 to spend on accessories right now, and so far I think I'm going to get the AppleCare ($350), 1GB RAM (<$400) and possibly a .Mac account ($100).

What else do you think I should get for my PowerBook? I'm not in the market for an iPod right now, but I do need some very portable and good quality headphones, so suggestions are appreciated.

A friend of mine suggested the Traveler CoolPad to help keep the PowerBook cool, but I'm not sure if its worth it (my PowerBook only gets really warm when I'm playing 3D games and its not even on the underside of it that it gets warm, its at the top strip of aluminum where the power button and the microphone are located).

All advice and suggestions will be very appreciated. My thanks in advance.
 
jackieonasses

jackieonasses

macrumors 6502a
Mar 3, 2004
929
0
the great OKLAHOMA....
Get one of them dell monitors and a wireless keyboard for the home usage... Or if you can spring for it - get the Apple monitor if you care about looks.
Get a external hard drive to back up stuff - (if it is 7200) it will run MUCH faster, then buy some apps...


sounds good to me

kyle
 
J

Jsmit

macrumors regular
Sep 10, 2004
195
0
Boston
I would say to save whatever is left over until it is clear that what else you need. But if you must spend the money now. I think toast is a good investment if you plan on burning many disks, especially if they are more complicated then and audio CD or data CD. An external hard-drive for backing-up, and dealing with large files (i.e. video) that you don't want cluttering up your internal drive. Did you get a package of iKlear yet? It does a great job on the screen and works well on the rest of the 'book. It is nice to have a couple spare cables in your case. I have ethernet cables and firewire cables myself. An external display can be nice but is not needed. One of these days I may get one. I've been eyeing the Apple 20" but can't justify the cost, or even the cost of a Dell.
 
anotherjeff

anotherjeff

macrumors regular
Dec 7, 2004
137
0
Honolulu
Screen/Keyboard protector if you have greasy paw prints showing up on your screen.

Definitely full ram.

Isight if you like to chat.
 
ham_man

ham_man

macrumors 68020
Jan 21, 2005
2,265
0
If you want some good phones I would suggest some Shures. I have the E3cs and LOVE them... :)

Other than that I would get some more RAM and Apple Care...
 
r6girl

r6girl

Administrator/Project Manager
Staff member
Sep 6, 2003
1,732
75
New England
congrats on your first mac! i'm sure it will serve you will in college.

on the applecare, i'd just suggest you search for it on ebay or craigslist where it can be purchased for less than the $349 msrp. just be sure it's an unopened/unregistered package, of course. i found applecare for my powerbook for $175 on craigslist. you could save some money there that could be applied to other goodies!

i have a radtech powersleeve for my powerbook and find it quite useful to save it from scratches and whatnot. a spare battery might be useful as well. a bit of a pain to keep swapping and charging 2 batteries to always have both fully charged on hand, but could come in handy for long trips or long days on campus when you can't get near a power outlet. i know i've always hated having to put my powerbook away on long trips even though when i've done my best to conserve power by turning down the screen brightness and other stuff.

oh, and some iklear for cleaning. great stuff to clean up the screen and the rest of the powerbook.

for headphones, i'd recommend the etymotic er-6s. i don't use mine every day since it's too unnerving to not be able to hear things around me, but they're great on the subway and on planes.

marianne
 
russed

russed

macrumors 68000
Jan 16, 2004
1,619
20
for the headphones - get some shures as mentioned above. i have the ec2's and would have liked the ec3's but hey i'm not made of money and for about £60 i have some of the most clear sounding headphones with a really big range of sound. they really are a must. oh and they are really solidly built - not the kind of ones that will break within a few months, so i suppose in the long run they are worth it!
 
russed

russed

macrumors 68000
Jan 16, 2004
1,619
20
right, on another note - accesories for your PowerBook. i have one and find an external mouse to be useful (particuarly if i'm doing something like editing photos etc) i would say the external keyboard is uneccesary as the keyboard on your powerbook is soooo good that you could type on it all day long!

i second the external hard drive. i have a lacie d2 and it looks really nice, is pretty quiet and looks as solid as any i have ever seen.

if the external mouse that you buy is an apple one i would advise getting the griffin powermate. apartfrom looking really cool, it is so useful for scrolling and loads of other applicaitons.

finally, a case. if you just want a slip case to put it in so you can put it in another bag, i would recomend the tucano second skin, it feels like it adds quite a bit of padding and protection yet isnt bulky and doesnt feel like it will fall apart!

oh another final point - get some decent speakers to put on your desk. i have the jbl creatures in silver- they look nice sound good and dont cost a lot!
 
0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
all i can recommend is an external hard drive, FW400, 7200rpm etc. HDs are pretty cheap now too so a 200gb wont cost that much.

im using a Crumpler Wee Bee and its a brilliant bag.
 
M

MacHarne

macrumors 6502
Mar 3, 2005
321
0
Virginia, U.S.A.
Gamestriker, you mentioned that you are going to college. Remember to use your student discount on the extra items you purchase from the online educational Apple Store. The AppleCare will only be $250 and everything else, in fact, will be cheaper.

I use my student discount ALL the time :D
 
quidire

quidire

macrumors 6502
Aug 11, 2004
349
0
Washington DC (in Kalorama Triangle)
virividox said:
id skip the .mac account, when u go to uni they give u your own webspace and email.

first and foremost a external hard drive bigger than ur laptop hard drive so you can clone the image of the drive onto it a perfect back up :)

get a keyboard protector too
Click to expand...

I just recently (October) switched, and got a Rev C PB12 (it was such a great experience that I'm giving my PB12 to my girlfriend and buying a new Rev D PB12 for myself; it should arrive in the next few days (hopefully!)).
  1. a .Mac account is well worth it; other than easily posting photo albums the web space is hardly the key reason to get it. Get it, pay $50 more and you have a 1GB iDisk. Having the ability to access your work ANYWHERE (and transfer files to whomever that are larger than 10MB (email providers generally won't let you attach >10MB/email)) is very useful, especially in a campus environment. Since you can access your iDisk over the web, you can ensure you never lose work no matter what happens, and can access it even if you leave your laptop in your dorm etc.

    You can also use the iDisk to synchronise your bookmarks and system preferences (etc) on multiple Macs. This feature probably won't help you until you have a desktop as well, but is worth mentioning.
  2. iCal publishing - huge! you can have various calendars in iCal (obviously) and w/ .Mac you can publish some of them; others w/ iCal OR Mozilla Sunbird can subscribe to them. This calendar sharing can dramatically simplify scheduling. My understanding is these calendars can also be accessed over the web. (aside: Mozilla sunbird is a standalone calendar/scheduling app. My understanding is that if one uses Thunderbird or Firefox, there is a calendar plug in that is the functional equivalent. One simply must choose whether one wants the app on its own or combined with their web browser or email client. iCal is a far preferable option on OS X, but for Windows...)
  3. .Mac is the simplest way to put any digital art online, be it audio, image or video. The tight integration with iLife makes it a breeze.

I was a .Mac skeptic, but just got a .Mac account a week ago, and it has been quite an experience.

Other suggestions:
-RS
 
G

gangst

macrumors 6502a
Dec 27, 2004
614
0
UK
imo, i wouldnt waste my money on ram and crap like that, iv made that mistake. instaed spend it on decent stuff that is worth the time like clothes, money towards a car e.t.c
 
E

eleveneastgate

macrumors 6502
Jan 23, 2005
284
0
When you shop at the Apple store, consider using your Educational Discount. That'll make your 1000+ stretch alittle... Mos Definitley get more RAM. Heck, MAX it out! I purchased one from here :D
 
adamjay

adamjay

macrumors 6502a
Feb 3, 2004
646
0
Indianapolis
2nd battery for sure. it will come in handy at university...

with a 12" PB, that gives you well over 9 hours of unplugged notetaking, essay writing, web-browsing, and itunes listening. with the aid of power saving features (lower screen brightness and reduced cpu).
 
B

brap

macrumors 68000
May 10, 2004
1,705
2
Nottingham
russed said:
i second the external hard drive. i have a lacie d2 and it looks really nice, is pretty quiet and looks as solid as any i have ever seen.

if the external mouse that you buy is an apple one i would advise getting the griffin powermate. apartfrom looking really cool, it is so useful for scrolling and loads of other applicaitons.
Click to expand...
Full on, a big bad Lacie drive for backups, and a Powermate for scrollin' thru PDFs in the campus library. I'd be lost without either.

$400 for 1GB memory? Christ. I have some on order from Outpost, seriously cheap, in-spec stuff - like $150. Ni-ice.
 
h0e0h

h0e0h

macrumors 6502a
Aug 30, 2004
761
2
West Monroe, Louisiana
i got a Griffin iCurve to raise the display up to span it w/ my current 17" LCD. I also got the apple bluetooth keyboard because it isn't recommended to type with the PB on the iCurve on it's keyboard. I also got a ScreensavRz from Radtech.us and a PowerSleeve as well. I also got a pretty cheap digital cam/printer bundle from my local target store and already had my digital vid cam. I also have an iPod and its dock. I would recommend it, because it actually comes to class with me more than my PB. I also got a dell axim x50 Pocket PC to keep up with my contacts and email and iCal dates, because you can sync it via bluetooth with the PB. It, like the iPod, goes to class with me everyday because it slips into my pocket. But as far as recommendations, i would definately recommend the ScreensavRz and PowerSleeve... and i couldn't live with out my vid cam and digital cam. Good luck on your stuff... I would also recommend MANY DVD-Rs and maybe the iMic if you do voice overs in vids like i do...
 
P

_pb_boi

macrumors 6502
Feb 25, 2004
382
0
Four words.

20. Inch. Cinema. Display.

Get one if you can, it's a GREAT combination, makes people go 'whoooa' when they see it :)

andy.
 
wwidgirl

wwidgirl

macrumors member
Feb 23, 2004
52
0
bag

get a good laptop case and protect that investment.
Digital camera is a good supplement as well- to take pictures of your awesome laptop.
 
B

bentley

macrumors 6502
Mar 20, 2005
252
1
I'd definitely get AppleCare.

I'm nearly out of warranty and I've had a few problems (screen, sleep issues).

I'm gonna pick it up soon.

A pen drive of some sort too. I use a Shuffle, works for me :)
 
jknight8907

jknight8907

macrumors 6502a
Jun 14, 2004
804
49
Hudson Valley NY
How about a couple of the Dell widescreens? Either one 24" or two 20" LCDs would be great, and a lot cheaper than the Apple ones. And you can use that money you saved to buy more RAM and other goodies.
 
D

dotdotdot

macrumors 68020
Jan 23, 2005
2,391
44
jknight8907 said:
How about a couple of the Dell widescreens? Either one 24" or two 20" LCDs would be great, and a lot cheaper than the Apple ones. And you can use that money you saved to buy more RAM and other goodies.
Click to expand...


you cant use 2 monitors AND a powerbook, can you?
 
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