MacMini
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TiVoToGo for Mac named in Wired's 2005 Vaporware Awards
Remember those TiVoToGo OS X screenshots we came across in early January? Wired's readers do, and they nominated it as the #10 vaporware (a much-hyped product that never appears) of 2005 in Wired's annual Vaporware Awards. TiVo has apparently been promising the software for months, amidst Apple TiVo partnership rumors and rampant speculation about a Mac mini TiVo (or TiVo-like) media center.Another mentionable 2005 vaporware item, though not necessarily Apple-related, is the perpetually forthcoming Windows Vista, clocking in at number 4. I just have to tip my hat to one reader's comment that Wired printed: "It's been put off so many times, it's been called 'Hasta la Vista.'"My favorite Apple-related piece of vaporware? The Apple Pippin.
The unwieldy MacMini Portable
Usually I love hardware hackery in all its glorious shapes and forms, but occasionally I stop and scratch my head. Why, for instance would you want to take a Mac mini, hide its sleek design inside a metal box, graft a black LCD screen on top with a tiny thumb keyboard and non-centered trackpad? Behold the MMP: MacMini Portable. Perhaps Peter Green's MMP will inspire you to build yourself a better portable Mac mini. The more likely scenario is that you'll opt for the lighter (albeit less hack-like) option of a discounted iBook. It's your choice. [via Engadget]
Big network, little Macs
I often dream of getting myself a Mac mini and a copy of OS X server and setting up a fully blown network in my apartment. I then realize that I live alone in a one bedroom apartment, and that would be complete overkill. Luckily, thanks to the magic of the Internet, I can read about how Ken Collins took three Mac minis and created an industrial strength home network for himself.It is quite impressive, especially his use of IP over Firewire and his modifications to the Mac minis.Give the post a read, you won't be sorry (unless networking bores you, in which case never mind).
Mac mini inside Classic Mac Update
Our own Dave Caolo Damien Barrett posted about a Mac mini stuffed into a Classic Mac SE/30's case last week, and a few new how-to's for this mod have since showed up.I especially like the black "Mac Minitosh" version by Lee on http://destruc.tv found today by Eliot on hack a day. This black beauty uses a black wired apple laser optical mouse and a black keyboard (I would have used a compact hhk2 lite in black instead, that being my everyday keyboard of choice). Oh and don't worry, no Classic Macs were harmed in this example; the Mac Lee used was already dead.If you would like more information about how to perform a hack like this yourself, check out these two Japanese sites. The first is a site Damien linked to before but which has since then been translated. The second link was submitted by TUAW reader Arlo:http://www.kaede.sakura.ne.jp/~kidou/mac/macmini01.htmlhttp://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/anagotendon/6007[via hack a day]
Mac mini --> Mac SE/30
I can't read a lick of Japanese, but I can admire this fellow's amazing photo set of cramming a Mac mini into the case of a Mac SE/30. He even got the 9" black and white display to hook up to the Mac mini and cut a slot for the optical drive. Wow!Last time I used a Mac SE/30 was to play Bolo. Ah, Bolo, how I miss driving my little tanks around maps created to mimic my University's campus.
Mac mini with integrated iTrip
No, you haven't missed a joint announcement from Apple and Griffin. However, you might have missed this post on Make which links to ZapWizard's Flickr set detailing how he put a Mac mini, with accompanying LCD screen and mouse/keyboard, into his car.I know, there have been tons of stories like this, but this is the first one that includes a little product cross mating. Since he didn't have enough money to get a new car stereo the Wiz decided that he would just integrate an iTrip directly into the Mac mini.That's talent.[Via Make.]
Mac mini Lunchbox
Who needs a MacBook Pro when you've got a Mac mini. Am I right people? What's that you say? The Mac mini isn't easily portable? Well, that's not what the good folks of STM think.They've whipped up the Mac mini Lunchbox which for $48, or so, is the ideal place to stow your Mac mini and power supply when you're on the go.I never go anywhere that doesn't have several keyboards and mouse combos laying around, so this is the ideal solution for me.[Via Uncrate.]
Hands on: Belkin Flip for Mac mini
Belkin has a huge booth here at Macworld (and I'll post an Engadget style booth tour later).%uFFFD I asked Burk Murray, director of Belkin product management, what I should look at since I am way too important to just wander around with the rest of the Macworld attendees and he said, without hesitation, 'The Flip for Mac mini,' which is a fancy pants KVM switcher designed for the Mac mini. Laurie has been covering the Flip for awhile, and she will be writing up a review of it shortly, but let me tell you I was impressed with this thing. It has touch sensitive buttons on the front that let you access features like CD ejecting, volume, and switching video/audio. Thanks to some software you can also switch just the video, so if you are working on your Mac mini listening to some tunes and you want to use the Windows box that you have hooked up to the Flip you can do so without having to miss out on the song.
How-To: stream photos and music to a Mac
After reading here about TwonkyVision's MediaServer software to stream photos and music to the Mac, the mini Blog decided to write up a How-To on getting the not very straightforward software to play nice with the 360. It's a great step by step, complete with pictures; the only major downside is that the software ain't free, but with a little Automator script you can set it to restart every thirty minutes. Any other enterprising fanboys care to take on the task of writing up a script for the rest of us?
Jeepintosh
This is the best Mac-mini-in-a-car setup I've seen, and we've seen quite a few of them here at TUAW. This guy went all out in his setup, putting the following into his 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.- Mac mini- Xenarc 700 TSV- Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse- BU-353 USB GPS- Carnetix P1900 and P5V adapter- RadioShark USB- PowerMate- 2 Hubs- GPS mapping via Route 66 and RoadNav...- Salling Clicker on Treo 650 for controlling Mac through phone...- Bluetooth DUN over Treo for Internet access.The pictures are amazing. I don't even own a car and I'm excited at how awesome this is. Well done!
Iomega MiniMax
File this under, 'Iomega is still in business?' They have recently released the Iomega MiniMax which is a USB 2.0/Firewire hard drive that comes in either 160 (which goes for $200) or 250 gig (for $250) models. The drives are meant as companions to your Mac mini, just rest the mini on top and you're ready to go.[via NY Times]
It Wasn't a Test Drive Anyway
I'd just like to chime in on this Mac Mini Test Drive thing and say good riddance to bad rubbish. I'd also like to know who's bright idea this was in the first place, and how on earth they sold it as a "test drive." First off, a "test drive" means that you aren't paying money up front to test a product - typically, with a car for example, you don't have to leave much more than a license to take it for a spin. Second, this was nothing more than a glorified return policy - and a shady one at that: the "test drive" would have begun the moment you placed the order online, and not when you received it. Three cheers for "30 days!"Nice try, Apple Marketing. Any more bright ideas lying around?[Thanks lackman15, via Laurie, for the pic. Bonus points to the first reader who can name where this pic's from!]
Brakes slammed on Mac mini Test Drive program
Remember that Test Drive a Mac mini promotion we told you about yesterday? Well forget we mentioned it. It's no longer happening. We don't know why, and we don't much care. We tend to buy our computers from retail and internet stores that have pretty good return policies anyway, so Apple wasn't really doing us any favors. Andy from iPodNirvana wrote with the news:"I just received an email from LinkShare, the people who handle Apple's affiliate program. Apple has apparently decided (in less that 24 hours) to stop the Test Drive promotion. They have given no explanation, and I have not seen any other details, but all references to the Test Drive have been removed from Apple's site, and all of the banners have suddenly become regular Mac Mini banners."Here's the email from LinkShare:As a follow-up to an email we sent you this morning, please note that the Mac mini Test Drive promotion is no longer offered at the Apple Store. We have dynamically updated the banners and landing pages for this promotion, so if you are featuring this promotion on your site, they will automatically update to another promotion. Please be sure to update your Mac mini Test Drive text links. The rest of the promotions featured in today's email are still live.We apologize for the inconvenience.Thank you,Apple Store Affiliate ProgramCoincidentally, I just now received the same email, as I participate in the Apple affiliate program on several sites that I run. Ok, so maybe I'm a little bit curious about what caused this rather abrupt turn of events. But just a little...
Instant server...just add Mac Mini
If you've recently purchased a Mac Mini to use as a server for a small business, or if you intend to use a Mini as the true center of your home's digital hub, then you may want to consider the iLan. A neat and tidy wall mounted cabinet, the iLan includes a "holster" for inserting your Mac Mini, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet switch, a router and all the wiring you're going to need. Options include up to ten phone lines, internet and file sharing, a broadband amplifier to boost your cable television picture quality and a security camera. Pretty cool. I wrote for pricing, but still haven't received a reply. In the meantime, does anyone know how I can convince my wife that we need this in the basement?
Tritton USB 2.0 Video Card for Mac mini
Want to add a second display to your Mac mini? If so, you'll be glad to hear that Tritton is making its SEE2, the industry's first USB 2.0 to SVGA adapter, Mac mini compatible as of July 5th. Actually, this means it will be fully Mac compatible, working with any system running USB 2.0, but since the Mac mini is the only system that doesn't support some sort of monitor-spanning and cannot add the necessary port to support it via a PCMIA card.
