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Is Apple's PR wearing thin?

Sure, there was the MacBook Air and the buzz around "thinnovation." But wasn't that--pun intended--too "thin" for a big media splash, especially compared with past years? Now that MacWorld is over, pundits are reviewing Apple's PR efforts, and when the expectations are so high (and a company is so good at it), it is not too surprising that some are disappointed with what they've seen this year. Frank Shaw, a PR professional at Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's lead PR agency, is one of them, and you have … Read more

The new MacBook Air laptop has one killer feature, the non-removable battery. Killer as in deal-killer. As in why would anybody use a laptop that has to be shipped back to the vendor to replace the battery? It boggles the mind. Here's why.

Have any sensitive files on your computer? Files you'd rather other people not see. Many of us do. Do you like the idea of your sensitive files sitting in a package on a UPS truck? Or being in the hands of a company Apple sub-contracted repairs to? Of course not.

Remembering to remove all the … Read more

I really enjoy Web-based comic strip tools. I once had ambitions to be a comic illustrator, although I lost interest about the same time I discovered video games. I still enjoy a good doodle here and there, which is where sites like Toonlet can offer a great deal of fun for the creatively inclined. Toonlet is a comic strip builder. We've covered several others like it before, although it's somewhere between that build-your-own Simpsons character maker and Mr. Picassohead. You're given a wide (and I do mean wide) array of body parts to fit together, letting you … Read more

When I saw the MacBook Air in person this week at Macworld Expo, I was having a hard time figuring out what about it seemed so familiar. Then I remembered. The G4 Cube. "Overpriced and underconfigured" were the words we used to describe it in our review in 2000, and many of the same complaints could be applied directly to the MacBook Air.

Where the Cube had no PCI slots or additional drive bays, no standard audio input or output jacks, and wouldn't accept full-length graphics cards because of its diminutive size, the Air has no Ethernet … Read more

Less than three days since the MacBook Air's debut, companies are working furiously to come out with accessories that will most certainly deluge the market in coming months. So even though Belkin's sleeves and cases aren't exactly revolutionary, they score points for being so quick out of the floodgate. In fact, Belkin's already got a whole new line on its site, with options for color, leather, neoprene, straps, and fasteners, for $40 or $50. It's unclear when they'll be ready for delivery, however. So if you want some faster--and cheaper--you can always opt for &… Read more

In the "why didn't I think of that" category, an enterprising couple of media types (Web designer Jona Bechtolt and freelance science writer Claire L. Evans) were so knocked out by the Steve Jobs Macworld keynote that they decided to create and market a laptop case for the new MacBook Air--based on the simple manila office envelope Jobs pulled his new laptop out of on stage.

The AirMail is little more than a simple Web site and a prototype photo right now, but the designers promise to start shipping the handmade bags in about two weeks--when … Read more

From the moment I played with the iPhone and Microsoft's Surface tabletop computing technology, I have been waiting for pinch-zooming and other motions to make their way into mainstream PCs.

The wait is essentially over.

Although it's the MacBook Air that's been getting all the ink for adding such gestures, Synaptics announced at the Consumer Electronics show last week a version of its touchpad for Windows notebooks that will also support a range of gestures, including methods for continuous scrolling, zooming in and out, and trackball-like movement.

And that's just the start.

"There will be … Read more

I love e-books. For years I've read them on whatever PDA or smartphone I happened to be carrying at the time. (Currently it's a Palm Centro.)

Sure, the screens are small, but you get used to that pretty quickly. For me, nothing beats the convenience of having a good book in your pocket (or clipped to your belt) everywhere you go.

eReader, one of the oldest e-booksellers, was recently acquired by another e-book veteran, Fictionwise. To celebrate, the company just dropped the prices on over 8,000 titles: Every book over $10 has been discounted up to 20 … Read more

Apple's announcement of its new ultrathin laptop couldn't have come at a better time. After lugging around a huge pack at CES last week and nearly breaking my back, my top wish coming out of the convention was for a truly portable laptop, and I have always used Macs.

I have been trying to be less consumeristic lately (going to CES didn't help that either!) but I have to say that the MacBook Air inspired an instantaneous, primal reflex of consumer lust: Me want that.

Apple's new ad showing the MacBook air emerging from a manila … Read more