Gizm0 - Gadget Blog for the Technology Obsessed.

By now you laptop hungry freaks are probably salivating between the ThinkPad X300 and the Macbook Air. We’ve already previewed the battle and frankly suggested you go with the lowest priced Macbook Air. $1,799 is a damn bargain for the ‘Airs. But if you gotsta hook up your shiznet, with either laptop, you’re going to end up at roughly the same price point, $3,000. With solid state, DVD, ethernet, etc., the ThinkPad X300 is clearly better configured. The DVD burner for example, is built in, and ethernet can be ordered integrated into the laptop. With Mac, its “accessorize me!” But here’s the real weak point of the Macbook Air — that darn non-removable battery. Sure you can get it replaced for “the same price as a new Mac battery” but what a horrible day that’ll be when we have to stand in line at the genius bar or something, waiting for our number to come up.

With the ThinkPad X300, batteries come in various strengths and weights, and are swappable, you know, just like back in the day. The ThinkPad X300 is also wi-max ready. Yummy!!! Of course this means absolutely nothing. There’s no wi-max signal anywhere we can think of, and we’re in New York City, but hey, at least we can say its future proof!

What this boring chart from macsource.com can’t reflect are the two aesthetic choices you have to pick from. Are you 3-day stubble cool and turtlenecky or do you rock monkey suits and a briefcase?   Like the Presidential campaign, it also largely comes down to a choice of colors, silver or black.

We have Apple’s very BMW-like silver and slick or the Thinkpad X300’s silky black, complete with a fingerprint reader and a keyword that clickity clacks. Let’s face it, the ThinkPad X300 is the more serious machine - but we wouldn’t go so far as to call it the superior machine.  It could be, if it ran on Apple’s far superior operating system.  Chance of that happening?  Don’t hold your breath.

Here’s the tale of the tape, but as we’ve said before, unless you’re a dedicated PC-guy by virtue of your corporate job, the $1,799 Macbook Air is your best bet. All specs aside, our metrics indicate that the Air will provide you with more daily gadget joy not to mention actually turn a few heads at the coffee shop. We don’t know about you homie, but if we just dropped three G’s, We’re gonna wanna see some envy in people’s faces.

The Thinkpad X300 is small and light but beautiful, it is not. No aesthetically-oriented person (e.g. hot females) will give you two shits about the mad coin you dropped on that thing. Show her the Macbook Air and the black American Express and she’ll probably just go ahead and marry you. Still, just between us gadget heads, we know Apple can do better. Macbook Air, you’re mad cool but we’re already looking for Macbook Air Pro, your bigger brother. And he better come with wi-max. Whatever that is. Gizm0 Crack House Team Delta Force, Out!

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Its a beauty. The Lenova X300 is about 3 lbs and as thin as the Macbook Air. Yep, it fits inside that manilla envelope made so famous by Steve Jobs. In many respects, the Lenova X300 is in a league of its own. Not only is it the thinnest, but its also the most power-efficient Thinkpad ever made. Here are some highlights:* It weighs 2.93 lbs, and at its thinnest is .73 inches, and at its thickest is .93 inches. That’s about as thin as the Macbook Air but half a pound lighter. Sweet.

* Here’s where you might be tempted to switch from the Macbook Air: Unlike the Macbook Air, it has a built in DVD burner and three USB slots.

* Standard memory is 64 GB SOLID STATE and screen size is 13.3″ inches of LED backlit glory - some say it looks exactly like the Thinkpad T41’s 14.1″ display.

* Temperature of the actual laptop is always a balmy but not too hot 86 degrees, even two hours into running a DVD movie. That’s great if you’re putting the laptop on your well, lap, for hours on end.

* WiMax ready later in 2008. Meanwhile, its got 802.11n built in and tests have shown that it pulls an impressive 130 mbps.

* Its still a ThinkPad, which means the keyword is the best ever made.

* Price? $2,500-$3,000. The Macbook Air can be had for $1,800, but when configured with a 64 GB solid state hard drive like the Lenova X300, the price and specs match up quite nicely.

MacBook Air, fully spec’d, has its match. You’re either a ThinkPad X300 or a Macbook Air person - for mobile professionals, these two are your best bets.

The Thinkpad X300 is fully loaded and is impressive for managing to stuff a DVD player/burner inside its guts and still weigh/cost the same as the Macbook Air (with solid state). What would we do? Take the Macbook Air without solid state or anything else..for $1,799. What a deal. But for ultraportable enthusiasts and PC folks who want it all, the Lenova Thinkpad X300 is the cream of the crop.

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Not sure if you’re ready to buy the Macbook Air laptop? Pics not giving you enough satisfaction? More of a video person? Here’s what you’ve been searching for - the Macbook Air video tour by a Steve Jobs clone:

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Gizm0.com wasn’t too pysched that like the iPhone, the Macbook Air’s battery wasn’t designed for easy replacement, but new reports by Mac fanboys are suggesting that while its not as simple as popping out the old and popping in the new, its not all that difficult either. Apparently all you need is a single size-0 type screwdriver and “some diligence”.

According to AppleInsider, ” Once flipped upside down, the MacBook Air’s bottom cover is easily unscrewed and removed, providing immediate access to the battery cavity. From there, the battery can be unscrewed from the chassis with the same screwdriver and unplugged from the circuit board with a simple tug — it’s not soldered to the board.

The entire process, according to those in the known, can be completed by any service technician in as little as three minutes.”

Of course three minutes to an Apple Insider may be 30 or 300 minutes to me and you. As we suggested they might, Apple also announced a Macbook Air Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program, which takes 5 days and will cost you $129 to get some third party retail store to do the work for you. Arghh.. Sounds annoying doesn’t it? Apple Insider suggests that because its so easy, fly-by-night websites could soon offer do-it-yourself kits.  Sounds like a pain to me, guys.

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the Numark TTi is an ill way to pump vinyl tunes to your iPod. First of all, it looks great. Numarks aren’t Technics 1200s but they do make good stuff, and at slightly below the Technics price point. The TTi comes with an iPod dock (pictured), USB interface, and line-level output. You don’t need a computer go-between and can transfer directly to your iPod, but should you want to take that Jimmy Cliff song to your laptop or desktop, the Numark TTi comes with software for PC or Mac. Not bad for $449, and from a company you can trust.

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Here at Gizm0, we’re no Mac fanboys, there’s plenty of those, and they think they’re better than us! Sure Macs (not the fanboys) are superior to PCs and Steve Jobs is a genius, but you can’t keep gassing them up without a little arrogance stinking up the room. Take this Macbook Air, beautiful as it is, why the heck would they seal the battery so you can’t replace it?

Is that a dealbreaker for you? It might be for us. Two years from now you’ll have to call Apple and set up some kind of shipping to get them to install, yep, a new battery. Maybe they’re trying to sell you Apple Care, which we’d highly recommend given you need an engineering degree just to change the battery.

We’re not tripping about the memory (80 gb) or speed (1.6 duo core intel or 1.8 for $300 more) or flash memory drive that lacks a CD/DVD player - we get it. We’re not even disappointed there’s no WiMax or anything like that. No, its fine, its nearly almighty, but the sealed battery? Come on. But um, other then that, yeah its perfect.

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At $600, you’re hanging out with Louis Vuitton and Fendi, but this new Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Bag (that’s a mouthful), not only looks fashionable, but it can also power up your 17″ Powerbook after sitting all day in the sun. It has plugs for your other mobile devices and presumably a few pockets for pens and stuff.  $600 might be a bit too steep for me, but its a reasonable starting point for a product that can truly be handy.

Imagine powerblogging on the beach, never having to juice up back at the hotel because the sun is giving you everything you need. Its a beautiful thing! Besides, $600 becomes $200 pretty quickly when other people jump into the pool. We like where this is going..

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Maybe investors were hoping for a 3G iPhone, or maybe they thought the new Macbook Air would not only be thin, ultra lightweight and completely gorgeous, but also be able to solve the subprime crisis at the flicker of its mighty mouse.  Alas, the much anticipated Steve Jobs keynote failed to impress them.

A quick glance at my iPhone shows a $5 drop as soon as he began making the speech.  Apple shares fell about 4% for the day, on a down day for the market as a whole.  Apple stock had been up in anticipation of the big reveal, and this could’ve been aggressive profit taking in light of no new ‘iPhone’ like innovations.  Still, the Macbook Air is a beautiful device that despite being picked apart by the gadget herd for its few deficiencies, is still a remarkable product.

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