Episode 1: Unboxing the MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Here -- -- always non and we are -- -- the hottest laptop on. Right now. DIY. -- -- -- Welcome jolly guy and of Molly Wood this is the show where we check out the tech that's part of everybody's life. And then find out whether it can survive -- every day life. We will test product durability with in seeing gadget torture test we have our own leading a -- Sharon vaknin will be dreaming up DIY and how to tricks galore. And every week we'll take you into the future with a look at the -- that's going to change your life. Like solar powered race cars. But that's coming up later first Wii on box one of the hottest laptops in the world right now. Last week Apple held its annual worldwide developers conference and Tim cook's first WW DC was somewhat surprisingly. All about the hardware. We got new MacBook -- new Mac books those -- kind of minor upgrades the big news was a brand new MacBook Pro. With the Retina Display it shipped the day it was announced. And we have one right here let's take a look and sat. -- yes. This. Is a big laptop. Headlining the display. It's a fifteen point four inch Retina Display which translates to -- 2880 by 18100 resolution. After you look at and other displays make you feel like you have gasoline on your eyeballs. It's four point 46 pounds almost exactly a pound lighter than the previous model it's zero point seven inches thick. You can configure it to up to -- two point seven gigahertz Quad Core core I sevens with up to sixteen gigs or ram -- On a related note the re design power -- its large. This laptop chips -- OS-X lion but you'll get a free upgrade to Mountain Lion you'll finally get some good new ports namely USB three point -- hallelujah HDMI. Plus two thunderbolt ports and an SD card slot. You do -- dedicated firewire and ethernet -- actually think it's kind of a problem in the corporate environment where the MacBook Pro usually finds its home. Also this laptop starts. At 219. We don't drop it's really not so it's really pretty I'm just -- -- -- as useful as a true desktop replacement with things like ethernet and a nice big hard drive. I'll like -- whatever it's awesome it's an awesome laptop in CNET already gave it an editor's choice so go ahead. -- -- You know you want to. Go and get back ethernet dongle to -- you don't want that. Now speaking of gadgets at next week's show is very exciting because we are introducing. The always on torture test we know that life is hard on devices mainly the portable -- so we devised a series of real world like. Test to see if they can survive it. We have heat cold dropping water and a wild card test that you guys will help us to use. The first device to go into our torture layer. Is the new iPad. You'll find out next week whether it survive but in the meantime here's a sneak peek. So we are at stage one of the I've had three in the new iPad torture testing which. The cold tests -- a little iPad. The light went off. And I hope -- forever. Next step is lady -- time otherwise notice how to. Every week CNET Sharon vaknin will be here with some cool DIY hacker how to tip that'll help you make your tech more useful more -- also more organic -- out. This week stylus is stylized style lie are back. I don't know if it's because of the cult popularity of the Samsung -- or because of cool IOS apps like paper draw something but either way you might be finding. You need one of these and believe it or not you can make this line. It about two minutes let's -- -- show you how. This week I -- type shop. 171000 square foot -- that he. Your help workshop another clock for the right moment and you get your project done. And today I'm always I'm I'm telling you how to make a pilot left the few minutes but you material you probably already have a home so you -- work. -- touch screen on your tablet or phone is a couple positive screen. Meaning it only responds to conducting material so I can't just take the back of -- pan and expecting -- that was my iPad. And here's what you'll -- sales. And nothing else like aluminum plant holds -- tape or even oil painting and cute and or other hot material it's. And -- There's no parent and this water and now here's if you if you are kind of already -- -- the -- from the patent. And it right here you'd sit and -- Intel IQ did it. -- -- -- And it laughing -- your aluminum material. High tech -- I found this aluminum. Tape. Which you might be able to find a store like -- Citizen wrapped up aluminum -- around at -- panic and make -- -- touching the Q ten plus personal. All right and finally -- activate your stylus you have to I'd a drop of water. Features not soaking wet though because you don't wanna get your -- -- So he -- you just got it off. And finally your writing -- satellite. So now my eyelids I can unlock my iPad -- an app like paper bringing hand written notes. Or even game and then dry with -- my favorite Apple dropped something. Now here's how it works. Just got video from my finger travels through heavy aluminum and on that -- -- and then onto the three. If you're silent ever stop working there only a few reasons. Planning your finger is touching the soil or the content -- -- -- -- out -- just not a drop of water. -- every question about how to make silent hit me up I'm preparing and effective protection. For DIY -- in the house news. Always -- at cnet.com. -- -- -- -- -- -- Are you gonna drive. But can't look at every one that I'm currently involved in a -- something game with because my -- just got awesome thank you Sharon. I -- -- to take a little break when we come back solar cars of the future. For now there -- a tiny little race cars with no air conditioning and I got to drive what. That's coming up next. So we all know the deal with cars we can't give them up but -- climate destroying gas guzzling boxes of -- death. So what's the alternative is it natural gas electric or maybe something better. I spent -- -- with the University of California solar car racing team and I learned that the solar cars of the future. Are really tiny. This is impulse the creation of the -- -- racing team it is a 100%. Solar powered race car. It has a top speed of about 78 miles an hour the team tells me that they won't go that fast again. It's usually driven right around thirty miles per hour and even that is a little faster than I was willing to go. Have all my favorite part how much time some part of the team -- I have had the -- okay no problem. The film. -- -- -- -- -- -- Forget the sun is shining and I'm sending -- like a sausage and strapped in and then they're gonna close the lid. And a half. -- -- -- -- There -- In the future cars will obviously need to be. More energy efficient. We're already seeing more efficient cars today like electric vehicles and -- -- solar could make those electric vehicles. Can be -- How was this. Actually look at -- -- like the current how many progressed to. No problems aren't -- and that's what I've forgotten what it feels like to have full range of motion and fitness. -- -- actually about the blast it's really fun can't it handles like a dream. -- that it does we were -- and unattractive and it can take corners better than real cars it's really surprisingly responsive yeah. So where's all this research headed into actual. Street cars. This technology you could apply directly to something like -- Tesla Roadster you could panel to topple the vehicle with solar panels and then that would give you an extra boost and range. So you would be able to go another 3400 miles on a charge. Later this summer the county will take this car on a three day track race against other schools. The goal of the race to see who lasts the longest. Then -- followed up with an 18100 mile road trip. These races are an experiment in green -- they're testing the limits of what a solar car can do. So tell me about what's going on. At -- and it what are the specs here. So starts with the solar array which is offering now so we can look at the car and then the solar array comes into that box right there. And so this box is the power trackers is that takes the energy from the sun and converts it into actual energy that we can use it at the right voltage and power. And that's just standard solar energy collection everyone's pretty familiar and yet that's fairly familiar from that it goes into our battery box. So -- look and hear all these white strips are batteries. They give as a full power of 44 empowers and so -- runs about three hours into the night with no political power from the sun and what kind of batteries I think. -- these are lithium ion -- -- sells. -- that goes directly into this box right down here this is the motor controller okay so our motor is actually a three phase one point six horsepower motor. This electric motor that is actually in the we'll right back there one point six -- -- yet that doesn't thunderous car. It doesn't sound very race car but it's been fine for us word we're built for efficiency -- and so lower horsepower means that we can go with a lot less power. It's -- and life here. Tesla Roadster went out of the range anxiety -- know exactly when -- -- to -- come out now. Count me drive and I am not a -- lower -- like riding on power. The power. -- -- -- -- -- -- And this is not a pipe dream. Car makers are already looking into ways to integrate solar in fact -- or automotive karma car has a solar powered roof that helps recharge its battery. And the company says the solar generated from the roof can help drive an additional 200 emissions free miles per year. Plus I mean have you seen a faster solar cars -- hot. -- everyone it's time for my favorite part of the show your calls and letters and a little segment that I'm calling. The mailbag. Now this being the first episode I don't have tons of calls and letters but I did put -- quest on Twitter and Google+ or suggestions and ideas about the show. And that led to some pretty awesome email. I got -- -- from Lee and Melbourne Australia who writes hi I'm Molly very excited about the new show. I noticed that Apple introduce a whole bunch of China specific features. -- IOS six it'd be interesting to delve into the strategy here as well as any other China only features from other Smartphone manufacturers. -- related note did you know that Sino Wii -- China's Twitter equivalent. Provides each user with eighty points which are lost if you spread rumors misinformation or just generally -- China in general and earlier eventually banned from the site. It would be interesting to hear about products like this or your top five tips on how to get yourself banned from sun and we -- and the quickest way possible. At the very least this could be our best weapon yet against people who re -- the card actions. Can ferret out on the Kardashians I think we're probably gonna steer away from a China focused just in the first couple episodes. I excelled ending on Google+ suggested that I take a road trip across America using all kinds of -- to make the trip more interesting. Funny you should mention I think Daniel -- -- -- from CNET news.com is doing that exact same thing right now it's just go to news.com and follow him. And also over on Google+ this mailbag thread erupted into may be the funniest series of comments I've ever seen. It was a bunch of stories suggestions involving a bank heist and then what you would do if the bad guys started shooting at you and which phone might save -- It came down to an argument between Gorilla Glass a Nokia N 900 or -- Droid RAZR Max. Knight definitely do like this as a segment idea except for the part where I dot. Please email me your comments your criticisms or suggestions are email addresses always on at cnet.com. You can find us on Twitter twitter.com slash CNET always on and you can find me on FaceBook and Google+. As Molly what. That's it for the sake everyone coming up next week and always on -- freeze bake so and drop an iPad. And that's not even the Internet we explore the future of gaming from. Stay tuned and thank you for watching -- -- --