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Marware has introduced a beautiful leather sleeve for the MacBook Air: The CEO Envi for MacBook Air.

It features soft leather, a magnetic closure system, and soft lining, and it's really lightweight. The price isn't very light though: $89.99. (from TUAW).

Labels: air, case

I just love it when several factors converge to give us a great deal on a Mac. Here are the elements of this particular convergence:

1. The new MacBook Pros hit the street a while back, and there are still previous models available from retailers;
2. Amazon has lowered the prices on these previous models to move 'em out
3. Amazon is offering a $150 rebate on the old model
4. Amazon doesn't charge sales tax (mostly)
5. Amazon will ship anything valued over $25 to you for FREE.

So, a 2.2 GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2G BRAM, 120GB HD, and all the other goodies drops in price from $1699 to $1499, and that is your out-the-door price. It is brand new, and comes with a full year warranty, of course.

Check it out.

I was startled yesterday. Standing in the overpriced audio cable section at Fry's Electronics, I overheard a customer and a clerk (how could I not-- they had walked right in front of me, blocking my view of the cable I wanted) discussing the cable needed for an iPod. The customer whipped it out of his belt holster to make his point, and there it was: An iPod Touch!

If you are anticipating that I'm going to describe my own interactions with this guy about how he likes it, is it cool, etc., you are going to be disappointed. The only reason I bring it up is that I'm stunned that anyone would buy one of these things.

I just read a commentary at TUAW taking a BusinessWeek review of the iPod Touch to task for just not understanding what the iPod Touch is supposed to be. TUAW says the lack of many iPhone features on the Touch are "an example of Apple keeping the iPod true to its primary function as a digital music player."

Hmm. If I wanted to pay $300 for a digital music player, I would certainly expect more than 8GB of storage. My two-year old iPod can hold my 20GB music library, but even the $400 iPod Touch can't.

It is clear that people who want an iPod whose "primary function" is being a digital music player will never buy an iPod Touch. The high-capacity iPod Classic is what they will want.

So what is the primary function of the iPod Touch? If you look at what has been added in comparison to pervious iPods, it is pretty obvious: The BIG SCREEN. The iPod Touch is for all those people who wanted to watch videos on their iPods, but that screen was just too small.

The only problem with perceiving the iPod Touch's primary function as that of a video player is the same one with seeing it as a music player: Not enough storage capacity. Videos are way bigger than music, and you can't fit very much of it on an 8GB iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch is a poor choice for a music player, a poor choice for a video player, and a poor choice for internet browsing and applications. It's a crippled iPod Classic, AND it's a crippled iPhone.

So in the end, the iPod Touch tries to be everything, and in the end fails at all of them... except the COOL Factor. it wins hands down on coolness. So if you want to spend $300 just look cool (and lke a person who can waste money), then the iPhone Touch is for you.

I'll bet most iPhone Touch owners keep a large capacity iPod hidden somewhere that they use when no one is looking...

I own two 500 GB MyBooks, but I'm looking to upgrade to the new 1 TB MyBook Home from Western Digital.

Not only does it feature 1 Million MegaBytes of capacity and three different interfaces, but it also has this cool blue light on the front that indicates the current consumption of space on the drive!

Get your first TeraByte for $379.99.

Belkin has a new line of laptop bags which are lightweight, protective, and very usable.

They offer three models, and each model comes in multiple sizes depending on the size of your MacBook or MacBook Pro:

• Sling - this one is similar to a backpack, but has only a single shoulder strap. It features several storage pockets, a removable power adapter pouch, and there's even a cell phone compartment on the strap.

• Sleeve - Just like is sounds, a neoprene sleeve that protects your 'Book with its plush-lined interior.

• Messenger - a traditional style messenger bag. The tapered design makes the bag feel much smaller than it really is. There's lots of storage, a contoured strap for comfort, and plenty of padding to protect your laptop and other goodies.

All of these bags feature excellent design, protection, and comfort. The Slings and Messengers are $49.99, and the Sleeves start at $29.99. Check 'em out.

Creative has announced a device which restores the lost clarity to MP3 audio compression and creates a synthesized surround sound capability: The Xmod.

According to Creative, the Xmod improves your listening experience by "intelligently enhancing the highs and lows," and by creating virtual surround sound. When listening to your headphones with the Xmod, voices will seem to be right in front of you, while ambient sound is all around.

The Xmod connects via USB, and you then just plug your external speakers or headphones into it.

TUAW has an excellent "hands-on" description of using the Xmod with a Mac.

The Xmod retails for $79.99, but is on special up through today only (Sunday, December 17) for just $59.99.