Macworld Expo SF 2002 PowerBook & iPod Observations

by Dan Frakes: Walking the floor this week, I saw quite a few cool things for PowerBook and iPod users.

Mac Components Engineered--As you might expect, the folks over at MCE had
several very cool PowerBook items they were selling or announcing:

- iBook (Dual USB) battery charger: allows you to charge two iBook batteries at once; total time to charge is two hours to fully charge both batteries, and the charger uses special circuitry to charge safely and fully. They had one on display, and it's actually pretty small: around 9x5x2 (weight listed at 8.8oz). They expect it to ship in February, and price will be around $150.

- A new version of their Lucid portable FireWire CDRW drive will be coming out in February that ups the maximum burn speed to 16x (price will be around $350). The current model (8x) has been reduced in price, as well.

- Also around February, they will be releasing new versions of their expansion bay CDRW drives for WallStreet, Lombard, and Pismo models. Like the Lucid drive, the new versions will up the maximum burn speed to 16x, and will retail for around $350.

- They were also showing the new MarWare case for the iPod and TiBook. I have the case for my iBook (Dual USB) that I bought directly from MarWare and love it -- it's like the old Kensington WetSuit. The TiBook case is made the same way -- neoprene with hard panels to protect the screen, a cushioned, rubbery bottom for protection and grip, and a couple document slots (one inside, and an outside one with a zipper).

Griffin Technology was demonstrating a few iPod-related products:

- In the "OK, cool, but why do I need this?" category, the new PodMate is an infrared transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack and turns your iPod into a universal remote control.

- The PowerPod is an auto charger for the iPod that plugs into your car's lighter/accessory jack and the iPod's FireWire port. It includes a detachable 5-food cable, a fused and filtered assembly, and status LED, and retails for under $20. iPod remote (Griffin)

XtremeMac had some specials on their neat iPod cases and their "iPod Essentials Bundle" which, for $44.95, includes:

- Leather case
- Car charger
- Clip-on earbud pouch
- Belt clip
- Auto mount
- Neck lanyard
- Swivel surface mount

Individual items were also on sale.

MacAlly was showing off their new MicroMouse which is easily the smallest "two-button and scroll wheel" mouse I've seen. I currently have the iOptiJr., which I carry with my iBook, but the MicroMouse is half the size (about 3 x 1.5 x 3/4"). It was small and thin enough to carry anywhere. The iOptiJr sells for about $25, and the Micro for about $30. If you're interested in a very small mouse with two buttons and a clickable scroll wheel, the iOptiJr. is bigger but more comfortable, while the Micro is pure portability, but a bit too small for extended use (unless you have very small hands).

Kensington announced a new mouse aimed at PowerBook users, the PocketMouse Pro. It's a fairly small USB mouse with a retractable cord that stores completely inside the mouse body (the cord retracts via a window shade-type mechanism); I really liked this idea, since with the MacAlly mouse I have the cable takes up more room than the mouse itself, and tends to get tangled. The PocketMouse Pro has two buttons and a clickable scroll wheel, and supports Kensington's MouseWorks driver. The show price was $30, but I believe the SRP is $39.95. It's small enough to fit in a bag with your PowerBook, but it's a bit thicker and rounder than the MacAlly models (below) -- it's also a bit better, ergonomically, than the MacAlly models for the same reason.

There were tons of other PowerBook and iPod products on display, but these are the ones that I was impressed by. One thing that was clear at this Expo was that it's a good time to be a PowerBook user. Lots of great machines, with lots of stuff aimed squarely at the PowerBook market.