SlashGear have just posted their review of the latest MacBook Air model. They’ve tested (and recommend) the 128 GB SSD version noting that startup time with the SSD version is more than halved from the original MacBook Air. No more burnt lap (heat was a big complaint on the first generation MacBook Air) or annoyingly loud fan. Best of all there was an absence of lockups while processing video (another first generation handicap that many Air users complained about). If you’ve got $2.499 burning a hole in your pocked, check out their review.

However, what you do get – with the SSD version of the Air, anyway – is a nice chunk of real-world usability. Start-up time is more than halved compared to the first-gen Air, regularly coming in at under thirty seconds, and apps load quickly. You don’t get a burnt lap, nor go deaf from fan noise, either. Where the first Air had a habit of whipping itself into a broiling frenzy during thorough use, we found the new model comfortably sat at between 120 and 135 degrees. Processing video saw that jump to between 175 and 185, with the aforementioned crank up in fan speed, but it quickly returned to the normal operating range once the video was done. Happily we saw none of the freezing or lock-ups that the Air used to suffer from.

SlashGear – MacBook Air Review: it’s a different beast inside out