17 Inch Powerbook Update

I am sad that I didn't switch earlier. This is by FAR the best laptop I have ever owned. I will never buy a PC laptop again. It is the difference between driving a Lexus and a KIA...

Comments

[z]

What do you like better about it?

[JTH]

John

Welcome to the MacWorld

Sent several email in the past
Glad you came over from the "dark side"

BTW : running 12inch (smaller form factor for travel) as well as original 17in
With OS X it's up for weeks at a time (sleep mode for travel)
Only reboots are when MuSoft Word gets tied up or if Firefox needs cleaning (someting over 25 open for too long) ... Firefox, simple garbage collection and clean issues
Bad habits

Ain't it wonderfull

Other : some rants at one of my (several) blogs
http://looneydunes.blogspot.com

"Trump U" has to be sure sign of an impending top

Ciao
JTH

[Robert Cassidy]

Congrats, John.

Glad you took the chance and it paid off. To be honest, you always struck me as a Mac guy. Just holler if you need any help. Plenty of us will come running.

[John Robb]

Thanks guys. What do I like about it?

1) A zero hassle power management system. Things actually work when I wake it up from standby (it wakes up in a couple of seconds!). Also, the battery works as advertised. I've never had a PC laptap that lasted even 1/2 as long as advertised.

2) Excellent connectivity! I connect to everything easily and the connection is tight! My PC laptops found connections reluctantly and dropped them frequently.

3) The dock is simple and faster than the PC. It is also much easier to find my work.

4) It's fast. Zero wait on everything. My PCs laptops are always slower than I would like (my PC desktop is a different story).

5) DVD and CD playback is seamless. Using multimedia on a PC is always an unnatural act. Bad drivers, etc...

6) A very nice software installation and download system.

What do I miss?

The right mouse button. Oddpost (;-<). That is it...

[Misanthropyst]

Prediction -- this feeling will pass, following mysterious and inexplicable O/S events.

[Bob Perdriau]

John,

Get a mouse - any mouse with a right button. Plug it in and there you go.

If you are strapped for $30 hold the ctrl key to substitute for the right button.

You do know about using 1 finger 2 finger on the trackpad right? I find it so good that I no longer bother with a mouse.

[Robert Cassidy]

John,

If you do want a mouse, consider a decent Bluetooth one to keep the laptop as portable as possible. I got a RadTech 500 for my 12" Powerbook when I started having wrist problems at my desk, but if that's too small consider one of the larger ones:

http://www.radtech.us/Products/BT500.aspx

What I like about the small one is that the mouse will sleep when not in use and is small enough that I can just toss it in my shirt pocket. I've yet to find the mouse too much of a hassle to use this way.

Also, if you're looking for a bag consider these guys:

http://www.sfbags.com

These are without question the most durable laptop bags I've ever seen. A little pricey, but the bag will probably last longer than your house.

[W. Ian Blanton]

John, Glad to hear you're happy with it! S'why I'm glad to be in the mac biz. Thanks for getting it from us! :)

I see someone already mentioned that you can "right-click" by putting two fingers on the trackpad and clicking. There's also an application called "Sidetrack" that will let you customize the heck out of the trackpad.

[Gil Friend]

Welcome to the light, John. I ran a marketing company on a CompuPro (CP/M!) in the long ago (with an Apple II at home :-), got an IBM-PC when they first came out, then a Mac as soon as they did - and never looked back. More like my brain AND lower TCO too.

PS: Can someone explain that two finger thing? It's news to me.

[W. Ian Blanton]

Hey Gil,

It's relatively simple; just put two fingers on the trackpad like you are going to scroll. Then click the trackpad button. Instant right-click. This only works on the newer PowerBooks, OR, you can install iScroll2 to enable it on the slightly older Al PowerBooks, OR, you can install Sidetrack, and get even more features on most any i/PowerBook.

The only trick to it that I find is, to practice so that it doesn't scroll on you and move off what you're trying to right-click. :)

[Erik Wiggins]

Mac Panthers Unite!

[Chet Richards]

John,

Inspired by your success, and the untimely demise of my 3 year old iBook, I just bought a 12" PB/SD. Not sure I could justify it on cost, but boy it's a lot of fun.

Best regards,
Chet

Used the savings over a 15" to get wife a 20" Cinema display, which also works fine with her Dell Latitude.

[jason]

I just got a PB 17" and I've tried the two finger and button "right click"...doesn't work. Tried to find option in sys prefs/trackpad, but it's not there. Any suggestions would be appreciated.