Griffin PowerWave - combining computers, speakers (analog and digital) and analog input

Griffin Technology

The PowerWave is full of features that separate it from some of the other USB audio devices on the market. To start with, it includes a 10-watt-per-channel amplifier and comes with Griffin's $25 ProSpeaker Breakout Cable, so you can connect standard stereo speakers -- not the cheap powered kind hooked up to so many Macs -- directly to the unit and get great sound. You can also connect Apple's Pro Speakers to the PowerWave, since Griffin uses the same connector on the PowerWave that Apple uses on select iMacs and desktop Macs.

For sound input and output, the PowerWave has stereo RCA jacks and minijack ports and includes the cables necessary to connect the unit to your stereo or iPod...

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This thing is a cross between a stero amplifier and a digital/audio converter. It's key selling points are:

1. Connect digital speakers to a computer that lacks a digital speaker output jack (USB to computer, digital optical to speakers). (May need additional cable from Griffin, they don't provide enough detail on their web site).
2. Digitize analog input, especially LPs. (Warning -- this is tedious work and high quality results require specialized equipment that audiophile geeks typically lease -- Macintouch had a great discussion on this.)
3. Hook up stereo speakers directly to a computer (USB from computer to PowerWave, PowerWave RCA jacks to included breakout cable to speaker wires).

Another interesting speaker/sound combination for computers, iPods, and compact environments

Bose Companion 3 Multimedia Powered Speakers - Computer Speaker Systems

Tivoli PAL (or iPAL): the iPod speaker accessory of choice?

Tivoli Audio -- Portable Audio Laboratory (PAL) in Basic Black

At $130 the price isn't bad. It's not as flash as some of the iPod speaker accesories, but it's ruggedly made and comes with a great radio. It might be interesting to pair this with an Airport Express and use it as a convenient iTunes and iPod extension.

Update 3/18/2018: We actually bought one of these and used it as an iPhone speaker for a while with AirPlay support via an AirPort Express. Microwave kept wiping out stream. So we gave up.

The Canon CP-220 dye sublimation printer for quick 4x6 prints

O'Reilly: Tired of Inkjet Snapshots? The Canon CP-220 to the Rescue

A very interesting accessory, esp for printing directly from the camera. Impressively integrated with recent Canon cameras. I could see recommending this to someone who wants to use a digital camera but doesn't want to deal with a computer. Also handy for printing at children's parties.

Update 3/18/2018: Updating this old post to see if it fixes the weirdity that the archive page tech.kateva.org/2004/12/ doesn't show as clickable any longer. This is the first post that breaks MarsEdit archive retrieval. BTW, this kind of print product would delight my daughter in 2018. When I wrote this in 2014 she was 2 years old.

O'Reilly: Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X

O'Reilly: Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X

Apple has a developer tool that allows QuickTime to be output as a FireWire stream to anything that accepts FireWire digital video input -- typically a high end DVD recorder or a video camera.

Digital Imaging Software Review: Vuescan 8.1

Digital Imaging Software Review: Vuescan 8.1

This comprehensive review doubles as a user's guide for VueScan film scanning. It's extraordinary.

Mousing firefox with the Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse

Firefox Help: Keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft's software is pretty hit or miss (I could live without them), but I like their hardware. I paid $16 or so for a surplus wireless intellimouse 2.0. Version 5.2 of their software lets me map one of the many buttons to kestrokes. This page lets me know what Firefox mappings are available.

Now I use the small side button to send FF a Ctrl-PageDown, and thus to hop around tabs. Works great, but I may try another button.

Intellimouse s/w allows mappings to be application specific too ...