Macenstein

Review: MCE OptiBay Hard Drive kit for Unibody MacBook Pro

MCE's sled replaces your built-in optical drive with either a regular 2.5 inch Sata or an SSD SSD’s (Solid State Drives) are all the rage these days, and if the MacBook Air is any indication, Apple has plans to include them in most of, if not all of, their future computers. SSD drives boast a number of benefits over traditional hard drives, such as increased speed, low heat, low power consumption, and durability in cases of accidental droppage (do to their lack of moving... Read More

15% off MacBook decals thanks to my awesomeness

If you saw my post yesterday about my Justice League MacBook Decal , odds are you practically tripped over yourself rushing to buy one for your own Mac. Well, on the odd chance you were temporarily knocked unconscious, and did NOT get to place your order, the fine folks at StuckOff have decided to give our faithful readers a 15% discount off ANY order over $10 (which is juts about all of them). Just use the coupon code macenstein on check out. If DC comics aren’t your... Read More

Enter to WIN: A set of Audioengine A2 speakers!

Thank you, we have a winner. This contest is closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein reader Jason! Just the speakers. 2008 iMac not included. Who like’s winning $200 speakers? Anyone? No? OK, I guess I’ll just have to keep these sweet Audioengine A2’s. It’s a shame, really, because I already have a pair, and they rock. Perhaps you remember my awesome YouTube video (below) of how their deceivingly powerful bass could blow down TWO of the Three Little (Canadian)... Read More

Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert!

Yes, my Justice League MacBook Pro decal is truly impressive, what with the Apple Logo illuminating Superman’s “S” and all. But to really appreciate how awesome I am, and to properly gauge just how much you should want to be my friend, I think it’s best to take a step back and view the decal in the greater context of my office. Notice how I have not only placed the MacBook directly under a poster of the Justice League, (in the same classic grouping as... Read More

How to fix “The disc can’t be burned, because the device failed to calibrate the laser power level for this media” error

This post may only be helpful to one person, but as I always say, if you can help just ONE person… then you may as well have not even bothered. But just in case this helps TWO people, I will post it anyway. Last week I attempted to burn a DVD in my 2008 MacBook Pro for the first time in about 2 years, and was greeted by a somewhat cryptic but high tech error message which read: “The disc can’t be burned, because the device failed to calibrate the laser power... Read More

The New Macbook ‘Fro

Out of all the recent Apple parody videos, this is my new favorite. It’s so ridiculously stupid, and so well done, it completely speaks to me. The “Aluminium” line is perfect. The New MacBook ‘Fro from Skye Leith on Vimeo. I assume there was much discussion as to the name and MacBook Fro must have barely edged out the “MacBook hAir”. Thanks to faithful Macenstien reader Skye for the link!  Read More

New MacBook Pros showcase why Apple fans suck

As much as one can feel bad for a company with the 2nd-highest market capitalization in the world, I must say I really felt for Apple during this week’s MacBook Pro launch. No sooner had the MacBooks hit the online store then the apathetic headlines and forum posts began flooding the interwebs. The terms “underwhelming” and “modest upgrades” were thrown around more often than when the new Snuggie was unveiled (now with pockets!). Once again, the... Read More

We’re giving away TWO AViiQ: Portable Laptop Stands!

Thank you, we have a winner. This contest is closed. Congrats to faithful Macenstein readers Timothy and Alexander! Mmmm… can you smell it? Rumor has it a fresh batch of pipping hot MacBooks are on their way from Cupertino’s finest bakery (by way of China) and heading to an Apple Store near you! But fear not. No matter how hot those laptops end up being, we’ve got you covered thanks to our good friends over at AViiQ, who have given us TWO of their super cool... Read More

How To: Reclaim your function keys with FunctionFlip

Those handy little keyboard shortcuts for things like display brightness and iTunes playback which Apple has placed all along the top row of Function Keys on your laptop keyboard can be a real time saver, but they can also suck up the place when you just want to quick access to what a Function Key was supposed to do. Whether you’re a hard-core gamer (well, medium-core gamer, if you’re on a Mac) using Word macros, or have a bunch of saved Actions in Photoshop assigned... Read More

Tonight’s Episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live shot entirely on Jimmy’s MacBook Pro’s Webcam

Finally! A reason to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! (Just kidding, I love Jimmy). According to ABC, with a full studio audience and a bunch of booked guests (Seth Rogen (Green Hornet) and Musical guest Dierks Bentley), a power outage struck the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live, leaving the crew scrambling for way to still produce the show. A quick thinking Kimmy grabbed his MacBook Pro and began filming with his webcam. I have no idea how bad the show will look, or why a power outage apparently... Read More