Hawt Gadgets

The MacBook Air is Apple’s newest entry-level laptop and it’s so super-thin and light weight you might even forget you’re carrying it. An upgraded version of the MacBook Pro, this newer model is tantalizingly sleek and slender. You’ll notice some of the differences right away. On the other hand, some things never change.

For example, take the USB ports. Apple is still sticking to the standard 2 – one on the right and one on the left. They have, however, added in a Thunderbolt connector. The excuse is, by limiting the number of ports they can create that thin, almost razor-sharp design. At it’s thickest point – the end with the hinge – it measures a mere .68 inches, tapering down to almost nothing on the front side. The MacBook Air is so thin it’s even been used to slice vegetables in the kitchen.

On the plus side, Apple redesigned the touchpad, making it larger and more refined. There’s no noise this time around and actions are more specific and defined. In other words, they’ve tightened up the float.

Apple also changed the keyboard on the Macbook Air and this is one of the best new features. Not only are the keys more durable and responsive than before, but the keyboard is actually backlit now. Yes, you can even blog in the dark now – which is really the best time for blogging, anyway. It’s about time someone recognized that fact.

The MacBook Air has a new intel Core i5 and i7 ULV processor with 4GB of DDR3 memory – the basic 11-inch model only sports 2Gig. SSDs start at 64 GB for the 11-inch and range up to a full 256GB for the 13-inch. And it has an Intel HD 3000 graphics card with stock processors. Again, toss in an extra hundred bucks an upgrage to the 1.8GHz Core i7.

The 13-inch model still has the standard 1440 x 900 glossy display with the LED-backlit panel and the 11-inch has the 1366 X 768. Both screens have nice sharp contrast and brightness and viewing angles are wider than most other machines in this class. You really won’t be disappointed watching the Kardashians wade across the screen. Or wait… maybe you will.

Standard battery testing came out at about 5 1/2 hours of life, which is also comparable to other laptops in this class and we found the 7 hours that Apple claims you’ll get to be perfectly reasonable under normal usage. So yes, you’ll be able to update your Facebook status any time.

When all is said and done the Apple MacBook Air is really an amazing machine – especially when you compare it with other machines in the same class. As for the new, thin case design you’ll have to see it to believe it. It’s almost sharp along the front edge, it’s just that thin. In fact, you can almost see through the Apple when the light’s just right.

Put OSX Mountain Lion on the MacBook Air and you’ve got a powerful laptop with plenty of iPad-like features.