Earlier this month, Lenovo rolled out the IdeaPad S10, an entry-level ultra-portable laptop. The IdeaPad S10 sub-notebook is primarily intended for those getting into computing for the first time and for those seeking a secondary portable laptop. The laptop will allow performing simple tasks such as browsing the web, accessing emails, listening to music, and running basic applications. For college students, this S10 is a great tool to take notes in class and have WiFi internet access when away from their desk especially since it is just an inch thick and weighs approximately 2 pounds.

The IdeaPad’s keyboard is about 85% the size of a standard keyboard, so typing won’t be too difficult. The 10 inch display has a 1024×600 pixel resolution making it large enough to view most web pages and since it’s LED backlit, battery life will also be conserved. The laptop has the standard WiFi b/g networks built in, however it also supports use of Mobile Broadband through the Express Card slot. The laptop also features the standard tools such as a microphone, a webcam, a speaker, audio in/out, two USB ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, and a VGA display output.

The S10 comes with Windows XP, which is still the most popular OS, so there shouldn’t be any complains. The performance won’t be too slow for basic apps, considering that it is running a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor with 512MB of RAM. (Upgradeable to 1GB+) The notebook doesn’t sport a Solid State Drive (SSD), but rather a standard 80GB 5400RPM HDD. Laptop Mag has a video of it booting up in about 35 seconds. The only downside might be battery life. A 3 cell battery apparently provides only 2.5 hours worth of juice. The unit comes in White, Black, and Red with more choices down the road.

The laptop has current MSRP of $400 for the current configuration option. Customization will become available later on. Units are expected to reach customers by early to mid-September. As implied in the title, Lenovo is now taking in pre-orders on their website for this notebook. We’ll be trying to get a hold of a unit for review soon, so keep checking back! Dell’s mini-Insprion (aka Inspirion 910) launch seems to be imminent and rumors indicate a $300 starting price point!

Links: Lenovo.com

I was in the market to buy a new laptop earlier this year and I came down to comparing to machines: the Dell XPS M1530 and the Apple MacBook Pro. I compared both of them to every aspect I could possibly come up with. Anyways both machines recently have received some upgrades so I thought I should update both comparison lists for those of you who might be looking for a new 15-inch notebook.

Update 4/20/08: Dell is now offering a 1440×900 LED and 1920×1080 Full HD displays.

I gave Apple a point for the Screen since they offer a non-glossy option which I truly prefer due to glare. Dell was expected to push out a LED screen over a month ago, however it hasn’t happened yet. The body of the MacBook Pro is cleaner, simpler, and lighter compared to the XPS 1530. In terms of Operating Systems, if you want OS X Leopard, chances are you won’t be able to get it working on a XPS; however it should a breeze to install Vista/XP on a MacBook Pro with Boot Camp. Leopard can use 4GB of RAM; however you’ll need 64-bit editions of Vista or XP to utilize all of it. Dell offers many more options for HDDs including a 64GB SSD which would be unusual for a 15-inch laptop. Dell also lets you turn your XPS into a Blu-ray player with an optional Blu-ray read/write drive which is great for watching high definition movies. I was irritated to find out that the XPS didn’t have gigabit Ethernet, which is great for transferring large files on a local network, especially when most new laptops have it. Apple won the keyboard war with its beautiful backlit keyboard with an ambient light sensor. However the XPS makes up with a Finger Print Sensor, which is great for bypassing typing passwords when people are around, and a better Web Camera. The XPS comes with a media remote control which tucks away into the express card slot while Apple now charges an additional $20 for their Front Row remote. The XPS M1530 can also be configured with a Sprint or Verizon mobile broadband card which will utilize the laptop’s antennas for better signal gain. I choose the 6-cell battery for the XPS since it was the best one which didn’t stick out. It offered only 2.5 hours of work time while the MacBook Pro gets about 3 hours.

If you didn’t already notice, there’s one major factor I left out on the chart: price. This part is what made me make my final decision which was to go with the Dell M1530. Dell offered a pretty good student discount in addition to their constant promotions. Apple also offers such discounts, but are incomparable to what Dell offers. With both configured to the highest similar specifications, the MacBook Pro was getting very close to $3000 while the Dell XPS was about $500 cheaper costing about $2500. In addition for those of you on a strict budget like I was, there’s more flexibility to remove unneeded components with the Dell to bring the price down. Anyways, that’s my two cents so please feel free to make comments.

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell XPS M1530

It’s been a while since we’ve heard some positive news from the AMD camp, who’ve had a tough time recently. Back in 2005, the company was slowly eating away at Intel’s market share with their high performance processors. But sadly, this advancement woke up a slumbering giant. Intel responded swiftly and without an inkling mercy. Their launched a brand new Core 2 Duo, which rapidly fought back the AMD advancement and Intel hasn’t halted since. In addition AMD had an even more difficult time figuring out how to cut prices to create a comparatively better value than their large competitor.

Fortunately, the engineers over at AMD weren’t just sitting around; they were hard at work drafting plans for a counteroffensive. The weapon, you ask? “Barcelona”: the first ever native x86 quad-core microprocessor. “Designed from inception for the most demanding datacenters,” ready to battle Intel over every server socket with incredible energy efficiency and cost. Expect to start seeing these processors in server-oriented desktops, codenamed “phenom,” by December 2007.

That is AMD’s plan, anyway. If you’re eager to learn more about the new chips and their prices, processing speeds, and plenty more head on over to Tech-Talkers.com.

The New Apple iMac:
Apple’s sleeker and aluminum-enclosed iMac now sports Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo Extreme Processors, which support running up to speeds of 2.8GHz. The machine is a powerhouse as it has room for up to 4GB of RAM and 1 Terabyte (TB) of internal storage! With a fast processor, enough RAM, and storage space, the 265MB ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO makes the iMac perfect for video editing. In addition the iMac now comes standard with a built-in iSight, Bluetooth 2.0, 8x Dual Layer DVD/CD Burner, AirPort 802.11n (+ a/b/g), Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 400 & 800 ports, 3 USB ports, Stereo Speakers and a Microphone. Although Mac OS X Leopard won’t be available until this October, it will still be able to run both iLife and iWork 2008. The new iMac is available with a 20-inch or a 24-inch display. Pricing for the 20-inch starts at $1,199 while the 24-inch begins at a whopping $1,799.

The iMac can also become truly cable-free if you spend an extra $50 to replace the wired mouse and keyboard with Apple’s Mighty Mouse and new Wireless Keyboard, which connect to the computer’s internal Bluetooth receiver. In addition the ultra-thin aluminum keyboard includes special function keys such as brightness/volume control, disk eject, iTunes play/pause, Exposé, and more!

iLife 2008:
As iLife has been one of Apple’s strongest selling point for the Mac OS X, it was only appropriate that they released the 2008 edition just in time for the launch of Leopard in October. This upgrade brings a ton of new features to iPhoto and in fact completely redesigns iMovie. The main feature Steve Jobs touched on during his press conference was iPhoto’s ability to automatically organize libraries of photos into events based off time stamps. Events can be split into multiple events and separate ones can be merge back together and named accordingly. With this new feature users may now search for a event’s name and find a neat set of photo instead of having to search through filenames directly. Once photos are rated using the new star rating system, users can hide photos that they don’t like, but do not want to delete. (Just like the system in iTunes) And as for iMovie, the application now supports importing video from just about any HD camcorder in addition to DV and clips from Digital Cameras. With the new faster and more efficient interface, users can quickly skim through clips, preview the movie, drag/drop to re-organize clips, add tracks from iTunes, create voice overs, and use the new effects. The exporting function has been improved to support the iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, and YouTube formats in addition CD/DVD.

And as a bonus for .Mac subscribers, iLife 08 will support easy uploading to share Photos and Videos with both Mac and Windows users. iLife also includes an updated iWeb with new interactive Widgets and an updated GarageBand. iLife is now available online and in stores for a retail price of $79.

iWork 2008:

“Pages and Keynote make it incredibly easy, and even fun, for anyone to create stylish documents and presentations very quickly,” said Steve Jobs, Apples CEO “Numbers rounds out the iWork suite, which is far more intuitive and easy to use than anything else out there.”

And the final announcement was the new iWork 2008, which includes a new innovative spreadsheet application called Numbers and upgraded versions of Keynote and Pages. Numbers features a new concept called Intelligent Tables, which is supposedly revolutionary, while Keynote got new effects/transitions/animations and Pages got a word processing and a page layout mode. iWork 08 also retails for a price of $79 and is also available online and in stores now!

Links: Apple iMac | iLife 2008 | iWork 2008 | Keyboards

Today at the WWDC “06 Keynote, Apple announced the long awaited Mac Pro. The new Mac Pro, a G5 replacement, features a Intel Dual Core Xeon 3GHz Processor, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA 512MB Video Card, Up To 2TB (terabytes) of Storage, a 16x Dual Layer DVD SuperDrive, and PCI Express Expansion Slots. This new 64bit system is supposedly 2x the speed of the top of the line configuration of its predecessor. Also note that with the launch of this machine, Apple has finally fully transitioned over to Intel.

Apple Mac Pro Specs:

• Processor: Two 2/2.66/3GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon
• Memory: 2GB / 4GB / 8GB / 16GB Configurations
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB w/ Dual-DVI
• Displays: Dual-Screen Support (8 displays max)
• Hard Drive: Max 2TB (w/ 4 bays 500GB in each)
• SuperDrive: 16x DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW (2 max)
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0 + AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g
• Wired Communication: Two 1GB Ethernet / Optional Modem
• Peripherals: 2 FireWire 800 / 2 FireWire 400 / 5 USB 2.0
• Audio: Analog In/Out + Optical Digital In/Out
• Software: Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger

As stated at the keynote, the Mac Pro will begin to ship today and pricing will start at $2,500 with the bare minimum configuration. Apple also released a new Mac OS Xserve Server and previewed the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard. Getting back on track, this is an extremely powerful machine and therefore is expensive. However if you are like most average consumers you probably can’t afford to spend that much. I wouldn’t worry because knowing Apple, they most likley release a new product called the “Mac” within a few months just as they did by launching a low-end “MacBook” after the launch of the pricey “MacBook Pro”.

Links: Apple Mac Pro | Mac Pro Specs
Related: Apple Press Release | Bluetooth Mighty Mouse

Today, 05/16/06, Apple announced the second line of Intel Core Processor based laptops. The new “MacBook” line is more affordable than the MacBook Pros which were released in January. Although the MacBooks are cheaper and more compact, the new line now lacks many features and has less power than the MacBook Pros. The MacBooks have a 13″ widescreen display and are available in 1.83/2.0 GHz models and comes in two colors, black and white. (The MacBook is a replacment to the iBook)

The new MacBooks have many of the features the MacBook Pros had such as the built-in iSight camera, Front Row media center, Mag Safe power adaptor, FireWire, WiFi 802.11g, and Bluetooth. The white model is available in 1.83GHz for $1,099 and 2.0GHz for $1,299. The slightly higher-end black MacBook also has 2.0GHz processor, but costs $1,499 because of an extra 20GB of storage. MacBooks are customizable and are available 512MB-2GB RAM, 60-120GB HDD, 4x-8x DVD±RW Drive, and a 64MB Intel Video Card. If you do plan to order one you are in luck, Apple has stated that orders placed today will be delivered by the end of the week.

Links: Apple MacBook | MacBook Tech Specs
More: Apple Store | Comparision Chart | MacBook Pro
Related: 17″ MacBook Pro | Boot Camp

Today, 04.24.06, Apple unveiled a new 17″ MacBook Pro, which is about 5x faster than the original 15″ model. The new MacBook Pro has a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, a whopping 1680×1050 display, 1GB RAM, 8x Dual-Layer SuperDrive, ATI Mobility Radeon 256MB, and a 120GB Hard Drive. This new laptop will run you about $2,799, but the specs speak for themselves. Although many were hoping for a smaller and cheaper MacBook Pro, a larger and more expensive one was released. However, this may be popular for those that wish to have a powerful portable machine that can now run both Mac OS X and Windows XP. Overall this new addition is an exact replica of the previous 15″ models, which still exist, except this model has a bigger/brighter display and better hardware specs. The 17″ MacBook Pro still has all standard MacBook Pro features such as the iSight Cam, MagSafe Power, Front Row Remote, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. If you do wish to purchase it, Apple will begin shipping them next week.

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Apple Store
Coverage: Gizmodo | Engadget | TUAW | Slashdot
Related: Boot Camp | MacBook Problems

04.13.06 – Mozilla has just released a minor, but important update for Firefox. In this version, 1.5.0.2, Mozilla has made the application more stable and has several security fixes. However, the importance goes to the Macintosh edition, which now has native Universal Binary support for Intel-based Mac OS X machines. This means Firefox will be much faster and users will see much better performance than before because it no longer needs to run through Apple’s emulator (rosetta). This update is not that important for Windows users, but ALL Intel Mac OS X should update right away. (If you have Firefox 1.5 or above go to Help -> Check For Updates)

Links: Mozilla Firefox | Release Notes
Recent: Firefox 1.5 Released | Firefox Extensions

On Wednesday, (04/05/06), Apple released a new program, Boot Camp, which allows running Microsoft Windows on any of their Intel-based machines. Although the software is still in BETA, Apple has already included most of the standard drivers necessary to run Windows on their hardware. Boot Camp works by allowing the user to choose from either Mac OS X or Windows XP during startup. The performance of Windows XP on the Intel-based Macs should be equivalent to any standard Windows Computer since it is not emulation, but runs natively. People who want to dual boot on these new Intel-based machines will need to purchase a new copy of either Windows XP Home/Pro (Full Edition).

“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware,” Philip Schiller – Apple VP Marketing

A few weeks ago a hackers figured out how to do this using his own boot loader, but there was a risk of damaging machine data since it wasn’t created by Apple. Since this is an official update, which is supported by Apple, any Intel-Mac owner can safely create a dual boot. Apple has included every tool necessary, even including an easy to use partioner, making it simple for even novice computer users to use. If you do own a Intel Mac and want to run XP, I do recommend downloading Boot Camp (83MB) since it is very easy to setup and is completely free.

Links: Apple Boot Camp BETA
Related: Uneasy Slience Installation Video Tutorial

Today (February 28, 2006), Apple announced two new products at a special Apple event. The first product was an Intel based Mac mini (Intel Core processors) and the second was a stereo system called the iPod Hi-Fi (compatible with all iPods). Another minor release was $99 leather cases for the iPod nano & video.

“Fifty percent of our entire product line is now available with Intel processors, in less than sixty days,” – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

Two versions of the Intel Core Mac Mini were announced. The first one has a 1.5GHz Intel Single Core processor, 60GB hd, DVD/CDRW, and costs $599. The second edition has a 1.67GHz Intel Dual Core processor, 80GB hd, dual-layer DVD±RW/CDRW, and costs $799. Both have 512MB of ram and an Intel 64MB graphics card. They also have WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 400, and more. The Mac Mini now has an infrared port for the remote which controls the Front Row program that it now includes. Front Row allows easy access to photos, music, and movies; a new feature now allows sharing content across networks.

The second product was the iPod Hi-Fi. The Hi-Fi is a stereo set, which as a dock atop to connect either the iPod nano or video. (iPod shuffle can be plugged in using a port on the back) When the iPod is plugged in, the backlight will be turned on and album art will be displayed. (will also charge your iPod) The Hi-Fi can also run on 6 D-cell batteries, but is unlikely most will carry such large speakers around. (17″x 6.6″x 6.9″) This is pretty much an expensive Apple branded pointless speaker set to compete with 3-party devices.

Overall the entire “special” event was a disappointment. The Mac Mini with an Intel processor was expected to be released eventually just as an Intel based Mac G5 is expected. Next, the iPod Hi-Fi was a completely pointless invention and is way too expensive for anyone. Finally, the new leather iPod case is unusable while in the case, making it useless! Therefore, nothing really impressive was announced at the keynote.

Links: Mac Mini | iPod Hi-Fi | Leather Case
Related: Apple.com | Apple Store
Recent: A Faster MacBook Pro | 1GB iPod Nano

Apple first announced the MacBook Pro in MacWorld in early January this year. This laptop was the first computer from Apple to be using an Intel Processor (Core Duo). The first two models Apple released offered either a 1.67 or a 1.83 GHz processor. The new faster model, which is now available on the Apple Store, has a 2.0 GHz processor. Apple also allows upgrading the 2.0 GHz processor to a 2.16 GHz processor for an additional $300. The 1.67 GHz model has been replaced with the 1.83 GHz model at no additional cost. Many will soon be upset with Apple for releasing a new MacBook Pro so fast and even before most pre-orders have even been shipped. Apple also stated that they would upgrade all the 1.67 GHz models that have not yet been shipped to a 1.83 GHz processor. More news should be released soon, so check back for updates.

Update: MacBook Pros are actually suppose to start to ship this week!

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Buy at Apple Store
Related: Apple Announces 1GB iPod Nano