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As an early owner of the Apple Extended Keyboard - Aluminum Version, I've become accustomed to the feel of the laptop-style keypads, lower incline, and shape. My biggest downside has been the short cord which I was not able to pull far forward. See - as a digital artist, the economy of space on my desktop is important. My desk not only holds my computer, a 24-inch iMac - it also holds a couple external HDD, a wireless mouse, a 6x9 Wacom Intuos tablet, and a large 20-inch Wacom Cintiq 20WSX. I am an avid user of Photoshop CS3 and accessibility to my keyboard is a must. Arranging my desktop a couple times to accommodate the short cord, I finally started using a USB extension cord.

A few days later on Christmas day, imagine my surprise when we opened a box containing the Apple Wireless Keyboard - Bluetooth edition from a few good friends!

Upon opening the box, I immediately noticed the difference in size. The original Apple Extended Keyboard is longer, complete with a full keypad and text editing keys (insert, delete, etc). Side by side, you can see the difference in length. The wireless keyboard is quite basic. It has the complete QWERTY keypad with number and function keys. The arrow/directional keys are placed on the lower right hand side.

When placing the keyboard over my original keyboard, you can see the difference in length. As there are no USB connectors at the base of the wireless keyboard, it instead uses the battery chamber to act as the keyboard's incline.

The keyboard comes complete with a pack of 3 AA batteries wrapped in plastic for immediate use. There is a nodule on the left-side of the keyboard which by using a coin, you turn and pop out the battery chamber cap. There is a nice weight to the cap - it's easy to push in and won't likely fall our or pop off.

Inserting the batteries are simple - there is a diagram right near the mouth of the chamber for reference.

Pairing the keyboard to the computer is very simple - just turn on the keyboard BEFORE your computer boots and input the key code when it pops up on screen. Run the Software Update from the Apple icon and everything should be in working order.

After using this keyboard for a little under a week, I find it's a great addition to my desktop. It frees up a little more desk space and without the cords - nothing gets tangled up. Additionally, I have that extra USB port available for other devices I may need. The keys feel just like the Apple Extended Keyboard - laptop-like and requires very little pressure to press down.

For basic navigation, this keyboard handles all my computer's functions with the F-keys. Sound levels can be adjusted, widgets can be accessed, the screen can be dimmed and brightened with the press of a key. Despite it's compact shape, the keys are still in the same locations and don't feel cramped.

However in Photoshop, I find that I occasionally press the wrong hot-keys when switching from one tool to the next as the placement of the keys on the lowest bar of the keyboard are a little different from standard board. (4 on the left side, 2 on the right.) The problems are minor are probably won't affect most users.

For the average user, this is a great keyboard. Small, sleek, compact, stylish - functionality is at the all within reach. I personally enjoy the wireless capabilities and compact size of this keyboard. Aside from the missing number pad and editing keys, it manages to fit all the functions I need in 3/4s the size comfortably.

Most of the wi-fi networks out there are the "G" type of protocol. For the most part these networks are very fast, however there is a relatively new specification called "N." One of the reasons Wireless "N" routers haven't quite yet reached the same type of acceptance as the "g" routers is because the specification hasn't reached the final format.

In it's final release sometime expected in 2009, "N" networks are expected to reach a typical rate of 74 Mbit/s and possibly go up to 248 Mbit/s with a range of up to 70 meters.

Nonetheless, even though "N" is still considered a "draft" format, a few manufacturers have already started selling routers with the "N" specification.

One particular router which caught my interest was Apple's Airport Extreme (APE). It has all of the typical elegance and ease-of-use you'd expect from a classic Apple product.

Beginning with the physical dimensions, the unit itself is very small (6" X 6" X 1.25") and has a solid feel to it. In the front, it has a solitary led which can either turn green for "ready/on" or orange for "configuration." On the rear side, the ports from left to right are:

- power
- usb (for hooking up an external drive OR a printer)
- ethernet port (for internet connection)
- 3 more ethernet ports (for computers/devices w/o wi-fi)
- recessed reset button
- security slot

As far as the configuration, unlike other routers, the APE is not configured via browser but rather by software that you install on your computer. Personally, I feel that this approach is better in the sense that Apple can provide a better end-user experience with installed software as opposed to being constrained by a slow, tedious web server on the router. I have used routers from Hawking, NetGear and Belkin and have not yet seen an interface which beats the Apple solution. Another reason the software is a better solution is that I feel that it is actually a better security model. As far as I know, without the software, the APE cannot be configured. Yes, those other routers have passwords, but in my opinion, I feel this solution is somewhat more secure.

While on the subject of router configuration, I feel that the APE is one of the most configurable router there is on the market. Like I mentioned earlier, I have experience with a number of routers and none of them have the ease-of-use I had with the APE. Depending on the network administrator's technical skill, the APE could be setup automatically or manually. The automatic configuration was sort of a wizard-like interface while the manual configuration was more flexible and powerful at the same time.

All in all, the APE has performed well for our network and surpassed my expectations. If you are looking for the latest and greatest tech, this router may be the one for you.

Pros
- Wireless "N" specification
- Easy to configure using Apple provided software (Mac or PC)
- Nice design
- Works with external usb drive or printer
- Gigabit Ethernet ports

Cons
- Wireless "N" specification not final yet
- No wall mounting or standing brackets
- Expensive at approx. $180

With the arrival and installation of Leopard and Time Machine on my PowerBook G4, it was just a matter of time that I would be needing an external hard drive enclosure. I know that nowadays its probably more economical to buy an off-the-shelf product, but I had a spare 500 GB hard drive on hand and figured that now was a good time to use it as ever.

So, I set out to do some research online and the pickings were a little slim. I guess that since a lot of the manufacturers already make their own enclosures, the market for "roll your own" enclosure has shrunken a lot in the past years. A few years ago, I recall the enclosures were easy to find and now, its really hard to get your hands on a reliable one. In any case, in the past, I've always known that Other World Computing or OWC has pretty good products, so I decided to visit their site. The one that seemed to fit my budget and specifications was the MiniStack v2, they also produce a MiniStack v3, but it was more expensive and included features such as eSATA that I didn't need. Also, as a side note, normally I like enclosures that are vertical, but the MiniStack sits horizontally, I decided to make this an exception.

As far as the specifications, this enclosure could accommodate ATA drives up to 750 GB and it had 2 Firewire (1394) ports and 3 USB ports. It also apparently had an "intelligent" fan and seemed to get pretty good reviews online. Newer provided all the screws that were needed and also a short USB and Firewire cable.

Also included in the box were: the power adapter, the manual, the enclosure cover and some tape (for taping down the hard drive's heat sensor). The instructions were straightforward and there were lots of pictures illustrating how to assemble the enclosure. I think total assembly time was approximately 30 min. or so. The only problem that I had was that the enclosure cover was made of plastic and didn't fit well, mostly because it was such a tight fit.

Anyway, I've been using this enclosure for about a week and I can say so far that I don't have any issues with it. It works flawlessly for what I wanted it to do and I find that the on/off switch to be a good feature. That being said, I really like this enclosure and would recommend it to anyone who has a spare HD lying around and are looking for an external enclosure, however, if you are in the market for an external drive, the more economical solution would be to buy an external drive/enclosure ready made.