July 24th, 2007

Rating:

 

Price:

15-inch - $1999

17-inch - $3099

Sure, you could buy a faster Windows machine for the same price, but it won’t be as sexy as Apple’s Macbook Pro notebook.

Available with either a 15-inch or a 17-inch screen, the Apple MacBook Pro proves that a desktop replacement notebook doesn’t have to be gargantuan. The 15-inch weighs just 5.4 pounds, while the 17-inch comes in at 6.8 pounds and a sleek 1 inch thick.

The great looking, brushed-aluminum shell of the MacBook Pro offers a clean, crisp design, which continues inside, with the monochromatic brushed-silver keyboard and deck. The keyboard is  comfortable and quiet, and the oversized touchpad and single mouse button are a delight to use.

The 15-inch, 1440 x 900-pixel screen is sharp and clear, with great color rendition for any application. The Nvidia 8600M GT graphics engine comes standard with 128MB VRAM. The 17-inch, 1680 x 1050-pixel widescreen (available in either antiglare or glossy) is clear and very bright, with superb color  reproduction for image and video editing. It also has the best viewing-angle performance available, making the MacBook  Pro great for presentations. If you want an even larger screen, the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics engine drives an  external display up to 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Standard Apple hardware and software features are plentiful and you’ll love the backlit keyboard, which illuminates automatically, thanks to the machine’s  light sensor. The built-in iSight camera and software enable four-way videoconferencing, and the included remote launches and  controls Apple’s Front Row interface for playing movies, music, and photos from across the room. You’ll find FireWire 400 and  800 ports, and the ExpressCard slot accepts a Wireless EV-DO wireless broadband card. The MacBooks are also equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Then there are the extras of the Mac OS X 10.4 itself, including the Finder search utility and the Dashboard with dockable  Widget applets. The included iLife suite makes it easy to manage and edit photos with iPhoto, manage and expand your music  library with iTunes, make your own music with GarageBand, create movies and DVDs with iMovie and iDVD, create a Web site with  iWeb, and more. You can also load Apple’s Boot Camp utility and set up the MacBook Pro as a dual-boot machine running either  Mac OS X or Windows XP. In fact, the only software you’re likely to need to add is the Microsoft Office suite.

Performance from the 2.33-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and ATI graphics are very good and wireless throughput is excellent at 19.3 Mbps at 15 feet, and 14.6 Mbps at 50  feet. Battery life of 2 hours and 45 minutes is good for a 17-inch model.
 
For the price, you can definitely get a faster Windows notebook, but it won’t have all the Apple software and hardware extras, it’ll weigh at least two pounds more, and you know it won’t look nearly as great when you pull it out of your back pack or brief case!

Technical Specifications:

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch

Screen: 15.4″ LED Backlit Screen @ 1440 x 900 Native Resolution
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU at 2.2ghz (4MB Shared L2 Cache)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667mhz RAM
Hard Drive: 120GB HDD @ 5400RPM (Fujitsu)
Graphics: Nvidia 8600M GT with 128MB VRAM GPU
Optical Drive: Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVDRW/CD-RW)
Wireless: Apple Airport Extreme Wireless B/G/N
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Mac OS X 10.4.9 (Tiger)
Dimensions & Weight:
14.1″ x 9.6″ x 1.0″ (35.7cm x 24.3cm 2.59cm)
5.4lbs (2.45kg)
Cost: $1,999 USD ($1,799 with Education Discount)

Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch

Screen: 17-inch (diagonal) TFT display with support for millions of colors; optional glossy widescreen display
Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
Memory: 2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667mhz RAM
Hard Drive: 120GB HDD @ 5400RPM (Fujitsu)
Graphics: ATI Radeon x1600 with 128MB VRAM GPU
Optical Drive: Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVDRW/CD-RW)
Wireless: Apple Airport Extreme Wireless B/G/N
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Mac OS X 10.4.9 (Tiger)
Dimensions & Weight:
15.4″ x 10.4″ x 1.0″ (39.2 cm 26.5 cm 2.59 cm)
6.8lbs (3.08kg)
Cost: $3,099 USD

Bottom Line
Apple’s new MacBook Pro is ideal for creative professionals looking for a feature-rich system with plenty of screen real estate.

Pros
Very good performance running Windows and Mac OS. Lightest 17-inch notebook available. Great features. Excellent software suite. Extra USB port. iSight camera.

Cons
Runs a bit hot. Expensive.

July 24th, 2007

Rating:

 

Price: $1299 - $1999

Possibly the best laptop Dell has ever introduced, the Dell XPS M1330 combines light weight, stylish design, powerful performance, and built-in mobile broadband, which makes it a top choice for road warriors. The M1330 offers excellent screen resolution, a full-size, tactile keyboard and long battery life.

Weighing only 4 pounds (4.8 with extra long life battery, Dell XPS M1330’s sleek, crimson red exterior is a new look for Dell, but the round logo on the lid is reminiscent of the one on the XPS M1210, this system’s predecessor. Only 4.8 pounds (or as light as 4 pounds, depending on the battery), this machine is perfect for road warriors.
 
Along the right side are an ExpressCard slot (and mini remote control inside), a slot-loading DVD+/-RW drive, Wi-Fi, and USB 2.0 port. The left side provides a second USB port and FireWire, VGA, Ethernet, and HDMI ports. An 8-in-1 memory card reader, dual headphones jacks, and a microphone jack line the front.

The full-sized keyboard has a light and bouncy feel, which makes typing a pleasure and speedy. The track pad and mouse buttons are responsive, with horizontal and vertical scrolling function on the track pad and to the right is a fingerprint reader for security-minded users.
 
Even with its slick external design, the display is awesome. DVDs look sharp and color is vivid on the 13.3-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel widescreen. The notebook’s speakers are plenty loud but the base weak, especially at the top volumes. Dell bundles noise-isolating earbuds, which sounded spectacular for both movies and music. We’d like to see some visual feedback when adjusting volume with the media buttons and the remote, but beyond that, watching movies or listening to music on a plane will be a blast with this screen and earbud combo.

Like its predecessor, the XPS M1330 packs a lot of power into a compact frame. Intel’s 2-GHz Next Generation Core 2 Duo processor, along with 2GB of RAM, paced this system to a very strong PCMark05 score of 4,545; that’s about 1,000 points higher than average for a thin-and-light system. Regular productivity tasks were speedy as well, even with several windows open, and the Dell XPS M1330 handles Vista’s Aero interface with ease.
 
Wi-Fi integration is impressive at 19.1 Mbps and 16.9 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, with very good speeds from the integrated Verizon Wireless EV-DO Rev. You’ll get solid battery life of 2.5 hours with the six-cell battery and 3 hours and 45 minutes with the nine-cell battery, which adds $60 to the price. You should expect about 4.5 to 5 hours of productivity time.
 
The system comes with Windows Vista Ultimate or you can save $199 with Home Premium instead. Dell backs the M1330 with a one-year next-business day, in-home service warranty on parts and labor. Add Microsoft Office 2007 direct from Microsoft for ultimate productivity.

Whether you compute on campus, during your commute, or while flying from coast to coast, the Dell XPS M1330 has the power and multimedia power you’re looking for. It’s one of the few no-compromise lightweight notebooks available, offering unbeatable combination of performance, portable size, and sleek style!

July 21st, 2007

Rating:

 

RIM is the last company you’d expect to produce a sexy mobile device when their large, utilitarian BlackBerry devices have filled their device portfolio for years and have earned them cult status and the “CrackBerry” name to go with it. As life would have it, RIM surprised us with the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 smartphone that’s not only smart but fashionable and flashy enough to compete in today’s mobile market where mobile phones also function as personal style accessories. Measuring 4.2 x. 1.97 x 0.57 inches with a shinny black plastic housing and gun-metal silver side accents, the BlackBerry Pearl can compete with the Nokia 8801 (OK, almost) or the Motorola SLVR L7 when it comes to fashion, yet it’s a phone with brains. And it’s a new trend for 2006 as we’ve seen with the slim and elegant Cingular 3125 and T-Mobile Dash. Looks + brains are a killer combination for a successful mobile device, but the question is can this smartphone attract new users who have never been in the BlackBerry camp while maintaining its appeal to the traditional “CrackBerry” users?

The BlackBerry Pearl (model number 8100 in RIM’s product portfolio) comes with BlackBerry Enterprise Server support for push email, a 1.3 megapixel camera, MicroSD expansion slot, integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and a newly updated SureType keyboard along with a large screen and BlackBerry Maps application.

The BlackBerry Pearl is a quad-band GSM world phone with EDGE support and it’s offered currently only by T-Mobile in the US. It will be coming to Cingular in the future.
Design is one of the highlights of the BlackBerry Pearl, and it should sell well just because it looks so darn cool and is so small and light. Besides the shinny black housing and the silver accents, the BlackBerry Pearl has all the right curves and feels very good in hand. Though shinny, the phone doesn’t feel very slippery and won’t slip out of your hand by accident. The 2.2” display takes up a good portion of the front face, and below it are the menus keys and keyboard which have white backlighting.

Gone is the beloved jog wheel found on the side of other of BlackBerries; the Pearl has a flat track ball sitting in the center of the front face just below the display and it’s touch sensitive control that allows you to scroll up/down and left/right by brushing your thumb or finger over it. The scrolling controls are quite responsive and easy to get used to. When pressed down, the track ball also acts like an Action button. On the left of the track ball is the Menu key that gives you a list of applications when no app is open or the menu list in an application when it is open. The Escape key has moved to the front and lives to the right of the track ball rather than on the right side of the phone as on other BlackBerries. The Call Send and End keys flank the menu and escape keys. The BlackBerry Pearl has a dedicated Mute button on top of the phone and a LED above the display to the right of the earpiece. The LED indicates network connection status, Bluetooth radio power and it will flash red when you get a new message.

The Pearl is the first BlackBerry to have a built-in digital camera. The Pearl, with its new multimedia focus, comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom that takes good pictures by camera phone standards. Of course, there are still some security requirements and RIM has addressed them by providing security policies in the server for IT managers to disable the camera. The Pearl’s camera can take still photos in three resolutions (1280 x 1024, 640 x 480, 320 x 240) at one of  three quality levels. You can set flash options, white balance and picture storage locations in the menu. You can also use the track ball to zoom in and out. The pictures are reasonably sharp; colors are fairly accurate with a slight purple tint in some shots. It takes better picture indoors with good lighting than it does outdoor shots with strong sunlight which results in white out. The photo quality can’t compete with very high end cameras phones like the Nokia N73 or the Samsung a990 of course, but it’s on par with 1.3 MP cameras on current mobile phones. The flash helps a little for close up shots. You can save the photos to internal memory or to a MicroSD card. The Pearl cannot shoot video.

The BlackBerry Pearl is RIM’s ideal device to bring fresh recruits to the “CrackBerry” camp with its sleek style and new-user friendly features. In this fashion conscious mobile market, looks alone will sell quite a few Pearls. While traditional BlackBerry users will need some time to get used to the new keyboard and form factor, the updated software bundle including the media player, voice dialing software and Maps will surely move some of them forward. Now BlackBerry is finally starting to compete with feature-rich PDA phones and smartphones, though they still have a way go to.

Pro: Great looking device that’s not just flashy by BlackBerry standards but good looking compared to any other phone on the market. The bright display is impressive. The email setup wizard enhances the tried and true BlackBerry push email experience, especially for new users and those whose devices aren’t configured by an IT department. The security updates in the server to work with the Pearl will put IT managers at ease. We’re glad that RIM included an IM client for popular IM accounts. VoiceDialing software works on the phone and via Bluetooth headset. BlackBerry Maps application does a good job of mapping routes and giving turn-by-turn directions.

Con: MicroSD slot is under the battery. Camera can’t shoot video. Bluetooth profiles are limited. The video player supports a small set of formats.

Get your BlackBerry 8100c Pearl now on Amazon:

List Price:	$499.99
Price:	$0.01 (when purchased with new service plan)
You Save:	$499.98 (100%)

FREE SHIPPING Availability: Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Requirement: This phone can only be used with a compatible service plan.

July 21st, 2007

Rating:  

The 680’s application keys are larger and more angular than the 650’s were, and the older model’s menu key has been repositioned to replace the right-hand Shift button. The move means there’s an extra application key now, but it’s less conveniently placed.

Like the 650, the 680’s infra-red port is on the top of the device next to the speaker deactivation switch. On the left-hand side are the volume controls and a key that, if held, launches the voice recording app - a tool missing from the 650 - though like the application keys on the front of the 680, it can be redefined to run different things.

The right-hand side of the phone has a large flap under which is the 680’s SD card slot, which not only supports MMC media and SD IO devices but also SDHC cards. Certainly, the 680 I tried had no trouble reading the 4GB SanDisk SDHC card I used with it. SDHC support isn’t listed in Palm’s Treo 680 tech specs, but it worked for me.

The 680’s SIM slot is now inside the battery compartment rather than the top of the handset: there’s a slide-out tray for the card rather than the recess used in many mobile phones and the 750v. Like the Vodafone-branded Treo, the 680 ships with a removable 1,200mAh battery.

Internally, little has changed between the 650 and the 680. The new model has the same 312MHz XScale PXA270 processor. The memory has been upped to 128MB - from 32MB - of which 64MB is available to the user, but the screen spec is the same - 320 x 320 and 65,536 colours - and continues to look good. Like the 650, the 680 is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device. Both handsets have Bluetooth 1.2 on board.

There’s the same 300,000-pixel VGA camera, with 2x digital zoom, round the back of the 680 as there was on the 650. The picture quality on stills and video is nothing to write home about and really should have been upgraded, given rival devices are already incorporating two megapixel cameras. Speaking of the competition highlights the 680’s key omission: Wi-Fi, still missing from a Palm device despite so many Windows smart phones that offer it.

Palm Treo devices at ATT.com

OR

Get your palm Treo 680 Smartphone on Amazon today:

List Price:	$399.99
Price:	$74.98 (when purchased with new service plan)
You Save:	$325.01 (81%)
Rebates	$75.00
Price After Rebates:	FREE

FREE SHIPPING Availability: Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Requirement: This phone can only be used with a compatible service plan.

July 21st, 2007

Rating:  

This may be the coolest iPod accessory ever! The sound is amazing and you can run it on batteries or A/C power. I listened to the Bose and other models before settling on the somewhat larger Hi-Fi, but the extra weight was definitely worthwhile …. you can’t beat the sound quality of the Apple iPod Hi-Fi Home Stereo.

It couldn’t be easier to set up the speaker …. just plug it in or inserting batteries, set your iPod in the cradle on top of the speaker using the appropriate dock adapter, and press play. I put the Hi-Fi in my kitchen about 10 inches from the rear wall and equal distance from side walls. I also made sure to put it as close to ear-level as I possible. This type of placement keeps the sound as smooth as possible and preserves the stereo imaging.

The iPod Hi-Fi ships with the standard Apple wireless infrared remote. Its controls look very similar to those of the iPod shuffle, but with a Menu button in addition to the track skip, play/pause, and volume buttons. The Menu button, however, doesn’t really work with the iPod, though you can press and hold it to switch from the dock connector input to the auxiliary input if you should have two devices connected simultaneously. It also comes with 10 iPod dock adapters for each model with a dock connector, all clearly labeled and set in a nice little box.

I really can’t imagine any more useful iPod accessory than my Apple Hi-Fi Home Stereo! Get yours now from Amazon:

July 20th, 2007

Rating:  

Sensual, sleek, cool … unlike previous generations of blackberry handhelds, the 8300 Curve delights, with many new features and a full keyboard. The Blackberry 8300 represents everything that the 8700 was and was missing.

Blackberry is the most popular business PHONE out there — for good reasons. They work! And the interface is straight forward to use with the side “wheel” acting like the mouse on your computer.

While Blackberry hasn’t always excelled when it comes to being a cell phone — it evolved from a PDA into a cellphone — it has consistently improved it’s Voice capabilities. With the 8300, the phone capabilities have clearly caught up with other phones that “morphed” into PDAs. The voice reception and sound quality is very solid and with AT&Ts service, I rarely have dropped calls. (I originally was a cingular subscriber and when AT&T took over, I have not experienced any decrease in the level of service). You can use it without a headset which feels a bit clunky — but when you lose bluetooth headsets at the rate I do, it is nice to know that when all else fails, it is very functional by itself.

As a PDA — this is where Blackberry really outshines its competition. It is the most widely supported Enterprise-wide email. It integrates with Outlook which is pretty much a necessity if you live in the corporate world. Now with the addition of GPS, Blackberry solidify’s it’s desire to be a “grownup” phone/device.

To me, a PDA/Phone should help you get through your day. It should tell you where you need to be next. Help you get there. Tell people if you aren’t going to be there. Keep in touch via email when you are there.

I don’t need it to play music — I’ve got my car stereo for that. I don’t need it to take pictures. When I’m at work, there is very little I want to take pictures of — certainly not my coworkers :-O. When I’m waiting in a doctors office — the browser is adequate to kill some time though I generally plan ahead and bring an old-fashioned analog book — you know the type — the one with pages and real ink on it. If you have a notebook, this phone also makes a pretty handy wireless modem — though it is rather slow. That way, you don’t have to worry about where the nearest Starbucks is to connect to the internet.

So I guess it boils down to what do you want your phone to do. If you want it to be a phone and be straightforward to use, then Blackberry is the perfect device. It will keep you connected to home, office and places in between, Blackberry 8300 is what will serve you best. 
 

Buy your Blackberry Curve on Amazon now and save:

July 11th, 2007

Rating:  

Price: $999 - 2,499 USD

Hands down, the best graphics package money can buy. We reviewed the eight applications that comprise the Design and Web editions of Adobe’s Creative Suite 3, and haven’t given any program a score of less than 4. Mac users should be especially pleased, since all the apps are now available as universal binaries.

If you’re involved with computer graphics (or want to be), Adobe has a program for you. But if more than one Adobe app appeals to you, then you may want to think about purchasing one of the Creative Suite packages instead of buying the apps à la carte. And with six different editions of the Adobe Creative Suite 3, to choose from, there’s definitely one tailored to your needs!

July 11th, 2007

One of the first things you notice about the BlackJack itself is that style is definitely its watchword. The entire casing is designed with an apparent “clean lines” ethic, with little to nothing protruding from the compact form of the device itself.

Anything that would detract from the aerodynamics — for instance, the USB/audio jack, and the memory card slot — is hidden under a cover of one sort or another.

For the two aforementioned features, these are small rubber caps along the sides of the device, which you pry out with a fingernail. These are attached to the casing, so you don’t need to worry about losing them, though they might break off with long term use. Of course, these covers also serve to keep dust and debris from getting inside the connectors when the device is being carried in a pocket. 

The only thing which detracts from the BlackJack’s overall aesthetic is the bump on the top rear of the casing, where we find the 1.3 megapixel camera and the reflective patch which serves as a self-portrait mirror. 

Conclusion

It’s hard to find too much fault with the BlackJack in either specs or design. While I disagree with the selection of a proprietary port for USB and audio, and the use of MicroSD cards, they’re not fatal flaws. It’s got a very nice design, and with the available carrier discounts it’s almost insanely cheap. As far as slim keyboard smartphones go, it’s definitely a major contender.

Pros:

• 3G wireless broadband
• Ultra-slim design
• Solid construction
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Lacks WiFi
• Proprietary USB/audio connector
• MicroSD card 

*CONDITIONAL $250 Equipment Discount Included: Your price paid includes an Equipment Discount of $250 that has been provided to you in exchange for either activating a new, non-substitute line of service or renewing an existing line of service and your agreement that, for the 181-day period following activation or renewal, you will (1) pay your balance due each month and otherwise maintain your account in good standing, (2) not disconnect this new line of service, (3) not transfer this equipment to another line of service, (4) not transfer or port an existing phone number to this line of service, (5) not change your service rate plan to a service plan with a lower monthly service rate, and (6) not use this line of service to replace an existing line of service. If these conditions are not met, you hereby agree to pay and authorize Wirefly to charge your credit card $250 as reimbursement of this Equipment

July 11th, 2007

Everyone should buy one. No seriously, I do reallllllly like the Sony PSP. I don’t say that lightly given the fact that I only have 1 game that I’m playing so far. There’s just something about this device that makes me want to pick it up every time I walk by it. Yeah it’s pretty, but the games are fun. More fun than any handheld gaming device I’ve owned so far.  But there are some big gotchas that go along with my praise. One gotcha is battery life. But maybe the biggest gotcha is just how viable is the PSP in the current handheld game console arean? Even though a device is ‘better’ than another device as far as hardware and features, it always comes down to the games. Will the PSP come out with some excellent games that make this the device to buy? That’s very hard to predict. I don’t feel too confident given the fact that I’ve been here before. I was in love with the Atari Lynx way back when. It was an excellent handheld gaming console. Better sound, better graphics than the Game Boy… but it failed because the Game Boy was already very well established with 100’s and 100’s of games. Will the same thing happen with the PSP? Very possibly. Even probably. I sure hope not though! I have my fingers crossed that this device will enjoy a long life. For those of you considering a handheld game console purchase, in a few months when you go to your electronics store to choose between a Nintendo DS and a Sony PSP, I sure hope you choose the PSP!
 

Pros:
Gorgeous hardware
Gorgeous screen
Games feel like full size console games
Photo, Video and Music features

Cons:
Short battery life
Not available in the US yet
Fingerprint magnet

July 11th, 2007

Motorola T9500XLR 2-Way Radio

Motorola Talkabout® radios offer affordable, reliable, communication with often a greater range than cell phones. Excellent for hikers,campers, skiers, hunters, runners,bikers, or families who want to keep a better eye on the kids. All models include audible low battery alert, keypad lock, 10 call tones, time out timer. Product Features Up to 25 mile range* 11 weather channels with alert feature iVOX hands-free communication PTT Power Boost/Battery save feature VibraCall¿ vibrating alert Technical Details Has Color Screen: N Item Package Quantity: 1 Length: 2.0 inches Height: 7.0 inches Width: 3.0 inches Weight: 1.0 pounds