Apple has updated both its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops but fashionista fans expecting some slinkier looks a la the new MacBook Air will be sorely disappointed. Unusually, Apples gone for the its whats on the inside that really counts approach, with a raft of speedy new Intel Core2Duo processors ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.6GHz, bigger hard disk drives (HDDs), up to 4GB of memory and more powerful graphics chips from nVidia. On the outside they do get one noticeable tweak with the addition of the Multi-Touch panel from the Air. More details, full specs and prices after the jump.  read more »

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In a new twist of events, Apple has come out with a couple of new product announcements a week before Macworld 2008. The reasoning?  read more »

Steve Jobs announced an update to the Apple TV at Macworld San Francisco this week as well as iTunes Movie Rentals , which were already rumored to be part of his Macworld keynote speech . Jobs admitted that Apple's online video plan had been a disappointment and that users didn't take to watching online video the way Apple had expected. When Jobs first announced the Apple TV last January, Apple's initial video plan was too complicated for many people. Getting a movie or TV show onto your Apple TV required customers to buy the video from the iTunes Store, download it to their computer, then sync/stream the file using an Apple TV. Although Apple has already sold 7 million movies, Jobs said: "Thats more than everyone else put together, but it did not meet our expectations." Apple plans on overhauling their strategy by making 2 major changes: Adding a new online movie rental service Updating the Apple TV's software so that viewers can stream movies direct from the internet sans (that's Middle English for without ) computer. Jobs thinks that viewers would prefer to rent movies, not buy them. As a result, the new Apple TV software will allow users to rent first run films from every major movie studio including Fox, WB, Paramount, Universal and Sony in HD. Jobs called it "A better way to provide movies to our customers." Blockbuster and Netflix can't be happy right now.  read more »

We all laugh at Dom Joly roaring into his giant mobile phone but as most people will tell you, ignorant mobile phones are right up there with cockroaches and rats on the Things I Hate Most list. A new survey of 2,000 UK adults has revealed just how hated rude mobile phone users are. More than half of respondents said that ignorant phone users should be punished, while 1-in-10 went further by claiming they should be slapped with ASBOs. My own solution of hanging them naked from lamp-posts by their toes and offering passers-by the chance to spank them with table tennis bats for charity and sticking the video on YouTube was not, sadly, among the key solutions offered.  read more »

Setting up a broadband connection should be a snap but, of course, it isnt, with more than 1 million UK households spending up to 6 hours trying to set up, or troubleshoot, their new broadband service. The stats come from a new O2 Broadband survey of 1500 broadband Brits, with 1-in-5 claiming that they had to call their service providers at least three times to get it sorted. The survey set out to see what ticked off broadband users the most and speed or lack thereof topped the poll. Nearly a quarter complained about the lack of speed but then, the survey did also discover that half of the survey had no idea what speed service they were paying for in the first place.  read more »

Adobe Systems will open up Photoshop Express on Thursday, its long-anticipated Web-based image editor aimed at the millions of consumers that want a simple way to touch up, share, and store photos.

Photoshop Express, available for free with 2 gigabytes of storage at www.photoshop.com/express, is a significant departure from Adobe's desktop software business and a big bet that it can make money offering Web services directly to consumers.  read more »

April 1, 2008 Samsung has announced the availability of the Samsung MyShot (SCH-r430) and Samsung Spex (SCH-r210) through MetroPCS - a wireless broadband personal communication service provider of no long-term contract, flat rate, unlimited usage basis phone plans in selected major metropolitan areas in the US. The MyShot and Spex are MetroPCSs first phones to operate on the 1.7/2.1GHz CDMA Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, which promises current and future service providers the opportunity to provide wireless broadband services to millions of Americans, resulting in increased productivity, efficiency, mobility and security through larger bandwidth allocation... Tags: Bluetooth , Mobile Phone , Samsung Related Articles: Samsung showcases ultra-slim bar phone at CTIA Samsung shows the world's first 7 megapixel camera phone Verizon and Samsung launch first 3.2 MPX camera phone in U.S.  read more »

Using the Sprint Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 makes high speed wireless EVDO Internet access a breeze to use. The U727 is unlike most EVDO cards because it connects to your computer via USB and it has an integrated microSD slot for memory storage, though you'll have to provide your own microSD card. Rich sent me over his review unit to test and put through the paces.

First off, the U727 is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2000, as well as Mac and Linux. After installing the software on the CD, I connected it to my computer's USB port and it was ready to go. It has a high-performance flip-up antenna, as seen here with a plastic spoon for scale:  read more »

Communicating with your family and friends over an instant messaging program is one of the cheaper (or even free) ways to keep in touch across a few thousand miles. Unfortunately, technology hasn’t exactly caught up with the high definition craze that is sweeping across living rooms in Europe and the US - until now, at least. Quanta and ooVoo have teamed up to offer high-quality, real-time video communication over the Internet, as long as you have a HDTV or notebook . Guess girlfriends who are talking to their boyfriends over this new technology will have to put even more foundation on their faces in order to hide the zits that seem to sprout up like nobody’s business.  read more »