SDXC set to blow your mind next year, with 64GB capacity out of the gate

Kevin Schader, director of communications for the SD Association and all-around great guy, just stated that SDXC cards should be hitting us as early as next year, with a 64GB capacity to begin with. The spec was released to member companies in April, and though Pretec has been parading around a 32GB card, we haven’t had a release window of any sort before now. Naturally, it’s going to be a slow build up to the theoretical limits of SDXC, with 52MB per second speeds and 64GB cards, instead of the 300MB per second, 2TB cards of our dreams, but we promise not to complain too much along the way.

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SDXC set to blow your mind next year, with 64GB capacity out of the gate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon D300S screen leaks out

It’s been removed now, but Nikon Rumors says this screenshot from a supposed Nikon D300S was briefly posted on Nikon USA’s site earlier today. There’s not much to go on here, but that SD icon in the corner seemingly implies the update to the D300 will somehow feature an SD slot — whether it’s in addition to CF as previously rumored is obviously up in the air. Either way, it seems like we’ll find out soon enough — stay tuned.

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Nikon D300S screen leaks out originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacBook Pro 2009 Review

You know those Microsoft laptop hunter spots? Apple may already have responded with TV spots of their own, but these MacBook Pros strike back at Microsoft better than any ad can: by doing.

Apple did two things simultaneously that are usually contradictory; they lowered the price of their entire MacBook Pro line while at the same time bumping up the specs. The 15-inch version now starts at $1699 and caps out at $2299, down from $1999 and $2499. What’s even nicer is that the 13-inch MacBook—which previously didn’t have a Firewire slot or a “nicer” screen—got absorbed into the MacBook Pro family and is now virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the Pro line.

Two other things changed on the build that make the Pros more appealing to regular consumers. The replaceable battery has been swapped for the same type of lithium-polymer internal battery previously found in the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which boosts battery life at the expense of not being able to be changed out in the field. This, for the large majority of people, is a good thing. The batteries last 1000 charge cycles, which at 200/cycles a year, would last you five years. Even if you go through one charge cycle every day, you’ll still make it about three years before you need to take Apple up on the $129 replacement. (The $129 includes shipping, labor and disposal of the old battery.)

In our test, the 13-inch MacBook Pro got 3:31 of battery compared to the 3:46 of the 15-inch MacBook Pro. We used the same metrics as the previous MacBook Pro test—medium brightness, Wi-Fi on, keyboard backlight on low, H.264 movie—and got about an hour more on each machine. That’s a pretty incredible jump just from a change (non-user replaceable battery) that most people won’t notice.

The other interesting swap is the removal of the ExpressCard slot in favor of an SD card slot. According to Apple, there was only a “single digit” amount of customers that used the ExpressCard, whereas tons of people have digital cameras or other devices that use SD. Again, for the vast majority of mainstream customers, this decision was a smart one. And if you really do need ExpressCard, you can still find it on the 17-inch MacBook Pro—which doesn’t have an SD card slot.

Then we have the improved LED-backlit display, which has a 60% greater color gamut than previous version. What this means to you is that even the 13-inch MacBook Pro will have a quality display even though it’s a few hundred dollars cheaper than the 15-inch. The previous 13-inch MacBook, as you saw in our review, had a screen that was obviously inferior to the Pros, and distorted very noticeably as you stepped away or viewed the screen at an angle. Not anymore. From our tests, the 13 and 15 MacBook Pros looked just about identical, and both had superior color performance compared to older machines we had around.

An even nicer picture is painted by the benchmarks. This is the first time the 15-inch has gone up over 3GHz (the CTO version), and the entire line has the ability to handle 8GB of RAM. We didn’t test this 8GB configuration, but we’re pretty eager to see how much faster it makes us in our daily work.

Both sets of scores are on par with the changes in specs on the new machines. Since the CPUs have been bumped up, the scores have risen to match. It also makes sense that the 2.53GHz 15-inch just about ties the 2.53GHz 13-inch from this year. The only weird drop is in the Integer section of Geekbench, where both machines this year have dropped. A change in Geekbench? A change in 10.5.7? We’re not sure. But these are some good numbers nonetheless.

Although the removable latch has been exchanged for a screwed in panel, you can still get to the hard drive and RAM by removing ten screws and gently lifting off the back. The entire process should take you less than 10 minutes.

The 13-inch MacBook also has one fewer audio port, instead opting for a single audio port that supports digital in and out. If you need simultaneous in and out and don’t want to go up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro, you can use a $29 USB audio adapter instead.

So is there anything bad to say about the new MacBook Pro line? No, not really. It’s cheaper, faster, has more consumer-friendly features and now even has a 13-inch option for people who need slightly more portability. Those people who were waiting for the second-iteration version of a new hardware design (a pretty smart rule to follow with Apple products in general) before upgrading can safely do so now—and get a better deal in the process. [MacBook Pros]

It’s cheaper, faster and has a nicer screen


SD card slot more useful than ExpressCard for vast majority of customers


MacBook Pro line now has a 13-inch option


Built-in battery means increased battery size, and that means about an hour longer battery life

Eye-Fi Pro Adds RAW Support, Selective Transfers

eye-fi-pro-cardIs it possible that Eye-Fi could make its range of geo-tagging’, Wi-Fi sharin’ cards any more useful? We didn’t think so, but it turns out we were dead wrong. The company has today released the Eye-Fi Pro, a 4GB SD card with a couple of very handy new features.

First, the cards finally support RAW files. Previously, only jpeg images could be geo-tagged and sent over Wi-Fi, but now you can use it with proper images. Next, and possibly more important for some, is that the cards work with ad-hoc Wi-Fi networks. This means that you no longer need a Wi-Fi router to get connected — if you set up an ad-hoc network using your laptop, for instance, then the Eye-Fi Pro can connect direct. Handy for wireless tethered shooting away from power outlets.

Eye-Fi has another new trick, one which will apply to all its cards via the Eye-Fi manager. You know the lock feature on the camera, the one which lets you protect a photo against deletion? Now it’s actually useful. Lock a file and Eye-Fi will engage in Selective Transfer, which in English means you can choose which photos get transferred. This is particularly useful with huge RAW files.

I have a question for the you, the readers. I’m thinking of picking up an Eye-Fi card to use back in Spain. Has anyone had any luck using the cards for geo-tagging in Europe?

The Pro costs $150 and is available now.

Product page [Eye-Fi. Thanks, Gina!]


Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on

We’re all pretty spoiled in these digital days; not that long ago taking a look at a vacation’s worth of photos required a trip to the store, a couple of hours (or days) wait, and then the better part of an afternoon getting fingerprints all over a stack of poorly composed shots that you daren’t throw out because you just paid good money to have them printed. Now you pop a memory card into your computer, wait a few seconds for them to fly into an appropriately labeled folder, and then… probably forget you took them. It’s so much easier it’s hard to fathom the process getting even more simple, but that’s what Eye-Fi has done with its line of wireless flash memory cards, which beam pictures directly from your camera. The company has just announced the $149, 4GB Eye-Fi Pro to make the process even more direct, letting you send pictures straight to a computer while also adding some additional features that pros and semi-pros will appreciate. We put it through its paces after the break.

Continue reading Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on

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Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eye-Fi Pro Adds Peer-to-Peer Connectivity, RAW Support

EyeFi_Pro.jpgEye-Fi today announced a new addition to its lineup of wireless memory cards: the Eye-Fi Pro. Priced at $149.99 for a 4GB card, the Pro is a souped-up version of the Eye-Fi Explore Video; it keeps the Wi-Fi hotspot uploading, geotagging, and JPEG and video support  of the Explore but adds RAW image support and “ad hoc” transfers.

The Eye-Fi Pro has the ability to create a peer-to-peer connection between the camera and a computer–no Internet connectivity necessary. Since this ad hoc connection eliminates the need to transfer through Wi-Fi, it’s entirely possible that speeds from card to computer will be much faster. We’ll, of course, have to wait to test it out to know for sure.

Apple Calls It: The SD Format Wins

SD card array.JPGSomewhat lost in the many WWDC announcements made Monday was an interesting point: at Apple, at least, the SD card format has won.

Most of the new MacBooks have replaced an ExpessCard slot with an SD card slot, which was designed as a slot to bring in photos from digital cameras. (Given that the iPhone lacks a memory card slot, I think it’s fair to say that the SD slot serves way to bring content in to the MacBook, rather than send it out.)

Why do the new MacBooks have an SD card slot, instread of a five-in-one card reader, like other notebooks and desktops? Because “SD is really ubiquitous,” Todd Benjamin, director of portables for Apple, said during an interview on Monday at Apple’s developer conference in San Francisco.

Consider all of the various small-form-factor card formats there are, or were: CompactFlash, the various Memory Stick flavors, SmartMedia, miniSD, microSD, xD.

It’s not clear whether the new MacBook card slot supports the SDHC format, as well as SD. If it doesn’t, it surely will in the next revision, with a roadmap toward the terabyte SDXC standard. As you can see, there certainly are quite enough different dorm factors within the  SD format alone. It’s also unlikely that the smaller SD form factors will go away as the external storage formats for cell phones.

Still, Apple essentially killled off the floppy; it’s probably time that it helped consolidate the industry on a single flash card format for desktops, as well.

New 15-Inch MacBook Pro Features 7-Hour Battery Life and SD Card Slot

Apple just announced new MacBook Pro models with the same upgraded, 7-hour battery life as the 17-inch MacBook Pro, a bump in memory, processor, and storage, as well as an SD-card slot. Most importantly, they’ll be shipping today. Yes!

Apple promises the battery will last 5 years or 1,000 recharges in the same body we’ve come to know and love, which is pretty important since it’s non-removable. Along with the battery come upgrades across the board.

The base model features a 3.06 GHz Dual Core Intel processor, 4GB of memory, a 250GB 5400rpm HDD, and an upgraded display (Apple claims it has 60% more color gamut) all at $1,699—$300 less than the current model. If you want to upgrade to a 2.66GHz proc with a 320GB hard drive, that’ll run you $1,999, while the 2.8GHz model with a 500GB hard drive will hit at $2,299. The latter two models will be packing Apple’s dual Nvidia graphics chips, the 9400M and 9600M (256MB and 512MB, respectively), while the cheapest model has merely one 9400M. All the MacBook Pros can be upgraded to 8GB of memory and a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive or a 256GB SSD.

The 15-inch Pro still won’t have an ExpressCard slot—you’ll have to bump up to the 17-inch model if you want that. On the plus side, Apple just dropped the price of the 17-inch model (which is otherwise unchanged) to $2,499, a $200 cut. The SD card should stick out a bit from the Pro’s body, but that’s absolutely a sacrifice we’re willing to make.

The 15-incher isn’t the only one updated: Check out the Air and the new 13-inch MacBook Pro for more new kit. Press release:

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Family with New Models & Innovative Built-in Battery for Up to 40 Percent Longer Battery Life

SAN FRANCISCO, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today updated the aluminum unibody MacBook® Pro line to include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models featuring Apple’s innovative built-in battery for up to 40 percent longer battery life. Each MacBook Pro includes an LED-backlit display with greater color intensity, the innovative glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a FireWire® 800 port and state of the art NVIDIA graphics. Starting at just $1,199, the MacBook Pro line is more affordable than ever, with some models up to $300 less than the previous generation. The industry’s greenest notebook lineup, every Mac® notebook achieves EPEAT* Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090608/SF28883)

“Across the line, all of our new MacBook Pro models now include Apple’s innovative built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life, while staying just as thin and light as before,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Starting at just $1,199, the aluminum unibody MacBook Pro is more affordable than ever and sets a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design.”

The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models include Apple’s innovative built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge without adding thickness, weight or cost. Using Adaptive Charging and advanced chemistry first introduced with the 17-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year, the built-in battery delivers up to 1,000 recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity-nearly three times the lifespan of conventional batteries.** The longer battery lifespan equals fewer depleted batteries and less waste.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is a significant upgrade at a lower price than the original aluminum MacBook it replaces. With the same sleek and durable design popular with consumers, students and professionals, all 13-inch MacBook Pro models now include a seven hour built-in battery, an SD card slot, a FireWire 800 port, an illuminated keyboard and an improved LED-backlit display with 60 percent greater color gamut. Featuring the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two models: one with a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive priced at $1,199, and another with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive priced at $1,499.

The perfect balance of performance and portability, the 15-inch MacBook Pro now features a seven hour built-in battery, an SD card slot, an improved LED-backlit display with 60 percent greater color gamut and 4GB of RAM across the line at an entry price $300 less than before. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three models: a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 250GB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics for a new entry price of $1,699; a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 320GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics for $1,999; and a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 500GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics for $2,299.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro, which includes an eight hour built-in battery, an ExpressCard slot, a brilliant LED-backlit display, 4GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics, has been updated to include a faster 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a larger 500GB hard drive for $2,499, which is $300 less than before.

All MacBook Pro systems feature Apple’s revolutionary aluminum unibody design and for the first time can be upgraded with up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 500GB hard drive or up to a 256GB solid state drive. The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models can also be upgraded to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. All MacBook Pro systems include a next generation, industry-standard Mini DisplayPort to connect with the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display.

Apple today also updated the incredibly thin and light MacBook Air®, making it more powerful and more affordable. Measuring just 0.16 to 0.76-inches thin and weighing just three pounds, the MacBook Air is available in two models starting with the new entry price of $1,499 for a 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 120GB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, and a 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with a 128GB solid state drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics for $1,799.

Every Mac notebook achieves EPEAT Gold status and meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements, setting a new standard for environmentally friendly notebook design. Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. All MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models contain no brominated flame retardants and use internal cables and components that are PVC-free. The built-in battery design results in less waste and depleted batteries can be replaced for $129 or $179, which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

Every MacBook Pro comes with Apple’s innovative iLife® ’09 featuring iPhoto® for managing photos, iMovie® for making movies and GarageBand® for creating and learning to play music. Every Mac also runs Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, featuring Time Machine®, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; Spaces®, an intuitive feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; Mail with easy setup and elegant, personalized stationery; and iChat®, the most advanced video chat.

Pricing & Availability

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, 17-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are now available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™ will be shipping in September 2009, and any new Mac system purchased without Snow Leopard from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller between June 8, 2009 and the end of the program on December 26, 2009, is eligible for the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-To-Date upgrade package available for a product plus shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 90 days of purchase or by December 26, 2009, or whichever comes first. For more information please visit www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate.

The 2.26 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

· 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;

· 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 160GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight® video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in/out port, supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 58WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

The 2.53 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

· 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;

· 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in/out port, supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 58WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 250GB 5400 rpm, 320GB 5400 rpm or 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

The 2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 256MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.8 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,299 (US), includes:

· 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;

· 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· two USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port;

· SD card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 73WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB 5400 rpm, 320GB 7200 rpm, 500GB 5400 rpm, or 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The 2.8 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

· 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;

· 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;

· 1066 MHz front-side bus;

· 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

· NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;

· 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

· a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

· Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

· built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

· Gigabit Ethernet port;

· built-in iSight video camera;

· three USB 2.0 ports;

· one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

· ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;

· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

· glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

· built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and

· 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR 3 memory, 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, anti-glare display for $50 (US), Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

A Tale of Two Card Readers

cards-1

If you take more than a few snaps a month, you’ll eventually end up buying a memory card reader. There are many advantages. First, even a junky dime store card reader will be make quicker transfers than hooking the camera up via a cable. Second, all the time your camera is talking to your computer it is switched on, and this drains batteries fast. Way faster than shooting actual pictures, in fact. Third, it’s a lot easier to just plug the card into a reader.

If you have a netbook and a camera that shoots SD cards, it’s even easier — you just slide the card into the slot in the side of the computer. But for anyone else, or people using DSLRs with Compact Flash cards, a reader is the way to go. But are they all equal?

The short answer? No way. I have a cheap, no-brand unit I bought for less than €10 ($15). I also have a swanky Lexar “professional” reader that I paid over €50 ($70) for (although in the US you can get one for just $45). And guess which one is already broken?

The long answer:

I tested both readers with 500MB of RAW photos on the same SanDisk Ultra III SD card (4GB). I would have tried with CF, too, but one of the pins inside the cheap card has already broken. Both cards are USB 2.0 and were connected by a cable directly to the USB port on a MacBook. Transfer was drag and drop via the Finder to test transfer time without the image-processing overhead of Lightroom or Aperture. Here are the numbers.

  • Lexar: 23 seconds
  • No-Name: 27 seconds

I was surprised that they’re so close. Scale this up, though, to the full four gigs, and you’re looking over a half minute difference. Small, but significant for some professionals. Of course, those same pros would probably be using an even faster FireWire reader (assuming they have a computer with a FireWire port. Are you listening, Apple?) Remember too that if you are using SDHC cards, or UDMA Compact Flash, the cheap reader can’t handle them.

So, read and write speeds aren’t that much different. Is there really a reason to spend five times the price of the commodity reader? For me, yes. First, as I mentioned, the cheap-o unit is already broken. It lasted a few weeks before a pin bent. Thankfully it didn’t damage the CF card (itself pretty expensive). The Lexar, on the other hand, is solid, closes down into its own case to protect the slots from dust and, most importantly, has proper guide-rails for locating a CF card, making it almost impossible to jam it in at an angle. It also comes with a two-year warranty.

The bottom line is that, while the performance differences are small, the build quality differs hugely. I expect to be using the Lexar reader for many years. If I stuck with the cheap, non-name readers, I’d be dropping $10 a month to replace them. Which of those sounds cheaper to you?

Product page [Lexar]


SanDisk Fills Useless NetBook Slots with 16GB of Goodness

netbook-card-with-netbook

It used to be that you’d have to spring for a new hard drive to upgrade your computer’s storage, and then get medieval on it with a screwdriver to get things working. Now there’s another way, for netbooks at least.

SanDisk plans to use the SD slot in the side of every single netbook to boost capacity, and has announced a line of SDHC cards tailored to the purpose. Normally, even a 64GB 16GB boost wouldn’t be a big deal for a regular, HDD-equipped machine, but in a netbook sporting a tiny 4GB SSD, it’s the difference between sleeping on a plane and watching movies on a plane. SanDisk’s  Netbook SDHC Cards are $45 for 8GB and $89 for the 16-gigger — not cheap at all, considering that you can pick up a 500GB spinning-platter for just $80, but they have the big advantage of being removable and swappable. And it’s not as if that SD card reader is actually used much, anyway.

Product page [SanDisk]