Apple Beat: The Enduring, Elusive, MacBook Air

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

When the first MacBook Air was released in 2008, it was an expensive and somewhat impractical subportable notebook that pushed the boundaries of thinness and portability above all else. It wasn’t very powerful, battery life was so-so and the lack of I/O limited its appeal.

It did introduce unibody construction to the mainstream, later on SSD (Solid State Drives) and changed the way Apple built its hardware from that point onwards.

Six years on, the MacBook Air has evolved into a versatile, powerful all-day computer and possibly the most popular Apple portable ever made. During yesterday’s Microsoft Surface Pro 3 reveal in New York, the Redmond Giant’s executives poked barbs at the MacBook Air as a representative of “The Laptop,” their own product, the third generation Surface tablet, being touted as more than just a hybrid device but a replacement for laptops.

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First Microsoft Technology Centre unveiled in Canada

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Microsoft Canada today unveiled its Microsoft Technology Centre in its Mississauga offices.  A Canadian first, the MTC is a collaborative environment providing technology solutions and the expertise of Microsoft and its partners. The centre is made up of various rooms for meetings and demos including a Microsoft Lync-connected conference room, a server room and various 'Device Bars' featuring the latest phones and tablets as well as other Microsoft solutions like Xbox and Kinect. Hit jump for the full press release plus some photos of the centre.

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Review: Orb Audio Booster and speaker system

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Quality audio is often the missing component that can elevate our enjoyment of digital experiences from average to awesome. Audio, movies, games and other immersive types of content benefit greatly from well-defined, balanced and powerful audio. Orb Audio's Booster audio and speaker system aims to provide this high level of sound primarily for mobile devices, notebooks and desktops.

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SourceCode: China and Taiwan’s hardware manufacturers are dominating in design and innovation

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Some of the most daring and innovative PC, tablet and smartphone designs to come out of CES 2013 were from Taiwanese and Chinese multinationals. In terms of form, function and materials, many of these devices seem to offer customers more that competing products from North America. Is this the new normal?

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