APPLE TABLET COMING NEXT YEAR?

For the amount of rumors we have heard about a possible Apple tablet computer, it would be impossible for this not to be true. As to when it will launch is something we are not sure of but if we are to believe news coming from AppleInsider today, Steve Jobs has finally gotten a prototype he is happy with and has given the go ahead to actually build the device.

More importantly we’re being told that it will be packing a 10-inch screen (rumored earlier), 3G and will be running on “the network.” Furthermore, we’re hearing that the purchase of P.A Semi is related to this device because it is running an in house chip instead of the Atom that was being pondered earlier.

So what do you think? Does it make sense or is it too far fetched? Let us know below.

APPLE MACBOOK PRO 17-INCH REVIEW

Macbook Pro 17-Inch Unibody

The Macbook Pro has long defined itself as the premier notebook in style features and performance. And while it has not been one of the cheapest notebooks, it still gets high praise for its keen adherence to design and performance.

Design & Performance

The design of the new Unibody MacBook Pro is one more of refinement then innovation.

For starters the system is now housed in a shell made from a single sheet of aluminum (hence the name unibody). According to Apple this allows the system to be more environmental friendly (a big issue with Apple these days) as well as providing easier access to parts and components.

The screen has now been embellished with a new edge to edge glass screen which results in significant glare in highly lit rooms. Ironically Apple offers an anti-glare option for a cool $50. (yeah we know). Clearly Apple is aiming this laptop at photographers and graphics designers as it touts the high color gamet of the screen (something regular users would not be interested in).

The keyboard has also been reworked and has been given the spaced click-it keyboard that has been in the MacBook 13-inch for years. We have noticed that while they look the same, the feel is above average for the MacBook Pro and feels a lot more refined.

The touch pad has also been reworked. In all the single button has been removed and instead has been replaced with a multi-touch pad that can accept one, two and four finger gestures. The whole thing has been turned into a giant click pad which does get some getting used to but is totally worth it.

You've probably heard about the integrated battery. This has been our major problem with the new system. Although it does perform nicely (and lasts for 1000 charges according to Apple) it still falls short for those who would be tempted to use this computer for more then six hours without charging it or an extended battery.

In terms of specs: the system can take up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM (equivalent to 16GB of DDR2), up to 500GB HDD and or 128GB SSD, NVIDIA integrated and discrete graphics as well as 3 USB ports Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n.

We just wish Apple would have given a little thought to putting a card reader into the thing and a Blu-Ray option.

Performance
Performance was a little disappointing to us. Mainly because we had tested the MacBook Pro 15-inch and was expecting a little more for $3400.

Although the system did not disappoint performance wise, it was not a great step up from the 15-inch model.

As we said before, this system is mainly intended for those who want a 15-inch system with a little more screen real estate.

The system was able to do basic tasks such as word processing and web surfing just as good as the MacBook but totally blew it away when it comes to graphic performance.

We'll just note that this is not a gaming system so if you're looking to play Crysis or COD4 you should probably look else ware. But it can handle most mid range games with decent graphics.

The SSD option really boosts hard drive performance and if you have the money its something you should invest in.



Conclusion
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro is a prize winner (just not in price), and if you have the dough you will not be disappointed. However we cannot justify the premium price for such a little upgrade over the 15-inch model. But if you want the best of the best, then this is your call.

APPLE LOGO MODDED WITH LCD SCREN

We thought it would be pretty cool to report this. Some dude over at macmod.com has done the unthinkable. Modifying the Apple Logo on his Black Macbook into a secondary display that even work via iSight.

The modification looks pretty cool and in the video demo you can see quite a few things moving across the tiny screen from animals to fire and abstract visualizations. While not the first hack on that famous Apple logo, this is one of the coolest we have seen in a while.

But enough of the chit-chat. Check out the video below or full hands on action of the modification in actual working order.

APPLE NETBOOK, EBOOK RUMORS REARS ITS BEAUTIFUL HEAD ONCE AGAIN

It's quite funny that no one ever seems to be able to know quite exactly what Apple is doing until a few weeks prior to the products release date. Ever since they clamped down on those few employees who were selling their ever so juicy secrets to the blog world, the place has been running quieter then the KGB.

But the rumor mills have once again started based on three separate reports (confirmed), that Apple is buying 10-inch screens from Taiwan. More interesting is the fact that some think its a netbook, some think its that ever so illusive tablet and yet others believe its an Ebook reader. At least that is what Andy Ihnatko from the Chicago Sun Times believes.

" There's something I keep hearing, and I don't think I'd rank it as high as a rumor, but it's an interesting story that I keep hearing, that for awhile, trucks loaded with books would arrive at a loading dock on the Apple campus, and offload big, big, big, big, huge loads of books, and then the trucks would leave empty. And Apple does not have a 100,000-book employee library there on the Apple campus. So one is prone to believe that they're doing something with these books, such as turning them into text for some purpose we can only guess at. There's been a long-standing rumor that Apple has been silently preparing to open a bookstore on the iTunes store, and they want to make sure that they have a very large stock of electronic titles when they do open."

So I thought I would give my own guess as to what exactly it is Apple has under wraps at the ever so secret Apple labs. From what I've been hearing I'm guessing its a UMPC. Come on people this is the perfect solution. It not only satisfies those who want a bigger screen on their iPod Touch but also the netbook and ebook reader masses

BALLMER RIPS APPLE ON $500 PREMIUM FOR "APPLE LOGO"

Emboldened by the news yesterday that Apple sales fell a full 16% last year, mainly due to the global financial crisis, Steve has a few words to say to said company.

According to Steve the "tide has turned" and people are not interested in paying an extra $500 for a notebook that does right about the same as a Window's laptop.

THE ORIGINAL APPLE LAPTOP?

The original Apple computer set waves through the world. And while the advancement of their laptop devision was not met with the wide spread success that the original desktop systems did, they were still an innovation in their own rite.

APPLE MACBOOK : THE PROBLEMS OF THE NEW GENERATION ARE PILING UP

Not only Sony shocked the notebook manufacturers on a regular basis with defective batteries. Nvidia is also preparing its mobile versions of the graphics card manufacturers and customers are a recurrent issue. Only in July this year the graphics specialist due to defective cards in numerous notebooks had to make repairs that cost around 200 million U.S. dollars . With the Geforce 9600M GT appears to be part of this disaster to be repeated.

Even with the Geforce 8600M GT, there were numerous problems for MacBooks and notebooks from other manufacturers . Also, the new Apple MacBook Pro with the Geforce 9600M GT,looks to have these errors. Nvidia promised roughly half a year, the quality of the chips to increase, which seemed to be done. The tiny solder pads on the chip, combines with the board, are reports of the "Inquirer" that of poor quality. To report a large number of buyers of new MacBook in Internet forums about permanent black screens; both from Nvidia and Apple,there is still no official comment.

APPLE EXPLAINS MACBOOK PRO 17-INCH BATTERY REPLACEMENT DETAILS

So you're in love with the MacBook Pro 17-inch but the only thing stopping both of you from holy matrimony is that little thing called the integrated battery. Well we've got some details on the whole integrated battery thing that should shed some light on it and help you make up your mind whether you are right for each other.

APPLE UPDATES $999 MACBOOK'S

Although you have to fork over $1300 for Apple's new entry level MacBook's you still have the option of getting last years model for $999. Only problem (until three days ago) was that it was a little underpowered.

But thanks to a recent update on the Apple Store, looks like Apple might be deciding to keep its sub $1000 notebook just a little while longer. The new updates to the system do not include a reworked design like the new MacBook's but you do get a lot of the hardware performance upgrades such as the new 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor that comes with 1066MHz frontend bus, 2GB DDR2-SDRAM (previously 1GB) and of course that integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card that Apple has been making such a stink about in recent months.

Other than that the specs stay the same with the exception of Bluetooth 2.1 which has been updated from the previous 2.0 mark. Anyone interested?

DELL XPS 13 AND 16 : APPLE COMPETITORS ?

Announcing the XPS 13 and Dell XPS 16,Dell now provides two new notebook models. The aim is to conceive more movie fans and casual players. Both models can be individually configured for personal needs.

These notebooks feature Intel Core 2 Duo processors. In the case of the XPS 16 are a total of five models to choose from - 2.0 to 2.8 GHz. With three processor models, the selection of XPS 13,is not quite big. Dell waives the smallest and the most powerful CPU. The clock rates start at 2.26 and end at 2.53 GHz. The manufacturer installed at least three gigabytes of DDR3 RAM,but if that's not enough, check out the notebook with up to four gigabytes of RAM.

The "13" and "16" when it comes to its design,they have already betrayed the biggest difference between the two Noteboooks. This is the screen size and resolution. With a 13.3-inch diagonal and a resolution of 1,280 x 800 resolution reminds the Dell XPS 13 with a little of Apple's MacBook, which is also this unusual screen sizes supported. The Dell XPS 16 belongs to the emerging class of notebooks with 16-inch monitor. By default, the TFT a resolution of 1,280 × 720 pixels. For a surcharge of 200 euros,there is also a Full HD screen available.

We just can wait and see if this two new Dell models can really be competitive to Apple notebooks.

APPLE 24" CINEMA DISPLAY REVIEW

I'm not exactly sure what is the big hype over the new cinema displays Apple has just let loose (oh I forgot they are Apple branded), but either way you're probably wondering if they are right for you (if you have deep pockets).

Well I would normally give you an entire review on the thing but seeing that Engadget has done the job for me I'll just point out some flaws and strong points.

Using the new displays myself I find them quite entertaining and useful. The LED back light is crisp and although it has a high gloss screen the back light takes out most of the glare in well lighted rooms. The only major problem is the inclusion of one port in the display.

The only port you get is a Mini DisplayPort port and if you want anything else you gotta be willing to spend $30 for an adapter for VGA, DVI or S-Video. Not only that but I find no options for HDMI. Come on Apple show a little love to high def. And last but not least no auxiliary port. Some how I'm not 100% sure it is worth the money but if you have the extra cash lying around, heck go for it.

READ FULL REVIEW

BLACKBERRY’S STORM IS APPLE IPHONE’S BIGGEST RIVAL YET

When Apple iPhone emerged on the mass market, everyone was on tenterhooks on just how this sleek new toy from Apple was going to beat the rest of the competition with its features, and of course, with its signature Apple software and firmware. Even before the release, people were going wild about the fact that Safari was bundled with this particular Smartphone.

iPhone supremacy

There’s no doubt about it- with features that make other phones look amateurish, iPhone is now the new industry leader, beating back the rest of the large companies with its unbeatable 3G capabilities. Nokia, Symbian and the other players in the Smartphone arena are all trying to get a slice of the fast expanding market.

But it seems that a literal Storm is fast coming on the horizon. Verizon’s own ball in the game is promising to deliver not just one more feature, but many, many improvements to what iPhone can already deliver.
Let’s put the Storm to the test

One of Blackberry’s Storm’s most noticeable feature is the touch screen technology that Verizon integrated into the new phone, to contrast heavily with the ultra responsive screen of the iPhone.

The main difference is that you have to actually press on the screen to make an input. So let’s try to apply this to an ordinary situation with the Storm. Say you’re a professional and you want to create a document with Microsoft Word. You start typing, but you notice that you have to type the same way that you type with a laptop to get anything done.

This feature can be disorienting for former iPhone users, while some simply loved the technology, because you actually have to do something aside from touching the screen.

For professionals, the keyboard is absolutely vital in getting anything done. One of the problems of the predecessors of the iPhone and the Storm is that the QWERTY orientation of the keyboard was almost shoddily done, and you commit the same mistakes with keyboard over and over again. Because let’s face it: our fingers are not one centimeter across.

Images, videos and the Web

Just how efficient is the Storm in handling three of the usual activities of a multimedia phone user? For those who don’t know yet, Verizon’s Storm has higher resolution than Apple’s iPhone. The margin is close, but relevant enough to be felt: 3.2 megapixels of pure picture grabbing fun.

The Storm is video-capable, hurray! This was one particularly disappointing lack with the Apple iPhone, because everyone was expecting to shoot a few party videos with that 8 or 16 gigabyte storage space. But alas, to no avail. Maybe next time Apple would be kinder and install video capabilities as well.

As for the experiencing in accessing the Web, let it be known that the Storm also has full HTML support and allows you to view the website as they would look in any ordinary PC or notebook.

Unfortunately, Verizon’s new golden boy cannot connect via Wi-Fi. Disappointing and utterly saddening, but nonetheless, we can still play around with the other features while Verizon finally realizes this missing piece and puts it in, in the next installations of the Storm.

PICKING THE STORM OVER THE APPLE IPHONE

The Smartphone phenomenon has just begun, says enthusiastic mobile technology commentators, as the largest multinational companies unfurl their deadly Smartphone arsenal, battling with each other for market supremacy.

Apple’s entry into the Smartphone arena has just made things much more complicated for the “silent” giants, many of whom appear to have been caught off guard. When the glass surface of the Apple iPhone caught the first rays of sunlight, a new cult of Smartphone users simply loved the interface, and of course, the concept of having a phone and a computer at the same time.

Verizon, the company responsible for the Blackberry craze late in the nineties, was quick to respond to the Apple iPhone threat- The Storm was born to combat Apple’s own Smartphone.

Verizon stirs up The Storm

One of the basic features of Blackberry’s The Storm is the stereo Bluetooth; surprisingly, for all the “value added” features of the Apply iPhone, the stereo Bluetooth is missing. What gives, Apple?

Another strangeness about the Apple iPhone is the power source for the Smartphone; how come the battery doesn’t come off as easily as other mobile phones or even laptops? This might be fine if the Apple iPhone’s battery lasts as long as the Energizer bunny, but it doesn’t.

Going to a service center to have it replaced is just too much of a hassle to count as a good thing. Again, what gives, Apple? How come The Storm has an easily removable battery, for easy battery swapping when one battery fizzles out of action?

Space counts

Now, we’re not really into large memory for Smartphones, but nonetheless, the Apple iPhone is limited to 16 gigabytes of storage space. And that is already fixed, presently. The Storm has worked around this difficulty by accepting memory cards up to the same amount of memory, which gives this particular Smartphone an edge.

Do you see it now? If you can use 16 gigabyte memory cards for The Storm, you can buy two or five or ten of these memory cards thereby making your Smartphone infinitely flexible when it comes to storage.

Let’s look at photo and video options for both the phones. The Apple iPhone is limited to 2 megapixels (much like the SE K750i) and cannot be used to take videos. To the horror of many who have been used to shooting with their camera phones, the iPhone has no video recording features at all, compared to The Storm, which can, while sporting a sufficient 3.2 megapixels.

The question of multitasking

For those who are sore for the iPhone’s incapacity to become a mobile modem, AT&T says that it’s coming very, very soon. Though if you want the wireless capability now, Blackberry’s Storm already has the feature.

And finally, devices that run with Microsoft’s very own Windows Mobile are providing quite a wonderful time to users with expanded multitasking capacities. It’s never fun to close other programs when you want them running- which is the biggest challenge to Apple yet. What will you do with an iPhone that has so many applications, but you have to turn off one to get to the other?

APPLE MACBOOK LATE 2008 MODEL REVIEW

Mac stuns a new package – 1500$ Mac in the stores

Whether you're a college student or a graphic artist Apple just wrapped the most attractive item to your holiday wish list: the new Mac Book. Armed with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVidia 9400M graphics accelerator, an elective 128GB solid state drive (SSD), and a fashionable yet hard design.

Design
The new-fangled "uni-body" edifice of the Mac Book for late 2008 provides this MacBook one of the most remarkably built 13-inch laptops we've witnessed in recent memory. When you wrap this laptop up it experiences like you're holding a rock-hard piece of metal. In a manner of talking, you are. The uni-body framework is milled from a rock-solid block of aluminum, making the Mac Book one of the most hard-wearing 13-inch laptops you can procure for less than $2,000.

Performance
The MacBook has sensible presentation based on the power maestro of, 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 processor. The P7350 isn't nearly all inspiring Core 2 Duo processor in the Intel array, but it certainly executes much better than the processors utilized in the Apple Mac Book Air. The X-Bench benchmarks designate that the fresh MacBook is a concrete update in Apple's existing lineup. As you'll witness during the benchmark charts, the MacBook has a rock-solid presentation boost over previous cohort Mac Books. The set up into Leopard is pretty fast, and it's apparent that Apple didn't have to forfeit processor velocity in order to transport this thin uni-body notebook to consumers. The NVidia Geforce 9400M graphics accelerator should supply sufficient act for most games and won't have any difficulty with high-definition video harvest to an external monitor. That alleged, this isn't a gaming laptop and won't shatter any records with existing 3D games.

Overall
On the whole, if you necessitate a Mac notebook for less than $1,500 then the new-fangled MacBook provides a good alternative However, if you're just seeking for a high-presentation, portable laptop with rugged construct superiority I propose you deem an HP Elite Book 2530p ... which retails for just a little further than the Mac Book but is a far advanced laptop.

Pros
+ Efficient design
+ Breezy touchpad
+ Durable build superiority
+ So calm it appears like it has fan less cooling
+ It's a Mac

Cons
- No Fire wire ports
- No customary video out ports

Value For Money

Our Rating

APPLE 3G – WITNESSES IT 1ST CALL BACKS

The defective and potentially dangerous USB power adapter was packaged with each iPhone 3G sold in US, Japan, Canada, Mexico and quite a lot of other Latin American countries. Apple has revealed the Apple Ultra compact USB Power Adapter swap over program for iPhone 3G sold in select countries. Rumor has it that, the adapter's metal prongs can break- off and hang about in a power outlet, creating jeopardy of electric fright. There were even a few reports of cut off blades involving an extremely small percentage of the adapters sold. So, Apple has of their own free will resolute to swap over the ultra-compact power adapter for a novel (and prefabricated adapter) for no additional charge.

APPLE SELLS THE MOST

Exciting as the 20 per cent market share marker is - for a group that's so often observed as a destined insignificance - it's not the finest one. That figure wraps Apple's split of the market as calculated by the amount of boxes transferred. Look at the proceeds acquired as a substitute, and Apple's market share leaps to 35 per cent. This happens at a time when notebook computers have never been looked out as cheaper. It not only justifies Apple's line of attack of first-rate pricing but also recommends that the company has certainly profited from a repercussion against Windows Vista.

DELL AIMING THE APPLE MARKS

Dell is eager to generate an open setting that will thump iTunes down a few notches. Dell, now having taken over Zing, is aspiring to obtain iTunes on cranium first. With Zing came previous Apple employee Tim Bucher, who has assembled a team of 120 to generate a system for many dissimilar gadgets - mp3 players, radios, cell phones, and PDAs, to name a few. The arrangement, they expect, will sketch in all the chief players in the marketplace and present an unfasten space where users can be gratis with the substance they purchase. The software is anticipated to initiate by the end of the year, while the 1st players won't come around until some time the preceding year.

MACBOOK - NO LONGER THE COSTLIEST FROM APPLE

1.8GHz MacBook Air with 64GB solid state drive will no longer set you flipside by $3,098 as it happened all this while before this silent update from Apple. In the early hours this month, Apple gently slashed pricing of the SSD planted MacBook Air by $500. Formerly, the 1.8GHz Mac Book Air variant with 64GB SSD was tagged at $3,098. With this cost update, it's now downhill to a "controllable" $2,598. Freshly, OCZ revealed their new-fangled lineup of SSDs which are astoundingly very reasonably priced with the 64GB variant tagged at a mere $259. Regrettably, there are no price cuts on the entry-level MacBook Air with 80GB conventional hard drive spinning at 4,200 RPM. It sports to trade at $1,799. And, would you deem it, this price fall also spells that MacBook Air is no longer the costliest laptop from Apple.

APPLE TOPS THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT AVAILABILITY RANKS

Computers are one of the mainly trouble-prone inventions, the sources Report tracks in its yearly merchandise dependability surveys. When it boiled up to solving issues, hang around time on the phone and the awareness of support staff, Apple’s technical support team achieved elevated scores transversely the board for both notebook and desktop systems in the magazines most recent assessment featured in the June copy. Other producers that stood out in the annual assessment were Lenovo, which was exceptional at problem-solving for notebooks, and Dell, which was exceedingly above average in this region for both desktops and notebooks. The annual reports also revealed the most inferior support was offered by HP and Compaq.

APPLE IS ALL SET TO USE BLU’S IN THE FUTURE NOTEBOOKS

Apple predicts to utilize LED hind light units commonly known as BLU’s in all of its Mac Books in the year 2009, which will profit Taiwan-based BLU producer Kenmos Technology, in accordance to the sources. Kenmos was initially Apple's main supplier for LED BLUs in the year 2007, according to the news sources. Market researchers approximate that Kenmos Technology's overall shipments could accomplish an overall of 1.5 million units this year, up by almost five times when compared to 2007, for a universal market share of 9%, as declared by sources. LED BLU’s will have a say in more than NT$2 billion (US$66 million) when compared to Kenmos' revenues this fiscal, noted the sources.