Top 10 ways to accessorize your MacBook

I've been window-shopping the past few days for some smokin' accessories for my mac. After a pretty extensive search I've come up with the following list. Hope this helps you if you've been searching for Macbook Pro accessories as well. I've provided links so that you can get all these products from the same e-shop which would make shipping easier and cheaper if you get more than one.

Note: For Indian readers, I highly recommend gearzap.com. Their shipping to India is extremely fast and I was able to get my products in just over a week.

Cases/Skins

1. Protective Housing

The Macally MBP sleeve is wonderfully built with Faux Leather. It's sufficiently padded and there is further protection inside the case.The inner lining of the case is made from microsuede. Microsuede provides a slight cushioning effect as well as preventing any scratches from appearing on your MBP. I've noticed the microsuede infact gives you a cleansing action, the MBP felt way smooother when I took it out of the case.

2. Stylish Sleeves

A whole lot of Macbook sleeves can be had from here - choose your pick. Obviously my selection might not click for you.

3. Padded Backpack/Rucksack

Even though I think that there's too much marketing talk at the Pakuma site, this bag does show some good value for money. If you've got a 100$ budget then this backpack might do the trick. Read the whole review here. 

4. Henge Docking Station

 No longer deal with cables and clutter. With the Henge Dock, simply connect the relevant cables to your dock and then connect to your Unibody MacBook Pro. The Henge dock allows you to use your MacBook on a larger screen with a standard keyboard and mouse meaning it in essence becomes a traditional desktop computer set up. You are also able to use the Hench dock so the MacBook effectively becomes a home cinema system.

5. Swift Point Mouse

 

If you ever get frustrated by the accuracy and responsiveness of your laptop or MacBook's touchpad, and don't want the bulk of big mouse then get this mouse. Fortunately SwiftPoint have created an award winning mouse which gives you back full control, in an amazing lightweight and compact design.

6. Elecom Node Mouse

If you, like me, hate the puny mouse shown earlier then this is the mouse for you. It did the trick for me =)

The cool looks are cutting edge. It also works with the  same pen like principle that the Swift mouse works.

7. Mac Cables

Stevie had put in a mini-display port on the mca so in order to use it you need these cables. You could get them from the Apple Store but it's way more expensive there.

8. Macbook Stands

Again there's a whole lot of them so you just go ahead and browse them to find the one that suits your situation and lifestyle.

9. Wrist Pad

You need this to prevent the sharp edges of the MacBook Pro from cutting your wrists. If you've got soft or sensitive skin, or work for long hours on the MBP then I really do recommend getting one of these.

10. ...

Well, I haven't found out a 10th accessory that i really like yet ;-D Will let you know if I do !

All the products shown above can be bought from the laptop accessories page - it'll help you save on shipping if you're buying in bulk =)

New MacBook Pro : Utra-thin and 15 whole inches!

The new model is said to be an ultra-thin version similar to the MacBook Air, but with a 15" screen. It still remains to be seen whether this would be branded as a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. Read more about  this awesome 15" ultra thin macbook pro.

Review: Incase Neoprene Green Sleeve

The guys over at Shaasthra have reviewed the Incase Neoprene Green sleeve on a Macbook Pro 15". It seems to be a neat sleeve with just the right cushioning inside and a rugged skin outside.

How to revive your OS X Lion battery life

Most people who have upgraded to Apple's latest operating system of Mac OS X 10.7 must have been through the ugly uptimes of batteries running under it. Infact it brings us closer to Windows system uptimes. A lot of people have been on the prowl looking for solutions to it and it seems that finally we have a definite answer. Read on about how you can regain battery life after Lion upgrade. 


This fix uses the Graphics switching utility on Mac computers. Ideally the operating system should automatically switch between the discrete graphics card and the integrated solution seamlessly. But Lion seems unable to do so. You can read more about how to run the fix at Shaasthra.

Macbook Pro OLED rumor

There seems to be a rumor afloat about OLED on the next-gen Macbook Pro. The present Macbooks and Macbook Pros have a plastic 'window' which feeds of the light emitted from the LED display. If the new OLED logo rumor turns out to be true that would open channels to customise that logo and make it show anything you want it to. Now that's got to be a pretty impressive hack. Let's wait and hope for the best!

Mobee Magic Charger

MobileFun has just directed my attention to this Mobee Magic Charger for the Apple Magic Mouse. Back when the magic mouse came out hordes of people went mad about it, so this Mobee Magic Charger is a great accessory as not only does it help to save the battery life of the Apple magic mouse, but it also looks stylish and doesn't need an external power supply.  Once you place your mouse on the Mobee charger it automatically starts to charge it, meaning you'll never run out of power so it's great for those who constantly use their Macs. Perfect add-on for your MacBook Pro.

Apple Stores prepped for OS X Lion Launch ?

Reports have started sprouting all over the web about an overnight being called at Apple Stores next week. 9 to 5 Mac posts that Apple has scheduled "overnights" next Wednesday, July 13th, where store layouts are changed and new promotional materials are installed while store management is briefed on new products. Though their source offers no exact information linking the Mac OS X Lion to next week's overnights, it is probable that OS X Lion will be a major focus of the changes. Macrumors also reported that Apple has required all Apple Stores to upgrade the RAM on all display computers by this Sunday hopefully prepping them up for the new OS X install.

Separate reports have said that Apple might offer updates at the Apple Store itself to help new customers with the new OS.

Mac OS X Lion Release July 14th!

MacTrast's prediction of Mac OS X Lion's release Wednesday turned out to be inaccurate. The next and more probable date of Lion's release is July 14. On the first day of July 2011, Apple released a "Gold Master" build of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to developers, suggesting that the official release of the new operating system will be in the near future. "Gold Master" is the reference model before the final version software hits the store. Usually if all is well and there are no major show stopper bugs the Gold Master build is the Public Release. Historically, Apple moved from a Gold Master to a public release within two weeks.

The download will be $29.99 to upgrade from Mac OS X 10.6 to 10.7, at around 4GB in size. According to Apple, buyers are welcome to download the upgrade in any of its retail stores.

Before the upgrade, make sure you have already installed all of the Apple-specific updates released over the past month. Version 10.6.8 of the operating system contains tweaks that enable the digital download and upgrade process, a must-have in order for the upgrade to function correctly.

Next-Gen MBPs to use OLED Apple logo

Though Apple did break many a fans heart this year with a mere refresh of it's MBPs, we have some questionable news that they just might make up for it next year =) 

Changes slated for the the MBP redesign include :

• An angled design with a thinner body similar to current MBAs
• Upgrade from Aluminum to a new alloy trade-named Liquid Metal 
• Hi-res screen as standard (still no IPS)
• Dedicated (16GB?) SSD for OS
• 24-bit music playback capability.

this is a rumor

Something that most people seemed to have missed though, is the upgrade planned for the Apple logo on the display panel.

It's obvious that Apple would want to make most of the free advertising. The current logo is just a plastic translucent apple shape that glows of the light emitted of the led lighting for the TN display. That is why when Apple brought in auto-adjustment for display brightness, the logo had got it too.

The new logo is a neat OLED display on the display panel cover. This gives better aesthetics with the deep chrome color of the proposed Liquid Metal body. When the system is powered down the logo is completely invisible, but when you power it up it glows to life. Given that the casing is the new thinner casing, OLED would make a lot more sense.

The beauty is the way the logo glows up within the body. If you've seen similar OLED products on the market you should've got the idea - It's Beautiful ...

The source said that the new model would be released in the early 2012 refresh of the MacBook Pros.

Get ready for an Apple

All my hard work over the past few months have paid of and finally I'm gonna get my hands on a MacBook Pro. Whew! It had been a tough time saving up the money but I do believe it will be well spent. I'm shipping it from overseas to save a few more of my hard earned monies so prepare to hear a lot of Mac news starting next month.

And no I am not an Apple fan boy yet.

Macally Sleeve - Unibody MacBook Pro 15" sleeve

Guess who popped up in the mail today!

This Macally sleeve was sent courtesy the nice folks at gearzap.com. If you've paid apple tax on those expensive Apple gadgets then you must realize how important it is for the most of us to make sure that the device stays safe in the hurry-burry of our lives. But sadly most protective sleeves out there are either too bulky or way too expensive for me. Fortunately Macally has priced this product just right.


Read More about this Macbook Pro Sleeve and case>>