MacHeads the Movie - A story about a community

Just got a heads up on "MacHeads the Movie" a documentary about the Mac community which is due to be released shortly. The movie promises to cover a history of the Mac and features interviews with a number of well known MacHeads including:

Raines Cohen, Co-Founder of the first Macintosh user group BMUG,
Guy Kawasaki, former Apple Evangelist and savior,
Bruce Damer and Galen Brandt, owners of Digibarn Computer Museum,
Shawn King, host of Your Mac Life,
Adam Engst, publisher of the first Apple newsletter,
Leander Kaheny author of Cult of Mac,
Andy Ihnatko Chicago Sun-Times' technology columnist,
Daniel Kottke Mac engineer and the first official employee of Apple Inc,

Having read a range of books on Apple and the development of the Mac this documentary looks like it could offer an interesting twist on the topic of what makes Apple and Mac such icons. Simply put it seems like the team at Chimp 65 Productions is onto the answer which is the community of Mac users. Having been a Mac user since the beginning and having been involved in Macintosh User Groups and bulletin boards in the mid-80s the reality is the thing that has always made Macs different are the devotion of the users. I'll write a post once the movie gets released and I have a chance to watch it - in the meantime check-out their site.

A better rechargeable battery?

If you're like me and have grown weary of swapping out other rechargeable batteries or worse still using disposable regular AA or AAA batteries in your gear this will hopefully offer a solution. Sanyo's Eneloop rechargeable batteries are one solution that I'm currently testing as a way out of my current battery woes. I found that a number of different big name brand rechargeables don't seem to hold a charge terribly well and for a short period I was stuck using Duracell disposables. When they finally gave up I purchased a package of Eneloop's after reading some commentary on the web regarding their performance. Basically Sanyo has developed a brand of rechargeable battery that offers the following claims:

• Longer life with slower drain
• No memory effect meaning that you don't end up with rechargeables that need to be thrown away in less than a year
• Ability to use any quality NimH charger to recharge the batteries.

So far so good - I'll keep you updated with how well the Eneloop's hold up over time.

OLPC Arrives - Unboxing & Initial Thoughts

My XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child initiative finally arrived this week below are some pictures of the official unboxing along with some initial thoughts.

The only sign from the outside that it was a laptop was the trademark XO symbol on the side of the box.

Here is what awaits you inside the compact package - similar to Apple very little wasted space and minimal packaging to dispose of.  The package contains:

• 1 XO Laptop
  
• 1 AC Power adapter
  

Overall initial impressions of the unit are that it is solidly put together and definitely doesn't feel cheap or low quality in any regard. I will admit to having had or used much more expensive laptops in the past that didn't have the same level of quality feel to the actual device.

With the lid open you can get a better sense of the laptop. The 

industrial design that went into this machine is truly impressive as they have clearly thought about their user base and the environment the laptop is likely to be used in. For example the Wi-fi antennas serve three purposes: a) antennas, b) they comprise the lock part of the latch mechanism that secures the lid of the laptop when closed, and c) in the closed position the antennas act as part of the external rubber bumper system that surrounds and protects the XO.

The screen rotates allowing you to fully reverse the screen to show your work to others or to use the XO in a tablet like configuration.

The final interesting observation on the external case & design is the assembly of the device. The XO uses a single standard screw size meaning that for servicing you only need one standard screw driver to disassemble the laptop and a few extra screws are thoughtfully included inside the handle.

I'll post more on the XO once I've had a chance to go through the software in more detail. Overall, despite numerous complaints in other blogs and reviews it would seem that the XO on the surface appears to be a capable machine for its target audience - children in the developing world. As with anything there could always be improvements but relative to the timing and available resources it so far compares favorably with commercial counterparts.