MacBook

More Vista / Mac Madness!

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:07:37 GMT

More Vista / Mac Madness!

Another "external" shot of the MacBook trying to install Vista. The Boot Camp install got further than the parallels attempt, but both failed in the end. To be fair to both vendors, Vista is still "very beta", and has certain expectations that neither product claimed to support.

Oh, one other thing - about the glossy screen... note the reflection from my flash there?

Windows Vista on a MacBook?

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:04:11 GMT

Windows Vista on a MacBook?

Installing Windows Vista b2 onto a MacBook using Boot Camp. Sadly it didn't work out well in the end, but still it was an interesting experiment.

Installing Ethereal with Darwin Ports

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:01:38 GMT

Installing Ethereal with Darwin Ports

Installing Ethereal with Darwin Ports. All running very slowly due to the fact that my ISP have apparently upgraded their 10Mb cable connection to a piece of wet string.

Yeah I upgraded the memory

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:14:48 GMT

Yeah I upgraded the memory

If you want to mess around with virtualization and other similar things then you will need more than the default 512MB of memory. I decided to max out my MacBook now because I knew full well i'd be doing it sooner or later.

Gaming with the MacBook

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:12:55 GMT

Gaming with the MacBook

Playing Deus Ex on a MacBook running Parallels.

- The question was about video acceleration and I'm pleased to report it displayed this game just fine. Sure it's an old game, but a classic. I'd have no sweat playing this to pass the time on a long flight, for example.

- There appears to be a slight bug in the keyboard handling and full screen for games in Parallels. Not sure if this is an issue with the games software, windows, the virtualization software or what. But it isn't an issue with the video acceleration, which worked just fine.

MacBook - installing a Windows Game

Robert Moir — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:09:47 GMT

MacBook - installing a Windows Game

Installing a game in Windows XP in Parallels.

Front Row

Robert Moir — Tue, 30 May 2006 15:40:55 GMT

Front Row

Front Row is there in all its glory. Not much to say about this really. It's Front Row, it's there, it works.

Sytem Profiler - Hardware summary

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 19:08:57 GMT

Sytem Profiler - Hardware summary

The usual blah blah screenshot of the hardware summary. Every review should have one. Oh yes.

More Graphics Hardware details

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 19:06:34 GMT

More Graphics Hardware details

System Profiler's display for the graphics hardware and its abilities. Notice that despite all the wailing and gnashing of teeth, it actually supports everything you need for the current crop of OS X special effects and display tricks.

You can have some fun. The graphics don't seem that bad to me.

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 19:02:48 GMT

You can have some fun. The graphics don't seem that bad to me.

So I'm not very good at this game...

It's still UNIX

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:52:01 GMT

It's still UNIX

Yeah it runs a little hot.

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 19:01:11 GMT

Yeah it runs a little hot.

MacBook temperature has been a big deal for everyone, what with the metal Mac Book Pro tattooing everyone who leaves it on their lap.

So my MacBook: Not as hot as some people report but still running a little hot. Or even a lot hot.

Obligatory 'web browser open to my site' picture. Oh and Front Row remote...

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:47:27 GMT

Obligatory 'web browser open to my site' picture. Oh and Front Row remote...

The MacBook in action. You can see the FrontRow remote and the 'Mag Safe' power connector do not match the actual notebook. Still not sure how I feel about that one.

New MacBook

Robert Moir — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:46:05 GMT

New MacBook

Apple's new MacBook comes to town.

Notice the glossy screen - blow the picture up to full size (warning, large file) and you can see my reflection as I take the photo. It isn't a big deal in actual use to be honest, unless your main use for a laptop is photographing it.