Gadget licking: It's an odd phenomenon that we first heard of when gamer pin-up Jessica Chobot made a name for herself as the celebrated PSP licker. Since then, gadget licking (or GL) has became a bit of an underground trend, with Olivia Munn licking an Apple TV on G4TV and some dude licking his iPhone. However, it certainly didn't seem like a mainstream phenomenon -- until 'Today Show' host Meredith Viera expressed her love for the MacBook Air by giving it a big 'ol lick on-air.

The 'Today Show' crew was giving a review of the product and predictably oohing and aaahing over the aesthetics while glossing over the negatives of the thing. But, honestly, that's what most people will do when they first get their hands on one, so we can't say we blame them. Just please, people, keep it decent if you happen to see one of these sitting on a shelf at your local Apple Store.

From Engadget



Related Links:

• First MacBook Air Reviews In, and They're Not Entirely Positive
• Apple Announces New MacBook Air, World's Thinnest Laptop
• Software Updates for iPhone and iPod Touch

The first reviews of Apple's skinny and sexy MacBook Air are in. The laptop is less than two-tenths-of-an-inch thick, but such slimness comes at a price ($1800-$3000). Even that price, the Air's minimalist hardware will make the Air a poor choice for no-compromise users, according to the first reviews posted today (the Air itself won't be in stores for another two weeks).

Edward C Baig from USA Today loves the size and weight of the thing, but has a number of complaints about the hardware shortcomings, including comparatively short non-replaceable battery's life, the missing internal DVD drive, and the lack of many common ports business users might need to hook their machines up to external displays or devices.

Newsweek's Steven Levy echoes many of the same complaints as Baig, but praises the Air's low temperatures when running and indicates that it's so small and light you'll never wonder whether you should take it with you because there's really no reason not to. Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal says much the same thing, indicating he loves the design but spends plenty of paragraphs describing its shortcomings -- the non-removable battery, the paltry one USB port, and the missing DVD drive that makes this impractical for those who like to pack a few discs for a long flight. Still, usual-Apple-lover Mossberg says "the result is a beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers."

So, is the $1,799 (and up) MacBook Air for you? Well, are you planning on using it as your only computer or will it be a second (or third) one just for trips and mobile computing? It seems it's just not quite up to the task of being your sole, go-to computing device. If you plan to get one, you should probably make it your second computer.

The Air is sexy, but just like those impractical roadsters a lot of people own but keep in the garage except on sunny afternoons, it's not really meant to be your only means of getting about.

From Engadget, USA Today, Newsweek, and Wall Street Journal

Related Links:

• Apple Announces New MacBook Air, World's Thinnest Laptop
• Software Updates for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Movie Rentals Hit iTunes (in HD, too)

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Green Technology is all the rage. It seems that companies are increasingly embracing an environmentally friendly approach to product development. From hydrogen-powered cars to Freeplay Energy's solar-powered radios, it is clear that technological advances are paving the way for a healthier Mother Earth. We particularly like Hong Kong-based Chung Pak Battery Works, which has removed many of the most harmful elements from its Vinnic and Vinergy product lines without sacrificing power output. For this reason, we enthusiastically support Chung Pak's Green Batteries. (We also enthusiastically support their commercial, so click the image above to watch.)

The latest Vinnic innovation is the No Lead Added Zinc Chloride Battery Series, while Chung Pak's completely new line, Vinergy, offers a Mercury and Cadmium free alkaline button cell and battery. The result is an array of different eco-conscious batteries that have no Lead, Mercury or Cadmium added. A more complete list of available Chung Pak products includes several series of the aforementioned alkaline and zinc chloride batteries, in addition to alkaline/silver-oxide button cells; high voltage, alkaline, cylindrical button cells; Ni-MH rechargeable, cylindrical and button cells; battery packs and chargers; and even lithium batteries. Vinnic and Vinergy merchandise is sold in the United States through Evergreen (C.P.) USA Inc.

Related Links:

• FAA Institutes New Bans on Laptop and Gadget Batteries on Planes
• Excavator to Blame in Cell Phone Death, But the Battery Still Caught on Fire!
• Pregnant Woman's Nokia Phone Battery Explodes

Good news for digital packrats who are always on the move: Asus is gearing up to release a notebook computer with a pair of 500 gigabyte hard drives inside. This one terabyte of hard disk space will be a first for a laptop -- and should give you enough memory to carry around at least the vast majority of your media collection. With enough space for 350 feature length movies or 250,000 four-minute songs, you could fly around the world and never run out of things to watch or listen to.

The Asus M70 will be available sometime later this year, primarily since the hard drive that will be packed into these glorified media vaults, the Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 (pictured here), won't be available until February.

From Cnet

Related links:

• Your Old Hard Drive is a Criminal's Gold Mine
• LaCie's New Gold-Covered External Drive
• Google Offers 250 Gigs of Storage for $500