Merry Christmas!

To all our friends, families and of course our loyal readers and customers, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and New Years! May 2009 be another great year for you as it has been for us!

Our stores will be closed on Christmas Day and on 1st January 2009. Should you have any urgent queries, please do drop us an email as it's active even on our days' off :-)

Take note on the year end promotions (whilst stocks last!)... Take care and be safe!

posted by moorey @ 00:00 » 0 Comments
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Tip: Mac maintenance

The thing about most Macs that are running OSX (Panther and up): if and when your Mac feels sluggish, and you're not sure if it's the system software or the hardware that's gone haywire - you can do a quick test - without having to resort to formatting.

Unlike the PC, 99% of the time (as a technical guy who has almost seen it all, I made that number up from experience), the issue is not hardware and you don't have to reformat your Mac. The quick and dirty way to test, and this is what we would do if you pass your Mac to us, is to create a new admin account under Users in Systems Preferences.

Log off your current sluggish account, and log into the new account. If the machine feels like it's new again, we can safely assume the issue lies with your account's preferences, not the system itself.

Do a backup from your old account, and restore back into your new account. Once you verify everything is in, you can delete your old account.

What to do:

• backup, backup and backup for important files
• do a simple new account test
• do a software update and make sure all system software is up to date
• disable auto startup for the less-used software applications or increase your physical memory by upgrading to accomodate

What not to do:

• defrag (this is a legacy thing, and may ruin your partition causing data loss)
• install anti-virus (not required and slows the system down)
• reformat (unless you know what you're doing)
• leave your battery in whilst plugged into a power outlet for a long period of time

Signs of possible hardware failure (usually a part replacement fixes it):

• clicking sound from the harddisk
• a computer with a sad face when booting up
• powered up but nothing shows up
• missing dock (possible hdd failure)
• internal fan constantly on full blast (defective detector)
• screen has rainbow lines, amongst other issues
• CD/DVD not reading; pops the disc out like a toaster
• bulging battery / short battery life
• applications crashing constantly

Signs of software issues (reinstalling/adjustment of software fixes it):

• sleeps randomly
• missing dock (files related)
• missing desktop background
• internal fan constantly on (software)
• slower bootup
• applications running slow than normal
• fonts distorted (missing fonts)
• application crashing constantly (outdated/incompatible software)

posted by moorey @ 18:22 » 0 Comments
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December Promos

• MacBook and MacBook Pro + Belkin messenger bag + Case Logic Neoprene sleeve + Capdase Keyboard sleeve + iBass speaker
• iMac + iBass iPod speaker + Apacer thumbdrive
• iPod nano (3rd Gen) 8gb Green + Belkin cable management + Portable Speaker Ball (special SRP of RM499)

posted by moorey @ 18:09 » 0 Comments
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Sometimes, bigger is better

Thirst for a bigger HDD like 500GB on your MacBook? :) Or a 128GB SSD?

We have them! Meanwhile..

• New iMac 20" 2.4GHz (MB323ZP/A)
• New MacBook 2.1GHz (MB402ZP/B)

Double the RAM to 2GB for only RM50, strictly while stocks last! Web-only special (please mention this for the offer)

Offer 2: ArchiCAD 12

The new ArchiCAD 12 is normally priced at RM15,100 (SRP).

We are offering these bundles:

• Bundle 1 @ RM12,000
  • ArchiCAD 12
  • Free training*
  • Save RM4,300!
• Bundle 2 @ RM13,000
  • ArchiCAD 12 + Artlantis R2
  • Free training*
  • Save RM5,800!
• Bundle 3 @ RM13,980
  • ArchiCAD 12 + Artlantis Studio 2
  • Free training*
  • Save RM6,820!
• Special Promo Bundle
  • iMac 20" (MB323ZP/A)
  • ArchiCAD 12
  • RM15,999
  • Save RM3,300!

*Promo ends 30 November 2008. Training is held in KL (date TBA). For more information, please give us a call. As with all our other offers, this is a genuine money-saving promo! Other Terms and Conditions apply.

posted by moorey @ 17:04 » 0 Comments
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New to Mac: Switchers 101

So it's your first Mac - here are some quick tips and facts about your new Mac:

• Yes, there is right click and have always been there. Press Ctrl + click, and you will get contextual menus, just as you would with a right click mouse (or, two fingers on the trackpad + click);
• You can use any USB mouse on your Mac including the RM10 mouse or RM200 Mighty Mouse;
• Screenshot: cmd + shift + 4 (selection);
• Screenshot: cmd + shift + 3 (full-screen);
• Cut and Paste: cmd C, cmd V;
• Most new printers with USB will work with your Mac; they may not provide the CD driver with the printer but most good and branded printers will offer the drivers online;
• Video chat: iChat, Skype and Yahoo messenger; MSN not much go, though you can use aMSN;
• Adium - best chat software - supports multi protocol;
• Microsoft Office 2008 is available on Mac;
• Apple's iWork 08 can open, edit and save Excel, Word and PowerPoint files with additional features;
• Perian + VLC: Mac's Swiss army knife for all kinds of movie formats;
• To zoom in (MacBook and higher): hold on control and use two-finger scroll up or down to zoom in or out;
• For machines with Firewire ports, you can turn your machine into an external Firewire drive by restarting and holding onto T (for Target Disk Mode);
• Tip: unplug your battery when it's 100% charged - don't leave it charging overnight;
• You can use your iSight for both video recording and editing in iMovie;
• NTFS? You can read from it but not write to it;
• DVDs/CDs not ejecting? Restart your Mac and hold on to the Eject key or Left click - it should pop out if the media is OK;
• There are plenty of games on Macs: Warcraft, Need for Speed, Tiger Woods, etc;
• Mac Virus: though technically exists, it's super-rare and does not spread very well due to OSX's built-in security measures;
• Windows Virus: not compatible so it's all good;
• These specs are now a minimum on all new Macs: SuperDrive, Wifi 802-11n (option on MacPro), Bluetooth enabled;
• Dashboard Widgets: very useful little apps - use them!
• Tethering & syncing: most Nokia, Sony Ericsson and BlackBerry phones will work but does require some configurations;
• 3G - Celcom and Maxis on E220 (Huawei) and some models will work - requires some configurations;
• Emails and Microsoft Exchange: is supported by OSX's Mail, including IMAP, POP3 etc;

Labels: Tips

posted by moorey @ 16:38 » 3 Comments
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In stock and limited: New MacBook and Pros

posted by moorey @ 11:37 » 0 Comments
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