APPLE NEWBIE? PC TO MAC SWITCHER? OLD-TIME MACINTOSH USER?
MacGizmoGuy has seen a million Mac-gadgets come and go, some great, some awful. Here's the best of Mac Gizmo's quarter-century of Apple computer consulting wisdom - to help you buy SMART, buy the RIGHT accessories and gizmos for your MacBook, Pro, iMac or Mini.He's owned 'em. Installed 'em. Used 'em. Lived with 'em. LOVED 'EM. And you will too! Review these top Mac hardware picks here, check out the Best-Of Mac software recommendations and subscribe to MacGizmo's Eye On Apple Blog for Mac reviews of note. Hone in on Amazon's Best Selling Computer Gear
to find Desktop and Laptop accessories that more Mac users than ever are looking for.
SAVE $MART AT THE APPLE STORE
Anyone interested in getting the best price on a cheap Mac or discount Apple accessories should be aware of the Apple Store Special DealsTOP MAC LASER PRINTER PICK : LOW PAGE COST
Choose a low-cost high-quality Macintosh friendly B&W laser printer like this HP P1006.
It will pay for itself. Save money over an ink-sucking inkjet printer. A laser easily gives ~2000 pages or more before needing a new toner cart. Best ink replacement options? Find quality refilled remanufactured High-Capacity ink and carts with more toner for half the cost of new: Search for your brand of printer here:
SMART ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER PICK : WIRELESS FOR LESS
Does It All-In-One WiFi Assistant
Hewlett Packard does OfficeJet printers RIGHT. Here, the J6500 does it ALL for about $150. With very fast print speeds and both USB, Ethernet + Wireless convenience - a great small office workhorse or shared home printer.
READY TO SNAP? STOP THE MADNESS!
Simple and Slim: J10 Fuji 8MP Digital Cam
MacGizmo gives kudos to Fuji and this compact 4 ounce Li-On rechargable digital camera. I've always liked Fuji's SIMPLE-2-OPERATE cams and EASY-2-GROK MENUS anyone can comprehend. Sometimes less is more and ease of use in a cam can override featuritis.
BEST QUALITY OR VALUE : APPLE COMPATIBLE WEBCAMS
The singularly best USB 2.0 webcam for Apple computers is Logitech's Vision Pro For Mac
- spectacular image clarity, low-light sensitivity, driverless UVC video class compliant, built in microphone. A spectacular performer head and shoulders above ALL other webcams.
Cheap iSight Alternative? This low-cost budget Hercules USB 2.0 webcam for OSX outperforms all other bargain UVC web cams at this price. Just plug it in: 100% iChat, Messenger, Skype for Mac compatible web camera with good-sounding microphone built-in.
All you need is one of these web cams, download video-enabled Skype version 2.8 for Mac
SOUNDS GREAT : SIMPLE 1-CABLE USB SPEAKER OPTIONS
Absolute Bargain: Logitech AUDIO-HUB Speaker!
Great full-range 2.1 stereo A/C powered sound w/sub-woofer + a 3-port USB 2.0 speed hub combo. Often avilable for under 40 bucks! This deserves a place behind ANY Macintosh, especially a MacBook - who's internal back-firing speakers suck.
Best USB laptop travel speaker: 2.1 stereo 2-Go!
Smart design, amazing sound quality you can hold in the palm of your hand. 2" Woofer, 1" dual tweeters fold for safe portable audio. Reviewers all agree: a well-engineered product with pleasing sound. Check the new version: Sound Bite Xtreme
which now features a volume control and 1/8" iPod input.
TUNE IN : RECORD & WATCH TV ON YOUR MAC
#1 TV Tuner Stick For Mac
: ElGato's EyeTV v3 DVR software is World-Class, and bundled with this Hybrid HDTV USB tuner. For serious video nabbing-grabbing -- This is the most popular hardware-software combo.
Less-Is-More: Equinux TubeStick Hybrid tuner for Mac or PC
: Watch, record, edit HDTV programs or connect older video gear with S-Video or Composite to save to your computer or 1-Click export to iPhone or iPod Video or Touch! Comes bundled with THE TUBE DVR software for OSX. MacGizmoGuy prefers the simpler, more straightforward interface of TheTube for his television viewing than the extensive options of EyeTV.
BEST MAC USB HUBS : MAKE THE CONNECTION
You don't want an OCTOPUS of USB cables splayed in all directions like most hubs do. Choose wisely thought-out products like Belkin's singularly awesome hub with room to grow:
Best 7-Port Powered USB Hub for your Mac desktop
: A great A/C-powered hub you can GROW WITH for years to come. 5 Rear-facing, 2 very convenient top-mounted ports. Intelligent bandwidth management assures maximum thruput for both High-Speed USB 2.0 and slow USB 1.1 devices.
Micro size Targus ULTRA MINI 4-Port Hub
Some travel hubs are simply better than others - and this little hub has SMART engineering: the tiny mobile 4-Port Hub
: smaller than a pack of gum! 3 of the ports face in the rear direction keeping cables out of your way, plus 1 side port for devices you're likely to frequently plug and remove like a USB Flash Drive or Camera. Thoughtful Targus engineering from those who do portable computing best.
MOVIE MAKER MOGUL : WHY YOU'll FLiP 4 THIS
Mac friendly FLip HD mino - On The Go Micro Video Cam. Upload Directly To YouTube, AOL, more!
Why this HD model? Why not buy the cheapest FLiP they sell? Well, this high-quality 3rd-generation model records in H.264 MPEG video mode - unlike earlier incarnations that weren't as Mac compatible cuz they used Windows .WMV video format. The mino HD makes it MUCH easier to actually use and edit your video clips on a Mac - and that's worth paying-up for. Sharp video capture, handles indoor lighting WELL. Razor thinnest model yet. Rechargable LiOn battery. A great product that just keeps getting better!
E-Z PC TO MAC DATA TRANSFER
A Kensington PC <> Mac Transfer Cable
can help get Windows data over to OSX (and back!) with ONE direct transfer step. Takes half the time - over using a hard drive to schlep files to.. and then fro again.
