WTF - 5.2 pounds??! What are they thinking?!

This is a pound heavier than the G4 12" PowerBook. I thought the whole idea behind switching to Intel was to conserve size and power.

This is a major disappointment, and won't sell so well here in Japan where people predominantly use public transportation and actually have to CARRY their laptops.

Yeah, a hella big 13" laptop in front of the blond woman too.

Or maybe she's really small.

Hmmmm... OK - the "+" means its a new product. But the original article post didn't (and sttill doesn't) have a "+" so I assumed it was the old 500.

How about fixin' that, Ryan?

To be honest, this mouse has some more bell/whistles, but unless it tracks better it may not be worth it. Having the corded recharging will help with the poor battery life. I use rechargeables in my plain ole BT500 currently.

IT'S NOT A NEW PRODUCT! This has been out for a year or more, and is the same as the rebranded. RadTech BT500. Look at my post on your recent BT mouse/keyboard thread.

For my PowerBook, I have the BlueTake BT500 mini mouse (AKA Radtech BT500); it's tracking is so-so, but battery life is horrible. A friend of mine has the larger BlueTake BT510. Its tracking SUCKS and is unusable.

We can't get other options here in Japan - have yet to see a Logitech BT mouse. So on my desktop Mac I use a USB wireless Logitech mouse. I get the feeling that BT for computers is on it's way out. There just aren't many accessories, and they tend to be overpriced compared to their USB wireless counterparts.

It's not about your choices, #73. It's about ensuring you get an education. And if I can't ensure you are learning, you won't be doing something in my classroom. Sure, it's your choice. Use a laptop and you choose to leave my lecture. Talk excessively when I lecture and you will also leave my classroom. Don't like it? Go to another prof or school.

My guess is that a lot of young people in the US have grown up in an over-permissive environment, where they feel they are entitled to an easy way out of everything. So when someone actually says, "NO" to them - they can't deal with it. Pathetic.

Ummm - WTF.

You Engadget guys have it wrong for once.

I lecture biology courses about 10 hours per week, and I do not believe that laptop use is a student's right, nor does it help them learn the material. Laptops can be distracting to the student and his/her peers, especially if there is internet access or other temptations on the laptop like movies or games. This stifles not only their ability to learn, but impacts that of others around them.

Frankly, an educator's job is to educate, not entertain. Students who cannot pay attention in class, should not be in the classroom, regardless of whose paying. And higher education is not a right, it's a privilege. And equal or more effort needs to be made by the student in the education process.

In my own case, I only have a couple of people per term who want to use laptops in my classes. In these cases, these students feel they can type their notes faster than they can write them in pen/pencil. So, I usually allow them to use their laptops for this purpose, but I also ask them to turn off their wireless connections and not browse the internet during the class. In my case, I can enforce this because my class sizes and classrooms are both small. However, if I was teaching in a large lecture hall, I think I would ban their usage - especially if there is some sort of wireless access.

And don't give me this "You are a Luddite" garbage. I lecture using PowerPoint, with lots of multimedia content to make material accessible to them. I maintain a website with class information, and supplemental materials. Students submit class papers as pdf files electronically - no paper involved.

But when I lecture, I want their undivided attention - period. Otherwise, I can't ensure they will learn their material. And if laptops disrupt their attention, they should not be allowed.

Actually, Flickr and any other Yahoo tool is just plain 'not cool'.

Don't support companies that help authorities jail journalists in China.

What would really be "bitchin'" is if Apple release a truly small laptop, instead of aircraft carriers like the 17"MacBookPro.

Media center, Schmedia center.

I can tell you it's not Kasumigaseki station. That station doesn't even look that nice - quite dirty in comparison. Kasumigaseki is a hub for three subway lines running through central Tokyo. My wife works at the next station on the Hibiya line, so I know it fairly well.

This area has quite a few gaijin working or passing through, due to nearby embassies and such. I suppose they want to increase their chance of actually testing their machine on non-Asian faces. I second the comment about not doing it during busy times - that will never fly. People wouldn't put up with the wait, and when the trains are packed - I dunno how everyone could get scanned quickly enough.