New MBA 13" 256 owner with a question (and Hard Candy Bubble review)

[Silver5656]

So I just received my 13" i5 256 mba (samsung hd and lg screen). I did notice a small and consistent gradient effect on the bottom 1/4 inch, but its slight and only noticeable on medium brightness (it goes away at full brightness and low brightness). So here are my questions

1. Do i need to create a system backup/restore disc or anything of the like?

2. My iTunes is currently at 500GB. I set itunes to store it on my WD 1TB usb 3.0 external. But is there a way to store some of it on the SSD?

3. Any essential (or recommended) maintenance software you recommend? I do have an older intel core 2 duo 2.4 mbp with an upgraded 500GB hd and 4gb ram so I am not a total mac noob, but I am def no pro. I did install macaroni on it per a friends recommendation (but dont know if it really helped?) I do plan on installing the usual spotify/dropbox/vlc/handbrake/chrome

I ordered a wrapsol and a hard candy bubble case and will give my review on those once they get in. (anybody know why wrapsol charges tax outside of MA?)

 

[Silver5656]

well i just received my hard candy bubble sleeve, and honestly I am kinda dissapointed. Its thicker than I thought, and this is bad because it leaves room for the air to move around and thus it becomes "loose" or falls off of the rubber bumpers thus leaving this function useless. Plus the interior lid of the sleeve is lined with a super thin felt which i feel may not protect very well from scratches. if i can find a way to keep the air from moving around inside the sleeve and thus dislodging itself from the rubber bumpers, this is going back

 

[ZBoater]

So I just received my 13" i5 256 mba (samsung hd and lg screen). I did notice a small and consistent gradient effect on the bottom 1/4 inch, but its slight and only noticeable on medium brightness (it goes away at full brightness and low brightness). So here are my questions

1. Do i need to create a system backup/restore disc or anything of the like?

2. My iTunes is currently at 500GB. I set itunes to store it on my WD 1TB usb 3.0 external. But is there a way to store some of it on the SSD?

3. Any essential (or recommended) maintenance software you recommend? I do have an older intel core 2 duo 2.4 mbp with an upgraded 500GB hd and 4gb ram so I am not a total mac noob, but I am def no pro. I did install macaroni on it per a friends recommendation (but dont know if it really helped?) I do plan on installing the usual spotify/dropbox/vlc/handbrake/chrome

I ordered a wrapsol and a hard candy bubble case and will give my review on those once they get in. (anybody know why wrapsol charges tax outside of MA?)

1. No. The MBA has a on-line restore function that doesn't require a disk. It does require an internet connection.

2. Yes. I store all my music and apps on the SSD, but movies and videos on an external drive. Just move the movies directory to the external drive, an have iTunes find it there.

3. You should have a good backup strategy (I use a Time Capsule). That's the #1 thing I would recommend. Other than that it kinda depends what you want to do. Some programs I find essential are Dropbox, FileZilla, Messenger, Pixelmator, Twitter, eWallet, and Stuffit Expander. YMMV.

 

[KPOM]

x2 on the backup strategy. I use Carbon Copy Cloner at least once a month to back up my Mac partition to a USB hard drive. I use a Time Capsule for in between (it never hurts to have more than one backup).

I like BetterZIP for compressing files. It is compatible with WinZIP files (including encrypted ones), and is pretty economical and more flexible than OS X's built in compression software.

 

[Silver5656]

thanks for the replies. I do have 2 backup solutions, I use time machine on my nas and have a wd passport for clone backups (lol like 3x a year yea i'm lazy)

 

[Bonilla]

So I just received my 13" i5 256 mba (samsung hd and lg screen). I did notice a small and consistent gradient effect on the bottom 1/4 inch, but its slight and only noticeable on medium brightness (it goes away at full brightness and low brightness). So here are my questions

1. Do i need to create a system backup/restore disc or anything of the like?

2. My iTunes is currently at 500GB. I set itunes to store it on my WD 1TB usb 3.0 external. But is there a way to store some of it on the SSD?

3. Any essential (or recommended) maintenance software you recommend? I do have an older intel core 2 duo 2.4 mbp with an upgraded 500GB hd and 4gb ram so I am not a total mac noob, but I am def no pro. I did install macaroni on it per a friends recommendation (but dont know if it really helped?) I do plan on installing the usual spotify/dropbox/vlc/handbrake/chrome

I ordered a wrapsol and a hard candy bubble case and will give my review on those once they get in. (anybody know why wrapsol charges tax outside of MA?)

Wow I am sorry about the candy bubble case, I liked so much and planned buy it, it looks that fits perfectly but, it is have some space to move around is a shame. Thank you for the review.

 

[Silver5656]

also regarding the hard candy, the rubber bumpers have velcro attached to the bottom, and you can take them off and put them back on to adjust the fit, but it will still slide around if you carry the sleeve. if you put the laptop into the sleeve and then into a tight spot (like a backpack) right away, it will probably stay on the bumper, but if it jiggles around it will most likely fall off the bumper