CNET has a nice rundown of the new version. It will include an Amp Designer and Pedalboard system that will let you model your guitar sounds using specific amps and pedal styles, all in real time.

Amp Designer, Apple’s new amp modeling software, fulfills these requirements. Apple obviously spent a lot of time on the design of Amp Designer. While that doesn’t help with the sound, it certainly does help with the familiarity with the software. If the software looks and acts like an amp, you’re more apt to approach it like you would a real amp.

Obviously this software won’t sound like a classic Fender you found in your grandpa’s basement but it’s still a great noodling tool. Another feature includes a time and tempo editing feature called Flex Time. You can adjust the tempo to match other tracks. This means if your guitar playing is out of sync with your drum track the system will automagically fix it.

The tools are a little daunting but hopefully they’ve cleaned up the UI so GarageBand refugees can move to the more powerful stuff.

The latest in Dell’s Studio Desktop lineup sheds the trendy digs of the Studio Hybrid for a more conventional tower look. These ‘puters are aiming for the entertainment crowd with optional Blu-ray drives, TV Tuners and HDMI-outs. The choice is yours between the mini and mid-size tower as it seems they can both be configured with the same options. Prices start out at $549 and as usual, can climb once you start adding on those options as you build your ultimate media center.

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