MACKBOOK PRO!!!

The good: Powerful updates to the CPU and GPU; excellent battery life; still the best touch pad and gesture controls of any laptop.

The bad: Upgrades can get expensive; Thunderbolt is an unproven technology with as-yet no compatible products; still no dedicated HDMI, Blu-ray, or other wished-for options.

The bottom line: It's a hefty investment, but the combination of new high-end Intel processor options and AMD graphics makes the 15-inch MacBook Pro an all-around powerhouse, with the new Thunderbolt I/O port as an added bonus.

After a now-customary period of rumors, leaks, and anecdotal evidence, Apple's new generation of MacBook Pro laptops has arrived. And though these new models may look the same as the ones they replace, the changes under the hood are some of the most far-reaching in the history of the MacBook Pro brand.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro moves from Intel's original Core i-series CPUs to the latest second-generation chips, formerly code-named Sandy Bridge. Not only that, you can forget about seeing an Intel Core i5 CPU in your 15-inch (or 17-inch) MacBook Pro--these use high-end quad-core Core i7 chips now. Our step-up $2,199 review unit had a 2.2GHz quad-core i7, with 4GB of RAM and a huge 750GB hard drive (at only 5,400rpm, however).

The biggest surprise is the 15-inch MacBook Pro's graphics processor. Instead of the Nvidia GeForce 330M graphics card previously found in these systems, the GPUs now come from Nvidia's longtime rival AMD. The base 15-inch model has an AMD Radeon HD 6490M, and our review unit had an even faster 6750M. With Intel's improved integrated graphics in the 13-inch models, that means that Nvidia has been completely ousted from the MacBook Pro line.

The iconic unibody aluminum construction remains, as does the large glass multitouch trackpad. Most of the ports and connections also remain the same, with one very notable new addition. Where the Mini DisplayPort connection used to be, now an identically sized port is marked with a lightning-bolt icon. That's for Thunderbolt, Intel's new high-speed powered-port technology for data transfer and displays. The Thunderbolt tech is envisioned as a sort of future unified successor to USB, FireWire, and DisplayPort, allowing peripherals to carry data and video at 10Gbps (in the video above, we may have had a slip of the tongue and said Mbps, but we meant Gbps).

For now, at least, that promise is hypothetical. We have very little idea of exactly when Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals will be available (although Apple says the first ones should show up in the spring of 2011), how much they'll cost, or if Apple will be adding the technology to future displays or iOS devices. For now, it's a wait-and-see gamble on a future technology.

The lowest-cost 15-inch MacBook Pro is still $1,799, following the usual Apple trajectory of keeping the price steady but adding faster, more powerful components. While we're still waiting for oft-requested extras such as HDMI, Blu-ray, and 3G, the speed and power of these new quad-core Core i7 CPUs is extremely impressive, and leaves even other recent MacBook Pros in the dust.
Price as reviewed $2,199
Processor 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core
Memory 4GB, 1,066MHz DDR3
Hard drive 750GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel H67
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6750M / Intel HD 3000
Operating system OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard
Dimensions (WD) 14.4x9.8 inches
Height 0.95 inch
Screen size (diagonal) 17.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 5.5/6.2 pounds
Category Mainstream



By now, the shape and size of the MacBook Pro should be very familiar. Even more recent Apple designs, such as the second-generation MacBook Air, are basically just variations on it. The core building block remains the same: a solid block of aluminum, which is carved down into a shell with support struts. This unibody chassis has the benefit of being thin (for a 15-inch laptop), but strong and flex-free at the same time.

The touch philosophy that informs the iPad/iPhone line of devices can be said to have its roots in the large multitouch clickpad-style trackpad that's been a staple of the MacBook Pro for years. Of the multitouch gestures, our favorite is sweeping up or down with four fingers to show or hide all your active windows. Once you get used to that, going back to a regular touch pad is difficult. A few new gestures are apparently coming to the next version of OS X, but you won't see those until this summer.

Several Windows laptops have added larger clickpads over the past year or so, with similar multitouch gestures, but we can easily say that none can yet compete with the MacBook Pro's implementation.

The 1,440x900-pixel display is still a higher resolution than many 15-inch laptops (many of which are 1,366x768 pixels), and two screen upgrades are available: a 1,680x1,050-pixel-resolution version for an extra $100, or a 1,680x1,050-pixel-resolution "antiglare" version for $150. That's a lot more flexibility than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which still doesn't have a glare-free or higher-resolution screen option (even though the current 13-inch MacBook Air has a stock 1,440x900-pixel resolution).
Apple MacBook Pro, 15-inch Average for category [midsize]
Video Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt I/O VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data 2 USB 2.0, FireWire 800, SD card reader 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader, eSATA
Expansion None ExpressCard/54
Networking Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband
Optical drive DVD burner DVD burner


The big story in the ports and connections category is the new port based on Intel's Thunderbolt high-speed I/O technology. If it looks a lot like the Mini DisplayPort connection on previous MacBook Pros, that's because it is the same, except for the tiny lightning bolt logo next to it. It still functions as a DisplayPort output, and, in fact, you'll be able to daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt devices or displays to that single port.

While there aren't any Thunderbolt peripherals available yet, we did get to see a demo of a prototype RAID product when we met with Apple, and the performance passing multiple uncompressed HD video streams was impressive. Thunderbolt is technically capable of 10Gbps bidirectional transfer, and if Intel and Apple have their way, it may replace many other kinds of ports and connections in the future.

Also notable on the new MacBook Pro is a 720p Webcam, which works with the new Mac version of FaceTime, the same video-conferencing application found on the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch. With a solid Wi-Fi signal, jumping into full-screen mode was clear and mostly stutter-free. There's also an onscreen button for changing the video window from portrait mode to horizontal, and video calls can be made between MacBooks and iPhones as well. You can read more about FaceTime for Mac in this hands-on. It's also worth noting that the SD card slot is now SDXC-compatible, meaning it will work with higher-capacity SD cards.

But while Thunderbolt and FaceTime are interesting extras, the real muscle behind the new MacBook Pro is the quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU and AMD Radeon HD 6750M GPU. In our CNET Labs benchmark tests, it absolutely clobbers the competition, including last year's 15-inch MacBook Pro, which had a first-gen Intel Core i7, and other high-end midsize laptops, such as a Core i7 Alienware M15x.

To be sure, once more systems with these new Intel processors hit the streets, the competitive gap will close up significantly, but for now, this is the fastest laptop we've tested.

Report: Google planning mobile payment trial

Google plans to begin testing a mobile payment service within the next four months, according to a report today.

The company will pay for the installation of thousands of NFC (Near-Field Communication) short-range, wireless point-of-sale systems from VeriFone at stores in New York and San Francisco, Bloomberg reported, citing two unidentified sources familiar with the project. Users of phones with NFC chips in them could then make payments by holding the devices up to the specialized reader.

A Google representative said the company was not commenting on the report. Representatives from VeriFone did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

The adoption of mobile payment systems has been held up by the lack of NFC chips in handsets. Later this year, Visa will begin offering a way to use existing smartphones for such payments with a microSD (Secure Digital) removable memory card.

Mobile payments are being made on the iPhone 3 and 4, various BlackBerry models, and Samsung's Android-based Galaxy S II, while the Nexus S has NFC technology in it. NFC chips also could make their way into Windows-based phones made by Nokia, as well as future iPhone versions.

Meanwhile, Google added some NFC capabilities to Android in an update earlier this year and reportedly is working on a mobile wallet code-named "Cream" that will be integrated into NFC-enabled Androids.

Microsoft products we hardly knew (images)

Reports have it that Microsoft is killing off its would-be iPod killer, the Zune digital music and video player. Microsoft declined to confirm the reports, though plenty are speculating that the company will keep the Zune brand and continue to produce media player software for Windows Phone 7 and the Xbox 360. If true, that would relegate the much hyped device to the dustbin of failed tech products.

And that got us thinking about other consumer products eliminated by Microsoft over the years. The software giant is hardly alone in tech flops. Apple's success with the iPad and now iPad 2 makes it easy to forget the Newton. And Sony's Betamax flop is the stuff of business school case studies.

Microsoft continues to make boatloads of money selling operating systems for computers bought by consumers. And gamers keep buying Xbox 360s and the games that get played on them. But there's a rogue's gallery of products introduced with great fanfare that have slid into oblivion. Here are a few of them.

Site-loading speed battle 2: Motorola Xoom vs. Apple iPad 2

A couple of weeks back we put the original iPad up against the Xoom in a site-loading speed battle. While most of the feedback was positive, a few commenters expressed their disappointment that we used the original iPad instead of the iPad 2. Well, now that the iPad 2 has been released, we can in fact post the story you've been waiting for. One that will no doubt completely satisfy everyone.

So, let's get right to it.

Testing
Site-loading speed is one of the simplest things to test, and it's a test many users can immediately relate to. As I said in the previous post, I'm a greater fan of real-world tests like going to actual, real sites, than of synthetic benchmarks.

We used three different Web sites for the tests: CNET.com, CBSNews.com, and GiantBomb.com. Each tablet was connected to the same closed network with no other devices on it, with the router about 5 feet away. We considered the test to begin the moment we pressed Enter and run to the time the blue progress bar on each tablet disappeared. We used iOS 4.3 for the iPad 2 and iPad, and the Xoom is using Android OS 3.0.1.

Although in the video you'll only see one iteration for each test, we actually ran each test several times; over those runs we got results consistent with what you'll see here. Also, we cleared each tablet's browser cache before each iteration of the tests was run.

Now, as much as we'd love for these tests to be completely relevant for everyone in every situation, that's nearly impossible. We tested these tablets under specific conditions in a "free" environment. The network was closed, but we can't account for noise from other networks interfering. This is a snapshot of performance in our testing environment, and your results may vary.
Web site Motorola Xoom Apple iPad 2 Apple iPad
CNET.com 5 seconds 6 seconds 12 seconds
CBSNews.com 6 seconds 10 seconds 16 seconds
GiantBomb.com 5 seconds 5 seconds 6 seconds

Tested specs Motorola Xoom Apple iPad Apple iPad 2
Maximum brightness 312 cd/m2 388 cd/m2 432 cd/m2
Default brightness 131 cd/m2 161 cd/m2 176 cd/m2
Maximum black level 0.26 cd/m2 0.44 cd/m2 0.46 cd/m2
Default black level 0.11 cd/m2 0.18 cd/m2 0.19 cd/m2
Default contrast ratio 1,190:1 894:1 926:1
Contrast ratio (max brightness) 1,200:1 881:1 939:1



Conclusion
The iPad 2 shows a huge improvement over the original iPad and holds its own against the Xoom for the most part. On a really busy site like CBSnews.com, however, the iPad 2 chokes a bit, while the Xoom flies through with relative ease.

We were surprised that Apple increased the maximum brightness on the iPad 2 and it will be interesting to see what effect that has on the iPad's battery life. Look for some battery life test results very soon.

Apple delays Japanese launch of iPad 2

Apple has postponed the launch of the iPad 2 tablet in Japan, as the country struggles to recover from the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Originally planned for 25 March, the company said its launch had been delayed indefinitely.

Many technology firms are facing supply problems after factories in Japan shut down in the wake of the disaster.

However, an Apple spokesperson said the announced delay was unrelated to any supply shortages.

"We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster," said Natalie Kerris.

Apple has been using its iTunes store to accept donations for the American Red Cross' (ARC) Japan earthquake and tsunami relief fund.

According to the company, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Red Cross.

While the country's main focus is on the human cost of the disaster, many businesses are also facing challenges.

Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and Canon had all been forced to halt production in the immediate aftermath, in order to carry out safety checks.

The prospect of rolling power blackouts means further interruptions are likely over the coming weeks.

ipad 2 US LAUNCH

The updated version of the Apple's iPad first appeared in stores across the US last Friday.

Many retailers reported running out of stock within hours, and analysts estimated sales to hit 1m units during the weekend.

Buyers in 24 other countries, including the UK, will be able to get their hands on the iPad 2 next week.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled the tablet computer at an event in San Francisco on 1 March.

The iPad 2 is said to be twice the speed of its predecessor; it has cameras on the front and back and also features improved graphics.

The first version of the iPad was released in April 2010, and went on sale in Japan in May 2010.

Google buys Parrot Pictures to improve YouTube quality

Google has bought Irish company Green Parrot Pictures in a bid to improve the quality of video uploaded to YouTube.

The Dublin-based firm specialises in image processing to improve, for example, sharpness and camera shake.

Its technology has already been used by several big Hollywood film studios on movies such as X-Men and Spiderman.

Google said that Green Parrot's technology would enhance the look of videos posted on its site while using bandwidth more efficiently.

A statement, posted on Green Parrot Pictures' website said: "We're excited to join Google, where we will apply our expertise to improve the online video experience for hundreds of millions of users worldwide on may different products, platforms and services."

Green Parrot Pictures was founded six years ago by Dr Anil Kokaram, an associate professor with the school of engineering at Trinity College, Dublin.

Google, which owns YouTube plans to use Green Parrot's technology to perform on-the-fly background processing on user videos.

Writing on the official YouTube blog, Google's director of video technology, Jeremy Doig said: "What if there was a technology that could improve the quality of such videos -- sharpening the image, reducing visual noise and rendering a higher-quality, steadier video -- all while your video is simply being uploaded to the site?

"You can imagine how excited we were when we discovered a small, ambitious company based in Ireland that can do exactly this."