Technology Review

I’ll admit it – I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon. That sleek interface, all-in-one use of music, email, camera, and web browsing. And lets not exclude the apps, oh those sweet apps. (my current addiction is Tower Maddness) The phone was calling to me like hand held porn (and you can find that too).

My delight was insatiable, I tapped and finger pinched my way around, gobbling up Apples innovative and addicting tech candy. I held in my hand the modern day gift from Prometheus. So what does a guy do when he gets an awesome new gadget? He calls his buddies to share in the excitement. And to brag. Or at least he tries to call. The result; 3 attempts, 3 dropped connections. In today’s text explicatives. . . WTF!  How is this possible? I work in New York City, a major metropolitan area where wireless communication is as available as a dirty water dog. I should be able to make calls from the subway . . . going below the East River!

AT&T . . . Call me. We need to talk this. But do it on someone else’s service, for obvious reasons.

After my shock abated and my buddies stopped rubbing my face in a phone that’s less reliable then a stoned hippie giving directions, I began searching for a new phone for 2010. Here’s the quick and nasty of what I dug up for touch screen phones that can handle apps, music, email and phone calls.

Droid

Ever remember that Motorola StarTac? It’s the poster child of resilient cell phones for the 90’s. Well, after an interestingly long funk, Motorola has made a comeback with a new phone. The Droid is a great device with a clean and clear interface. It has a long talk time and quick response for music and internet. For those with gorilla thumbs, there’s even a QWERTY keyboard. To top it, it’s on the market for about $200 with contract. A good buy in my opinion.

Nexus One

Here’s my prediction: I see a future where “Made in China” will be replaced with “ Made by Google.” They’ll conquer everything from electronics, to kitchen utensils, to toilet bowls. Until then, they’re trying with the cell phone. This has by far one of the fastest processing speeds of all the phones out there. And the calling clarity is unsurpassed. Even better – it comes unlocked . . . but for $500 ($179 with 2-year T-mobile contract). If you’re an early adopter and a tech fiend with deep pockets, go for it!

Blackberry Storm 2

Its business, its functional, it’s a Blackberry. For the millions of Crackberry addicts that are jonesing for corporate functionality and compatibility, this upgrade from the initial Storm covers the needed Wifi and a more accurate touch/press screen. My bet is if you’re already a member of the BBM team, then you’ll stick with it. At a little less than $200 a pop, it’s a reasonable purchase for a corporate device.

Palm Pre

The Palm Treo 650 broke my smartphone cherry. I remember it with fond memories. It had limited touch screen, a camera, and an SD memory card slot. Palm’s attempt at revitalizing its once competitive cell phone segment is summed up with this baby. She’s slick and with a pull-out keypad (though smaller than the Treo’s) and performs one thing most smartphones don’t these days . . . multitask. You can check your email, your calendar and the web just to make sure you didn’t double book your Saturday night with a NY/Boston game and that tall leggy blond living across the hall. And at $150 clams, your wallet won’t be gasping for its life. 

It’s been the longest short week that we’ve all had to deal with. (If you’re in the camp of the unemployed or academia – cheers! I’m sure you’re already enjoying a variety of inebriating beverages)

For me personally, there wasn’t any real reason to come into the office with people already on vacation, taking long lunches or catching up on Family Guy youtube clips.

My personal favorite for its sick, slow humor (Watch this YouTube Video) In sum, nothing got done and we got paid for it – if you’re one of my clients, my email is broken and my voicemail doesn’t work, sorry.

Through the cubical walls of this advertising agency, I’ve accidentally eves dropped on several conversations about what people are thankful for . . . “early office closing”, “long weekend”, “ I’m not cooking this time” and the one that sticks out the most “going to see Twilight for the 4^th time”. Riiight.

Well, after listening to this office banter, I’ve done a list of our own thankfulness with a slight angle towards the small things in life:

• The Eclipse Spearmint Gum BigEPak (60 pieces) – Because as Americans, we trophy the oversized. And this stands in proud effigy toward our western philosophy. Why create a 10 piece pack when we can sextuple the size? Yes, because you never know when you’ll need to plug a leak the size of a bowling ball and all you have is gum. In all seriousness though, I did purchase this at my local 7-11 and it’s been in my car . . . since July. 

  

• Budweiser 30 pack – Granted I rarely comment negatively about all that is holy and brewed, but this . . . this has only one purpose. Self-induced tomfoolery. (all those college and post-college gents, this ones for you) In the arms race of the big brewing company’s, Budweiser has shown it has the biggest (appendage). Though I am no fan of this beer, my beer-snootiness does have one weakness and that is Beer Pong. It’s the perfect gift to bring to a tourney, that and a few distractingly beautiful looking ladies.

  

   

• Ipod Apps – I fully admit I jumped onto the Apple bandwagon and fell right in the AT&T pile of shit. But aside from the many dropped calls and not getting all the text messages that I should, the apps make up for it. Playing TM Zero or Stickwars to a playlist of Young, Counting Crows, Sound Garden and Kings of Leon more than make up for not getting my visual voicemail for over an hour. No message, no worries. Even if it is a client of mine. (add that to another reason why nothing is getting done today).

  
   

• Tryptophan -  You know what that is… it's the enzyme in Turkey that is responsible for catapulting you into a sudden, instant hibernation.  There's nothing more satisfying than the warm embrace a coma, following the inhalation of  turkey gravy over mashed potatoes, topped with sweet corn nibblets.  Eat up, it's going to be a long winter!

  

We can go on. But there’s turkey to eat, football to watch, and apps to be played.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you DR readers!

Winter Beer Selection:

Winter is creeping in for us Northeastern and Northwestern folk. That colder air means its time to pack away those sandals and shorts, break out the thick sweaters and settle in for shorter days.

So what’s better to take on those long nights but a few pints of lagers, stouts and for you goofy tongued folk, lambics. Here, again are some of my select beer choices to self medicate for a long cold winter.

Brace Yourself for Chang's Top 3…

1.  Guinness (stout): Undoubtedly, I was born Irish. But I look Asian . . . go figure. My first instinct when there’s cold in the air, with a hint of a lively fireplace, is to order a pint of the dark stuff. Because of its infamy, I need not delve into its origins or history. But I will make one acute observation; Peoples love or distaste of this stout is as distinct as its black and white color. You either can enjoy it, or would move to something else . . . like a wine cooler.

2. Brooklyn’s Intensified Coffee Stout: You want to graduate and really be a stout drinker? Here’s an Imperial Stout that will cause you to a) be very happy b) get very marinated c) not remember much more of A or B the next morning. Imperials are the upper echelon of brewed stouts with high ALC. They’re usually poured in snifter-like glasses as a tribute to their whisky barreled aging process. NOTE: these aren’t normally poured in the same volume of all the other beers. If you get a pint glass full . . . hang on to your trowsers and make sure someone has a camera.

3. Blue Point Toasted Lager: If you look beyond the I-talians, fair-weather Hamptonites, and the Islanders, Long Island has a lot of cultural jewels. Especially in the wine and beer industries. Blue Point Brewery is one of those gems’s that has shined in the past decade. A microbrewery that is gaining popularity, it comes out with staples such as the Pale Ale, Hoptical and a bar favorite of mine, the Toasted Lager. Give it try next time you’re in NYC or gotten lost and find yourself roaming around Suffolk County.

Fishing, Demystified.

So you’re looking for a break from the daily grind: Boss is all over you like a cougar at closing time, your woman discovered your other woman, and that sad paycheck makes Houdini look like a block party magician.

When life is hosing you down and flipping you off… 

What do you do when all is against you? Cast a lure, snag a lively sea bass, and settle down for a good ol’ fashion primal fight for life.
 

If you’re new to the angling idea or dabbled a bit when you were a midget at
"Camp Cuddly Pines," here are some of the basics from the poor man’s rod and reel to trolling the canyon’s of the North Atlantic:

1. Off the dock

The Essentials: generic rod and reel, cheap tackle

By far the easiest and least expensive of the types. Well known to you and me, because our fathers brought us here as part of that lifelong paternal lesson of fishing. Nothing wrong with hanging out at the local dock, just like nothing wrong with drinking by yourself.

2. Fly Fishing

The Essentials: fly rod and fly reel, fly fishing lure, set of waders

If the local dock isn’t far away enough or if you’re a land locked resident. Try fly-fishing at the closest river. Of all the sport fishing, this takes the most skill as it includes both rhythm and precision to mimic fly-bait on the water. But be sure to check you’re not wading around the town’s waste treatment center. Three-eyed fish are only good in photos, not on your hook.

3. Surf Casting

The Essentials: surf rod, reel, terminal tackle, waders

For those who live near the ocean, this is your ticket to freedom. Grab yourself a 4-wheel drive vehicle, beach pass, and make like Burt Reynolds in Canon Ball Run. After you’ve spun a few donuts in the sand and caused irreparable harm to our coastline, find a spot and cast a line into the waters. With a little luck and patience you might strike a good tug from a bass, fluke or even weak fish (sea trout).

4. Off the Boat

The Essentials: generic rod and reel, tackle, and a BOAT

No my friend, this is not an analogy to illegal immigrants entering our country by means of ocean going vessels. This is far less life threatening and not to mention, legal. If you’ve got the money, pick up a boat (~$25,000.00), gas it up ($300.00) and head on out into the wild blue yonder and catch a nice blue fish (that sell for $5.00 at the local fish market). Just remember, fishing is all about the experience.

5. Trolling

The Essentials: testicles and cash

Want a true, man vs. nature fight? Go wrestle a hungry grizzly bear. Or, grab a few buddies, and charter a boat to take you to the canyons, even the Outer Banks. We’re talking a serious 5-8 hour cruise destined to the deepest parts of the ocean where the big game tuna and marlin are bountiful. Once hooked, the fight can be long and arduous, almost epic, as you’re locked into a battle of wills against a relentless creature of nature who can weigh almost as much as you do . . . And that my friend . . . would be the beginning of your very first fish story. Even if all it was, was a nibble on the line by a small porgy.

Be Your Own Brew Master

Ok guy, you’re a huge beer enthusiast. You’ve dabbled a bit with ales and lagers, made memories with stouts and lost many more with Hefeweizen (damn ze Germanz!!!). So what new fermented territory is there to cover since you’ve conquered the world’s finest beers?

Our Recommendation: Brew Your Own Beer!

These days home brewing is made easy for the beer hobbyist with the advent of smaller fermentors that can be stored in any small space, like right between your George Foreman Grill and the Magic Bullet. And don’t worry; you won’t be out in the woods like uncle Ned making moonshine in your overalls. Unless that’s what you’re into. 

There are a few online brewing distributors to grab your equipment from but if you’re a novice, we’d point you in the direction of Mr. Beer. You can get a convenient all-in-one brewing package for under $100. If you’re on a beer budget (no pun intended), choose the $49.95 premium box because it includes the basics without the frills. 

Steps are fairly simple and the package has it’s own brewing book incase you need more description:

Step one: A sterile environment makes great beer. Clean everything that will come in contact with your sauce; pots, siphons, mixing sticks, and especially those grubby claws of yours. 

Step two: Brewing the wort creates the body and taste of the beer. Wort is the combination of the malt extract, hops and other flavoring ingredients. I recommend cooking it a bit beyond the recommended time, which is usually between 45 minutes to an hour. 

Step three: Don’t rush the yeast. This is where the science experiment really goes freaky. Yeast convert your wort to beer as a by-product of digestion – yes, you’re essentially drinking excrement. College bingeing memories will never be the same. Let these guys do their job for a few days. Little tid-bit of info to impress your beer bros: that layer of sediment at the bottom is what the Aussies eat for breakfast – vegemite.

Step four: Bottle and wait. This is where most novice brewers tend to drop the ball. Bottling is the last process where the yeast have slowed down tremendously and start to give the flavor to your brew. So it’s important to be patient and sanitary when you’re pouring and capping. The Mr. Beer kit gives you some plastic bottles and caps to do this very easily. When you decide to expand your horizon, there are glass-bottling kits that will give you an authentic feel to the experience. And if you’re hardcore or an alcoholic, you can buy the reusable 1 liter growler and brag about it during your AA meetings.

In Conclusion: Now remember, beer brewing is a process of sweet… err, bitter frothy love mixed with the timings of Kama Sutra. The whole process from hops to hammered happens over the course of a month depending what you’re brewing and how long you can hold out. Give the bottles at least 2  – 3 weeks of proper storage before you start to taste it. My personal experience -  keep a few around for a month or two longer. Then you can notice how much the taste and body can change over time.

Good luck and happy brewing my friends.

Click Here to Get Mr. Beer for Only $39.95!

Mr. Beer is…

4 Summer Beers that’ll Put a Smile on Your Mug

By Michael A. Chang

Sorry to bring the bad news, but summer is half way over. Bummer. But there’s still plenty of time to do things you’ll regret later on in life.

To help you along this path of poor decisions, we offer a choice selection of microbrews to begin the night, or if you’re ambitious . . . the early afternoon.  

Fair warning though, for those living their heydays right now (college, recently graduated, and recently unemployed), these might cost slightly more than the 36 value pack of Bud from Costco.  
 

Long Trail IPA:

This is my normal go-to brew at the local dive bar when I’m craving a nice ale to start the night. It’s easy on the palette with a light touch of citrus and goes great on hot evenings when preparing for the night. Brewed in Vermont, those guys up there apparently do more than milk sap out of trees and make icy moguls on ski resorts.

Victory Hopdevil IPA:

If you’re into Hops, then this is a great warm-up. It’s floral beginnings and hoppy end will give you a worth while appreciation of what an IPA can be. Victory mostly comes out with great tap beers but this one is a nice bottle selection.  

Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA:

So here’s a little tidbit if you didn’t know, the longer a brewer brews the malt/hops, the stronger the resulting fermented beverage. DFH has mastered this science into a start-up business. They have 3 kinds of IPA’s: the 60, the 90 and the 120. Because we’re talking about starting your night and not ending it, I’ll recommend the 60. It’s another citrus flavor but slightly darker than the above mentioned beers and goes great with beers, hotdogs, and other pre-festive dinings.  

Legacy Hedonism:

If those other beers are the way to ease you into the night, this one . . . this one is a 10 meter belly flop into a hot tub full of fine frisky ladies. Hedonism has a sweet hoppyness that is very easy to drink. But like that stranger who offers you candy, this one has an ulterior motive with ~ 8% ABV. Drink this and yes, hedonistic tendencies may arise . . . just keep the farm animals locked up.

The Best Time to Quit Smoking is Now.

There has never been a better time to quit smoking than right now.  You hear this everyday, and you already know that smoking is a harmful and repugnant habit.  Cigarette smoking is responsible for 16 percent of all deaths in the United States each year by contributing to cancers, and cardio-pulmonary diseases.  Besides that, who would want to make out with a dude who’s mouth tastes like an ashtray? 

You’re pretty much limited to kissing women who’s mouths also taste like ashtrays. Wonderful.
 

It’s Hard to Quit, But Now a Heck of a Lot Easier with Cigana!

Quitting isn’t so easy.  It’s a vicious addiction that requires both physical and psychological treatment.  Until now, there have been hundreds, maybe even thousands of products and remedies on the market that fall short of their claims and fail to live up to their promises to break the nasty habit.  Some products, like the nicotine patch, or the gum treat the physical addiction of smoking, but don’t address the psychological component.  Other remedies, such as hypnosis or 12-step programs address the psychological elements of smoking addiction, but do nothing to alleviate the symptoms of phsycial addiction.  Cigana, the manufacturer of the "Electronic Cigarette" now offers a healthy, effective method to end the addiction.

Order a Cigana Starter Kit today and get FREE Shipping!

Now, there’s a completely legit product that treats both the physical and psychological components of addiction, called the E-Cigarette or "Electronic Cigarettes" by Cigana.

Overview of Electronic Cigarettes

An electronic cigarette is the latest and healthiest alternative to smoking tabacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. The E-Cigarette is a battery-powered device that looks and feels exactly like a real cigarette, but rather than burning tabacco, it provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine solution (vaporized simple-sugar alcohol + nicotine). Smokers will receive a dose of nicotine through a vapor that also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, yet lacks the cancer causing harmful ingredients found in cigarettes.  This will help smokers eventually quit, because they can dial down the amount of nicotine they receive with each smoke by using lower dosage cartridges for a gradual step down method.  This is a highly effective method for treating the physical symptoms of addiction.  Actually holding a cigarette-like device and simulating cigarette smoking is effective for treating the psychological withdrawal.

Which Brand is Best?

I have researched and evaluated quite a few different manufacturers of the electronic cigarette for this article, and quickly discovered that the quality and efficacy of the e-cigarette varies widely across the board by manufacturer.  There are a lot of cheapo, fly-by-night products rolling off the assembly lines in China that I avoid at all costs.  Cigna Electronic Cigarettes are composed of parts and materials manufactured in different countries, but they are hand-assembled in the USA.  What’s more, the propylene glycol/nicotine solution is made entirely in the USA, meaning you’re not getting some shady/questionable chemicals from an origin with low quality control standards.   

Of all the models of e-cigarettes manufactuered, the Cigana E-Cigarette gets my vote for the highest quality and most effective model.  The Cigana Electronic Cigarette is a small, light, battery-powered device that vaporizes nicotine and provides a safe inhaled dose. The vapor that the product emits has no smell and causes no harm to the smoker or those around them.  You can use this product indoors, in your office, in restuarants, etc., because there is no burning of material to violate smoking ordinances.

Cigana E-Cigarettes Have Two Components:

1. Battery: 

Cigana Electronic Cigarettes employ a lithium-ion based battery to power the heating element (atomizer). When connected to the cartridge and charged, the Cigana Electronic Cigarette is ready for use. When a user inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates the atomizer and vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece. It is this vapor that is inhaled by the user. An LED on the opposite end of the device is also activated during inhalation, which serves as an indicator of use, and also to simulate the glow of actual burning tobacco.

2. Cartridge:

The disposable device holds the heating element (atomizer). It also contains nicotine in liquid form and flavor essences depending on what the designated flavor of the cartridge is. See Cigana Product Page for a full list of flavors. The material inside the cartridge is atomized into vapor form when connected to the battery and inhaled by the user. One Cigana cartridge lasts an estimated 15 cigarettes depending on how the user smokes.

Flavor Cartridges

The disposable Cartridge holds the heating element (atomizer). It also contains nicotine in liquid form and flavor essences depending on what the designated flavor of the cartridge is. The material inside the cartridge is atomized into vapor form when connected to the battery and inhaled by the user.

The Cigana Cartridges are unique when compared to other brands of electronic cigarettes. Other brands will have 3 to 4 components creating a risk for an inoperable device and fault issues, such as clogged air flow or an improper connection. Cigana cartridges have a built in disposable atomizer allowing for a simple 2 component connection.

Each time you replace your Cigana cartridge, you will be using a new and clean atomizer. There is no need for maintenance.

Choose from 9 different flavor options.

• Almond
• Apple
• Cherry
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Light Tobacco
• Regular Tobacco
• Menthol
• Vanilla

Can’t decide? Cigana offers an assorted pack containing 40 cartridges in various flavors.

Cigana also offers you the choice to choose your nicotine density level.

• None (0 mg)
• Low (6 mg)
• Medium (11 mg)
• High (16 mg)
• Extra High (24 mg)

If you’re a smoker, and are serious about quitting, I highly recommend giving the Cigana E-Cigarette products a try.

Cigana Guarantees that you’ll love the Cigana Electronic Cigarette so much that they’re offering their Starter Kit, RISK-FREE. If you are not satisfied with the product simply return within 30 days and you won’t be charged. I repeat, if you’re not happy for any reason within 30 days, return it and you will not be charged for the product.  That is truly risk free.

Order Cigana Electronic Cigarettes for a Healthier Alternative

IBM’s FREE Office Suite

Review by Alan Chang

Although Lotus Symphony is still in beta testing, IBM’s latest release of  Lotus Symphony is a free alternative to MIcrosofft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel that is deserving of your consideration.  Lotus Symphony has more features and a more polished interface than many other free software titles.

IBM Lotus Symphony is a completely free office productivity software suite for Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux users.

The Lotus Symphony office suite is still in beta testing, and can be downloaded directly from IBM’s lotus site, at http://symphony.lotus.com. Symphony consists of word processing "Documents", spreadsheet "Spreadsheets", and presentation "Presentations" applications. Lotus Symphony’s Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations are direct alternatives to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and Powerpoint applications.  Symphony’s software code, however,  is largely based on the free, open-source alternative, OpenOffice.

Compatibility

Lotus Symphony saves your work by default in the Open Document Format (.odt). The DudeRated.com writers are big fans of open-source software. We all rock OpenOffice.org on our laptops. As much as we dig the open-source standards, it is important to note that both Microsoft Office and Apple iWork do not support this open-source format. If you save a file in the default ".odt" file extension, you’ll only be able to open the document with an application that can view this extension.  This means that if you send someone a document saved as an ".odt" they will be unable to view it if they use MS Office or Apple iWorks. 

Luckily, Symphony can read files from Microsoft Office (Microsoft Office Basic 2007 available now for $174) and make PDF files, too. You’d probably be better off to simply save your work in Microsoft’s DOC, PPT, and XLS formats if you want to send it to users who might use Microsoft Office software.

For the most part, Lotus Symphony’s compatibility rocks.  However, Symphony does not have the capability to save work in the new Office 2007 formats. You will also be warned when opening Microsoft Office files that Symphony may not support the formatting, which in my testing of this free office suite alternative, was true when opening complex (lots of tables, and formatting) Word documents. Simple documents such as memos, letters and reports maintained Microsoft’s formatting without any problems.

Symphony can support a tremendous range of document types, much more than Microsoft Office.  Much more than the average user will probably ever need. The one thing that brings down the compatibility rating, however is that it does not yet support Office 2007 file extensions.  Other versions of Office work fine, but for some users in a corporate setting, this may be a problem.

Features

Symphony is based on the OpenOffice.org code base, but has a number of tweaks and enhancements that qualify Symphony as a fork rather than a contribution to the OpenOffice open-source development. 

Symphony is a scaled down version of OpenOffice, with the number of features reduced in order to simplify the user experience and interface design of the product.  Office power users may be turned off by the reduction in features, but for the beginner to intermediate crowd, Symphony fits the bill.

Symphony consists of three individual office applications, which are Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Presentation alternatives to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  Alternatively, OpenOffice.org, which is also free, consists of six individual applications, including database, drawing, and formula apps not included in Symphony. 

The features within Documents include a spelling checker, footnotes, bookmarks, charts, indexes and tables, and more.  Like Documents, Presentations retained most but not all of the attributes of my test Office 2007 PowerPoint file.  Spreadsheets offers a formula bar that supports functions from Excel, but not the same dropdown menu of shortcuts. 

For most users, Symphony offers plenty of features, but power users may want to consider OpenOffice.org.

Speed

IBM’s Lotus Symphony is based on the OpenOffice.org platform, which is known as being a bit sluggish and slow to load.  Symphony is no different.   In fact, the system requirements for Symphony are higher than OpenOffice (512Mb of RAM versus 256Mb, etc.).  At the time of this writing, Symphony did feel slower to load than OpenOffice on my relatively fast laptop.

Keep in mind that Symphony is still in BETA.   The speed and responsiveness may improve by the official release of the software.  At this point, however, I am underwhelmed by the performance.

User Interface

The User Interface is where Lotus Symphony really shines.  The  bluish-gray color scheme and interface is easy on the eyes and simple to use.  I really like the look and feel, and in my opinion feel that it is more attractive than OpenOffice, Google Docs, and the like. The menus, icons and navigation are all intuitve which is a big plus for productivity.

Symphony loses points with me, however, with the default installation.  Annoyingly, Symphony installs three desktop icon shortcuts.  Not a huge deal, but a minor nuisance nontheless.

Overall

The Good: IBM’s Lotus Symphony can support a tremendous range of document types, has features that are sufficient for most of the demands of office suite users, offers a pleasent user interface, and above all is completely free.

The Bad: Symphony is slow to load and will be sluggish on older, less powerful computers.  The features will be inadaquate for power users.  Compatibility with MS Office 2007 is not yet available. 

Lotus Symphony is worth a look, especially if the final release addresses some of it’s current weaknesses.

If you don’t mind spending $175, Microsoft Office Basic 2007  may be a better choice.

Review by Alan Chang

MacBook Air (Starting at $999 at MacMall) is ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else. But you dont lose inches and pounds overnight. Its the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard.

What’s So Great About the Macbook Air?

Hold your potato-chip grabbin’ hand out in front of your face.  Now, gaze thoughtfully at your digits and marvel at the fact that the MacBook Air is nearly as thin as that greasy index finger you just had up your nose. Yet it has a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, a full-size keyboard, and a large Multi-Touch trackpad. The Macbook Air is crazy portable — but without the ultraportable screen and keyboard compromises that most of today’s netbooks make.

In a nut-shell, the Macbook Air is what Netbooks should be – powerful, lightweight, long battery life, full-size keyboard, and an AMAZING, no holds barred, LED display.

–> Wanna get this for as low as $999, brand-new with full warranty? Click here.

Slick Features

CPU:

The MacBook Air’s performance is no slouch.   Most ultra-portables today (netbooks, etc.) come equipped with underwhelming Intel Atom processors.  Not this bad-boy.  The Macbook Air’s blistering performance is as impressive as its form, thanks to its 1.6GHz or 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This chip was custom built to fit within the compact dimensions of MacBook Air. And now it’s faster than ever. The latest Macbook Air models feature a new 1066MHz frontside bus, additional L2 cache (6MB total), and 2GB of faster DDR3 RAM to provide plenty of speed and memory for working with your favorite applications.

That’s nerd-speak for "It’s freakin’ fast."

LED DISPLAY:

The dazzling LED-backlit display provides instant full screen in-your-face, slap upside the head brightness the moment you open MacBook Air. This latest LED technology also makes the display less power hungry than traditional screens, which correlates to long-ass battery life (4.5 hours, so says Apple). And since this display is mercury-free with arsenic-free glass, it’s as easy on the environment as it is on your peepers.

MULTI-TOUCH TRACKPAD:

MacBook Air includes an oversize trackpad with multi-touch technology. Did Apple super-size the trackpad to accomodate the less chic, fast-food nation demographic?  Who cares!  It’s pretty incredible, and way more user friendly than trackpads of yesteryear.  You can pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image. This gesture-based input so successful on iPhone and iPod touch now comes to MacBook Air.

BIG FAT HARD DRIVE & SOLID STATE OPTION:

The latest MacBook Air hard drive is now bigger and meaner at 120GB. So there’s plenty of storage for work, play, and whatever happens in between (like picking up babes on Match.com?). Or choose a 128GB solid-state drive, which has no moving parts, for enhanced durability, longer battery life, and less heat on your junk.

SO, WHAT’S IT MISSIN’?

Dude, there is no flippin’ built-in DVD drive.  And for that, I gotta knock it down to a four out of five rating.

Coolness Factor

Let’s be honest guys, you’re researching the Macbook Air right now because the thing is plain ol’ silly-cool, and not because it’s chock full of the latest whirly gizmos and tera-blips (whirly gizmos and ter-blips copyright Alan Chang 2009 ).  Face it, when you slide this thing out of your attache case, and place it on your table at your favorite local coffee shop, you’re going to get looks.  Lots of looks – many from the gentler of the sexes.  The ladies LOVE the Macbook Air.  It’s undeniable that it is the sexiest computer on the market today.  If there was ever a time in human history that owning a computer could help a guy get some tail, it is now, with the Macbook Air.

Value

The Macbook Air ain’t cheap, my friends.  The basic no-frills version starts at $1800 plus tax and shipping on Apple’s website.  The better-equipped version costs a whopping $2500.  It’s pricey, but it looks the part.  Everyone (think ladies, here) knows it costs a small fortune.  I think there is some sort of mathmatic formula here though, dudes… it’s something like this:

VALUE = [price of thing / probability of getting laid] x [number of new partners]

At $1800 – $2500 I’d say that this thing still represents a pretty decent value.  But, right now over at MacMall, you can get your grubby paws on these for as low as $999.  How?  Shush, don’t question the awesomeness.

Overall

This thing is pretty awesome.  The one drawback that stands out is the lack of a built-in DVD drive.  This kind of matters if you like installing software, watching movies, archiving your data, etc.  There are work-arounds, of course, as well as an external drive capability, so overall, it’s a 4.5 out of 5.