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Hooking up a Mac Mini to your HDTV: If it doesn't just work
Then you probably don't have a television that includes a digital input like DVI or HDMI. If you own an older HDTV that is a likely scenario but not one that should prevent you from enjoying the 1080i Apple loving that our friend Ben has shared with us. robg of Mac OSX Hints.com has created a walkthrough for connecting a Mac Mini running OS 10.4 using RGB cables and adjusting overscan. Even if you're not a Mac-phile check out his page anyway for the DVD quality/HDTV quality comparison of the Harry Potter trailer available. Blow them up full screen and check out the additional detail noticeable even in those stills.Update: You can also get more information on Rob's HD experience with the mini in this article.
Intel Mac mini take-apart
What's the first thing you do when you get your new Mac home? Set it up and start playing around, maybe transfer all of your files? No, you grab some tools and take it apart! If you're itching to rip a new Intel mini wide open, take a look at this fully illustrated how-to at Apple Fritter. Prying apart the case seems to require the same process as the PPC mini (get yourself a very thin putty knife), but the innards are a bit different (two RAM slots...finally!).Check it out...but don't try this at home.[Via Make:Blog]In related news, TUAW reader Tim just received his Intel mini and has posted some nice unpacking pics. Thanks, Tim!
TUAW Poll: Your announcement response
Ok, so we've heard from the TUAW bloggers (both yay and nay), now it's your turn: What did you think of Steve's dog and pony show yesterday? Check back tomorrow for the poll results. Rate Apple's new product announcement Home run Pretty cool Mediocre Huge disappointment Enough with the announcement already
WWJD? Results @ Engadget
Because the day isn't complete without a Mac rumor, and in lieu of more real Apple rumors, Engadget decided to have their readers make some up. In answer to the question "What Would Jobs Do?" in his surprise announcement tomorrow, readers created their own potential Apple products.Although it only garnered an honorable mention, this one was our favorite for obvious reasons. Check out the rest, there are some really talented and funny photoshoppers out there.
Dual displays with a Mac mini
Aniel wanted to use two displays with his Mac mini. After some poking around, he came across the Matrox dualHead2Go ($169US), which acts as a sort of splitter for a VGA signal. Even though the box says "Windows only," Aniel got it working under Mac OS X.He notes that the dualHead2Go works by splitting your display's horizontal lines in half, and sending those off to each of the two displays. As a result, the mini thinks it's driving a single monitor. Occasionally windows will open in the dead center between the two, but a simple drag remedies that situation. Good work, Aniel![Via 123Macmini]
Rig of the Day: mini RAID
One Mac mini plus four 400GB drives. omdot uses this set up as his backup server. If his Linux box goes down, the mini RAID can immediately (just about) take over. Plus, the blue LEDs look cool."mini_RAID" posted by omdot.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
Rig of the Day: Oh, my electric bill!
Flickr user tbridge has got a lot of stuff plugged in at once here. Check out the 20" G5 iMac, 20" Cinema Display, Powerbook, Mac mini (with attached 160GB LaCie drive) and a 3G iPod. Not to mention the Creature Speakers, two lamps, printer and clock (though that may run on batteries)."Desk" posted by tbridge.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
TUAW predictions roundup for Macworld 06 keynote
Alright everyone, we're on the home stretch for tomorrow's keynote, and we thought it would be fun to round up predictions (hopes?) from some of the TUAW bloggers of what will be introduced. Some of these predictions might be honing in on rumors, others could simply be baseless hope for a particular product. The main point of this post is to spark some conversation about what we could see tomorrow to help pass the time and keep the shakes from setting in. So without further ado, here are TUAW's predictions for the Macworld 06 keynote: C.K. - black Intel iBooks running on flash memory Damien Barrett - a Mac mini media center with iLife '06, programmable remote Dave Caolo - iLife '06 including FrontRow David Chartier - a nearly-finished preview of 10.5 Leopard, with a release scheduled before Vista (like that's hard to do) Laurie A. Duncan - iWork 06 gets a major update, finally offering a viable alternative to Office for OS X Scott McNulty - Sell your songs on iTunes, publish your blog on .Mac, get your vlog streaming from Apple's servers Victor Agreda Jr - AirPort Express update that includes video streaming So there you have our hopes and predictions for what we'll see on stage tomorrow. I think we all agreed that we won't see any new iPods, as some of these potential new products (like a Mac mini media center) could really carry the line they have out now. Time will only tell, so until then, feel free to discuss.
Video feature: Viewsonic's mini projector
Viewsonic is flaunting their new mini projector at CES, and while they haven't officially decided a release date, they did decide they wanted to show it to us. We interviewed them at Digital Experience, and now you get a chance to check out a really tiny SVGA projector.FormatQT MPEG4, 1:27, 5.62 MB[Download Now]
10.4.3 Bluetooth Firmware update
Apple has released Bluetooth Firmware Update 1.2 for the iMac G4 (Gooseneck), 12" Titanium PowerBook, 15" Titanium PowerBook, iMac G5 and the Mac mini. The Different District, where I found this, thought Apple might have meant the Aluminum PowerBook instead of Titanium, but I'm not so sure. The update supports both D-Link USB Adapters and Apple's internal bluetooth modules for the listed computers and, as usual, "improves Bluetooth performance and reliability issues." If you have one of the aforementioned Macs, you should be able to snag the update via Software Update or at Apple's site.
Widget Watch: iPhoto Mini
The iPhoto Mini is definitely one of the better-made iPhoto widgets I've seen available. Its function is pretty straight-forward: the widget can browse thumbnail-size images of the pictures you have in your iPhoto albums. A drop-down menu contains a list of all your albums, complete with total image counts in each album. Nice 'n sweet. It works well, and moves quickly even through large albums, but I wish it could interact with iPhoto. It'd be great if double-clicking an image opened that pic in iPhoto, or if maybe even images were drag-and-droppable. Oh well, a widget user can hope, can't he?
iPods and Macs taking over cars
Woops, I take my "Macs aren't going anywhere" post back, as they're certainly going one place in a big way lately: cars. I have a double dose of iPod/Mac in-car news coming at you from our sibling site, Autoblog. First up: they caught wind of a projection from the Telematics Research Group that by 2011, 73 million cars on the road could have iPod integration. I'm no professional, but I'll toss my own prediction into the hat: by 2011, a lot of un-burned blank CD's are going to be lying around.Next on the list is probably the slickest "Mac mini in a car" setup I have seen to date. As if one Mac mini feeding two screens in a 2006 Infiniti M45 Sport isn't enough, the creator is also using a Palm Treo 650 and Salling Clicker to run the setup, as well as Rsync X and an AirPort network to keep the mini's library in tune with a PowerMac G5 in the house. Oh yea, how could I forget the Mac mini also seems to be running Front Row? Maybe that's why this setup wasn't featured on that new "Big Ideas" page Apple just put up.
Apple launches "Big Ideas" Mac mini page
Apple has launched a new section to their Mac mini product page titled "Big Ideas." This brief new section highlights all the unique things that creative individuals and modders are doing to and with the smallest little Mac that could, including powering a wall-sized digital canvas, a self-driving VW Touareg and even a Millennium Falcon case mod competition winner. I think Apple certainly could've put this up a while ago, but nevertheless: it's a slick homage to all the cool new uses the Mac mini is finding its way into.
Maxcelerate bootable dock and hub for mac Mini
People seem compelled to hack up the Mac mini. It's the little box that just begs to be souped up. To that end, Wiebetch introduces the Maxcelerate. It's an external drive enclosure and hub that sits beneath your mini and seriously beefs it up. Weibetech states you'll get a 30% increase in read/write times when you use the Macxelerate as your boot drive (vs. the standard mini drive), and that it stores up to 500GB of your stuff. Sounds like a digital video station waiting to happen.Other features include: three USB 2.0 ports, three FireWire 400 ports, support for 3.5" IDE drives and daisy-chaining of USB 1.1/2.0 and/or FireWire 400 devices. The website says it requires Mac OS 9.x or better, which is odd, as the Mini won't boot into OS 9. Perhaps they meant classic? The Maxcelelrate cost ranges from $119.95US to $689.95, depending on how you have it configured.[Via MacNN]
Belkin Flip for Mac mini
Part of the fun of owning an Apple product is buying some accessories to go with it. The iPod is easily the accesory leader, but I imagine we'll see more and more for the Mac mini as time goes on. Today I discovered the Flip by Belkin. Basically, it's a small peripheral that sits underneath the mini and allows you to share one monitor, keyboard, and mouse between it and a second computer. Use the Flip to switch between computers, eject a CD and use connected speakers with either computer (and adjust their volume). Plus, there's no software to install on either computer.
Power Support releases Mac Mini bracket
If you have a Mac Mini you want to mount on a rack, but this seems like overkill to you, consider Power Support's Mac Mini Bracket. This bracket is attached to the underside of a desk or shelf and very effectively gets it out of the way. The kit includes all the hardware you will need plus eight adhesive pads designed to protect your Mac's finish. It will cost approximately $38 USD and is currently available only through Power Support's Japanese site, though it may show up on their US site soon.[Via 123MacMini]
