I’ve been using the same Logitech wireless keyboard for a good 6 or 7 years now. While I’m sure it would easily last a few more years, I decided to replace it because I’m convinced there’s a complete self-sustaining biosphere lurking beneath the keys. So for the past few weeks I’ve been checking out keyboards here and there, but I kept coming back to the latest version from Apple, seen here at my local Apple Store. Now I’m a Windows guy, and intend to use the keyboard under XP and Vista, but I’ll gladly admit that Apple have become masters of product design. They’re pretty good at marketing too, but have a bad habit of letting their campaigns run a lot longer than they should.
Not surprisingly, the people at the Apple Store were as useless when it came to answering my questions as any other retail employee, but thankfully the keyboard works nearly flawlessly under XP. I’ll have to make a few registry changes to get my printscreen button back, but other than that I’m really liking the new keyboard. It’s exactly like typing on a laptop, which I know some people don’t like, but I have no problem with it. The position of the CTRL and ALT keys are swapped compared to my old Logitech keyboard, but I’m sure the muscle memory in my hands will soon adjust. In fact the only real complaint I have was when I tried to plug my Wacom into one of the keyboard’s USB ports and found that it didn’t supply enough power for the tablet to work properly. Unfortunate, but far from a deal breaker.
The difference between these renderings and every other iPhone 2.0 photochop is that these are based on a patent filled by Apple for a “dual sided trackpad.” What is a “dual sided trackpad” and why do some people think it might be included in the next (or some future) incarnation of the iPhone? Well, take a look at the actual patent:
So, in addition to a touch sensitive surface on the phone, the transparent clamshell flip-out screen is also a touch sensitive surface, on both sides. That gives the user three touchpads to play around with, depending on what the phone is being used for. The clamshell design allows the entire phone to be shrunk without sacrificing any functionality, although you will loose some screen space. Perfect for an iPhone Nano, perhaps? Your guess is as good as mine, but whatever this technology ends up it, it’s probably going to be something cool, and we may see it fairly soon, as the patent was filed in September of 2006, while the patent for the original iPhone was filed only four months earlier. ‘Course, that may not mean anything, but feel free to get excited anyway.
Later this month I’m going to do something that I haven’t done in a good five years. I’m going to buy a Mac. My last Mac and I were torn from each other quite some time ago, and I’ve been using PCs ever since. I’ve saved up my hard-earned cash and I’ll be picking up a shiny new iMac towards the end of the month. As a hardcore geek I’ve pondered the idea of taking it with me on various occasions, as there’s really not much to it. The only problem is that I haven’t seen a decent solution for safely transporting an iMac. That is until I saw the iMcruzer from Pelican.
This case is one of the toughest-looking that I’ve ever seen, and for good reason. If I’m going to drop that much money on a 24-inch iMac, I’m going to want it kept safe and sound. The case is touted as indestructible, and will hold even the largest iMac with keyboard and mouse. It has plenty of foam padding to prevent shock damage and is both watertight and airtight.
While it’s tempting to think that I could take my (soon-to-be) beloved iMac anywhere I go, the bulk of this is something of a turnoff. That’s really no fault of Pelican’s, as the iMac itself is quite large. You’re also going to have to pony up $495, which is a bit tough to swallow after paying the hefty price for the computer.
I was rather disappointed when I heard about Apple’s big new laptop, the Air. Honestly it just had too few features for an outrageous price. Sure, it was tiny, but that’s one of the few things that it had going for it, and certainly not worth the asking price in my opinion. However, one feature that I found interesting was the multitouch trackpad. Thankfully that feature is no longer exclusive to the Air.
Apple announced the release of new MacBook and MacBook Pro models. The MacBooks simply received a processor refresh, memory increases and hard drive upgrades. The Pro models got much of the same, though they also made the GeForce 8600GT available with up to 512MB, up from 256MB. The big news, however, is that all MacBook Pros will have the same multitouch trackpad featured in the Air. If you’ve been holding off on a new Apple notebook, now is probably your best time to get in on one.
Ok guys, listen up. Valentine’s Day is coming up, and let me remind you that in addition to Christmas and your anniversary, you don’t want to screw it up. Yes, I’m fully aware that this particular holiday was designed by the greeting card and jewelry industries in order to sell more merchandise. Unfortunately your wife/fiance/girlfriend isn’t going to buy it (she didn’t last year, why would this year be any different?). Thankfully, Apple has your back, and they’ve got the perfect gift.
Let me rephrase that, they have the perfect gift if the special woman in your life loves pink. The too-pink-for-my-taste product that they’ve launched in time for Valentine’s Day is none other than the iPod nano. You’ll be able to order it in pink, and engrave it with a wonderful message just for your sweetheart. Like the other 8GB nanos (yes, it only comes in 8GB, so cough up the extra $50), it’ll set you back $199. Remember, nothing says “I love you” like technology.
I’m hard on my gadgets, not because I find myself scaling mountains or trekking through the rain forest with them, but rather because I’m just plain clumsy. There are few devices that I’ve been able to carry around worry-free, one of which was a Panasonic Toughbook. Now that’s a notebook that can take a beating. Others such as an Apple MacBook aren’t going to hold up so well to being smashed, hit and dropped. That’s why, if you’re as clumsy as I am, you might want to look at a Rhino Skin Aluminum Case for your MacBook.
There’s really not much to these cases, they’re designed to fit your MacBook quite snuggly, so there’s not any room for your accessories, (or your power cord for that matter) so you’ll need to cram everything into the small pouch along the shoulder strap. I do enjoy the simplistic design and the fact that you can use your notebook without even taking it out of the case. The Rhino Skin case will set you back $129 to $149 depending on which MacBook you have.
If you’ve been paying careful attention to the world of tech news, then you may have caught the quiet launch of Apple’s latest addition to the MacBook line dubbed the Air. So maybe quiet isn’t exactly the best word to use when talking about any product launch from Apple, but I digress. One of the issues that I noticed right off the bat was that much like Apple’s iPods and iPhones, you can’t actually replace the battery yourself. This is a major turnoff for most mobile users.
So what is it going to take to get yourself a spanking-new battery when your old one stops holding a decent charge? The magic number is $129 and the best part is that Apple is more than happy to install it for you for free. That’s about on-par with other notebook batteries, so I think most people will be more or less pleased with the cost.
A vid of most of the first Macbook Air presentation, plus more pics of the new Macbook Air; specs are reposted at the bottom:
Macbook Air: “World’s thinnest notebook.” 0.16 inches to 0.76 inches thick, 13.3 inch LED backlit widescreen display with iSight camera. 3.0 pounds. Fullsize keyboard. “Thinner than the thinnest part of a Sony Vaio TZ.” Multi-touch trackpad. 1.8″ HD (same as iPod) in either 80gb or 64gb SSD. 1.6 Ghz or 1.8 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, chips are “thick as a nickle, wide as a dime.” One USB port. Micro DVI out, audio out, no ethernet jack. Wireless N, Bluetooth. No optical drive (external $99). 2gb ram standard. 5 hour battery. Flame retardant circuit boards and made with some eco-friendly/recycled components, including recyclable aluminum case. $1799 in base config; ff you want the SSD and fast chip, $3098 (!). Pre-ordering today, ships in 2 weeks.
1. StealGet inspired by the iPod nano’s look.
2. Shove a 2MP camera on the back.
3. Profit!
That’s the kind of ballsy capitalist innovation we like to see, and we’re certain that BTL International is going to ride its creative streak to fame and fortune in no time. Heck, their M2406 even has a couple specs that we wouldn’t mind seeing in the original:
It can play AVI videos, and MP3, WMA, WMV and WAV audio files. It has a 2.4-inch TFT screen (220×176 pixels, 262,000 colors), a built-in speaker and six EQ settings. Internal memory ranges from 128MB to 4GB, all flash, and can be supplemented with miniSD cards.
Of course, by now you’ve probably realized this company is based in China (official Home Of The Knockoff), and that we’re not entirely sure how to get shipment on this, nor how much we’d expect to pay for one. Still, the device is out there somewhere.
File this under the rumor section, but there’s a very good chance Apple will announce their smallest notebook ever at MacWorld, in January 2008. The rumors are so strong, a price tag is even being tossed around: $1,500.
CNBC show host Jim Goldman has said in a financial TV report broadcast today and observed by AppleInsider. The presenter refers to alleged sources close to Apple’s manufacturing plants in southeast Asia who have seen the 12-inch notebook and appear to confirm earlier details of the computer, which include a design half as thin as today’s systems and the use of slimmer, more efficient flash memory for storage.
No shipping date is suggested, though production has already begun, which could mean availability as soon as it’s announced. Our own Evan is likely to attend MacWorld, so tune in during that week to get first hand reporting on this.
Related Tags: Apple, Hardware, mobile-posts
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By David Ponce
By David Ponce
