Mac Mini Accessories
So you've finally made the plunge and gotten a Mac Mini? While the compact Mac is a great little computer, and beautifully designed, too, it tends to be a bit thin on a few essentials, and there are very few extras. Once you've gotten settled in, here are a few things you may want to add to your Mini!
Belkin F5U507 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 6-port Hub
www.belkin.com
$50
One of the big shortfalls with the Mac Mini is its lack of ports: only two USB and one FireWire. This Belkin hub, which slips under the Mini like a mini pedestal, has four USB 2.0 and two FireWire 400 ports, with one of each on the front. It even has a small power light in the same place as the Mini!
Plasticsmith MiniShack:glo
www.plasticsmith.com
$70
If you're a big USB 2.0 fan, the Plasticsmith's MiniShack is a Mac Mini-sized enclosure that sits under your Mini and tucks a seven-port USB 2.0 hub inside the casing. The MiniShack:glo adds a small blue LED light, which makes the bottom of the MiniShack glo! The hub doesn't take up all of the open space, so you can tuck in some of the USB cable, if you so desire.
Griffin AirClick USB
www.griffintechnology.com
$40
Like other new Macs, the Mini comes with iLife pre-installed, which means you've got iTunes and iDVD at your disposal. The AirClick USB is a clip-on remote control that you can use to adjust your Mac's volume, and change tracks. Even better: you can also use it in other applications, like PowerPoint, Keynote, Quicktime, and more. It uses RF, so you don't even have to be in the same room to use it!
Waterfield Mac Mini SleeveCase
www.sfbags.com
$39 ($47 with shoulder strap)
The Mac Mini is so small you might be tempted to carry it with you from home to work, and use it in both locations as your main computer. Before you start carting it back and forth, though, you might want to protect it. The Mac Mini SleeveCase from Waterfield fits the Mini like a glove, protecting it from scuffs and dings when it's in your backpack, briefcase, etc. There's also a version with a shoulder strap, if you want to sling it while walking or cycling to work.
Seagate 400GB External Hard drive
www.seagate.com
$400
One of the casualties of the Mac Mini's ultra-compact design was the hard drive: as it uses a notebook-sized drive, even if you upgraded the Mini's drive yourself, the maximum you could add at present is 100 or 120 gigabytes. Better to go the external route, and Seagate's lineup of external FireWire/USB 2.0 drives are coincidentally about the same size and shape as the Mac Mini, and a protective rubber ring on one side of the drive makes it easy for you to stack your drive, a hub, and the Mini, all in a tiny tower! The one I got a chance to look at was 400GB, but a new 500GB drive is on the way, as well as one that will handle FireWire 800 connections. And hey, guess what: you can use this one with your PC, too.
Thanks S. Carruthers and www.globalhermit.com
Belkin F5U507 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 6-port Hub
www.belkin.com
$50
One of the big shortfalls with the Mac Mini is its lack of ports: only two USB and one FireWire. This Belkin hub, which slips under the Mini like a mini pedestal, has four USB 2.0 and two FireWire 400 ports, with one of each on the front. It even has a small power light in the same place as the Mini!
Plasticsmith MiniShack:glo
www.plasticsmith.com
$70
If you're a big USB 2.0 fan, the Plasticsmith's MiniShack is a Mac Mini-sized enclosure that sits under your Mini and tucks a seven-port USB 2.0 hub inside the casing. The MiniShack:glo adds a small blue LED light, which makes the bottom of the MiniShack glo! The hub doesn't take up all of the open space, so you can tuck in some of the USB cable, if you so desire.
Griffin AirClick USB
www.griffintechnology.com
$40
Like other new Macs, the Mini comes with iLife pre-installed, which means you've got iTunes and iDVD at your disposal. The AirClick USB is a clip-on remote control that you can use to adjust your Mac's volume, and change tracks. Even better: you can also use it in other applications, like PowerPoint, Keynote, Quicktime, and more. It uses RF, so you don't even have to be in the same room to use it!
Waterfield Mac Mini SleeveCase
www.sfbags.com
$39 ($47 with shoulder strap)
The Mac Mini is so small you might be tempted to carry it with you from home to work, and use it in both locations as your main computer. Before you start carting it back and forth, though, you might want to protect it. The Mac Mini SleeveCase from Waterfield fits the Mini like a glove, protecting it from scuffs and dings when it's in your backpack, briefcase, etc. There's also a version with a shoulder strap, if you want to sling it while walking or cycling to work.
Seagate 400GB External Hard drive
www.seagate.com
$400
One of the casualties of the Mac Mini's ultra-compact design was the hard drive: as it uses a notebook-sized drive, even if you upgraded the Mini's drive yourself, the maximum you could add at present is 100 or 120 gigabytes. Better to go the external route, and Seagate's lineup of external FireWire/USB 2.0 drives are coincidentally about the same size and shape as the Mac Mini, and a protective rubber ring on one side of the drive makes it easy for you to stack your drive, a hub, and the Mini, all in a tiny tower! The one I got a chance to look at was 400GB, but a new 500GB drive is on the way, as well as one that will handle FireWire 800 connections. And hey, guess what: you can use this one with your PC, too.
Thanks S. Carruthers and www.globalhermit.com
posted by arkietechs at 6:35 AM
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