27 | March | 2008 | Otterman speaks...

A friend just got a Mac Boook pro; first thing I did was to tell her buy even more stuff!

RAM makes all the difference so maximum the RAM your mac can hold – it’s reasonably priced now; just buy at Sim Lim.
On that Sim Lim shopping trip, buy an external hardisk with a much larger capacity larger your mac’s hard disk. Then you can use Time Machine (the mac’s built backup software). An external 3.5″ may be bulkier but is much cheaper; leave it at home for dedicated daily backups. It is usually cheaper to buy the disk and casing separately, although I hear Western Digital has a good deal these days. When I needed something portable in a hurry one day, I got a 320GB Buffalo 2.5″ for the 80GB (sigh!) internal hard disk on my MBP.
If you intend use your mac both at home and at the office, get an additional power supply immediately – the online Apple Store Singapore will usually deliver in a day, and to your door. The MBP battery does not last long, unlike the old 14.1″ iBooks!
At home, if its your only or main computer, get a coolpad; it will angle the computer up and keep it cool (my MBP gets very hot); critical for non-air-con rooms which I prefer.
External keyboard and mouse from Apple Store Singapore – no heat issues and much more productive!
A definite must for lectures, especially if you are peripatetic – a wireless remote. You can actually use a bluetooth phone but I have been using a Keyspan Presentation Remote for a few years now. I finally got the remote’s battery replaced and it made all the difference in class yesterday; I got to roam!