Here's one more MacBook Air contender coming from Toshiba, actually two more: the Portégé R500 11J and 11I. The 11J, with 64GB of SSD and no optical drive, is clearly looking for a fight with the Mac Book Air. Toshiba even claims to have the thinnest and lightest laptop in the world (779g and 25.5mm). Specifications for this model include: Core2 Duo ULV U7600, 2GB DDR2 667MHz memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/g/n), Bluetooth, 3G+/HSDPA and price range of 2500 €.

There's been a barrage of Apple stories today, but here's one that people won't be quite so pleased to hear: the battery in Apple's new MacBook Air will not be user replaceable, much like the iPod and iPhone. Apple has clarified the issue, saying that the price of a replacement will be $129, just like the MacBook Pro battery, and installation will be free. This shouldn't be too much of a problem for most users given that the battery will probably be fairly durable and the notebook does boast five hours of battery life, but would cause a slight inconvenience of having to send the machine off to Apple if it does need replacing, and would prevent people from using a backup battery.

Apple just unveiled their new ultraportable notebook, called the Macbook Air. It features a 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, which can be upped to 1.8 GHz at a price. There is no optical drive, but a 80GB 4200 RPM hard drive or an optional 64GB SSD drive. The battery should last around 5 hours. The front is just a mere 0.16 inches high, while the back tops out at 0.76 inches. The keyboard is full size and features the same layout as on the new Mac Pro keyboard. It is backlit and has a black finish. The optional USB 2.0 Superdrive is available for $99 USD.

The Macbook Air will sell for 1,799 US Dollars or 1,699€s.