If you joined us last Sunday night, you heard an unvarnished rant in five-part harmony as Dave, Christina, Mike S., Mel and I all weighed in on the ongoing series of "Laptop Hunters" Microsoft TV ads (yes, there's a third one now: an adorable mother-and-son team of laptop shoppers who shockingly still find time to slag the Mac as a kiddie machine while they browse the aisles) along with MacHeist and the other news of the week. You can download the show from Talkshoe or subscribe in iTunes.

Tomorrow night -- Easter Sunday, 10 pm ET -- we'll be joined by a special guest: Mitch Wagner of InformationWeek, also known (in Second Life, anyway) as the metallic talkshow host Copper Robot. Bring your questions for Mitch about Apple news, virtual communities, social media & the public sector... we'll be covering the entire waterfront.

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only interface, or you can stick with the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in so we can hear your dulcet tones. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VOIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. SIP or Gizmo users can connect directly to Talkshoe by following the instructions here. Talk with you then!

Recording support for the talkcast is provided by Call Recorder from ecamm networks.

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed (as are comments). Congrats to the 25 winners, who have been contacted.

Yesterday Macheist raised over $500,000 for charity and unlocked the final two applications in the bundle. Today, from 9am to 5pm EST, you'll have a shot at winning one of 25 bundles. Currently the total bundle value stands at $981 but sells for $39.

In the coming months we'll take a look at each of the programs featured in the bundle, but for now, check out the videos and descriptions on the Macheist website to get a taste of what's included. There's a little something for everyone, especially now that everything has been unlocked.

To enter, you'll need to tell us which application you want the most. Also, once again we'll need to limit the winners to the US and Canada (except Quebec, as our French is really rusty). Comments will close today, April 7 at 5pm on the East Coast, so enter while you can!

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us which application in the bundle you prefer.
• The comment must be left before April 7, 5:00PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Twenty-five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: one Macheist bundle including iSale, Picturesque, SousChef, World of Goo, PhoneView, LittleSnapper, Cro-Mag Rally, Acorn, Kinemac, WireTap Studio, BoinxTV, The Hit List, Espresso, Times (cost of bundle is $39).
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

It took a while for the US$39 MacHeist 3 bundle to raise US$400,000 for charity, but it happened yesterday and now the US$199 BoinxTV Sponsored Edition application is unlocked for everyone who is participating in the fun. In case you're not familiar with BoinxTV, it's referred to as a "TV studio in a box" and it's wonderful for easy, yet professional-looking video editing.

The Boinx TV unlock apparently opened the floodgates, because MacHeist 3 has raised another US$25,000 for charity since the US$400,000 level was reached. The new goal is a cool US$500,000 raised for charity, and when that happens, Espresso and The Hit List will be unlocked. This has to happen in the next two days, since this is a limited-time offer.

Since we last talked about MacHeist 3, Cro-Mag Rally and the Times newsreader have been added as bonus apps. You also get Delicious Library 2 and Multiwinia if you tweet about your purchase (which caused Macworld editor Peter Cohen to firmly state the case against Twitter as a spam medium), as well as several other applications that have been slipped into the mix since the bundle started.

The total value of MacHeist 3 is now at US$981, available to you for just US$39.

Click here to visit the MacHeist 3 website.

The Heist might be over, but the software saving fun is just beginning! Tonight, the MacHeist 3 bundle was revealed in a geek-star studded live show.

This year's bundle is, from a software perspective, really incredible. I love software bundles because they are a great way to get cool stuff, but the problem is, lots of stuff is frequently repeated across bundles, making it less and less exciting for the more seasoned Mac software-addict. This is not a bundle that can be accused of retreading old software; on the contrary, some new (and high profile) apps are available.

This is the line-up:

• iSale
• Picturesque
• Sous Chef
• World of Goo
• PhoneView
• LittleSnapper
• Acorn
• Kinemac

It wouldn't be a bundle without unlock incentives, and this year, MacHeist goes all out:

• WireTap Studio
• BoinxTV Sponsored Edition
• The Hit List
• Espresso

And knowing MacHeist, I'm sure there will be other surprises to come as the sale takes shape.

MacHeist is calling it a "TweetBlast," we'll call it savvy marketing, but you'll probably just call it "free software, woo!" In an effort to pump up the number of Twitter followers for the MacHeist challenges & software bundle, the team is offering followers (who are willing to post a promotional message) a free license for DEVONthink. The software, normally $50US, allows you to store your files and personal data in lots of structured, tagged and classified ways -- Brett previewed the 2.0 beta in December.

Getting your free copy is pretty straightforward; you'll have to follow the MacHeist Twitter account, and then as noted you're required to tweet a promo message for the TweetBlast itself; not sure whether that's 'recursive advertising,' a recession-buster special or plain ol' viral marketing, but free apps are free apps. When you get DEVONthink, you'll also get Hyperspaces and Overflow as well. Also, participants should know that the DEVONthink licenses are for the soon-to-be-obsoleted 1.x version of the app, but if you want to roll your copy forward to the upcoming 2.0 version you'll be able to do so for the upgrade price of $20.

Full details are at the MacHeist website.

Everyone's favorite app bundle/puzzle game, AKA MacHeist, is back! MacHeist, now in its third year, combines a pre-bundle game, where users solve puzzles to unlock free apps and bundle discounts, and an actual bundle of apps, which go on sale at the end of the "heist."

MacHeist is a fun way to waste some time and get some free apps by solving puzzles (or you can just read the forums and cheat) and the app bundle is generally a pretty good deal (assuming you don't already have the included software -- if you do, you can gift the licenses to the switcher in your life). You can view the first mission by logging into your MacHeist account; if you participated in the Mac Giving Tree promo you already have one, but new users can signup at the main page.

Happy heisting! You can read our previous MH coverage here.

(Also, a personal shout-out from me to MacHeist's new video host Lisa B -- even with the cheesy accent, she's still the best.)

We told you about the Mac Giving Tree over the weekend. It is a project from the guys over at MacHeist, and gives Mac users free applications just by creating a MacHeist account and referring friends. They have already given away copies of Enigmo 2 and Synergy, and now they are at it again.

If you have been watching the tree, then you know something has been up. The Giving Tree now has iPhone application icons sprouting up around it -- what does it all mean? When the icons grow and start wiggling you are able to click them and join a drawing for the application. If you are a winner you will receive a promo code for the app specified. Wurdle, Fieldrunners, Flick Fishing, Moto Chaser, WeightBot, and Frenzic are just some of the apps being offered.

If you wish to try your hand finger at winning some promo codes, then head on over to the Mac Giving Tree website. And don't forget to unwrap all of your presents under the tree on Christmas Day!

Please note that the promo codes are US only at this time -- so you must redeem them inside of the US App Store.

As the holidays quickly move through it would seem that everyone is in the spirit of giving (unless you're a scrooge, but that's a different story entirely). MacHeist, a site that has mainly been known to sell application bundles, is offering something very special this holiday season. The Mac Giving Tree is a place where people with a MacHeist account can go to get free applications. If you don't have MacHeist credentials, you can sign up for free.

When you sign up, you are able to join the Mac Giving Tree -- this gives you a few free applications upon sign up. I got Synergy and Enigmo 2 absolutely free. On Christmas Day, you are able to visit the site, sign in, and "unwrap" other presents that show up below the tree. When you refer your friends, you are able to get additional presents to unwrap.

Visit the Mac Giving Tree to get your free applications, and while you're there take a look at the page design. If you Twitter a message starting with @macheist, your tweet will automatically show up on the page ... that's just pretty nifty.

Thanks, Phil!

Last week, iPhone app shop tap tap tap released preliminary sales data for its iPhone applications. The figures were interesting (and impressive), but at the time, only seven days of data was available. As Steve Jobs told the Wall Street Journal on Monday, the App Store's first month generated about $30 million US in sales, and I was interested in how that would translate on a micro level. Yesterday, tap tap tap's John Casasanta posted its full July sales totals (save a few territories, which will likely have little effect on the final tally), allowing us to do just that.

As with the data released last week, the numbers are extremely impressive. Apple's reporting process calculated sales from June 29, 2008 through August 2, 2008. However, as John notes, because the App Store didn't launch until July 10, 2008, the sales data is actually for 24 days.

For tap tap tap's two applications, this is the breakdown:

Where to Go (App Store link) sold 24,094 copies at $2.99 a copy in 24 days.
Tipulator (App Store link) sold 3,168 copies at $.99 a copy in 24 days.

After Apple's 30% cut, tap tap tap's net revenue was $52,815 US for 24 days. Wow. That averages to just about $2200 US a day.

Read on for more analysis.

John Casasanta from iPhone app shop tap tap tap has released the company's sales data for the week of 7/28/08 to 8/3/08. John is one of the guys behind MacHeist, and as such has a history of being open about sales figures; still, releasing this information is a bold move.

Although the only available data was for the last week of sales (though the tap tap tap blog says it will be updated if they get access to past figures), it is still really interesting to to gauge the figures and evaluate, at least to a small degree, how one publisher is doing at the App Store.

For tap tap tap's two applications, this is the breakdown:

Where to Go (App Store link) sold 3193 copies at $2.99 a copy in seven days.
Tipulator (App Store link) sold 353 copies at $.99 a copy in seven days.

After Apple's cut, tap tap tap's revenue was nearly $7000 for the week. Not too shabby. Even on this micro scale, this is further evidence of the long-term market viability for iPhone applications. This isn't surprising, but it is nice to have some solid sales data to backup the download tallies.

Furthermore, John discusses the relative marketing costs associated with iPhone apps as compared to traditional software. So far anyway, it appears that lower upfront promotional costs are needed to ensure a good return. Of course, we're still in the first month of iPhone app sales, as more and more apps come to the store and the "newness" factor starts to wane, marketing costs will likely have to increase.

The future of the App Store is exciting and this kind of news is encouraging, especially in light of some of the snake-oil applications that threaten to turn the App Store into Palm Store 2.0.

While MacHeist is on their summer break, Mac Mix is hoping to shake things up in the Mac app bundle community. Their website went live early this morning and allows you to mix applications to make your own bundle. You might say, "What's so special about that"? Well, Mac Mix gives you a tiered discount based on how many applications you purchase.

There are currently 28 applications to choose from including:

• Parallels
• iBank
• Yep!
• Photon
• TextExpander
• and more ...

The pricing is similar to the way the Give Food to your Mac promo worked. The pricing tiers are:

• 10% off of any one app
• 30% off any 3
  
• 40% off any 5
  
• 50% off any 7
  
• 60% off any 9
• 75% off any 12

These deals will be available for 2 more weeks, so if you want to get a great deal on some great software, why not give Mac Mix promo a try. In addition, the 500th buyer will receive a "Super Bundle" that includes all 28 peices of software.

Thanks, Vivek!

Applications on the Mac give you this warm, fuzzy feeling when you download and unpack their .dmg (or .zip) files. "Make Your Own Mac Mix" hopes to make this feeling even better by offering deals in the form of discount tiers for buying Mac applications.

You will be able to choose between 27 "high quality" Mac applications (similar to those being offered by MacHeist). Prices will be based on the following tier system:

• 10% off of any one app
• 30% off any 3
  
• 40% off any 5
  
• 50% off any 7
  
• 60% off any 9
• 70% off any 12

Just as there are no details on specific applications, there is also no set date; but the creators are claiming this will be an amazing deal on Mac applications. This deal is set to go live this month. This deal and details will soon be made available on the MacMix Promo website.

Today is the last day to buy the much coveted MacHeist application bundle. MacHeist has decided to sweeten the deal by unlocking SoundStudio early and offering $5 off any Insanely Great Tee. If you are a registered member of the MacHeist site you can also get early access to Headline (an RSS reader).

The MacHeist Bundle currently includes the following Mac apps:

• VectorDesigner
• DEVONthink
• XSlimmer
• CoverSutra
• Awaken
• iClip
• Overflow
• Cha-Ching
• WriteRoom
• Enigmo
  
• Bugdom 2
• Nanosaur 2
• TextExpander
• SoundStudio

The MacHeist Bundle costs $49 and 25% of your purchase will be donated to your choice of charity. Currently, MacHeist has sold over 4,000 bundles and raised over $50,000 for charity. You can purchase a bundle at the MacHeist website.

In a co-promote with MacRumors Live's coverage of today's little event out San Francisco way, the MacHeist team has spiced up its 12-application retail bundle with a few new additions: VectorDesigner, SoundStudio (yet to be unlocked) and TextExpander. Add those to the original suite and you've still got a great deal at $49, especially for switchers or those new to the shareware universe. As always, a significant portion of your purchase price on the MacHeist bundle goes to support worthy charities (and another portion goes to support thirsty developers).

As a side bonus for those who are ordering the bundle before 10 am Pacific time tomorrow (24 hours after the start of the keynote), there's a lucky 15th app: VoodooPad. If you're up for it, check out the bundle tomorrow morning and you might find something extra in your Mac stocking.

Many people love the Macheist bundles because of the software. Others like the price. However, we're betting everyone will like some free alternatives to their latest collection -- despite the low price, there's always another, cheaper way.

In a list of freebies compiled by Lifehacker, matching the Macheist options, there are a few standouts: For money management online without the cash layout, try replacing Cha-Ching with the free Mint website. Getting your clipboard multiplier under control can be done at a cost by iClip or freely by Jumpcut. WriteRoom, the distraction-free word processor, is replaced by the web-based DarkCopy among several other options (including Freeverse's free attention-focus tool Think). See Adam Pash's excellent article for the full rundown.

Of course, the price of $49US for the Macheist bundle is pretty sweet, but many people already own or don't need several of the included applications.

Following the example of LH's list, here are a couple of alternative options for the current MacUpdate promo bundle:

• For SoundStudio, check out the free & open source Audacity (of course, GarageBand may already be on your Mac)
• DVDRemaster Pro's conversion and archiving chops can be met or matched by the lovely and talented (and free) HandBrake
• Leap is quite cool and somewhat hard to replicate, but SpotInside is a free Spotlight enhancer that does a nice job too
• For the Parallels headliner, you can find cheaper or free Windows emulation/virtualization tools at VirtualBox, iEmulator, and Q

Got other free suggestions for some of the bundled paid apps? Let us know.
Thanks Adam P.