2008 was kind of a big year for me. I started this site, bought a house, bought a new car, got a girlfriend, and got involved in a upcoming project that is unannounced. I wanted to write a formal post about all that has gone on this year, and what I am planning for next year.

2008: Wrap Up

As I said earlier, 2008 was a big year for me. I started the year off pretty strong when I for the first time kept a New Year’s resolution. What was it, well it was to quit smoking. I smoked my last cigarette on New Years Eve, 2008. Quitting cold turkey was hard, but I am very glad I did it.

From then I decided it was time for a new car. My 2000 Nissan Maxima was approaching 100k miles and I wanted to sell it before it hit that mile stone. I ended up trading it in for a brand new straight of the truck 2008 Nissan Altima. So far, I love the card, it is a step down from the Maxima, but it get great gas mileage and handles like a race car. Having a car payment sucks, but you got to do what you got to do!

Yesterday I wrote a long post venting about the issues that 10.5.6 has brought to me and to my Macbook Pro. I was having a problem with mail crashing every time I loaded a message with an attachment. Well, I am delighted to report that the issue has been fixed thanks to a user by the name of Til-Berlin on the Apple discussion forums:

In the end I found out that I have two Mail.app on my HDD. Apperently I was using a old updated (which reports also as 3.5). Deleting it and using only the one at /Programs solved my issue. I believe this is the application file from the Combo Update.

~ Til-Berlin (Link)

I looked at the version of Mail I was using from my Dock icon (Mail Menu > About Mail) and noticed that my version was 3.5 897.2/903.3. This is the problem. The current version of Mail is 3.5 903.3 only! I did a quick spotlight search on my mac to find 2 versions of Mail, one was the currupt one that I was using, and one was the good version (3.5 903.3.) I removed the bad one (3.5 897.2/903.3) and then added the good one to my dock, and opened it up. IT WORKED!

Til-Berlin suggested to reinstall the combo update after all of this, but I didn’t have to do this.

I hope this helps everyone who is having problems. You can check out my other post with fixes and details on the problem here: http://atlchris.com/582/os-x-1056-i-hate-you/

In this guide, I am going to show you step by step, how to upgrade to a 4GB RAM kit on a late 2008 model (Uni body Aluminum) Macbook Pro. I am upgrading my 2.4GHz/250GB Macbook Pro from 2GB of RAM up to 4GB. Th process is very easy, but you still need to take it slow so you don’t damage your beautiful Macbook Pro. I believe this same method will work on the new uni body Macbook too, but I have not confirmed this.

BEFORE YOU START:

I would recommend you do this on a table, in a uncarpeted room, doing this on carpet can create static electricity which can fry your whole machines. Also, make sure you shutdown, NOT SLEEP, your Macbook Pro. Finally, disconnect all wires (USB, Firewire, Power,…)

Start by flipping you Macbook Pro over. Be sure to put something under it so you don’t scratch it. I would use some sort of anti static cloth. I am using my neoprene case.

Being the new owner of a solid aluminum body Macbook Pro, I wanted to give a first hand opinion of what to love about the new Apple laptops, and what to hate about them. I will start with the bad news first.

What to Hate About the New Apple Laptops

1. Leading off my list is how the glossy only option is available on both the Macbook and the Macbook Pro. Many people prefer a matte screen option, especially on the Pro models. Matte screens offer truer colors. This is very important to designers and photographers as they need to see true shades of colors for their work. I came from a matte screen model to a glossy screen model expecting to have issues, but I am really surprised at how much it is not a factor for me.
2. Number 2 on my list is one that has not been talked about much. I have noticed that the new Macbook Pro sound quality on the built-in speakers is not near the quality it was on the previous model. What I believe is the problem is that the holes in the speaker greats on the new model are much smaller then the last model. This is causing flat sounding audio.
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It appears that Apple is having some issues with compatibility when you restore your new Macbook Pro from a Time Machine backup. The wired Apple keyboard does not work with the new Macbook Pro. It appears the issue only occurs when you boot up your new fall 2008 Macbook Pro from a Time Machine Backup.

My wireless logitech mouse which is plugged into the keyboard works, but the keyboard itself doesn’t work. I have confirmed this is happening with multiple people. Are you effected by it?

Well, as you all know, I recently purchased a brand new Macbook Pro, The new fall 2008 model. Well, as I was installing Leapord, I registered the new Macbook Pro with Apple. To my supprise once I got it up and running I opended up Mail to find a “Thanks for registering your iPod touch” email.

Strange, I guess Apple is not all that prepared for these new Macbooks and Macbook Pros. Anyone else encounter this?

I just purchased a brand new Fall 2008 Macbook Pro. This is the newly redesigned model released yesterday at October 14th, 2008. I have attached high res images of the unboxing and the computer itself.

The Unboxing

Well, it was a big day for Apple fan’s such as myself. Apple made 3 major announcements today at the Apple Cupertino campus event. The event was titled “And now the spotlight turns to Laptops” so it is no surprise that there were minor and significant refreshes across the line for Apples many laptops.

I have received a couple of emails from my readers asking my thoughts on what to expect this Tuesday at the confirmed Apple Macbook event. Many rumors have been talked about in the months leading up to now, so I want to lay everything out as to what is fact, and what is rumored. I will also chime in with my 2 cents on everything.

The Facts

• There is an Apple event on Tuesday, October 14 and there are going multiple sites live blogging from the event. (MacRumors, AppleInsider, Gizmodo, and Engadget)
• With the Macbook 36 days over its average product life cycle, the Macbook Pro 34 days over its average product life cycle, and the invitation issued hinting at an aluminum Macbook, you can expect to see complete and major redesigns to the current models.
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After a long search, I have found the perfect external hard drive for a laptop only owner. With that being said, I would like to introduce you to the Newer Technology Mini Stack v3 External hard drive. This little external hard drive offers plenty of additional features beyond just being an external hard drive.

Specifications

Hard Drive: 750GB Bootable, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 1.5″
Bridge Chipset: Oxford OXUF924DSb
Interface Ports: 1 x eSATA, 2 x Firewire 800, 1 x Firewire 400, 3 x USB 2.0/1.0

Thoughts

The Mini Stack v3 is an external hard drive with a built in powered USB/Firewire hub. It offers 3 USB 2.0/1.0, 1 Firewire 400, 2 Firewire 800, and 1 eSATA ports. I searched on google for over a week looking for a external hard drive solution that has a built in powered hub. When I stumbled upon this bad boy, I was so happy to see that not only did it have a USB hub built in, but it also had firewire and eSATA ports built in.