Apple news

“Thanks to its superior design, excellent software bundle, and approachable price, Apple’s MacBook tops our list for those matriculating this fall,” says CNET.com in its 2008 Back-to-School Gift Guide. MacBook earns an “Excellent” 8.3 (out of 10) rating to top the list of recommended laptops.

“It’s like nothing you’ve never laid your hands on,” says National Geographic’s Steve Casimiro (ngadventure.com) of the MacBook Air. “And yes, you have to lay your hands on it to get the full effect.” It has, he notes, “ the heft of a leather portfolio, the dimensions of a design magazine, and the cool-to-the-touch exterior of some exotic metal.” MacBook Air, Casimiro concludes, “is the future now.”

To help those who want to retain their digital lifestyles while vacationing, Philip Elmer-Dewitt (time.com) highlights “25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets.” Among them: AirPort Express, MacBook Air, and iPhone 3G.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could tune into a radio station that played only the music you like? Now you can with Pandora Radio. One of the most highly rated applications on the App Store, Pandora Radio delivers a “FREE personalized radio” station to your iPhone. Pandora Radio broadcasts 24/7, and if you switch applications or take a call, Pandora pauses the music; then resumes automatically when you return.

iPhone 2.0 Software and the App Store turned iPhone into “a bona fide software platform,” explains Michael Gartenberg (computerworld.com), and support for Exchange only adds to its overwhelming appeal. “I had no problems syncing my Exchange data to the iPhone. A lot of folks are dependent on Exchange, so this new ability has made the iPhone a first-class corporate citizen.”

If you’re in the mood for a hilarious good time, you’ll want to purchase ($9.99) or rent ($2.99) Ghostbusters, now available on iTunes. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd. and Sigourney Weaver, Ghostbusters appears on numerous “greatest comedy” lists, and Ghostbusters II, also on iTunes, is just as funny. Strap on your proton pack and enjoy.

In addition to reducing image noise with the new Noise Ninja plug-in, you can now add even greater utility to Aperture by taking advantage of the more than 70 editing plug-ins, export plug-ins, AppleScripts, Automator workflows, and book and web themes available from developers. And you’ll find them all in one convenient place: the new Aperture 2.1 plug-ins page.

Now you can dial up the ISO to compensate for low-light conditions without having to worry about the noisy price you’re likely to pay. That’s because PictureCode today released the Noise Ninja plug-in for Aperture 2.1. With the $79.95 plug-in installed, you can take advantage of the industry’s “gold standard for image noise reduction” without leaving Aperture.

The victorious USC Trojans had barely left the field, yet fans were already enjoying highlights from the 2008 Rose Bowl. Thanks to their Macs, Final Cut Studio, and Xsan, the USC Athletics Department video team can now stream post-game video clips, provide footage to networks, and create highlight videos for awards dinners faster and more professionally than they ever could before.

Interested in the environment? UChannel, a rich educational resource available on iTunes U, brings journalists, scientists, governors, and CEOs to speak with you about such topics as the Everglades, air quality, sustainability in business, global warming, environmental justice, and other topics. Enjoy more than 100 audio and video lectures on the Environment on your Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPod.