books

What readers hate about the new MacBooks

After putting up our reviews of the new 13-inch Apple MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro, we checked back over the next couple of days to see what CNET readers would have to say about them in the user reviews section.

Reader reviews generally fall into two categories. One-star ratings for negativists who want to lay some online smackdown on a brand they're not feeling too generous about (Sony, Microsoft, etc.), and so-called "fanboys" who give everything five-star ratings with an almost religious zeal. Needless to say, usually very few of these amateur reviewers even own the product … Read more

Digital City: Episode 3

This week on the Digital City, it's an (almost) all-Apple special, as we talk about the new MacBooks. A quick note: Even if you listen to or download the show from this site, be a mench and click on the " Subscribe to this podcast using iTunes" button on the right side of the screen. Thanks in advance ;) Listen now: Download today's podcast Digital City rundown Episode 3

New MacBooks! Went down to the Apple store in Soho the next day -- no lines, no MacBooks, biz as usual. In fact, the entire store was filled with … Read more

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook impresses

In case you missed it after checking out our rumor mill posts, live coverage of the Apple press conference, and even our collection of "unboxing" pictures of the actual hardware, you can now read CNET's full reviewof Apple's new 13-inch MacBook.

The redesigned MacBook is a solid improvement on an already well-loved system. The new aluminum frame essentially makes it a smaller version of the MacBook Pro, and even the new Nvidia chipset and integrated graphics are impressive, offering playable frame rates in games such as Quake IV and Call of Duty 4 (as long as … Read more

New MacBook Air's newness lies within

The latest MacBook Air masks a lot of new electronics under an old skin.

To me, the new MacBook Air (MBA) is truly a second-generation product despite its unchanged appearance. But before I explain why, let me clarify where I am coming from.

I have been using an MBA for the last eight months. Why the over-priced Air? I am a minimalist when it comes to computers (though not necessarily when it comes to spending money on computers). The more spartan the laptop is, the better. In a well-executed design this translates to more portability, which, for me, takes priority … Read more

New models from Apple, Samsung, Toshiba, and Fujitsu: The week in laptops

What a week for laptops! We'll start with the big news, which drew many a visitor to Crave: at a press event in Cupertino, Calif., Steve Jobs announced a number of updates to Apple's MacBook line. Get a sense of the changes with our "new vs. old" analysis of the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, or just have a look at which new MacBook is right for you.

You can also read our review of the new MacBook; stay tuned for the MacBook Pro review. (Also follow those links to see video of the new … Read more

Hands-on with the new MacBook Pro

When Apple announced its new notebooks on Tuesday, it said the new machines would be in the company's retail stores the next day.

So I went to the Apple store at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara, Calif., after work on Wednesday. I got there a few minutes after 6 p.m. and discovered that an Apple technician was in the process of replacing an old MacBook Pro with the first one of the new models.

I positioned myself authoritatively about a foot from the tech's left elbow, so when he was done, I was the … Read more

Featured Freeware: Stanza

Stanza is a free application that lets you read electronic books on your iPhone. It's an excellent value, albeit with a no-frills approach that stops short of handling DRM-protected content and docs with heavy formatting or images.

Stanza provides a comfortable, customizable reading experience. You can quickly change text size via a slider in the settings, or using pinch and reverse pinch, adjust line and margin spacing, and choose from many different fonts. You can even pick your own text and background colors, in case you want old-school, CRT-style green on black. You can flip through chapters, rotate portrait … Read more

Fujitsu's checkered LifeBook A6220

Fujitsu continued its trend toward colorful laptops this week with the introduction of the tartan-lidded LifeBook A6220. Like the LifeBook A1110 announced earlier this month, the midsize LifeBook A6220 incorporates a swappable exterior panel so you can replace the default indigo lid with a red or gold one to suit your tastes.

All the standard features for a midsize system are here: a 15.4-inch, WXGA screen; integrated Webcam and microphone; fingerprint reader and spill-resistant keyboard; and DVD burner. Around the case, there are the expected four USB ports, expansion and memory card slots, and a mini-FireWire jack, plus such … Read more

Nvidia says chip faster, smaller than Intel graphics

Nvidia on Wednesday introduced its GeForce 9400M graphics chip, a direct threat to Intel's graphics silicon.

Apple's choice of the 9400M for its refreshed MacBook line heralds a much-needed infusion of competition in the market for mobile integrated graphics--a low-cost solution that is built into Intel chipsets. To date, Intel has dominated the market, with many of the top notebook vendors defaulting to Intel graphics in low-end models and ultraportables. Apple chose Intel graphics for previous versions of the MacBook and MacBook Air.

Not this time though. Apple did its homework and CEO Steve Jobs made a point Tuesday … Read more

OWC offers trade-in MacBook memory upgrade kit

Just a day after Apple showed off its new MacBooks, Other World Computing (OWC) announced on Wednesday its 4GB DDR3 memory upgrade kit for the computers.

The kit includes two matching 2GB modules of PC3-8500 DDR3 memory designed specifically for Apple's new MacBook 13-inch and MacBook Pro 15-inch models. It costs $140 but you'll get a discount for trading in your current Apple standard memory modules.

The company's trade-in program offers $7.50 cash back per GB of old memory, which is a savings, but not such a good deal considering the new kit costs about $35 … Read more