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Today is the Last Chance to Get Your 40GB OWC SSD for Only $99

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 | Author: OWC Michael

If you’ve been on the fence about making the switch to a SSD boot drive, don’t delay any further.

A few weeks ago, Other World Computing announced the addition of a new 40GB model to its award-winning OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD™ line as the most affordable high performance SandForce® Processor based Solid State Drive on the market.

Today, August 31st, 2010, marks the last day for our introductory price offer on these drives at $99.99. Orders MUST be in by 11:59:59 PM CDT today to get that special intro pricing.

So, hurry on over to macsales.com to place your order and enjoy the amazing benefits of an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD in your computer including:

  • Industry leading sustained Read AND Write speeds over 260MB/s (with peak speeds up to 285MB/s).
  • Best in class error correction (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ redundancy with 7% over provisioning.
  • SandForce DuraClass™ technology with ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling for long term durability.
  • Designed and made in the U.S. from imported parts.
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Category: Product Spotlight, Special OWC Deals
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Les Tokar Interview & Apple Event – OWC Radio #39

Monday, August 30th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim

This week, OWC Radio host Tim Robertson talks with Les Tokar, the owner and operator of The SSD Review. If you only listen to one podcast to learn about SSD’s, this is the show you want to hear. Everything from ease of installation, what to look for when shopping for an SSD, and what an SSD actually is. Plus, audio feedback from John G., Phil lost his bookmarks, and there is an Apple event looming, but will Tim watch it live?

Article Continues…

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Category: OWC Radio
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Spotlight on Spotlight

Monday, August 30th, 2010 | Author: OWC Joe T.

Released as part of OS X 10.4, Spotlight might be one of the most useful tools on your Mac! Most people think of it only as a way to search for files. In fact, though, it can do that and so much more.

If you don’t use Spotlight much on your Mac, you’re in for a treat. Simply hold down the Command key and tap the space bar. You should see a text box appear in the top-right corner of your screen. You can also get this box by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the far right side of your menu bar. This is the Spotlight input area and you can enter just about anything in there.

For instance, you could enter a word from a file name or even a word or phrase found in the contents of a file. Give it a moment and your results will begin to appear. If you see the document you want, you can either click on it to open it or use your arrow keys to move to it and your return key to open it. If you just want to see where it is saved, you can simply hover your mouse pointer over it for a moment to see its location.

But Spotlight goes much further than just finding documents. There’s all sorts of other tricks it can perform:

  • Looking for  a particular email message? Those are files, too, and if you’re using Mail, you can type a phrase in, and all emails with that phrase will be listed.
  • If you use iChat, you can also search through your chat logs. This can be helpful if you’re looking for details on a particular chat with somebody.
  • Need a phone number? Try typing in a name from your Address Book. You can click the entry to open it or just hover over the entry to see the contact’s phone number.
  • Math problem? Need to know what 13 times 235 is? Pop open finder and type in “13*235 ” and you’ll see your answer below your entry.
  • What’s a drumlin? Hear a word on the radio and want to know what it means? Simply type it in the spotlight for a quick definition.

These are just a few ways to use Spotlight to make your Mac even easier to use. Got more suggestions? We’d love to hear them; just add them in the comments.

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Category: Tech Tips
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Great New Prices on NewerTech NuRAM.

Friday, August 27th, 2010 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

Here at OWC, one of our mantras is “More Memory = A Faster Mac.” We believe it, too; our extensive benchmarking series shows how much increasing the amount of RAM in your Mac can speed things up.

NewerTech NuRAM allows you to upgrade your computer’s Memory at the best prices. That doesn’t mean corners are cut, though; all NewerTech NuRAM modules are Fully Tested and backed by a Lifetime Replacement Warranty. In addition, all 8GB and larger kits qualify for FREE Delivery!

Take a look at these great new prices! Article Continues…

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Category: Press Releases, Product Spotlight
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Office 2011 – Cautiously Hopeful

Friday, August 27th, 2010 | Author: OWC Tim

I have made no secret over the last few years that while there are times I am forced to use Microsoft Office products on my Mac, it’s definitely not my first choice. For everyday writing, I tend to lean more towards Pages, or even Text Edit if I don’t need to worry about fancy layouts or graphics. I just want to get things done, and for years, Microsoft Word simply presented too many inconsistencies and became a resource hog I could do without.

All that being said, I cannot help but be somewhat impressed with some of the new features coming to Office 2011 for Mac. The below video highlights what I am talking about. Article Continues…

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Category: Product Spotlight, Random Thoughts & Topics
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OWC Supports Local Challenger Center

Friday, August 27th, 2010 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

It’s exciting to work for a company that makes great products, but it’s equally awesome to work for a company that does great things. Recently, I learned that OWC’s Founder & CEO, Larry O’Connor, pledged several thousand dollars to the Illinois Challenger Center (located in Woodstock) to complete several renovation projects.

One of the projects is a crazy neat (and highly educational) mural. The mural will feature an astronaut’s perspective of our galaxy. At the bottom will be a scaling of the distances and off to one side will be a scaling of the sizing of the planets. These murals and painting will definitely increase the effectiveness of the space for people of all ages. To me, it’s incredible how some paint and a little bit of good-will planning can lead to something that will inspire for generations to come.

While these are not easy times for companies, it makes me very proud to be associated with OWC, as everyone in this building is very committed to being a part of the community and making a difference.

The Challenger Learning Centers are found all over the country. These are wonderful resources that everyone should check out, as they offer unique educational opportunities surrounding space and exploration. Scienific exploration of any kind is a key building block towards the development of the human mind – one that OWC has always been proud to support through various initiatives for over two decades.

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Category: OWC Difference, OWC Unplugged
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Other World Computing Earns Inc. 5,000 “Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America” List Honors for Fourth Consecutive Year

Thursday, August 26th, 2010 | Author: OWC NewsFeed

Other World Computing announced today that it has been named for the fourth consecutive year to the Inc. 5,000 “Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America” list as a result of a three year growth rate of 41% which placed the LEED Platinum certified, wind powered firm at 175 on the “Top Retail” list and 3,741 on the overall 5,000 honorees list. This exclusive ranking list by Inc. magazine represents a comprehensive look at America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs, defined by Inc. 500/5000 selection methodology as U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies as of December 31, 2009.

Article Continues…

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Category: Press Releases
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OWC Reveals Which Radeon Video Cards Work With 2006-2009 Mac Pros

Thursday, August 26th, 2010 | Author: OWC Grant

Our blog has been buzzin’ with questions as to whether or not the new Radeon 5870 and 5770 video cards found in the new Mid 2010 Mac Pros work with earlier model year Mac Pros. When first asked about this, we referred to the Apple display page that conspicuously left out any model except 2009-2010 Mac Pros

Fanning the flames of desire for more knowledge/information on this subject was Rob-ART at BareFeats who did confirm a day or so ago that the Radeon 5870 does work with 2008-2010 Mac Pros.

So we dove in deeper to give all inquiring minds a full blown investigation you have come to expect from us. Here’s the breakdown:

2006-2007 Mac Pro:

  • Sorry to say it, but the 5870 is not…repeat…NOT compatible.
  • The 5770 is compatible, but only with the DVI connection.

2008 Mac Pro:

  • Both the 5870 and 5770 cards work with both the DVI and MiniDisplay Port connections in any combination of two displays. So, you can have two displays with MiniDisplay connections, or one with a DVI connection and one with a MiniDisplay connection.
  • Adding a third display will override the DVI connection, causing it to deactivate.

2009-2010 Mac Pro:

  • Both the 5870 and 5770 cards work with both the DVI and MiniDisplay Port connections in any combination of two displays. So, you can have two displays with MiniDisplay connections, or one with a DVI connection and one with a MiniDisplay connection.
  • Adding a third display will override the DVI connection, causing it to deactivate.

We have also confirmed that all NewerTech Mini DVI and MiniDisplay Port video adapter cables are compatible with all Mac Pro models. And that’s a good thing as they offer thicker cabling and better shielding for the highest quality, interference-free display output.

Speaking of adapters…you are familiar with the NewerTech USB to DVI/HDMI/VGA to Video Display Adapter? You know, the one that lets you add up to four additional monitors to your Mac? A very cool gadget that’s bus powered so its ideal for mobile presentation use as well.

So there you have it…what cards you can add to your existing Mac Pro…what cables you use for a higher quality display…and more display space overall. A visual trifecta!

=============

UPDATE 8/27/10 Well, a bit clarification on certain issues and reiteration of others…here’s what we discovered after additonal testing (and yes, some of your feedback):

  • Despite using a boot drive from a Mac Pro 2010 model, we still could not get the 5870 to work with a 2006-2007 machines. We tried both 1,1 and 2,1 machines with most up to date boot ROM and SMC versions. And were running 10.6.4 with all current Apple (AAPL) updates installed.
  • The 5770 in the 2006-2007 is compatible using the newest build of 10.6.4 which is included with the new Mid 2010 Mac Pros and allows you to take advantage of all three display outputs on the 5770.
  • The 5870 and 5770 are fully compatible with 2008 Mac Pros using the newest build of 10.6.4 (which again is included with the new Mid 2010 Mac Pros) and allows you to take advantage of all three display outputs on both video cards.
  • We incorrectly stated that you could only use two displays on the 2009-2010 Mac Pros. In reality, all three display connectors can be utilized simultaneously so you can drive three displays.

We will continue to investigate all these issues (esp. the 2006-2007 models) and update the findings here accordingly. Thanks for your patience while we sorted this out! Now, we gotta get back to making some eSATA equipped iMacs and the OWC SSDs going into them as well ;-)

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Category: Benchmarking/Performance, Product Spotlight, Tech Tips
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