'Nother Netbook Note - Neofelis Nano

(A note about the title - I like to alliterate. Since Apple, Mac, OS X, MacBook, iWhatever, Leopard, and even Lisa do not start with the letter "n" - I used the only big-cat-related "n" word I could find. Neofelis is the genus that contains two species, the Clouded Leopard and the Bornean Clouded Leopard. So, basically I'm talking about putting Mac OS X on my MSI Wind netbook.)

Here it is, folks, my Mac-powered MSI Wind. *Updated - See note at bottom

Ain't she a beaut? Okay, so it looks just like every other MSI Wind U100 black out there (well, the ones with a Canadian International keyboard). But it's running OS X!

Î ® 733† h@XÓR! w0ot¡ Witness my madd  hakksing skillz and ph33r!

Yeah, okay, so anyone who can download ISOs, burn DVDs, read internet forums, and follow instructions can do it. I am not elite. (Yeah, that's really how you spell elite.)

Basic run down of what I've done. More details later... maybe... if I find more time.

• Bought an MSI Wind U100-422CA ($349.99 shipped from zipzoomfly.com)
  
• Bought 1 GB RAM DDR2 ($10.99 shipped from newegg.com)
• Bought a DVD±RW USB drive from ebay (Around $50 shipped from ebay.com)
• Installed the RAM
• Downloaded and burned a file called msiwindosx86.iso from the webbernetz
• Reinstalled MS Windows XP Home (using the Genuine restore disc that came with my MSI Wind)
  • (You don't have to do this - I just screwed up and had to start over - but the good news it, it gets rid of some of the pointless "trialware" that ships on the Wind)
• Used the Ultimate Boot CD and gparted to repartition my hard drive.
• (I couldn't get it to resize my Windows drive, so it was another good thing that I reinstalled Windows, because I put it on a 30GB partition to start with. I think it shipped with Windows on a 40GB partition.)
• I made 4 partitions - 30GB for XP, 5GB (in fat32) for a (not-yet-done) Linux install, 20 GB (in fat32) for media sharing between the OSes, and 99GB (which I reformatted later into "Mac OS Extended" with the OS X install disc) for Mac OS X.
  
• Installed the slipstreamed Mac OS X
• Found (using another computer) the drivers for my WiFi card.
• Used a Time Machine Backup from my MacBook to install all my apps and setting.

Just a note. I bought the U100-422CA because it had the bigger hard drive, bigger battery, BlueTooth, and WiFi N. That last bit is a problem. The much-touted "official OS X Wireless drivers" for the MSI Wind are not official, (not from Apple or MSI anyway), and they don't work for all models of the Wind.

Basically, if the Wind only has 802.11b/g you're fine with those drivers. But if you go all out and get the 802.11n like I did, then you have to do some more digging. Unless, of course, you are reading this. Then I can tell you the drivers are here... but they suck. (Use the 3rd one down, the "PCI/mPCI/CB (RT2860/RT2790)" ones. Not sure how long the direct link will work.)

It doesn't work like an Airport card, at all. It's not built into the System Proferences in anything close to a "Mac-like" way. You have to run a seperate app to connect to any WiFi point, at least anyone that requires a password. Don't misunderstand, you don't have to leave it running, but you do have to run it to establish a connection. And it's horrible to use. It makes very little sense, and I have no idea how to save the settings. There's not even a way to click "okay" "done" "apply" or "quit". You have to go up into the menu and quit from there. And you don't know if your settings are saved or not. It's horrid... but it works. And the settings apparently don't last if you reboot your MacSI Wind or your iWind or your MacWind or your WindMac or your iNetbook or your MacBook Nano or whatever you want to call it.

What's left? Well, it's running software update right now. Not sure how smart that was, I'll let you know. I still need to install Linux, although for the life of me, I can't think of why, other than then I can say "I've got a triple boot netbook!!!" I might try Windows 7 Beta, but I'm iffy on that, too. Since I have 4 partitions, I could possibly do both, so who knows.

Oh, since it's not a Mac, the Boot Camp feature doesn't work. I think it's a part of the hacked ISO, but what happens is, when you turn on the Netbook, if you do nothing, it will go into Mac OS X. but there's some text that comes up before the familiar gray apple screen and it asks if you want to choose which partition to boot from. If you hit any key, a list of the partitions shows up, and you can select which one to boot from. It's kind of funny because it calls the other partitions "Foreign OSes" or something like that. Anyway, just thought you might want to know how to switch. And VMWare recognizes the Windows install as a "Boot Camp partition" but it I got error messages and it wouldn't start. Apparently it couldn't mount the drive while booting.

*Update about Software Update!

Okay, I figured as much - don't run Software Update without being ready for it. It screws everything up. It can be fixed, and you can be up-to-date (10.5.6), but it takes preparation and work and a USB keyboard and mouse, (which are buried in my basement somewhere at the moment...) See this blog post for more info.

Gas Shopping Revisited

A few months ago, I wrote about the irony of people trying to save a few pennies per gallon when gas prices were in the $4 range.  In that post, I linked to a chart I made showing why it was more cost-effective to drive to that more distant and less expensive gas station when prices overall were lower.  Well, we're there now, with the average price of gas closer to $1.50 than $4.00.

So, shop around for gas.  You'll save money now.  Although you're probably so ecstatic that it doesn't cost you as much to fill your tank as it does to pay your rent that you don't care about the extra 10¢ a gallon you could save by going out of your way.  Just thought I'd remind you now that the world has decided to confuse the heck out of everyone by giving us what we wanted.

My phone call from OWC

If you don't know who OWC is, then you probably aren't a Mac user, or at least you are a new Mac user. OWC stands for Other World Computing, and they are one of the best known, best loved, and longest standing third-party supporters of Apple hardware.

A couple of days ago, I was browsing their site, and I had a few questions. So I filled out a form, banged out a few lines of questions - bullet point style - and pressed send. I expected an automated response, and, maybe, at best an email with quickly copypasta'd answers.

Instead, this afternoon my phone rings. The caller ID says "Other World Computing".

"What's this?" I think to myself. "Is someone using Spoofcard on me? Did I accidentally order something at 3 am I don't remember buying?"

Well, it turns out it was, in fact, Other World Computing calling me up to answer the questions I sent in, and any others I might have had. In a world of email, instant messaging, TXTing, live support chat, and microblogging - an actual phone call seems almost as antique and nostalgic as a house call. (For those of you who don't remember when the years started with a 1, that is when a doctor would actually come to your home to help a sick person - it is not in reference to a telephone that is plugged into your wall. Those still exist, too, btw.)

I told the caller, (whose name I really wish I had written down), that OWC definitely has some "above and beyond" / "second mile" kind of customer service, if they are willing to imperil themselves by dialing up some nut bag who asked a slew of questions about their product.

Well, I didn't say all that. I just said that I was impressed by their customer service, or something like that. In the age when user reviews are king, but mostly negative, I wanted to give OWC a hearty pat on the back for making the extra effort of calling a form filler.

BTW, my questions and their answers were as follows:

Q1. Are you offering upgrades to the CPUs on Intel Macs?
A1. Stay Tuned, especially closer to MacWorld

Q2. Do you offer GPS add ons to MacBooks - ala the ModBook [which they are the American distributors for, but not the makers of)?
A2. No, installing such a device should be done by a professional, and, regardless would void your warranty. With the Modbook, the Apple warranty is already voided, but Axiotron [makers of the ModBook] provides an included 1 year warranty and offers an additional 2 years of protection.

Q3. What about colors for the ModBook?
A3. We don't make them, just sell them. [Although I contacted Axiotron, also by webform, and received an answer back that they are in talks with ColorwarePC to provide custom colors - and I was again hinted at to keep my eyes open as we get closer to MacWorld.)

Q4. Monitor upgrades for Notebooks?
A4. No, sorry.

Q5. Can I have a free unlocked iPhone?
A5. Sure! What's your mailing address!

OK, that last part didn't happen. But it would have been nice, huh?

I highly recommend OWC. If you want to upgrade anything on your Mac - more memory, bigger hard drive, anything at all - check them out first! There quality is top notch, their tech support is impressive, they have a ton of information on their site - like high-def Quicktime videos step-by-step of how to install RAM in your MacBook, and benchmarks for various Mac with incremental steps of RAM. (Can you tell what I was shopping for?)

And if you haven't heard of or checked out the ModBook - you owe it to yourself to at least look!

Two Words - Mac Tablet!

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It does Windows

Do you have a Windows Machine? Running Vista on that new laptop of yours? I comes with a free firewall, free spyware blocker, and probably some trial software. But does it have free Norton Anti Virus software? If not, there are places online you can grab it. Of course, you don't have to use Norton. There are plenty of free Anti-Virus programs for Windows out there. AVG, Avast, ClamWin, just to name a few. My favorite is ClamWin, because it's open source.

Free Starbucks Next Week

Starbucks across the country will be giving away a free 12 oz or "tall" cup of coffee next Thursday, March 15th, from 10am to noon.



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HP considering factory-loaded Linux desktops and notebooks

Management at HP has commented on the situation, saying they are considering offering standard systems with a preloaded distro of Linux, which would be an industry first for desktops and notebooks



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Apple and Google working on "many more" projects

Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said Monday that Google and Apple are continuing to collaborate on many new initiatives. Schmidt made the comments at a technology conference in San Francisco in response to a question concerning rumors that the two firms were working on a tablet-style personal computer...



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9 Insider Secrets From A Retail Video Game Salesman

#5 - "We are often told to bundle as a RULE. I know of stores that refused to sell any high-demand system (Wii, 360, etc) to someone who didn't purchase their membership card, and who refused to tack on at least $200 in accessories/games."



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Up or down - which way is the price of Windows going?

Microsoft has introduced pricier higher-end versions, as other PC components have fallen in price. So how does it all add up?



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Study: Apple iPhone 'too expensive'

Consumers aren't willing to pay what Apple may ask for the iPhone but if the price drops they'll switch their mobile service to AT&T in order to get it, according to results of a survey released Thursday.



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Skype wants to be on your RAZR - and your iPhone

Skype petitioned the FCC this week to affirm the landmark ruling which said carriers couldn't stop consumers from attaching any device to the wired telecommunications network as long as it couldn't do any damage.



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Services you’d keep using if they weren’t free

Just to put things into perspective, my income can be described as average, and I certainly can’t afford to throw money for things I don’t really need. I love free lunch as much as the next guy. However, out of many Web 2.0 services I’m using, some have become so important to me and my work that I would gladly pay a reasonable fee if I had to.



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Wii sales hit 5 million

With the addition of the latest numbers from the month of January, the total number of Wii hardware units moved has now reach 5 million. How well do you think the PS3 is doing? I can tell you, it ain't 5 million.



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iTunes versus Pirating

Looking at a legal purchase of Lost side by side to a Pirated copy. guess which one wins.Piracy is sometimes a crime. I cannot legally advise you to do it, but, then again, IANAL. Just know that there are some pretty cool things out there that aren't exactly abiding by the EULA or the DRM or the copyright.



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The $4000 MP3 player - 1 GB, no screen - and yes, that's 4000 US Dollars

There's also a $6500 model, if you need that extra upgrade.Oh, and did I mention, it's made out of wood?Okay, so there's some gold there, too. But really! $4000?!?!



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Smart Money Magazine Dogs the PS3

As if the PlayStation 3 and Sony didn’t have enough problems, now Smart Money magazine is telling folks to avoid the PS3 like the plague, as the #2 of Top 5 Gadgets You Shouldn’t Buy. On the list of reasons, not enough games and (surprise) it's way to expensive. You know what the #1 gadget to avoid was? High definition movie players. D’oh!



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New Concept in Billboard Design

These are amazing concept ads for Mustang - must see.They actually interact live with the environment around it to create a speed blur effect.Quite possibly the coolest billboards ever.



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Music exec slams mobile entertainment experience

Edgar Bronfman Jr. said although there are millions of music phones, only about 8.8% of people with them actually buy music over the air because such purchases are expensive, complicated & slow. It can take a person 20 clicks to buy a ringtone, & ringtones, full-track songs, music videos & album art are sold in separate virtual stores.



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AMD & ATI to release GPU tech for Mobile Devices / Phones

Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday made its graphics technology available for licensing by handheld device makers, and announced plans to step up its development of graphics technology for mobile applications. Does this mean that Halo 3 could be headed to a cell phone near you?



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My old stomping ground

Back in the fall and winter of 1996, I lived and went to school in Jacksonville, FL, (Trinity Baptist College). So my ears perked up when I heard about a new website for the city. I mean, it's not a new version of the city's website. It's a free classified site. Jacksonville Classifieds or Jax4Sale.com, (which makes it sound like the city is for sale), is a part of the USA4Sale Network, (again, the name sounds like its selling America). Interesting to note, the USA4Sale network started just a year or so after I left the great city of Jacksonville.