It’s my second week at the new job, and one transitioning experience thus far has been actually getting used to the differences between an Apple 13″ MacBook and a 15″ MacBook Pro.

Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do was migrate all of my files and preferences from the older computer to the new one. But the new Pro was all set up with the office network settings and software. So I used Migration Assistant (an OS X utility, which I’ve used successfully many times in the past) to move only the Files (not Applications) over. Yeah, apparently this is a no-no. Migration Assistant managed to still blow out the network settings that the tech peeps pre-loaded for me as well as create some software compatibility issues (namely with Adobe CS3). but with their assistance (they probably hate me now), everything seems to be back in order.

So, how do you migrate successfully? Well, it seems that manual migration is recommended, although that takes quite a bit of time and effort. Apple provides some guidance for backing up and restoring personal settings. But watch out for that Keychain, the most valuable and dangerous one of them all. Also, if you’re moving from iLife ’07 to ’08, I had a very tricky time moving iPhoto over. I’m currently using iPhoto Library Manager to access my old iPhoto Library (after copying and renaming the folder into Pictures as a separate thing from the new iPhoto Library. Then I could load the library using the manager, but would have to purchase the shareware ($20) in order to completely merge the libraries together as one. Very annoying.

The next hangup is the sheer weight of the thing and the fact that it heats up to a million degrees. Since I now must walk 0.25 mi from the parking deck to my office, the weight has become quite an issue. So I’m in the market for a suitable laptop bag — one that may also accomodate transportation via bicycle. Well, here’s a list of features I’m looking for:

• very slim and compact
• padded shoulder strap
• messenger or backpack
• colorful (not black, preferably lime or orange)
• not dorky
• under $80

I found a couple that I didn’t immediately hate. There is a BuildNYC one that looks nice and compact, but perhaps too much.

Here’s a backpack sling that would be nice for traveling by bike and for freeing up arms for more important things like my huge handbag.

Belkin Laptop Sling in Chocolate/Tourmaline. Although I’d prefer the Dove/Tarragon they have for their messenger bag. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to offer that color combo for the sling. What is with the color naming anyway… “tarragon”? That just makes me hungry. My reservations about this bag is that it might be too bulky, the brown will likely clash with my wardrobe (i’m a girl, i worry about these things), and how dorky is a backpack, even if it is a “sling”. But it could be way more comfortable to carry considering the weight of the pro.

But I think I may go with the Brenthaven MetroLite (Green) instead. And as we all know, I have an affinity for green, particularly the limey/avacado shades. And I’ve had a Tucano Workout bag for my old macbook in orange, which I loved. It is nice and slim, cool color, and still fits the cables, a few cds, mouse, and notebook/folders quite well. But the weight of the pro worries me still.

Not quite sure what to do about heat, other than think about a laptop surface/pillow or some sort of elevated stand. How fun would this be?

This entry was posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Geek Out, Shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.