Intel Core i5. Whoooosh!

OK, let me say this from the beginning – if you are buying a new laptop for school, for anything – get a Core i5.

I’ve had the opportunity to be able to try out a laptop with the new chips, and to sum it up – it’s fast. Really, really fast. Think of things that you do often on your computer – web browsing, gaming, note taking in word, watching videos on Youtube, listening to music on iTunes, chatting with friends in AIM, updating things on Twitter, watching shows on Hulu.

I went through a few days worth of these usual things – and the experience is insane. Load times when opening applications is effectively non-existent. Hulu videos just played, at full resolution, with almost 0 lag. CDs ripped into iTunes in minutes, and huge downloads – including the entire game of Portal on Steam, a task that brought my not underpowered Macbook down for almost a day, finished in under an hour. The game itself ran flawlessly. Flash games ran so fast that a friend of mine had trouble playing, being so used to a slower speed. Youtube videos streamed and loaded in seconds, even in HD. The Zune software, which I had been running at a snails pace on my netbook, was fluid and fast. Word, always a pain to load, taking forever to open, just was there.

But, while all these individual facts are impressive – the ease that the i5 handled everything I usually do on a computer was fantastic. But, I felt that this wasn’t enough yet. So did all the above tasks again – at the same time.

The total list of multitasking involved – playing 2 Hulu videos in HD, playing a Flash game, running a 720p Youtube short film, writing this post in Microsoft word, an assortment of sticky notes, 5 Gadgets, Paint, Solitare, downloading an iTunes update, ripping a CD, playing tracks in iTunes, streaming music from the internet in Zune, downloading and playing a 1080p HD movie trailer, playing two flash games, as well as running Portal off Steam. Oh, and Tweetdeck.

The result – I gave up. The i5 handled it all without a hitch, only maxing out at 80% of the processor’s speed. Part of it is just it being fast, part in the hyperthreading feature that lets it boost itself from a 2.27 Ghz speed to 2.54 (which, during the Multitasking mayhem test, it was full time). It was seriously, seriously, impressive.

Battery life was also never an issue – took a whole day’s worth of usage just fine.

If you’re looking for a laptop, particularly for school, there are some important things to consider besides processor however – a good keyboard for note-taking is huge, since that’s typically the most important thing you’ll need it for. If you’ve got a big campus, make sure that you look at the weight of the laptop – a few pounds doesn’t sound like much, but added to 3 textbooks, 8 notebooks, and 13 folders it adds up a lot.

But overall, based on my experience with the i5, it’s a huge positive – and something that, if you’re a student looking for a laptop and want to have a flawless way to run everything you do (and all of it at the same time), consider the i5.

As a disclaimer in accordance with FTC guidelines, the laptop mentioned above was lent to me by Intel for the purpose of this review as part of Intel’s Youth Review Program.

News from Apple – WWDC 2010 Steve Job’s Keynote

Apple, as well, pretty much everyone expected, made a few new product announcements today. So let’s jump right in.

First off is an iBooks update, for those of you with iPads. Basically, added highlighting, notes, and bookmarking. Also can do PDFs, not just ePub formatted books. Nice.

Also announced was a Netflix app for the iPhone (summer), Farmville (end of June), and Guitar Hero (now).

Next, as was previously exploded over the internet a while back, iPhone news. Specifically, a new iPhone – the iPhone 4. It has a new design, being made out of steel and glass, and is a quarter thinner then the 3GS. Looking very slick.

What’s new? Hardware-wise, there’s a front-facing camera, and a second mike for better sound. The screen has been totally redone, using some new tech, for 4x resolution. Supposed to be much, much sharper. Furthermore, the Apple A4 chip of the iPad has been added to the iPhone as well, which helps battery life and speed. Battery life now supposed to be at 7 hours 3G talk, 6 hours 3G browsing, 10 hours WiFi browsing, 10 hours music, 40 hours of music, and 300 hours of standby. Motion sensing has a new gyroscope, for full 6-axis motion control. New camera, 5MP, but has a new light sensor (supposed to make pictures better). HD video recording, at 72op. (Niiice!), with flash and sharing built in.

Another note – you will need to get a new SIM card, as the iPhone 4, like the iPad, uses MicroSIM cards.

Software: iMovie for iPhone – to go along with the new HD video camera. Looks insane – transition, effects, text, themes. On an iPhone. Can add in audio tracks from iTunes, photos. Built in geolocation for map effects.  Again – this is on a PHONE. Will cost $5. Bing Search added along Google and Yahoo!.

On the iPhone OS 4.0 – it’s been renamed. Now called iOS 4. Some further showing off of the multitasking, Folders, iBooks for iPhone, and other updates.

And the last thing – that front facing camera? It’s for video calling! Called FaceTime, works over WiFi (no 3G, although they’re working on getting it soon.) iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only, obviously. Works with both cameras, in both portrait and landscape.

iOS 4 will be out June 21st, and FINALLY for free for iPod Touches all well. (Seriously, this was needed). Full upgrade for 3GS and 3rd-gen iTouches, iPhone 3G and 2nd-gen Touch get limited. (But it’s FREE!)

So! Pricing is $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. Colors will be black and white, launching on June 24th. 3GS still available in 8GB for $99

So, that’s it. I’ll be posting a review of the iPhone 4 as soon as I can get my hands on one. Check back here soon!

[Thanks to Engadget, gdgt, Slashgear, and @Gartenberg for live info.]

[Pix from Apple.com]

Caffeine. Need. Caffeine.

Another random little Mac application. And yet, so useful. To ask a simple question – ever have to download some really big file (say, Portal) or need to sync, backup or restore your iPod (a task taking slightly less time then the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy). But even more annoying, is when you’re doing this on a laptop. A laptop, which goes to sleep to conserve battery life after around 15 minutes. So, you’re stuck either messing around with your battery settings or waiting at your computer for hours. Enter Caffeine. Caffeine is a little application that sits in your menubar, and has one purpose. Click on the little coffee cup icon, and your computer stays awake – no screensaver, no sleep, nothing. Hence the name, Caffeine.

It works flawlessly though, and is absurdly useful. Streaming an episode of Chuck from Hulu? Caffeine, eat dinner, and enjoy. Converting a movie? Caffeine. It’s singularly purposed, but incredibly useful.

So, go on – download it here. It’s free, so you’ve got no excuse. And next time where you’re trying to process a video for history class at 4 AM – at least you’ll be able to keep the computer awake.

Looking for a MacBook with all the basic specs but not interested in spending an extra $200 on the all-aluminum design of the 13-inch MacBook Pro? Apple has announced this week some modest, yet nice updates to the MacBook line that pretty much puts the two models in the same ballpark.

As we saw in the recent MacBook Pro update, the big gains on the Macbook were not in design (the Macbook still rocks the new unibody plastic with the glass multitouch trackpad, and still lacks the SD card slot found on the MacBook Pro) but graphics and battery life. It boasts the new NVIDIA 320M graphics and a 10 hour battery, while also bumping up other specs like the Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.4 GHZ standard like on the MacBook Pro 13, compared to the 2.26 GHZ of the previous models).

The best part though is that Apple did all this while keeping the price the same old at $999 (with the Education Store offering it for $949), which is still $200 cheaper than the 13 inch Aluminum MacBook Pro. Its worth noting, however, that the Pro ships with 4 GB of RAM compared to the MacBook’s standard 2, though for $100 you could upgrade the RAM to 4 GB, and for another $50 the hard drive to 320 GB– a significant increase from the 250 GB standard of both models. All that still leaves the Macbook $50 cheaper.

Why Apple would update this to be so close to their high end line in terms of pure specs I’m not sure, but in any case– anyone out there looking for a new MacBook gonna go with this over the MacBook Pro 13?

The new MacBooks are available now from Apple.com.

A lot (if not pretty much all) of us have relied on Microsoft’s Office software for our lives over the years, whether for notes, school papers, or creating fliers. Every couple of years Microsoft introduces a major revision to the Office line, and 2010 is another one of those years. And while the basics of PowerPoint, Word, OneNote and all the other Office programs have stayed the same, there have been some pretty solid improvements that while may not be “must haves,” are without question appreciated and make Office even better and easier to use.

I’ve been testing out the beta (i.e. testing, not final) version of Office 2010 as my main Office suite for the past couple of months– using it to write papers, take notes, manage email, and create presentations; and I got to say– I really like it better than the older Office 2007. I’m not gonna go into a full out review of the new Office yet (partly because not everything is finalized in the beta I’m using), but here are a few thoughts.

Word 2007 vs Word 2010

Things are faster, look nicer, and generally easier to use. The “ribbon” interface introduced in 2007 is still very much here, though in 2010 it’s seems to be a lot easier to use. The older Office logo in the upper right of programs has been replaced with the simpler and familiar “File” button, allowing you to do everything from saving a doc, to printing, to saving to the web. You do still have the different tabs along the top of whatever respective program your using (meaning the “Home” tab in Word shows basic options like paste, font, spacing etc., while the “Insert” tab to the right shows options for a Cover Page, adding headers and footers, etc.). Even compared to their 2007 counterparts, I still found things to run cleaner and faster than in previous Office versions– and this is just a beta copy!  And for those that do a lot of presentations, PowerPoint also has gotten some tweaks and updates as well, adding a bunch of awesome 3D-like animations that I can tell you from first hand experience really add to whatever the presentation is on and can really help to bring up your grade (I’ve done this on 2 different school projects, and both times my classmates, and teacher, were wowed, which when you need a good grade definitely can’t hurt!). Outlook (the email program for those who don’t know), has also gotten a nice update– now allowing you to sort messages in threads (like in Gmail), rather than viewing a email conversation as separate email replies. You can even link the emailer’s profile to their social network (like Facebook, MySpace) so you can see not just that person’s latest email but also their latest Facebook status update at the same time. The beta version doesn’t yet have this feature active so I couldn’t test it for this First Look.

Now we’re still about a month away from Office 2010′s release (it comes out June 15th), and while at it’s core it’s still the Office we know and love, Office 2010 looks to be a really solid update and if your in the market for a new computer (or are looking for some graduation computer deals), you should definitely check out Office 2010 for your Office suite.

We’ll have more on Office when it launches next month, but you can pre-order it now from Microsoft’s online store (the Home and Student version– which has Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint 2010 costs $149.99) or from Amazon (where you can buy Office 2007 and get a free upgrade to that version’s 2010 edition once it comes out) now. Oh, and for those who can’t wait, you can download and try the beta of Office 2010 yourself from Microsoft (note: the Office 2010 beta expires in October, and after that your gonna either need to buy a copy of Office or return back to your older Office programs).

So you’re in the market for a new sleek, stylish, all-aluminum laptop but don’t want something from a company with a fruit as it’s logo. What you gonna do? If I were in your spot I’d take a look at HP’s updates to their high-end Envy line (which you may recall we covered last year). HP really is providing some solid alternatives to those MacBook Pros, particularly with these new updates on the new Envy 17 and Envy 14 (which replaces the Envy 13). What’s in these new laptops? Read on for all the details.

The Basics

Alright so here are the standard features you’ll find on both the Envy 14 and 17.

Both of these Windows 7 PC’s sport the latest Intel processors (either Core i5 or i7) with dedicated ATI graphics for better gaming and media playback, those sleek all aluminum designs now with backlit keyboards, multi-touch touchpad (like on previous Envy’s and looks similar to the MacBook’s), slot loading drives (something which was conspicuously missing from the previous Envy’s and something we’re glad to see back), HD webcams, and Beats Audio by Dr. Dre (for a better sound experience). These specs alone are pretty solid, and were sure would make a lot of people more than happy, but as these are HP’s high end line, things get raised up one more level.

Envy 14

The Envy 14 packs all the above in a 1.1 inch 5.25 pound design (which is insane! Sure 5.25 pound isn’t MacBook Air light, but should be more than light enough for taking it to school; and it’s only 1.1 inch thin!), with a 14.5 inch HD screen, those Core i5 processors with ATI dedicated graphics, optional 3G (for either Verizon or AT&T), and up to 8 hours of battery life with the ATI graphics off (we’re not sure how much you get when both are on).

The best part of all this? Price. The Envy 14 starts at $999.99, and when compared to the cheapest MacBook Pro 13 inch starting price of $1199.99 (and that’s with the slightly smaller 13 inch screen and older Core 2 Duo processors), this looks like an even better deal.

Envy 17

The Envy 17 takes all that power found in the Envy 14 up a notch. Seriously, the Envy 17 adds

• a full HD screen
• Blu-Ray
• Beats Audio with HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer– for what promises to be incredible sound
• Intel dual or quad core options
• ATI dedicated graphics with ATI EyeFinity to connect multiple additional screens
• USB 3.0 port! (USB 3.0 is the next version of the current USB 2.0, offering even faster transfer speeds and is fully backward compatible with USB 2.0)
• Support for up to 2 TB of hard drive space

All this in 7.5 pound case for an also not so bad starting price of $1399.99. The MacBook Pro 17, by comparison, starts at $2,299 with no Blu-ray option and the only available upgrade — a 512 GB Solid State Drive that’s more durable than hard drives — costs an additional $1300, almost enough to buy another one of these!

The Envy 14 is be available starting June 27th, while the Envy 17 will be available in 2 weeks on May 19th.

So anyone out there interested in these over a MacBook Pro? Let us know in the comments.

Doxie. Saving my back in the near future?

So, this one’s a bit out there for me, but it was too cool not to let you guys know about. Yes, a scanner. But hear me out. Scanning stuff, if you think about it for a student, is a great idea. And I carry around 50 pounds of folders every day to know that I carry around more paper with me then that produced by a court of law. But yesterday, I came across this. Doxie. A small, portable, full color scanner. Easily could fit in a schoolbag or locker – just slide the paper right through. Scans in color and black and white.

And suddenly, a vision came into my head. Of getting a handout from my history teacher – of all the hundreds of handouts I’ve gotten. And just scanning them in on the spot. Never having to carry around asignment sheets for essays, never losing another critical chart – the potential is HUGE, especially for a student. And if all it did was just scan, that’d be great. But Doxie takes it a step further – by having built in integration with a whole bunch of stuff – including Acrobat, Google Docs, Flickr, Evernote, Twitter, iPhoto – just scan and have it automatically imported, or sent out to the internet cloud. And the dream gets better – not just scanning all my school stuff, but having them available for my whole class on our Google Group through Google Docs.

Furthermore, it’s totally portable – just plug it into a laptop – it powers off USB, and you’re all set. It’s also got some slick photo scanning tricks up it’s sleeve – automatically straightening, cropping, and importing to the photo software or site of your choice. So for anyone looking to have a scanner for non-school stuff, it’s not bad.

The clincher though is price – $130. Before you start losing it over a scanner that costs more then a Benjamin, go to Staples or Best Buy and search for scanner. I’ll wait. Most scanners, you might have seen, cost equal or significantly more – arguably, they offer higher resolution, and such, but lack the portability and application support Doxie has. And lets face it, you’re NEVER going to need to do anything beyond basic scanning.

Basically – I seriously want one of these. A portable scanner designed for sharing, uploading, and documents sounds perfect for a teenager – whether you’re looking to go paperless in school, or just manage your old-school pictures.

Check out Doxie here.

(And to the guys out there – it comes with some skins for the device, so you don’t have to carry something around with hearts on it.)

[Photo credit - getdoxie.com]

Back in January, we caught a short glimpse of the HP Slate, HP’s new tablet. Last week, Engadget uncovered some “unofficial” specs of the new tablet compared to the iPad. Later that day HP released a trailer of the Slate doing things that the iPad can’t do, including video chatting and taking pictures (that’s right, two cameras– one on the front for video chatting and one on the back for taking regular pictures), as well as:

• 8.9 inch multi-touch screen, with stylus support– While this is a drop smaller than the iPad’s bigger 9.7 inch screen, the ability to use a stylus for writing on it is very interesting, particularly for use in school.
• A USB slot– shown ironically through connecting an iPod cable to the Slate, which can run iTunes because…
• The Slate runs on Windows 7 (with some custom HP Touch software thrown in as well)
• Available with either 32 or 64 GB of  storage– Like the iPad, just you can also add even more storage via an SD card slot with room to add up to a massive 128 GB! (Though don’t run for that 128 GB yet, as it probably right now costs about as much as the whole tablet, though still awesome for future use.)
• WiFi and optional 3G for $50 more– meaning that for $600 you get a 32 GB Slate with 3G, compared to $730 for a 32 GB iPad WiFi+3G (this is even cheaper than the 16 GB WiFi+3G which starts at $630). No word on what data plans for this will be like (if they’ll be like the iPads $15 for 250 MB a month and $30 for unlimited or like the usual $60 for a laptop data plan).
• Output to an HDTV through some sort of dock– so you can share your photos and videos on your big HDTV.
• A base price of $549 for 32 GB Slate and $599 for the 64 GB model (both without the optional 3G), whereas with the WiFi only 32 GB iPad starts at $600 and the 64 GB start out at $700.

Obviously, the Skype and camera features could make the HP Slate a thorn in the iPad’s side and we will see if these features will make the HP Slate more customer-friendly than the iPad (just as a note: HP hasn’t officially released a spec sheet of the Slate nor announced pricing, things– like pricing– is still very much rumor and subject to change). Check out one of the HP promo videos of the Slate, as well as the leaked iPad-Slate comparison sheet after the break.

Slate vs iPad– click on pic to see bigger shot.

Upgrade Season!

A bit pricier then the student marketed Macbook, the Pro is a bit leaner, meaner, and shinier. So, if you’re considering splurging on a new Pro, the time has come. Specifically, Apple’s hit the update button the the store and added new specs for the Macbook Pros – with the new Intel Core i5 and i7 chips, which are quite awesome.

The cheapest 13-inch Pro didn’t get quite the same update, only getting a bump in speed with new, faster 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz Core 2 Duos, and a slightly long battery life now – and the boost for $200 in specs between the basic Macbook and the basic 13-inch Pro is looking a lot better now.

But the real coolness in the in 15 and 17 inchers – which all now come with either an Intel i5 or i7 chip. Also added is a new automatic process for managing graphics on your computer – basically stuff works better. And, if you’ve got extra money to splurge, options for a HD screen,($100), anti-glare (another $50) or a 512GB Solid State ($1300 – ouch…) (flash memory, as opposed to hard disc – aka much faster, and less breakable).

Check out the new models, configurations at Apple’s online store here.

Behold! The iPad Cometh!

So. It’s finally landed. The iPad. And I’ve actually managed to get my mitts on one for a few minutes. So – here’s the review: We’ll jump right in.

First off – the iPad is cool. It’s been hyped for what seems like forever, and excitement has built to a fever pitch since it was announced by Apple in January. And it does live up to that – the entire thing is very, very, very, well done.

Let’s face it though. Enlightening (I hope) my comments on the iPad may be – you’ll be able to get effectively the same thing anywhere: every tech site in the world will be writing nearly the same thing, and at this rate, has already written it. So here’s my contribution – that isn’t anywhere else:

What does the iPad mean to YOU – a teenager and student?

It’s not an easy question. As media consumption and entertainment goes, the iPad is incredible. The huge screen, plus the fact it’s an extension of the iTunes library you’ve most likely spent most of your life building, as well as ALL your iPhone/iTouch Apps, along with the 1,400-odd iPad only one already out there make that a moot point. More serious stuff – like note-taking or, say, productive work – is also fairly nice: I personally find the horizontal digital keyboard excellent, and the compatibility with Bluetooth keyboards is a huge plus. And yes, better comments on that is down below.

But back to my question – is the iPad for YOU? I have to say no. And I mean this in no way to knock the iPad, but despite the serious awesomeness of the device, I can’t recommend it for most teens. The iPad, in the most basic breakdown is Apple’s netbook. And here’s the thing.

Teenagers do not use netbooks correctly – at least, how the manufacturers want. The netbook concept is that you buy a full laptop or desktop, and use the netbook to supplement it – for travel or on-the-go. But teens don’t follow that logic at all – for many teens, the netbook is the ONLY computer – the primary one, that they use for media, for school, for gaming, for IM, for everything in their lives – after all, money is something we don’t have available for big purchases for the most part, and netbooks are light, cheap, easy to carry and give full computer functionality.

And unfortunately, the iPad cannot deliver as a primary computer for teens. Both the $500 minimum for the device (not including a case, stand, or external keyboard), as well as it’s existing limitations – no Flash, no physical keyboard, and the limitations of using a mobile operating system – at that price, make it extremely difficult for me to recommend it for a teenager – save the money, or use it to get a full powered laptop. But the iPad isn’t meant to be a primary device, nor can it be recommended as such for a student.

Again – I think the iPad is a fantastic device. And if you’re interested in a secondary device, and can afford the price, or are willing to go with the limitations of the iPad as a primary device, then by all means. It still is an incredible device for the in between space between iPod/Phone and computer – but my personal view is that that particular space doesn’t exist for teenagers in a real sense.

Onwards to the review!

Hardware:

It’s sleek (0.5 inch), the screen is large, and wonderful to look at – nice, bright, and has a seriously wide angle of viewing (Apple’s saying 178º, which seems to hold up – to it’s great for watching stuff with friends). The rotation lock button on the side is useful, and the speakers are pretty loud. To sum it up – it’s on the surface, a big, shiny, cool iPod Touch. And that is a very good thing.

The digital keyboard in vertical mode is a bit difficult to use, but the horizontal one was excellent – I was able to typed at a normal speed in my test. (Two notes there – I have a “unique” typing style of a pecking sort of thing – so if you’re a real QWERTY typer, your milage may vary. Also, I was using it with Apple’s iPad Case, which was nice for getting the screen at a comfortable angle – which I in a side point recommend if you get an iPad). Also, the iPad is compatible with most Bluetooth keyboards (including Apple’s) as well as the sold-separately keyboard dock, which might be good options to look into if you’re looking to do some heavy work.

Finally, processing speed. The iPad, unlike, well, anything else, uses an Apple designed chip, the Apple A4 – which is fast. Coming from someone whose primary iProduct is an original iTouch, it’s blazing – internet, apps, search – everything runs seriously fast. Battery life, which I haven’t been able to really find out about yet, seems to be holding up at the advertised 10 hours.

Software -

The iPad runs an iPad version of the iPhone/iTouch OS – so it has the same Apps (running in either a small, 1:1 windowed style or a slightly pixelated doubled one – both are OK, and more then acceptable for accessibility for all your old apps), features (including Copy/Paste, Push Notifications, etc.), and the lack of Flash. (The biggest downside to the device).

Regarding the Apple bundled Apps – Almost all of them have been redesigned for the iPad, and look great. Calendar and Contacts have a much fuller view, giving access to all your info as opposed to the limited amounts you could get on the screen on an iTouch, and have been been visually spiced up. iPod takes a more iTunes appearance, and has the requisite iTunes support we all know and love. Video is video, but on the great iPad screen (The large viewing angle is real handy here for watching stuff with friends or family). Photos has been updated, with many of the features of iPhoto on the Mac, with Faces (people tagging) and Places (place tagging) available on the iPad itself.

One of the big draws, of course, is the new iBooks App. It’s great. The screen size, plus the fact that it’s a non-E-Ink screen (and therefore, has no annoying refresh rate, lack of backlight, and blackandwhite-ness) make it really nice for reading. Those who prefer E-Ink may disagree, but personally I happen to prefer the iPad here. If you’re considering buying, say, an iTouch and a separate e-Reader, the iPad should definitely considered.

The 3rd party apps that have been redesigned for the iPad are also pretty nice – If i Can, I’ll review some separately soon. (Special shoutout to the Scrabble App, which has the awesomeness of connecting to iPhones/iTouch’s, using the iPad as the gameboard and giving each player their own letter tray on their iPhone/iTouch. SERIOUSLY cool.)

Sum Up:

Overall – the iPad is a great device. For media, even for work. And I certainly would love to own one – I’m sure most teens feel the same. But in the end, it’s a secondary device, and an expensive one at that. And for teenagers, the money might be better focused on a netbook or laptop that can give a full computing experience. But that’s just my opinion, you’re free to make your own call.

Any questions? Comments? Have an iPad? Sound off in the comments.

[Photo from Apple.com]