The case is extremely slimline, so it won’t make your super slim MacBook Air look in any way bulky. Apart from it’s stylish looks in black nylon, I feel safe in the knowledge that this will fully protect my expensive laptop from any little knocks and bumps, with its shock-absorbing memory foam core and soft inner material. It’s perfect for using to carry on its own, or popping inside another bag or rucksack. Here are some pictures of the case.

I’m very impressed with the quality of the Cool Bananas Shockproof and the little design touches it has, such as the double zip with the Cool Bananas logo on each zip pull.

Cool Bananas Shockproof case for the 11.6″ MacBook Air is currently £20.95 from Gearzap. They also have a huge collection of other cases for the 11″ Air and also the 13″ option.

[rating: 5/5]

I found CushCase on eBay and once again they had the denim sleeve for the bigger Mac laptops, not the 11″ Air. I emailed them to ask if they were expecting any stock of the 11″ in soon, but was told they don’t currently sell that size in the denim in the UK, however they said they could make one especially for me. All I had to do was order any other 11″ Air case and they would make the denim one for me. As luck would have it, they have a 40% off sale on across their entire range at the moment, meaning the case was just £9.99.

That was Wednesday and today I received the sleeve…

The material is proper denim and is darker than I was expecting which I LOVE! Inside is soft black fleece meaning a very soft and comfortable environment for the MacBook Air. The velcro fastening is very strong so there’d be no worries about it coming undone and the laptop falling out. It’s snug and perfect – I am thrilled to bits to finally have not only a stylish looking sleeve, but also one I’m confident will protect my expensive kit.

If you’re looking for a sleeve for your 11″ MacBook Air or any other size Mac laptop/iPad/laptop I would highly recommend CushCase on eBay. Not only were they super helpful in making the 11″ sleeve, they also dispatched it a lot quicker than I was expecting.

[rating: 5/5]

I’m going to cut to the chase early on and say that the most exciting part of the iPad 2 event for me was Steve Jobs taking to the stage and bringing us the lowdown. After all the recent and rather upsetting speculation on his health, I really didn’t expect that Steve would be fronting this. Judging by the standing ovation he received I don’t think many others did either. It was great to see him looking happy, healthy and in strong voice. I wish him all the very best. He really is a great showman and brilliant person.

iPad 2 itself, like it’s older brother, hasn’t stirred anything within me to even make me even remotely want one. They’ve made it thinner, they’ve made it faster, they’ve added cameras, they’ve added new apps, still has the same resolution display. I’ve got FaceTime on my Macs and iPhone: don’t use them. I’ve got iMovie on my Macs and iPhone: don’t use them. I’ve got GarageBand on my Macs: definitely don’t use them. I’ve got PhotoBooth on my Macs…yeah, you get the idea. [iPad 2 specs @ Macgasm]

I’m going to tie in my 4 months with the MacBook Air into this post otherwise we’ll be stopping right about now. The MacBook Air replaced my need for a tablet computer the moment we met. I briefly mentioned this in my November entry but it’s worth repeating: I can buy things, flawlessly, using my MacBook Air. The iPad was frustrating for the most part in completing transactions due to keyboard popping up over vital bits of information or not popping up where it was needed.

And although Apple would like us to ditch flash altogether (the world WOULD be better without it, no doubt) the fact is some sites still rely upon it currently which made the browsing experience extremely difficult on the iPad. With the Air I don’t need to worry about what sites I can and can’t access. Although flash does affect battery life quite acutely, I still prefer that I have it on a machine than not for those occasions when it calls for it. The iPad felt very redundant to me because of that.

4 months into my Air ownership I still have not heard the fans in this. It’s just absolutely cool and silent. However, the Air most definitely does have fans as Tom over at tomacintosh.com recently discovered. My next iMac must be SSD. No more spinning hard drives for me after experiencing this.

I’m now just looking forward to iPhone 5, hopefully in the summer. That’s where my excitement is lying for Apple this year. It’s hard to imagine how they can improve upon this, hardware wise, as it’s pretty much spot-on, but I would like to see some overhauls to iOS in particular notifications.

So, now that I’ve told you that I won’t be buying iPad 2, how about you?

Apple TV 1st Gen, 140GB

For quite a while I’d to’d and fro’d on the idea of getting an Apple TV, then in February I finally gave in and bought one. I must be perfectly honest and say that it wasn’t a blow-away purchase in the beginning as my plans to copy my DVD’s to the hard drive didn’t materialise mostly due to the tedious process involved. I’d also planned on purchasing movies and TV shows digitally rather than physically, but the difference in price between the two formats is still a huge factor for me. iTunes still tends to be three times and more costly for TV shows compared to DVD. I am only now warming to my Apple TV and have purchased a couple of movies recently. One contributing factor for that has been the lack of delivery in the UK due to the snowfall we’ve had since the end of November, so it’s been very convenient to just sit back and hit BUY in iTunes. So easy…too easy
[rating:3.5/5]

Apple iPad WiFi 32GB

As I wrote here, myself and the iPad just didn’t get on. I look back now, several weeks after selling it and feel no warmth or affection for this device at all. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most disappointing Apple purchase I have ever made in the 5 years I have been ‘A Mac’. I’m sure iPad v2, reportedly coming very soon, will be more appealing to others but I cannot see myself ever wanting to purchase an iPad again.
[rating:2/5]

Apple iPhone 4, 32GB

From day one this has been one of the best purchases of 2010. iPhone truly is the gift that keeps on giving. I love the improved camera on this which has totally wiped out any need I have for a separate digital camera. I love the speed of it and that beautiful Retina Display which just knocks me out everytime I pick it up. It’s hard to see how Apple can improve on this next year, other than a better quality front camera and more storage for those who need it.
[rating:5/5]

Apple Magic Trackpad

This was very much an impulse buy and I didn’t expect to enjoy using it quite as much as I do. When using the trackpad of my PowerBook G4, I always used to get wrist pain and generally found it uncomfortable to use. So before the Trackpad arrived I was asking myself “Why did you buy this, then?”. I was most surprised to find that it felt completely natural and the gestures make it much more comfortable and easier to use than a standard mouse. Infact I don’t think I could go back to a mouse again after using this.
[rating:5/5]

Apple MacBook Air 11.6″, 64GB

After selling my iPad, I quickly ran out and bought one of these in early November. And I’m so glad I did. This along with my iPhone 4 are joint ‘best purchases of 2010′. It is the perfect machine for me and I find myself using it far more than my iMac thesedays. The battery life is pretty good, it’s a super fast and cool machine and I *still* have not heard the fans in this. I’m pretty sure mine was shipped without them! When the Mac App Store launches in January then the Air will probably become my primary machine even more. I love typing on it, it makes me more productive when writing and it’s just an all round pleasure in every way.
[rating:5/5]

Nintendo Wii (black) with Mario Kart Bundle

Just over a week ago I bought the Nintendo Wii with Mario Kart, steering wheel, Motion Plus controller and Wii Sports after months of “will I, won’t I?”. I’m so glad I did. For fun it’s amazing, for exercise it’s even more amazing-er! I loved playing Mario Kart on Nintendo DS, but playing on the Wii is even more enjoyable and can play online against my friends which is the most fun of all. Amazon had a great bundle price of just £149 recently so I took the opportunity to purchase then. Wii Sports is also a very fun packed game, especially Tennis and Bowling – and some laughs have been had when competing with friends and family – and that’s even before Christmas arrives.
[rating:4.5/5]

HP Photosmart Plus All-in-One Printer

I bought this from PC World for £79.99 around a month ago, just before iOS 4.2.1 with AirPrint was released, safe in the knowledge that this printer was going to be compatible with this new iOS feature. I did have a couple of teething troubles setting this up. After installing the cartridges it kept returning a print head error which was only resolved after several attempts at cleaning them. Wasn’t the ‘works straight outta the box’ that I’m so used to in gadgets I buy, so this will be reflected in my rating. However, aside from that I’m extremely pleased in the quality of the prints and the features this has, especially ePrint and AirPrint. I’ve had my iPhone photos on my phone for just too long, so it’s nice to be able to bring them to life by printing them out and sharing with people.
[rating: 3/5]

I think that concludes my Very Techy 2010 list. I hope 2011 is just as exciting and gadget-filled as this year has been!

I wanted to love the iPad. To feel like it was the one can’t-live-without-gadget. But I couldn’t love it no matter how hard I tried. And I tried, especially as I’d just spent my hard earned £500 on it. I just kept feeling that something was missing and it certainly didn’t feel like the magical device that Apple were touting it to be.

I had been asked by many people to write a review of the iPad shortly after I bought it. You may have noted the absence of an iPad review here, simply because I was still trying to figure out where this was fitting into my life and why. And somehow putting it all into words would have made me realise that the iPad just wasn’t for me. Quite hard to admit to for my own sake, believe me. But, I wanted to give it time. Time to see what apps would come along to improve it, to see whether UK magazines would finally start coming to it and the arrival of books I’m interested in, in iBooks. It deserved a chance to prove itself.

The iPad, sadly, was starting to feel like an oversized iPod touch, to me. It also felt extremely limited. I’d bought some iPad versions of apps that I already had on the iPhone, thinking that the larger screen estate would make them more enjoyable. Yet I found playing games much more comfortable on the iPhone, particularly driving games. Navigating twists and turns on the heavy iPad was not ideal infact it was awkward. One of the reasons I wanted the iPad was for full size games, so this was a heavy disappointment.

I gave it 6 months to see whether I would start to see it as a gadget I couldn’t do without. But there were just too many shortfalls – some websites automatically reverting to their mobile versions rather than standard with no way of changing it. I know this is down to the individual site developer rather than the iPad itself, but it still meant I was having to run to the iMac to view the site(s) as intended. The inability to log into some sites on the iPad was also a huge frustration and defeated the entire purpose of being able to browse the internet and buy things from my favourite online stores from my sofa and bed.

Once the new MacBook Air was revealed at the October Apple Keynote, the future of my iPad was sealed; it had to find a new home. I was lucky enough to sell it very quickly for £429, meaning a loss of just £70 compared to what I paid for it. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

Today I headed to the Apple Store Metrocentre and walked away with the new 11″ MacBook Air 64GB, costing £849. I am absolutely thrilled with it. I have hardly been able to wipe the huge grin from my face eversince I opened the box. It’s fast – open the lid after sleeping and it’s there, good to go – no delay. It’s cool and absolutely silent. The screen size is perfect as is the clarity – and the keyboard feels so very comfortable to type on, infact this entire review has been typed on it. I can see this being much more comfortable when using it in bed, compared to the iPad.

Do I regret buying the iPad? No, not one bit. I feel fully qualified to give my own honest and unbiased opinion on it after using it for 6 months, not just a five minute fumble with it in the Apple Store only to instantly declare it a piece of rubbish or the best thing since sliced bread. It’s not a piece of rubbish, it’s just not for me.

It’s far too early to cover everything and give a full intensive review after such a short period of time with it, but I will say I am absolutely blown away by the Air – it was definitely love at first touch! If you have any questions then fire away in the comments and I’m sure I’ll be writing more on the MacBook Air soon

On the Apple Store you would pay £1,271.00 for the entry level MacBook Air 1.6GHz with 2GB Memory, but hop on over to John Lewis now and you can pick up that same MacBook Air for just £899 - a massive saving of £372! Stock levels at the time of writing indicate that they have more than 10 in stock. By buying your Mac at John Lewis you’ll also get a 2 year guarantee instead of the usual 1 year direct from Apple, which is pretty good.

Have a safe and Merry Christmas, everyone