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Ibook Bought! What now?
- Thread starter volntitan
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an external mouse!! if you got a bluetooth module then get a bluetooth mouse, otherwise just get a USB mouse. also make sure the iBook has at least 512mb of ram, im not sure how much you have b/c you didnt say! i like to have an extra power charger. so i can leave one at home where i am usually set up, then i have a second for taking on trips or just to class every day!
I don't have any real accessories for my iBook (except a sleeve and a bag).
What I do have is an Airport Express base connected to my ADSL router and my hi-fi system, which provides the iBook with an internet connection and lets me play all my iTunes music over the hi-fi wirelessly.
If your daughter is going to use it for music, and you don't want to get an Airport Express, than a pair of good headphones might be worth it. The sound from the iBooks speakers are not great and an added bonus with headphones is that she can listen to music without bothering anyone else. I use a pair of Koss PortaPro (and SportaPro) which are great headphones: Cheap, lightweight and with good sound.
What I do have is an Airport Express base connected to my ADSL router and my hi-fi system, which provides the iBook with an internet connection and lets me play all my iTunes music over the hi-fi wirelessly.
If your daughter is going to use it for music, and you don't want to get an Airport Express, than a pair of good headphones might be worth it. The sound from the iBooks speakers are not great and an added bonus with headphones is that she can listen to music without bothering anyone else. I use a pair of Koss PortaPro (and SportaPro) which are great headphones: Cheap, lightweight and with good sound.
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volntitan said:
Well, MS Office is a good start.
Maybe some speakers if you wanna listen to even the slightest level of quality but to be honest, I've got an iBook and it's really a pretty complete package as it is.
volntitan said:
Apple's done a pretty good job of including all the 'fun' stuff, much to the detriment of the rest of the OSX software industry. I'm talking about software like iLife etc.
Are you after anything in particular? A game? An equivalent program from Windows? What do you find 'fun' volntitan? Personally, I'm not much of a gamer but I get quite a bit of enjoyment going through my photos and music.
Games!
Myst 10th anniversary DVD is only $15 now - PC and Mac version are on the same disk. You will need classic mode for the 1st 2 games I believe.
Quake 3 team arena $10 for the jewel case edition. This is the PC version, but you only need the serial number, and to copy a few files off of it if you use the OSX installer.
And Firefox, get firefox
Myst 10th anniversary DVD is only $15 now - PC and Mac version are on the same disk. You will need classic mode for the 1st 2 games I believe.
Quake 3 team arena $10 for the jewel case edition. This is the PC version, but you only need the serial number, and to copy a few files off of it if you use the OSX installer.
And Firefox, get firefox
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volntitan said:
you will be fine w/o bluetooth. if you are ok with the 1 button mouse, go with the apple mouse. i prefer, and i know a lot of members here prefer 2 button mice. www.macmice.com is where i got mine from, i have the BT version, but the USB version looks like an apple mouse with 2 buttons (you might have some trouble with the right click, thats been a big complaint with that mouse) other than that micrsoft mice are usually pretty popular. the one MS product i think people here actually like! logitech is also a good brand, thats what i use for wired when i want that little bit of extra speed for gamming!
Solitaire XL and Freecell are both available from Versiontracker for free for those moments where you just want to waste a little time.
What's your daughter going to use the iBook for primarily? If it's for school work where she may have to transfer work to other computers etc, an iPod Shuffle might be a good idea. Not only can she listen to her music but she can use it as a Thumbdrive.
Do you use a Mac? Or do you have any friends who do? My cousin (15) got an iBook for Christmas/School and although she'd figured out some of the basics, it wasn't until she sat down with me at Easter for an hour or so that she found some of the other cool stuff it could do (things like being able to iChat through Rendezvous/Bonjour with her friends even when they were out of their school's wifi network).
If you don't know any Mac 'power' users, a copy of a good OS X book (I think the Missing Manual's been updated for Tiger) might be invaluable. Even if you or your daughter doesn't sit and read all of it, it's a useful resource just in case you do get stuck with anything and help you find some of the clever tricks that the iBook will manage (things like Command, Control, D while hovering over a word in Tiger to get its definition that you might never find yourself)
What's your daughter going to use the iBook for primarily? If it's for school work where she may have to transfer work to other computers etc, an iPod Shuffle might be a good idea. Not only can she listen to her music but she can use it as a Thumbdrive.
Do you use a Mac? Or do you have any friends who do? My cousin (15) got an iBook for Christmas/School and although she'd figured out some of the basics, it wasn't until she sat down with me at Easter for an hour or so that she found some of the other cool stuff it could do (things like being able to iChat through Rendezvous/Bonjour with her friends even when they were out of their school's wifi network).
If you don't know any Mac 'power' users, a copy of a good OS X book (I think the Missing Manual's been updated for Tiger) might be invaluable. Even if you or your daughter doesn't sit and read all of it, it's a useful resource just in case you do get stuck with anything and help you find some of the clever tricks that the iBook will manage (things like Command, Control, D while hovering over a word in Tiger to get its definition that you might never find yourself)
Shuffle....interesting you mention that. We got a free 512mb Shuffle with the order. She already has a mini-ipod so we weren't sure what to do with the Shuffle, but hey, it was free. I was going to go out and get one of the sandisk portable stick drives, but you are saying that the Shuffle can also be used for that?
As far as software goes, what ever you think a 17 yr. old girl might find fun and will work well on the ibook.
As far as software goes, what ever you think a 17 yr. old girl might find fun and will work well on the ibook.
volntitan said:
Yes. Plug it into iTunes and under Preferences, you can set the Shuffle to hold x% data and %music. And since it's formatted in FAT32, it works across Macs and PCs - and you don't even need iTunes on the PC for it to work as a data transfer device.
wPod said:
If I recall correctly, aren't the USB ports on the left side of the iBook? Apple's mouse's cord is very short (at least the model they included with my computer), which means if she's right handed, there may not be enough cord to make it to the right side. Some other users can comment on this. You'll definitely want to check this out before buying it, though.
volntitan said:
The wireless mouse (non bluetooth) would only really be useful if she will be using the iBook at her desk the majority of the time, and just to clear up cable-clutter (and it would only barely do that...no less cords, just in different places). On the road, she would still have to plug in the RF reciever to use the wireless mouse. Which would mean it would be just as easy- even easier, since to have less to carry- to use a USB mouse.
What tobefirst said about an RF mouse is true. If you get your daughter a wireless mouse get a bluetooth one only. From my experience an RF mouse only works within 3 or 4 feet of the bulky receiver and still barely works. While bluetooth mice work 30 feet away flawlessly with a tiny usb receiver.
velocityg4 said:
I have a Logitech wireless laptop mouse that doesn't take up any room. The mouse is the same size as an ordinary mouse (although I think I saw a smaller one) and the receiver is only as big as it needs to be to plug into the USB port. The biggest problem I have it that I'm always misplacing the receiver.
I have seen these little devils where the receiver fits inside the mouse when you're not using it. And I've found it to be easy on batteries.
Consider putting SideTrack on the iBook or if they ever get it working on Tiger iScroll2 - then she won't need a mouse.
BTW - can I be your daughter??
Margaret
I just want to add another vote against a Home RF Mouse... I had (have really but I try to forget it) a Kensington Pocket Mouse Pro wireless and it is the worst item I've ever bought, regardless of category... It had an effective range of less than 3 feet, and I use the word 'effective' very liberally as it had extremely long response time combined with a quite unbelievable lack of precision... stay clear...
Now I just use the trackpad...
Now I just use the trackpad...