How does a 20% discount sound? How about 20% off software from over 30 developers? This list has been growing since One Finger Discount started this week and continues to grow as developers jump on board with a pretty darn good deal if you're in the market for any one of these awesome applications. They run the gamut from productivity to games to blogging software.

Kudos to Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software for putting these deals together on one page, somewhat cheekily as a response to MacHeist, it would seem. The One Finger? Well, that comes from 1/5, 20% discount as opposed to a five-finger discount (free). 20% is still a steal, right? Very clever, Mr. Jalkut -- we'll leave the readers to consider which finger they should order with.

[via Macworld]

Software bundles seem to be all the rage nowadays, but in my humble opinion, MacHeist is still the best. It doesn't just lump a bunch of apps together for special price, but instead, it turns getting a discount into a game.

As a recent Mac switcher, I was utterly confused by MacHeist 3, the first edition in which I participated. Someone told me to check out the MacHeist bundle, so I went to the web site to see what applications it contained. But the site didn't tell me. It soon became clear that I was going to have to work for my software!

The whole idea, if you're not familiar with MacHeist, is that you need to complete a series of challenges, labeled "heists," in order to get free software. Yes, free. As in what lunches aren't. And the software isn't anything to sneeze at (neither are lunches, by the way), as there are always some real gems to be found.

UPDATE: We took the 4 from the title as it is currently unknown whether this is actually MacHeist 4 or an early bundle offer.

iPhone developers who weren't able to make it to this year's WWDC are in luck -- the 360 | iDev Conference is planned for September 27 - 30, 2009 at the Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver, Colorado.

The conference is being organized by 360 | Conferences, the team that presented the highly successful 360 | iDev conference in San Jose, CA earlier this year. There's a half-day hands-on advanced debugging session planned for Sunday, September 27th, followed by three full days of sessions by notable speakers such as master iPhone developer Bill Dudney, Phil Libin (CEO of Evernote), and David Barnard of AppCubby.

Conference registration is limited to 400 or so individuals, so if you're planning on attending, it's time to get moving. 360 | Conferences provided TUAW with a special code that you can use to get a 20% discount on registration. Just enter the code phrase TUAWiDevDiscount (case-sensitive) when you register for the conference to receive your discount. They've also provide a discount code (TUAWInMoDiscount) for the InsideMobile Conference planned for this upcoming weekend in San Jose.

With the iPhone app world still showing an amazing amount of growth, this may be the perfect time to build or strengthen your iPhone development skills.

For those of you who still frequent brick and mortar stores, Jimmi Rehman has released the new FinalPrice 1.0 shopping app for the iPhone/iPod Touch at 99 cents. It requires 3.0 software to run.

This app is a useful one-trick-pony. If you find a sale, the idea is to have your iPhone figure out how much something will cost after the item is discounted and after adding your local tax.

The calculations are solid but I had some trouble with the interface. Tapping the info button didn't work well at first. I had to tap it a number of times using various amounts of pressure for it to be recognized. The other buttons are not as unresponsive, but it still takes a number of taps for any of them to be recognized.

The info screen tells you to enter the original price and then tap the check mark to the right. When you do, the full amount gets displayed on the top green window. Next, enter the sales tax and click the check box to the left. After a few tries, when the click was accepted, a picker with discount percentages in five percent increments is displayed and you can choose the discount percent. Lastly, click on the 'What's the Final Price' button and your calculated price is displayed in the top window.

This is a very useful app and for those who like to peruse shopping malls, which doesn't include me, I can see a good deal of value here. Along with the Amazon app, (previously reviewed) you'll be carrying a nice toolbox to check prices and find out if you are getting a deal or not.

I just wish the buttons were more responsive.

What apps do you take shopping? As an iPhone newbie I would like to know, and I'm sure so would many of our readers looking for another way to simplify their shopping trips.

Sure, the reduced price on the iPhone 3G 8GB model is swell, but is there something magical about 99 dollars? The AP story on yesterday's product announcements gets a quote from analyst Michael Gartenberg where he seems to think there may be some retail psychology at work:

"Every $100 you move down in consumer electronics brings in a lot more customers," [Gartenberg] said. "Ninety-nine dollars is a psychological price point, so that's a real barrier to move through. It becomes something people can afford - it becomes an affordable luxury.

In my experience, a $99US item is right at the point where I can at least consider buying it on impulse without consulting my spouse; this was the case with Palm's Zire handheld when it debuted, and it includes the iPod shuffle now. Anything that could be a 'checkout line' purchase should hit at that price point or below, so it's all well and good to include the 8GB 3G in the mix for new or over-contract purchasers... but knowing that the real cost of the phone is in the two years of voice and data, will consumers bite in large numbers? The Wall Street Journal cites Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi's guess that the price cut could increase iPhone demand as much as 50%, even with the presence of the 3G S at the top of the food chain.

Is iPhone demand that price-elastic? I have my doubts... but it's worth noting that the numbers from the first quarter, where RIM had to give away a free Curve with every purchase to catch up with Apple in handset sales, indicate that the smartphone market can definitely get a big boost from price cuts.

[via MacDailyNews]

It's been hinted at for a few days, but Cabel Sasser and the rest of the crew at Panic Software may have accidentally slipped some mind-altering substances into their last batch of Coda Cookies; how else to explain a three-day, 50%-off sale on all of the company's well-designed and well-regarded apps?

The FTP/SFTP client with the often imitated icon, Transmit, is $14.50US; Web authoring jack-of-all-trades Coda is $49.50. Interface tweaker CandyBar 3 and newsreader Unison are also discounted at $14.50 and $12 respectively. The sale page notes that these licenses are also good for discounts on future paid upgrades to the product line, which are expected soon. Sale pricing is in force until 11:59pm PST on May 29.

With the introduction of iWeb '09, Apple pumped up the volume on its entry-level website authoring tool, making it more functional and flexible for novice users while adding enough power -- multi-site publishing options, FTP upload to unlock users from MobileMe, more capable RSS/podcasting tools and widgets, and links to social media sites like Facebook -- to merit a second look alongside midrange/prosumer apps like Sandvox, RapidWeaver, Flux & Freeway. Since the app is included in iLife '09 and bundled with every new Mac, it's likely to be the authoring app of first resort for many Mac users.

If you want to get the most out of your iWeb '09 site, we're proud to say there's one guy who has your back: our own Steve Sande, who has revised his Take Control of iWeb ebook for the latest iLife version. The $10US digital title (also sold in printed form for $23.99) reviews all the new features, covers advanced tricks and techniques, and walks the reader through the creation of a sample site (online here). Steve did a great interview about the book on Chuck Joiner's MacVoices podcast last week.

In the interest of sharing the iWeb love (and thanks to Tonya & Adam Engst at TidBITS Publishing), we've got an exclusive discount on Steve's ebook just for TUAW readers. Follow this referral link to place your order (be sure to click the big orange "Buy eBook" button) and you'll get a 30% discount off the ebook; it's normally $10US, but for you? $7. 143 pages + an appendix worth of iWeb goodness -- enjoy!

If you just can't get enough of books from current and former TUAW team members, you can check out Steve's guide to making the most of your classic iPod, Scott McNulty's WordPress book, or multiple titles on iPhone development and maximizing your iPhone/iPod touch from Erica Sadun.

Some time ago I reviewed iPhone in Action from Manning. While there are other "starter" books out there, if you know how to code and you want to get up-to-speed on everything from web apps to the SDK, this book is a great primer. Of course, the pending 3.0 update to the iPhone's OS will add many new features, and the book's authors are hard at work with an update that I'm told will be available as a downloadable e-chapter. The authors will first serialize it on their blog, so you can keep up there as well.

Until the update is ready the good folks at Manning have provided a code that'll get you 50% off iPhone in Action until April 30, 2009. To get the discount, just go to the site and when you order use this code: tuaw50. Remember, this is only for the current edition of iPhone in Action.

Your source for all iPhone-slash-Walmart news, BoyGeniusReport, has a whopper for you: Walmart might offer the 4GB iPhone for $99 when they start selling the handsets after Christmas.

Even they're skeptical, though: Their tipster isn't one of their regulars, and so they can't say with any certainty that it will come to pass.

The discount makes sense, in a way. Selling the low-end iPhone at a ridiculous price will turn it into the new Motorola RAZR. Apple would love everyone in the country to own one, I'm sure. It's not clear who will eat the discount, though -- Apple, AT&T, or Walmart -- but my guess is that it's mostly Apple. Apple has other revenue streams for the iPhone, such as the App Store and iTunes, and AT&T still has its spendy two-year contract. If this is what Apple needs to do to make this the ubiquitous handset to have, then it may be worth the cost to them.

On the other hand, as many commenters at BGR have pointed out, with ubiquity comes rejection. Suddenly, the iPhone isn't the cool status symbol to have anymore. This doesn't bother me one bit, but to some people -- for whatever reason -- it's important to them. (I have special names for those people.) Nevertheless -- will it impact sales? How much is the "hip" coefficient driving purchases?

In any event, consider this one of those situations where the Internet is writing checks that Walmart's butt might not be able to cash. But pretty sweet if it does.

Agile Web Solutions today offered its customers a Thanksgiving present: a free copy of 1Password. Existing customers are encouraged to give up to three extra licenses to their friends by visiting Agile's website and providing their information.

New customers can also benefit: If you purchase 1Password today, you get two licenses for the price of one. Agile is also offering a discount to new orders, taking 15 percent off your final total.

The promotion ends Sunday.

MacBundleBox is offering 15 Mac applications for $49.95: an 85 percent discount (compared to buying each app individually). The apps included are:

• Headline - A full-featured RSS/ATOM feed reader with an ultra-minimal UI.
• Mac Pilot 3 - A system optimization and customization utility.
• iConquer - A game not unlike Risk.
• Mahjong Forests - A traditional mahjong game.
• Shoebox Express - A solution for organizing all your photos by content.
• Caboodle - A way to collect random snippets of text or images on your machine.
• Narrator - A program that will read out stories in multiple voices.
• WriteRoom - A distraction-free word-processor, and possibly the most popular app in the bundle.
• Scribbles - A simple drawing utility.
• Money - An accounting app.
• Operation - A simple project management application.
• Aurora - An iTunes-integrated alarm clock.
• Compositor - A CoreGraphics-based image editor.
• Sofa Control - Allows you to control your applications remotely, using an Apple Remote.

MacBundleBox is available directly from their website.

If your father is anything like my father, he loves getting Father's Day gifts with that personal touch ... but since monogrammed golf clubs are a bit out of my budget range this year, I'm going with an iPhoto book instead. Nothing dresses up a coffee table like a professionally printed book full of pictures of the grandkids all slathered in mud.

Apple is ready to help with the giftgiving; there's a 20% book discount (use code 'springbooks' at checkout) through June 15. Standard shipping books need to be ordered today (June 3) for delivery by Father's Day, and express shipping gets you an extra few days (June 8 order deadline).

If you've been looking to get the perfect Mother's Day gift, Apple says to look no further than iPhoto or Aperture. It's that special time of year when we celebrate our mothers (of course, if you ask Mom every day is Mother's Day), and Apple is cutting us a break! You can now get 20% off of iPhoto books when you use the promo code LoveMom at checkout.

This promo code is valid for iPhoto or Aperture users in the US and Canada and is good until May 11, 2008. Apple recommends that you order by April 30 for standard delivery and May 4 for express delivery so that you get your book in time for Mother's Day.

You can read more about this promotion on Apple's website.

Was is los in Deutschland heute? First the iTunes video store finally makes a German-language debut this week, and today we receive word via a T-Mobile press release that the first tiered-discount plan for iPhone purchases is now in effect. German buyers can take advantage of a limited-time offer (April 7 to June 30) to purchase an 8GB iPhone for as little as 99 euros, if they sign up for the top 2-year contract on a service plan (the Complete XL, 1000 minutes and 300 SMS for 89 euro a month) at buy time. Translated offer pages here and here. Lower-priced plans offer a comparatively lower discount, with the top price for an 8GB iPhone at 249 euros. Note that the 16 GB iPhone remains full freight at 499 euro.

Is this another example of the iPhone shortage phenomenon, or just some clever promotion by T-Mobile to enhance sales of the lower-end handset? Ach du meine Gute, ich bin völlig verwirrt.

Thanks Thorsten & c0caine

If you're shopping for a new iPod this week, Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater reminded us that you can get a 10% discount on a new iPod any day at your local Apple Store if you do one simple thing: bring in an old iPod to trade in. The program's been around since 2005, but it's always worth another mention.

There are plenty of other options for recycling an old iPod, including some that will give you credit -- check them out. Rumor has it that some retail outlets are discounting iPods as well...