Refreshed MacBook Air line could land July 19th with Sandy Bridge, OS X Lion, Thunderbolt

Posted By Ray Nicolini

Apple will refresh its MacBook Air line of computers on July 19th, iClarified reported on Wednesday. We began to suspect the update was imminent when early reports suggested that global supplies for the computer were in short supply in late May. Those reports were solidified earlier this week when stock of the MacBook Air at Best Buy and Amazon was depleted. The device is expected to pack the new Thunderbolt I/O port in place of DisplayPort, Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors, and the brand new OS X Lion operating system. 9to5 Macsaid that Apple will likely offer Intel’s 1.8GHz Intel Core i7, 1.7GHz Core i7, and the 1.7GHz Core i5 in its new machines. We love the current design of the MacBook Air, and rumor has it that there won’t be any hardware tweaks. We suppose that could mean the rumored anodized black version will never see the light of day. The good news is the long wait is nearly over.

Read [9to5 Mac] Read [iClarified]

System charges phones and laptops wirelessly - Fujitsu

By Ray Nicolini

 

 

Fujitsu, the Japanese technology company, has created a system capable of simultaneously charging multiple portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and laptop computers, without the need for cable connections.

Photograph by: Albert Gea, Reuters

Mobile-phone users will be able to charge their devices wirelessly for the first time in 2012.

Unlike the current generation of charging "mats," the new technology works at a distance and raises the possibility of a city network quietly charging any cellphone within range.

Fujitsu, the Japanese technology company, has created a system capable of simultaneously charging multiple portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and laptop computers, without the need for cable connections.

Eventually, electric car drivers may also be able to charge their vehicles wirelessly using the same technology, according to Fujitsu, which unveiled a prototype at a conference at Osaka Prefecture University.

The technology works through transmission of electricity using magnetic fields between the charger and the device.

The system enables wireless charging at distances of several metres -- meaning a single charger could serve a home, much as a home Wi-Fi device does -- with the ultimate aim of public "charging spots" on the streets for easy charging round the clock.

Scientists at Fujitsu Laboratories are planning to sell products incorporating the new wireless charging system as early as 2012, but it has not been disclosed how much they would cost.

"This technology paves the way to integrating compact wireless charging functions into mobile phones and enabling multiple portable devices to be charged simultaneously without any restrictions on their position with respect to the charger," the company said in a statement.

The soaring popularity of portable electronic devices, from iPads to e-readers, is expected to spark a boom in wireless recharging technology developments over the coming decade.

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