Colorware Makes MacBook Air Even Sleeker

MacBook Air owners can now spend even more cash on style thanks to ColorWare. The computer personalization company will paint your MacBook Air for $500 to $700 depending on how many surfaces you colorize.

ColorWare has 35 colors to choose from and will paint your MacBook Air solid. If you’re really tasteless creative you can paint your notebook’s lid, hinges, palm rest, mouse button, case bottom and Apple logo all different colors.

You can either send in your own MacBook Air to be painted or you can buy one new from ColorWare for $2,589 and up. There’s a 3-4 week turnaround on the custom paint jobs.

ColorWare will paint all of your non-MacBook Air notebooks and electronics as well. The company does an excellent job in colorizing components, but you’ve really got to LOVE the color you’re choosing because it’s not a cheap process and it’s nearly impossible to sell your notebook once it’s been so heavily customized.

Guide to the New MacBooks and MacBook Pros

Apple updated its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines with faster Intel processors and higher capacity hard drives. The MacBook Pros now feature a Multi-Touch trackpad and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory. The 17-inch MacBook Pro can be ordered with a LED display for the first time.

Apple will continue to offer three MacBook, two 15.4-inch MacBook Pros and one 17-inch MacBook Pro retail configurations. All three notebooks can be customized at Apple’s online store.

If you’re considering switching from a Windows-based notebook to a MacBook for the first time remember that Apple’s a luxury brand and there is no budget MacBook. You may also miss some features which are standard on many PC notebooks that cost much less. None of the new MacBooks or MacBook Pros come with built-in card readers, docking ports, extended battery options or a remote control for example.

ModBook Demo

Notebooks.com first took a look at the ModBook, the first MacBook Tablet at MacWorld 2006. Veronica of Maholo Daily caught up with the CEO of Axiotron, the company behind the ModBook and some artistic-types who are already using the ModBook professionally.

The ModBook starts at $2,200 and the inventor admits the market for a Mac tablet is too small for Apple to go after directly.
Check out this video and you’ll see how a DJ, a photographer and a cartoonist use the ModBook.

ThinkPad X301: Thinnest ThinkPad Gets 128GB SSD

Lenovo’s introduced the ThinkPad X301, which is replacing the X300. The ThinkPad X301 is about 20% faster than the previous model and can be configured with a 128GB solid state drive, which is double the original storage capacity.

I’ve recommended the X300 to several friends and they all absolutely love their new ThinkPads. The ThinkPad X301’s improved performance and roomier drive just make it that much better.

The ThinkPad X301 is the thinest notebook on the market with an integrated optical drive.

If you’re considering buying an X300, wait a couple of weeks for the X301. I don’t have solid pricing info on X301’s the 128GB solid state drive, but strongly recommend getting it if your budget allows. 64GB isn’t a whole lot of room since you have to account for both the Windows operating system and recovery partition.

HP EliteBook 2530p Announced (video)

HP’s introduced the EliteBook 2530p, a thin and light 12-inch business notebook that can be configured with dual hard drives and either ULV or LV processors. I sat down with HP’s Kyle Thornton to take a close look at the 2530p last week.

The 2530p feels extremely solid and I really like some of the features HP’s loaded into this thing. At the top of the 12.1-inch LED display is a 2MP Webcam that can be used to scan business cards into Outlook.
One thing I liked about the 2530p is how its extended batteries fit at the rear of the notebook without raking the base of the notebook.

Like the rest of the EliteBook line, the 2530p has an ultradurable case that’s scratch resistant.

The EliteBook 2530p will start at $1599.