Last week, Mike S. and the gang hosted a lively discussion of the week's news, including the merits of MobileMe and the possibilities of Find My iPhone. You can download the show, along with all past shows, from Talkshoe or subscribe in iTunes.

We're live again tonight with a roundup of the holiday week. It's been kinda quiet, but we should find a topic or two to discuss -- like the just-announced Mac version of the purplera1n jailbreaking utility for the iPhone 3GS. Join us, won't you?

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, or you can try out the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. 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. Talk with you then!

Update: As noted in the call tonight, next week is our big 100th show (give or take a show, depending on exactly how you count) and we're looking forward to celebrating with all of you. Got suggestions for how we should commemorate the occasion? 100 favorite iPhone apps, or 100 moments in Apple history? Give us your input in the comments, and thanks for sticking with us for 100 episodes.

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

Normally we'd just send out a tweet about this (that's usually what we do with free app deals, so if you're not one of the almost 40,000 people following us yet, you definitely should be), but this is a good one, and it's a holiday, so we wanted to make sure you knew. Sega is feeling particularly generous this weekend, so they're giving away free copies of their Columns Deluxe, a port of the old Genesis game, for the iPhone. The game is a pretty straightforward port -- it doesn't have any extras, and the accelerometer controls are a little tacked on from what we hear, but if you like the puzzler gameplay of Columns, and you should, it's a fun one to pull up for a few minutes at a time.

Plus, it's free -- from July 3rd to Monday, July 6th, Sega says it'll be on sale for the low price of nothing at all. Sounds good to us -- sit back, put a few brats and burgers on the grill, grab a Corona (and lime, of course), and enjoy some old-school dropping block gameplay for no money at all.

It's a quiet weekend here at TUAW HQ, as most of our US-based team is enjoying a well-deserved break over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Since everyone's drinking mojitos by the pool, we're not doing a talkcast tonight (sorry!), but you can grab last week's show (featuring host Christina "C-Mac" Warren and the rest of the usual suspects) direct from Talkshoe or subscribe in iTunes.

Here's a quick update on some of the stories making Mac and iPhone news this weekend:

• Daring Fireball's John Gruber weighs in on the upcoming iPhone refresh rumors, citing informed sources who tell him that the CPU and RAM upgrades for the next-generation handheld will deliver impressive performance boosts, making this year's model up to twice as fast as the iPhone 3G. He also backs up the expected addition of a magnetometer and a video-capable improved camera (alongside the long-rumored video editing tools on the phone). You can see a thorough roundup of the state of iPhone rumors over at Wired's Gadget Lab. Perhaps the upcoming iPhone refresh is behind the expected ramp-up in distributed support hiring noted earlier this week.
  
• Kwame Jones discovered a preliminary interface for renting and purchasing movies & TV shows on the iPhone and iPod touch, which should be loads of fun even though it will be limited to WiFi connections.
• MDN and other sites have noted a North Carolina effort to get Apple to build a major server farm in the Tarheel State, with up to $46 million USD in tax incentives available if the company reaches a $1B investment threshold in nine years. Seems a shame that lawmakers declared the scuppernong grape as the official state fruit a few years ago, doesn't it.
• Glenn Fleischman from TidBITS pointed out that the UVA freshman computing survey is out again, showing more impressive gains for the Mac platform year-over-year. UC Davis shows a tripling of share for the Mac over the past three years.
  
• In a very quick turnaround, Cartier sued Apple for two iPhone apps that it claimed ripped off its products -- and then promptly withdrew the action. Nicely done.
• The First Ascent team, videoblogging their way up Mount Everest using solar power and MacBook Pro laptops, reached the summit earlier this week. Congratulations!
• The long-admired Windows photo app ACDsee finally released a Mac beta this week; it's worth a look.
• More photos and inside views from the Zurich Apple Store opening via ifoAppleStore.

Got something that's too good not to share? Give us a tip!

Solely for your lunchtime amusement, we bring you this classic, heartwarming picture of a young family celebrating their new addition around the holidays.

Mac is now 25, and had his first TV appearance last year after a short career as a young actor appearing on TV's Seinfeld. Tom and Beth just finished remodeling their kitchen.

[Via BuzzFeed and EatLiver.com.]

As much as I hate to do it, I'm always willing to admit when I'm wrong, and I was wrong about Ocarina. Not about the app itself, per se -- I still think it's one of the silliest, most pointless apps I've seen on the App Store. But it has been nothing but popular since its release, so apparently lots of people out there are into it. That's fine -- I'm willing to accept that there are best-selling apps out there that I think are dumb.

And maybe this will be another one: Smule, the company behind Ocarina, has decided to follow up with a new app called Zephyr (not to be confused with the MacBook cooling system) that seems just as silly to me. You can draw out messages with an airy sound-and-snowflake interface, and then send those messages blowing around the world (represented, in the official video above, by Las Vegas) to random people who, if they like your messages, will pass them on around the Internet. "What's the point?" you might say, and in that opinion, I'd agree with you. There are lots of ways to send messages around the world, and more than a few of them are quite free and will let you be clearer than drawing snow with wind sounds in the background.

But then again, I didn't see a point to Ocarina, and that made plenty of money. Zephyr is available on the App Store right now for 99 cents. And if you do jump in and buy it, make sure to tell us exactly why in the comments below.

Were you lucky enough to get one of Apple's new, greener portables? Today's prize bundle is geared for the mobile computer user and includes a Thermapak lap pad that helps to cool the machine, a lock to secure the machine in public and an iKlear polish kit for the screen.

I had a chance to use the lap cooling pad, and on my 1st-gen MacBook Pro running Flash and getting quite hot, the pad did a great job of cooling the machine down. There are crystals inside the pad, and as they get hot, they melt, which helps dissipate the heat. My lap no longer felt hot, and when I lifted up the computer the bottom didn't feel painful to the touch. The pad had gone from crunchy to gooey as well, which my kids thought was awesome.

Thanks to Dr. Bott for the prizes today, each of which are among their most popular items.

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment on this post.
• The comment must be left before December 31, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: Thermapak Laptop cooling pad ($30), MicroSaver notebook lock ($44.99), iKlear Apple Polish kit ($24.95),
  
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

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!

It was probably the biggest box under the tree (unless you really splurged on the anniversary edition of the Radio Flyer wagon); now that you've got your new, speedy iMac unpacked and plugged in, what's next?

USB + Input

Despite a full set of three USB ports on the back of the iMac, you're inevitably going to need more ports up front at some point. A hub that makes a fashion-forward statement -- or a retro one -- will be a nice add-on for your machine. If you're going to be importing loads of holiday pictures from your new digicam to your iMac, a standalone SD card reader will be faster than using the camera's tethered upload.

If you're feeling restricted by the included wired Mighty Mouse, you could spring for the wireless Bluetooth version... but believe it or not, Microsoft makes a snazzy Mac-friendly wireless mouse too.

Storage

If you've already got a Time MachineCapsule or other outboard storage, you're all set to begin backing up your new iMac; otherwise, a drive for backup should be first on your post-Christmas shopping list. Western Digital's MyBook Studio Edition matches your iMac's aluminum finish and provides quad-interface storage for backups and more. If you forgo the Firewire, you can find USB-only 1TB drives for around $100US -- no excuse not to get the storage you need. Of course, if you need lots of storage, there is another way.

... a very merry Christmas, happy Hannukah, happy Kwanzaa, and happy New Year! (And a happy Festivus. Sorry! The airing of the grievances may now commence.)

If you're flush enough to give Apple gifts this holiday season, but frugal enough to want to avoid shipping charges and still get your gear in time for Christmas, be mindful: Apple's web store deadline for free express shipping is tonight at midnight Pacific time (3 AM Saturday ET). Most items (including refurb machines) can still be shipped in time if ordered by 12/23 at 10 am PT, for an additional fee; however, tonight is the last chance to put your money down for an engraved iPod.

If you really like the idea of gift shopping at the very last minute and beyond, you do have one option that can take you right into Christmas Day: Apple's flagship 5th Avenue retail store in NYC will be open as usual, 24/7 right through the holiday. My sympathies, in advance, to the retail staffing team that's drawn the short straw and has to work overnight on New Year's Eve... that's going to be messy.

[via Dealnews]

From applications to new friends, finding the right gift for the Twitter addict isn't as easy as it sounds. They're just so busy with all that "tweeting" nonsense. Here are plenty of ideas at a variety of price points that should make your job as the gift-giver a little more pleasant.

How do you know if you've got one on your list? Just answer a few simple questions. Does s/he

• Check Twitter immediately before going to bed? Possibly while in bed? From multiple devices?
  
• Have a stagnant blog, but a bulging Twitter stream?
• Stare at the display for hours at a time so as not to miss a landmark follower or tweet (like #500)?
• Added his or her Twitter handle to business cards, web sites, etc?

If so, you've got yourself an addict, my friend. Here's how you can be their #1 enabler.

Apps

This one goes without saying. No self-respecting Twitter addict is going to want to load twitter.com every time the blue-winged muse strikes. There are several options. Twitterrific and TweetDeck are nice for the desktop, while Tweetsville , Twinkle and mobile Twitterrific are great for the iPhone and iPod touch.

• Twitterrific (Desktop) - Free ad-supported version, $14.95US premium version
• Twitterrific (iPhone/iPod touch) - Free ad-supported version, $9.95US premium version
• TweetDeck - Free
• Tweetsville - $3.99US
  
• Twinkle - Free
  

Additionally, TwitterFox is a (free) Firefox plug-in that lets you send and receive messages from within Firefox.

Update: Several of you suggested I consider Tweetie ($2.99US) as a Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch, which I did. It's very snappy indeed with lots of nice features, like trend monitoring, support for several accounts and more. It's really quite nice. Of course, this isn't a reivew of Twitter clients, but I'm still happy to add another to the list.

Reference

The Dictionary of Concise Writing will help you shorten those lengthy sentences. While you're at it, grab a copy of Webster's New World Thesaurus.

• Dictionary of Concise Writing - $14.95US at Amazon
• Webster's New World Thesaurus - $14.95US at Amazon

Read on for more!

Apple released two new Get a Mac ads, just in time for the holiday season. The two ads, entitled "I Can Do Anything," and "Tree Trimming," are animated, and very amusing.

In the I Can Do Anything ad [direct video link], PC shows off what he can do because he is animated. He then talks to a rabbit that is on its way to the Apple Store.

In the Tree Trimming ad [direct video link], Mac and PC are decorating a tree. When PC plugs in the tree, Mac discovers that the lights actually say... well, we don't want to spoil it (sorry!).

You can watch both of the ads by visiting the Get a Mac ad website.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

December is packed full of holidays, and one of the most ideal situations is receiving a shiny new Mac, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV or other Apple-related product as a gift. But what about the Mac products that you already have? We'll tell you how to spruce up your iPhone, then your Mac, for the holidays. Please note that all application links opens iTunes. All prices given are from the U.S. iTunes Store and are in dollars.

Making a list ...
TUAW recently reviewed Nice List from Polar Bear Farm as a solution to keeping track of your holiday gift list. The application keeps track of whether you've purchased your gift, wrapped, and mailed it. It's not the only holiday-related task manager out there. Christmas List from Better Day Wireless, shown at right, boasts similar features to Nice List, but goes in-depth in a few areas, such as making notes on the gifts that you've purchased. The application also boasts festive graphics throughout, which adds a nice touch to a standard task manager. Both applications do a fantastic job at keeping track of the gifts that you're giving, but Nice List is currently on sale for $.99. However, if you're more attracted to the graphic interface of Christmas List, that might be the better application for you.

• Nice List: $.99 (normally $2.99)
• Christmas List: $2.99

In the midst of the holiday shopping season, MacUpdate is in the process of offering their Holiday Bundle. MacUpdate tells us that their new purchasing system now allows purchases to be gifted, and in this particular bundle if you purchase three copies, you'll receive a fourth free.

The bundle is selling for $49.99US, and includes the following applications at a hefty discount:

• Drive Genius 2
• RapidWeaver 4
• DefaultFolder X 4
• VirusBarrier X 10.5
• MacGourmet Deluxe
• LittleSnitch 2
• KeyCue 4
• MacPilot 3
• WhatSize 4
• iVolume 3

If you're looking for a last minute holiday gift idea for the Mac user in your life, consider MacUpdate's Holiday Promo. The deal runs through December 18, and can be purchased/gifted through the MU Promo website.


Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

For those of you sickened by the commercialism and resulting chaos of the holiday season, here's an idea to make you appreciate the holidays again: follow the concept of paying it forward.

The concept is easy to understand: someone does you a favor, and instead of paying them back, they ask you to do something good for others. I'd like to ask TUAW readers to help take part in a "pay it forward" project. Let me start by telling you about my project this year.

In this case, I feel like the good people in the Denver metro area have done me a favor by helping my Mac consulting business, Raven Solutions, LLC, become a success. Earlier in the month, I received a phone call from a local non-profit called Art from Ashes wondering if I could provide some assistance with Marketcircle's Daylite application. After looking at the group's website and becoming aware of the healing work they do with at-risk youths through poetry therapy, I decided to donate my time as a way of giving back to the community.

Thanks to the magic of the International Date Line, it's already Friday in Australia -- hence the early appearance of the Apple Store discounts for the first Friday of the holiday shopping season. The one-day gift discounts are nice but nothing to jump up and down about... the headliner is probably the A$161 off of the 13" MacBook laptop.

We'll keep an eye out for the US numbers and update you on more shopping deals throughout the day today and tomorrow.

[via Engadget]