Thursday, October 28, 2010

Tej Kohli Reviews the New Macbook Air by Apple

Tej Kohli says that the new Macbook Air has the feel of an iPad in the laptop casing.

Some of the most outstanding advantages of using apple iPad tablet are that it starts in a flash, resumes where you left off and has long battery life to keep you going for hours, and last but not the least it can do many things for which we use laptops.

But imagine an actual laptop with all these features. A laptop which can do all this more! And imagine if it was almost as portable and light weight as an iPad? Well, imagine no more because on Apple's new Macbook Air, you can do just that!

Launched only a week back and priced at a mere $999, Macbook Air is a visually stunning cousin of the iPad. Available in two sizes, the base model has an 11.6 inch screen and weighs only 2.3 pounds the larger model starts at $1,299 , features a 13.3 inch screen and weighs 2.9 pounds.

Tej Kohli has been testing the former model and finds that regardless of a few drawbacks, they do offer a more or less iPad like feel. Battery life is quite strong, and wakes up from the sleep almost instantly.

Like the previous Air range laptops, these are strikingly beautiful, sleek and light, but very strong aluminum laptops. They use Flash Chips instead of hard drives. Also, Apple has engineered these laptops, adding a longer “standby” period which only takes a few seconds.

While these are only the few of a many changes Apple plans to make its laptops act more like an iPad or iPhone, whilst maintaining their greater power and more traditional keyboards, touch-pads and mice, along with the ability to run conventional programs.

For example, Apple has announced to soon launch an “app store” for the Mac, which would enable easy search and downloading for Macs. Besides, it will also debut it next Mac OS, Lion, next summer, a sysm of apps icon screens, which you can flick through with a multitouch touchpad.

Under real life circumstances, the battery for 11 inch model lasted 4 hours and 43 minutes, against apple's claim of up to 5 hours. The the battery of 13-inch model lasted 6 hours and 13 minutes, versus Apple's claim of up to 7 hours.

Unlike many netbooks, the new Mac Air laptops have high screen resolution, thus enabling you to fit more material into a relatively small space.

However, if you are looking for some robust machines, the new Airs might not be your best choice. They use last generation Intel processors with only 3 gigabytes of memory in the base models and storage space is also well below typical hard-disk capacities. While the 11inch model has a meager 64 GB storage, the 13-inch models starts at 128 GB with higher end model offering just 256 GB of storage. What's more, you cannot expand your storage or memory once you've chosen your initial specifications.

Also, like its predecessors, these two don't have a DVD drive and an Ethernet port. However, apple sells and External drive for $79 and an Ethernet Adapter for $29, but his can raise your budget pretty much. It also lacks HDMI ports that enable users to connect their laptops to Televisions. Furthermore, the keyboards are not back lit, but they do have two USB ports instead of one in the older models.
In a nutshell, Apple has done a commendable job in making these new Macbooks similar to iPads without compromising on their ability to work like regular laptops.
 
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Toshiba Flaunts Glasses-less 3D TVs

Toshiba unveiled two 3D TVs today that offers 3D viewing experience without special glasses. Tej Kohli blog shares the latest buzz.

The Regza 20GL1 is a 20-inch flat-panel display with 1,280x720 resolution. The Regza 12GL1 is a 12-inch flat-panel display with 466x350 resolution. Toshiba unveiled the two models to coincide with this week's Ceatec electronics show near Tokyo.

Toshiba claims that its 3D technology, which is currently best-suited for small displays, provides "nine different perspectives of each single 2D frame." The company added that those perspectives are then "superimposed" by the viewer's brain "to create a three-dimensional impression of the image."

The 3D effect is available within a 40-degree area in front of the set, Toshiba said. According to the Associated Press, viewers must also sit two feet from the 12-inch LCD and three feet from the 20-inch LCD to view 3D content.

The new LCDs are "first step into the 3D future in the consumer home cinema market," Toshiba European marketing chief Sascha Lange said in a statement. "But it will take several years to develop larger 3D TVs without glasses with screen sizes of 40 inches and more at a yet reasonable price point."

The possibility of viewing 3D content sans glasses is something that many consumers will welcome, though.

Last month, a survey about 3D TVs showed that 30 percent of people don't like the need to wear special glasses to view 3D content.

Although Toshiba is trying to make its name in the glasses-free arena, the company is already a player in the 3D TV market. It currently sells the WX800 line of 3D TVs. Both the 46- and 55-inch models of the WX800 require glasses.

Toshiba's 20GL1 and 12GL1, which switch from 3D to 2D mode, are scheduled to be released in Japan later this year. They will retail for about $2,900 and $1,400, respectively. The company has not announced plans for availability outside of Japan.

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