Questions on PowerBooks(15")

[T-Man]

I went to the Apple Store on Friday and looked at everything, and loved everything. I've got some questions. How do you turn keyboard backlight on? What is the reset button on the back for? Does the built-in Wireless work w/ a b/g/Wi-Fi access point? How long does the battery last under the same preferences as it is while plugged in?(screen at full, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, keyboard light maybe) How is the range on the PowerBook? How many USB ports does it have?(didnt notice...) I think thats it. If I need anymore I'll ask. I'll also be wondering around the Apple Site.

Timm

[jjesusfreak01]

I went to the Apple Store on Friday and looked at everything, and loved everything. I've got some questions. How do you turn keyboard backlight on? What is the reset button on the back for? Does the built-in Wireless work w/ a b/g/Wi-Fi access point? How long does the battery last under the same preferences as it is while plugged in?(screen at full, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, keyboard light maybe) How is the range on the PowerBook? How many USB ports does it have?(didnt notice...) I think thats it. If I need anymore I'll ask. I'll also be wondering around the Apple Site.

Timm
The keyboard light is controlled by keys at the top of the keyboard.

The wireless card is B/G compatable, and I dont know about A.

My laptop has 2 regular USBs, a firewire, and another port which may be a special firewire port. (I am not sure)

The range is okay, about the same as a TH.

I cant tell you about the battery. It lasts a little bit less than a Centrino, I believe.

[T-Man]

Thnx jjesusfreak.

[T-Man]

And for battery, I heard 4 hrs in regular 'mode' and 6hrs in conserve mode.

[javabird]

On my 15" Powerbook, the keyboard backlight comes on automatically when it's dark. I've never had to turn it on or off. I get about 2-1/2 to 3 hrs. on my battery.

[T-Man]

Thats good to know. Its longer than this VAIO

[BobHarris]

I went to the Apple Store on Friday and looked at everything, and loved everything. I've got some questions. How do you turn keyboard backlight on? What is the reset button on the back for? Does the built-in Wireless work w/ a b/g/Wi-Fi access point? How long does the battery last under the same preferences as it is while plugged in?(screen at full, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, keyboard light maybe) How is the range on the PowerBook? How many USB ports does it have?(didnt notice...) I think thats it. If I need anymore I'll ask. I'll also be wondering around the Apple Site.

Timm
A lot of your questions can be answered at the Apple web site:
<http://www.apple.com/powerbook/ >
<http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html >
<http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/powerbook/ >

The keyboard also has an ambient light sensor (for those models that have backlit keyboards).

Not sure about the reset button on the back, (I have the iBook, and it doesn't have one of those; nor does it have a backlit keyboard :-), but I think it is might be a button to reset the PMU (Power Management Module), but that is a guess. The manual pointer above might provide more insight.

WiFi it 802.11g (Apple calls this Airport Extreme, which is backward compatable with 802.11b; there is no support for 802.11a). For the most part Apple's WiFi will work with most everybody's WiFi base stations. Sometimes there are issues that require a firmware upgrade on the part of a 3rd party base station. I you should run into something like this, then Google search of the news groups should turn up a useful solution.

WiFi range can vary depending on what is in your walls and floors and hanging on your walls or sitting on your floors, etc... If you should experience really bad range (like can't even leave the room), then suspect a problem with the WiFi antenna not being properly attached, or with a break in the anetnna lead going around the LCD screen (antenna is in the lid).

The battery life on a Powerbook is reported to be in the 2 maybe 3 hour range for a new battery. Batteries loose capacity over time, so for example a 2 year old battery that has had gone though lots of power cycles will last a lot less.
<http://www.apple.com/batteries/ >

2 USB 2.0 port. 1 Firewire 400 port and 1 Firewire 800 port. 1 Ethernet port depending on the model it will be either a 10/100baseT or a 10/100/1000baseT ethernet port. A PC card slot. Bluetooth. 56K modem. Some form of video connector (VGA or mini-DVI depending on the model). Audio in/out, etc... The above pointer to the specs can tell you more.

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

Thanks for the links and all the info ;)

Timm

[T-Man]

Does anyone here use Speech Recognition on a daily basis??? This is one of the features I'm looking forward to the most on a PB, and ALS. Can you like 'type' with it by saying what you want to 'type'??? Can you close apps using Spch Rcgntn, like saying 'Safari, Close'??? Theres many more ?'s I could ask, but if you answer the 'Close' question I think amny more of my questions will be answered.

Timm

[jjesusfreak01]

Does anyone here use Speech Recognition on a daily basis??? This is one of the features I'm looking forward to the most on a PB, and ALS. Can you like 'type' with it by saying what you want to 'type'??? Can you close apps using Spch Rcgntn, like saying 'Safari, Close'??? Theres many more ?'s I could ask, but if you answer the 'Close' question I think amny more of my questions will be answered.

Timm
No, you cant type. It can do stuff like open programs, close programs, tell knock knock jokes, and pretty much everything short of typing. In my experience, it is not that accurate though, even on my fairly new Powerbook. I wouldnt rely on it for normal use.

[sdsdsd]

If you really want to control programs _and_ enter words/numbers/whatever by voice, probably the best program for the Mac is iListen: www.macspeech.com/products/ilisten/

[T-Man]

I dont NEED it for typing but it would be nice to post on here by saying something. I'll look into iListen but doubt I'll get it, even for $150. I'll also probably need Office for Mac so I'll probably save $$$ for it. But I have Office on two other computers in my house, but then I'd have to bring my LD downstairs....I'll have to think about it. What do you mean jj thats its not that accurate? Does it sometimes think you say something you didnt say? Or it doesnt always here you? What about with background noise?

Timm

[BobHarris]

...I'll also probably need Office for Mac so I'll probably save $$$ for it.
You can download NeoOffice/J (http://www.planamesa.com/neojava/en/index.php) which will allow you to read/write Office files. It is not perfect, but until you save the $$$ it can allow you to get by.

Bob Harris

[jjesusfreak01]

Openoffice 2.0 isnt ported to OSX fully yet. Its too bad because 1.0 isnt up to snuff, and though there is a way to get 2.0 on your Mac, it isnt easy, and has lots of bugs.

[dragonsgames]

AppleWorks can open and edit Word and Excel files, but not Powerpoint. I don't like Microsoft Word or Excel for Mac. It is way too slow.

[BobHarris]

AppleWorks can open and edit Word and Excel files, but not Powerpoint. I don't like Microsoft Word or Excel for Mac. It is way too slow.
Then you most likely would not like NeoOffice/J or OpenOffice, as I found them even slower than Microsoft Office (I do have a copy, it is just that the rest of my group keeps saving things in OpenOffice format :) ).

Bob Harris

[dragonsgames]

I don't use OpenOffice or NeoOffice/J, I don't need Presentations, so I just use Appleworks for Spreadsheets and Word Processing. If I would ever need to make a Presentation, I could use Appleworks, but I would not be able to share it.

[jjesusfreak01]

AppleWorks can open and edit Word and Excel files, but not Powerpoint. I don't like Microsoft Word or Excel for Mac. It is way too slow.
Are you kidding? MSOffice is one of the fastest editors available for Mac, and it is definitely the fastest I have tried.

[dragonsgames]

It takes forever to start on my Mac computers... Appleworks starts over 50% faster

[dragonsgames]

Ummm, think I hi-jacked the thread. Sorry... :)

[T-Man]

I'll try NoeOffice/J when I get my Mac. I wont be using PowerPoint or Outlook/Entourage, so I'm debating whether I should bother to get Office for Mac...As I said before, I liked iListen so I might try to get it instead of Office, plus Office is installed on two PCs in my house, and If I'm really desperate I'll just use Docs to Go on my LifeDrive.

Timm

And what is this 'AppleWorks'? Is it preinstalled on Mac, or do you have to buy it?

[jjesusfreak01]

I'll try NoeOffice/J when I get my Mac. I wont be using PowerPoint or Outlook/Entourage, so I'm debating whether I should bother to get Office for Mac...As I said before, I liked iListen so I might try to get it instead of Office, plus Office is installed on two PCs in my house, and If I'm really desperate I'll just use Docs to Go on my LifeDrive.

Timm

And what is this 'AppleWorks'? Is it preinstalled on Mac, or do you have to buy it?
You have to buy it I believe. If you dont really need anything but a word compatable editor, I would not suggest buying either. You can live with NeoOffice/J, and it will be a welcome update when a stabile version of OpenOffice 2.0 comes out. I must say that Office is the most stabile, full featured office suite for the Mac that I have used.

[dragonsgames]

And what is this 'AppleWorks'? Is it preinstalled on Mac, or do you have to buy it?

Appleworks is the preinstalled all-in-one editor for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and drawings.

[javabird]

Appleworks is the preinstalled all-in-one editor for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and drawings.

It's not preinstalled on all Macs. It didn't come on my 15" Powerbook.

[T-Man]

It's not preinstalled on all Macs. It didn't come on my 15" Powerbook.

Well, THATS nice to know... :rolleyes: I'm getting a 15" PB and it sounds like it might come in handy...

Timm

[jjesusfreak01]

I dont have it either, but hey, textedit is just as good, right?

[T-Man]

Some more questions dealing w/ the PB: (1) Does the PB come with this (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerBookG4_15inch1.67-1.5GHzUserGuide.pdf) manual printed?-(2)I know it comes w/ a DVI-VGA cable, but does it come w/ an S-Video out cable?-so I can connect it to a TV?

If it doesnt, that will ruin all my fun, I'd love to have it connected to a TV sometimes.

Timm

[BobHarris]

Some more questions dealing w/ the PB: (1) Does the PB come with this (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerBookG4_15inch1.67-1.5GHzUserGuide.pdf) manual printed?-(2)I know it comes w/ a DVI-VGA cable, but does it come w/ an S-Video out cable?-so I can connect it to a TV?

If it doesnt, that will ruin all my fun, I'd love to have it connected to a TV sometimes.

Timm
Yes, that manual should come in a printed edition. Its layout and style are similar to the User Manual I just got with my new PowerMac G5 system.

According to the above mentioned manual, you have an s-video port on the right side of the Powerbook. To quote from the book:

"The TV out port (also known as an S-video out port) on your computer lets you connect to a television, videocassette recorder (VCR), or video projection system using an S-video cable. You can use TV out to display images on a television, record computer images on a VCR, or play DVD-Video discs on your television.

If the device you want to connect has a composite port rather than an S-video port, you can use the S-video-to-composite adapter that came with your PowerBook."

Me again. I love using "Preview" to read PDF files on my Mac. The search feature is just so handy. Really. I have had to do a lot of research at work recently, and a lot of the information was in huge PDF manuals. I would have gone nuts trying to read all of that on my monitor looking for things, when instead I was able to use the search feature in Preview and skip all the stuff between the good bits.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Powerbook.

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

Thanks Bob. So then a S-Video to Composite/S-Video adaptor comes w/ the PB?

Look at what I found while searching eBay for computers similiar to mine: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5217591498&category=31534&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1

BTW, you like that PowerMac too, I'd love to have one of those :D

Timm

[BobHarris]

Thanks Bob. So then a S-Video to Composite/S-Video adaptor comes w/ the PB?
You almost have it right. There is an actual S-Video port on the Powerbook (you supply your own S-Video cable). And it comes with an S-Video to Composite Video adaptor.
Look at what I found while searching eBay for computers similiar to mine: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5217591498&category=31534&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1
Sorry, wrong OS :)
BTW, you like that PowerMac too, I'd love to have one of those :D

Timm
Oh yea. I've been trying for years to justify getting one, but since I switched to being a laptop user at home 5 years ago, I could not justify getting a PowerMac G5 that wouldn't really get used, not even as a file server, so I just lusted from afar.

But this past January, I started a new job, and due to circumstances with 23 people joining all at once, there was a short term PC workstation provisioning shortage. So I had an old PowerMac G4/450MHz I had and started using it full time as my workstation. When they finally gave me the company PC, I was enjoying using my Mac so much, that I left them use the PC for a test system (we had a need for extra test boxes).

After using the G4/450MHz for about 5 1/2 months, I decided that if I got myself a G5 it would get really get used, and I could justify it to myself. So I took some of the severance money from my previous job, and treated myself to a PowerMac Dual G5/2.5GHz with 2.5GB of memory (I got an Apple Refurb system).

I call it my "Cross Pen" :) That is to say, if you can buy and use your own fancy "Pen and Pencil Desk Set" at work, then why not your own computer workstation. They are both used for writing stuff, so why not enjoy your writing tools!

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

I know its the wrong OS, but theres an Apple :)

[BobHarris]

I know its the wrong OS, but theres an Apple :)
But does that Apple Light UP? :rolleyes:

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

Oh, uhh...doubt it:D Anyway, I just got some new news. My big brother and I will be 'trading' notebooks. I'll have both notebooks, the VAIO k33 and the PB G4, in my hands for about a day, together. I want to knoe if its possible to make a partition or something on the PB HDD so I can transfer all my stuff from the VAIO to the PB??? Using an Ethernet cord or something? Please let this be possibe, I want to keep all my files. I know half the stuff wont work on a Mac but is it possible? If its not, I'll be leaving all my stuff on the VAIO(my bro dont mind, but still) and he'll only have about 12GB left...So, is it possible???

Timm

[dragonsgames]

Hmmm, maybe you can put your data on an external hard drive, then transfer it to the PB.

[T-Man]

Dont have an external HDD:( I was going to transfe 1/2 to my mom's PC & then 1/2 to the family computer but I dont think theres an easy way to do it...I dont know...

Timm

[BobHarris]

Oh, uhh...doubt it:D Anyway, I just got some new news. My big brother and I will be 'trading' notebooks. I'll have both notebooks, the VAIO k33 and the PB G4, in my hands for about a day, together. I want to knoe if its possible to make a partition or something on the PB HDD so I can transfer all my stuff from the VAIO to the PB??? Using an Ethernet cord or something? Please let this be possibe, I want to keep all my files. I know half the stuff wont work on a Mac but is it possible? If its not, I'll be leaving all my stuff on the VAIO(my bro dont mind, but still) and he'll only have about 12GB left...So, is it possible???

Timm

While I will suggest some better alternatives below, the answer to your queston is, "Yes" you can partition the disk and copy files over from the Vaio.

You do this using Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility.
This _WILL_ _ERASE_ your disk. That means you will need to use the software restore disks shipped with your Powerbook to reload the software that was shipped on your Powerbook into one of the new partitions.

You could get a 3rd party dynamic repartitioning utility, but I have zero experience with them, so I can not give a recommendation. Then again, you do not have anything valuable on the Powerbook yet, so restoring from the CD's (DVD) is just a cost of your time.

Copying the files would be done using a Share (SMB/CIFS server).

If you have a home Cable/DSL router, then connect both systems to the router (ethernet or WiFi).

Discover the local IP address assigned by the router to each system. Left up to your to find on the Viao. On the Mac, go to System Preference -> Network -> ethernet (or Airport) -> TCP/IP. Your IP address should be displayed there. It should be of the form 192.168.*.* or 10.0.1.*

If you do not have a Cable/DSL router, then use an ethernet cable between the 2 systems. You will still need to discover the IP addresses each system assigns to itself, or manually configure a fixed IP address (should not be necessary, but if you need to do this, then for the Mac, System Preferences -> Network -> Ethernet -> TCP/IP -> Manual -> 192.168.1.100. Give the PC 192.168.1.200, and a network mask of 255.255.255.0. Make sure that the first 3 numbers are the same and the 4th is different. Also 192.168.*.* and 10.*.*.* IP addresses do not get sent through a router to the internet so there is no risk of duplicating someone else's IP address and causing interferrence that could get your ISP to disable your account.

Tell your Viao to create a share (left as an exercise to knowledgable PC users) and then mount the share on your Powerbook using Finder -> Go Menu -> Connect to Server... smb://ip.addr.of.pc/share. Drag your files to the Powerbook.

Or using System Preferences -> Sharing -> Windows Sharing
you can enable allow the Mac to offer up a Window's Share that you can mount on your Viao. The share will be the name of your short account name on the Powerbook that you will see during your system setup. You can change the short name using System Preferences -> Accounts. NOTE: Having the Mac create a share may limit where you can initially store the files.

Alternatives.

Use the same Disk Utility to create a "New Image". This will be a container file with a type of .dmg that you can mount just like a disk, but is just a file. Create one as large as you like, then copy your files into the Image .dmg container file. When you have moved any valuable documents you wish to keep into a new home and there is nothing else in the .dmg you want to keep, you just delete the .dmg and you then get all that space back without needing to go though a repartitioning, risking all your other data you have accumulated in your Mac side of the disk.

A variation on this theme, is to Mount your Vaio share on the Powerbook then using Disk Utility -> Image menu -> New -> Image from folder ... and select the mounted share to create the image from. I have not tried this, but I do not see any reason why it would not work. Plus you could specify one of the create options to Compressed, which might save some space.

Another alternative.

Do NOT create a partition, NOR an Image .dmg file. Instead just copy all the files into a regular folder (directory) tree on your Mac. Then Spotlight will attempt to index all the files it can understand (like your Word, Excel, etc... type files).

Yet another Alternative.

If your Vaio will do it, burn your data onto ISO standard CD's or DVD's. Do a sample burn and see if the Mac can read it before you embark on a heavy duty burning effort. If the Mac does not read your CD (or DVD), then see if you can direct the PC to use a different burn format.

Now matter what method you choose, allow extra time to make mistakes. Hopefully they will only involve reinstalling software on the Powerbook from the distribution media, and not affect the files on your Viao.

Good luck.

Bob Harris

[sdsdsd]

FYI AppleWorks is installed only on the "consumer" Macs: iBook, iMac, and eMac. The PowerBook comes with a "test-drive" version of iWork.

[T-Man]

While I will suggest some better alternatives below, the answer to your queston is, "Yes" you can partition the disk and copy files over from the Vaio.YAY!!!:)

Another alternative.

Do NOT create a partition, NOR an Image .dmg file. Instead just copy all the files into a regular folder (directory) tree on your Mac. Then Spotlight will attempt to index all the files it can understand (like your Word, Excel, etc... type files).

Now matter what method you choose, allow extra time to make mistakes. Hopefully they will only involve reinstalling software on the Powerbook from the distribution media, and not affect the files on your Viao.

Good luck.

Bob Harris

Thanks a lot Bob!:) I'll probably use that one(^^^)I have about 12 CDs right now of some of the stuff I wanted to kepp, but I made them before I knew I would have the chance to have both computers together. I really dont want to take the chance of loading the OS again, as w/ me, it probably wont load right or something. And if the CDs arnet compatible I dont want to go thru that. Plus, each CD is only 700MB and its hard to divide the 703MB+ files and still keep track of whats on each disk. Do I have to have the computers connected using this method? Or can I also do it thru the router? I just dont know ir I want to try and fit both computers on the desk where the router is, nor do I want sit on floor. I'll just do it the easiest way possible, do you think the one I picked is the easiest? And again, thanks a lot Bob, you were a big help.

Now, for AppleWorks, darn. But does the PB still have something like NotePad and WordPad preinstalled like on a PC?

Timm

[BobHarris]

YAY!!!:)


Thanks a lot Bob!:) I'll probably use that one(^^^)I have about 12 CDs right now of some of the stuff I wanted to kepp, but I made them before I knew I would have the chance to have both computers together. I really dont want to take the chance of loading the OS again, as w/ me, it probably wont load right or something. And if the CDs arnet compatible I dont want to go thru that. Plus, each CD is only 700MB and its hard to divide the 703MB+ files and still keep track of whats on each disk. Do I have to have the computers connected using this method? Or can I also do it thru the router? I just dont know ir I want to try and fit both computers on the desk where the router is, nor do I want sit on floor. I'll just do it the easiest way possible, do you think the one I picked is the easiest? And again, thanks a lot Bob, you were a big help.
Yes you can use your existing router. The Router should assign IP address to both systems. Just find out the IP address of the Viao and use it when connecting from the Powerbook (Finder -> Go menu -> Connect to Server ... -> smb://ip.addr.of.Viao/share_name.

You can try the "Browse" feature of Connect to Server..., but a lot depends on what workgroup domain the Windows OS is advertising on and which workgroup the Mac is listening for :)

You can tell the Mac to listen to a different domain, using Applications -> Utilities -> Directory Access -> SMB -> Configure -> Workgroup (ignore WINS). You may need to click on Padlock in lower left corner to all changes.
Now, for AppleWorks, darn. But does the PB still have something like NotePad and WordPad preinstalled like on a PC?

Timm

Yes, you have Applications -> TextEdit.

You can also download NeoOffice/J http://www.neooffice.org/,

TextWrangler http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/index.shtml

and of course you have all the text editing tools of a UNIX environment available to you via the terminal (assuming you like that sort-of-thing :))

Those should get you started until you find your perfect word processor, text utility.

Suggest reviewing the answers given here, maybe even print them out and use a highlighter to note areas you may want to refer to during your copy work. Lots of good pointers to utilities have been given in here and it should make it easier for you.

One more thing, if you can, you might want to get out to a bookstore and browse some of the Mac OS X Tiger books that you should find on the shelves. Maybe there is one with a writing style that appeals to you.

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

All this software and these directions should make everything a lot easier. I'll either print a lot of this stuff or just come back when I get the PB. There are Tiger Books? OS X Tiger?? Did I understand you correctly? I'd love to read stuff about Tiger.

Timm

[BobHarris]

All this software and these directions should make everything a lot easier. I'll either print a lot of this stuff or just come back when I get the PB.
Easier right up until a forgotten step happens, and then the curse words start flying :)
There are Tiger Books? OS X Tiger?? Did I understand you correctly? I'd love to read stuff about Tiger.

Timm
The Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) books started showing up in the Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores about a month ago. The one I have been watching for is the updated "Mac OS X, The Missing Manual", by David Progue. But in the mean time, I've been browsing the others (about 10+ have been released so far).

Now I don't actually buy them, I just buy over priced drinks in the cafe and browse them to see what looks good.

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

Cool, I'll have to see if I can find any of them. How much are they? Between $10 and $20?

Timm

[BobHarris]

Cool, I'll have to see if I can find any of them. How much are they? Between $10 and $20?

Timm
Most of the books are in the $20'ish range, or at least that is the Amazon prices which is discounted a bit. So in the bookstore assume about $5 more.

The amazon.com search I used was "Mac OS X Tiger" and that popped up most of them (plus a few Tiger Woods references :) )

Over time, I generally end up paying more for cafe drinks then the cost of the books I browse. But then again, it is one of the ways I like to pass the time, especially in the summer, as I don't have Airconditioning at home, and the bookstores do )

Bob Harris

[T-Man]

I'll check out Amazon, but I just got Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and will try to get thru it first :)

Timm

[T-Man]

Bump(I'll be needing all this soon :))