MostOfMyMac.com

Noting that the new 15- and 17-inch quad-core MacBook Pro models deliver “twice the CPU performance of Core 2 Duo, three times the graphics performance of the previous generation’s Nvidia GeForce GT 330M, and more than ten times the external I/O bandwidth of 800MHz FireWire,” InfoWorld reviewer Tom Yager writes, “This brand of magic can’t be conjured by Apple’s competitors.” He adds: “If, in all of this, you can’t see a reason to upgrade your notebook, maybe I can bring the point home: This might be the last notebook computer you’ll ever need or want.”

Houston Chronicle technology columnist Dwight Silverman, a non-musician who “can only intermittently carry a tune,” describes how he was able to release his inner Clapton using the Smart Guitars and stomp box effects included in GarageBand for iPad. He writes, “Even if you can’t play a note, GarageBand for iPad will have you playing and even composing music soon after you first fire it up. It’s an astonishing piece of software, easily the best application I’ve seen so far this year.”

Apple today announced that iPad 2, the second-generation of its third post-PC device, will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. iPad 2 will be available at Apple Retail Stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time, and through the Apple Online Store beginning at 1 a.m. Apple today also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and additional countries in April.

FileMaker, Inc.

FileMaker today shipped Bento 4 for Mac — now available on the Mac App store — Bento 1.1 for iPhone, and Bento 1.1 for iPad. With new features that include the ability to print labels, export libraries with data, automatically add geographical locations to records, and lock down forms, Bento 4 is a major next step for the popular personal database family.

Computerworld reviewer Michael deAgonia writes, “Despite the arrival of other tablets, the iPad 2 remains the best available.” He praises its “beautifully sleek unibody design,” speed (“everything feels faster”), long battery life, and “silky smooth” iOS 4.3. Having used iPad for a year, deAgonia calls it “the Holy Grail of computing” and argues that it “may really be the closest thing to a perfect computer.” He concludes: “If you need or want a tablet, get an iPad 2.”

In USA Today, reviewer Edward Baig argues that the “slimmed-down iPad 2” makes what was already “splendid” even better, citing “headline additions” of front- and rear-facing cameras with FaceTime and PhotoBooth, a “snappier” Apple A5 dual-core processor, and “really cool” Smart Cover. Baig calls the new GarageBand and iMovie apps for iPad “a bargain for would-be rock stars and would-be Spielbergs.”

Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky writes that because the original iPad “soared far above most of its competitors,” the “thinner, sleeker, faster” iPad 2 is “already at the front of the pack.” Noting that the “unbelievably thin” iPad 2 design has “just seriously raised the bar on sleek, sexy computer hardware,” he praises its “noticeably faster” all-around performance, “astonishing” battery life, convenient Smart Cover, and “groundbreaking” GarageBand app. For potential tablet customers, Topolsky advises that “the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now.

In a detailed review, MacWorld’s Chris Breen recommends GarageBand for iPad (5 out of 5 mice) as a “flexible and affordable” tool for anyone “from musicians to tin-eared newbies.” Writing that GarageBand “may be the most inspiring musical iOS app I’ve ever used” — and suggesting that it “deserves a Grammy” — Breen highlights the app’s standout features, including Smart and Touch instruments and the eight-track recording studio. He concludes: “Musician or not, it’s a must-have app.”