If you are not envious about the Asus Eee Keyboard—the 21st Century Commodore 64 with side-touchscreen instead of function keys—I am. The idea of having a small control surface next to my keyboard, one that would morph into different user interfaces depending on the application I am running—which could be incredible useful for both professional work, like having Photoshop shortcuts—and personal entertainment—like games or iTunes—makes perfect sense.

And then, when you add the idea of having small apps that I'm constantly looking at, but I don't want interfering in my main display, it's even better.

That's why I liked the tiny Mimo USB displays with touchscreen capability, like the one Jason reviewed. If Apple released this thing along some iPhone applications like NumberKey, I think they would sell like hot cakes.

What about these other apps?

We came across an Apple Keyboard concept similar to this. Instead of including a docking station, that concept had an induction charging surface—which I think doesn't make sense since, when you are next to your computer, you may as well dock—and a few OLED keys—which I don't think make sense either, since the iPhone surface could fit that role perfectly.

I'm a sucker for any Apple keynote, whether I'm in the stands with the press or F5'ing away at my browser like most of you. There's a certain hypnotic timing to them, a clean presentation and a controlled, meticulous unveiling process that makes even the less exciting products seem monumental in scope.

During today's last Apple Macworld keynote, not having been there, I actually forgot at times that Steve Jobs wasn't presenting with Phil Schiller taking his place instead. Indeed, from the text/content alone, I wouldn't have even noticed. The presentation style was intact—from the clean slides to the dramatic structure, it was an Apple keynote, even if it wasn't Steve's Apple keynote. But I want to know, do you feel the same way?

From our original Macworld 2009 rumor roundup, here's the rundown on how all the rumors panned out.

Came True:
iLife and iWork '09 (with iWork in the cloud)
DRM-Free iTunes
17-inch Macbook Pro

Didn't Come True:
New Mac Mini
Updated 30-inch Cinema Displays

Didn't Come True Stretches:
iPod Touch Jumbo/XL/Pro/Netbook/Thing
iPhone nano
Home Server
Snow Leopard Availability
New iMacs

Seeing as many of the rumors were an admitted wild shot at best, we'd put the real rumor batting average around .400, even if it's closer to .266 on paper.

The 17" MacBook Pro is basically a supersized 15" with an Air no battery bottom, which is at the least aesthetically pleasing. But with no battery compartment there is now no way to easily change Ram or Hard drive. So have your #00 Phillips ready.

The unibody construction makes the machine feel much more compact when picking up and overall condenses the already thin casing. It does indeed feel heavier than any other MacBook model but that's to be expected from a 17" casing. The trackpad has also been updated to the same no physical button pad found in the other MacBook models and even though the 17" MacBook Pro is bigger the trackpad has not grown.

The 17" Glossy LCD looks crisp as it did on the previous version but the new black plastic border makes colors pop just as it does on the 15" Pro and 13" MacBook. For some reason apple is only showing the regular glossy LCD model today so we can't yet report on the new anti-glare model.

Overall the new 17" MacBook Pro with unibody construction is nothing we haven't seen from the other models in the MacBook line. With the 15" MacBook Pro look and the Air's no battery bottom the new 17" MacBook pro can now stand proudly inline with its smaller siblings.

I tried downloading Radiohead's Bodysnatchers in an area providing 3 bars of 3G reception. With no fanfare, I was able to enter the iTunes store without a Wi-Fi hotspot and purchase the song.

So far, so good. No firmware updates needed or anything!

Then the download stalled for a moment. Then the iPhone pulled that classic "you're on 3G, oops, you're really on EDGE" maneuver. I wondered what would happen. Would the download stall and wait for 3G? Or would it slowly trudge on?

It trudged on. I guess that's both a good an a bad thing. While I was able to download the song, it took me nearly 10 minutes to grab the 3.7MB file. Wilson Rothman ran the same test from nearby and was also booted to EDGE, though the download only took him about 5 minutes.

Overall, I'm glad that truly wireless iTunes downloads are here. Hopefully more and better 3G coverage will make them live up to the generally pleasant iTunes experience. [Gizmodo Macworld 2009 Coverage]

While EMI is already offering DRM-free music on iTunes, they represent only 10% of the music market. With "the big three" on board, a majority of iTunes' music could be DRM-free. But the new pricing options may be the real cost of it all to consumers. While catalog titles will now start at 79 cents, the studios will be able to price music above 99 cents (to undisclosed amounts)—though CNET's source says that all music will eventually return to 79 cents.

So while it sounds like Apple finally caved to the music industry, at least consumers may get something decent out of it. Hopefully we'll hear about it all today at the keynote. [CNET]

The big news isn't the aluminum unibody construction—it's that the portable rig is getting a slimmer, more efficient battery. But, and this is a big (unconfirmed) but, the battery will apparently be inaccessible, a la the iPhone and iPod. What's the deal with that?

Expect more at MacWorld, which may or may not have big or small announcements of any kind. [9to5 Mac]

Sitting on a cast aluminum frame, a cloth or leather cushion waits to do your rump's bidding. The arm rests customize the seat's comfort, and pneumatic springs arrange the seat, backrest and headrest.

Maybe you will never be able to afford the surely expensive Relaxation Chair, but fret not. Without actually sitting in it, you'll never know what you're missing. [Frederic Sofia via DVICE]

The Price: $25

The Verdict: Holy butterface, it works! We originally thought it would be little more than a gimmick; a shiny surface that looked great but tracked horribly. Untrue! As a mousing surface for laser and optical mice such as our favorite, the Logitech MX 1100, it works fine—or at least as well as normal mousepads.

It's also as weighty as you'd expect from something made out of metal, so there's the added bonus of it not flailing around as someone like Matt Buchanan vigorously plays Team Fortress 2, or like Jesus Diaz when he intensely photoshops Steve Jobs' face onto models (male and female). The undercarriage of the MacPadd is a gooey melted-marshmallow texture that holds the pad in place on your desk for added stability.

There are, as always, a few downsides. It's a few inches shorter in length than normal mousepads—only one-and-a-half mouse lengths instead of about two—so you'll run out of room quicker. It's also hard (you know, metal) so you're more likely to scrape your wrist on the side as you're using it. And because it's made of aluminum, it's COLD. Using this in Chicago or New York during the winter would be a bad idea unless you had the heat turned up, but it's not too bad that you can't deal with it.

At $25 though, it's not too expensive, and should last quite a bit longer than normal pads that wear out over time from friction. And when it boils down to it, you know you want an aluminum mousepad, and this is a good mousepad. [MacPadd]

The Review
• MacBook and MacBook Pro DUAL Review (yes, two at one time)

The News
• MacBook Pro announcement and first hands on
• Aluminum MacBook announcement and first hands on
• 24-Inch Cinema Display announcement and first hands on
• MacBook Air update

Additional Coverage
• MacBook Pro video tour
• MacBook Sizemodo, new and old
• Why the new MacBook Pro has two graphics cards
• All about MacBooks' new glass trackpad and multitouch
• Apple's Blu-ray woes
• The "Brick" aluminum carving process
• MacBook rumor roundup
• Comment: MacBook pricing is still too high
• Our liveblog of the Apple keynote
• Giz Explains: Why Does the New MacBook Pro Have Two Graphics Cards?
• Rumor: New 17-Inch MacBook Pro Delayed Until Early Next Year
[Apple on Giz]

The use of monocoque extended into the realm of automobiles as unibody construction (body is integrated into a single unit with the chassis) starting in 1923 with the Lancia Lambda, but it didn't really take off until Nash Motors released their 600 in 1941. Because the body was constructed as a single unit, Nash produced a vehicle that was not only stronger, but about 500 pounds lighter than a traditional body-on-frame automobile. Today, monocoque or unibody construction is so sophisticated in automobile manufacturing that the windshields often make a significant contribution to the structural strength of the vehicle.

Naturally, the benefits of a stronger, lighter single shell construction have far more applications than just aircraft and automobiles. The technique has also made a significant impact on architecture by allowing designers to eliminate load bearing walls and open up floor plans. Only time will tell if the adoption of the process by Apple will inspire other companies in the computer industry to follow their lead. [Wikipedia]

Update: Apple's previously stated that they found a company in China to manufacture their iMacs out of a single piece of aluminum. So, assuming the rumor isn't 100% accurate, this could be a new process with the same company to make MacBooks in a similar way, or Apple found a way to do this themselves with a in-house plant.

In an otherwise surprise-free keynote today, one without booms or "one more thing"s, one bit of news stood out: White made a quiet return to the iPod family in the premium 16GB iPhone 3G. Sure, it never fully left Apple—remaining the default color for earbuds, plugs, power bricks, AirPort products and the cheapest MacBooks—but we were finally getting used to a world without white iPods. Does this mean after nine short months put out to the pastures, white is already retro-cool again?

This time around, white won't be for everybody. Once the staple color of the iPod revolution, white will be a statement for those bold enough to sport a phone that bright. It's incredible; when Jobs dropped a little black on the masses, we thought that was radical, but eventually accepted it as the norm. When most Apple products went brushed-aluminum, we were again stunned, but now we think nothing of it. Today white, the color that we accepted from the beginning, is back, this time on an iPhone, and it looks like the most far-out Apple product yet.

Will the return of white in the iPhone set a pattern for the iPod touch, classic, and others? Will white be the new, well, white, taking back the reins as the most popular color? Will the color make its way back to Apple's high-style MacBook Air? Can Jobs, Jonathan Ive and the Cupertino crew keep us on our toes forever by recycling the same three finishes? Most importantly, are you a person that's bold enough to rock this flamboyant new phone? I, for one, am not. [Apple]

But maybe we're just grumpy. Does anyone think this actually looks good? [MAKE]

Interestingly enough, Dell's knowledge base acknowledges the problem in an entry entitled "A Tingling Sensation May Be Noticed When Touching Metal Components of Dell Devices Equipped with Two-Prong AC Adapters." However, the entry also states that "the voltage (tingling sensation) does NOT present any risk of injury to the user." Whether that is true or not, getting constant electric shocks from your laptop is, at the very least, annoying as hell. Fortunately, Dell informed CNET that they are willing to replace the two-pin power supplies with a three-pin version if requested to do so. If you are experiencing this problem (and entries on Dell's forums suggest that this issue is not isolated), you may want to hit Dell up for a replacement. [Crave and Dell Forums / Knowledge Base]