Gizmodo has a great little piece on some guy who has managed to get Mac OS X Leopard, that’s 10.5 for the few of us who don’t do names, onto an MSI Wind micro lappy. Yeah! Here’s the Giz piece and here’s a link to the Insanely Mac Forum posting (note, its in Spanish). Here, then, is a picture to whet your appetite…

written by Tyler Regas

The great thing about being a nerd is that you look everywhere to find out about new kit. In this case, I was watching a recent episode of Beyond Tomorrow on the Science Channel and they showed off this little gadget. This is the Yamaha EZ-AG Digital Guitar. Its not a real guitar, mind you, though it does have strings to strum and a neck to play chords and notes on, but each string and fret position is actually a key, like on a keyboard. It can be used as a MIDI device, but its mission is to teach people how to play the guitar, and I think its fantastic. Its retailing for US$199 and it runs on batteries! Neato Toledo!

written by Tyler Regas

Lord knows, I’m a gadget freak and a half, but these guys are nuts! A friend informed me of their beta so I went over to take a look. They barely into beta and the site is loaded down! I’m just going to say that it looks like TestFreaks will be an excellent resource for finding good deals on a range of stuff. What’s missing? lappies and micro lappies. Shame, really. How can you not consider the ASUS Eee PC or Acer’s new Aspire One or Dell’s Inspiron Mini gadgets. Of course, they are in beta still, and you never know. If I gripe enough they may just add it!. I’m also a little disappointed in the messy homepage layout, but each product page is a stellar collection of densely packed, easily read data. I really like the videos, even if they are cherry-picked from YouTube. Check it out for yourself.

written by Tyler Regas

LinuxDevices has whipped up a very clear and detailed description of the hot new Acer AspireOne mini lappy. The US version featuring Linpus Linux will sell for US$380. If they stick to their plans of an early-Q3 release, expect to see them become available in July. The base model sports a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 512MBs of RAM, an 8GB SSD, and a 1024×600 LED backlit display, as well as a wide range of other features and options. What I’m guessing will be the most anticipated will be the wireless options, which will include UMTS/HSPA, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA, and HSUPA options. For more details and specifications, check out LinuxDevices.

written by Tyler Regas

Here’s a cool one I didn’t expect, but should have since its so obvious. iHome, the people who bring you the iPod docking alarm clock so you can wake up to Foo Fighters in your ear, has announced their new computer speakers for iPod. What that means is that these speakers are primarily for your desktop system, but they also include an iPod dock port (see the left speaker over there) and a docking cable port. iHome uses their Reson8 technology which they claim offers a full range of audio reproduction in a smaller package. The iH70SRC model, shown in the image, also features a full function remote control and 15W output. They will be available at retailers like CostCo later this month or so and run for US$99 for the iH69 and US$129 for the iH70.

written by Tyler Regas

Logitech has announced their latest addition to the Pure-Fi line of iPod speakers system, the Pure-Fi Mobile. What distinguishes the Pure-Fi Mobile from its bretheren is that it connects via Bluetooth’s A2DP instead of a dock. Logitech has also taken the time to add time-saving speakerphone functionality to the unit so it can be used for impromptu conference calls. The unit is available now and for a price of US$149.99.

written by Tyler Regas

If you’re looking for the current lappy holy grail of 1 terabyte if storage on the go, then look no further than MCE and their new OptiBay 1TB upgrade for 17″ Apple MacBook Pros. The deal, which is priced at US$799, replaces your internal hard drive with a 500GB module and the internal SuperDrive with a special chassis that contains an additional 500GB drive. Yes, its not a contiguous 1TB, but its hot! Your internal SuperDrive is then placed into a USB 2.0 enclosure so it works as an external unit. One of the sweetest aspects of this arrangement is that you can partition the drives any way you please or, if you’re running Leopard, you can designate one of the drives as a Time Machine drive. What sucks is that MCE doesn’t make it clear if the 1TB option is only available for the 17″ model or if it works with other MacBooks.

written by Tyler Regas

TUAW’s Erica Sadun has written up a very comprehensive how-to on getting the unlimited data plan activated on a GoPhone SIM installed on an iPhone. Its very complete and she has numerous tips to make it all go very smoothly. I highly recommend checking it out.

written by Tyler Regas

iSkin, one of the many producers of accessories for Macs and iPods, has announced that they are now offering their new iSkin ProTouch FX line of keyboard covers. The form-fitting protective covers come in various colors and the new FX line now has the key letters printed on them, making them easier to use if you’re a visual typist like me. The covers are made with a process which incorporates Microban’s patented antimicrobial capabilities. Prices range from US$24.99 to US$34.99, depending on model and they are available now.

written by Tyler Regas