Since it’s initial release way back January 2008, MacBook Air’s weight, thinness and power has evolved significantly through the years. Needless to say that MacBook Air has become a model in the industry for ultra thin laptops. It is a breakthrough in design.

Several PC makers and leading laptop manufacturers are now trying to offer their own MacBook Air alternative. That’s where ultrabooks came to life which is basically an ultrathin laptop that will have ultra-low voltage CPUs. The ultrabooks are aimed squarely at Apple’s MacBook Air.

Ultrabooks from leading laptop manufacturers:
Asus UX21
Toshiba Portege Z835
Lenovo IdeaPad U300s
Acer Aspire S3

Whether consumers will stick it out with MacBook Air or with ultrabook as alternative, but it also depends on use and price. The good thing is people will now have several options to choose from when it comes to light, powerful, and ultra thin laptops.

Anyone with those devices are clamoring for an upgrade to Android 4.0. Users should not be optimistic on this Android devices as it won’t officially be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

There are two main reason why Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab will not get official Android upgrade to ICS. It is summed up basically as a) those devices have older hardware and b) customizations which makes it difficult to change like TouchWiz.

People are hoping for some partial Android 4.0 upgrade in the form of a ‘Value Pack’ for Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, but Samsung is even discounting this idea. Thus, the best approach will be installing custom ROM hack of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

There’s no doubt that a work around will rise up to this demand. Don’t easily discard Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab mobile internet devices as it can still have new life Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade unofficially.

The computer tablet wars started a year or so, but it just catches fire with the entry of Amazon’s Kindle Fire. What started as a humble eBook reader has grown into almost a full blown tablet with a few cons. Even at that, it is able to win practical gadget lovers with the Kindle Fire’s release.

Everyone knew that Amazon’s Kindle could be a strong contender in the tablet computer arena. This is based on the vast library of media content from apps, movies, music, games, books, magazines and other digital content available from their online store. Sure, it does not have access to the android Market and with that said it limits the apps that are available to Amazon’s content ecosystem.

The Kindle Fire’s fast and powerful dual-core process, vibrant color touch screen, ultra-fast web browsing, could storage, thousands of media content and apps are only some of the reasons why it’s a practical iPad2 alternative. Added to that is the price tag of 199$ which makes it cheaper than the entry level iPad2 at 500$.

But be warned there are some things that a 200$ tablet won’t be able to do as a 500$ tablet is able to do. In spite of that limitation Amazon’s Kindle Fire is a sure cheaper practical alternative to Apple’s iPad2.  (Photo Credits: Amazon)

This makes iPhone 4 as a perfect candidate for video games and all smartphones in general. It’s a fact that almost all people are using smartphones. Video game addicts and fanatics are even choosing brands of smartphone based on games to be played. Criteria for considering bigger and wider screens are of course additional factors, but smartphone would make a good video game device.

There are all sorts of portable video game consoles such as Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, 3DS, PSP and of course iPhone could be included on the list. With all this gadgets, I tend to appreciate the simple classic games from smartphones. Not to play down the great graphic capability of the new mobile devices, but I still prefer those arcade video games.

In the past, I would play Battle City until wee hours on a play station with friends and it’s good to re-live those moments. Thus, I searched some iPhone 4 apps on this and found several free video games. The more sophisticated premium arcade video games for sale are available also in iPhone 4. No one will ever miss those good old arcade games even on the latest mobile device. Free or for sale, arcade video games are here to stay.

Among the things of interest in CES are home theater systems. It’s a dream to be in the middle of the action while watching a concert or a movie. The 3D TV technology is increasingly becoming more impressive, and it puts one in an ultimate home theater experience coupled with surround sound speakers. 3D TV is your next big entertainment investment. The best 3D HDTVs, have a lifelike display, images so vibrant that it seems to come out of the screen and into your living room.

An example of a 3D HDTV for a high-quality dimension of entertainment is Panasonic TC-P55VT30, LG 55LW6500 and the Sony XBR-HX929 which is some big entertainment investment. It supports 1080p high-definition images and has a PC input to replace a standard computer monitor. Building a 3D home theater system requires purchase of 3D glasses designed for this TV. Also, a 3D Blu-ray player, high-speed HDMI cable, and compatible A/V receiver with 3D products would be required too.

Internet connected, interactive TVs is a very big plus feature in a TV set. With a generation hooked up to the Internet, social media content and more a going crazy with an interactive TV. Some consumer may not be too excited with 3D TV, but a smart internet TV set with QWERTY keyboard accessories and touch screen capabilities would really be awesome.

There are more to expect with technology innovation on TV set. Communicating with smartphone or tablet for seamless content sharing, voice control and search, built-in cameras and microphone for video chat applications are some long list of feature to watch. I look forward to seeing this interactive 3D TV in the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 and hopefully build the ultimate home theater experience in my living room.

There’s a lot of anticipation throughout the industry on exactly what Apple’s next flagship smartphone device be, but the wait is over with Apple iPhone 4S unveiled. There are people who are disappointed with the new release as everyone is expecting the much awaited stylish Apple iPhone 5 look all over the internet.

Anyway, what’s the newest sizzle in Apple iPhone 4S? The main change is not on the looks, but on what’s inside. The latest technology is the intelligent assistant that helps you get things done via voice command. This feature is known as “Siri” which stands for the “S” on the Apple iPhone 4S.

Imagine talking to a smartphone to do some tasks like place phone calls, send messages, schedule meetings, and more. The phone will even talk back to you if necessary. Siri is not the usual dumb voice activated command on the phone. It’s more intelligent to interact with the user and even speaks for itself.

So, how’s that for a smartphone? Well do I need to upgrade the old Apple iPhone 4 to this new kid on the block. I personally, don’t think it’s a good idea. The little changes are not that compelling to change over. I think, I’ll better have to live with iPhone 4 and wait for the official Apple iPhone 5 release.

I’m always amazed by the numerous stars and galaxies that light the skies at night time. Telescopes permits people like myself to have a closer peek at those glittering objects in the sky. It’s also fun to watch streaking falling stars at summer and passing comets with the aid of telescope.

But there are serious amateur groups that hunts the skies with the use of good quality refractor telescopes with about 80-105mm aperture. By the way, telescopes could be grouped into two, based on cost per aperture, mainly as refractor telescopes and dobsonian telescopes. They work differently especially on color corrections, but the former is a little bit expensive than the later. I prefer the cheaper one, just for occasional sky viewing to relieve stress from a hectic IT computer work.

Telescope array for scientific study such as ALMA will pinpoint minute, hidden details deep inside galaxies or giant star forming regions, exceeding far than those amateur telescopes. This makes ALMA one of the most powerful telescopes ever made which requires a computer system to coordinate all the movement of 66 or more individual telescopes scattered across 18 kilometers.

The “brain” of ALMA is a supercomputer which performs data processing of 16 quadrillion (16,000,000,000,000,000) operations per second. The ALMA computer network utilizes Gigabit Ethernet fiber links to enable a fast computer system to control synchronously individual telescopes point a specific area to eye on the skies. ALMA is a stupendous scientific feat for mankind bringing a closer understanding of the universe.

There are a variety of smartphone devices like iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Mobile phone, or tablet devices like iPad, Galaxy Tab, and other which are at plain sight everyday. The portable devices are a form of entertainment for people to while waiting to have time past.

I’ve seem people playing games or listening to music while on travel for long distance train trips. There are times also that people play movies on this portable gadgets. Proprietary software is needed to play a movie on an iPhone of iPad as we all know, but there are program for ripping DVDs and putting them on this devices.

This DVD Ripping program makes DVD movies playable on tablet devices like Galaxy Tab, iPad or smartphones such as BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phone, Nokia, or iPhone. The software transfers converted DVD movies to iPad or iPhone directly after ripping.

What I like is the DVD ripping tasks in the background that allows other things to be done on a computer which definitely save time and effort. There are various formats like FLV, WMV, AVI, H.264/AVC, MP4, MPEG, MOV, XviD, 3GP, ASF and many others that are available while ripping DVD movies.

Creativity for merging different video clips is possible with the feature take small clip segments of a DVD title or chapter then merged into one new movie. Also transitions could be added to the different video clips which have the option to be stored on a DVD from a burn dvd software.

Backup data especially favorite movies for playing on iPhone and iPad is now easily available with the right DVD rip software without paying the high price of video copying proprietary software. Above all, it’s always advisable to search from the internet those software with free trial download for testing their worthiness and functionality before purchase.

A dominant name in line with the portable ebook readers is the Amazon Kindle 3 with 3G + WiFi which delivers longer battery life. Imagine an ebook reader which could be used for over a month with only a single battery charge. That’s what Amazon Kindle offers which is a stunning performance compared to a tablet like Apple’s iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab or some smartphone which drains battery in a couple of hours. The technology behind this phenomenal battery life is Kindle’s Electornic Ink Pearl technology which is able to maintain a page without relying on power.

Amazon Kindle 3 does not come with color as other e-reading devices, but it excels in readability under sunlight environment. The Kindle’s 3G internet connectivity feature is a great plus for travelers which means freedom to browse the internet, get new e-book or sync devices from almost anywhere. The 6-inch-size ebook reader weighs only 8.7 ounces makes it a perfect travel companion with several thousands of book online to choose.

I could say that the Amazon Kindle 3 reader is faster, lighter, smaller, crispier contrast ebook reader which surpasses it’s predecessor. If what is needed is a hand held electronic book reader without the touch screen technology and flashy colors, then Amazon’s Kindle 3 would perfectly fit the bill. A solution for longer reading right out of the box portable ebook reader.

Although iPad 2 digital cameras are not the best there is, but it can capture still pictures and video clips, which could be processed with iMovie. Once done, videos could be uploaded on websites like youtube.com or copied from iPad to PC for data keeping or backup copy on a DVD.

Transferring files is such annoyance to some users of Apple devices as everything pass through proprietary software like iTunes. Copying files from Mac or PC to iPad is not an issue as iTunes supports transfer of video file, movie, audio, e-books, pictures, and many more. The trouble is when copying files from iPad to pc which iTunes doesn’t support.

Copying iMovie video files to a desktop computer is still an issue for most users, but I don’t know if Apple will change transfer iPad to pc policy. Unless that time comes fans and users of Apple iPad 2 will rely on third party software provider to manage and convert files from ipad to pc. I hope in the future that the feature will be supported in iTunes.