HMAUS Signal Supporting Macintosh and Apple Users in Hawaii

System Requirements:

USB Port, Mac OSX 10.4 or later

2 AA batteries (included)

The initial setup or the Targus Wireless Mouse for Mac is very straightforward, “Plug and Play”…

The USB receiver is small and unobtrusive, it sticks out less than the power cord plug on my MacBook Pro. I won’t have to worry about accidentally snapping the receiver off.

Another great feature is that the USB receiver is stored inside the cover of the mouse (very convenient and space saving for travel)

The optical tracking works very well, it even runs smoothly on top of my neoprene laptop sleeve.

(impromptu mouse pad)

Ergonomically, the size of the mouse is a happy medium. I found other wireless mice such as the Logitech VX Nano too small for my hand or others too big to travel with.

The touch scrolling is a bit sticky, I’ll have to get used to it. The On/Off Switch located on the bottom of the mouse is nice, saves on batteries.

The software CD loaded without any problems. The Targus icon showed up instantly in the “Other” section of the System Preferences window.

When setting up the programmable button functions, however, the button numbering is not intuitive. Button#4 represents the back button, button #5 represents the front button. This info cannot be found in the device description of the mouse manual nor in the Targus device setup window. Once set up, the programmable button functions work smoothly.

Overall, I’m impressed. Understated but very functional, this Targus Wireless Mouse for Mac is a Keeper!

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The Targus File Share Cable allows 2 Macs or a Mac and PC to share files. It has a large USB connector on one end for the destination computer and small USB connector on the other end for the remote computer. After plugging in the cable, Easy Suite’s EasyMacCopy software icon appears on each desktop. There is no installation needed because the software resides in the cable. Double-clicking both icons opens a file viewer window with top and bottom panels (see screenshot) on both desktops.  Using the file viewer on the destination computer, it’s as easy as dragging and dropping files from top to bottom panels.

I recently purchased a MacBook and used the Targus cable to transfer files from an old iBook. While a folder containing dozens of fonts transferred in seconds, a 16 MB file folder took 40 seconds. The speed of the file transfers was hampered by the USB1 port on the iBook. Having USB2 ports on both computers is recommended for the highest speed, estimated at 480 Mbps. Because the transfer is from computer to computer, there is no file size limit as there would be using CDs or DVDs.

Transferring applications was mostly unsuccessful. Photoshop Express did not transfer intact and transferring Mahjong Towers Eternity actually crashed EasyMacCopy. The only application I did manage to transfer was Senuti.

The Targus File Share Cable is a viable option for large file transfers, particularly for MacBooks lacking a port for Firewire Target Disk Mode.

The operating system requirements are Mac OS X 10.x or later for Mac, and Windows Vista or XP for PC. On the Targus website,  www.targus.com/us/forMac, the File Share Cable is priced at $49.99.

Targus USB2 file share cable

Screenshot of two-panel file viewer

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Like the Targus wireless mouse Mark just reviewed, the Targus USB hub for Mac is a winner.  This compact, useful device has a cool look.  Its 3.5 inch gray oval body fits easily into your computer bag and cleverly unfurls a connecting cable, revealing four USB ports.  One end of the short cable goes into the USB port on your laptop. Plug and play, no installation.  Plug your iPod, headset, USB drive and other media into any of the ports and it works.

It can also work on your desktop.   I have a 2 port USB device on my desk that plugs into the back of my iMac desktop.  I can conveniently plug this little guy into it.  Otherwise, the length of the cable can be an issue unless your keyboard has a USB port.

Caution?  1) The ports right now are a little snug, especially the end ones which curve slightly.  2) The specs say it can be used for up to a 14.1″ laptop although the fits my 15″er.  3)  It says Macs only - but it works on Glenn’s PC laptop.  Customer Service at Targus says no one has complained about the tight ports,  she THINKS the 14.1″ specification is for consistent performance, but it could work on larger laptops. She didn’t know if it would work on a PC, she just knows it says Mac.   I guess that means try it but you’re on your own.

It’s listed at $29.95 which may be a little high unless you really need it.  It was one of a casefull of Targus Mac devices we were able to try out. I’m anxious to hear about the others.  Other than that, there is nothing to say.  It’s simple, it’s slick looking, it’s a great idea!

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I’m testing one of the new Targus Bluetooth Laser Mouse for Mac.   They’ve designed a whole series of accessories for Mac users, all are streamlined, using the same design styling.

My previous mouse was the Kensington Slimblade Presenter Mouse.   It’s a small, compact bluetooth mouse that looks good and works fine.   However, it seems to eat through batteries like there’s no tomorrow.  

The Targus mouse feels more like a bar of soap in your hand — longer and taller than the Kensington.   Getting it paired up with my Macbook Pro was effortless.  However, the disc that came with it — to make use of the extra two side buttons — was unreadable.   I had to use a Windows machine to grab the .dmg installation file.

Extra options

After installation into the System Preferences, you have to reboot.  Then you can set those buttons to a variety of options; the default being forward and back in Safari, but you could set up AppleScripts to be triggered, or launch a specific application.

One of the biggest pluses for me was the “quick scroll” that is available in the four-way “touch scroll” button.  It makes scrolling through long web pages a breeze!    That “touch scroll” works well if you can get over the fact it’s more like a touch-pad than the standard scroll wheel on most mice.

Overall this seems like a good mouse for someone wanting to make use of bluetooth on their Mac, while getting extra functionality from the additional buttons and touch scroll.   And, it has something the Kensington needed, an OFF switch!

[Original Souce HWC]

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A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.5

Reviewer: Greg Sharp, President of the Sydney Mac Users Group and Australian Mac Users Group

Author: Kevin M. White
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Series: Apple Training Series
ISBN-10: 0-321-48981-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-48981-4

There are many books out there promising to teach you the ins and outs of running Mac OS X 10.5, but very few do it as well as “Mac OS X Support Essentials.” It is no wonder that Apple has adopted this book as the official textbook for those wishing to become an “Apple Certified Support Professional.”

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Review by Frank Petrie

Product: Sorenson Squeeze 5
Author: Sorenson <www.sorensonmedia.com/>
Binary: Separate installers
Requirements: N/A
Price: $499.00
Test Rig: MacBook 1.83//4GB RAM/10.5.2

For those of you who haven’t figured it out, I am the host and producer of the bi-weekly video podcast, The Video Sandbox. The trickiest part of a video podcast is squeezing the file down to a manageable size for download. Today we look at Sorenson Squeeze 5, the watermark for codecs.

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Review by Frank Petrie

Product: Using Mac OS X Leopard
Publisher: Que Publishing <www.quepublishing.com>
Requirements: Leopard, eyes
954 pp.
Price: $39.99
Test Rig: MacBook 1.83/4GB RAM/10.5.1

I stopped counting the number of Leopard manuals somewhere around 90,000. But I ‘ll receive the latest and what it brings to the table. That’s why I get the big bucks.

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by Frank Petrie

Memories. In photos, home movies, photo albums. They’re priceless. Well, not priceless. Companies always come up with a price. But you know what I mean. Read More…

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