Description

Neo-Fight gives detailed tech product reviews for the not so geeky. This video will focus on the Apple Mac Book Air .

Transcript

Apple MacBook Air Review Tiffany Young: Hi there and welcome to neo-fight.tv, the technology show for the not so geeky. My name is Tiffany Young. Ben Freedman: And I’m Ben Freedman and today’s a very good example of why you’re not supposed to wear checkered shirts on video. Tiffany Young: It looks like metallic. Ben Freedman: Last month, you’re bugging me about my shirts constantly and I was offended and I don’t know I just sat down and looking at. Tiffany Young: --to get offended. Ben Freedman: No, I was really pissed off. Tiffany Young: Oh you really were? I don’t think you’re going to say that word. Ben Freedman: I was really pissed off. Tiffany Young: This isn’t network television so I think we’re okay. Ben Freedman: We’re okay—stupid—I’m just kidding. Edit! I will never edit. Tiffany Young: Back space, delete, delete. Ben Freedman: Okay, pretend you didn’t see that part. I don’t know if you’ll be able to see this on the screen. The checkness is like fading in and out, see that? But maybe once the time I shrunk down to like that size, it may not—I’m hoping you have no idea what we’re talking about. On my screen, I’ve got this whole like shimmer— Tiffany Young: It’s something like a flashback in the 70s, where’s your ball and chain. Ben Freedman: Exactly, I don’t know. And so that’s what we have today and we’ll see you later. I’m just kidding. So have you seen this before? Is this look familiar to you? You know what’s in here Tiffany? It’s a key to open our MacBook Air case. This is how you carry a MacBook Air case. You need protection for that MacBook. Come on, hold on. Tiffany Young: Seriously? Is that really your MacBook case? No, it’s not. Ben Freedman: No, this is just the case and I'm trying to be funny and— Tiffany Young: I don’t get the whole list, the pre-list. I got surprised. Ben Freedman: Inside the case is, MacBook Air, goodness. Tiffany Young: It’s so pretty. Ben Freedman: Yes. Tiffany Young: It’s so pretty and little. Ben Freedman: I know you like this laptop. Tiffany Young: I like that it’s just so little and portable and light. Ben Freedman: And it doesn’t bother you that you pay all the extra money for the littleness of it. Tiffany Young: Well, no because if you needed more hard drive, everyone is using external hard drives nowadays to back up anyway, so you leave that at home. Ben Freedman: This is true look, can I show everyone on the screen, can I show them a picture of you? Tiffany Young: A picture. Ben Freedman: Yeah, a picture—as you may or may not know, Tiffany and I videotaped other things quite often as well and here’s a video we shot a real estate property for sale and it’s a little bit of bluish on our screen here. Tiffany Young: Look at that. Ben Freedman: There we go, that looks pretty good. Tiffany Young: Yeah it does. Ben Freedman: Yeah, we’re shooting high def video of high def video, isn’t that great? So the screen is great, I will give you that. Tiffany Young: The portability is exactly what you pay for. I mean obviously that was their big sales you know, deal. Ben Freedman: Eighteen freaking hundred dollars for this guy. Tiffany Young: Eighteen hundred dollars but you back up everything to your hard drive anyway. You use flash drives for your, you know, your video I mean everyone is sort of kind of going that direction. Ben Freedman: You should have a flash drive and you want to play your iPod and the thing is, it has only one USB port. If you want to put the flash drive in and a DVD or flash drive in something else. Tiffany Young: Well the idea is portability of course. So how much do you really want to port you know around with you. You have main station at home, this is like the satellite version you know. Ben Freedman: So for those people rich yourself, you can afford more than one laptop and more than one computer, look, it is really skinny, check that out. Tiffany Young: It is very skinny. Ben Freedman: Look, if I turn it sideways, it’s— Tiffany Young: It’s a laptop on a diet. Ben Freedman: Diet laptop and that’s true and like a lot of diets, it’s very expensive. Tiffany Young: Yes. Ben Freedman: You can get the exact same computer and it’s not even exact same and it actually have more features. It will have a DVD-ROM drive, multiple USB ports. The Mac Pro is basically the same computer where it bounces $1100.00. Tiffany Young: Right but you lose a slick function. Ben Freedman: You do lose two pounds of weight less. I mean this is three pounds, the MacBook is five pounds. Tiffany Young: You know I would think that just going on the road and carrying it around on daily basis, it’s like a notebook. You know instead of carrying a notepad, you’ve got this— Ben Freedman: Let me ask you a question, this actually weighs more than it looks like it weighs, when you pick this up like you’re picking up by one corner, it feels pretty—I mean it’s solid. Tiffany Young: I think it’s pretty light actually and I think also, you sort of get that pre-illusion that’s going to be light when you pick it up, therefore it maybe lighter than it actually is. Ben Freedman: It’s going to contradict everything they say. Tiffany Young: Well, you know, I think you’re going to debate for it and in this case, it’s you know. Ben Freedman: You certainly do in this podcast, I’ll tell you. Tiffany Young: That’s cool and it’s cool. And you know, you can watch all your videos just like any you know regular laptop. Ben Freedman: In fact if you get your videos from iTunes now like you rent them on iTunes or you download it on iTunes, you can’t watch it on here, I must admit, it’s one of the nicest screens I’ve ever seen you know shooting video of video never looks great but the screen on here is just beautiful, the bluish tinge here, it’s not really blue. Tiffany Young: You know I think it’s great. You know pricey sure but all products are pricey when they have a new design that come out, it will come down—the price will come down. Ben Freedman: So if you notice on here, there are very few ports at all. There is this little door on the back and if you want to flip that door down. Tiffany Young: Go down. Ben Freedman: Here you go and they’re your only ports on the back. Now if you look inside, you’ll notice on this side here is the power port right there and then over here are the only ports on there that’s a headphone jack, there is a USB port and there are other port that looks like a USB port is video out you know if you want to hook up a second monitor. It requires a custom cable which to Apples you know benefit, they do include, and you don’t have to pay for that. Tiffany Young: Well, I think that it’s overall design is phenomenal and the pricing wise, it’s a little pricey but like I said, it’s going to come down. Ben Freedman: And therefore you give it a— Tiffany Young: I will give it a five and a five. I think that if you’re going to pay for it then you know it’s worth the money to you and each individual will have to decide with that you know that value is. Obviously, these are sitting around and not getting sold so a lot of people will probably— Ben Freedman: No, Apple just reported that they’re selling out. Tiffany Young: A lot of people agree with me and they feel like it’s— Ben Freedman: A lot of people agree with you and this is true. I personally would rather have a MacBook. A MacBook is $1100.00 twice the size of hard drive and more ports, USB ports, that’s what I’m trying to say. Now mind you, a MacBook doesn’t—they have a custom video connector and they don’t come with $90.00 for the cable for that. It has a DVD-ROM drive built in that you can burn disc with and it also has a—this is a problem and I’m not really sure if you know this but I’ll mention this to you, there’s no battery door. Tiffany Young: That’s what I’m just going to say, battery. Ben Freedman: So the battery that comes, it does come with a battery that’s like four hours in getting on this. Tiffany Young: Right. Ben Freedman: But if you’re really going on a really long flight, you have to bring along some sort of external battery which I don’t even know if they make for you or hopefully your flight has a place to plug in but if not, you can’t have two or three batteries. Tiffany Young: Yeah, that may suppose to be problem. I don’t know how Apple’s batteries are but I had a real hard time with HP laptop batteries, replacing those and if you don’t—exactly right and then what happens, you have to send in your whole laptop for battery issue. Ben Freedman: And as a matter of fact, in two weeks, we’re going to talk about the FastMac replaceable batteries for Macintosh. Tiffany Young: Oh great! Ben Freedman: I personally give a two out of five. Tiffany Young: Two out of five? Ben Freedman: Two out of five. Because it’s a MacBook but it’s really pricey and it’s only two pounds less and it doesn’t have a DVD and you can’t replace the battery. Tiffany Young: Look at this. You can carry this right in your arm. It’s almost as light as a notebook. I mean, this is just you know— Ben Freedman: So they call it a notebook computer. In fact, by the way, I heard that they call the notebook computers now and not laptop computers. You heard this? Some people call them— Tiffany Young: HP noticed calling notebook computers and it’s a touch screen. Ben Freedman: Well, I’ve heard that there’s a legal reason why. They get kind of warm and if you use them on your lap and it creates some sort of motility issue for men. Tiffany Young: Right, the sperm count. Ben Freedman: Apparently, it can create you know there’s a health issue that people burn their legs or they get pain in their legs. Tiffany Young: Yes. Ben Freedman: So now they have to go away from using the term laptop and now its notebook computer, it’s still design for the use on the desk just as this size of a notebook. But I think more and more, you’re going to see people stop using the term laptop, so legal issue. Tiffany Young: Legal and health issues. Ben Freedman: Yeah. Tiffany Young: It’s just like you know on cell phones you know within your brains you know. Ben Freedman: That’s right. Tiffany Young: We all will just go glow in the dark. Ben Freedman: They don’t call them cell phones anymore, have you heard that? They are called intracranial communication device. Tiffany Young: What? You know you do stay up way later than I do reading all of these articles that come from God know where. Ben Freedman: I had that Starbucks thing this morning and I’m just buzz you know with the sugar. Tiffany Young: I’m just going to try and keep with you. Ben Freedman: So that’s five out of five for Tiffany, two out of five for me, seven out of ten for the MacBook Air, a sleek and sexy computer that might be like my girlfriend in college just a little bit too expensive to have for the sleek sexiness. That will go with this slightly chubbier model that cost half as much. I think it’s a good life lesson right there. Tiffany Young: Oh my gosh! Ben Freedman: Do you know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying right? Send me your comment; I think you know exactly what I’m saying. We’ve got another segment coming up and we’re going to talk a little bit more about some cases for this beautiful device. Tiffany Young: Oh it’s beautiful. Ben Freedman: I never said it wasn’t beautiful. So we’ll be right back and stay tuned. Hi there, I’m Ben Freedman from neo-fight.tv, and for the best sound for your podcast or office communications, check out the microphones at revolabs.com. And we’re back here on neo-fight.tv and having spent the first ten minutes about the beautiful MacBook Air after we’ve got a subject to my shirt which I’m still very embarrassed that I’m wearing them and I don’t know if you can see it or not. Trust me, this looks freaky. It is. We couldn’t be complete with this whole MacBook Air thing once we talk about a couple of cases for it. So that is what we’re going to do now. So these two case I really like, this is from a company called WaterField out of San Francisco. These guys make some beautiful bags. Tiffany Young: I like these logos. Ben Freedman: I know and this is like a fake carbon fiber look. Tiffany Young: Look, it’s almost like your shirt Ben. Oh shiny checkered. Ben Freedman: It’s not shiny. It just looks shiny. So they make this and as you can feel there’s a lot of patty and it feels really nice inside. Hold that up to the good folks watching at home. Beautiful and it’s nice. Tiffany Young: It’s actually really thin too. Ben Freedman: Yeah, it’s very thin and again, this is just designed you know. This goes in here and boom you can—put this loop on the bottom because it’s a snug fit, it’s actually hard to get that out, put your finger in the loop. Tiffany Young: Very nice design. Ben Freedman: Isn’t that nice. Tiffany Young: That was very thoughtful. Ben Freedman: Now, let me ask you a quick question about this. First of all, this is that one and then here is basically the exact same case but in a vertical—so again, this goes in here—nice fit, nice and snug. That’s going to keep your case nice. Now what I don’t quite understand about this from WaterField is that the horizontal one, that one is $39.00 and the vertical one is $54.00. So you know— Tiffany Young: $39.00 and $54.00? Ben Freedman: Yeah, now this one does have a shoulder strap although I think the shoulder strap is actually extra. I don’t think it comes from the shoulder strap. So you got the vertical one and the horizontal one. They both have a pocket on the back; they both have pretty similar size. Tiffany Young: Well you know. Ben Freedman: You know what I think it is? Vertical snobbery—no, no, no, I think there is a snob appeal to the vertical case these days. Tiffany Young: The design is more expensive on this one— Ben Freedman: What do you mean the design is more expensive? Tiffany Young: You know, these are more expensive and— Ben Freedman: Come on. Tiffany Young: This is just a more popular design and you cannot charge too much money for this. Ben Freedman: So you charge for what’s being popular. We’re going to go back to my high school girl friend. If you date the popular girl, it will cost you. I’ve been hurt obviously. Tiffany Young: Yes but you also gain reputation for that. Now, this is you know, they just can’t—these are generally less expensive, even though it may cause the same to manufacture, let’s just say that it does for some reason. Actually there’s got to be a little bit more. Ben Freedman: A cosmic reason out there. Tiffany Young: They’re just more popular and therefore, more popular equals charge more money. Ben Freedman: If you need a little more room and a WaterField also makes this. I think you’re going to like this and this won’t go on this one but if you want to pay extra money. This is like a little backpack that you can attach. Tiffany Young: Isn’t that cute? I love it. I love the logos. Ben Freedman: Hey WaterField, I think you’ve got a client here. So here, not only do you have your MacBook Air case but if you want to bring the power adapter or your cell phone, it’s like a little backpack purse— Tiffany Young: Bravo, bravo! Ben Freedman: Can you see that? Tiffany Young: That is the number one complaint that I have with any of these—their design is that I can’t cram my power cord, if you need a carrier, your hard drive, great idea! I love it! Ben Freedman: So to continue my high school analogy, this would be like dating the skinny girl but carrying the fat chick around where you could have her carry your stuff I guess and somehow attach them together via a metallic clip, you probably— Tiffany Young: Maybe you’re talking about something that has to do with this thing. Ben Freedman: Alright, now, good people at STM, we’ve reviewed STM bags before. This is a very cool looking—this is the STM Rogue. Tiffany Young: That is your Levi’s Ben Freedman: It is kind of denim look to it. Tiffany Young: Now, that looks a little purple to me on the screen but it’s actually blue. Ben Freedman: It looks bluish here to me but there are white balances. And it’s got all of these funky—the pockets are like weird angles like see this one pocket here is kind of a strange— Tiffany Young: It’s like new jeans. Ben Freedman: Are jeans having weird angled pockets? Tiffany Young: Some jeans make your—some look higher, some look lower and some are designed to minimize and others maximize and all of those have to do with pockets. Ben Freedman: So what is the ideal if some are trying to maximize and some are trying to minimize. What if you’re wearing—minimizing underwear and maximizing jeans like does it cancel each other out or— Tiffany Young: Not unless you take your pants off. Ben Freedman: Okay, so I just wanted to point out that there’s a very oddly place cell phone holder in here, did you see that? Tiffany Young: No, why did you say that’s oddly place? Ben Freedman: Well, it’s like its right in the middle and then this is kind of funky, watch this. So it has a snap button which makes it kind of hard to get it right back in the exact right place. Tiffany Young: See, I would think that would be convenient. Ben Freedman: Right in the middle? Tiffany Young: Conveniently located, not oddly place and that will be my analogy. Ben Freedman: The thing about this is most places you put the laptop right next to your back. Here, the laptop case is actually in here, in the flat. Now once again just slides in like so. Tiffany Young: Look at that pretty skinny laptop. Ben Freedman: Yeah and you see its right there inside it's own little pocket and it zips up and the way it goes. And this will apparently actually take the MacBook Air or the regular MacBook, so it’s wide enough to go for both. Tiffany Young: So there’s plenty of room. Ben Freedman: A little price here on this bag. Do you want to give me a guess? Tiffany Young: $75.00? Ben Freedman: $90.00 and that’s not bad though and you know what, this is not your Wal-Mart, $99.00 laptop back you know I mean this has got a beautiful padding and— Tiffany Young: Nice pockets. Ben Freedman: Nice pockets. Alright— Tiffany Young: I love it. Ben Freedman: Finally, the third brand that we’re going to look at today is a company called MacCase. Now MacCase sent me quite a few cases, some for the MacBook Air and some for the MacBooks and they have kind of like a case system. So let me show you here for instance. Here is—this is actually for the MacBook Pro. They got one coming up for the MacBook Air. I love that leathery smell. Tiffany Young: You know what, it’s so soft, and it’s real leather. Ben Freedman: And if you happen to need to carry some accessories with it. Tiffany Young: Look at that. Ben Freedman: This is the accessory bag. Tiffany Young: And it’s in a very nice neutral color. Ben Freedman: In fact, this looks good on you, I mean it’s very nice. Is that— Ben Freedman: Do you know the character on Teletubbies called noo-nude? Tiffany Young: Oh that’s Noo-Noo. That’s exactly what my son named his blanky because he watch Teletubbies all the time so he called his blanky Noo-Noo. Ben Freedman: Noo-Noo and not Noo-Nude, that’s different. Tiffany Young: No. Ben Freedman: And if you go all the way and you’re going to love this. So you take your laptop and it goes in here and slides inside, you take your accessories/makeup bag. Tiffany Young: You can smell the leather. Ben Freedman: It goes in here and these folds over. Tiffany Young: Well, I just have to point out how nice this is. Ben Freedman: You could live in here. Tiffany Young: Looks like a warm cuddly blanket inside. Ben Freedman: Check out this class. Tiffany Young: I love this design. Ben Freedman: I know it’s very nice. I bugged you about another bag and there’s no Velcro here. It’s not one of those that have Velcro and class which I think is overkill. Would you like to stand up ad put that over your shoulder and give us a little twirl. Tiffany Young: Actually look at my shoes, it matched already, do you see that? Ben Freedman: Another— Tiffany Young: Now my socks don’t match but— Ben Freedman: Put that over your shoulder and just give us a little twirl here. Tiffany Young: You know, they say that the bigger the bag, the smaller your hinny looks, do you think that’s true? Ben Freedman: It’s all hinny all day. Tiffany Young: That’s what they say if you turn it around you know this way— Ben Freedman: Now this is the bag they sent me for the MacBook. Tiffany Young: I’m just going to put this over here, are you done with this? Ben Freedman: I’m sure I don’t want to see that bag again. This is the one that they send me for the MacBook Air and it does fit and it goes in here. But I think that that happens to be the wrong one or the specs aren’t quite right because it’s a little big for this. This feels like it was designed for the MacBook, the MacBook Air. So there’s that and then of course have black leather as well as the nylon, nylon and leather, leather and nylon. Tiffany Young: Oh again, we have the real leather. Ben Freedman: Smell the cow. Tiffany Young: This is really nice, what a great product. This actually feel like very high end handbags. Ben Freedman: MacCase. Tiffany Young: MacCase—good job MacCase, way to—bring up the quality. Ben Freedman: And let me mention by the way that I think this would fit other laptops nicely. Tiffany Young: Of course it will. Ben Freedman: I mean you’ve got that HP and I think it’s great for the HP. Tiffany Young: HP, yeah, absolutely very nice. Ben Freedman: So that’s the WaterField cases, The STM Rogue and the MacCase line of laptop cases. Check them out for your MacBook Air or whatever your proclivity of laptop— Tiffany Young: Did we have pricings on a—s Ben Freedman: I don’t have pricings on the MacCase stuff but for the STM Rogue was $90.00, WaterField is $54.00 and $39.00. Tiffany Young: Okay, I’ve got it. Ben Freedman: The leather stuff is probably a little funkier but you know gosh— Tiffany Young: The quality is nice. It’s the high quality leather and not the kind of leathery—it’s really soft. Ben Freedman: You can smell the cow and I’m assuming it was— Tiffany Young: Now it will cost you an extra $50.00. Ben Freedman: Let us know your comments. Do you have a favorite MacBook Air Case, do you like the MacBook Air, do you hate the MacBook Air, you know, your Tiff or Ben, let me know and go visit our website, www.neo-fight.tv and send us some email. Tiffany Young: Yup, we love to hear from you. Ben Freedman: We would and we’ll see you next week. And if you have an extra 30 seconds, take a look at this. Andy Walker: Hey, I’m Andy Walker. I just bought a new computer with Windows Vista on it or maybe you’ve got an old XP computer that you’ve upgraded. But we’ve just created an amazing new DVD that will teach you everything you need to know about the new operating system from Microsoft. It’s called Getting Started with Windows Vista. In this DVD, there are three sections. One is out of the box, what do you need to do as you soon as you start up Vista. Number two is Vista Essentials; things you need to know everyday to make your computer experience amazing-anti-virus, security, all kinds of new features that Vista offers. And finally, deep tips and tricks, things you need to know that nobody else would have told you to make you a Vista Guru. For more information, check out our website at www.gettingstartedvideo.com.