Computing in the Classroom
Written: Feb 01 '08 (Updated Jun 05 '08)
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Pros: sleek, space-saving design. Perfect for education settings.
Cons: some poor quality design elements.
The Bottom Line: An Excellent computer for environments where space and ease-of-use are major concerns.
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| bigtruckseries's Full Review: Apple eMac G4 (M9835LL/A) Mac Desktop |
HARDWARE
Out of the box, the eMac is ready for Internet browsing, word processing and most Applications that only require minimal moderate processing power.
The computer includes a 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 and is upgradeable. It comes with 512MB of DDR SDRAM and a 160GB Hard Drive.
The included ports are adequate and manage to maintain a clean look. There are 3 USB ports, a headphone, a mic, 2 400 Mb/sec Firewires (for video editing), the always handy 56K modem port, the standard Ethernet port and a proprietary PC – Monitor port (15-pin D Sub VGA).
The hardware fits together perfectly and runs very smoothly. Rather than crashing, a fouled program will display a “spinning rainbow thingy” which lets you know the page is in error and the program needs to close. You can close programs by clicking the Apple button in the corner of the screen and force quitting a rogue program. Only in the rarest circumstances will a program crash the entire computer.
The computer’s 17 inch monitor is built in and it features resolution up to 1280x960 due to its motherboard integrated AGP video chipset.
The computer weighs just 50 pounds, is 16 inches tall, 16 inches deep and 16 inches wide. The casing is a coated transparent glaze over a white plastic.
INCLUDED SOFTWARE
The Operating System on my eMacs is OS X 10.3.4. It is quite stable when running applications such as the included Safari web browser. Or its native word processing program Appleworks.
The OSX platform includes the Finder guide which allows you to find any Application, File or Software on the drives by either searching folders and subfolders manually, or by typing the name of the desired data in its search bar.
Finder is quite similar to “My Computer” on the MS Windows Operating System but slightly easier to use. Finder is also very stable – “My Computer “ a lot on Windows 98 and Windows XP.
iTunes is the eMac’s default digital music player and quicktime is the eMAc’s default video player. Out of the box, the eMac is therefore ready to be used with iPods, iPhones and most digital audio devices. (A recent software upgrade added support for the iPhone). The computer includes iDVD to offer you DVD codecs to watch your DVD movies or produce homemade DVD’s on DVDRW disks. There is also iPhoto which allows you to view most standard picture files such as Gif. and JPEG.
Rather than Aol Instant Messenger, the Mac environment offers ichat which upgrades the regular AOLIM by offering a more stable chat environment complete with buddy icons in the message and support for mac’s proprietary chat program. Mac’s software also offers an MSN messenger for Mac - which is less pretty in my opinion than the Windows version.
Other cool software bonuses are Chess with a very intelligent Artificial Intelligence and an included iCal calendar program. I plan to use the Chess program when I offer a Chessclub this semester.
Any USB Jump Drive, DVD, CD, or device you place in the computer will show up as an icon on the desktop screen allowing you quick access to it. The only downside is that many USB drives running 3rd party firmware such as U3 Cruzers, will be harder to deactivate. In the classroom environment, that can be a problem and cause possible data loss.
WHO IS THIS COMPUTER FOR?
The eMac has numerous space saving design features which make it ideal for a college dorm setting, the classroom setting or as a device for a small bedroom.
The entire computer including its monitor is a single piece. Which is not much bigger than most 15 inch CRT televisions so the only major space considerations are where you will place the keyboard and mouse. The mouse can be plugged directly into the keyboard’s included USB ports or into the device itself.
Years ago, I would have never recommended a Mac to anyone unless they specifically needed a computer for Pro Tools, or Garageband’s music editing software, but, now, Apple offers Bootcamp, which allows you to boot Windows Vista is you desire. As well as many other Windows based applications.
As the computer relies entirely on USB connections a USB multi-port hub is definitely worthwhile to get. I would definitely get a powered hub because otherwise, you won’t be able to run some portable USB devices without a second, sloppy power cable. Standard USB cables only offer you 5 Volt – powered offers up to 24V. If you get the new portable DVDRW optical drive for the Macbook Air ($100) you’ll need this.
Disappointments
As an Internet, word processing and generally usable computer in the school setting, the eMac is perfect. Space saving design and strong hardware reliability are its boasting points. Unfortunately there are a few disappointments I had with it which could have been alleviated with more thoughtful design.
#1 the speakers are not very loud and are not of high quality. The speaker’s maximum output is low and considering how much one of these things costs should have included better amplification. Also, the speakers are covered by a cheap plastic mesh, which can be poked through with a pencil. Bad for classrooms with fidgety kids.
#2 Integrated video means no upgradeability. Macs are generally not the machines you want to get for playing games that require high end Video graphics cards, sound cards or the new Physics Card units on the market.
#3 the drive tray is too easy to open because its open button is in the corner of the keyboard – can you imagine what pre-K kids do when they realize they can pop it open and close it by tapping keys? There should be a drive button on the side of the computer out of sight like where the power button is so the kids don’t notice it.
#4 the Ethernet port is cheap Chinese plastic and has no LED lights to show you when the connection is active and when data is in transmission. I’ve yet to see a laptop or desktop running Windows without that.
#5 my models came with Airport Wireless cards built in, but I feel, they all should. Bluetooth should also be standard and support transfer protocol OBEX.
#6 The computer would definately benefit from a force quit button on the keyboard or on the computer itself. iPhone's have the "home" button to quickly close programs and return to the main screen...considering we are using these in the school environment it would have been great to have a superior button to allow kids to close nonresponsive programs.
OVERALL the eMac is a capable operating platform and a very confident computer. If you need a computer specifically for web browsing or music/video editing, you can’t go wrong here. Just be sure to upgrade your RAM and get internal Airport Wireless on purchase.
OTHER APPLE
LEOPARD SERVER - http://www.epinions.com/review/Apple_MAC_OS_X_10_5_Server_Unlimited_Client_License_MB004ZA/content_420248391300
APPLE iPHONE - http://www.epinions.com/content_429900533380
MACBOOK AIR - http://www.epinions.com/review/Apple_MacBook_Air_1_6GHz_Intel_Core_2_Duo_Silver_Notebook_Computer_MB003LLA_Mac_Notebook/content_415935008388
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1000
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: SuperDisk
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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bigtruckseries
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