The 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive is the latest drive by G-Technology, who is part of the Hitachi Global Storage Technologies family. It has a striking appearance, but is it a home run or one for the bench? Read our G-Drive review to find out…

Design and Build

The design and build of the 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive is both beautiful and top quality. Its sensual yet sturdy metal case is slightly elevated and cleverly hides a heat sink. The 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive almost looks like a small and elegant baby rhinoceros, who will charge like lightning when the need arises. And boy does it ever.

The 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive has a rugged and stylish aluminium casing that wraps around the drive itself. The casing is very hard to scratch and protects the drive; it has hundreds of small ventilation holes that allow this tiny rhino breathe effortlessly and keep the temperature down. The sturdy nature of the drive makes it ideal for stacking it under other devices or objects, and it must be said that it looks fantastic next to an iMac.

On the front face you will find a stylish big “G” with a single white light underneath. This light is used to show drive activity, but unlike most other hard drives, this light does not blink – instead it gets brighter when the drive is busy working. This is a nice twist to the old-age and annoying blinking, but as much as G-Technology have gone to great strides and effort in the design, they may have gotten a bit overly-excited with the light, as it does get excessively bright during large data transfers. You may ask yourself “It’s only a small light, how bright could it really get?” and the answer is: Quite bright actually – They resemble the headlights of an oncoming car, which for might not be a real issue, but if you are someone who likes to work in the dark, then perhaps you may want to stick a small piece of black electrical tape over the light.

Inside the box

External hard drives often come with nothing more than a USB cable, but you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that G-Technology have provided every box with all the cables anyone will ever need to use this drive – and not the short ones manufacturers have made us come to expect, to the contrary, G-Technology have given us cables of generous lengths. Inside the box you will find:

1x 1.6 Meter eSATA Cable (black),

1x 1.8 Meter FireWire 800 Cable (white)

1x 1.8 Meter FireWire 400 Cable (white),

1x 0.6 Meter USB 2.0 Cable (white)

1x G-DRIVE External Hard Drive

1x Universal AC Power Supply

1x CD Manual

1x 3-year factory warranty

Set-up

Setting this little rhino up is a walk in the park – As simple as plugging in your chosen supplied interface cable, plugging in the AC/DC and pressing the on/off button.

The drive comes ready to plug and play on Mac computers, and is Time Machine ready right out of the box which is very handy. If you use windows, then a simple and easy initialization is all you need to complete in order to get it up and running.

Performance and Connectivity

Like an angry rhino charging down an annoying bird that just made a distasteful joke, the 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive is lightning fast and smooth. The drive runs at 7200rpm with up to 32mb of cache is relatively quiet considering this.

For the fastest performance you should be looking to use the eSata port where you can get transfer rates that exceed the 100 MB/second mark, which is perfect for backing up your favourite bluray films at blistering speed. You can also use the FW800 port, which is still extremely impressive at reading and writings speeds bordering the 74 MB/second mark and 60 MB/second respectively.

Size and weight

The 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive is a 3.5″ external hard drive and is approximately – (LxWxH) 9.25″ x 5.125″ x 1.82″ / 235 x 130 x 46 mm and weighs 2.6 lbs / 1.2kg, which is more or less the standard in 3.5″ drives.

Specifications

SATA II

7200 RPM

Up to 32MB cache

Integrated heat sink for cooling

Size (LxWxH): 9.25″ x 5.125″ x 1.82″ / 235 x 130 x 46 mm

Requires Mac OSX 10.3.x or higher or Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Price

This drive initial recommended retail price was USD $329 / UK £189, but you can get it for around 40% cheaper from online shops. It is highly recommended you check with them first.

Conclusion

Pros

– Quiet as a mouse

– USB 3.0 = Everything is SUPER fast

– Blistering transfer speeds

– Plug-and-play at its very best

– Comes with multiple cables of generous length

– Instance set-up with a Mac and 5 minute set-up with windows

Cons

– The overly bright light could have been turned down a notch

Being completely honest, I did not have many expectations for this drive, however, I was truly blown away and I can safely say that this is one of the best external hard drives on the market right now. It is beautiful and cleverly designed using strong and long-lasting materials whilst offering blistering transfer speeds. Some may be put off because it is a 3.5″ sized drive, but if you do not mind that, you are in for a treat. If size is important to you, we would recommend the Western Digital My Passport 2TB, for everyone else, as you have probably gathered from this 2TB G-Technology G-Drive eSATA external hard drive review, this is the drive to get.

When looking for the top laptop brands for 2011, you are going to come across some well known brands. Some laptop brands have become household names and even folks that don’t consider themselves tech savvy can recognize those names.

There may be a few surprises this year when it comes to the top brands. There have been a few companies that have been largely sitting on the sidelines trying to get their feet wet that may actually surprise a few people this year.

The Giants

Dell, HP, Sony, Compaq all are top runners in the top laptop brands for 2011 not because they are coming out with anything too new or amazing but because they are simply the best known and folks seem to flock to them.

Apple and its MAC laptops is also a popular brand and some folks simply go nuts over them and would never use a Windows based anything, but Apple still hasn’t got those laptops into the comparable price market that other brands have. This makes them semi popular but really keeps them low on the list of the top computer brands for 2011.

Surprise Contenders

There are a few surprise contenders making their way up the food chain. Brands like Lenovo, Acer and MSI are all inching their way up the ladder into the top computer brands.

What makes these contenders strong enough to muscle in on the giants of computing? Simple -savings- these brands produce low dollar high end performing machines. Folks are starting to realize that you do not have to pay upwards of two thousand dollars to find a machine that works well and meets your needs.

When you have responsibility for hundreds of clients’ advertising, marketing, public relations, graphic design and website files within your system, computer crashes risking possible data loss can be a major reason to panic! What to do?

I’ve been in the marketing business for more than thirty-five years. I have active clients whose work I need to address frequently. I also have inactive clients who unpredictably surface every now and then who also need immediate attention.

Regardless of whom asks, I need to be ready, willing and able to perform what is needed on a moment’s notice. This means I must maintain a comprehensive archive of work performed which I can access at all times to revise, update, reference or otherwise adapt to new applications as requested.

This library of work includes huge high-resolution Photoshop files which may have had hours, days or weeks of work devoted to them to enhance original images in some way; extensive Quark files of final text, photos and artwork composed with sophisticated and meticulous design, which also undoubtedly required many, many hours of setup, not to mention client reviews and final revisions; extremely complicated Dreamweaver website files; equally involved Flash files for impressive website animations; immaculately produced vector files of artwork created in Adobe Illustrator; a multitude of various drop-down menus for website use created in Fireworks; hundreds of PDF files created with Adobe Acrobat Distiller for high quality output; and a pot pourri of other work utilizing music, movies, videos and other miscellaneous files.

Since thirty-five years is a very long time, and has spanned several technological (and not-so-technological) eras in the process, this work is in a variety of formats, including scans of older work, as well as actual digital files from native programs, some of which are now obsolete or no longer produced. Having learned years ago that trying to both store files and work on them on the same hard disk with limited space can lead to problems, I have resorted to always having an external hard drive or two as extensions from my computer system so I always have plenty of open disk space for digital “percolation,” for lack of a better term.

My external hard drives have included both firewire and USB data transfer systems, the firewire being the faster and more expensive version. And, as would be expected, each time I have needed a new external drive, the capacities have increased dramatically, while ironically the costs have not.

Through the years, I have had many different Macintosh computers, usually the most expensive, fastest and most glorified versions available. But I presently work on a more conservatively priced iMac using OS X 10.4.11, with 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB of RAM (memory) and an internal hard drive with 232.89 GB of storage capacity. I bought this system several years ago, have used it practically eighteen hours or more every day and have loved every minute of it, particularly its gorgeous monitor. I fully intend to upgrade my whole system probably later this year when the new OS X operating system is released. I say this with full knowledge that such an upgrade will require that I also upgrade all of the previously mentioned software programs I use, which will add up to a nice, hefty, but necessary, investment.

Until just about two weeks ago, I had two external hard drives connected to this system: a Firewire filled to capacity which I stopped using on a daily basis because it was making a funny noise and I thought I should preserve what’s left of it; and a Western Digital “My Book,” which has about the same storage capacity as my internal hard drive (approx. 232 GB). After some two years, I have only used about half of its available space. So, when my system started to crash repeatedly one recent afternoon, I was deeply troubled because I didn’t know what was causing the problem.

I was immediately suspicious about the “My Book” because it had exhibited some unsettling symptoms over the past six months which I usually was able to dismiss or deny. These included taking a long time to mount, or failure to mount at all on the desktop, without obvious provocation. However, with computer restarts, the drive would mount and I chose not to dwell on the incident.

In discussing the crashing occurrences with my husband, who is a retired specialized IBM technician and engineering advisor, he immediately asked me what I had been doing just prior to the crash. I said I was trying to save my work in any one of a number of programs which included Quark, Photoshop and others. He too felt the MyBook was the culprit because that was the target of my saved data. I said I hadn’t even gotten to the point where I had told it where to save the data so I still had my doubts that was the problem.

I decided to do some tests in an effort to eliminate some possibilities. I conducted a Disk Utility diagnostic test on the internal and MyBook hard drives and both were reported as problem-free, something I seriously doubted. Then I copied some of my most frequently needed files onto my practically empty internal hard drive and restarted my system without turning on the MyBook. I was able to work and save files without any crashes. That seemed to confirm to me that the MyBook was at fault. But why?

I shopped online for a new external hard drive and in reading and researching the issue, I learned that external hard drives don’t like to be put to sleep and then rudely awakened to suddenly perform some immediate function. Since I tend to be an impatient person driven by not enough time in the day and too much to do in the time I have available, I realized that this scenario was a common phenomenon in my work life. In checking my system preferences under Energy Saver, I noticed that my system was set to go to sleep if idle for more than 15 minutes (the default setup) which happens quite often when the phone rings or I get up to attend to some other activity periodically during the day. Probably as the MyBook has gotten older and slower (as we all do as we age), it just can’t keep up with the paces I try to put it through. Perhaps also a function of how much data is on the drive, it just needs more time to do everything, especially wake up and perform.

Also, I read that it may be asking a computer system too much to multitask with many programs open at one time all of which are drawing on the available RAM, albeit a generous amount of it. My husband chimed in with the thought that maybe I hadn’t allocated my memory properly. That rang a distant bell in my mind…a very distant bell. I remembered the days of allocating memory for each of my programs, dividing up my available RAM according to what made sense: more for Photoshop, less for Quark, for instance. I realized I hadn’t done that task in many years. But in researching the subject on Google, I quickly found that those days were long over with the advent of OS X which automatically allocates RAM as needed. No wonder!

So, I decided to restart my system with the My Book connected and try to limit my program usage to one at a time and adjust the sleep mode to “never” allowing it to go to sleep. That seemed to be the magic bullet. However, with the knowledge that the MyBook was getting old and possibly overwhelmed with data, I decided to invest in a new external hard drive with the goal of putting all of my most essential files on it as an additional backup.

At Mac Mall, I found a very reasonable Fantom GreenDrive 1TB External eSATA/USB 2.0 Hard Drive with the help of a customer service rep which was compatible with Windows and OS X 10.4 or later, for approx. $50 after rebates and free shipping, which I couldn’t resist. Complying with the instructions, I installed it into my USB hub and formatted the new hard drive for use with OS X.

Just as with the MyBook, it recommends always starting the hard drive before turning on the computer and always dismounting before turning off the computer to avoid any damage or loss of data. What no one seems to ever mention is that when the power goes off unexpectedly as it does every time the wind blows the wrong way where I live, the computer abruptly turns off and no hard drives ever get dismounted properly in the process. So far, the new Fantom drive seems to ignore such events and mounts right away without any apparent repercussions.

However, from past experience, I know the MyBook doesn’t react favorably to such incidents and I recently learned that the best way to deal with any negative results is to completely unplug the MyBook from its source of power and let it clear itself for about a five-minute respite before plugging it back in while the computer is off. I also find that if I restart my computer system once and shut it down in between starts with the external hard drives connected, as a similar “clearing out” interlude after such an electrical outage or any crash incidents of any kind, the whole system works better subsequently.

Just using common sense has helped me to sort through this problem, find a solution and work on rectifying my situation with the equipment I have to work with. I have started up my system with the MyBook and Fantom both connected, set the sleep mode to “never,” waited the long time for the MyBook to mount and then judiciously dragged many of my files from the old hard drive to copy onto the new hard drive while I sleep at night so I don’t annoy the system with multitasking demands. While the MyBook has continued to misbehave periodically when asked to dismount after a long session, again crashing the whole system, I have been able to move all of my important files over to the new drive and now don’t need to even turn on the MyBook at all anymore. I can now work successfully on the Fantom or on my internal hard drive with multiple programs open simultaneously without any worry about crashes as long as I keep my sleep mode set to “never.” When I plan to be away from the computer for an extended period, I dismount the Fantom and turn it off, restore the default sleep settings and go away knowing my system will be able to wake up when I return without worry about crashing and loss of data. What a relief!

Of course, the motivating factor which finally got me to focus on this problem – the total loss of a complete MyBook folder of some extremely important data I had been working on when my attempt to save a simple file caused a recent system crash – has been a valuable lesson in confronting what is important when you run a business: you can never have enough reliable back-up systems!

This article is my opinion and review of Blogtalk Radio, and how it can make podcasting a lot easier. Podcasts are usually MP3 files, which are usually smaller than music files, because they are encoded at a smaller sampling rate than music files; because reproducing a person speaking does not require as much bandwidth as a high-quality music file. I am a judgment referral expert (a judgment broker) who writes and podcasts a lot.

A podcast is a digital computer-related audio file which is nearly identical to a music file. Like music files, podcasts are binary files with encodings that represent sounds. Podcasts are stored, moved, and are about the same size as music files. However with podcasts, some bits are twiddled inside the files, to make podcasts and music files behave differently in many audio/music players and programs, including iTunes.

Of course, after you create your podcast, you will want people to be able to easily find and listen to it. While you could try to charge for your podcasts, with very few exceptions, this is more than difficult to accomplish.

Besides wanting to, the top reasons to create or continue a podcast is to get a tiny bit of recognition, or to advertise some other business or entity you want to promote. For example, a photography podcast might help advertise the podcaster’s books, DVDs, or classes. Most podcasts do not begin with, or will ever have, paying advertisers.

Most people will do best to start and probably keep, distributing their podcasts for free. When your podcast is free, you will want to host it on at least one internet server to help distribute it. Apple’s iTunes store is the first and best way to make your podcasts easy to find. BlogTalk Radio is the second best way.

Putting your podcasts on the iTunes store is not as simple as it should be. Does Apple import your MP3 podcasts into the Apple iTunes server? No, your podcasts must be hosted on an external server. However, if you host your podcasts on your own web site or most servers, and then follow the prompts in iTunes to put your free podcast in the iTunes store; you will probably get a “your server does not have byte-range iTunes support” error.

People who host their web sites on shared machine servers, are usually not allowed to launch or run long-running server processes on shared hosting environments, such as additional server software or daemons. For byte-range support, Mod_deflate is usually supported in Apache, and that might work. Requiring byte-range support is a big headache, and Apple is big enough to store small podcast MP3s on their server or cloud; or perhaps Apple IOS and OSX hardware/software could support non-streaming servers someday.

Instead of hoping and waiting for Apple to change, I found an easy solution with BlogTalk Radio (BTR). BTR has a free account level where you can host live internet radio shows, or pre-record and upload your podcasts as startup files. BTR either distributes your podcasts to the Apple iTunes store, or makes it very easy for you to. If you use BTR a lot, their $400 a year premium level is the best bang for the buck, and it lets you edit your previous shows too.

How can you create your own podcasts? One way is using BTR to automatically create your podcast when you do your live show. You can upload music or speaking selections, to play on your live show. When your show concludes, your podcast will be on BTR’s server, and there is an option to send it to iTunes, and then you will be podcasting. BTR’s site and iTunes sync to BTR’s servers, have been occasionally slow. Despite that, I very strongly recommend Blogtalk Radio.

With podcasts, until you are popular, it is best to stick to solid information and being helpful, and good vibes are a good idea. A 15-minute interesting podcast is better than a half hour boring one. It is a good idea to break up long monologs with music breaks or fun commercials for you or your friends.

Be careful not to include copyrighted music on your podcasts. While copyright issues are beyond the scope of this article, one suggestion is to ask your friends to let you include their music, in exchange for plugging their site or band on your podcast. Another possible option might be to pick very old (and not so popular) music that is most likely in the public domain, from the 1920s to early 1940s. Try a web search for “public domain music”.

Besides BTR, another way to make podcasts is with your computer. I have found my flat-screen iMac to have such good built-in audio, I just talk to my iMac, and the sound quality is good. You can record sound files using Apple’s QuickTime Player Pro or the equivalent on your computer. You also need a sound editor, on the Mac I recommend Amadeus. The best way to have guests and callers is with Skype and a sound recording program such as Call Recorder. Interviews and monologs improve with editing to remove coughs, clicks, breathing sounds, etc.

You can make a MP3 file of your entire podcast, and upload it to BlogTalk Radio; and set it to automatically start, and then your entire “live” show can be pre-recorded. This works well if your show/podcast is new and does not have any live callers. I have found Blogtalk Radio to be the easiest and best way to create podcasts. BTR offers room for growth with live telephone and Skype callers, and includes easy integration into iTunes.

If you are a computer user, you probably have strong feelings in the Apple vs. Microsoft debate, but if you are a business owner, personal likes or dislikes don’t mean as much as the bottom line. So what exactly do Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7 have to offer business owners?

Because of the issues Microsoft users encountered with Windows Vista, many people have been reluctant to consider Windows 7. Many are concerned that Windows 7 is just a patched up version of Vista. Microsoft insists that this is not so, but instead they took what was good about Vista and made it better. Windows 7 has been receiving many good reviews and is considered a strong competitor of Mac’s OS X and Linux.

What Are Some Of The New Features Of Microsoft 7?

Windows 7 has touchscreen capability even for programs that were not originally designed to be touchscreen. All you need is a touch screen monitor. Homegroup allows you to easily share files, photos, music, etc. with other computers in your network. Windows 7 offers faster startup and faster performance. Windows 7’s new Taskbar is touted by some as even better than the Snow Leopard Dock. The Taskbar allows you to “pin” your favorite programs to it and preview open windows.

Snap lets you easily move, minimize, maximize, and resize windows so that you can view more than one window at one time. Windows search is as easy as searching on the internet Windows 7 is faster and doesn’t require as much memory and processor usage.

The Ultimate Edition offers Bitlocker data encryption that prevents hackers and thieves from accessing your important files.

Jump Lists lets you easily access the programs and files you use most often.

You can still run many Windows XP programs in the XP mode.

The Professional Edition costs about $200 for the upgrade and $300 for the full version. The Ultimate Edition costs about $220 for the upgrade and about $320 for the full version.

Equipment to run Windows 7 can start at around $300.

The Downside Of Windows 7

Some reviews have reported spotty performance with Windows 7, but probably the biggest downside is that this operating system needs to be time tested to evaluate its performance and reliability over the long haul.

How does Mac OS X Snow Leopard Compare?

Apple’s Macintosh operating system already enjoys a reputation as easy to use and reliable, and offers users fast performance and stability. The standard software such as Safari, iPhoto, iChat, and Garageband is well liked by Mac users. Windows 7’s new taskbar is very similar to Mac’s standard Dock. While Snow Leopard is perhaps more like an upgrade than a new operating system, Apple has added some new features to Mac OS X Snow Leopard:

Snow Leopard offers faster performance and speed, and the new OS uses less disk space.

Upgraded Expose makes it easier to view all of your open windows while in the Dock.

Zoom Slider lets you take a closer look at the application before opening it.

Stacks now has a scroll bar so that you can see all of your applications.

Exchange support allows you to connect with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

The Downside Of Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Lack of business applications

A bug in Snow Leopard caused some users to lose data. The problem has since been rectified, but it is still a cause for concern, especially for business owners.

While snow leopard only costs $29, you must already be a Leopard user and own a Mac computer, which generally start at about $600.

The bottom line in this debate is that Windows is still the most commonly used operating system in the business world and the most business friendly. While Mac continues to maintain a solid reputation and is frequently used for publishing and graphic design, Windows has more to offer business owners. Windows run personal computers are also more economically priced, and Windows 7 Ultimate Edition is specifically designed to keep business files safe and secure. Even though Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate Editions are more expensive than Mac’s Snow Leopard, it still offers businesses a wider choice of business applications and available programs.

An Operating System is what controls your computer’s hardware and software. It is responsible for the overall operation of your computer system and components and their interconnectivity. In other words, through the OS is how you talk to your computer and tell it what you want it to do. Without it your computer would just be a bunch or hardware and components connected together sitting in an enclosure. Microsoft Windows leads the OS industry because of it’s user-friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) among many other reasons. Windows XP is probably the most popular in use right now. XP earned it’s popularity because of its increased stability over the previous Windows versions. It’s also very user-friendly, and very easy to maneuver. Microsoft likes to give different flavors of their OS’s such as Windows XP Professional, Media Center Edition, or the even newer Vista Home Edition, Home Premium and Ultimate. The different flavors are meant to aim at different audiences. The Home editions are for the general computer user who prepares essays, surfs the web, burns some cd’s here and there, and don’t really care about the super visual effects that Ultimate can give them.

Apple is Microsoft’s biggest competitor with their line of Mac operating systems which come loaded on their iMacs and MacBooks. Their are also open source (meaning freely distributed code) Operating Systems such as Linux which is based on the Unix platform. Linux comes in a variety of different flavors because anyone can take the code, have fun with it, and develop their on distribution of Linux. Distributions of Linux include Red Hat, Knoppix, SuSe, MandrakeSoft, and many more.

Have you had trouble lately deciding which operating system will do the job for you? Did you buy an iPhone or iPad and love it so much that you think a Mac might be your next choice? Each operating system fits different demographics. Just because something sounds good doesn’t mean you’ll like it after you’ve shelled out several thousand for it.

If you just want things to work, you should probably choose Windows 7. The reasons in this case are pretty simple. You probably have used Windows before, whether at work, home, or school, and you’ll probably know where to find everything and which programs do which thing. If you’re vigilant about your anti-virus protection and don’t download things from strange websites, you won’t have to worry about malware. You have the greatest choice of software out there. Some regular maintenance is required, but most of your friends and family probably are using the same system – so you’ll be able to ask them for help.

If you’re working in a corporate environment, chances are everyone else is using Windows too. This makes transferring work between the office and home seamless, with no difficult conversions or headaches. Windows PCs generally come fully configured and can be purchased at a fairly low cost. Alternatively, if you have some computer smarts, you’ll be able to build your own machine for far less money and with less pre-installed “junk” software.

If you’re an artist or a musician, Mac Snow Leopard OS X has historically been and is probably still the choice for you. Other people in your industry will be using it, so it’ll be easier for you to both fit in and get a job. Many relevant programs that might cost money on a Windows PC come pre-loaded on the Mac. In general, the interface is fairly simple to use, so if you’re a relatively fast-learning user, you’ll pick up the new OS in no time, even if you do have to get used to having the top menu buttons on the left.

Macs can still do everyday tasks like word processing, and if you need Windows sometimes you can generally dual boot a licensed version for a free. Macs also suffer from fewer viruses because they’re not generally a target, and even if they do, you have access to the free “Genius Bar” in Apple stores for advice. You’ll have to pay a little bit more to get one, but you may find that it’s worth it.

If you are a fan of open source and want to have your machine with only the software you need and nothing else, you might choose a Linux install. If you already have a Windows PC, you can even install Linux as a dual boot and try it out before you commit to having it as your full time operating system. It’s free, so it’s well worth your time to try it out.

Linux is completely customisable by the user. You will be able to see every file and install only the programs you actually need to function. It can do most basic and advanced tasks and can even run some Windows programs using an emulator if you need them. Linux may not fare well in the typical workplace because, like Macs, it only supports poorer versions of the many necessary and often used programs that are exclusive to Windows PCs. For home use, though, you’ll suffer less from viruses – especially since you’ll be able to look at every file and determine if it has anything malicious attached to it – and your computer will guaranteed be faster at starting up and shutting down because it simply carries less bloat from start to finish. Linux can do almost anything you want it to do, so if you want to experiment, it is truly the operating system for you.

Apple computers are known for their robust performance and tight security. These computers are exclusively designed to run only on Apple’s own platform including several versions of Mac operating systems. Innovative, portable, secure, elegant, durable, and powerful are among the impressive characteristics of Apple computers that enticed millions of computer user world wide.

From basic functionality such as document processing to hard end network servers, these machines are proven to outpace others. These machines are capable of connecting to other machines running on a different platform through simple configuration on the software side. Its optional Airport devices allow apple computers to connect to a network wirelessly, but securely.

During the first release of the first Apple computer in 1976, users were doubtful about its features. As more and more designs and features were added on every release, people are getting more and more interested with these computers. The release of Lisa in 1983 gave the world a different view in computing. The prototype was designed with a GUI which created a user friendly environment. Further releases including the Macintosh and other advanced computers were among those that gave Apple the pride in the industry.

As a company, Apple experienced some downfalls in terms of sales and management. However, with good people and loyal members around the company was able to recover and made it to the road again. And today, the company does not only focus in manufacturing computers. They have several lined up gadgets including the famous iPod and iPhones which hit the market with phenomenal sales.

Modern Apple computers are now running with Apple’s latest operating system, the Mac OS X or simply referred to as Leopard. The operating system offers portability, security, connectivity, entertainment, and other features that enhanced the capacity of Apple computers.

MacBook Pro and iMac, released in 2006, were among the first Apple computers to use the Core Duo CPU manufactured by Intel Corporation. This was after the partnership between Apple and Intel Corp. The later partnership resulted to some succeeding generation of Apple computers including Mac Pro and Macbook.

Because of the popularity and security offered by Apple computers, many avid Windows users were encouraged to try these computers. Shifting from Windows to Mac environment was difficult due to the differences in commands and interface. To address the issue, Apple introduced Boot Camp – utility software shipped with Mac OS X v10.5- to aid users wanting to use Apple computers while maintaining Windows XP’s interface. The software allows a user to install Windows XP or Windows Vista on an Intel-based Mac computer.

At present Apple manufactured computers are among the most sought after computers all over the world. Surpassing well known computers manufactured by other companies such as Dell. Though a little bit expensive compared to other brands, these computers are known to last longer because of the refined engineering applied.

With the cool high-end features of a MacBook Pro, gaming is a real pleasure. Many serious gamers own these laptops just to enhance their gaming experience.

The Apple MacBook Pro has been a favourite among laptop users. The latest version of this Apple laptop is notable for its unibody casing crafted out of a single piece of aluminium, similar to that of the iMac and the MacBook Air. The new version is also slightly thinner than its predecessors were. It comes with an LED backlit screen that extends its battery life considerably, the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and NVIDIA GeForce graphics card. The Apple MacBook Pro also has multiple USB ports and a wireless Bluetooth connection.

The latest MacBook Pro is much faster than its previous versions, which makes it a good option for gaming. You can download many applications onto this Apple laptop. Some of these are freeware while others are shareware. While downloading these apps, be sure to keep track of the ad ware that comes along with some of the programs. You can also download and install Mac games on your MacBook Pro. Some popular games are:

• Dream chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze – This is an adventure-cum hidden object, puzzle game in which you will have to help Faye, the protagonist, navigate through complex puzzles and magical landscapes while piecing together clues.

• Call of Duty 4 – This individual game falls into the genre of shooting games. The period of this game is set in the future.

• The SIMS 3 – This is game comes in a special version compatible with MacBook Pro, where you have to make your chosen or created character lead a virtual life.

• Rage – Here is an action game, which is set in a post-apocalyptic era, with a lot of driving around and shooting.

• NFS Carbon – Need For Speed Carbon is the ultimate racing game for those who love racing.

• Age of Empires 3 – In this game, you have to conquer the new world by playing the role of a European super power.

• SuperTux – This game for your MacBook Pro is a kid friendly game where you have to make a penguin jump around.

• Diablo 3 – This is an action packed role-playing game set in a dark, fantasy world.

• World of Warcraft – This role-playing game is a multiplayer online game.

• Fairway Solitaire – Here is a new card game that includes 70 unique courses in various locations.

These are just a handful of the games that are available for the laptop. With these games, your macbook pro will keep you entertained all day.

Mac Mini is one of the best desktops because it is low in energy consumption and a space saver. This is a detailed Mac Mini review of how useful Mini is in the market and to its customers.

The model is small and operates noiselessly. People nowadays do not need the big, energy hungry and noisy boxes that were the norm in the past because the world is for ever looking for energy saving options and computer manufacturers have had to invest in advanced technology which has generally improved production standards.

The Mini comes with Apple’s X Operating System. This operating system is free from viruses, worms, spyware and even malware that plague PCs that run on Windows. However, this operating system has funky Finder, bugs and other minor issues.

You could get the $500 Mini at discount prices when you obtain Mac Mini discount coupons. A $500 Mini has a 40GB hard-drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, a 1.25GHz processor and a modem. It has a digital video-port that can be used to handle big and beautiful screen displays of any size. The model also has ATI Radeon chipset (9200) and, to help you save money, you can buy CRT monitors which can be 17″ or 19″. In case the monitors get damaged, you could easily replace them which is not possible with some computers like the iMac.

To make the biggest saving when buying your Mac Mini, check out holiday offers that Apple makes on some products. Holiday offers, such as the Thanksgiving offer, could save you up to 50% of the product’s list price. Moreover, it is recommended that the potential buyer gets to understand the computer before buying it by reading online reviews. Written by experts and past users, these reviews are a great source of unbiased info.