Still disappointed with your Titanium PowerBook’s AirPort reception? QuickerTek Inc. has announced a pair of new antennas that it says will boost wireless connectivity by up to 50 percent. The Ti Whip and Ti Antenna are now available.
Both devices connect to antenna plug found on AirPort cards, replacing the internal AirPort antenna connection. Threaded through the PC card slot (and thus blocking use of the slot for other purposes), the wire connects to the Ti Whip — an antenna that is attached to the top half of the PowerBook case by velcro, or the Ti Antenna, which sits in the PC card slot opening itself.
Both the Ti Whip and the Ti Antenna are compatible with all Titanium-clad PowerBook G4s as well as PowerBook G3s — “Pismo” bronze keyboard-clad models equipped with FireWire. The Ti Antenna measures the width of the PC card slot and extends less than half an inch beyond the opening of the slot. QuickerTek’s target for the Ti Antenna includes laptop users who primarily depend on their PowerBooks as desktop computer replacements. The Ti Whip, meanwhile, is a taller antenna that can be re-oriented to optimize reception.
Both antennas are compatible with Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.x and require no software installation or drivers, although QuickerTek includes a CD with software on it for convenience.
The Ti Whip costs US$79.95; the Ti Antenna costs $39.95. More details are available from QuickerTek’s Web site.