Product Review: iKlear (singles)

0 out of 5 stars

You might be surprised to learn that my real name isn't Emily RugBurn. It's actually Klumsy McSpillsalot. So when I spotted handy-dandy 2-step wipes taylor-made for my Apple laptop, I immediately snatched them up. I had often wondered about a safe and easy cleaning solution for my iBook and this appeared to be "it".

Step 1 is the Apple Polish (for cleaning the iPod, iBook, PowerBook, flat-panel iMac, LCD Cinema & Studio Displays). It's basically a softer, thicker version of a "wetnap".

Step 2 is the Klear Kloth (for polishing the screens and cases of the iPod, iBook, PowerBook, iMac Cinema & Studio Displays). It's a dry, thicker version of the polishing wipe.

So here's how it went down:

Step 1: Wax On. Easy enough.

Step 2: Wax Off.... wax off... I said WAX OFF, DAMMIT!

After several minutes of attempting to "wax off", my screen has never looked more disgusting. It left a thick, nearly impenetrable layer of residue on my LCD. After my sheer disappointment, I googled "iKlear sucks" and found that a plethora of others have had the same experience. While it is apparently good at cleaning the outside of your laptop, it stinks at cleaning screens... which also happens to be the grimiest part of my iBook and the entire reason for purchasing the iKlear wipes in the first place.

A better (and much cheaper) solution for cleaning your screen is to use any (ammonia-free) glasses cleaner. Although Windex and paper towels certainly removed the iKlear Krud, it is apparently a no-no for LCD screens. (Thanks to widepart for writing in.)

Bottom line -- steer Klear of iKlear.

666

Courtesy of Wikipedia: "The Apple I was designed by Steve Wozniak originally for personal use. Wozniak's friend, Steve Jobs, had the idea of selling the computer. It was sold as Apple's first product, beginning in April 1976. It was originally planned to sell for US$777.77, but Jobs saw this price as too steep and had it lowered to $666.66 just before its release. About 200 units were produced."

Why Firefox?

I recently encouraged a new MAC user to install Firefox 1.5. When he asked me why, all I could muster was "`Cause it's like... waaaay better."

I know I like using it, but does it really reign superior over its competitors? Is the hype warranted?

The answer coming at me from every direction, is a resounding "yes". The main reason folks are switching to Firefox faster than than you can say "Tom Cruise is bat-shit crazy!", is because users are better protected against spyware, worms and viruses. Internet Explorer, on the other hand, is riddled with security flaws. And from what I remember about my PC days, I was required to update nearly every week.

So maybe you're not that concerned with spyware and your virus software is up to date. Why would you switch? Easy. Because of the cool-ass features.

My absolute favourite has got to be tabbed browsing, and if you’ve got a small screen, it will become a fast favourite of yours, as well. (OSX users; hit Apple+T to open a tab and Apple+W to close one.)

What also sets it apart from the rest, are handy dandy Firefox Extensions, which are cool add-on features (or plug-ins). For instance, Performancing 1.2 “is a full featured blog editor that sits right in your Firefox browser that lets you post to your blog easily. You can drag and drop formatted text from the page you happen to be browsing, and take notes as well as post to your blog”. You just hit the button on your browser and it opens up a half-window that allows you to create and publish a post to your blog on the spot.


Another extension I recently installed is Forecastfox, which allows you to get "international weather forecasts from AccuWeather.com, and display it in any toolbar or statusbar..." It's a "highly customizable and unobtrusive extension." After installing the extension (which consists of hitting the install link, following the prompts and re-starting Firefox), just go to Tools > Extensions > Preferences and choose your desired settings. Not happy with it? Not a problem. Go to Tools > Extensions, hi-light the extension you wish to remove, and click "Uninstall". They could not make it any easier.

Overall, Firefox is a snap to install, it has great features (including the nifty, customizable add-ons) and you can easily import your IE Favorites making the switch quick and painless.

So what are you waiting for? Get Firefox already!