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Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Mini

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2012-12-29T11:00:00-05:00

Some time ago, I posted about a Bluetooth keyboard for the full-sized iPad on Tech Me Back’s Facebook page and it was quite popular.

Well, this keyboard is specifically designed for the iPad Mini and is available with either black keys or white keys and costs $29.99.

If you use Coupon code "ipadminibluetoothboard" the price drops to $23.99 + $2.85 for shipping. Deal ends December 31, 2012.

Here are two (2) links to a Bluetooth keyboard from the iPad Mini:

Keyboard with Black Keys: Please Click Here

Keyboard with White Keys: Please Click Here

Latest MacUpdate Promotion!

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2011-09-07T19:45:37-04:00

This is a great promotion! Here’s over $400 worth of programs for just $49.99. Among other helpful Mac applications, you can burn CDs and DVDs with Toast 11 Titanium, print from your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to virtually any printer with Printopia, and rescue lost files with Data Rescue 3. Take advantage of this promotion as soon as possible.

The MacUpdate Promo includes:

Toast Titanium 11: Disk burning utility
Printopia: Printer sharing tool
Data Rescue 3: Data recovery utility
FX Photo Studio Pro 2: Photo post-processing tool
Fantastical: Calendar utility
iStat Menus 3: System monitoring tool
PhoneView 2: iPhone access and backup tool
Concealer: Secure information storage tool
EarthDesk 5: Dynamic desktop
Mellel: Word processor
Bookends 11: Reference management tool

Body Glove Iris Sleeve for Apple's iPad

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2011-03-30T11:29:00-04:00

Body Glove Iris Sleeve for Apple iPad (SKU: 9205601)
Rating: ★★★★
Price: $29.99 (Suggested Retail but more inexpensive “on the street”)

UPDATE ON 3/31/2011: This Body Glove case fits both the original iPad and new iPad2

Pros: Excellent construction and smartly designed to provide protection for Apple’s iPad and allow for easy transport with built-in handles. Exterior compartment on the backside of the sleeve holds iPad USB-to-docking cable and AC-to-USB power adapter.

Cons: About the only “complaint” I have with the case is that the flowery design on the front is a tad on the feminine side for my taste but I wouldn’t shy away from this otherwise fantastic iPad sleeve because of that.

Comments: Personally, I’m not a big fan of any kind of laptop “sleeves”. Not because they don’t provide protection for the laptop, or in this case the iPad, while in a larger bag, backpack, or suitcase, but because they don’t seem very useful out of those environments. The neoprene material these sleeves are typically made from can be slick when transporting the item by hand. Body Glove, however, engineered this neoprene sleeve with built-in nylon handles and a felt-like interior so it’s easy to carry and neoprene exterior protects your iPad from life’s hard knocks and the felt interior protects the iPad’s glass display. The combination of these features allows this sleeve to be more versatile that the typical laptop sleeve and the Body Glove Iris Sleeve is more like an iPad carrying case than a sleeve. So if you’re looking for something more than an iPad sleeve but less than an iPad bag, please consider Body Glove’s Iris Sleeve for Apple’s iPad – you’ll be glad you did!

Nuance's Dragon Dictate 2.0 for Mac OS X

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-12-08T21:57:16-05:00

Nuance’s Dragon Dictate 2.0 fo Mac OS X
Rating: ★★★★
Price: $199.99*

Pros: Fast and accurate voice recognition finally on the Macintosh!

Cons: High cost – nearly twice the cost of the Windows version. *Owners of MacSpeech Dictate v1.x are entitled to upgrade to Dragon Dictate for Mac for $49.99. Users must be patient and train the software before they should expect fast and accurate dictation results.Although editing can be done using one’s voice, the end-user probably will find that it’s easier to edit dictated text using his or her keyboard instead of using verbal commands.

Requirements:

Intel-based Mac
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Internet connection required for product registration
Nuance-approved USB microphone for Mac (included with new purchase)

Comments: Starting with this sentence, I am dictating this entire review using Nuance’s Dragon Dictate 2.0 for Mac OS X instead of typing it. I must say, that it works as well as the Dragon Dictation program for my iPhone. As a matter-of-fact, I think I might use this Mac application as much as I use my iPhone app with the same name. According to Nuance, people talk about three times faster than they can type and although I get tongue-twisted from time to time I can easily say that I can talk twice as fast as I can type! Additionally the nice thing about dictating to my Mac is that just as I can type by speaking to my Mac I can easily edit the same document with my voice instead of using the keyboard. For the purpose of this review, however, I am not editing any of this text at all so that you, Gentle Reader, can get a good idea of how accurate this program is.

Dragon Dictate for Mac allows you to easily create documents, e-mails, chats, Facebook postings, and more. Additionally, you can use DragonDictate for Mac to control applications on your Mac that you may already have. For example, you can say, “Open Microsoft Word” and Dragon Dictate will launch Microsoft Word automatically. At this point, you can open a new document and simply start dictating a letter a note or what have you simply by speaking into your microphone!

The program comes with a USB headset and you must spend about 20 minutes teaching Dragon Dictate how you typically speak so that it can learn how you pronounce words and your voice inflections. By doing this calibration, you’ll find that Dragon Dictate is fairly accurate. I can see using DragonDictate quite a bit to dictate e-mails and Word documents. The more I use this program, the more I like it! So if you prefer to speak to your Mac, instead of typing on it, considered Nuance’s Dragon Dictate for Mac OS X as it makes the tedious job of entering large amounts of information quickly, easily and accurately.

Body Glove Apple iPhone 4 Glove Snap-On Case

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-10-17T10:15:43-04:00

Body Glove Apple iPhone 4 Glove Snap-On Case (SKU: 9198901)
Rating: ★★★★★
Price: $29.99 (Suggested Retail but more inexpensive “on the street”)

UPDATE ON 2/8/2011: This Body Glove case fits the Verizon version of the iPhone 4, too!

Pros: Excellent rotating, belt clip adapter for the iPhone 4. Ratcheting clip allows you to angle the phone on your hip in any position you find to be comfortable. The case also allows you to stand the iPhone in either portrait or landscape modes which is convenient for reading articles or watching videos. Rubberized outer case allows for a sure grip.

Cons: Rubberized case is prone to scuffing.

Comments: There’s a common expression that says, “Different Strokes for Different Folks.” Prior to the iPhone’s debut, I’ve always used some sort of phone case with a belt clip. Personally, I find that the belt clip allows easy access to my phone without cluttering my pants pockets or without forcing me to carry the phone in my hand.

For me, I’ve never liked iPhone cases that force the user to literally either carry the phone in his/her hand or place it in a pants pocket or in a purse. That, to me, is a recipe for disaster as I’m liable to set my phone down somewhere and then leave it behind which is simply not acceptable! Also, I have found that some silicone cases don’t allow for one to easily slip the phone in and out of a pants pocket due to the tackiness of the material. Additionally, I don’t like the idea of keys or coins coming in contact with my iPhone.

Fortunately for me, Body Glove has always released a swiveling belt clip case shortly after a new iPhone model debuts. With the introduction of the iPhone 4, it took a little while longer for Body Glove to introduce its iPhone 4-compatible swiveling belt clip case but it just went on sale. Once again, in my humble opinion, Body Glove has come out with the perfect iPhone 4 case.

The Body Glove iPhone 4 case features a hard plastic case with dimpled glove-like material around the front edges (the part closest to the screen) as well as along the back of the iPhone. The glove-like material provides an easy-to-grip material without that material being slippery or tacky feeling like a slip-on silicone case. The Body Glove designers provided ample clearance around the iPhone’s dock and speakers to allow for easy connections for charging/syncing. Additionally, there is space around the volume and ringer controls as well as the ear buds and power button for easy use. There is also space around the rear camera and flash so as not to inhibit photo taking.

One feature that has endeared me to the Body Glove case is that the swiveling belt clip mechanism is a separate piece from the actual back side of the case. This allows the case to flex somewhat without breaking like other iPhone cases I’ve had from other manufacturers. For those of you reading this review, you can also choose not to install the swiveling belt clip mechanism and, instead, replace it with a flat plug that matches the exterior of the case to allow you to carry the iPhone easily in your hand or in your pants pocket/purse. For me, however, the swiveling belt clip case is where this case shines. The belt clip has three (3) unique features: (1) It has a “kickstand” that pops out to allow you to position the iPhone either horizontally (see Belt Clip Stand View photo below) or vertically to make it convenient to watch movies on the iPhone or use the iPhone and (2) the release button for the belt clip is located on the bottom versus on the top of the clip which prevents the iPhone from disengaging from the clip accidentally if you were to bend over to pick something up and (3) a slot on the side where you can insert a coin and twist slightly to open the case to allow for easy cleaning of the iPhone and the inside of the case.

If you like for your iPhone to be securely nestled in a belt clipped case, there is no better case for you to buy than Body Glove’s iPhone case.

Front View:

Back View:

Top View:

Bottom View:

Left Side:

Right Side:

Belt Clip Stand View:

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Sid Meier's Pirates for Mac

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-07-07T22:55:15-04:00

Sid Meier's Pirates!
Rating: ★★★★★

From Firaxis’ website: “Raid the Caribbean as a 17th-century pirate captain in this epic, open-ended seafaring adventure. Based on Sid Meier's original masterpiece, Pirates!, Sid Meier's Pirates! has you facing countless dogged enemies, wooing fair maidens and raising the Jolly Roger on the high seas in pursuit of riches. Discover what it takes to become one of the most famous pirates in history!”

Pros: Excellent gameplay! Simple, easy to follow plot. Great graphics and sounds. This game can be easily played on Macs with integrated graphics cards (i.e. MacBooks & Mac Minis) so you know it doesn’t require a high-horsepower graphics card in order to be played. G-rated fun for the whole family. A lot of fun – my favorite game on the Macintosh!

Cons: Graphics somewhat cartoonish but given the wide age group that this game appeals to, it’s fine. Dancing with every governor’s daughter gets tiring and repetitive. Kiss your free time goodbye as this is a very addicting game!

Comments: I have been playing a variant of this game since the mid-‘80s and each version is better than the last but holds true to the fun gameplay of the original. You choose your nationality and roam the open seas in search of a better life whether through trading goods with other seaports or raiding other ships or both. You start out with a small ship and no titles or notoriety but, little by little, you start to make a name for yourself and local governors bestow you with titles, rank and privilege. Impress the local governor’s daughter enough and you might even take her hand in marriage. You’ll face dirty, cutthroat pirates as well as exceptionally trained naval crews from various nationalities such as Spain, England, Holland, and France as you battle your way to the top of the list of famous pirates.

Sid Meier’s Pirates for the Mac is the game for the Mac. You’ll play for hours and hours. A definite must have!

For more information, click the link below:

Feral Interactive

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hField Technologies' Wi-Fire Long-Range WiFi Adapter

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-07-01T15:39:25-04:00

hField Technologies' Wi-Fire Long-Range WiFi Adapter
Rating: ★★★★

Pros: Inexpensive, well-engineered wi-fi antenna brings your laptop closer to harder-to-reach wi-fi access points. Although only tested on a 15” PowerBook G4 running 10.5.8, hField Technologies says the Wi-Fire will also work on Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP as well as Linux. Works with Mac 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 and supports the IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless protocols, and allows the end user to utilize WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security protocols. Included 4' (122cm) USB 2.0 cable is long enough to for all laptops as well as accommodating for use with desktop computers. Although intended for laptop use, the feet on the Wi-Fire can be positioned flat and the unit can be used on a flat surface making it ideal for use with desktop computers as well. The software (Mac version tested) was intuitive and functioned similarly to Apple’s own Airport.

Cons: The Wi-Fire is rather large (see photo below – mounted on a 15” PowerBook G4). The Wi-Fire measures 4” L x 2 1/4” H x 5/8” T (10.2cm x 5.7cm x 1.4cm) and weighs 2.8 ounces (80g). No support for the 802.11n protocol. Aesthetically, the Wi-Fire looks ungainly mounted atop any laptop with a screen size smaller than 17” (43.2cm).

Comments: According to hField Technologies’ documentation, the Wi-Fire “provides access to a wireless Internet connection from up to 1,000 feet (300m) away – three times the range of your internal wireless adapter!” Although not scientifically tested in terms of range, anecdotally, this claim seems reasonable given the amount of local networks at known distances that were viewable when the Wi-Fire was attached and powered on versus when the Wi-Fire was not attached.

The company’s website claims that the Wi-Fire will maximize your 802.11 b/g data throughput. This claim was not supported by the testing performed with local wireless networks that were close by the laptop (less than 100’ or 30.5m). Multiple testing sessions during different times of day and different days showed no difference in terms of throughput for close wireless networks. It can be said, however, that at distance, the throughput was, in fact, maximized given the user was able to access networks not otherwise accessible without the use of the Wi-Fire.

All-in-all, the Wi-Fire is a very handy and useful wireless adapter for people who frequently travel and find themselves supposedly in a wi-fi hotspot but with spotty signal strengths (i.e. hotels, convention centers, airports, marinas, colleges & universities, coffee shops, truck stops, and rural areas).

For more information, click the link below:

hField Technologies

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Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 USB 2.0 WebCam

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-06-14T17:35:01-04:00

Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 USB 2.0 WebCam
Rating: ★★★★

Pros: Inexpensive, good quality iChat-compatible web cam with integrated noise canceling microphone. Spring-loaded clip adjusts to many laptop lid thicknesses (from 1/4" to 5/8" – 6.35mm to 15.8mm). Comes with small, black neoprene storage bag.

Cons: The fixed USB 2.0 cable is short (approximately 24" long – 0.61M); video can be a tad sluggish when compared to the excellent external, FireWire-based iSight camera (long discontinued) or even an integrated USB-based iSight camera found in MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Comments: Sometime ago, I began searching for an inexpensive webcam that worked with iChat for use with older PowerBooks (iSight webcams weren't integrated with Mac laptops until the introduction of the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines in early 2006). I came across this web cam and did some preliminary research into it and it appeared from a technical point-of-view, it would work with a Mac although the packaging did not say it was Macintosh compatible. It also works flawlessly with Apple’s “Photo Booth” application. Given the small size of this webcam, it's portability and it's good performance, this is a “must have” for older PowerBooks and even PowerPC-based and Intel-based Mac Minis!

For more information, click the link below:

Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 WebCam

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MacAlly PHR-250CC 2.5" IDE/PATA Hard Drive Enclosure

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-06-01T21:44:31-04:00

MacAlly PHR-250CC 2.5" IDE/PATA Hard Drive Enclosure
Rating: ★★★★1/2

Note: This is the same enclosure as the MacAlly PHRS250CC except it is for IDE/PATA hard drives

Pros: Well-built, aluminum enclosure for 2.5" IDE/PATA laptop hard drives with FireWire and USB 2.0 connections. Comes with all necessary cables such as a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394) cable, USB 2.0 to mini-USB 2.0 cable, and USB to power cable. Two (2) FireWire ports allow you to daisy-chain multiple FireWire drives to it. Unlike more inexpensive enclosures, this enclosure comes with an on/off switch which allows you to leave the hard drive enclosure physically attached to your Mac or PC but not have it powered on if you don’t want it to be.

Cons: The read/write LED is extremely bright! The LED alternates between red when writing and blue when reading data. In a poorly lit room, the brightness of the LED can be distracting. This is the only reason this enclosure didn’t get a five star rating.

Comments: If you’ve replaced the hard drive in your Mac laptop and are looking for a top-notch hard drive enclosure, look no further! I personally use the SATA version of enclosure when I’m out on service calls. I enjoy it’s relatively lightweight and that it has the two most common connections I encounter in the field: USB 2.0 & FireWire. If you have a mixed Macintosh environment, such as PowerPC-based Macs and Intel-based Macs, this is an ideal drive for you because you can boot from it (via FireWire for PPC-based Macs and via USB 2.0 or FireWire for Intel-based Macs). FireWire provides enough power to power the drive and is, therefore, bus-powered. USB 2.0 hasn’t always provided enough power to power the drive but the enclosure comes with a USB power cable just in case.

For more information, click the link below:

macally PHR-250CC External Enclosure

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MacAlly PHRS250CC 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure

Eddy@TechMeBack.com — 2010-06-01T21:45:00-04:00

MacAlly PHRS250CC 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure
Rating: ★★★★1/2

Pros: Well-built, aluminum enclosure for 2.5" SATA laptop hard drives with FireWire and USB 2.0 connections. Comes with all necessary cables such as a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394) cable, USB 2.0 to mini-USB 2.0 cable, and USB to power cable. Two (2) FireWire ports allow you to daisy-chain multiple FireWire drives to it. Unlike more inexpensive enclosures, this enclosure comes with an on/off switch which allows you to leave the hard drive enclosure physically attached to your Mac or PC but not have it powered on if you don’t want it to be.

Cons: The read/write LED is extremely bright! The LED alternates between red when writing and blue when reading data. In a poorly lit room, the brightness of the LED can be distracting. This is the only reason this enclosure didn’t get a five star rating.

Comments: If you’ve replaced the hard drive in your Mac laptop and are looking for a top-notch hard drive enclosure, look no further! I personally use this enclosure when I’m out on service calls. I enjoy it’s relatively lightweight and that it has the two most common connections I encounter in the field: USB 2.0 & FireWire. If you have a mixed Macintosh environment, such as PowerPC-based Macs and Intel-based Macs, this is an ideal drive for you because you can boot from it (via FireWire for PPC-based Macs and via USB 2.0 or FireWire for Intel-based Macs). FireWire provides enough power to power the drive and is, therefore, bus-powered. USB 2.0 hasn’t always provided enough power to power the drive but the enclosure comes with a USB power cable just in case.

For more information, click the link below:

macally PHRS250CC External Enclosure

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