The ones that didn’t make it onto the 2004 Christmas list…
MaxUpgrades accessories
iTilt Notebook Positioning Stand
Price: $45.00
iPad Mouse Pad
Price: $9.99
iProtect Laptop Screen Protector
Price: $9.99
The Weeks division of MyMac Labs is swamped during the end-of-the-year holiday season. There’s barely enough time to open all the books and hardware sent for review, let alone properly evaluate them.
Three little accessories from MaxUpgrades.com did not make the 2004 review list, but they’re worth a quick look.
Mouse pads are a dime a dozen, but many don’t have the right surface for smooth rolling action. Others have surfaces that cause some mice to skip, or not track properly. While I don’t lose sleep searching for a great mouse pad, I do know one when I see one.
MaxUpgrades’ mouse pad is an Apple logo-shaped pad with a neoprene surface on the bottom (so it won’t slide around the desk) and a strange dense foam surface on top that my Kensington Optical Elite mouse just loves. The Elite skates over the surface, and the optical tracker never skips a beat. The only drawback to this pad is that the Apple logo shape has a cutout on the right side, which results in a small loss of usable size compared to a square mouse pad. It proved not to be a problem for me. I love this mouse pad! Drawbacks? The only real drawback was that the mouse pad surface is a magnet for cat fur!
Many Apple laptops suffer from screen smudges that result from finger oils on the keyboard being transferred to the LCD screen when the screen is closed. Titanium PowerBooks are especially prone to such smudging. Being a clean-screen fanatic, I found that I was cleaning my screens several times a week. Screen protectors are a very useful accessory for most Powerbooks.
While the current Aluminum Powerbook line is less susceptible to screen smudging, a screen protector can still be useful.
The review iProtect was sized for a 12" PowerBook, but it still worked well with my 15" Aluminum model. The iProtect has the same neoprene backing that works so well on the mouse pad. For the iProtect, it’ll prevent the screen protector from sliding to and fro between the keyboard and the screen. As expected, the iProtect worked as advertised. Just remember to take it with you when you’re done working; screen protectors are easy to leave behind.
The last MaxUpgrades product that didn’t make to 2004 review list is the iTilt Notebook stand.
One common criticism of laptops is that they have poor ergonomics. Many users find it hard to type with the keyboard flat on a desk. Also, many users find that laptops don’t allow optimum screen tilt and height. If you find your PowerBook hard to use while seated at a desk, check out the iTilt.
The iTilt is a triangular stand, made of dense foam (not the same material found on the mouse pad or screen protector) that raises your PowerBook several inches, and positions it at a 45 degree angle. The iTilt does not use any clips; the ‘Book fits precisely into the stand. The back and sides are open, so all the ports are open for both Titanium (ports on the back) or Aluminum (ports on the side) models.
I need to confess one thing; for all the writing I do, I’m a horrible typist. I quit touch-typing lessons partway through, so I merely hunt-and-peck, and get by with the help of a spell checker. I found the 45 degree angle of the iTilt a bit extreme for my (lack of) typing skills. The angle of the keys was something I could not quite adapt to, and my pitiful typing deteriorated even more. Better typists may be able to adapt to the acutely tilted keyboard.
In contrast, I did enjoy the raised screen immensely.
The iTilt may not be for everyone. PowerBook owners who use their machines exclusively on the road, and use a desktop Macintosh at home, probably won’t want to cart around a triangular slab of foam while traveling. But if your only Mac is a PowerBook, you can put the iTilt to good use at home. You’ll either use it all the time, or not at all.
MyMac ratings
iPad mouse pad…..4
iProtect screen protector…..4
iTilt positioning stand…..3
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