[pcd2k]

Everybody who uses, accesses or distributes files,photo' &/or video's would have to be incredibly grateful for 'the digital hub'; Via USB,firewire &/or infared, &/or internet. But the manufacturers of the devices like still cameras,video cameras &/ or mobile phones plus many many others neglect in their advertisements of their products to declare what is or isn't Mac compatiable.
We as Mac users are continually frustrated by this scenario. Its ironic and sad that the company that initiates inventive ideas are continually overlooked or forgotten about or probably more likely ignored in the face of device compatibility for Mac users.

I live in hope that some Mac based company or web site developer is one day going to help us when it comes to addressing this problem.

I am voicing this here in the light of the last week where I have been hunting down a few devices that I need to get, namely a mobile phone either with or without a camera, a stills camera and a DVD RW (dual format, funny about that though I can't remember why I need a dual format only that I remember noting that that is what I must have ?). I have also got to get a 7200rpm HDD. I HAVE TO GET ALL THIS FOR $500 and hope that I've got a few pennies left over. Well I think I've sorted the HDD and maybe the mobile phone but am getting increasingly nervous and anxious about finding compatiable DVD RW and the still camera.

If I were a pc user/owner I probably would have been able to get everything I neeed for less then $350 (as one fellow remarked). I am talking about Australian dollars here. And being in Australia at the moment seems to make all this so much harder especially without any credit card etc.

[rjenkinson]

check xlr8yourmac's drive/media compatibility database. you can also check this apple page about compatible peripherals. oh, and there's no way you could get all of that stuff for AUD$350.

-r.

[-Q-]

Problem solved. And I have no idea why you'd have to pay a 'premium' for peripherals when I can get a 'generic' Western Digital drive that works fine in my Mac. And I pay the same price as someone who uses windows. My digital camera didn't cost any extra either. Neither did my bluetooth phone with camera.

I'm sorry...where was the problem again?

[pcd2k]

What I am frustrated about is not knowing with any degree of reconcilable certainty that say for instance a device like a mobile phone like anyone of these three the Nokia 7600, the NEC e616 &/or the Motorola A835 are each bluetooth enabled and can be connected to USB 2 but the promo literature all say only Windows Operating Systems Supported, although they have email capabilities I can find not a soul who is willing to say that they will work on a Mac only that they may connect to a Mac if I installed Virtual PC and windows whatever.

In the light of the above when I bought a Sony CD RW Drive I found a few people who said it should work on a Mac although Apple didn't list it as supported and although it works fine my Apple System Profiler says there is something there it doesn't recognize it and although that doesn't really matter I was tempted to purchase a much cheaper Lite-On or LG CD RW but those around me said that they probably wouldn't work on a Mac. Why this is so, is the least understood by Mac Users like myself, there are obviously hardware characteristics not understood by most consumers, but how does anyone come to a decision about buying a certain product without some kind of recognizable referee who is willing to stick their neck out and say blah blah yes Mac or not Mac compatiable ? In the PC environment one doesn't have to pay any attention to these aspects like one can buy from a huge range of products that have either USB or Firewire connectivity within a huge cost factor range like from incredibly cheap to way expensive and its largely at this end of the cost factor that one will find sales promo leaflets acknowledging Mac compatibility.

Talking to a Sales rep yesterday who was trying hard to sell me one of those phones I mentioned before, he seemed to be personally sympathetic to my concerns; "like yeh sure some of us acknowledge the initiator of the Digital Hub but like the companies who produce these new devices like mobiles, cameras DVD Recorders don't give a rats arse if they neglect to test or promote Mac connectivity ."

Anyway what do you think about say the NEC 8x Speed DVD+R/RW Drive for AUD $168 will that work in my G3 b/w 350 Meghtz machine, or am I taking to big a chance ?

[rjenkinson]

Originally posted by pcd2k:
Anyway what do you think about say the NEC 8x Speed DVD+R/RW Drive for AUD $168 will that work in my G3 b/w 350 Meghtz machine, or am I taking to big a chance ?

check the drive database to see if that particular drive is supported. you will probably find reports from people running all sorts of systems which will tell you whether it will work with your machine. system requirements of peripherals which show only windows support should always be taken with a grain of salt... the manufacturer is only saying that it will work with the listed systems, not that other systems are unsupported. therefore, it is a good idea to check online for reports of supported but undocumented systems. usually generic hard drives and optical drives will be supported on macs, but there are exceptions to this rule of thumb.

-r.

[rjenkinson]

double post.

-r.

[pcd2k]

OK I give up where is the drive database ?

Gee, does this mean there are databases for all my hardware inquiries ?

Nice drawing, Is it difficult to post a picture un the reply box, I keep meaning to find out how one does it ? Sorry if this sounds naive !

[rjenkinson]

the drive database i was talking about can be found by clicking the first link in my original reply. it covers optical drives, hard drives, and removable media such as memory sticks and flash memory cards. in fact, the whole xlr8yourmac.com site is very useful for hardware-related questions.

if you want to post an image in a reply, add "[img]" and "[/img]" around the URL, without the quotation marks, of course. there's also an instant VB code button you can click under the message box in a reply that will do the same thing.

-r.

[pliny]

Originally posted by pcd2k:
Everybody who uses, accesses or distributes files,photo' &/or video's would have to be incredibly grateful for 'the digital hub'; Via USB,firewire &/or infared, &/or internet. But the manufacturers of the devices like still cameras,video cameras &/ or mobile phones plus many many others neglect in their advertisements of their products to declare what is or isn't Mac compatiable.

This is probably true to some extent though I think there is less of this going around than before, at least in the U.S. And when the box says "support" it can refer to tech support, as in, it will work in your machine but if you call the company's phone people, they won't walk you through things.

I have also got to get a 7200rpm HDD. I HAVE TO GET ALL THIS FOR $500 and hope that I've got a few pennies left over. Well I think I've sorted the HDD and maybe the mobile phone but am getting increasingly nervous and anxious about finding compatiable DVD RW and the still camera.

If I were a pc user/owner I probably would have been able to get everything I neeed for less then $350 (as one fellow remarked). I am talking about Australian dollars here. And being in Australia at the moment seems to make all this so much harder especially without any credit card etc.

Let's see, a HD, a bluetooth phone, a camera and a DVD drive...for under $350 if you use a Windows machine but for $500 for a Mac?

Sorry, I had to laugh a bit, all the stuff is the same; and all that new for under $350, is maybe doable, assuming the camera is a run of the mill point and shoot, not digital, in which case the price is going up.

As mentioned in other posts check the xlr8 db for info on the dvd-rw, the other stuff can be integrated into your system easily.

[pcd2k]

Thank you rjenkinson.
but as far as getting images into this space, do I just drag them in if vB code is turned on ?

As for pliny I am presently wondering whether I may just get a Motorola A835 (Would this be Mac compatiable ?)which is a bluetooth usb enabled mobile phone that can both take small photo snaps (essentially for in your face type snaps which is all I presently require) and is also able to record small videos and can can video stream to the net, although I probably wouldn't use that function much I may up the 64 meg ram so I can listen to a few mp3's, all for AUD$12/month - its probably an unusual way of having a camera and mp3 player but I am only going to receive calls on it which means I won't even use it as a call phone. So as for making a calls I will probably get an Orange (a local cell phone company)has a mobile phone network that makes calling local calls at really cheap rates (24c for 10 mins talk time), so I may end with two phones for distinctly different purposes. And on this front I've just read about the Motorola MPx which looks to be more computer than actual phone, although this is dream time stuff for me, do you as I, expect this convergence with phone and computer to overtake both consumables within the forseeable.

Heck I think I'm talking myself out of actually buying anything just yet ?

[rjenkinson]

Originally posted by pcd2k:
Thank you rjenkinson.
but as far as getting images into this space, do I just drag them in if vB code is turned on ?

no, you can't just drag images into the the text box. you have to either type out "[img]" and "[/img]" yourself without the quotes or use the buttons under the text box. the image itself must also be hosted on a server. you can't upload images to the forums.

-r.