Maybe Apple should have gotten Valerie Bertinelli to do its TV commercials for the entry level MacBook upgrade: lighter, thinner and one complete package. I don’t know which one I want more.

At $999, Apple has managed to shave its weight (5 pounds down to 4.7 pounds) and thickness by using similar construction techniques used in its aluminum MacBook Pro line that make the low-end laptop a one piece, white, unibody polycarbonate shell.

Specs: 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, an 8x double-layer SuperDrive, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics chip, and a seven-hour battery life (debatable).

New: a switch to an LED-backlit display and the same glass multi-touch trackpad found in the MacBook Pro line. Sad: the disappearance (again) of a FireWire 400 port and a switch to Apple’s oh so popular self-contained, non-swappable battery (not!).

Think of this new model as simply growing up with the times, but costing the same.

Buy for $994 from Amazon

Plastic zippers and a single-layer construction means this bag passes through airpot X-rays without having to remove the laptop from the bag.

Its sleek, hourglass-shape is stain resistant and machine washable in a variety of colors. With its Shark Gill Grips on the sides, gripping and handling is slip-free.  Simple form and simple function.

Buy for $30 from Amazon

What you’re looking at is a laptop case from European design firm mitemite’s “unncessary objects lab.”

But protecting your precious from bumps and theft is hardly unnecessary, although maybe charging €60 for the privilege is.

Whatever, though, this newspaper-like case is unique, functional, and cool. Choose between Le Pais, La Vanguarda, La Grettezza dello Sport, or the International Herald Tribune.

Added bonus: pick a paper in a language not native to your country and you might be bugged less by strangers, too.

Buy for €60 from mitemite

What good is an external audio mic for your laptop when so many now come with a mic built-in? Silly you, think outside the laptop!

The Go Mic from Samson Technologies provides incredible audio quality for podcasters or anyone who needs professional audio quality to record meeting, interviews and such.

It’s got a black clip which is used to attach it to the edge of your notebook and it swivels to adjust the audio pattern. On the side of the mic is a switch to toggle between three polar pattern settings. Omni picks up audio from all directions, cardioid is better for up close, while the 10db setting lets you to pick up close audio that refuses to quiet down. 

It’s a small mic that picks up sound like a much bigger mic but at less than half the cost. The Samson Go mic makes recording great audio simple.

Buy for $50 from Amazon

The idea of this little laptop add-on is simple: slap on these adhesive-backed silicon strips, raising the device a quarter inch, and it allows better air flow, protects the bottom of your laptop from spilled drinks, and prevents scratching of the laptop or the surface on which it sits.

They’re called Laptop Lifts. The package includes four two-inch strips and two five-inch strips. Easy to install, you just need some rubbing alcohol to clean the spot where the strips will be applied.

Buy for $16 from Amazon

The Cocoon CLB551 organizes all your gadgets into one nice, neoprene carryon. Interwoven elastic bands inside the cases’s shock-absorbing frame stretch to fit anything from a 15.4-inch laptop, to digital camera, to cell phone, to external hard drive, to…you get the picture.

With this case, there’s no need to remove your laptop from your bag. Simply unzip the Cocoon bag, lay it flat on the airport security conveyer, and you’re on your way.

Buy for $101 from Amazon

“Laser-cut from a single piece of Plexiglas less than 3/4 of an inch thick and set in a brushed aluminum frame, the ultra-slim diNovo Edge makes a bold statement”.

I’ve lusted after a DiNovo Edge keyboard since they came out. So, I bought one the other day (Merry Christmas to me). And man, I couldn’t be any happier.

Bluetooth makes it super easy to connect to my laptop. It looks awesome underneath my MacBook Pro with it’s sleek black detail and brushed aluminum accents. And it just works.

The Windows version has 17 custom one-touch control keys that are specific to Windows, while the Mac version has quick-key access to Safari, Mail, iTunes and your other favorite apps.

Lastly, the TouchDisc is a totally new concept that combines scrolling, selection and cursor control for those times when you don’t need a mouse, and want to work exclusively from your keyboard. And there are “hot keys” that light up at a touch, and fade into the background when not in use. And I love using the touch sensitive volume control to crank up my music when I can!

Goes great with the Logitech MX Revolution Mouse and the VX Revolution.

From Amazon.com: ~$150 for the Windows version and ~$140 for the Mac version.

This 24″ monitor from New Egg. Talk about cool, and talk about a good deal:

The SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P 24-Inch DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor offers razor-sharp, widescreen image clarity and a host of innovative features. With a 160° viewing angle, 16.7 million brilliant colors, precise resolution, and a startling contrast ratio, you’ll be amazed by the clear, life-like images this wide-spectrum monitor offers.

The X24WG-1080P features an advanced dual interface capable of handling both a D-Sub 15-pin and DVI-D connections for your high-resolution demands. The impressive response time virtually eliminates the “blur” found in slower monitors. A pair of integrated 2-watt speakers round out your media experience in a compact package! Whether you’re working, enjoying your graphics, or gaming, you won’t believe your eyes when you see the X24WG-1080P.

It’s a SCEPTRE X24WG-1080P Black 24″ 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor Built in Speakers. It’s normally $269, but today through 11/30, you get it for $239, then add in the $40 mail-in rebate, and it comes in at under $200. You can’t beat that. Grab one before they’re gone.

His #10 was the Logitech Presenter:

The Logitech Presenter will be your secret weapon. There are other presenter devices available, but this one takes the cake. It has a built in count down timer that gives you a silent vibrate to let you know when you have five minutes left and another one when your selected time is up (never go over your allotted time again). The grip feels great and the USB receiver slides into the top of the device, making it extremely compact. You no longer have to stand at a podium and be tethered to your laptop clicking the spacebar for the next slide. The Logitech Presenter will turn the power and attention of your presentation back to where it matters most – you. The Logitech Presenter is $89 and is the only piece of hardware on this list for a reason.

Get it from Amazon for around $60.

Do you love using a remote with your MacBook Pro, but hate dragging it around with you on trips (or losing it in the couch cushions as much as we do?)

The SiK Rex Remote Control for Apple is your answer. This six-button remote is fully compatible with your Mac, but it stores easily in the MacBook Pro’s ExpressCard slot, meaning you’ll never have to “find room” for it in your bag, or lose it accidentally.

It’ll also work with any other Mac or Apple TV, so you it can do double duty for you when you really need it to.

Go ahead and pick up and extra battery or two for it while you’re at it from Amazon. It’s always nice to have a few extra batteries around for a tool you use a lot.

Prices: $30 from Amazon.com for the SiK Rex Remote Control and ~$5 for an extra battery.

Presenting the Connect-a-Desk:

And while the Connect-a-Desk promo video is pretty horrible, we have to believe that the product could actually be pretty useful in the right circumstances.

Like, if you want to look like a complete dork, you definitely need one.

And you can buy it from Amazon… can you believe that? Yes, for $40 or so, this thing can be yours.

Man I love innovation.

Cool Feet.

Simple, unobtrusive, clean.

These detachable laptop lifters are designed to be easy to use, and will hold your laptop up at a comfortable angle, just high enough to let air circulate underneath it, and low enough to still use the built-in keyboard and trackpad. Love it!

And only $10.50.

To that end, we present Alienware’s new Area-51 m17x High Performance Notebook Computer. (Don’t call it a laptop, unless you like having 10+ pounds sitting on top of you.)

The Area-51 m17x boasts specs that will have MacBook Pros cowering in fear:

• up to 2.9GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme
• dual-video cards: 2x256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT (the MacBook Pro has one like this), 2x512MB 8700m GT, or an insane 2x512MB 8800M GTX
• 17-inch 1920×1200 display
• up to 3 internal hard drives for 1.5TB, or go for dual-64GB solid-state drives
• available Blu-ray reader or 2x Blu-ray burner

There’s other goodies like 7.1 high-definition audio, a built-in subwoofer, and 7-in-1 memory card reader, but let’s face it: you’re not buying this thing to upload your photos to Flickr.

The all-new Area-51 m17x starts at $2,199 but can quickly rise to over $6,000 with options. Pricey, sure, but at least it comes pre-loaded with Vista Home Edition!

My MacBook Pro of choice is the 15″ 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM, a 200GB hard drive, Apple’s DVD/CD burning SuperDrive, and a glossy screen. Other’s opt for the larger 17″ version, thought I can’t seem to ever enjoy carrying that big of a laptop around with me.

The aluminum case will make you think this machine was made by the Swiss, just because it’s so clean and crisp and well built. The backlit keyboard will help your geek work late into the night without the lights on (which I’m sure he or she will be prone to do).

(If a MacBook Pro is too much money, check out the almost-as-slick black MacBook for $1,399 after Amazon’s exclusive $100 rebate.)

Any program that has a mission like “To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves” is something we can definitely get behind, which is why back in November, we signed up to “Give a laptop” to a child in the third-world, and as a bonus, we got one for ourselves.

We have a three-year old in the house who started playing with his new OLPC this past weekend, and while he’s still a little young for it, we’re confident that he’ll grow into this “child’s laptop” about the time his Dad outgrows it. If you have a few dollars to spare, we’d highly recommend supporting this cause with your donation, as we can tell the thought and care that went into designing the OLPC will set this program up for success well into the future.

If you want to keep up with what’s happening with the OLPC, check out OLPCNews.com.