Apple is well known for its innovative stance on all products across the technology world, but with the Thunderbolt Display they really have gone the extra distance in designing something that could blow USB straight out of the water.

Standing upright with a 16:9 display and 178 degree viewing angle, nothing bad can be said about the display itself. But the ports are where the real magic lies. You can think of the display more as a Thunderbolt hub than anything else. It has a standard three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and an additional Thunderbolt port that will allow the use of daisy chaining five additional Thunderbolt devices. In general, this means that you can connect your new MacBook Air, Mac Mini, or any other Thunderbolt enabled Mac, and then chain other devices on to these that support the Thunderbolt port such as external HDD’s.

Going back to the display briefly, the Thunderbolt Display also houses a built-in FaceTime HD camera, 2.1 speaker system and an integrated MagSafe charger for simple Mac notebook charging. In terms of tech specs you get a 27-inch diagonal, support for resolutions up to 2560 x 1440, a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and 16.7 million colors other specifications can be seen here, we were particularly impressed by its friendliness to the environment and small footprint.

In case you haven’t heard of Thunderbolt yet, think of it more as an extension to what you already have. It adds more functionality, more ports, and at 10Gbps of Thunderbolt data that passes through two channels within the same connector both ways, it’s easy to understand why this could be the connector of choice for the future.

But lets talk about the price. The Thunderbolt display will cost $999 MSRP, so it’s not cheap in any sense of the word. And to use it, you will also have to grab yourself a new Thunderbolt-enabled Mac which will also burn a few holes in your wallet.

Apple say that the device will be made available to the public “within the next 60 days,” so if you are thinking of a couple of early Christmas gadgets, this could be right up your street.

You can find out more information about the Apple Thunderbolt Display via their official Thunderbolt Display website. You can also check it out on their Apple Store.

So, you’ve had a look at Apple’s next innovative technology but how do you think it will do? Are you impressed? Would you buy one?

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The new interface will be used for more than just connecting hard drives, but we will take what is handed to us for now. The likes of Lacie, Seagate and Promise Pegasus all have products to go with these Apple devices, which will offer unparalleled speed and transfer rates.

The first hard drive on our list is the LaCie Little Big Disk; this is the first in a long line of upcoming storage devices from the brand to offer Thunderbolt support. You will be able to transfer music, photos and files at 10Gb/s, and you have the ability to daisy-chain up to 6 peripherals. This particular model has been designed by Neil Poulton and sports an aluminum design. Lacie.com has more on this.

Seagate is the worry here, as we assumed that they would offer Thunderbolt support, but they have let us down. However, they do have an adaptor that will connect a GoFlex Ultra-portable Drive to allow you to connect it to your new Mac We just hope that Seagate release a hard drive with full Thunderbolt support soon, or their rivals will leave them behind with this latest technology.

On the Apple Store you will see four Promise Pegasus RAID systems. The first is the Promise Pegasus R4 4TB and comes at a cost of just $999. Next is the Promise Pegasus R4 8TB, this will set you back $1499. The Promise Pegasus R6 6TB will also cost you the same price. Finally we have the Promise Pegasus R6 12TB, but you will need to brace yourself, as you will have to part with $1999 in order to get your hands on this RAID system.

To connect these to your Mac with Thunderbolt support you will need to purchase the Apple Thunderbolt cable, which will cost $49. Like we said accessories are still a little scarce, but there is now the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display. The price of this is $999, but for $700 you can have a 27-inch iMac.

More About: apple, LaCie, Promise Pegasus, Seagate, Thunderbolt

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HTC do not do many slide-out QWERTY keyboards, so those who stick with this Smartphone for that very reason will be happy to learn of this update. Owners have had to be very patient, so you could understand why they would get upset with Thunderbolt user’s moaning about something that they have been waiting on for quite some time.

The Gingerbread update for the Desire Z is not ready yet, but ITProPortal reports that it is the final stages of testing. The OTA updates are expected to begin in the coming weeks, so not long to wait. In the meantime, if you know anyone with a Thunderbolt device – now is the time to start annoying the hell out of him or her.

We cannot say for certain which version of Gingerbread UK customers will be getting, but the smart money will be on version 2.3.4. However, one has to assume that the Desire Z is nearing the end of its lifecycle, as most other 2010 handsets have since been updated. Looking at the specs we can see that one is needed soon, although there are still a few Android phones coming to market that are still unable to compete – well mid-range anyway

The specs are as follows: single-core 800MHz processor, 1.5GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera and a 3.7-inch screen. Now we would not expect a huge spec bump, as this is seen as a low-priority handset. If we had to make an assumption as to what the specs will be in the newer version, then we would guess a single-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. We would not expect a megapixel increase, but maybe an improved lens. Apart from that it is a little hard to say.

Having said that, the update to Gingerbread will give the Desire Z a new lease of life, and could extend its life by a few more months at least. How do you Thunderbolt owners feel that you have missed out yet again, even the Droid Incredible 2 now has the update?

More About: Google Android Gingerbread, HTC, HTC Desire Z, Thunderbolt

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Today we have news of a new flash drive being shown off by Kingston. Kingston is well known for their low cost high speed devices. Its new USB 3.0 input device is the quickest one it’s released to date. It, like most USB 3.0 devices is also backwards compatible which means it will work with slower USB ports.

It’s called the DTU30G2 or its more dramatic name is DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 2, which even from the name suggest it’s something special. It comes in three storage sizes 64GB, 32GB and 16GB, has a write speed of up to 70MB/s and read speed of up to 100MB/s.

Despite Kingston’s reputation, the device starts at $77 for the 16GB version and goes up to $213 for the 64GB. If you would like to know more about the new flash drive, head on over to Kingston.com where you will find a full list of specs.

Are you impressed by this new device’s speeds?

More About: Kingston, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0

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The Thunderbolt port is welcomed with open arms, even if the accessories that support the higher data transfers are all but non-existent. New Radeon graphics from AMD are said to be up to 3x faster in the bigger MacBook Pro models, games and HD video projects should be a breeze anywhere.

Being able to use FaceTime in high definition on the new MacBook pro is amazing, and helps connect friends and family almost anywhere. Let’s hear some ideas you have on how you would change the new MacBook Pro, maybe a Blu-ray drive should’ve been added, or USB 3.0 support. Let us know.

More About: apple, MacBook Pro, Thunderbolt

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So firstly we have the new CPUs, there is the Intel Core 5 as standard, but if you want something with more punch, then the Core i7 processors are just what you need, as it can be upgraded to the 3.4GHz version. The response from these processors is both fast and smooth, and works like a dream with the new graphics cards.

These new GPUs are the latest that AMD Radeon has to offer, with three models to choose from; AMD Radeon HD 6750M, 6770M and the 6970M. Never before has an iMac felt at home playing games. But for those who are into design, then the power of the GPU and the CPU working together will blow your mind.

Apple is always ones for firsts, and the 2011 iMac is no different. This is the first desktop to offer Thunderbolt I/O technology. When used with a compatible device transfer rates will be far greater than anything you have ever used before. However, this port can also be used for connecting HDMI and VGA.

FaceTime HD Camera is also another new feature, which makes video calling more of a dream than a nightmare thanks to its crisp clear image. There are more updates for the 2011 iMac, so visit Apple for more details.

Are the Apple iMac 2011 changes worth replacing your current mode forl?

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Dan Moren from Macworld is reporting that Apple have confirmed to them that the new range of iMacs can be used as external displays by using the new Thunderbolt ports. To achieve this you must first use a Thunderbolt equipped Mac. This could be one of the new 2011 MacBook Pros released earlier this year.

Once connected to the MacBook Pro the 21.5-inch or 27-inch Thunderbolt equipped iMacs, you can then use the display on your notebook. This feature is not available on older Macs as they only have a Mini Display Port.

For the time being Apple doesn’t seem to be working on any adapters to work around this problem, and at the moment no third party companies have revealed any plans to provide some either. Has the new line of iMacs announced by Apple persuaded you to purchase one?

More About: 2011 iMac, apple, New iMac, Thunderbolt

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Pretty much all the mid-high-end laptops we are seeing released these days feature at least one USB 3.0 port, the fact that Apple’s recently unveiled new Macbook Pro does not feature any USB 3.0 ports suggests that Apple may completely snub the 5Gbps technology in favor of Thunderbolt’s super-fast 10Gbps speeds, but this may not necessarily be a good thing.

Obviously in terms of computing many of us think that faster technology is the best technology, however with Windows-based computers favoring USB 3.0 and Apple products seemingly preferring Thunderbolt things may get interesting and potentially expensive.

Our biggest concern is that it may make things frustrating for the end-user, let’s imagine that you want to buy an external hard drive, however you have a Windows-based desktop and a new Macbook Pro, obviously you could buy a USB 2.0 or FireWire 800 device, however this will mean that you have to endure speeds of up to 480 Mbps and 800 Mbps respectively, which will seem sluggish compared to USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt variants.

There is always a chance that an adapter will be created which will allow USB 3.0 devices to run at full speed when plugged into a Thunderbolt port, however this means consumers will have to buy the adapter (which we doubt will be cheap from the Apple Store), also as there is only one Thunderbolt port on the new Macbook Pro it will mean that a USB 3.0 adapter can only be used when the Thunderbolt port is unused, which is far from perfect.

One thing we are unsure about is whether or not other laptop / desktop manufacturers will be allowed to feature the Thunderbolt port on their future products, apparently Intel and Apple worked together on the tech, therefore there may be a patent which keeps Thunderbolt exclusive to Apple.

Do you think that Apple should feature USB 3.0 ports on their future products?

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As we pointed out previously, Thunderbolt transfers data at a maximum of 10Gbps (in both directions simultaneously), as for eSATA according to TechRadar eSATA delivers a maximum transfer rate of 3Gbps, therefore Thunderbolt is more than three times as fast, obviously you are not always going to transfer at the maximum rate, however it is obvious that Thunderbolt wipes the floor with eSATA.

USB 3.0 is also much faster than eSATA, therefore many people think that the end is nigh for technology which has failed to really impact the market since its launch back in 2004, however if an external version of SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) takes off it means eSATA 3.0 will be faster than USB 3.0.

One thing that may be in eSATA and USB 3.0′s favor if price, many expect Thunderbolt cables and devices to be extremely expensive, if this is the case perhaps people will prefer the more affordable eSATA or USB 3.0 options, let’s face is 3Gbps and 5Gbps transfer rates are a lot faster than USB 2.0 and Firewire’s capabilities.

Do you think eSATA has a future?

More About: apple, esata, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0

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Well let’s start with the RAM, the original iPad featured 256MB of DRAM and the new iPad 2 seems a lot, lot faster, therefore we presume that it features more RAM, however Apple’s tech specs fail to mention how much RAM is used, Wikipedia suggests that there is between 256 MB and 1GB, whilst Gizmodo are still confused about the matter, therefore we are still none-the-wiser, however I think the performance seen in iPad 2 hands-on videos requires at least 1GB of RAM, what do you think?

Another thing we have failed to hear about is whether the iPad 2 will feature any form of Thunderbolt connectivity, the fact that Apple made such a big deal of this when they unveiled the new Macbook Pros last week suggests that the iPad 2 does not offer this USB 3.0 beater, if it did Apple would have undoubtedly made a big deal of this today.

So there you have it folks at the time of this post it looks as if the new iPad 2 does not feature Thunderbolt connectivity and has between 256MB and 1GB of RAM, why can’t Apple just tell us these things at their keynote, that way we wouldn’t have to speculate so much!

How much RAM do you think the iPad 2 uses?

More About: apple, Apple iPad 2, Thunderbolt

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