All day on December 25, TUAW presents "Now What?" We've got first steps and recommendations for all the Apple gifts you (hopefully!) found under the tree today. Happy holidays!

Congratulations, you've finally gotten an iPhone! It's either your very first one, or you've managed to upgrade to the iPhone 3G. As with any new hardware purchase, now you get to have even more fun selecting accessories for it.

How to use your iPhone
There is plenty of information out there if you're looking for a basic guide to the functions of your new iPhone. One of the best sources for free information is right here at TUAW. Here's a couple of tips to help you get started:

• Taking screenshots: Hold down the home button and then quickly press the sleep/wake button. You'll see a flash and hear the sound of a camera click, and a screenshot of your current screen will be placed in the Camera Roll under Photos.
• Back to home: If you're browsing a page on a home screen other than the initial one, press the home button again and it'll take you back to the first page of the home screen. You can also speed-scroll through your home screens by tapping to the left or the right of the white & gray page indicator dots at the bottom of the screen.
• Back to the top of the screen: In both Mobile Mail and Mobile Safari, if you've scrolled down to the bottom of the page and want to get back to the top easily, just tap the menu bar and your page will spring back to the beginning.

Headphones
If you're like a good many people, you want to replace the stock Apple earbuds as soon as possible. I love my Bose In-Ear headphones, for example. Shure is another excellent brand for purchasing earbuds, and their SE110MPA Sound Isolating Stereo Headset includes an inline microphone and a control button for receiving and ending calls. Sennheiser also makes a similar headset, but for a lower price. For the true audiophiles, there's Etymotic's hf2 headset. If you have $350 to spend, there is the Beats headphones by Dr. Dre.

If you like Apple's headset but find that it's a poor fit, then it's worth the $9 to purchase a set of BudFits. They attach onto Apple's earbuds and then wrap around your earlobe for a very secure fit.

All day on December 25, TUAW presents "Now What?" We've got first steps and recommendations for all the Apple gifts you (hopefully!) found under the tree today. Happy holidays!

Did you wake up this morning with a shiny new iPod touch under the tree? If you did, read on to get our suggestions in making the "funnest iPod ever" even more fun!

You know, even though the grammar in the ad kills me -- Apple got it right, the iPod touch really is the "funnest iPod ever." The first-generation touch was a great device but the second generation touch is even better. Faster than its predecessor (it is even faster than the iPhone 3G), and now with a built-in speaker, the ability to record your voice and built-in Nike+ support, the iPod touch is one of the most versatile digital devices on the market today.

Here are my suggestions for making the iPod touch experience even better:

Earphones

The stock earbuds that come with the iPod touch are the same white earbuds (more or less) Apple has been packing with its iPod since the first version came out in 2001. Seven years later, they still suck. While they'll do in a pinch, if you really want to listen to high quality audio files (maybe something in Apple Lossless) or watch a movie or TV show with a less tinny sound, you'll want to replace them.

You don't even have to spend a fortune to get a better sounding earbud, though if you want to get your audio-geek on, you certainly can.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Sony MDR-ED21LP - If you want a solid replacement for the buds that ship with the iPod touch, but you don't want to spend more than $20, check these out. You can get them for $15 US from Amazon.com and they are lightweight and provide a substantially better experience than the default earphones. I have a pair of these stashed in my purse in case of an emergency (and no earphones is most certainly an emergency) or for running or walking in nasty weather. A solid replacement.
• Apple In-Ear with Microphone and Remote - Apple's first pair of in-ear headphones were just awful. Awful. The fit was weird and they had this great tendency to stop working (more specifically, one ear would stop working) after six months. The new In-Ear headphones include a microphone and a remote, and the reviews have been largely positive. For $80, the set offers a solid experience.
• Denon AH-C551K In-Ear Earphones - Amazon.com is selling these for $55 (MSRP is $99.99) and these are a great pair of entry-level ECH buds. I like them better than my old Shure EC3s.
• Shure I2C-MP - i'm mentioning these because at $40 US from Amazon.com, they are a pretty great deal. The buds themselves aren't as good as other Shure products, but the addition of a microphone that works with the iPod touch 2G and the great price point makes them worth a look.

Whether you've just started writing your first lines of code or you've just moved over to the Mac/iPhone platform as a developer, this guide is sure to please.

Books
Cocoa Programming in Mac OS X ($31.49 on Amazon)
There are really two excellent books that should be on every Mac developer's bookshelf. First is a book by the magnificent Aaron Hillegass. Aaron not only teaches at the Big Nerd Ranch, but he also wrote a Cocoa (Objective-C) programming book that some would consider to be the Bible of Cocoa development; he has also been programming for over 18 years. His book, Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X is an excellent place to start for anyone looking to develop on the Mac; he covers topics from the history of Cocoa, to classes, to creating custom views -- it truly is all there.

iPhone Developer's Cookbook ($26.39 on Amazon)
Written by former TUAW Blogger, Erica Sadun, this book helps anyone with previous Cocoa programming experience begin to program on the iPhone. This isn't the standard programming book in which the author tries to teach you something through instruction. Rather, Erica has designed this book so the reader can learn through examples. If you have been waiting to jump on the theoretical iPhone application bandwagon, then this book can definitely help you master iPhone development.


Hardware
It doesn't take a developer to want Santa to bring hardware, but most of the time being a developer means you need certain hardware. One such piece of hardware is external hard drives. Who couldn't use a little extra storage now and then? I personally recommend the Western Digital MyBook hard drives for their cost and storage options.

Always being able to view your code is a must, therefore most developer's like to code on a huge display. There's truly nothing bigger than the Apple 30" Cinema Display; however, if you're pressed for money, you can find Dell monitors with bigger screens for a lot less dough.



Apple Developer Memberships
If you are not already a member of the Apple Developer Program, then you really should consider it. While it can be a little expensive, the experience that you can get out of it might just be worth the cost. They offer memberships for online, students, select, and premier.

The online and student memberships are basically the same, with the exception of the price. The online version is free and offers limited access to Apple's developer tools. The student membership costs $99 and includes a hardware discount.

The select membership gives you a ton of resources including: joining in Apple's software seeding program (meaning you'll get a copy of Apple's pre-release software like Snow Leopard), code-level technical support, coding head starts, ADC videos on iTunes, and the opportunity to attend the compatibility labs. However, the select membership costs $499 (US) per year.


Stocking Stuffers That Programmers Will Love.

• If you've been looking for geeky clothing, then look no further than the wonderfully designed T-Shirts and other clothing from ThinkGeek.
  
• It's no secret that programmers (and geeks alike) love caffeine, therefore most programmers would love to just have a gift card or bag of coffee from Starbucks or other coffee company. Also, a pack of Mountain Dew might also work just as well.
• Just because we're programmers doesn't mean that we can't rock out ... just like anyone else, we would gladly accept iTunes Gift Cards.

If you're looking to add one more gift to the switcher-pile for tomorrow, a license for the indispensable browser credentials manager 1Password might be just the thing. MacZot and Agile are offering a 40% off deal on 1Password today ($29.95); along with the license you'll get access to the prerelease my1Password site, which provides anywhere/anytime access to your 1Password confidential store.

Meanwhile, if you're already a 1Password owner but you're bemoaning the lack of a compatible version for the Firefox 3 beta, check out the Agile blog -- the 2.5.8 beta of 1Password is available and will work with Firefox 3 today. What could be merrier?

When you've chugged back a gallon of 'nog in an effort to soothe your spirits over the size of your holiday bonus, consider the gifts that employees of BIG Images got this year. The entire staff of the large-format printing provider got iPod Shuffle units... neatly wrapped in two $100 bills.

Nothing says "We appreciate your contribution to the success of our business" more than wrapping paper made from legal tender. For companies that aren't feeling as flush as BIG Images, may I suggest giving out Zunes on a bed of pennies?

[via Gizmodo]

What's the most important question when you're doing your holiday e-shopping? OK, the most important after "Where can I buy a Wii for less than $740?" and "Does this iPod Shuffle make me look fat?" Yes, it's "What is the absolute last minute I can order online and still get my gifts in time?"

The fine folks at DealMac/DealNews feel your pain, man. They've posted a guide to holiday shipping deadlines that will help you prioritize your purchasing plans. This could be your chance to get your sweetie the millionth Zune! Of course, for instant gratification, there's nothing like the kind of presents you can download.

P.S. Amazon's Prime shipping guide is also online.

This survey goes out to all you TUAW readers who are giving gifts around this time of year in celebration of one holiday or another: What Apple and/or Mac-related stuff are you giving this season?

Is there a musician on your list just dying for a MIDI keyboard for GarageBand? How about that family member you have who is the last person on earth without an iPod? Let's also not forget that student in your life who just came into owning an iBook, but still needs a decent case to groove around town with.

So feel free to (anonymously) spill your Apple/Mac holiday gift plans, but remember: we're not liable if your lucky recipient checks TUAW and figures out who you are and what they're getting. Disguise your identity in the comments as you see fit.