We paid more for the 1.8GHz MacBook Air than we did for the 2.6GHz 15" MacBook Pro. After spending time using both side by side, we've decided to sell the MacBook Air. We'll explain but first, take a look at how they compare in performance.

I originally wrote this for my Dell rep position, but the results were so surprising I just had to post it here.

Keep in mind, I own a HP laptop. I've been an avid supporter of it, until, well, now. And I also favored Apple, but after writing this, I don't believe Apples are worth it anymore....

So, if you want to get the latest and greatest for the least, do yourself a favor, GO WITH A DELL.

And if you want to get FREGGIN (sic) RIPPED OFF, have fun with your Macbook Pro. I'll be in a corner laughing at your overhead, with my sweet Dell.

Several MacBook Pro users are reporting blank screens on the high-end Apple notebook after deploying the latest firmware upgrade.

The problem, described in Apple support forums, has left users with machines that still operate, but display no image on the internal display, or on external displays. The extent and cause of the problem is not certain. Apple was not immediately available for comment.

Early adopters of Apple's latest MacBook Pro EFI update are finding themselves without a usable screen, according to a growing discussion in the company's support forums.

Some users applying the update, particularly those with an external display attached, find that their computer screen refuses to display an image even if the system itself is completely responsive.

An external display connected to a MacBook Pro (2.4/2.2GHz) may only support 1440 x 900 resolution after installing Mac OS X 10.5.2 and the Leopard Graphics Update.

Products Affected
MacBook Pro (15-Inch 2.4/2.2GHz) ,
Mac OS X 10.5.2

Resolution
Apply the MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5

The MacBook Air has become the best advertisement for why companies should use LED (light-emitting diode) backlights in notebook screens, and is driving adoption, according to market researcher DisplaySearch.

LED backlights in display screens are an improvement over old CCFL (cold-cathode florescent lamps) technology for several reasons, including a stunning picture due to more vibrant contrasts, better power savings, and they're easier on the environment because they contain no mercury and last longer.

Although it is illegal in some parts of the world, 12% of U.S. and U.K. respondents to an Accenture survey have logged on to someone else's unsecured Wi-Fi connection.

Data that is sent via unsecured wireless routers is unencrypted and could theoretically be read by anyone who had the right network sniffing tools, but many people have tried logging on to unsecure Wi-Fi.

Logging on to open Wi-Fi signals is most popular with 18- to 34-year-olds, Accenture said. Nearly a third of them said they had done this at some point.

Apple on Thursday filed two patent applications that describe improvements in head-mounted displays, which typically combine one or two small display screens with magnifying lenses inside a helmet or glasses.

In "Enhanced Image Display In Head-Mounted Displays," Apple claims that its approach provides "a wider field of view and [creates] a more natural viewing situation for a user of a head mounted display, which results in improved comfort and usability for head mounted displays."

An IBM spokesperson today denied published reports of what he termed "mass migration" to Apple Macs at his company, claiming the only point of the test is to try to make IBM software products run well on Mac OS.

Although an IBM spokesperson did confirm to BetaNews this afternoon that Macs are now being piloted at IBM Research, he added, "A lot of the blogs out there are suggesting that we're planning some sort of internal mass migration to Macintoshes. But that simply isn't true."

As many of you know I grew up during the 80's and spent a lot of time with the fun 8-bit computers of those days. One of my favorites was the Apple IIgs, and when someone requested I build a portable version of it I jumped at the chance.

Some quick specs:
» Large 15" color screen. Much bigger than the ones on my other 8-bit computer projects (thus far)
» Uses an original Apple IIgs motherboard with RAM expansion.
» Custom acrylic keyboard. It uses the original keyboard PCB, but the buttons were custom made for a cool modern look.
» CompactFlash adapter inside unit functions as an original equipment hard drive.
» Glowing backlit "][" logo. Blue for on, with a bit of yellow during disk access.
» Built-in stereo speakers.
» Side port access for floppy drive, joystick and mouse.
» Can play Arkanoid II!

I recently chronicled my adventures building and using a homebuilt Mac. Now it's time to step back and opine on how I think homebuilt Macs impact Apple's business…and ask you, our readers, what you think Apple should do about this community.

The first question to ask is whether or not Apple should fear the impact these homebuilt Mac enthusiasts may have on their business. Given that one has to start with a collection of parts, assemble those parts into a computer, then work quite diligently to make that computer an OS X-enabled machine, my general answer is "no,".....

As long as building your own Mac requires literally building your own Mac, I don't think Apple has anything to fear - hobbyists and tinkerers may choose to build their own machines, but this is clearly nothing that will have any sort of impact on Apple's quarterly sales.

Punters only paid for 42 per cent of music acquired in the US last year, according to market research outfit NPD, down from 48 per cent in 2006.

Interestingly, NPD reckons the number of US internet downloaders has remained static - but more unlicensed music is being downloaded as people switch from the flakey post-Napster P2P services such as LimeWire, to the fast and much more reliable BitTorrent.

Apple has updated Apple Software Update, giving iTunes and Quicktime users (a bit) more notice before slipping Safari onto their Windows machines.

But Mozilla is still peeved.

A vulnerabilty in Apple Safari handles specially crafted file name may allow execution of arbitrary code or denial of service.

I. Description
According to Apple Safari 3.1.1:

A memory corruption issue exists in Safari's file downloading. By enticing a user to download a file with a maliciously crafted name, an attacker may cause an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved handling of file downloads.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1467

This issue is addressed by Apple Safari 3.1.1.

In response to my piece yesterday that PayPal may ban Safari for being unsafe, PayPal public relations firm sent me the following email stating in no unspecific terms that "We have absolutely no intention of blocking current versions of any browsers, including Apple's Safari, from our website."

We're in day five of the tech community's obsession with Psystar, that odd little company in Miami that claims to be selling Apple-like computers. There are still plenty of questions about Psystar. Shoot, we still don't even know for certain if Psystar is legitimate.

But there's one thing we know for sure: Citizen journalism has played a major role in ferreting out the Psystar story. And with that involvement, we're getting a better understanding of how mainstream newspapers can work with folks who aren't trying to make a living off gathering the news but are interested in telling the world what they know.

Last weekend, a small, defiant company called Psystar unleashed an opening salvo as it announced (and started selling) the Open Computer - its own desktop running Mac OS X Leopard.

Wow. Is it just me or is Psystar becoming the first small company to have some guts and stand up to a major computer manufacturer? Sure, there's always the OSx86 project, but that barely compares to what's going on here.

If nothing else, Psystar's impending martyrdom will blaze the path for countless other companies that believe they can stand up to Apple. And who can blame them? Steve Jobs' closed-off policy is draconian at best and as Mac OS X continues to gain popularity, even more companies will crop up trying to do the same thing as Psystar.

In the old days, it seemed a rather formidable task to upgrade from one Mac to another. For one thing, you had to figure out what files to keep and which to transfer to the new model. Even with easy networking, this was a complicated process of manual labor to which I didn’t look forward, even though I’ve done it often for myself and others.

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