[Geek] Gawking At Gadgets

By Todd Stauffer Monday, January 24, 2005 4:37 a.m. CST

Topping the gadget list this week is Apple's new Mac mini, an entire computer that is only a little bulkier than a stack of six or so CDs in jewel cases. Looking more like a coffee cup warmer than a PC, the Mac mini sports a 1.25 GHz G4 processor, 256 megabytes of RAM and a 40 gigabyte hard disk for $499; a $599 model sports a 1.42 Ghz G4 processor and an 80 gigabyte drive. (Check it out at http://www.apple.com/macmini/ on the Web.)

Detractors to the Mac mini point out that you can get more PC for less money—the Mac Mini doesn't come with a keyboard, a mouse or a display. For instance, Dell offers a PC with a keyboard, mouse and similar specs (with a 2.4GHz Celeron processor to boot) for $399 —and it comes with a CRT display.

The Dell also comes with Microsoft Windows, which is hacking off more and more people for its porous security and the fact that is prone to virus attacks. That, coupled with the enormous popularity of the svelte and stylish iPod, also designed by Apple, suggests that there may be at least a few million PC owners who would be willing to switch. And, if you happen to have a USB-compatible keyboard, and mouse, and display—well, in that case, all you have to do is hook them up to your Mac mini, and $499 is really all you have to spend.

Oh, and the Mac mini comes with iMovie, iPhoto, GarageBand, iCal, iTunes, and it runs Mac OS X, which is based on FreeBSD (a "flavor" of Unix), which is generally considered more secure than Windows and for which there are many fewer viruses written each year.

What do you get the iPod owner who has everything? The Bluetrip, from Griffin Technology (http://www.griffintechnology.com), connects to your iPod and transmits audio up to 30 feet away to its receiver, which you connect to your stereo. The result? Your iPod streams audio across the room, enabling you to use it both as the music source and as a remote control.

My guess is that Apple will include something like this on a future iPod release, so that the iPod because a mobile, wireless audio device much the same way that an iTunes-equipped iBook is if you have an AirPort Express receiver. But, until that day, the Bluetrip steps in at $149 to enable you to at least sit on the other side of the room (if your room is less than 30 feet across) and play your iPod tunes the way they were meant to be played: through your stereo.

OK, I was going to try to move on to a non-Mac thing or two but, heck, it is the end of the week of Macworld—and, if you'll indulge me, I'll conveniently ignore the fact that CES was going on at the same time. (I note for the record that both Mr. Jobs and Mr. Gates experienced crashes during their keynotes this past week, although Mr. Gates was reportedly laughed at more loudly.)

Apple intro'ed the iPod Shuffle—a device that has been seriously scoffed at by none other than … the CEO of its competition (Creative Labs). The iPod Shuffle, Apple's new entry into the Flash RAM-based player market, ships in 512MB and 1GB capacities holding up to 240 songs, according to Apple. (In many cases, you'll actually get more songs than that on the 1GB model.)

The iPod Shuffle is cheaper than a lot of the competition, and it's a sleek little player; in signature white, it's smaller than a pack of gum and weighs less than a key. You can listen to songs in the order of their playlist, or you can "shuffle" songs for random playback. Hence, the name "iPod Shuffle."

The Shuffle's biggest drawback—as far as geeks are concerned—is that it doesn't have an LCD display. Like most CD players or radios or tape players and so on, you actually have to listen to the song to know what song it is. For a workout-friendly iPod that starts at $99, though, I think some people will easily learn to live with—if not love—not knowing what song comes next.

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