WaterField Designs came out with a new Apple MacBook Air case called CitySlicker. This urban MacBook Air case offers a nice custom distressed leather flap in one of four colors that covers the top of their signature ballistic nylon fabric.

The case doesn’t just look nice, with that old-world frontier look, it protects the MacBook Air with three layers. High-grade neoprene and padded inner linings combine with an added impact-resistant plastic covered by the nylon outer layer to keep the MacBook Air’s soft aluminum safe in transport.

The flap covers a four accessory pockets. The pockets house things like pens, an iPhone or Android smartphone, your magic mouse or cables. They’re made of a stretchy mesh material. A back pocket with the same stretchy mess has a locking zipper that lets you store thin items or objects like papers thin books or a magazine or two.

Like most of WaterField Designs cases, you can get just the case and carry it around under your arm. You can also add the rings and include your own shoulder strap or pick from their two different straps. You can also add a handle to the mix to carry it like a briefcase.

The bag comes in one of four colors – black, chocolate, grizzly or camel. The cost of the cases and options are as follows:

• 11″ MacBook Air Case alone $129 and with handle $139
• 13″ MacBook Air Case alone $139 and with handle $149
• Add D-Rings for straps for $5
• With D-Rings and the simple strap add $12
• For the D-Rings and the padded Suspension Should Strap add $22

If you order now, you will get one starting May 28, 2012. This company makes great cases, so the CitySlicker likely won’t disappoint you.

WaterField Designs CitySlicker Case for Protects MacBook Air With Distressed Leather is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

It’s hard to find the perfect bag or backpack, but even harder to find a bag that adjusts to carry a different set of gadgets and gear every day.

The Tom Bihn Brain Bag can do just that, slimming down when I need to carry just a notebook, and expanding when I need to carry two notebooks, two tablets and a DSLR.

For the past 6 months I’ve abused the Tom Bihn Brain Bag from Detroit to Denver and through a long week in Vegas covering CES 2012.

I’m impressed with the versatility and the durability of the Brain Bag. Because I can grow and shrink the bag to fit my needs for that day it is my go-to bag.

Tom Bihn Brain Bag

The Tom Bihn Brain Bag has room for 2 Brain Cell notebook cases. These light, but durable cases lock into the compartment to offer a higher level of protection that can easily be removed to double as a stand alone bag.

Tom Bihn sent over one Vertical Brain Cell with the Brain Bag, and it is a perfectly sized for the MacBook Air. Larger sizes are available for almost any notebook. The Vertical Brain Cell is $60.

Brain Cell inside Tom Bihn Brain Bag.

I like that this is a separate part of the bag, and that it provides protection on the base of the bag, a place where many bags skimp.

I often kept my MacBook Air in this spot, and in a pinch kept my iPad in between this and the remaining room.

Tom Bihn Freudian Slip

The next large section can hold a Brain Cell, but I used the Fredian Slip here to keep odds and ends and paper. The large pockets on the back of the Fruedian Slip proved perfect for any size tablet or a thin notebook like the Toshiba Portege z835.

When carrying two notebooks I keep one in this section behind the slip. I also keep adapters and a portable hard drive in the elastic sections at the base of the removable organizer. I used the Snake Charmer to carry my cables to CES and eventually to hold my iPhone 4S camera rig when not in use.

Tom Bihn Snake Charmer

When I arrived at CES I removed the Freudian Slip and the Snake Charmer to lighten the load without the need to do any real unpacking.

When I was in Detroit to check out how Ford is using technology to make awesome cars I had to have my notebook, iPad and a camera on hand, and the front section of the bag proved large enough to hold my Nikon D5100 DSLR without bulging.

A portion of what I carry in the Tom Bihn Brain Bag.

I really like the ability to use the four straps on the sides of the bag to tighten up the bag when I am only carrying a notebook, or let them out when I have a lot of gadgets in the bag. This versatility allows me to pack heavy for a trip and go slim when I arrive.

In addition to the two main compartments, the Tom Bihn Brain Bag includes a large top pocket that is perfect for iPhone battery cases or a MiFi. On each side there is a pocket large enough for a water bottle complete with interior pockets for pens and papers. There is a mesh pocket on the outside of the left pocket as well.

The Tom Bihn Brain Bag has plenty of pockets.

In between the pockets is a hook and latch system that can hold a water bottle, thermos or an umbrella.

The bag is water-resistant and has a water-repellent finish to keep rain and snow from damaging your gadgets and documents. The overall build of the bag is great with little wear noticeable after six months of use.

The bag is comfortable to wear even when loaded up with multiple laptops and tablets and includes a removable chest strap.

I highly recommend the Tom Bihn Brain Bag and accessories to travelers that need a durable, versatile bag. The Brain Bag is well worth the $150 price, especially considering the ability to do the job of more than one bag.

Buy the Tom Bihn Brain Bag at Tom Bihn for $150.

Tom Bihn Brain Bag Gallery

Tom Bihn Brain Bag Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

AMD’s second-generation APU called Trinity, is the company’s new take on low-power high-performance processors.

Trinity will make its first appearance in the HP SleekBook and other sleek and slim notebooks.

You won’t find the AMD Trinity APU inside an Ultrabook, as that trademark is owned by Intel, but sleek & slim notebooks are starting to look a lot like Ultrabooks.

The graphics power of the new AMD Trinity APU is one of its biggest draws, but we’ve yet to see it go head-to-head with the new third-generation Intel Core i family of processors that are rolling out a new notebooks.

AMD is toting the battery capacity of notebooks with the new AMD Trinity second generation APU, with low power draws. AMD hopes that the AllDay battery life claim holds true when the first notebooks arrive with Trinity. AMD claims that Trinity will deliver better battery life to users for gaming web browsing and even when Windows is idle.

Consumers will love the new AMD Quick Stream technology that prioritizes video streaming over other activities to prevent start-stop-start-stop viewing that can occur.

The new AMD Trinity systems will be capable of AMD Eyefinity, which delivers an immersive gaming experience across three monitors. It is not clear if this will be available on all systems.

The first AMD Trinity powered systems will arrive this summer, but many more will arrive later this year alongside Windows 8. AMD says that the Trinity platform has an advantage thanks to hardware acceleration for the Windows 8 Metro UI and Metro style apps.

The AMD Trinity processor will allow manufacturers like HP, Samsung and others to offer lower priced thin and light systems. The HP Sleekbook with an AMD Trinity processor offers an Ultrabook-esque experience at $599. The 14-inch HP SleekBook with an Intel Core i 3rd generation processor is $100 more.

Look for these new notebooks and AMD powered systems later this year.

AMD Trinity A-Series APU Boasts Power and Battery Life is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon takes the design of the ThinkPad X1, which we loved, and bumps the screen up to a mainstream 14-inch. The X1 Carbon might possibly be the best business notebook we’ve seen so far as it addresses many of the tradeoffs users must typically make when trading in a typical business notebook.

The ThinkPad X1 should be standard issue in corporate America. No, the X1 won’t fit everybody’s needs, but it will make everyone from road warriors to conference room jockeys very happy. The 14″ display means there’s not much to give up when downsizing from a bulkier business notebook such as the ThinkPad T400.

The ThinkPad Carbon X1 has several creature comforts baked in that make it more user friendly, without giving up its ThinkPad pedigree.

Read: ThinkPad X1 Review

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has about the same footprint as the original ThinkPad X1, which has a 13.3″ display. One thing we really like is that the new X1 Carbon has an anti-glare display like the rest of the ThinkPad lineup. The display has a resolution of 1600×900 pixels, which means users can edit two documents side by side. A 720p webcam that tracks the user is at the top of the display. The keyboard is backlit, making it easier to use in the dark.

We got to take an early look at the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at a Lenovo event in San Francisco last week. Weighing in at almost exactly three pounds, the ThinkPad Carbon X1 feels even lighter than it looks. Part of the reason for that is that Lenovo built its internal rollcage out of Carbon, hence the product’s name.

The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon includes the new 3rd Generation Intel Core family of processors with better power management and enhanced integrated Intel graphics. Lenovo hasn’t provided official battery life numbers yet, but company representatives said it will last longer than the original X1 on a single charge. That’s important considering users can’t slap an extended battery on this notebook as they can with most ThinkPads. One very nice feature is that the X1 Carbon’s battery can go from zero to 80% in just 30 minutes. That means all you need to do is plug in during a coffe break at a cafe or while waiting for your connecting flight and you’re good to go.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon isn’t as thin as the MacBook Air or consumer UltraBooks, but it is a world apart from what most business people lug around.

The left side of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a single USB 2.0 port and wireless on/off switch. Towards the rear of the left side is the power adapter port. It is rectangular in shape since the notebook is too thin to accomodate the standard ThinkPad power adapter, which features a round connector.

The right side of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a Kensignton lock slot, USB 3.0 port, DisplayPort, audio jack and SD card reader.

The rear of the notebook has a SIM slot for 3G and 4G connectivity. Lenovo and its partners will offer users the option of paying per session, which means users won’t have to sign up for long contracts. This is a very nice feature since most people don’t have an ongoing need and bosses aren’t too keen on approving such contracts for people that only travel occasionally.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon: 14 inch Ultrabook for Business is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

The Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS notebook marries a 17-inch monitor and the latest 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU for a desktop replacement notebook that doesn’t break your back, though it might put a pain in your wallet.

The new Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS notebook has a 17.3 inch 1080P HD display with Samsung SuperBright tech that Samsung claims delivers 36% to 50% brighter screens than conventional notebooks.

The quad core Intel 3rd generation Core i7 processor with TurboBoost 2.0.1 for more power when applications demand it, and Samsung Fast Start will speed up the sleep to go speeds. It doesn’t hurt that the notebook includes an 8GB flash memory on the motherboard to speed up operations without limiting file storage like a SSD only system.

Samsung claims that the battery will last up to 8 hours, which most likely needs discounted for real world use. Samsung says that the battery will retain 80% of its capacity for 1,500 charges, or about 3 years, which many consumer notebooks cannot claim.

There is a premium placed on entertainment from the full HD display to the graphics and even the speakers. The Series 7 Chronos has JBL speakers and a subwoofer for above average sound. The new NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU allows users to play games, edit movies and perform lots of multitasking. The notebook also features Wireless Display, with the ability to mirror content to an HDTV wirelessly, with a $99 adapter.

The Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS is retails for $1,499 and is available at most Best Buy locations and online for $1,399.

Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS Gallery

Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS Specs

Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS 17-inch Desktop Replacement Launches is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Standing while you work isn’t something most office workers think about, but it’s an easy way to work healthier and be more productive.

The Ergotron WorkFit-D is the best sit-stand desk I’ve used, solving many of my complaints about the half-dozen sit-stand desk configurations I have used over the past few years.

The Ergotron WorkFit-D delivers a sit-stand experience without losing the benefits of a traditional desk, including space to put papers, coffee and accessories while sitting and standing.

Users can adjust the height of the WorkFit-D’s 23-inch by 48-inch workspace up to 20-inches in height, from  29-inches tall to 49 inches tall. Users can place monitors or notebooks right on the desk, or opt for a monitor mount that attaches to the center for an ideal experience.

I love sit-stand desks because I don’t need separate workspaces to stand and sit while working. Sitting all day can play a factor in various physical ailments and even earlier death than those who stand for a portion of the day. It also plays a role in weight gain and increase in cardiovascular troubles. Check out Sitting is Killing You for more information.

Now that I’ve scared you into standing up while you read this Ergotron WorkFit-D review, here’s what I like about the Ergotron WorkFit-D.

Ergotron WorkFit-D Review Video

Check out a tour of the WorkFit-D, including where the desk shines and what needs improvement.

Where the WorkFit-D is Great

The height adjustments fit me better than the previous models I have tried, and the WorkFit-D is much sturdier than the WorkFit-C, a sit-stand desk that shook some when I was typing heavily. There is still some movement on the WorkFit-D, but not nearly as much.

The WorkFit-D includes a large work area for my tablet, phone and other desk accessories, and the optional keyboard tray is large enough to hold a keyboard and a mouse, in my case the magic trackpad from Apple, but it is large enough for a traditional mouse.

I paired the WorkFit-D with the LX Dual Side-by-Side Arm monitor mount from Ergotron that slots into an opening in the middle of the desk. This mount is available for around $250 on Amazon. This allows me to move the monitors to the perfect positions. If I had it to do over, I would buy the Stacking Arm version.

Where the WorkFit-D Needs Improvement

The Ergotron WorkFit-D is almost perfect, but it could improve in a few areas.

The desk or the keyboard tray needs a few more inches of height. If I stand straight, the keyboard try is a little too low for comfortable use. I often use a wider stance to hit the correct height.

The WorkFit-D needs an optional powerstrip and built in cord, hidden inside the back-end. Combined with a small basket to hold wires, this would make for a nicer looking unit and solve the problem of wires catching when moving the desk up and down.

Why I Love the WorkFit-D

I’ve used the WorkFit-D for 5 months, as my main desk. This is the best sit-stand desk I have used. I love standing while I work, because it helps me stay focused, avoid afternoon lulls in productivity and the many health benefits mentioned earlier.

Using the Nike Fuelband to monitor my activity level, I found that I am 20-30% more active when I incorporate standing into my workday, even for just an hour or two of standing. This is thanks to the small movements I take while standing and moving to music.

Is the WorkFit-D Worth It?

The WorkFit D retails for $900 without the keyboard tray or monitor mount, but is for sale at around $800 on Amazon.

This is an expensive sit-stand desk, but it is well worth the price for users that want to sit and stand during the day without the need for separate workstations or loss of a desk to place their office clutter.

Read: Ergotron WorkFit-S Review

If the price is too much, I recommend the WorkFit-S, a sit-stand desk that clamps onto almost any existing desk, converting it into a sit-stand desk for around $360-$380.

Sit-Stand Desk Guide: Measurements, Examples and Benefits

If you are new to sit-stand desks, you can turn any desk into a standing desk with a bit of work. With a few measurements and office scraps, you can turn your desk into a standing desk. It won’t look as pretty as the WorkFit-D, but it’s a great way to try a standing desk.

Ergotron WorkFit-D Review: Nearly Perfect Sit-Stand Desk is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Acer’s new Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is the first ultrabook to hit the US with discrete graphics on board. Acer and NVIDIA tout it as the first “true ultrabook” thanks to the power under the hood. But with a 15.6-inch display, will most consumers really place it in that category?

The screen size coupled with the inclusion of an optical drive means that most will compare this laptop with other mainstream machines. And with an expected price of around $999, buyers on a budget will want a notebook that can do more than just the basics.

Can the Ultra M3 live up to those expectations? Read our full review to find out.

Who is the Timeline Ultra M3 for?

Consumers who like the ultrabook form factor but need a larger screen size will appreciate the real-estate that 15.6-inches offers. Users who need a machine that can handle resource-intense tasks — such as master multitasking or editing images and video — with speed and efficiency can count on the power of discrete graphics. Shoppers looking for a machine that can handle most popular games but don’t want or need a rig exclusively for that purpose will be impressed by the power of Nvidia’s newest GPU. Students who need a laptop they can carry to class and get them through both finals and downtime. Anyone who needs a laptop that is portable and powerful in equal measure.

Design

The Ultra M3 definitely earns the ultrabook moniker with its slim frame and light weight. Though saying “it’s light for a 15-inch laptop” may seem like faint praise, it’s a pretty big deal for users who just can’t get real work done on 13-inch machines yet don’t want to give up on portability. At 4.5 pounds this Ultra M3 is the same weight as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and just slightly heavier than the 4.4 pound, 14-inch HP Pavilion dm4.

Many ultrabooks are razor thin for the sake of razor thinness and in the process sacrifice important ports. The Ultra M3 is only 0.78 inches thin with a 14.75 x 10.0 inch footprint. This size allows for an optical drive, found on the left, as well as an SD card slot, three USB ports (one of them USB 3.0), HDMI and Ethernet.

My only complaint is that everything except the optical drive and the card slot are on the back of the laptop, so they’re less convenient to get at when plugging in flash drives, peripherals and the like.

Aesthetically, this notebook is simple but well-designed and attractive in a black tie kind of way. Acer kept it basic with an all-black paint job with the exception of slate grey around the keys.

The power button is on the front edge and slightly wkward to press

Keyboard and Touchpad

Like most ultrabooks the M3 sports an island-style keyboar with flat keys. Since it’s a 15-inch rig users also get a full-size number pad on the right. The keys have decent travel but are a little small, which is odd since there’s plenty of room for more surface area. Due to this and the minimal travel I often missed letters when typing, especially when going fast.

The lack of backlighting is disappointing, especially for a premium laptop, but not a dealbreaker for everyone.

The large clickpad is problematic, but what else is new with PC clickpads? On the Ultra M3 I most noticed issues when trying to perform tasks that took precision, such as selecting text.

The touchpad also doesn’t deal well with one finger resting on the surface while the other moves around. The bottom corners are stiff, which won’t be a problem for people trained to tap to click and will annoy people who prefer mouse buttons.

Display

The 15.6-inch display impressed me with bright, rich colors and deep blacks. Since the surface is glossy it doesn’t do well in the sun, but the viewing angles are good. At extreme angles you’ll encounter color distortion, but within a normal range things look as they should.

The disappointment comes in the resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels. While you might be able to convince me that this res is acceptable for a 13-inch display, on a 15-inch one it borders on sad. A screen this size should be at least 1400 x 900, even if this is just an ultrabook.

Performance and Battery Life

Acer packed the Ultra M3 with speedy components, so it’s no surprise that it performs well. A 1.7-GHZ Intel Core i7-2637M processor drives this ultrabook, backed by 4GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). And, as I mentioned before, Nvidia’s GeForce GT 640M graphics card backed by 1GB of dedicated VRAM. Though the Intel processor is an ultra-low voltage model, most users will get the same performance out of this as mainstream laptops with Core i5 CPUs.

In my time with the Ultra M3 I multitasked like mad, regularly switching between up to 40 tabs each in FireFox and Chrome with Photoshop Elements, Microsoft Word, Skype and Digsby running as well. Normally the massive FireFox tabbing is enough to make a computer groan since the browser is such a resource hog, but this ultrabook didn’t sweat.

The SSD is also very fast, which helps when copying files, opening programs (usually less than 5 seconds), and booting or resuming from sleep. Acer’s Instant Connect promises to get you on the Internet in 2.5 seconds after waking, and in my experience that rang true whenever connecting to known networks.

With Wi-Fi on and the screen brightness set to 40%, I ran the LAPTOP Magazine Battery Test, which surfs constantly until the battery dies. The Ultra M3 lasted 7 hours and 20 minutes under these conditions, which is 40 minutes shy of the promised 8 hours. In my time using this machine I was able to get up to 10 hours out of it with Wi-Fi on for between 4 and 5 hours and the screen set at 25% brightness.

This impressive battery life is possible even with discrete graphics because the ultrabook has Nvidia’s Optimus technology inside which switches to the graphics card automatically only when needed, allowing the integrated graphics to take over and save power.

Bottom line: you can leave the A/C adapter at home most of the time, which means less weight in your bag.

Graphics, Gaming and Multimedia Performance

The Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics card inside is built on the company’s Kepler architecture, which means that it’s powerful, but efficient. The efficiency is key to the Ultra M3′s good battery life, the power is important for consumers who want an ultrabook that can do everything.

The graphics card not only makes playing resource-intensive games like Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City possible, but also means that users can edit images with a program like Photoshop and video with a program like Premiere or PowerDirector without having to wait for the computer to catch up. When exporting a 720p 30fps 5 minute video to MPEG 4, Adobe Premiere Elements completed the export in under 5 minutes with quality set high. While using Photoshop Elements I noted that I was able to crunch, add filters and do edits on even large image files in just a few seconds instead of having to wait.

Though hardcore gamers won’t find the Ultra M3 suitable for their everyday needs, this ultrabook does have great gaming chops. Players will see well over 100fps on average-intensity games like World of Warcraft and between 50 and 70fps on more graphics-intense games like Battlefield 3. Even super resource hogging games are playable, though with those you’re getting into needing a gaming rig, anyway.

With all this power, playing HD videos well is a given. Thanks to the Dolby speakers and the large display, watching movies is a great experience. Just as with games, I didn’t note any pixilation, hitching or anything to mar my enjoyment.

Price and Availability

Acer hasn’t announced the final US price for the Ultra M3, though it should be available on Amazon.com and NewEgg.com within the next two weeks. Without knowing the price, it’s hard to determine whether this ultrabook is worth buying. Since it’s an ultrabook, most predict a price around $999.

The Bottom Line

The Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 may not fit into most people’s pre-conceptions about what an ultrabook is (or isn’t). But even if you think of it as a thin and light mainstream laptop, it still holds up pretty well when compared to systems like the Sony VAIO SE, Dell XPS 14z and the HP Envy 15. You get enough power for both typical usage and more intense, specialized tasks in a package light enough to carry around everywhere, should you need to.

The disappointing resolution is a big drawback for multimedia lovers and hard core gamers and the sub-par touchpad is a downer for everyone. But neither of these issues is enough to put me off the Ultra M3 completely.

While most ultrabooks make great companion laptops but won’t do as primary computers for power users, the Ultra M3 is good enough to be the only notebook you’ll need. However, until Acer finally releases the price, it’s hard to know if the whole package represents a good value.

Gallery

Specs

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 Review – The First True Ultrabook? is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

If you’ve waited for a new MacBook Pro refresh to ship, then the wait could get shorter if a pair of benchmarks and a rumor about thinner machines prove legitimate.

According to “trusted sources in Apple’s supply chain” the refreshed MacBook Pro models will include a thinner chassis and higher resolution displays, not to mention more powerful graphics and processors and USB 3.0. 9to5Mac reported that their sources told them Apple is testing the new 15″ machines and it will ship later this summer. That might explain a pair of benchmarks that showed up on Geekbench.

9to5Mac posted this interesting mock up of what a thinner MacBook could look like

Geekbench provides benchmarking for Macs and shows those results online in their Geekbench Browser for all to see. A pair of Macs showed up on the site with some awesome results.

The first Mac identified itself as a “MacBookPro9,1″. The computer boasted an Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM processor with a 2.7GHz clock speed. It grabbed a score of 12252 or 17 percent faster than the present 15 or 17 inch MacBook Pro running an Intel Core i7 processor.

The second called itself an “iMac 13,2″ and ran an Intel Core i7-3770 desktop CPU and included 3.4GHz clock speed. It included only 4GB of RAM which lowered its Geekbench score to 12183. The scores for the CPU alone grabbed a 9% gain over present generation desktops.

As Engadget noted, these scores don’t necessarily show that someone tested a pair of new Macs. They could show fake scores or something else. However, since we’re waiting on a refresh of the MacBook Pro line, this could indicate that one is immanent. Added to the evidence reported at 9to5Mac of new models referenced deep inside Mountain Lion code, we’ve got a good sign that Apple will refresh the MacBook Pro line soon.

The code in Mountain Lion shows a new MacBook Pro with Ivy Bridge processors, USB 3.0 and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics chip.

Most recent rumors said the new MacBook Pro would look more like recent MacBook Air models. If the 9to5Mac “trusted sources” are right, it will look more like present MacBooks on a diet with the a new high res display, possibly matching the retina displays in the new iPad and iPhone 4/4S.

To summarize the new specs will include the following:

• High resolution retina display
• Ivy Bridge Intel processors
• Faster NVIDIA GPU
• USB 3.0 ports
• No more optical disk which allows for thinner design
• Power button on the keyboard like the MacBook Air
• A pair of Thunderbolt ports

Since the new Ivy Bridge chip includes USB 3.0 support, it won’t surprise too many if Apple includes it.  When Thunderbolt first shipped, some of us thought Apple would forgo USB 3.0 and push for Thunderbolt. The slow adoption rate of Thunderbolt and inclusion in Ivy Bridge make adding USB 3.0 a no-brainer for Apple.

Hopefully we’ll know more about this at this year’s WWDC coming in early June. The amazing specs mentioned above might call for a keynote address including an announcement about the new MacBook Pro in lieu of an iPhone announcement, which seems likely to occur in the fall again this year instead of at WWDC as it was before last year’s change. Whenever the announcement comes we will learn whether they will refresh the 17 and 13 inch models. These reports only mention the 15-inch model.

MacBook Pro Ivy Bridge Benchmarks Leak, Point to Coming Refresh is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

DragonDrop helps Mac users move their files around in finder with a creative tool that sits in your Menu Bar and activates when you need it. It acts like a temporary shelf to store your files so you can find the new folder to drop them. Let me show you how it works.

Open a Finder folder and select the file or files your want to move. Now either drag them to the icon in the Menu bar or shake your mouse until the DragonDrop box opens. It has a flared pattern that rotates.

Watch DragonDrop in action in the video below.

Drop the files on the box and then find the new spot where you plan to place the file or files. Drag the file or files from the DragonDrop box to the new folder and the box disappears. DragonDrop copies the files to the new place.

It works with any kind of file you can store on your hard drive and it works with websites. Just drag the website’s address bar icon to the DragonDrop box just as you would a file. Then, open a new browser and drag the site to that browser window’s address bar. You might need to test a site in more than one browser. This offers an easier way to do that than typing a long site’s URL each time.

I love this utility. It costs $4.99 in the Mac App Store, which seems a bit steep. It feels more like a $2 app. I wish the feature would show up in a future release of OS X.

If you want a free taste, go to the app’s website and get the free trial version. If you like it buy it in the App store.

I had one difficulty, which you can see in the above video. If you drag the files, shake the mouse cursor and them move the cursor too far after the DragonDrop box appears, then it goes away. If you’re dragging a bunch of files, the files icons can mask the box making it hard to see that the box appeared. Aside from the cost, that’s my only complaint. I recommend it to OS X users who do a lot of dragging and dropping of files. I installed it on all of my systems.

You can set DragonDrop to start at login, which you’ll want to do. You can turn off the shake feature and only use the Menu Bar if you want. Or you can turn off the Menu Bar icon and only use the shake feature.

DragonDrop Review: Simplify Moving Files in OS X is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Adobe released the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4, its popular and newly updated photo editing and organizing tool, in the Mac App Store.

They released their consumer focused Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements at a nice $20 discount over the retail box price of those two apps, but this time around the Mac App Store version actually costs the same price you would pay if you bought it directly from Adobe. You can get the full version from Adobe for $99.99, a $5o discount, if you buy it along with Photoshop or for $149.99 by itself. That’s the price you pay for the program from the Mac App Store.

You benefit getting it from the App Store because users can install it on more than two machines, the limit enforced if you buy it from Adobe. Lightroom will also soon come as part of the new Adobe Creative Cloud subscription service which gives access to all the Adobe tools.

Lightroom provides powerful organization and post processing features. It’s useful for serious photographers whether you’re an enthusiast or a professional. I used the first three versions before I moved to Apple Aperture which costs half the price of Lightroom in the App store and allows you to install it on more than two machines.

The new features available in this update include the following:

• Highlight and Shadow Recovery improvements
• Photo Book creation from Blurb
• Location base organization so you can search for photos take on your vacation
• White balance brush lets you fix white balance of small parts of a photo
• More editing brushes
• Better video support
• Video publishing in HD on Facebook, Flickr and smartphones, tablets or various TV formats
• Soft-proofing so you can see what a printed image will look like when you use color management to match your printer and monitor
• Better online sharing through Facebook and Flickr
• See online comments from photo sites within Lightroom

Having used both, I recommend you check out Aperture before paying double for Lightroom. They’re both great tools and most photographers today prefer Lightroom, but Aperture handles my needs perfectly at $70 less. If you’re a serious creative professional or enthusiast, check out the new Creative Cloud service which will also includes Lightroom for $50/month or $30/month if you already own a registered copy of one of Adobe’s professional tools.

New Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Available on Mac App Store is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.