Anyone have any recommendations for/against external hard drives for a mac? I don't need anything huge, but I'm planning to scan a bunch of old pictures, and I'd rather not fill up my entire laptop hard drive.

I've been very very happy with drives from here. I own 3 of them in various sizes at this point and have used at least a dozen of them that colleagues have owned.

This? Is neat.

Mvix Multimedia Player/Drive enclosure.

That is pretty neat. Not sure it's quite as neat as a well tricked out Xbox running Xbox Media Center, though. Especially without network access, for streaming from the computer directly, which is my favorite XBMC feature.

How about this?

"Apple lobs grenade into Microsoft media center camp: APC Magazine's Dan Warne reckons Apple is about to deftly round-house kick Microsoft's media center strategy for six. First Apple leaves a mysterious header on the Mac Mini motherboard for a non-existent iPod dock connector. Then it brings out media center software and a video iPod at the same time. Then it recruits the head of TV recording company ElGato. When you put the pieces together, it ain't pretty for Microsoft."

APC Magazine 10/22/05

If apple releases a $500 -$600 equivalent of a low-end Mac Mini combined with an HDTV EyeTV then, yeah, I'll be excited. As long as it's not painfully DRMed somehow. I'm not sure how likely that is.

The time is rapidly approaching for me to turn in my company phone for my own personal cell phone. I've been on Nextel for 3 years now, with a Motorola i95cl, and have had very few complaints. So I'm debating whether or not I want to stay with Nextel or jump ship to T-Mobile (T-Mobile having the advantage of people NOT being able to radio me when I don't answer the phone). I really wanted a Razr (which would mean T-Mobile) but I've heard bad things about its sound quality.

Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions/recommendations?

I need a laser printer. Big ass paper tray and output receiver (400 sheets at a time would be great, but it looks like I may have to live with 250) Black and white/grey scale. I have no color needs on a laser scale. Cheap and last forever would be nice too. Print quality would not have to be great, as long as it was OK Speed is a plus, but if the paper tray is big enough to allow unattended printing, does not have be fabulous. Basically I'm looking a good per cost page for unattended monochrome draft quality printing - high speed being a bonus. I do want the thing to last though, so I want the lowest priced meeting my criteria that will hold up rather than the absolute lowest price.

We have some HP LaserJets in the office that have been around forever and still work great. In fact, we just bought three more of the current equivalent model. I'm considering getting one myself for my home office. I can't remember what model we just bought but I know it was about $200.

We have some HP LaserJets in the office that have been around forever and still work great.

I second that, I love HP LJs. This should get you started.

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