<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr.G.:
PB, specifically, what are the advantages of the 800 vs the 400 Firewire port other than speed? What current devices might be utilized to take advantage of this speed? As well, what might be a use of the the "audio in" function?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
For now, there is no real benefit to the FW800 Port as there are no FW800 devices to take advantage of the increased speed. The main advantage it offers right now is because it is backwards compatible (with a little pin adapter) to FW400, the 17" PowerBook has 2 FireWire ports instead of just one.
The FW800 ports are more of a forwad thinking feature at the moment, just as the FireWire port was when they first added it to the lineup.
The Audio Line in is just what it sounds like, a Line Level (as opposed to Mic Level) audio input jack. Most self respecting audiophiles wont buy a computer without one. It allows you to record Audio, in real time, from external sources such as a stereo, MiniDisk Player, SoundBoard, etc.
--PB