It looks like Apple has quietly upgraded the SSDs used in the popular MacBook Air notebooks with new drives from Samsung that are significantly faster than the previous drives. Anandtech found that on some MacBook Air models, newer notebooks were using a new SSD instead of the Toshiba.

The new solid state drives are likely from Samsung and offer speedier read and write speeds. Anandtech put the new drives through the paces and found the following speed bumps.

What does this mean for MacBook Air owners and potential MacBook Air buyers? Unfortunately not much. While the speeds are faster, you can’t take your MacBook Air in for an upgrade and as Anandtech points out, when you buy a new MacBook Air you’re going to get whatever you get.

If you do want a faster SSD in your MacBook Air, or more memory than you can order from Apple, check out the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD upgrade kit which offers larger and faster MacBook Air SSDs. The kits claim to deliver a 68% increase in performance and come in sizes up to 360GB. Unfortunately with prices ranging from $499 to $1,179 you may want to just wait for Apple to offer a faster and larger SSD option or pick up a more affordable external hard drive.

MacBook Air Notebooks Get Faster SSDs, Luck of the Draw is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Apple is preparing to announce the iPad 2 at an event in San Francisco on March 2nd. The new iPad, which many are calling the iPad 2, doesn’t have an official name yet, nor do we have a full list of specifications, but we do have a roundup of the new iPad 2 rumors and an idea of what we will actually see on March 2nd.

Given the long list of iPad 2 specifications and features that are rumored to come next Wednesday we wanted to share the features we most want to see when the iPad 2 is announced, and share how likely we think it is that Apple delivers them.

Cameras Front and Back - Likelihood - 100%: One of features that would get us ready to upgrade in a hurry is the inclusion of front and rear facing cameras. We don’t plan on replacing point and shoot cameras, but the ability to snap images of notes and documents for Evernote and being able to FaceTime or use Skype video calls is so tempting we’re ready to get our credit card out.

Thin and Light iPad 2 - Likelihood 90%: Another thing we are pretty sure will happen and we hope happens is a slight reduction in size and weight. Personally, we really hope for a slightly lighter iPad since we use it in our hands much of the day, but we wouldn’t mind a thinner figure either.

Wireless Syncing and Free Mobile Me - Likelihood 80%: Apple has readied a new Datacenter in North Carolina that is rumored to be preparing for an onslaught of data usage that would occur with the launch of wireless syncing and a free MobileMe service.

Better Sound – Likelihood 80%: Many of the early leaks indicated a larger speaker grill on the iPad and while we don’t expect to see anything like the Beats TouchPad combo, the recent push for higher fidelity iTunes music leads us to believe that the iPad 2 and also the iPhone 5 will have better audio performance.

Faster Processor – Likelihood 75%: So far we haven’t hit too many brick walls in terms of speed, but every now and then there’s an app that feels like it could benefit from a boost in speed. This is rumored to be a new dual-core processor developed by Apple.

Longer Lasting battery - Likelihood 60%: Sure the iPad battery lasts 10 hours, but Apple loves to deliver longer batter life in a small package which is why we are hoping for a thinner lighter iPad 2 that lasts just a bit longer.  The likelihood is low because the iPad already has long battery life and isn’t facing stiff competition.

Medium Size Please – Likelihood 30%: We really want this, but doubt it will happen right now. A smaller iPad would solve the issues we have with weight and make it easier to carry around without the need for a manbag or a ScotteVest. Unfortunately, we don’t see this happening just yet.

More ports and SD card - Likelihood 30%: The only real port on the iPad right now is the Dock Connector, which leaves many users wanting more. We are hoping that Apple will throw in an SD card reader, but even that is doubtful in our opinion. We would also be interested to see a micro USB charging port or Thunderbolt, but won’t hold our breath.

Retina Display Likelihood 20%: While we think a high-res iPad display would be a joy to look at, all signs point to this being cost prohibitive for the time being.

Stylus – Likelihood 0%: Perhaps the highest ranked, but least likely feature for the iPad 2 is a stylus. While we would love to see better support for taking notes with a stylus on the iPad, we don’t see it coming on the iPad 2, even with the recent patent.

Lower Price - Likelihood 0%: We all wish that the things we want were cheaper, but Apple doesn’t typically compete on price and in the case of the iPad, it doesn’t even need to try because every other tablet is coming in at a higher price.

That’s our iPad 2 wishlist, what would you like to see announced as a feature of the iPad 2 next week? Would you agree with our picks and ratings?

iPad 2: The Rumors We Want to Come True is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

If a new computer isn’t on the holiday shopping list this year we have the next best thing, System Mechanic 10.

System Mechanic is a all in one system tune up tool that can give an old computer new life and relieve some of the frustrations we have with slow computers. The System Mechanic 10 software package has a collection of new features including;

• CRUDD Remover - This new feature looks for redundant programs and other items that slow down your PC such as multiple virus programs and helps you cut the CRUD for better performance.
• 216-Point PC Inspection - diagnoses and resolves over 12,000 PC problems
• Program Accelerator - jump starts sluggish programs
• Whole Home Licensing – System Mechanic 10 works on all of the computers in your recipients house which makes it also a great gift for your own house if you have several older computers in need of tune ups.

The biggest reason we recommend System Mechanic for a gift is because for $30 to $40 you can give someone a noticably faster computing experience.

This is also a great last minute gift for mom and dad or grandpa and grandma who are already apt to ask for computer help at the holidays. You can purchase System Mechanic 10 right on their computer and download the files for installation while you visit.

I installed System Mechanic 10 on my father’s computer about a year ago when it had gotten to the point he was looking for a new computer and the software package was able to tune up his computer enough that he used it for another 6 or so months before getting a new Black Friday laptop last month. Even then, he could have lasted another 3-6 months on his old machine, but the deal was too good to pass up.

One thing I liked was that he was able to run the basic tasks on his own because of the straightforward nature of System Mechanic. If he was stumped, I would just use LogMeIn to connect and help him out.

System Mechanic 10: Give the Gift of a Faster Computer is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

In addition to the touchscreens that Toshiba added to the new Satellite notebook lineup, will be launching with Windows 7, all of the notebooks in the Satellite lineup will also get a simplified desktop and boot up faster.

This announcement is a welcome change from the days when buying a new notebook would require you to spend an hour removing all of the pre-installed crap that loaded at startup. While the situation has improved since 2007, when PCDecrapifier was a must have app, pre-installed programs have still plagued recently sold notebooks with Windows Vista.

Instead of bringing these problems along to Windows 7, Toshiba is focusing on giving users a clean desktop with minimal software running in the background. All of the new Satellite notebooks shipping with Windows 7 will offered the only have the recycle bin on the desktop and as for programs running at startup, they will be limited to an antivirus or similar program(s).

Not only will this lead to better battery life, thanks in part to new power improvements in Windows 7, but Toshiba claims that, “startup, shutdown and Fast Sleep-and-Resume performance will be improved.”

In addition to the Toshiba Satellite U505 and M505 with Touchscreens these usability and battery life improvements will be included on the following new Satellite notebooks.

High Definition Entertainment: Satellite A500 Series

Perfect for home users and tech enthusiasts, the Satellite A500 Series are entertainment-packed performance laptops that combine performance-class processing with Toshiba’s latest design elements. The sleek Satellite A500 Series features a 16-inch diagonal widescreen HD Edge-to-Edge display on select models, harman/kardon^® speakers, optional Blu-ray^® disc players and Fusion Finish and high capacity hard drives. Intel^® Coreâ„¢ 2 Duo or AMD Turionâ„¢ II Ultra processor configurations and choices of integrated or discrete graphics are also available. Pricing starts at $589.99 MSRP.

Desktop Replacement: Satellite P500 Series

Featuring a brilliant 18.4-diagonal widescreen HD TruBriteâ„¢ display, the Satellite P500 Series is designed with digital media enthusiasts and mainstream PC gamers in mind. The premium Satellite P500 Series offers more than an ordinary laptop. Featuring harman/kardon speakers, as well as sleek slot-loading DVD drives and Edge-to-Edge displays in select models, this high-performance desktop replacement also incorporates powerful processing muscle with either Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II processors, and choices of integrated or discrete graphics. Select models also include a Blu-ray disc player and/or illuminating LED backlit keyboard. Pricing starts at $799.99 MSRP.

Everyday Value: Satellite L500 Series

The Satellite L500 Series laptops are ideal for students, home users and anyone looking to enjoy digital media, staying productive, connecting online or casual gaming. Satellite L500 Series laptops are available with either a 14-, 15.6-, 16- and 17.3-inch diagonal display sizes and come equipped with powerful processor options from Intel and AMD, including the new Turion II and Athlonâ„¢ II, hard drives ranging from 250GB to 500GB and Toshiba’s popular Fusion Finish. Starting prices range from $504.99 to $579.99 MSRP.

Ultra Thin: Satellite T100 Series

Also to include Windows 7 Home Premium are Toshiba’s recently announced ultra-thin Satellite T100 Series laptops (starting at $449.99 MSRP¹), which offer the performance, flexibility and functionality of a standard-sized laptop, yet in a highly portable package.

More information on the Satellite T100 Series

Toshiba Cuts The Crap For a Faster Boot! is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.