If protection is paramount for your new iPad, check out the new MacAlley Metropad. The Metropad case offers a durable, lightweight mirrored finish protective hard-shell for maximum protection and coverage, all the while giving you open and easily accessable connections to the iPad ports and controls.

If you’re looking for protection with eco-green style, check out the new Bill-Fold iPad case by Brenthaven. It’s made with 100% recycled Billboard material!  And no two sleeves are the same!  The Bill-Fold features corner protection and a faux-suede liner to help keep your iPad scratch free.

The Nextware Anti-Glare Screen Shield for iPad will protect your screen from those ever pesky finger smudges and cuts down on glare. The tough protectors works by reducing glare and provides protection against scratches on the iPad screen.

These three cool iPad accessories are in stock and available now at Austin MacWorks.

The new MacBook Pro, available in 13-, 15-, and 17-inch models, sets all-new benchmarks for Mac notebooks. The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro feature Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, boosting performance up to 50 percent and reaching Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.33GHz. Next-generation NVIDIA graphics bring high performance to everything from 3D games to photos and videos. And the built-in battery lasts up to 10 hours (8 to 9 hours on the 15- and 17-inch models). All Starting at $1199.3 and available now at Austin MacWorks

13-inch MacBook Pro Key Features

• 2.4GHz or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 8GB
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
• 250GB or 320GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 320GB or 500GB 5400-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive1
• Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 port, and SD card slot
• Combined headphone/line in (supports digital output)

15-inch MacBook Pro Key Features

• 2.4GHz or 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor; or 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 processor
• 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 8GB Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with up to 512MB of GDDR3 memory
• 320GB or 500GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive1
• Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 port, and SD card slot Audio line in minijack (digital/analog)
• Audio line out/headphone minijack (digital/analog)
• Optional 1680-by-1050 high-resolution glossy or antiglare display

17-inch MacBook Pro Key Features

• 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor or optional 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 processor
• 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 8GB
• Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
• 500GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive1
• Three USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 port, and ExpressCard/34 slot
• Audio line in minijack (digital/analog)
• Audio line out/headphone minijack (digital/analog)

Other changes with the Bootcamp update include fixes for the trackpad, along with support for the Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse.

Download links below:

Boot Camp Utility for Windows 7 Upgrade

Boot Camp Software Update 3.1 for Windows 32 bit

Boot Camp Software Update 3.1 for Windows 64 bit

To install the updates, make sure that you have the devices powered on and connected to your Mac or on your network. Now, navigate to: Apple menu > Software Update and launch the Software Update application. If there are newer drivers available for your printer or scanner, the drivers will appear in the available update list.

You can also find a full list of the printer and scanner drivers included with Mac OS X 10.6, or Snow Leopard, on-line at the Apple Support Web site.

Mac Mini’s get a processor bump up to 2.66 Mhz and 4 gigs of RAM. Apple also introduces a Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server & two 500 GB drives pre-installed for $999.00

The MacBook also gets a bump and a re-engineer. It’s thinner, lighter and features a unibody polycarbonate enclosure along with multi-touch trackpad. The Macbook ships with an LED-backlit display, built-in lithium-polymer battery for longer battery life, 2 GB of DDR3 memory & 250GB hard drive.

Apple has just released a software update designed to resolve slow hard drive response issues for many Mac users. The Performance Update 1.0 addresses intermittent hard drive related pauses. If your machine needs the update, launch software update in your utilities menu and install the Performance Update. More information on the update can be found on the Apple Website.

Another Happy Austin MacWorks Customer

Thanks to  Austin MacWorks customer Whitney for the great review she recently posted on Yelp. It always makes us feel good when one of our customers is pleased with our service and takes home a happy Mac! Here’s a bit of what Whitney had to say:

“…I went into Austin MacWorks that afternoon…just walked in…no appointment neccessary.  They couldn’t have been nicer… 2 days later, they called me and said that my computer was back, fixed, and that the repairs were covered under my Apple Care!  Hallelujah!”

GoToMyPC Coming to the Mac.

It’s been a popular PC remote access app, and now Citrix is announcing that GoToMyPC for Mac is in open beta. Keep an eye on the beta progress and download the beta here. Word is that an iPhone version is also expected.

The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen is a combo note-taker and audio recorder. Using special paper (available in a number of formats including journals and notepads), the software tracks your writing and records your notes, syncing them to your Mac the next time you dock your pen. Sure, it’s a neat trick, but the real payoff is using the notes with the built-in audio recording software. Tell the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen to record audio while you’re taking notes and it indexes the audio to your scribbles. Once you’ve docked and synced your notes on your Mac, simply tapping on your notes takes you to the recorded audio that corresponds to the timeline of of your notes.

The audio/notes sync feature will be a boon to anyone who has lots of data to remember and record. Students can record lectures and take notes and have instant access to the corresponding section of the lecture by simply tapping on the notes. Other obvious applications could include note taking for therapists, doctors, business professionals, songwriters, musicians… Pretty much anyone who needs to jot down notes, store them on the computer and have instant access to corresponding audio recordings.

The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen is available in 1 and 2 gigabyte models and comes with 250 MB of online storage for registered users who can share notes and audio as interactive Flash movies or PDF files. Stop into Austin MacWorks today and let us demo this very cool tool that will simplify note taking and data gathering for business professionals and UT students alike.

With the new software from RIM, Blackberry users can update their smartphones with new firmware, add or remove applications, sync data from iCal, Address Book,  Entourage and more. The free download requires Mac OS X v10.5.5 and above, BlackBerry® Device Software v4.2 or higher and iTunes v7.7.1 or later for iTunes sync. Download the Blackberry Desktop Software here. Austin MacWorks would love to hear your comments if you own a Blackberry and have updated to the Blackberry Desktop Software for the Mac. Let us know how the new software is working out for you.