UEFA charge Eduardo for dive

Eduardo faces a suspension after UEFA charged the Arsenal striker with 'deceiving the referee' during the Gunners' Champions League victory against Celtic on Wednesday...

First impressions

What sets the Mac internet dating uk apart from every other computer is its size. At just 5 cm (2 inches) high, and 16.5 cm (6.5 inches) square, its dimensions are remarkable. When compared to the bulky horizontal cases and towers of so many similarly priced machines, the Mac mini is in a class of its own.

This isn't the full story, of course, cheap broadband on size alone, the Mac mini offers a space-saving opportunity for PC owners to switch to a Mac and retain their existing monitor, keyboard, mouse and other peripherals. It's even possible, thanks to a Belkin KVM switch, to retain your PC, put a Mac mini nearby, and change from one to the other as you wish without rearranging your desk.

Technical specs and performance

On the technical side, the latest Mac mini models are also well worth a look. They now have Intel Core 2 Duo processors of either 1.83GHz or 2GHz. These processors are from Intel's 65 nanometre family with 64 bit architecture. To complement them, Apple has added 2MB of L2 cache for the 1.83GHz Mac mini and 4MB for the 2GHz model, together with a 128 bit SSE3 vector engine on both.

The result of this technology is interesting, to say the least: the new Mac mini is up to 39% faster than the previous model. This jump in speed varies according to your application - the 39% figure refers to Apple's iPhoto '08 - but there are many examples of improvements with other software. For example, overall speeds using Apple's web browser, Safari, are up by 26%; and compressing a film with the 2.0GHz Mac mini has accelerated by 35% compared to the old equivalent machine.

For memory, the 1.83GHz and 2GHz Mac minis have 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM on two SO-DIMMs as standard. 1GB of RAM is certainly a respectable amount; but if you want more capacity, you can double it if you wish.

Standard storage for the 1.83GHz Mac mini is an 80GB 5,400 rpm Serial ATA hard disc drive. The 2GHz version has a more spacious 120GB. Apple does give you the chance to improve on both of these with a 120GB drive for the 1.83GHz Mac mini, and 160GB for the 2GHz.

As for graphics, the Mac mini has an integrated processor so you've no choice but accept it. This needn't be a problem, however, because the processor is the Intel GMA 950, a unit that can handle the latest 3D games.

Hardware

A useful piece of hardware that accompanies the Mac mini is the Apple Remote. This is handy when you use Apple's Front Row media application. You can sit back and control at a distance the music and films you play through the computer.

Ideally, of course, you want a good quality monitor to take full advantage of Front Row. The Mac mini has a DVI video output port that supports digital resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. This means you can connect and enjoy a 20 inch Apple Cinema Display or a 23 inch Apple Cinema HD Display. If you don't have such a monitor, however, and you're thinking of buying one, consider the total cost. An iMac, with its better spec, can make a more attractive financial alternative to a Mac mini/Apple Cinema Display combo.

For analogue monitor connections, the Mac mini has a DVI to VGA adaptor. You can also buy an Apple DVI to Video Adaptor to give you S video and composite video out connections to a projector or TV.

Other ports on the back of the Mac mini include a combined optical digital audio input/audio line in minijack, and a combined optical digital audio output/headphone out minijack. You can use these for your digital audio equipment, headphones, a microphone or external speakers. Incidentally, despites its compactness, the Mac mini does have a built-in speaker.

The remaining ports are a FireWire 400 and Streamyx Hotline USB 2.0s. Four USBs may seem generous but don't forget that you have to connect a keyboard and a mouse before you start. You could, though, opt for wireless versions.

Wireless technology is Apple's built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking plus built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. These two are just what you need for wireless activity. There's also a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port for those who prefer cable connection to the Internet or a network.

At the front of the Mac mini is a slot-loading optical drive. Here there's a distinct difference between the two models with the 1.83GHz coming with a Combo drive, and the 2GHz with the more versatile SuperDrive, which allows you to burn DVDs as well as CDs.

Software

As ever with Macs, the software that accompanies the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system is comprehensive. Between them Leopard, iLife '08, and Front Row give you pretty much everything you need for a full multimedia experience.

With iLife '08, for instance, you receive iPhoto for enhancing and organising your photographs; iMovie to help you create and share your films; GarageBand, which lets you play with a virtual band as well as create music and podcasts; iWeb for making websites that contain photos and films as well as text; and iDVD, an application that enables you to transform your home movies into professional-looking films.

Other Mac mini applications include iChat for video calls, and Safari, the fastest web browser around. A further bonus is the chance to try out iWork, which contains Pages '08 for word processing; Numbers '08 for spreadsheets; and Keynote '08 for presentations. If you're more familiar with Microsoft Office, this is a good opportunity to see what iWork can offer instead. You can also make a direct comparison because the Mac mini has trial software of Microsoft Office for Mac.

Conclusion

Pros

• A small neat package with high quality specs
• Ideal for making the change from PC to Mac
• Much faster than previous model
• Remote control included
• Contains all the usual Apple software plus iLife '08
• Great value if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse

Cons

• If you intend to buy a top quality monitor, keyboard and mouse for the Mac mini, you might want to check out the iMac

http://www.considermac.com/mac

http://www.considermac.com/Mac/mac-mini

Save Money With Verizon FiOS

With the economy getting worse every day more Bridging Dsl Modem more people are looking for ways to cut back on their monthly bills. Some people are taking the drastic step of cutting out their cable TV service and even their Internet service to save money. But if you choose Verizon FiOS as your service provider, you don't need to go without cable or Internet to save money.

Verizon FiOS is one of the best values out there when it comes to Internet and TV service and Verizon FiOS is recognized as one of the best quality TV and Internet service providers in the country. More than a million people have already switched to Verizon FiOS fiber optic TV service and Internet service to get better quality cable and Internet at a low price, and you can too.

One of the ways that Verizon FiOS fiber optic TV and Internet services save you money is that you can get the Verizon FiOS services that you want bundled together at a lower cost. So instead of paying two separate companies for TV and Internet services you can get them both from Verizon at a lower cost. If you have a landline telephone you can save even more by getting the Verizon FiOS Triple Play package that gives you high quality Verizon FiOS fiber optic TV, Internet service and home phone service at a reduced cost.

Bundling services will save you money Webmailtmnet month and it will also make it a lot easier for you to keep track of your bills because you will only have one bill each month. If you have Verizon wireless cell phone service you can even combine your cell phone bill and your Verizon FiOS bill each month so that you can pay one bill and pay for your cell phone, TV, Internet and landline phone all with the same check. Convenience and a low cost make the Verizon FiOS service the best value when it comes to TV and Internet service.

Verizon FiOS services also save you money because you can choose Only the TV channels and the level of Internet service that you want. If you don't want to pay for every single Verizon FiOS TV channel available and only want a few specific channels instead, you can sign up for a low cost plan that includes specific channels instead of getting all of the channels that Verizon offers. If you don't need a lot of Internet bandwidth you can sign up for a lower cost tier of service to save money and still get all the Internet power that you need.

There are a lot of ways that you can cut back on your monthly expenses but giving up your TV and Internet services isn't necessarily the best way to cut back. High quality fiber optic TV and the Internet can provide many hours of relatively cheap entertainment compared to the cost of dining out or going to the movies, concerts or plays. You can also have friends and Voip Malaysia over for family movie nights and other events. For most families switching to Verizon FiOS TV and Internet service is a much more effective way of mobile internet service money than getting rid of those services altogether.

Russell Blanc manages an online resource about broadband and Verizon Fios.