So what’s the most important thing about a Mac?  The operating system.  Secondly, the design and quality.  So if those are the main concerns, then you shouldn’t mind taking up the alternative to some of the accessories.  We have a few workstations all of which are Macs and the

keyboards and mice are totally old and clunky now.  Wires coming in from behind, the mouse wire getting tangled up and skipping and PISSING ME OFF!  Anyhow, we went to that Fryes place the other day in search of a cool alternative.  You can pretty much use any keyboard and mouse setup, but we wanted something a little bit more geared towards Macintosh Computers.

We found the iHome IH-K241LS and the IH-K236LS. Both are what we were looking for, so I decided to give them a try and I bought 3.  The k236ls has an ipod/iphone charging bay which comes in handy and you don’t need another wire sticking out of your desk.  It sits directly on the keyboard and can be used as a second command center for your music and such.  Both combos come with a laser mouse that doesn’t require you to have a mouse pad (yet another space saving feature) to use it.  The k241ls says its for notebooks, but they are not being use for any in our office.  The smaller mouse feels a lot better on the hands than the normal sized mice.  If you spend a lot of time on your computer, you’ll begin to appreciate anything that makes your job more comfortable.

So, what you get is a fresh start to a new cleaner looking desktop with a great look and feel of a brand new wireless keyboard and mouse.  I paid $79 for the k241ls and it was well worth it.

If you find yourself working on an uncalibrated monitor, chances are it is because you find the process of calibrating too technical, difficult or time consuming. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could purchase a device that would calibrate your monitor to a beautiful, accurate image without all the technical hassle?

Spyder 3 Express

Well look no further! With the introduction of the new Spyder3Express™, Datacolor has created a calibration unit that is as accurate as the rest of the Spyder™ line, but is also very simple to use. With true one step calibration, you can now calibrate your monitor without having to make any technical decisions. You only have to tell the software if you are calibrating a notebook/LCD or a CRT monitor and the rest is automated. It’s that simple!

A calibrated monitor not only brings you the correct color and contrast, but it produces a much more beautiful image, saves energy and increase the life of your monitor. The Spyder3Express™ is made for the casual user that uses the computer for digital photography, home videos or web browsing. It has never been easier to achieve correct colors and take full benefit of your digital camera or camcorder.

I actually have this cool gadget that you connect via USB that may work with this 27 inch display of wonder.  It’s called Diamond Display Link.  Google it.  Anyway, you can connect a load of panels via this little $60 USB plugin device (that’s 1 display per device).  It allows you to run up to 6 displays at a time, I think.  So, I have 2 23incn widescreens that would look fantastic next to my new 27 inch Imac.  Oh look, I said “my” like it was mine already…

Uh anyway, I thought I would share it with you, but it’s mine.

Pricing & Availability
The new 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac and Mac mini lines are now shipping and available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Intel Core i5 and i7 quad-core iMacs are available for order and will begin shipping this November. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is available from the Apple Store and Apple’s retail stores.

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 500GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 27-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 27-inch 2.66 GHz Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.