Speck See-thru Satin case for Macbook Pro

First thing i bought for my Macbook Pro was this Speck case!

They do it in two finishes and lots of colours, the normal case has a very shiny 'plasticy' finish to it, where as this model (Satin) has an almost rubbery-like texture, making it feel a lot more durable and resistant to scratches.

It's a couple of mm's thick and clips around the aluminum uni-body perfectly, the clips hold it in place and there's absolutely no gaps, they've perfectly shaped it the the macbook's dimensions. There's small rubber feet inside the case that hold it in place so it wouldn't scratch your aluminum finish but it fits 'like a glove'.

They've carefully allowed access to all the side ports, so even awkwardly fitting plugs will still attach without any issues, and the same goes for the cd slot. These were the important factors for me:

1. the Fit - it fits the macbook perfectly and yet can be easily removed.


2. the Feel - a soft grippy finish, almost like a hard rubber finish.


3. Access to ports - all ports are fully accessible, even the test battery button, although the press button built-in to the case looks a bit weak.


4. Heat Dissipation -  the macbook pro expels air out the back slot, the case is in two parts for the screen and body, meaning this vent is completely clear, and the monitor has full flexibility. The downside is it makes the screen a little heavier and tilting the screen backwards too far will cause it to slowly fall open. There's been no noticable heat build up during normal use and watching video, and if you were goin to do some rendering and were concerned you could always unclip the case for a while. There's also small vent cut outs in the base, to let out any trapped hot air.

for more info check out the Speck Website and i bought mine from Play.com

Extra stuff in the Box - G1 (UK Feb'09)

I just got one of the latest released G1 phones exclusive to T-Mobile.

I say latest release because they've started including a couple of extra things in the box.

I chose the Black one (even though the White one came out after), and was pleased to find that they'd bothered to re-package the black phones too.

The three things i found in the box that i hadn't seen on previous unboxing videos, was:

- a cleaning cloth (like you get with glasses)

- a screen protector, a thin piece of plastic to peel off and stick over your screen, although it wasn't sticky at all, more like it was held in place by static, saying that i got in prefectly lined up (second attempt) and it hasn't slipped despite me draggin my fingers across the screen, it won't budge.



- Headphones/Handfree adapter, the phone used to come with a pair of headphones with their unique usb plug on (not the normal 3.5mm headphone jack) but i got an adapter with the usb connector on one end and ended with a mic pod with the standard headphone socket in (plus the pair of crappy headphones that come with it, like will most likely stay in the box), and a small button, i guess when using the headphones if your phone rings you can press the button to take the call using the handsfree.

I'll come back and add some more pics once i've had chance to take 'em. (pic taken on my G1)

Windows 7 - Vista's Replacement

So Windows 7 will be the new OS from Microsoft, and finally we get to replace that horrible Vista package.

I'm really hoping that they'll have listened to what people want from an OS and have addressed the issues we've all had with Vista. My main machine at home came with Vista pre-installed, but at times I've really considered just formating it and clean installing XP instead, there's just been problems installing stuff, drivers, programs etc just dont support Vista properly.

Anyway... Windows 7... what to expect? Well why not find out for yourself?

Microsoft are providing the Beta as a free download! but don't get to carried away, with dreams of free software. Some things to keep in mind are, it's only the first Beta, so still has alot of problems, the whole point of releasing the Beta is that we will all install it and tell them what problems we find.

In return we get a glimpse of what the new operating system will be like, i say 'a glimpse' in order to make something very clear, you are not gettin Windows 7 for FREE. In fact i've recently heard that the beta will end in August.

Whilst it's a nice idea that the testers would get it for free, can you imagine the effect this has on their initial sales. On the first day the Beta was available the servers crashed cause so many of us went there looking for our free copy.

Well with all that said, if you're still interested in testing the Beta for Microsoft you can head here to download it.

Warning: Don't install this on your main pc, chances are you'll blank your computer and end up with a buggy version of Windows that'll only last till August. If you've got a spare pc, burn a disc and give it a try.

Xbox Chatpad or Usb Keyboard?

Ok, so it may have just been me but i didn't realise you could just plug a usb keyboard into you xbox 360 and start typing...

Turn your old Xbox into a HD media centre - Video Tutorial

In this Podcast Tamak and I show you how to hack your old xbox to load XBoxMediaCentre turning it into a HD home theatre system with surround sound support, streaming any kind of media right off you home network.

[vimeo 778054 nolink]

This video uses Adobe Flash 9, to update your version of flash click here

Warning: this is a fairly big project, which we've rushed through. It does work but as with all projects you may face issues, we dont take any responsibilty for the consequences.

19" Samsung Wide Screen Monitor

I just got an absolute deal!

DivX playback on Xbox 360

There's now new support for video playback on the 360.

Xbox Portable - just a dream...or is it?

I saw this on a users profile over at Roosterteeth.com and thought i'd post it seeing as it just seemed like such an awesome concept.

Why settle for a PSP when you could have a screen mounted in an xbox controller. Of course this is never goin to be possible, and this is just a visualisation.

Then over at Hackaday i came across an actual portable Xbox360.

Created by Ben Heck, he stripped down an Xbox360 and built it inside a laptop style casing. So wherever you are, you can lift the lid and play. The version pictured was built using water cooling, but hackaday have a three post tutorial on how to build your own portable xbox360 with a fan based cooling system.

Whilst i have no doubt this is real, and it looks like it works a treat, I still wont be giving this a try though. Too much cost and hard work for something which it really just a fold up screen (which is already on sale)

New Videos - Check out the game reviews and Xbox podcasts here!

Xbox Surround sound

I had my xbox360 hooked up to my surround system using the red and white phonos and relied on Dolby ProLogic II to provide me with surround sound in my games.

My First Ebay Listing!

I've been using ebay for years, but strangely only for buying.

I've got plenty of junk lying around so thought it was bout time i learnt how to list my stuff online.

Thankfully it's easy.

Online DVD rental

The weathers changing, the Winters drawing in.

Suddenly the beach doesn't seem so appealing, i'd rather chill out with some movies.

Dual Monitor

Ever fancied that sweet dual-monitor setup? Its not half as hard as you'd thought.