The 13" MacBook Pro Packaging

Being a first time Apple MacBook Pro owner I already had high expectations. As far as the boxing, I was expecting something a lot less than what was delivered. I was pleasantly surprised by the clean white box that arrived after ordering my MacBook Pro online. You could tell right off that Apple hadn't wasted time or money with unnecessarily big boxes to put their Mac products in. When I opened the box it was as clean and simple as the outer design itself. Compared to the Windows computers that I have owned previously, I was both in love with the design and amazed at the same time. 

Apple really has the right idea when it comes to boxing their products. Keep it clean, simple, beautiful, and environmentally friendly. I don't see any other commercials advertising a computer that is in environmentally friendly packaging, do you? Overall when it comes to opening your shiny new MacBook Pro, expect the highest standard of quality from Apple.

-Jay

http://www.youtube.com/nreluctant

Review: Iconic

Do you enjoy over-customization? Putting a little bit of yourself into every pixel? Well if you do, than you should check out Iconic. This application is heavenly. It allows you to insert an image and have it imprinted into a folder icon and then apply it to an actual folder. So far, I can’t really find anything to complain about. Let me enlighten you. First of all, this application is free. No trials and no advertisements. It uses a simple drag-and-drop interface which makes it an absolute delight to use. One knit-pick that I have is that when you drop an image in, it often takes a while to reduce the size of the image down to 512x512. That is minor but is is defiantly noticeable. Another thing that I noticed is that when you drag the folder that you want to the picture on, it doesn’t tell you whether or not it is working, it just auto-updates the folder without notifying you. So if you aren’t paying attention to the desktop, than you could end up repeating the process several times. But other than that, this application’s pro’s outweigh the cons. So if you enjoy customization and neat-nifty apps,that I recommend you check out Iconic at iconicosx.com.

Review: Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse

When I bought my 13” MacBook Pro, I also purchased the revolutionary wireless Mighty Mouse. This mouse is absolutely one of the best I’ve ever used. On my previous HP, I used a Logitech Deluxe Cordless Desktop mouse+keyboard combo. It was okay, but there was no major wow factor. The Mighty Mouse has so many wow factors it ha easily jumped to my #1 mouse. This mouse is well known for it’s many functions and features. One great plus is the 360 degree scroll ball. This comes in great for when you are in an application that goes up-down and side-to-side. Now the most used feature for me is the  pressure-sensors on the side. I have customized it to activate spaces when pressure is applied. The other feature that I really enjoy, but haven’t had the chance to us yet, is the fact that the mouse can run on two double-AA batteries for full battery life or just one battery if that is all you have available. I have looked and I haven’t found this feature on any other mouse. The mouse connects over bluetooth, and if you are using Mac OS X, the connectivity is built-in so there is no software needed to install. If you are planning on buying this mouse, I would wait until the rumored revamped version coming out later this month or so. But if you can absolutely not wait to get your hand on this magnificent product,than go ahead and just get it. Apple offers two versions. A wired version that is $49 USD and the bluetooth version which is a $79. If I were to rate this product,I would give it a 4 out of 5 because it has a lot of features that almost anyone will like, but...no product is prefect and you must be honest when giving a review. I hop you enjoy my review and my thoughts. Thanks!

Check out my twitter account at twitter.com/troyallen

Why Macs Get Less Viruses Than PCs

I have owned many PCs in the past and have fortunately not had any major viruses, but I have had viruses. I have used virus protection software like Norton, Mcafee, AVG and Windows Defender. Now, on my iMac running Mac OS Snow Leopard 10.6.1 I don’t have any virus protection software installed at this current time. It has been said that Macs do not get viruses, which of course isn’t true. Macs get viruses. PCs get viruses. So how do you back up the statement that Macs don’t get viruses? By saying this, Macs get viruses, but not as many as PCs. Yes, we can just say that and let it be set in stone, but there is a reason why Macs get less viruses than PCs. First off, PCs are 90% prone to viruses, because most hacks, viruses and whatnot are coded and developed only for Windows OS running computers. Secondly, viruses can get through even with some viruses blocking software. Macs have their own software to prevent viruses built-in to the firmware and OS. Windows is more easy to get viruses, because it is more likely to have a virus on the PC without the owner knowing. There isn’t a computer or OS that is “virus proof”, but Mac OS 10 is very hard to be hacked into. Windows is also able to be hacked and turned into a Mac via a process called “Hacint0sh”. On a Mac, there isn’t a need to hack Windows on it, because of Apple’s Bootcamp software and third party software like VMware Fusion and Parallels. This post in no way is targeted to be hate for PC or Mac or Linux. It is simply just my thoughts and opinions on why it is more likely to get a virus on a PC than a Mac. And if the Mac were more popular among business and schools as the main computer, they would be almost as prone to viruses. Thanks for reading.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Pre-Order on Amazon

Over the weekend I got around to pre-ordering my copy of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on Amazon at the promised upgrade price of $29! Be sure to reserve your copy early, otherwise the rush of orders will get you stuck in backorder when Apple is expectedly overwhelmed with customers looking to purchase what is said to be "The world's most advanced operating system."

Amazon.com - Mac OS X Snow Leopard: http://www.amazon.com/Mac-version-10-6-Snow-Leopard/dp/B001AMHWP8

Have fun and good luck!