Gunbei,
I never thought of transfering content from my Tivo to the mini. I already have the Tivo hooked up to the cable modem using wifi. A friend transfered content from his Tivo to his PC; said it was a long and invlolved process.
Later, |
Ordered the Mini today. I ended up spending more than I wanted to (more memory, superdrive,wireless). It should be here in two to three weeks.
Gunbei,
I'll let you now how it compares to Windows XP after I play around with it for a weeks or two. Now, I have to order a "Mac for dummies" book. |
Why run a windows emulator to visit one website? I could see if I was trying to run a windows program. I just want to know if it's possible to play the java based games on a mac. |
The wifes computer is located in the bedroom. I use it to stream music from my computer (Soltek Qbic - soo quiet the only way to tell it's on is to look for the power LED)which is located in another room. The problem I'm having is the damn fan in the thing is so loud it's annoying. I've tried replacing the fan, but to no avail. The fan speeds up and slows down and speeds up and slows down. The other problem is when I'm napping, the wife can't use the computer to play games, and I don't let her use my computer. About a year ago, I built her a custom desk which has limited space for a computer. Also, I built her a custom computer based on a Travla C138 mini-itx case (P4-3200mhz, 1gb ram, 40gb HD, winxp SP2). The idea is to keep everything as small as possible. I was considering swapping out the P4 motherboard and going with a P4 Mobile CPU. Then I saw the prices and almost had a stroke; $400 for the CPU and $300 for the mainboard. I figure it would be cheaper to go with the mac mini. Being that it's smaller than the mini-itx rig she has now, and a lot quieter, it seems like the perfect solution. The problem though, is if she can't play her games over at game rival ,it aint gonna fly.
So, what I'm asking is "Can somebody who owns a Mac, surf over to gamerival.com and try to play a game of say pooljam?" If it plays fine then I'll be ordering a Mini tonight. If not then I'll bite the bullet and purchase the pentium 4 mobil rig.
Thanks in advance, |
Pabelson,
Thanks for the Kinkos suggestion. I just called the local store and they have macs for hire. So, I will run over there as soons as the wife gets back from her mothers (I don't drive).
I know windows inside and out (MCSE, MCSA, A+ ) but I'm new to macs. I've only played around with them a few times and it's been years. Also, other than looking at the specs and size, I have not really looked at what software comes with the mini. I have never used Safari and I don't know if it supports macromedia flash and shockwave.
Also, I'm looking forward to learning a new OS.
Thanks again, |
OK, just read up on Safari and I see that it supports all the W3C standards such as java, shockwave and flash. Moral of the story is do your research first.
Thanks again, |
Thanks Gunbei.
I'm going to order it later this evening.
Thanks again, |
Just went over to Kinko's and played pooljam; works fine. So, I'll order my mini after I take a nap.
How do you Mac people live with a one button mouse? And, where's the scroll wheel. |
The G5 is just too big for the location,
Thanks, |
Mlbattey,
I didn't realize that the G5 is the "everything built into the lcd" mac. New to this so I'm getting an education as I go. It would be nice if it could be mounted to the wall with a VESA mount. I currently have a 20" LCD mounted to the wall to save desk space. I plan to use my existing logitec cordless keyboard and Microsoft trackball explorer. I did check and make sure both were MAC compatible.
Also, I'm trying to do this on the cheap.
Thanks, |
Mlbattey,
There are used mac mini's selling on ebay for about what you would pay for a new one. now, that's good resale value!! I wish audio gear held it's value like that. |
Dean,
Actually, he used the Tivo to go software and transfered it to his computer using 802.11B. The transfer took about 3 hours. Then he used Pinnacle Studio to burn it to a DVD.
The Canopus device looks interesting.
Tivo To Go is not supported by the Mac. However, I could transfer from the Tivo to the PC and then send it to the Mac.
I have a DVD burner in my PC. The problem is that the Pinnacle Studio software it more than I need. I tried using Pinnacle Lite but it was not that Stable. I'm hoping that IDVD is real simple to use. Afterall, Rosie O'Donald did a pretty good job with it. I don't have a need to burn many DVD's; about 4 a year. So, every time I fire up Pinnacle Studio, I have a little bit of a learning curve before I get up to speed. Also, just about every time I fire it up, there's an update. |
Dean,
Apple finally shipped the mini from Shenzhen, China yesterday. Hey, because my apple was made in China, does that make it a pomegranate (Chinese apple)? Anyway, I should see it by friday.
Can you recommend any good mac magazines or websites?
Thanks, |
Dean,
The Mini arrived on Wednesday. Apple shipped it overnight (2 day) from China at their expense. Within a couple of hours I had the machine configured and the wireless network, printer sharing (on a winXP PC) and file sharing setup. And, I did all of this without ever cracking a manual! Gamerival and pooljam work just fine. In a few weeks when I get to know the Mini better I will start a new thread comparing Mac to WinXP. I ordered a few books on Ilife and OSX but they have yet to arrive (slow shipping at Amazon). Thanks for all your help and advice.
Later, |
Dean,
I can tell you that Apple has the worst customer service; ranks right up there with UPS claims processing department.
I'll give you an update on my impressions of the mini in a few weeks.
later, |
Bob,
You never had to call customer service so how can you comment on them?
BTW - I said customer service not technical support.
I know this is going to sound wrong, but....
Dean,
The mini is running fine. I purchased SAMS Teach Yourself OS X Panther and I'm about half way through it. Going from WinXP to Panther is not a big jump.
The problem is that I ordered some software from Apple. They shipped it in an unpadded envelop via UPS. Of course, when it arrived it has been mutilated. So, I called customer service to get an RMA and a replacement. Well, it took seven calls and about three hours on the phone to be told that Apple is not responsible to shippping damage and to file a claim with UPS. Anybody here knows that the Shipper has to file the claim with the shipping company. So, I faxed a nasty letter to Steve Jobs secretary (the power of search engines). About 6pm lastnight, Apple called me back and agreed to take back the damaged products. And, they did email me shipping labels for Fedex. So, the software is sitting by the front door as I type waiting to be picked up. You would think that returns would be a lot easier than this.
I spoke to one Customer Service Supervisor that told me "Apple makes superior products so we don't need good customer service." GM has this attitude. Ask them about their $1 billion loss last quarter.
Anyway, I'm excited because Tiger just arrived. I'm thinking about upping the memory in the mini to 1GB. 512MB enough but I've read that you can expect about a 10% performance increase with 1GB. I'm also considering picking up an Apple Cinema display in the near future.
Finally, for those who keep saying the Windows has a lot of spyware, adware, mallware and virus problems let me say this:
My windows pc is on for days at a time. Yet, I have no problems with spyware, adware, mallware and never have I caught a virus. Surfing the net is like dating. If you go out with the easy girls (strange software/websites) your going to catch something, but if you date the good girls (safe websites/known software) your going to be a lot safer. I don't do click through agreements, I don't click on strange ads, I don't let any site install something on my machine unless I'm 100% familiar with the software, I don't open attachments unless I know who they're from and what they are about, and all spam goes right to the junk folder before it can even opens up. |
Dean,
Microsoft has a great deal for tech support; $35.00 to solve your problem or your money back. Of course, this is after your 90 day free support expires. There were some times when I had winME (big mistake) that I would be on the phone with them for ever.
Another thing that MS has is a huge knowledge base. I had a friend that had a problem with his HP printer and WinXP a few weeks ago. I was able to search the knowledge base and find out how to get control of wireless network setup back from the HP driver. Within an hour I had his new HP all-in-one printing and scanning over his network and the wireless running better than before. I don't know if Apple has anything comparable; I have not had time to snoop around the Apple support pages.
Cupmit,
Can you send me the URL for the Apple Genius Bar?
Thanks, |
