Apple Magic Trackpad

Apple Magic Trackpad

If you like using gestures and want to truly get in touch with your Mac check out the Magic Trackpad from Apple. It's large, it's beautiful and it uses Bluetooth for seamless wireless communication. In theory it should work with any Bluetooth-enabled Mac (desktop or notebook) running OSX 10.6.4 or later. A new dedicated pane in System Preferences let's users enable and disable gestures to their liking. It's size, angle and design matches perfectly with Apple's aluminum Wireless Keyboard so if you already have one this trackpad will make a nice addition.
[Apple Magic Trackpad]



Dimensions:
Length: 5.17 inches (13.13 cm)
Width: 5.12 inches (13.01 cm)
Height: 0.18 - 0.72 inches (0.46 - 1.83 cm)
Weight (minus the batteries): 4.94 ounces / 140.05 g

Apple Aluminum Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Apple Aluminum Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

This very slick and ultra-thin anodized aluminum keyboard from Apple features low-profile keys with crisp responsive feel. It comes with all the keys you would expect from a full sized keyboard and also features handy function keys at the top which make controlling your Mac a breeze. While designed specifically for the Mac this keyboard's main keys will function with Windows and Linux based operating systems, however it may take some time to get used to different key mappings (for example Windows and the Screenshot keys are not present, but there are ways to get around that). As a matter of fact we successfully used this keyboard for about two years with Windows XP, Mac OSX and Ubuntu. Two conveniently located USB 2.0 ports(one per side) allow the use of an external mouse, digital camera or a thumb drive. [Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad]

Apple Aluminum Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - side view with USB port

- Function keys for screen brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, fast-forward and rewind, Exposé, and Dashboard
- Full size numeric pad
- Two USB 2.0 ports (one per side)
- USB extension cable is included

Test your internet connection speed for free with SPEEDTEST.NET

SPEEDTEST.NET - begin test

Ever wonder just how fast your internet connection really is? Surely there are many services that can test this for you but for some reason I keep coming back to SPEEDTEST.NET which also happens to be FREE. Perhaps its the intuitive and simple user interface or the fact that it just works every time. But what I think sets SPEEDTEST apart from other similar services is that it lets you pick a destination server pretty much anywhere around the world to test against and also provides an iPhone companion application that enables connection testing on the iPhone via a native iPhone app.

SPEEDTEST.NET - test results

Apple comes out with the new Mac App Store

Mac App Store

With Mac OSX 10.6.6 Update Apple introduced the all new Mac App Store which enables users to buy and upgrade applications for their Macs right from their Macs. Apple installs the new Mac App Store directly into the Dock. According to Apple over 1,000 apps are available in the store right now and Apple is calling out to all developers

to create more new innovative apps and has provided developer tools in the form of the Mac Developer Program.

AirLink AWLL5088 Wireless N 150 Ultra Mini USB Adapter

AirLink AWLL5088 Wireless N 150 Ultra Mini USB Adapter

This is perhaps the smallest draft-N USB wireless adapter in existence. Perfect for a laptop or a desktop still using older 802.11b/g wireless technology. Super compact design means it won't protrude much from the USB port and can be left permanently plugged into a laptop. Visit AirLink web site for other network products.

- 802.11n
- Power saving technology
- WPA/WPA2 and WEP 64/128-bit wireless security
- Ultra compact design
- Backwards compatible with 802.11b/g/n network devices
- RoHS compliant
- 2.4GHz frequency
- USB 2.0 interface
- Supports data rates up to 150Mbps
- Built-in chip antenna
- Dimensions: 34 x 14 x 6mm (L x W x H)
- Link/Power LEDs
- 1-year warranty
- Works with Windows and Mac

Standardized phone chargers are just around the corner

That's right folks you've heard it right - phone chargers as we know them will soon adopt a common standard. Talked about for years the European Commission is finally working out a common standard for phone chargers and amazingly enough ten major phone makers agreed to embrace the new standard. Among those enlightened companies are Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments.

The new universal charger will be based on a micro-USB connector already common on many phones these days. The rollout plan initially calls for new phones shipping with new chargers included and gradually phasing the chargers out at which point phones will ship without them.

micro USB

This move will make end consumers happy while keeping landfills free of the ugly entanglement of wires. Phone makers will benefit from cost savings associated with manufacturing and shipping of chargers. This looks to be a win-win situation for all including the environment.

No longer would you have to roam the hall ways looking for someone with a similar phone to borrow a charger from.

Makers of other gadgets and electronic devices should really take heed and start thinking towards standardizing their plugs.

Apple AirPort Express simple draft-n wireless solution

Apple AirPort Express

If you are like me and have been looking for a fast yet simple wireless solution for your home take a look at the AirPort Express from Apple. It is small and compact and has no power cords - just plug it into electrical outlet and it comes to life. AirPort Express supports the latest n-draft wireless for fast transfers and is also backwards compatible with a/b/g. And of course Apple makes the setup easy.

Specifications at a glance:
- 802.11a/b/g/n wireless
- NAT firewall, DHCP, PPPoE, VPN Passthrough (IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP), DNS Proxy, SNMP, IPv6
- MAC address filtering
- 3.7 inches (94.01 mm) x 2.95 inches (75.00 mm) x 1.12 inches (28.5 mm)
- Weights 7.4 ounces (210 grams)
- WPA/WPA2 and WEP wireless security with 128-bit encryption
- One 10/100BASE-T Ethernet port for connecting a modem or Ethernet network
- USB port for a USB printer
- 3.5-mm audio minijack for analog or optical digital sound
- Power supply is built-in so no power cord
- 2.4GHz or 5GHz bandwidth
- Time-based access control
full specs


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Ultra slim Samsung 9 Series laptop takes on MacBook Air

Samsung 9 Series laptop

Newly announced Samsung 9 Series laptop is putting some serious pressure on Apple's MacBook Air. It is a tad bit lighter and thinner and looks like Air's evil twin brother. This new 9 Series packs a 1.4GHz second generation Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor, with Intel's much-improved integrated graphics, and a respectful 6.5 hours of battery life. This awesome laptop comes with 4GB of RAM, 128GB Solid State Drive and a 1.5 watt subwoofer. Other features include USB 3.0 and a 4G WiMax. Available this February it will set you back $1600. A more beefed up version will also be available featuring Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.  Great things come in small packages. Watch out Apple.

Specifications at a glance:
· CPU: Second Generation Intel® Core i5 Processor 2537M (1.40 GHz, 3MB; turbo up to 2.3 GHz)
· Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium/Professional (64 bit)
· Memory: 4GB DDR3
· Storage: 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
· Screen: 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit SuperBright Plus display (400 nit)
· Resolution: 1366x768
· Graphics: Intel HD GT2 Integrated Graphics
· Speakers: 3 watt (1.5W x 2) stereo speakers and 1.5 watt sub-woofer
· Battery: Lithium Polymer; up to 6.5 hours
· Wireless: 802.11b/g/n; WiMaxi
· Weight: 2.89 lbs

Loris Bottello's Ring Lamp inspired by Tron

Ring lamp by Loris Bottello

Italian designer Loris Bottello was inspired by Tron when he created the Ring lamp. While it may look decorative the outer copper ring is fully functional and actually powers the lamp via brush contacts that transfer energy. The lighting element is a bioluminescent polymer and its intensity is adjusted by rotating the light disc.

Adjustable intensity

2011 CES gadget highlights: tablets tablets and more tablets

If 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication I would say this year is going to be the year of the tablets. If there is one thing that is good about the tablets war it is the fact that in the end the consumers will ultimately profit from it. This competition between manufacturers should bring out better and more innovative tablets as well as lower their prices. In the end, we consumers win. In the meantime check out the plethora of tablets heading your way:

Asus Eee Pad Slider

BlackBerry PlayBook

Dell Streak 7

Motorola Xoom

NEC double-screen Android tablet

Fujitsu Oak Trail Windows 7 tablet

Lenovo LePad

Google Chrome Web Store is now live

Google Chrome Web Store

While I was sleeping it looks like Google snuck in their own online app store for their already popular Google Chrome browser. Similar to Firefox, Chrome users can now tweak out and customize their favorite browser to get the most out of it. With weather updates, online radio and all your social networks integrated right into the browser you can now have all your resources literally at your finger tips.

Check out Google Chrome Web Store

2011 CES gadget highlights: Tablets

NEC double-screen Android tablet

NEC double-screen android tablet - android cloud communicator LT-W

NEC has showcased a double-screen book-like tablet running Android that would make a perfect e-reader. Here are some of the features of the NEC's new hinged tabled:
- dual 7-inch 800x600 pixel LCD touchscreens
- runs Android 2.1
- 1GHz mobile processor
- rear 3 megapixel camera
- video recording
- two USB ports
- wifi and bluetooth


Fujitsu Oak Trail Windows 7 tablet

Fujitsu Oak Trail Windows 7 Tablet

Fujitsu announced a new 10.1-inch slate tablet running windows 7 and powered by Intel built Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor which optimizes performance and battery use. Fujitsu developed their own graphical user interface that promotes ease of use. This tablet packs front and rear cameras, 2GB of RAM and a removable battery. An Android version of the tablet is slated for a future release.


Lenovo LePad - windows 7/android and tablet/laptop hybrid

Lenovo LePad a Windows 7/Android and tablet/laptop hybrid

Lenovo LePad is truly hybrid in both software and hardware. When used as a tablet it runs on Android but when attached to the hybrid dock it works like a regular laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium edition. Here are some of LePad's hardware features at a glance:
- 10.1-inch screen
- front and rear cameras
- headphone jack
- mini-USB port

Lenovo LePad with optional detachable keyboard

2011 CES gadget highlights: Blu-ray players

Samsung BD-D7000

Samsung BD-D7000
This tiny slot-loading Blu-ray disc drive from Samsung comes packed with features like faster disc load times, built-in Wi-Fi, and some 2D-to-3D up-conversion as well as support to popular streaming services: Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora, Blockbuster, and Twitter.

Panasonic DMP-BDT310

Panasonic DMP-BDT310
While this Panasonic Blu-ray player may look somewhat ordinary do not let the looks fool you.  DMP-BDT310 can make Skype video calls, has built-in Wi-Fi and provides user with control over some 3D effects like picture depth.  You can also control it with your iPhone.

Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme Broadband Cable Modem

Motorola SB6120 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme Broadband Cable Modem

If you are looking for a new broadband cable modem - look no further! This slick Motorola modem packs a punch into a small form factor. It is using the latest Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification - DOCSIS 3.0 standard which supports channel bonding. Channel bonding enables multiple downstream and upstream channels to be utilized at the same time by the same subscriber. Thanks to channel bonding users get to enjoy blistering fast download and upload speeds - up to 160 Mbps down, and up to 120 Mbps up.

Features:
- 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Port offers incredible wired speeds
- DOCSIS 3.0 Certified
- Up to 160 Mbps downstream, and up to 120 Mbps upstream
- Intuitive and easy to understand front panel with status LEDs
- Works with Windows®, Macintosh®, and UNIX®
- Slim design saves precious space

2nd generation Apple iPad 2 rumors

iPad 2 rumors started spreading almost as soon as the first iPad hit the store shelves. Some seem preposterous while others appear to be more likely to wind up in the next gen iPad.

Here are some of the rumored features we think are more likely to appear on the 2nd gen iPad:

- same 9.7 inch display size
- slightly slimmer screen bezel (3mm)
- flat back covering instead of a slightly rounded as on the 1st gen
- front and rear facing dual cameras for Face Time video chat
- a bit slimmer case than the original
- new super high-resolution display technology (alike iPhone 4's Retina Display)
- built-in dedicated SD slot
- multi-axis gyroscope
- a dual Qualcomm GSM/CDMA chipset (enabling data support for other carriers like Verizon)
- a larger, wide-ranged speaker protected by metal mesh
- 3 different versions of iPad that support Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA
- new faster A5 processor (similar to ARM Cortex A9 - 1GHz dual-core processor)
- more memory (at least 512MB)
- will likely release in Spring 2011 (around April)

iPad 2 - cases

iPad 2 - larger, wide-range speaker covered with metal mesh

Netflix streaming comes to new tiny Apple TV

Apple TV

The new Apple TV introduced in 2010 like so many great things comes in a small yet potent package. This latest revision measures only 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.9 inches and weights in at 0.6 pounds. Unlike the older Apple TV this new unit supports Netflix streaming so if you are in a market for a Netflix streaming device there is now yet another alternative to a Roku player.

Features at a glance:
- HDMI out (720p HD)
- Optical audio
- Netflix and YouTube streaming
- Stream music and photos from iTunes on your computer
- 802.11n Wi-Fi (a/b/g compatible, 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
- 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
- Aluminum Apple Remote