Belkin's BusStation

While I was searching for a USB hub to hang six peripherals on my Mac G4, I found a nifty system from Belkin that addressed the problem of adapting my G4 to some older peripherals. Called the BusStation, it starts with a base unit about the size and shape of a stack of four bagels. This plugs into a USB port on your computer and by itself is a 4-port USB hub with a hefty external power supply for power-hungry peripherals.

The base unit provides three bays for additional modules, each of which simply plugs in for connectivity and power (each is also capable of standalone operation, if desired). As shipped ($60 street), the BusStation includes three single-port USB modules, for a total of seven ports. However, any module may be replaced individually with another, including a four-port USB hub ($40), for up to 16 ports. Also available are adapter modules that let your USB computer talk to peripherals in several other languages. At this writing, these include PS/2 ($50 Mac/PC), ADB ($35 Mac/PC), SCSI ($100 Mac/PC), serial ($80 Mac, $60 PC), and 10/100 Ethernet ($70 PC only). I installed and tested on my Mac each of the modules except the Ethernet adapter. Everything worked as advertised, though as I expected, SCSI performance through the USB/SCSI adapter was slower than native SCSI because of USB limitations. I'm sure the 10/100 USB/Ethernet adapter is similarly limited to 10Mbps speed.

The BusStation system elegantly and flexibly consolidates a plethora of hubs and adapters (and power supplies), albeit a bit more expensively than some similar standalone devices. If you need a USB hub and/or protocol adapters--and you value a neat installation that both looks good and works well--you'll find it worth the premium. --Ken Henningsen

Apple's iPhoto.

In its bid to define the Macintosh as the "digital hub" of our lives, in January Apple released the latest in its series of free Mac applications, iPhoto. It joins iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD, and aims to bring some order to the chaos that is consumer digital-photo management. Unlike its siblings, iPhoto runs only on Mac OS X (v10.1 or better)--a clever way to hasten adoption of Apple's new baby.

My one-word description of iPhoto is slick. From the automatic import of photos in a familiar roll/frame metaphor to effortless browsing through and zooming in on hundreds of photos, to slide-show creation, the user interface is smooth. Besides local printing, iPhoto offers integrated online print ordering from Kodak and easy production and online ordering of an attractive coffee-table book ($3 per page, $30 minimum). If Grandma has a computer, you can easily compress and e-mail your photos to her or post them on your own personal Web site (courtesy of Apple's iTools).

iPhoto isn't without its shortcomings. Its minimal--but elegant--photo-editing capabilities include only cropping (with automatic print-size scaling), rotation, red-eye removal, and conversion to black-and-white. However, these are easily supplemented with a jump into a selectable external editor. Import from a camera is all-or-nothing; unwanted images must be deleted in the camera or after import. Other photo-management applications show low-resolution versions, from which you can select the full-resolution images you want to import--a time saver. Also, some cameras and printers aren't supported, probably awaiting Mac OS X drivers.

All told, I think iPhoto is a worthy addition to Apple's cadre of "iApps," and is sure to be a hit with digicam owners; it may even sell a few Macs. --Ken Henningsen

Sierra Sports' "Game Room."

If you like to play pool, throw darts, or take in a game of pinball--yet hate to head out of your home to do so--"Game Room" from Sierra Sports may be for you. These three games, along with shuffleboard, table tennis and table hockey help create the ultimate game room, where, as the game says, there are no quarters required.

Each game has its own options and allows you to face up to six different opponents. However, even with the various customizable options and skill levels, the games can become all too repetitious.

Fortunately, there is also the option of going online and facing real-life opponents, which could introduce an element of unpredictability and make the games more interesting.

Darts and shuffleboard require the most effort to master. Both games depend on being able to coordinate pushing the mouse in the right direction while releasing the mouse button at just the right moment. The advantage the two games have is that "Game Room" offers several versions of each to choose from. Tired of playing on a straight shuffleboard table? Switch to a U-shaped one, or one that is angled to the right.

Pinball, table hockey, and table tennis are easier to play, mainly because they do not require complex hand/mouse movement.

Pool, though, is by far the most enjoyable game to play. Players can choose among 8-ball, 9-ball, and Snooker, as well as from three different angles from which to view the table. A target ball helps make it easier to line up shots, though skill with the mouse is still needed to get a ball into the pocket.

The screenshots are uncluttered, and the game has exceptional graphics. Though "Game Room" cannot compare with any of the real games, it is sure to bring players hours of enjoyment.--Jende Huang

Apple's iBook.

I'm a big fan of Apple's iBook line. They're affordable and very compact. However, the 12-inch screen would get a bit tough on my eyes after a while. The new 14-inch iBook solves this problem, though it puts on a bit of weight to do so. The 1,024-by-768 resolution displays on all models is gorgeous. But for middle-aged orbs like mine, two extra inches of display real estate on the "super-sized" iBook is worth a little extra bulk.

The bigger iBook is relatively fast with its 600MHz G3 processor and ATI RAGE 128 Mobility chip. Keep in mind, though, that the iBook is the only Mac not using a G4 processor. Despite that, the iBook packs enough oomph to tackle everyday computing chores such as word processing, e-mail, and Web surfing. It runs Mac OS X smoothly, thanks in part to its generous 256MB of RAM. And the 14-inch iBook makes a great on-the-go DVD player.

The consumer portable isn't built for expandability and lacks a PC-card slot. I don't find this a problem with the proliferation of FireWire and USB peripherals.

The new 14-inch iBook, which has a physically larger battery than its smaller siblings, has the best battery life of any Mac portable (Apple claims up to six hours). And it comes with a very nice bundle of productivity and entertainment software.

If you won't be using it for hours on end, or if you're buying it for a youngster, go for the 12-inch version and save $300. If expandability and speed are of the essence, spend more and get a professional-level PowerBook.

However, if you need a rugged business laptop, or backup Mac, definitely check out the 14-incher. It's well worth the $1,800 price. --Dennis Sellers