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All posts tagged "laptops"


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Manfrotto Unica VII Messenger Bag ~ Near Perfect Camera Bag

Posted by Stacie Huckeba in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:17 PM

Product Category: Camera Bag
Manufacturer: Manfrotto
Where to Buy: Best Buy, Amazon
Price: $50 - $99 USD
Holds: DSLR with lens attached as well as 1 to 2 other lenses, 17" Macbook (15.4" laptop) and personal effects.
Specifications: Product Height 12.2", Product Width 7.5", Product Depth18.9",Product Weight 2.2 lbs.

Pros:

  • Lightweight;
  • Cost Effective;
  • Lots of Storage Space.

Cons:

  • Shoulder Pad is not Comfortable;
  • No Regular Tripod Attachment;
  • No Easy Access Side Pockets.

Summary: The Manfrotto Unica VII Messenger Bag is a great camera bag for photographers on the go or who travel frequently. It is stylish and has an easy access top zipper that lets you get to all your gear in a hurry. That same zipper makes it easy to grab your laptop out for airport security checkpoints and, yes, the whole bag is carry-on friendly for both domestic and international flights.

The ability to carry a pro body with a battery pack attached and a 17 inch laptop along with other lenses and equipment without weighing a ton or requiring you to stop and find a place to sit your bag down in order to access your equipment is a lifesaver. The messenger bag style makes it easy to carry around all day and doesn't scream "I have an expensive camera in here!". The price point on this can't be beat - at $50 - $100, it easily compares to bags twice the price. Read more...


Monday, May 9, 2011

The LapDawg X4: A New Breed You Can Cuddle With

Posted by Eric Juillerat in "Laptop Thoughts Accessories" @ 09:00 AM

When life's circumstances breed new technology, great things happen. The LapDawg X4 is a good example. If you use your laptop to get your email in bed, browse the Internet from the chaise longe, or work in non-office environments, the LapDawg X4 is for you! Or, if you are just looking for the ultimate in ergonomic adaptability, you need to read on. Read more...


Friday, May 6, 2011

Is Apple Dropping Intel for ARM?

Posted by Joe Johaneman in "Apple Talk" @ 09:00 AM

http://semiaccurate.com/2011/05/05/...m-laptop-lines/

"The short story is that Apple is moving the laptop line, and presumably desktops too, to ARM based chips as soon as possible. With A15/Eagle allowing more than 32-bit memory access, things look up, but it seems silly to do so before the full 64 bit cores come in the following generation. Nvidia is directly telling certain favored analysts that they will have Denver out in Q4 of 2012, maybe Q1/2013, and that uses the full on 64-bit ARM instruction set. It won't be out by then, but that gives you a good estimation of when that ISA will break cover from one vendor or other. Think mid-2013."

Macbook Air

We generally don't report on rumors here, especially when all of those rumors point to the same article as a source. However, this one was a little too interesting to resist. For one thing, it makes sense for Apple to have all of their devices running on the same architecture. ARM processors are lower power than Intel processors, which would make for longer battery life, especially on laptops with SSD's, and Apple certainly loves to tout their battery life figures. This would be a real pain for developers though, as they would need both Intel machines and ARM machines to target and deploy their apps, though at least they'd be using the same code; they'd just need to compile twice. It would probably also bring the return of Universal Binaries, which have been pretty much eliminated now that PPC processors haven't been used in Apple computers for years. I don't believe that desktops would be affected. ARM processors, at least at this point in time, don't have the power necessary to replace Intel chips in the iMac and Mac Pro lines. And I'd like to state again that this is all conjecture at this point. Until Apple makes an announcement, and they probably won't until it actually happens, we can only guess, and 2013 is still a long way off. What do you think? Does this make sense for Apple?


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Everki Track Laptop Messenger Bag

Posted by Chris Baxter in "Laptop Thoughts Accessories" @ 09:00 AM

Product Category: Laptop Bag
Manufacturer: Everki
Where to Buy: Amazon (affiliate link)
Price: $59.99
Specifications: Length: 16.54 in., Width: 7.09 in., Height: 12.99 in., Weight 1.98 lbs.

Pros:

  • Handy compartment designed for Apple iPad or any other similar sized tablet computer;
  • Lots of additional compartments to store other electronics, including power cords;
  • Small enough in size to take anywhere, yet can hold a lot more equipment than you would think.
Cons:
  • Clasps on front flap are difficult to manage while on the move;
  • The bag only accommodates up to a 15.6" laptop.

Summary: The Everki Track Laptop Messenger Bag, is a bag with a twist. It comes with a compartment especially designed to carry an Apple iPad. Given the wildly popular reception the iPad has received since its debut, there have been a lot of products designed to carry and protect it, but this is the first time I have seen a solution designed into a laptop bag, and that makes it rather unique. While some people might argue that the whole reason they bought an iPad was to ditch their laptop, for other people, myself included, that just isn't realistic. As handy as my iPad is, there are just some things that are done more efficiently with a laptop. So how do I easily carry both? Everki attempts to answer that question with their Track Laptop Bag. Just how successful are they? Let's see!

Read more...


Monday, November 29, 2010

Projections Show Apple Laptop Sales Will Be Higher Than Ever

Posted by Joe Johaneman in "Apple Laptops" @ 08:00 AM

http://www.9to5mac.com/37764/are-th...k-at-this-chart

"A survey done by Changewave shows that after the release of the new MacBook Airs, consumer buying forecasts for MacBook/Air/Pros exploded to 36%, the highest they've ever seen."

I'm assuming that many of these projected purchases are going to be holiday gifts. Still, this is a good indicator that Apple's strategy of bringing people into the Apple experience through the iPhone and iPad is working. Are you planning on buying an Apple laptop this year?

Tags: hardware, laptops

Monday, November 15, 2010

MacBook Air: Best Laptop Ever!?

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Other Laptops & Netbooks" @ 04:30 PM

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2010/1...-ive-ever-used/

"I picked up a new MacBook Air a few days after it was first introduced and have been using it as my primary mobile computer since then. If you want to skip reading a long block of text, I'll get to the point. The new MacBook Air is the best laptop I've ever purchased or used."

Can't really say that I disagree here. My experiences with my smaller (11.6-inch, 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD) MacBook Air are pretty similar. Astoundingly easy to carry around, although I don't think I'd get as extreme as the author - I don't want to carry it in a jacket pocket. Powerful? I've done some admittedly non-scientific performance tests against my new MacBook Pro with a Core i7 processor: simultaneously installing MS Office 2011 for the Mac, the MBA finished far ahead of the MUCH faster processor-equipped (but standard hard drive equipped) MBP. Of course, your mileage may vary. I expect that it'll be a great travel companion as well, but I haven't had a chance yet to test it out on an airplane tray table. Despite all the gnashing of teeth when the (only) 64GB SSD is mentioned, after installing everything that I need for (business) travel, I still have 40GB free. Even throwing on a movie or two and some music will not tax storage capacity. Coming from the days of floppy-only laptops, I find it a (fun) challenge to manage storage. This may not be everyone's best laptop ever, but it is for me! So far ...


Monday, January 25, 2010

A "Book" Cover for Your MacBook

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.macworld.com/article/145...ss_products_mac

"Ever wish your MacBook was a little more, well, bookish? If so, you're in luck! The folks at Twelve South are putting the 'book' in 'MacBook' with the aptly named BookBook case."

At $79.95 USD for the 13-inch MacBook, it is a bit bulky for my tastes. But if you want a novelty cover that is unique, perhaps is what you are looking for. It doesn't really appeal to me, but to each his own. 


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Need a Fancy Sleeve for Your MacBook?

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.cultofmac.com/high-end-m...w+(Cult+of+Mac)

"I've never paid much attention to laptop sleeves, but as they get fancier and fancier, they are becoming perhaps the most popular MacBook accessory out there. At least, that's according to one high-end sleeve and case maker from Australia."

These are definitely nice cases/sleeves, and they should be for what they charge, starting at $99.95 USD and going up from there. They have quite the collection on their website, including some phone cases. If I were in the business of meeting clients, etc and wanted to make an impression, I might consider something like this.


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

You MacBook Price is Relative

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/01/11/macb...ound-the-world/

"While researching MacBook Pros, the folks at cmyplay produced an infographic charting the relative prices of MacBook Pros around the world. The variation is amazing."

I know the graphic is pretty large, but it sure shows the disparity in pricing depending on where you buy. Hong Kong is the cheapest, followed by the US and then up from there (of course exchange rates at the time of this article may have changed altering some of these prices but you get the idea). Brazil is the highest priced but as they say in the article, there are other factors such as import duties and sales taxes at play more so here than anywhere else that Apple sells their products. It is an eye-opening comparison though isn't it?


Friday, December 18, 2009

XO Skins For All of Your Coverage Needs

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone & iPod Touch" @ 12:30 PM

Figure 1: First impressions? Nice packaging!

I've used several protective covers for my various iPhones since my first one back in 2007, so I'd say I have quite a bit of experience with them. Last week I was sent one to try out on my iPhone 3GS from XO Skins and I was pleasantly surprised by a few things. Just what exactly you may ask? Read on!.

Read more...


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Replace That Glossy Screen

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/12/swap...play-for-matte/

"Users have a love/hate relationship with Apple's glossy displays. Namely, they either love them or they hate them. I haven't used one myself, as I'll be hanging on to my original MacBook Pro until it ceases to work."

I guess I'm in the "love" side of the love/hate angle. I've never had a problem with the glossy screen on my MBP or my MBA, but I don't usually use them outside or where there are bright lights. If I did and it bothered me, this is one option to fix it. So if you have a a 13" MacBook Pro and want the matte screen, TechRestore will do it for $200.00 USD. They promise a 24 hour turnaround but you don't get your old screen back.


Monday, July 13, 2009

Relief Is On The Way For Glossy Hatas

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Laptops" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.radtech.us/Products/Clea...l-Displays.aspx

"ClearCal AG (anti-glare) films greatly improve the viewability of glossy glass displays when used in brightly lit or outdoor environments. ClearCal films combine a tempered 2-mil matte finished, anti-reflection layer, permanently laminated to a 3-mil flexible transparent base. A blemish-healing siliconized adhesive provides an optically-correct, yet easily removable bond that conceals existing surface defects like abrasions and scratches. The siliconized adhesive is permanently bonded to the base layer and will never leave any residue behind if later removed."

Well there you have it. If you're one of those folks who just can't live with the glossy display, this might be your solution. I think I may pick one up just to see if it does what it says it does, but it does work in the marketing materials and we know that that always translates into real-world experience.


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

MS Bulks Up With Sturdy New Laptop Hunters Ad

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Laptops" @ 11:00 AM

"With a $700 budget, Matt and Olivia find their perfect laptop a large screen HP dv7 with great battery life. Great for sharing pictures of their son Jayden with friends and family."

Wow, it sure does look sturdy, doesn't it?

Best Buy doesn't have any $700 DV7's on their site, so it's hard to tell if they got what they actually wanted, but the $589 model has a super-impressive battery life of 2 hours 30 minutes.

Do any of the laptop hunters actually say, "I want this" and actually get it?


Monday, June 29, 2009

2009 MacBook Air Slower Than 2008 Version

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.9to5mac.com/macbook-air-slower

"Ouch. Those numbers below have to hurt if you are in the market for a new high end MacBook Air. Macworld tested the new machines and found the high end 2.13GHz MacBook Air didn't perform as well as the previous high end 1.86Ghz machine with the same 128GB SSD. In fact, to them, it was noticably slower."

Makes me wonder, since I'm thinking of getting another MacBook, if the 13 inch MacBook Pro isn't the way to go. It is only about 1.5 pounds heaver with bigger hard drive and faster processor, as well as built in superdrive. I've done some weight comparisons (very non-science, lifting one then the other) in the Apple Store, and the difference wasn't all that much. But I sure like the thin factor of the Air. What would you buy if you were in the market for a laptop and having a built in superdrive wasn't a deciding factor?


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Apple Has Greenest Notebook Line Overall

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Laptops" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...eenest_overall/

"Following an investigation of a complaint by Dell, NAD, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, said Apple was “unique” in having chosen only to produce laptops that meet the highest EPEAT environmental standards. “While other manufacturers may have subcategories of lines with similar ratings, none has comparable high ratings for all of the notebooks it produces,” NAD said. However Apple was asked to remove the the reference to “world’s greenest” given the potential for overstatement. NAD noted that some individual Toshiba Portage notebooks have a higher EPEAT rating than MacBooks."

Interesting distinction. There are individual laptops that are as green or greener, but not an entire line that's as green as the MacBooks. Fair enough. Frankly, I think this whole rush to get green thing is a bit annoying already, but there are obviously people who make their buying decisions based on the color of their environmental impact (not to mention idiots like GreenPeace who won't shut up).

Frankly, I don't buy computers based on their environmental footprint, but that's me.


Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Apple Revamps Laptop Lineup, Along With Prices

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 10:10 AM

http://smokingapples.com/hardware/a...fe-lower-price/

"Phil Schiller kicked off today's keynote with a light update to the MacBook Pro family. All the models now include the new lithium polymer battery introduced with the 17 inch MacBook Pro earlier this year. They also have an SD-card slot in exchange for the Expresscard slot, a weird move by Apple. The Expresscard slot remains only on the 17-inch MacBook Pro. And lastly, the 13-inch MacBooks now have a Firewire 800 slot, officially making them part of the MacBook Pro family."

So there you have it, no netbook but they sure made improvements in specifications as well as pricing. The unibody MacBook is turned into a MacBook pro with the addition of the FireWire 800 port, and they drop the price down to $1,199.00 USD. The only MacBook you can purchase now is the white one, which is probably the best value of all the laptops when you compare performance. The big change is the sealed battery unit in all of them, giving the battery life a boost to 7 hours, but you lose the ability to swap out your batteries or replace them without going to an Apple Genius. Apple feels the trade off in the battery life increase is worth it, what do you think? Read more...


Thursday, June 4, 2009

White MacBooks Outspeed Aluminum Ones

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Laptops" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.macworld.com/article/140...benchmarks.html

"The latest entry-level MacBook rolled out by Apple a week ago offers more than just an improvement on the white laptop it replaces in Apple's notebook line. According to Macworld Lab tests, this new system outperforms the 2GHz aluminum unibody MacBook that costs $300 more."

That's pretty insane, if you ask me, although understandable. The Aluminum models haven't gotten a spec bump since they came out while the Whitebook just got one. Newer usually means faster. Yet again this proves what most of us have been saying and already know: the Whitebook is a great value, a good workhorse, and a powerful machine.

Chew on that, laptop hunters.


Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Apple Updates White MacBook

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Laptops" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/27/whit...quietly-bumped/

"Apple released a stealth upgrade of the entry-level MacBook this morning. The white MacBook, still priced at $999USD, now has a 160GB hard drive, a 2.13GHz processor and a slight increase in RAM speed -- 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM."

The MacBook White is still a solid deal for anyone in the market for a new laptop and is quite the capable little machine. Apple may not compete in the low end, but when it comes to the mid range, the White is still a solid performer. At $999 it would probably satisfy a good majority of the needs of the people who need a new laptop.


Thursday, May 7, 2009

Cooling Stick For Your Macbook

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Laptops" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.appletell.com/apple/comm...es-cooling-bar/

"Brushed aluminum and black accents...it screams Apple design. What is it? It's Just Mobile's answer to the heat issues many of you may be experiencing with your MacBook. But is it just a bar of aluminum, or is it something more? Fortunately, it's something more. Yes indeed, you can use it as a weapon when needed. Seriously, this thing is a solid bar of aluminum. You could really mess someone up with this thing, not that you find yourself in that sort of situation all the time...or do you?"

This looks like a pretty slick device in case your Macbook gets hot, very Apple-like. It has rubber spacers so you don't scratch your Macbook, along with a slot for your power cord. At $40.00 USD or so, it is a bit spendy for a piece of metal, but it sure looks good doing what it does, and isn't that all that really matters?


Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Consumer Reports Does Some Laptop Hunting, Too: Likes Apple Most

Posted by Vincent Ferrari in "Apple Talk" @ 09:00 AM

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com...shine-to-apple/

"In laptops, Apple MacBooks rated first in the 13-inch category, the 14-to 16-inch size, and the 17-inch list; Dell, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard were also-rans. The 15-inch MacBook Pro was rated overall with a score of 75 out of 100, ahead of a 64-rated Toshiba Satellite (the Pro costs $2,000, the Toshiba $700). Among desktops, the Mac mini finished second to an H-P Pavillion Slimline, and the iMac placed second behind a Dell XPS One. CR surveyed its readers about computer tech support. Apple trounced the field in both desktop and laptop categories."

Well, I'd call that a sound trouncing. Not that I'm surprised. Dell's support is bad, and Toshiba's so far beyond bad that it can't even see the light from bad within 3000 years.

Now who's gonna break the news to all those "laptop hunters?"


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