There’s actually a surprisingly wide selection out there, and these are some details you should pay attention to when looking for a backup / external battery for your phone.

• Capacity: iPhone’s have about 1200 mAh capacity, so bear in mind how many times you mind want to charge your phone.
• Size/shape: For this to be useful you’ll have to carry it with you. Pick a battery that fits in your bag, case or purse.
• Price: Prices range from about $9-$60. More expensive batteries aren’t necessarily any better. Read on for my suggestion.

I chose the Monoprice iPhone Battery Pack (1900mAh). Its holds enough to charge my phone 1 and 1/2 times, its small enough to slip in my bag and it was super-cheap! $9 + $2 shipping to Canada got this to my door in just under two weeks.

Monoprice is an excellent company; in my experience their products are exceptionally high quality and very reasonably priced. The backup battery was no different-it does exactly waht its supposed to. You charge it with your iPhone cable or dock and pack it away for when its needed. Then when you’re running low on power just plug it in the bottom and the phone starts charging immediatley.

So if you’re thinking about getting the Monoprice device, or any backup battery, go for it. You won’t regret having the security.

So when I got my 15″ Unibody MacBook Pro I decided to get a hardshell case along with it. I travelled to a few local Mac resellers, the Apple Store and various websites, considering what options were available along the way. I asked a couple questions that helped me make a decision:

1. How well does this fit and will it make use difficult?
2. How effective is it at actually protecting my Mac?
3. What’s it going to cost me?
4. Will it make my sleek computer look dorky?

So here’s what I discovered. Cases from Incase and Speck both fit reasonably well, with the Incase having a slightly better implementation. It’s hooks seem more sturdy and connect in better places. Neither case seems impede use at all, except that they make the screen feel looser. It will fall if you use your MacBook at an extreme angle (this is annoying if you use your computer in bed).

Both cases will protect a Mac from bumps and scratches. I couldn’t say which would do a better job over time, but I doubt there’s a big difference.

The Incase and Speck offerings have the same exorbitant price of about $60 CAD (Can you spell collusion?). For the love of broccoli, how could two pieces of plastic cost that much? Anyway, its a price that I agreed to pay to protect and customize my MacBook and YMMV.

The dorkiness factor is a pretty subjective topic, so bear with me here. I found that the Speck product looked a little cheaper and less refined. It doesn’t follow the shape of the MacBook Pro as closely and and it looks bulky when attached. The Incase seems to preserve shape and sleekness, following the nice lines and curves of the computer very well.

So I settled on a green Incase 15″ Hardshell Case for MacBook Pro. Public opinion of my case is good. Two or three people ask me where I got it everyday, and its always easy to tell which laptop is mine. It fits well, protects my Mac, cost me a lot and looks pretty good. Probably my favourite part about the case is the soft-touch rubberized coating. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should really go see one of these cases, because its truly awesome.

Other than the price, I don’t have anything negative to say about the Incase. If you follow the instructions its simple to attach and forget its even on. It is difficult to remove, but there is no danger of damaging your Mac in the process. And in all honesty, if you plan to remove the case that often you should probably be looking at a sleeve-type case anyway. All in all I’m very happy with this purchase. If you’re looking for a hardshell case for your MacBook I’d recommend it for you too.

My criteria was pretty simple: its gotta be cold, its gotta be cheap, and it had better not break one week in. So after considering about half a dozen different models, I settled on the Haier Commercial Cool 7000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner (CPRB07XC7).

What is a portable air conditioner?

A portable A/C is a like a window mounted air conditioner (the kind you see in hotel rooms) shoved into a box about the size of a bar fridge. They can travel between rooms, and require only minimal amounts of installation. All you have to is secure an exhaust hose in a window and plug it in. They’re meant to cool one room at a time.

Why the Haier?

I decided to get the Commercial Cool unit after a few hours of research. It best fit in the criteria I outnelined above.

• Its cold: 7000BTU is more than enough for my 150 sq/ft office space. Its kept the room cool while outside temperatures hovered around 80F (and can probably handle higher).
• Its cheap: about $300CAD when all was said and done
• It hasn’t broken [yet]: I can’t comment on the longevity of a product I’ve only used for a week or so, but I’m confident it will keep on chillin’ well into the future. This model is supposedly the least returned among low tier portable A/C’s (according to two stores).

Its also not hideous. As far as cheap appliances go, this thing is actually pretty decent looking as long as you ignore the exhaust hose.

Any concerns or complains?

The CPRB07XC7 doesn’t have any controls on it except an on/off button. You have to use a remote to specify the mode (cool, dehumidifier, fan), adjust the temperature, change the speed or set the timer. This is a concern, because if you break or lose your remote you’d be out luck. You would be, except that Haier sends along an extra remote just in case.

I think that’s a nice touch, but not a replacement for on-unit control. I hope they appear in a future version. Its also a little noisy, but not any worse than three fans its replacing.

Suggestions

Any single room air conditioner is most efficient when in a more or less sealed environment. If possible use tape to cover any seems between the exhaust assembly and the window, and close the door of the room you’re cooling.

I found that on this unit, the fastest cooling was actually on the medium setting. Perhaps this allows air to cool better, or reduces heat from the fan’s electric motor.

Overall I’d say this Haier Portable Air Conditioner was worth the purchase, and I know I won’t regret it next summer when portable A/C’s are sold out everywhere. If you have any questions about it please feel free to ask.

Telus told me that, because I was already on contract and out-of-warranty, I would have to pay $250 for a “software fix”. I was also welcomed to pay the unsubsidized price (about $350+ for anything from this century) for a new phone, plus a $10 new activation/transfer fee. I understand that Telus is a business and needs to make money, but since I’ve been a customer for several years, and have three lines on my account, I figure they could have offered me something a little nicer. Tough luck.

Anyways, I wasn’t about to pay hundreds to get my old broken phone fixed. I settled on a getting a new phone. Since I plan on getting an iPhone with Fido after my contract expires next spring, it didn’t have to be that flashy. I stumbled upon the prepaid phones available from Futureshop and Bestbuy. They are brand-new phone from a couple years ago. I groaned, but settled on a KRZR k1m for only $79CDN.

Its actually a really good phone, and I’m liking it quite a lot. I never got into hacking my Nokia, but this little Moto is very hackable and I’ve made a number of adjustments. Its also pretty thin, and I like the external music controls. The cool thing about this (and probably other Motorola phones) is that a USB cable and software are included.

My only complaints about the phone are the horrible Telus music player, and the disparaging lack of Mac support. I’m happier with this phone than I ever was with my Nokia.

So there you have it. If you’re phone dies, or is lost or stolen, you have a cheaper option. Its not as nice as being able to swap a sim card like you can on GSM networks, but its better than shelling out $400 for a so-so kind of phone.

So last Sunday I followed the advice of many veteran Mac users and pulled up the Apple refurbished section. Its stocked with nearly everything in the regular store at a great discount. For the savings you give up the gorgeous retail boxes (refurbs ship in a plain brown box). That’s it, really. The product may have been taken home by another customer, but has since been returned to Apple and reconditioned. This process involves replacement of any internal parts, if necessary, and a thorough cleaning or case replacement. Refurbs arrive in perfect cosmetic condition with no scratches, scuffs or imperfections with brand new keyboards, mice and accessories. They have same warranty as new Macs and are generally better inspected than new machines. Mine apparently fell through the cracks.

Needless to say, I was willing to make the compromise. I can do without the box, and don’t mind if the was computer pre-loved so long as it doesn’t show cosmetically or in function. I ordered my refurbished 24″ aluminum iMac last Sunday. 

Yesterday the FedEx lady visited with a giant brown box. Inside was a perfect, or so I thought, iMac that looks absolutely brand new. I turned it on and immediately noticed the backlight was disturbingly uneven. I told myself this was normal, and after an hour or two it would look fine. It didn’t though, the display is a massive issue. My screen exhibits the following problems:

• The left side is far brighter than the right
• There is a yellow tint in the center of screen
• Sides are very dim, this is noticeable most with light colours
• There is a horizontal dark section that spans from right to left

An unedited picture I took of the screen.

My description makes it sound a little worse than it is, and my intention isn’t to exaggerate. The iMac is still quite usable. Its just that even at the refurb price, I expect better for the money. Comparing the display quality of my new iMac and my iMac G4 is a joke. The G4 has an obviously superior backlight (although not as bright). I called AppleCare and I was immediately offered a replacement. Hopefully I receive something from a later build week that comes with an improved display. 

Please note that this isn’t a vote against going the refurb route. This problem was existent in quite a few early aluminum iMacs and I probably just received one of those duds. Ordering the machine, having it shipped and using it has otherwise been a very positive experience. The quick offer of a replacement is appreciated, but I’ll reserve judgment on wether I’d buy refurbished again.

More information on defective 24″ iMacs: 

http://blog.neofoto.nl/?p=3/

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1093045

http://www.trick77.com/2008/01/13/uneven-imac-displays/

Many consumer and pro grade cameras that ship today do so with propriety batteries. What does this mean to you? Well it means that the only company making the battery is the one you bought your camera from. They have a monopoly over the batteries you need to make your camera work, and they can charge however much they like. 

In most cases, these batteries are relatively high quality and one is usually included with the camera. The problem is that some companies (Kodak in my case) include a single non-rechargeable battery. My CRV3 battery lasted for a week and I was impressed. The $30 price tag to have one sent here is a little excessive for a non-rechargeable though, so I looked for alternatives. My Kodak Z712 IS takes good old AAs, but one set only lasts for about five or ten minutes. I lived with this frustrating inconvenience for about a year and then began looking for alternatives. 

In an attempt to prevent the further lining of Kodak’s pockets, I bought a third-party rechargeable battery and charger. The price was right, but the camera won’t even turn on. So now I’m back where I started: pay the obnoxiously high price for a genuine Kodak battery or live with the terrible performance of AAs.

The moral of this story is to consider the basics of your camera before pulling the trigger. I got burned by proprietary batteries and you could too.