lifestyle The Pink Mac

Stimulus Macbook.

Most of the time, I don’t think people are excited by the prospect of tax season. It is stressful to have to file taxes and wonder if you owe or how much you will get back, and in this terrible economy everything is so up in the air when it comes to finance and stimulus packages with the federal government that it is a mess to think about. Although most find the idea of tax time daunting, I actually like to get it over with as soon as possible, and in fact, I am ready to file my taxes tomorrow! Why am I so excited, you are probably wondering? Well, I can’t wait to get my tax refund, because thanks to some stimulus credits and the fact that I always make sure I overpay my taxes throughout the year, I am getting a nice chunk of change this go around, and I fully intend to use my return to purchase a new Macbook!

Talk about stimulating the economy, I am not going to be sticking that check into my savings, I like my money right where I can see it– on my lap with a fine aluminum finish and a full glass display! My only dilemma at this point is how soon I should make my purchase. You see, I had always intended to get myself a new mac once my current Macbook’s Apple Care protection ended in June, because it is not worth it to have to pay out of pocket for a repair on this mac, especially with the track record this machine has had with the optical drive needing yearly replacement. But of course I want a shiny new Macbook asap!

There are some advantages I see to waiting until the summer to get a new Macbook, however. WWDC is usually the first or second week of June, and it would be fair to expect some spec bumps and price drops on the Macbooks, not to mention the elusive snow leopard might be out by then. So, I am torn! I will have the money to get my new Macbook in a few weeks, but I might want to hold off on the purchase to see if Apple releases any new updates on the Macbook line by the summer. So far this year there has been nothing major other than the new iLife and iWork and I would hate to buy a new mac and then a few weeks later hear that Apple uped the RAM or hard drive size on the standard models. What do you think I should do? I want some advice/feedback on what to do because I would hate to rush into such an important purchase!

The Pink Mac

I’m a Mac… are you?

I found this model of the “Mac” persona a while ago and just ran across it recently, so I figured I should post it here and see what sort of reaction I get. Unsurprisingly, I fall into every single one of those categories. So, tell me, are you a true Mac? http://vimeo.com/2666842

{You may need to click on the image to enlarge it in a new window in order to read the text– sorry about that!}

tech

Having a Little Fun.

I asked Santa for a lot of tech presents this past Christmas, and of course, Santa can’t deliver everything, so after the holidays I took myself out to get the few final gifts I didn’t receive. One of which was the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet. As you can see from the images, I bought the small white model* which is 8.4″ W x 7.3″ D x 0.3″ H. As you can see below, I made a little video of the unboxing, and now after using it for over a month, I think it is time for me to write a little review of my experience with it.

For those of you who have never used a tablet before, I will be honest, it was a very confusing process to relearn how to navigate the computer screen with a pen instead of a mouse, but after I got the hang of it (like 30 mins to an hour), everything was quicker and more seamless than using a mouse or touchpad. The tablet also made photo editing and graphic design a snap! I love how seamlessly the tablet works with photoshop and how easy it is for me to sketch and create artwork on my computer. As someone who enjoys creating artwork, the Bamboo Fun really gave me an outlet to create my work on the computer by mimicking the natural pressures of pen strokes and allowing me the freedom to change textures and mediums as I work. I love how I can put my artwork on the computer, drawing and erasing as I would normally with charcoal or pencil with very little difficulty. This is really a plug and play sort of a device.

All you have to do is install a simple driver for the tablet, set your preferences and viola, you are set to go! It even comes with a mouse that works over the active area of the tablet so that you can switch between pen and mouse, but trust me, if you begin using the pen, you won’t want to go back to a mouse. Even if you don’t use this device to create artwork or edit photos you can use it simply to surf the internet or create handwritten notes on the computer. Honestly, this device has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me and my Mac. I use it for everything, personalizing documents, drawing, editing, surfing the web and just general computer navigation. If you are someone who wants to get more out of their time spent on the computer, I would definitely suggest one of these Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablets!

{* The Bamboo Fun comes in 2 sizes, small and medium, and four colors, white, silver, black, and blue.}

The Pink Mac

Post Christmas Presents!

You have to love to after Christmas blowout sales that all the major stores do each year after the holidays have come and gone! Most years you don’t find too much left in stock, but of course with the depression and all this year the stores were pretty well stocked! Well, in the wake of this, I picked up a much needed Belkin Travel USB Hub that adds 4 ports (well, really 3 because you have to plug the hub into your computer which of course deducts the use of one of your computer’s ports) to your peripheral rich tech life! This little round disk will run you $14.99, but I picked it up for $7 in a Target right after Christmas, and thank goodness I did because it is really coming in handy! With all the tech toys I received for Christmas this year I was lacking the USB power to handle them all simultaneously, but the problem is officially solved! As you can see, I bought the ‘plum’ color, but it also comes in ‘black’ or ‘red.’ I enjoy the design of this hub a lot, since I usually find USB hubs to be rather plain or bulky looking, but this colorful round disk almost looks like a funky paperweight on my desk and is also the perfect compact size and weight to throw into my bag on the go. It is called a travel hub because, as you might be able to notice in the image above, the chord wraps around the disk when not in use, a feature I like because it keeps my wires untangled in my bag! Love this little guy!

The Pink Mac

Pink your Mac.

Let’s face the facts, this blog would probably be nothing if it weren’t for my pink macbook. Although I had always dreamed of writing a blog on technology, for some reason things never really seemed to come together for my idea until I actually pink-ified my mac. With just the snap of a pink cover, my macbook instantly became its own personality and in one of those grand “a-ha!” moments, I had the inspiration for this blog. I know I have mentioned the Pink*Speck SeeThru cover that I bought at the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York City, but I thought that I should do a formal review of it for everyone since I have now been using it for a little over a month now. First of all, I would like to say how much I like the color. With pink cases and covers nowadays, you really never know what to expect. Shades range from a dusty rose, to bubblegum pink, to hot or electric pink, and I know from experience that it can be frustrating when you find a case or cover you like, but the color is off. Of course, this shade of pink might not be your cup of tea, but for me, the color was right on!

The next thing I want to mention is the ease of use. Seriously, all you have to do is snap it on! Removal is a little trickier, but not really difficult. You just have to slide a credit card or something between the cover and the computer and unsnap the small little grooves on the case that keep it snapped in place. The grooves in the design are a nice touch because they are so small that you really don’t notice them when you use the computer, but they do a great job of keeping case to computer.

The final thing to mention about this case is the durability. I have been using this case, like I said, for over a month now, and I have been taking my mac in my bag with me without the usual sleeve case. This cover makes it easy for me, because I don’t have to put my mac into anything else, and I can just transfer it from bag to desk, to bag from bed, etc, without having to zip or unzip. Of course after a month of use, the cover has a few visible hairline scratches, but nothing major, and it is preferable to me that those hairline scratches be on the cover and not on the macbook! Overall, I am really impressed with this cover! I sort of expected it to crack or break by now (because I have low standards for plastic cases) but as you can see, that is not this case! If you were thinking about a hard shell style case for your mac, I would certainly say this is a good choice. I know there are a few brands out there with this similar style, but like I said before, I expect these sorts of cases to crack or break easily and it looks like the Speck SeeThru is going to be in it for the long haul!

{* The Speck SeeThru Hard Shell Cover also comes in orange, aqua, black, blue, clear, green, purple, and red– so if pink is not your color of choice, don’t worry, they have something for you!}

The Pink Mac

Macheads!

I mentioned earlier this month that there were two Mac documentaries that were being screened at this years Macworld Expo. One of them, Macheads, is now available for download on Amazon and iTunes. Of course, upon hearing this news I went straight to my computer and rented the documentary on the iTunes movie store and this morning I watched it, twice! It is only about an hour long, so I thought a second pass would be feasible and I honestly really enjoyed it. The movie basically chronicles the history of Apple and the mac community through the stories, views, and experiences of a number of different mac personalities. You get much of the back history of the Apple community and fan base from the fans themselves and even the self proclaimed Macheads in this documentary give Apple a bit of criticism for their recent disregard for the fan base that sustained them through their darkest hours. If you are a Mac fanatic like me, or just someone who enjoys the history of computing I would suggest that you check this one out!

The Pink Mac

Skin Me!

After I bought my new LG enV2, I know I promised you all a review of the skin I bought for it, and here it is! As you can see, this is a pink plaid cast vinyl skin made to custom fit the env2! I absolutely fell in love with the pattern and HAD TO HAVE IT!! I am not someone who usually uses cases or covers for my phone since I usually store it on my desk or in my purse, so using one of these skins for protection and accessorizing fits my needs well. It keeps the major parts of my phone free from scratches while also personalizing it to my preference without adding bulk or extra parts. I have been using this skin now for about a week and I am really enjoying it. I bought it from DecalGirl.com, an online retailer that sells similar skins for all sorts of electronic devices. So, although you might not have an enV2, you might be interested in a skin similar to this for your own phone or device.

Now, lets get to the technical details of this skin, shall we? It is made of a premium grade adhesive backed cast vinyl and then covered with a clear protective coating. The skin itself is not much thicker then a simple sticker, but it has much more to it than a sticker. It is pretty strong and it keeps its shape well in my opinion. Obviously, if you take a scissor to it, or try to rip it, it will damage the skin, but once the skin is applied it adds a nice protective barrier between your phone and the outside world. Now, let me be very clear– this skin doesn’t cover 100% of the phone. As you can see in the images, it covers the face and most of the back of the phone, leaving the edges and sides of the phone exposed. It also does not cover any of the interior of the phone. For me, that is not an issue since my phone is usually closed and I am not really worried about my phone getting damaged.

Okay, so once you get past all of those features, there are two problems with this skin. First of all, it is a little difficult to put on. The skin came in pieces for each row of numbers and a different piece for the faceplate, so I basically sat there and had to– piece by piece– line up the sticker to the phone and apply it, then reapply parts that didn’t line up, etc. Luckily, I am good at this sort of thing, but if you are someone who has a hard time lining things up, you might need to get yourself some help. The upside to this, however, is that the skin can be reapplied many times and not loose its adhesive backing, so you can take multiple tries to attach it and it will still re stick each time!

Second and final negative feature of this skin is that the cracks between the stickers on the faceplate tend to collect dust/dirt and need to be cleaned out every once in a while. For me, this isn’t difficult, because I can just swipe my fingernail between the pieces of sticker and remove the stuck on dirt, but it is annoying that you have to do it in the first place. One thing I will say about that though, is that if you happen to buy a skin like this for another phone or electronic device like an iPhone, you might not have this problem because some of the skins for different devices are only one or two large pieces, as opposed to the 11 separate pieces that my phone’s skin requires.

Overall, I really do like this skin for myself. It fits my needs and it makes my phone completely unique– which I love! I would recommend this skin or others like it to anyone in the market for a similar product. Plus, you really can’t beat the price tag– I paid $6.99 plus shipping for mine!

The Pink Mac

Old Politics=Old Tech, New Politics=I think you know where this is going.

Apparently, when Barack Obama and his new staff entered the White House to begin their administration, not only did they inherit the old political problems, economic issues, and state of the union left to them by Bush, but also some outdated technology. It doesn’t surprise me that the White House is a PC environment, but it should surprise all of us that the PCs in the White House were running something to the effect of 6 year old software! Wow, no wonder nothing good came out of the White House for the past 8 years, they weren’t upgraded into the needs of the future. Well, it looks like Obama is off to a good start making the right sorts of changes in DC and if his previous inclinations are a sign of whats to come, I believe we will be seeing some shiny new tech arriving in slim eco-friendly boxes labeled with some sort of fruit… it’s just a guess!

{Story via here}
tech The Pink Mac

Belkin Making Waves.

For Christmas, my brother bought himself a 2G ipod touch, so of course I had to get him a case to protect this new tech (because I am such a great sister and all)! Knowing my brother’s tastes, I selected for him the Belkin Sonic Wave Two-Tone Silicone Sleeve in black/infrared. He LOVED it and so did I! I was so impressed with the quality of the case I stole his ipod touch for a few minutes to do a little photo shoot and review. As you can see this case is silicone, and despite the fact that I do not usually like silicone cases, the quality of this case was excellent. I really liked the thickness of the case, it wasn’t flimsy, but it was thin enough to show off the slim features of the touch.

Obviously this case doesn’t have any screen protection, but as you can see from the pictures, my brother uses a screen cover and the combination of the Belkin case and the screen protector actually seems to prevent scratches and other damage pretty well. Obviously a screen protector can’t prevent a hard object from cracking the glass, but it will prevent everyday scratches and can be easily cleaned. Overall, I recomment this case to anyone looking for the everyday shock protection of a silicone case for their ipod touch as long as you pair it with a decent screen shield.

The Pink Mac

Happy Inauguration Day!