MAC and PC accessories

Don't pay more for MAC accessories

MACs and PCs are two opposing sides, but by and large, most branded accessories and peripherals you buy today are certified to work with both. You may come across some components that purport to be specifically made for MACs, mostly external hard drives or DVD writers - and therefore are available at a premium. Don't fall prey to this trap because any external USB hard drive will work with both PC or MAC; and even on both simultaneously, as long as the drive format is FAT32. Even if a drive is pre-formatted as NTFS (a Windows only format), it can easily be changed when new.

Burn an ISO image on the MAC

Contrary to popular belief, its easier to burn an ISO onto a CD using a MAC rather than Windows. Simply go to Utilities and launch disk utility. Click on the Burn button on the top, select the ISO file you would like to burn on a CD. A prompt comes up asking you to inset a blank disc in the optical drive. Just insert a blank disc and click the Burn button in the box.

HDTV's: In the store vs at home

In a store, flat panel TVs are usually not placed very well. They're placed at different heights to accomodate more in a given display space; which means that some sets have an unfair advantage (owing to varying viewing angles). Secondly, many of them are set to 'store mode' which displays unnatural colors and brightness. Finally, don't trust the articially generated HD content they play; trust your own content (on DVD's or on USB drives) before making a decision.