[gui1ty]

i'm getting myself a ibook 12" and have been researching quite a bit... i don't wanna spend much more...

a scroll mouse is a must for photoshop

and i dont want it to get battered in my bag so i'll get a sleeve for it and the keyboard/make my own if i can be bothered.

is there anything else people recomend?

don't say ipod or something cause that costs a fair bit.. just general things that i should consider

-spence.

[tae667]

iCurve, Bluetooth mouse and keyboard for desktop use.

[gui1ty]

lol no thanks, to be honest those things are all wayyy over priced... they are things to make a laptop work as a desktop.. i know a mouse is a must for games but i wont spend stupid ammount of money on a icure for no reason, its just a bit of plastic

and i dont have a bluetooth phone yet, so i dont want bluetooth

i am gonna make a sleeve for the monitor and laptop with some velcro on it or something for a few quid. nice fabric, no branding... easily replaced/remade

[beanman]

I have to say that I bit my tongue when ordering an iCurve, but, personally, I haven't seen a single laptop stand out there that beats it. Bought one for my dad for Christmas and he loves his as well. I bought it because I had the money and I wanted cool stuff to go with my laptop. Cool and very useful. Truly miss it while at work. If it had a USB and FireWire hub built into it, that would be even better.

[SupahCoolX]

Depending on your anticipated usage patterns/locations, you may want to get extra batteries or AC adaptors.

Airport is great, either for home use or connecting to "hotspots" on a college campus, in a Starbucks, etc. It's the perfect laptop companion. I think all the just-released Powerbooks have an Airport card standard, but if you're buying an older model, you may have to buy it separately.

[Freeflyer]

If you're making your own sleeve, try to incorporate some padding. Just using material won't offer much except scratch protection. I highly rate waterfield designs for their sleeves (sfbags.com) if you decide to buy one.

If you're moderately handy, you could make your own version of an icurve. I made mine from some 1/2" ply that I had nocking around. Jigsawed out a couple of similar shaped side panels and put a couple of cross members to hold them steady. Cost nothing except a dollar for 4 silicone bumpers on top to prevent the powerbook sliding. Looks fine on my wooden desk and keeps the book nice and cool. I made it so that the screen lines up with my desktop samsung lcd, which makes spanning the display rather neat.

J.

[Casper Crane]

when i got my powerbook, i was thinking of making a sleeve too.

but then i looked at the offerings - see thread - and i considered the cost of material would be around $25 because it needs to be good material (waterproof, durable, thin but protective padding).

and i considered that while i can use a sewing machine just fine, i'm not a seamster, and it probably won't look perfect. and that would always bother me.

and then i thought, it will probably take me 5-6 hours, and i considered what my time was worth to me. then i decided to buy a sleeve from booq for $60 or so. no regrets.

but what's this part about a case for your monitor too? are you going to be bringing an extra flat panel with you everywhere? this is the opposite of portability, but i'm sure you have your reasons. and since you do, you should maybe consider getting a really big bag for both devices. Timbuktu makes big bags. they're not cheap, but for what they can hold, and how durable they are, it's a good investment.

iHave iCurve, but i don't like it, and neither does my wife. too high, not that pretty in real life. iUse the PodiumPad from Targus. Costs $30, keeps it cool, not too high. but if screen height is not an issue, and heat isn't a problem, you don't need a riser.

the ultimate accessory for a Mac notebook user today is a Bluetooth mouse. for Photoshop and everything else really, one button is substandard. and cords are so twentieth century. the BlueTake is pretty cheap and smaller which is good for the on-the-go type like yourself.

[slider]

Well, I paid $29 for my iCurve, like the poster mentioned above, I bit the bullet. It's certianly just plastic, but it's a very thick piece of plastic with the silicone seated in. I personally think it's worth it and would buy it again.

I'd get the internal BT and airport, I don't know if you can install the internal BT later or not, I doubt it's like the airport card though. Getting the larger HD might save possible regret down the line, music and photos and such. Ram you can get later and cheaper. Sounds like you fine with a usb mouse, I can recommend the kingston with a retractable cable for a small portable one. I guess my biggest suggestion would be to get what you can installed new that you can afford. Hmm, on that note, airport can be added later, but I am sure you have considered all of this already.

Good luck with your new iBook to be

[gui1ty]

yeah the 60gb hard drive was worth the money definately.

i wont need a portable mouse, i'll get a ms explorer optical one for 10 quid or so of ebay for home probs, more reliable... they don't weigh much anyway.

the wireless BT card..? haven't heard of that but i'll look into it.

might be worth it later on down the line... my college does have wireless internet.

rams a definate, and a little sleeve for the monitor and case

[gui1ty]

i think i will consider i bluetooth mouse, might be worth it... by the way i do textiles, i would be able to make a really nice case... i don't want a hefty protective one... it would tempt me to test it out and throw my computer down the stairs, a simple neoprene one would be cool... would take me an hour or two to bodge up and it would be nice a neat.

I heard the BT mouse sucks... and the apple one only has one button... not sure just yet.

i wont get bluetooth until i know its secure. i have heard about bluejacking phones/laptops

[gui1ty]

and by the way again... lol i meant the screen for the ibook... i heard they get scratched?.. i'd put a bit of fabric in there

[Casper Crane]

ah-ha!

yes, the keyboards tend to touch the screen (at least on the older iBooks) and since your fingers touch the keys, this puts dirt and stuff on the screen. so you might want to put a very thin piece of fabric over the keys when you close it.

that's great that you are good with fabric - go for it. i would love to be talented enough to make a custom case. you do want it to be durable though, even if you don't plan on dropping it... sh*t happens.

Congratulations on your purchase! Bluetooth, by the way, requires authentication. and i think there is even a way to encrypt the data being transmitted.

[scaught]

if you can find one of those eyeglass cleaning cloths that are sorta big, those are good to use on your keyboard to protect your screen. theyre really thin, and you can use them to give your screen a soft wipedown for dust and whatnot. use the iKlear solution/cloth thing for anything more substantial than dust.

i dont use keyboards, stands or external mice with my ibook. i like laptop keyboards quite a bit. the lack of travel in the keys helps my typing a bit i think. either that or im just used to it. the keyboard on the new powerbooks are SO amazing...

that said. i like uControl to enable some trackpad scrolling which i find essential. i dont use an external mouse ever. then again, i dont do alot of photoshopping or anything either...

[gui1ty]

i'd use a mouse when playing games lol... but i dunno.. bluetooth isnt entirely secure and i'm not a big fan of it... might stick with wires for the moment.