Envy 133 and MacBook Air duke it out in the flesh

Sure, we’ve sized these two up theoretically, but how well do Voodoo’s Envy 133 and Apple’s MacBook Air get along when sharing the same meatspace? There are certainly some striking similarities — both have gargantuan trackpads, for instance, but Voodoo has taken things in an aesthetic direction all its own. We just hope these two decide to be friends instead of mortal, cake-cutting enemies.

Popularity: 6% [?]

HP exec cuts birthday cake with MacBook Air

Those that know Rahul Sood, founder of Voodoo PC and CTO of HP’s global gaming business, might not be so surprised to hear he used a working MacBook Air to cut his thick, rich, chocolatey birthday cake. While wearing an HP shirt. And then posted it to his site. Good luck, Rahul — we’re totally sure the Apple fanboys of the world are going to give you a pass on this one.

Popularity: 7% [?]

MacBook Air: dangerous weapon?

Engadget has a silly, but mildly humorous post up on a German MacBook Air user who claims his elbow was sliced open by the sharp front edge of the Air. In addition to his sliced up elbow (bis aufs Fleisch!), he says that his couch was ruined by all the blood. Just what we need, another reason for the TSA to ban the Air: it’s a deadly weapon.

So Air owners out there, have any of you been attacked by your ultraportable Mac?

Update: As one of our commenters pointed out this story was generated by a mistaken translation. The guy’s elbow was cut by a regular MacBook, not an Air.

Popularity: 7% [?]

256GB Samsung SSD Heading for MacBook Air?

Yesterday was Memorial Day in the US, a Bank Holiday in the UK, and apparently big honkin’ solid-state drive (SSD) day in South Korea.

Samsung, which provides the 64GB SSD drive that is available in a pricey configure-to-order version of the MacBook Air, announced a 256GB 2.5-inch SSD drive. While the 64GB model in the MacBook Air has been criticized for having leisurely performance, the new MLC (Multi-Level Cell) flash SATA II drive boasts 200MBps read and 160MBps sequential write speeds. Those are double the speeds of the 64GB drive.

The new model features power consumption that is slightly less than that of the 64GB drive (.9 watt in active mode, compared to 1.0 watt), as well as sophisticated data encryption.

There’s no word on whether or not the new drive will show up in future MacBook Air models. The monster SSD will be widely available in September, with a 1.8-inch version expected in the 4th quarter of 2008. Does a faster, bigger, and hopefully cheaper SSD-based MacBook Air sound like something we can expect to hear Steve mention as “one more thing” at Macworld Expo 2009?[Read]

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Thinvelope for MacBook Air

Since the MacBook Air was introduced with its iconic envelope commercial there have been a variety of envelope style cases. However, the Thinvelope from BeyzaCASES is really in a class by itself, combining high quality leatherwork with what looks like an extremely elegant design. Over at Gear Diary Judie Lipsett has a rave review with plenty of pictures, comparing it favorably with designer leather goods costing much more. That said, the Thinvelope is itself a pretty penny at $215. But, really, isn’t your MacBook Air worth it?

[via jkOnTheRun][Read]

Popularity: 9% [?]