@BradGrenz: I need details on this sideloading that you've mentioned. I'd love Google Music and podcast support on my Roku 2.

Whyyyyyy is this article ripped directly from The Wirecutter? It's attributed correctly, so I guess it's technically fine, but this just seems like a weird thing to do. Maybe it's just me.

I don't see much of a point in going through the effort of tucking everything away inside of a machine that sits in the corner of my room and is rarely opened. I'd have to buy extension cables to even make it happen. I also have stock coolers and temps have always been fine, so I don't buy the airflow argument--obviously it would help, but it's not paramount by any means.

Awesome video, guys. And hey, i'm in need of a new GPU!

Here's what I'm currently set up with:

CPU: i3 2120

GPU: Radeon HD 6870

Motherboard: Asus H61 LGA 1155 Micro ATX

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB

SSD: Samsung 840 Series 256GB

PSU: SeaSonic M12II 520W

Thanks for doing the giveaway, and please continue to do these videos in the future!

I like @gpbmike's suggestion. Although there may be complications if you're required to use certain programs for school. But yeah, for the most basic of word processing and all of those other fun web-based activities, Chromebooks are awesome. I actually have owned a Samsung Series 5 for a little over a year, and I still love it. Great battery life and feels good to use. Although I also bought a MacBook Air like two months ago, so I guess that says something, haha. Chromebooks really are pretty great, and I haven't even tried the newer ARM-based Samsung model.

Anyway, I've been slightly disappointed with my Air's battery life, so if I were you I'd hold off for those Haswell chips.

This.

It's in stock on Amazon and other places.

If you need Windows, then I feel bad for you, because cheap Windows laptops are trash.

@Digital_Sin said:

overpriced, and the screen is totally the wrong aspect ratio. and chromeOS instead of OSX or windows? are you serious?

Think about what you're using this for: web-based things. Now think about what you want when viewing the web: taller, not wider. Makes sense. That said, it's a tad expensive.

Will and Norm, do a video on this please!

@MAGZine: @Sooty: Very helpful. Thanks.

I consider light use web browsing, some typing, maybe the occasional YouTube video. No games or movie watching or anything like that. I do always have wi-fi on since I love the internet so very much. I keep the brightness at about half or lower for the screen, and the backlight on the keys is always on the very first level, just enough to light them up.

I'm sort of disappointed at the lack of power saving options, as all of the available ones just have to do with sleep behavior and screen dimming. I'd definitely use a low power mode that cut performance a bit, but it appears it's not an option.

Anyway, thanks. I'll just keep the thing plugged in. Right now I'm actually unplugging it while I'm not using it, and plugging it in when I am (assuming I'm at a place I can). That way it's not just plugged in 24/7. Maybe that's better. I have no idea.

I bought a MacBook Air a while back. With the help of some of you kind people, I decided to go with the 13", partly to maximize battery life. Thing is, battery life still doesn't seem amazing. So a few points:

1. The maximum estimated battery life at 100% seems to be about seven and a half hours, but it's often sporadic and will sometimes jump down to around four hours after losing only about 10% battery.
2. Realistically I only seem to be able to get about five hours out of the thing with relatively light use. Is that about right? Am I expecting too much?
3. Which is worse: overcharging by keeping it tethered to the wall, or recharging constantly?
4. Are there any secrets to improving battery life? Any way to slightly cut CPU power or something?

Now I'm kind of wishing I'd waited for the more power efficient Haswell chips, but maybe you all can help me out. Thanks in advance.

Despite HTC and T-Mobile not having released an official 7.8 update for Windows 7.5 devices, I'm now running 7.8 on my HTC Radar 4G, and hey, it seems to work perfectly.

If anyone's interested, there are two methods of achieving this. For international users, this seems to be a technique that works.

Apparently T-Mobile users have trouble with the above method, and that proved true for me. Instead, I used this tool, and it worked like a charm. Just download it, run the first executable you see, and it should take care of everything for you, including automatically downloading the required Windows Phone tools. One thing to be sure of is to make sure and select every language that your phone supports when prompted to do that--no more, no less. To check which languages are on your phone, check Settings > Region & Language > Display Language (dropdown). After that it should take over and install several updates and take about twenty minutes or so. All of your data will be kept intact through this process.

I hope this helps some people out. It's all very similar, but the new home screen organization stuff is very nice.

**Of course with these things there is always a slight risk of bricking your phone, so do this at your own risk.**

Cool video, guys. I really like these in-depth videos. And I'm not even a camera enthusiast.

I'm just hoping for a 7.8 update for my Radar. I may go back to Android when the time comes.

I previously owned none of these games, and I am excited.

@AwesomeAndy said:

Apple's refurbs are at least as good as new since they all go through individual inspection to ensure their quality. And they come with the same warranty as a new one, which is nice. But yeah, if you don't need the storage space, I would get a newer one, too, if the price is the same.

I know, it's just the thought of buying something not in perfect condition for that much money, haha.

From what I read on the website, I'll get a year's warranty even without Apple Care, right? If so, that seems like a pretty good deal.

@Sooty: Yeah, the only reason I'd want the new chip is for battery life reasons, but eh. Thanks, I'm feeling pretty all right about buying one of these now. :)

@AwesomeAndy said:

For what it's worth, you might lose $200 on resale six months from now unless they lower prices like they did going from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge. Macs tend to retain their value pretty well.

That wouldn't be bad at all.

@Vermy81 said:

I too believe that we'e waiting on Haswell and my guess is that it's not going to be ready till Summertime so I'd say buy now.

I always reccomend anyone interested in buying a Mac to take a long look at the refurbished page as it's a pretty non-trivial discount. If you're not too concerned with graphics I'd say even a Sandybridge model MBA may very well suit your needs and will be a huge step forward from a Chromebook. I would however concur with the earlier advice towards a 13 inch no matter what model MBA you get. 11 is too small in screen and battery.

You guys are too enabling. Haha.

I've made the decision to go with the 13" for sure, mostly for battery reasons. That said there's last years model refurbished with the hard drive upgrade for the same price as this year's model without the hard drive upgrade. Now I'm torn. I'm just wary of refurbs. If I'm paying this much, I'd like a product that's new.

@AwesomeAndy: Thanks for the helpful reply. Very cool site you linked to, as well.

I've been reading about the Haswell stuff, and I'd almost like to just wait it out for that, but it'll be a good six to seven months.

I'm wondering if the resale value of a 13" 2012 Air would be any good in seven months. I'm also wondering if I even really need Haswell. From what I understand it'll be a huge leap in graphics, and a bit of a hop in battery life. I assume not enough of a battery life improvement to warrant waiting seven months, and I'm not too interested in graphical capabilities, even if they do end up being ridiculously better compared to the 2012 model.

So, I can get a 2012 13" for $1,099 at Best Buy. I'm thinking I should just go for it...

So, I like to write. I do it quite a bit. I currently have a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook that I like a whole lot. It even has a 3G radio built-in, which I'm delighted to almost never use. It's great.

Anyway, I've been thinking about upgrading. First I considered the new model Samsung Chromebook that runs an ARM processor. It would be even lighter, and produce even less noise and heat, which would both be nice. Otherwise it would be the same great ecosystem that I've grown to love. Then there's the fact that's it's only $250. But it's sold out everywhere and there's no indication of when it'll be back in stock.

Then I thought about perhaps getting a machine that's a bit more... serious? Sure, that's a fine word. So for $1,000 I could step up to the big leagues and own a machine that would seemingly be perfect for my needs: A Macbook Air. The biggest advantage would be a nicer writing environment, because as cool as Google Docs is, it's just not ideal, especially for lengthy pieces of writing.

So I come to ask a question: What do I need to know in order to not throw my money away? Is there a good time of year to buy a MacBook Air? Perhaps a reliable window where they're commonly refreshed? Can I get away with buying an older model on the cheap? Are they basically the same? Are the extra two inches significant between the two current models? Any information that would make me more confident in my purchase would be much appreciated. Maybe even just reinforce how awesome the one you own is, haha. Or conversely maybe you think yours is terrible, in which case maybe I'll go with another Chromebook. Oh, and if you own one, how is the battery life?

What are your thoughts, Tested community?

This is cool! I think I'll try my hand later.