The Macalope Weekly: Pad derangement syndrome

Once again, the iPad rules the week's news. Is it the best thing since Apple first sliced a loaf of bread, or an unmitigated disaster? The Macalope looks at what the Internet thinks.

Intel to monitor social networks on Super Bowl adsIntel executives are monitoring social networks like Facebook and Twitter to gauge consumer reaction to commercials that it ran during Sunday's Super Bowl.
Lithium-ion battery life could reach 20 yearsJapanese research and development firm Eamex claims to have found a new way to increase the typical average life of a high-capacity lithium-ion battery.

Product	Score	Price
13-inch MacBook Pro/2.26GHz	104	$1,169.00
13-inch MacBook Pro/2.53GHz	239	$1,474.00
13-inch MacBook/2.26GHz	111	$899.00
17-inch MacBook Pro/2.8GHz	256	$2,398.99
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.53GHz	118	$1,678.99
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.8GHz	139	$2,238.99
15-inch MacBook Pro/2.66GHz	127	$1,948.99
MacBook Air/2.13GHz	72	$1,728.99
MacBook Air/1.86GHz	156	$1,438.99

Product	Score	Price
Mac Pro/Quad-Core Xeon 2.66GHz	203	$2,388.00
27-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/3.06GHz	162	$1,694.99
21.5-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/3.06GHz (ATI graphics)	164	$1,489.00
21.5-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/3.06GHz (Nvidia graphics)	148	$1,193.99
Mac Mini Core 2 Duo/2.26 GHz (Late 2009)	104	$579.98
Mac Mini Core 2 Duo/2.53 GHz (Late 2009)	118	$769.98
Mac Pro/8-Core Xeon 2.26GHz	206
27-inch quad-core iMac/2.66GHz		$1,999.00

One way to access the Mac's boot menu If you have more than one bootable drive (or partition) on your Mac, you know you can get to the boot menu by holding down the Option key at boot time. Learn another less-expected way to get to that same menu in this hint.
How to fix a MagSafe adapter on the go Is your MacBook's power adapter acting all fritzy? Charging when the wire's in one position, but not in another? With a few materials you can find in your local coffee shop, you might be able to buy yourself some time.
Dip a cautious toe into the world of SSDs Rob Griffiths talks about his experiences adding an ExpressCard solid state drive (SSD) to his 15-inch MacBook Pro, and then using it as the system boot drive. Learn how well it works, what to watch out for, and the benefits and risks of making the move.
Macworld's complete Mac buying guide In this buying guide, we'll cover all the Macintosh models available, tell you how they've changed over the previous model, and how well they did in our benchmark tests.
Power and the international Mac No, you needn't purchase a power converter when you take your Mac traveling.

Opinion: Pondering a tablet's home screen Rob Griffiths ponders what the home screen of a still-mythical Apple tablet device might look like.
Naming the Apple tablet Everyone's speculating about the specs and capabilities of Apple's rumored tablet device. With an announcement all but confirmed for later this week, Dan Frakes is more interested in what it will be named.
Opinion: What a tablet would mean for publishing Should Apple roll out a tablet on Wednesday as it's expected to do, the device could contain the ability to save newspapers and magazines from their demise. Kirk McElhearn looks at what a tablet could mean for newspaper and magazine publishers and the people who read those publications.
Opinion: What analysts should ask Apple In advance of Monday's quarterly earnings call in which Apple fields questions from Wall Street analysts, MacJournals.com has some advice on what those analysts should and shouldn't ask.
What features will a tablet need before you buy? Rob Griffiths discusses three features he'd like to see on the rumored-to-be-true Apple tablet in order for it to find a spot in his home.

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