Today Apple announced new MacBook Pro models with the same upgraded, 7-hour battery life as the 17-inch MacBook Pro, more memory, a processor upgrade, and storage, as well as an SD-card slot. They are shipping today.

According to Apple, the battery will last 5 years or 1,000 recharges since it’s non-removable. The base model features a 3.06 GHz Dual Core Intel processor, 4GB of memory, a 250GB 5400rpm HDD, and an upgraded display at $1,699. That’s $300 less than the current model. If you want to upgrade to a 2.66GHz processor with a 320GB hard drive, that’ll cost you $1,999, while the 2.8GHz model with a 500GB hard drive will hit at $2,299.

Brando has a new cool gadget available. This time, they’re offering up a unique laptop cooler with USB Hub and HDD Slot built in. It measures 300mm x 252mm x 32mm and weighs 504grams. The device is equipped with three USB hubs, a 2.5-inch SATA HDD slot, and two fans to keep your laptop nice and cool.

You can plug in any 2.5 inch SATA hard drive to extend your storage when needed and it supports up to 250GB SATA HDD. Brando’s latest USB Notebook Cooling Pad retails for $33 and is a convenient gift to put under the tree this year.

Nintendo has come up with a solution to the number one issue that Wii gamers face. Storage. And yes the solution is obvious. During the Japan fall press conference they announced that in the spring of 2009, gamers can expect the ability to load and play software directly from an SD card in your SD slot, as well as download items directly to the SD card. There’s a 2GB maximum, so you’ll want to stock up on 2GB SD cards. I guess it’s better then another peripheral to clutter up our lives.