Here are a few Apple software and computing-related sales going on that might be of interest:

MacUpdate Winter Bundle: $49.99 for $741 worth of software, 12-app bundle including TechTool Pro 6, Mac DVD Ripper Pro, Folder Synchronizer, and lots more

Pong Research, best radiation-reducing iPhone and iPad cases. iPad and iPad2 case sale.

Paragon Software sale — NTFS for Mac allows full read-write capability for Mac users who want to use hard drives formatted for Windows (NTFS). Christmas countdown, save 50%.

Productive Mac’s power-user productivity suite on sale, 8-app bundle including DefaultFolderX, LaunchBar, BusyCal & more. Package deal, $39.

Dynadot: domain name registrar, the best, is having a .COM renewal sale, now through December 25th (1 yr renewals only): save $0.25 off every .COM renewal. Use code: HOLIDAYRENEWAL

RF3 ENVi Natural Wood Cell Phone Headsets, which reduce cell-phone radiation exposure. See Amazon.com for 4 different models:

• mono (single ear-piece, good for driving)
• stereo (two ear-pieces)
• mono with earhook (single ear-piece, good for driving, with ear-hook to help it stay in place)
• stereo with earhook (to help it stay in place)

NYT: “Starbucks to Offer Free Wi-Fi”, to ALL now, not just ATT subscribers. Nice work! - http://nyti.ms/b0sZxy

Apple Surpasses Microsoft as Most Valuable Technology Company

The New York Times
Wed, May 26, 2010 — 3:02 PM ET
——-

Apple, the maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads, overtook
Microsoft, the computer software giant, on Wednesday to
become the world’s most valuable technology company.

In intraday trading in the afternoon session, Apple shares
rose 1.8 percent, which gave the company a value of $227.1
billion. Shares of Microsoft declined about 1 percent, giving
the company a market capitalization of $226.3 billion.

This changing of the guard caps one of the most stunning
turnarounds in business history, as Apple had been given up
for dead only a decade earlier. But the rapidly rising value
attached to Apple by investors also heralds a cultural shift:
Consumer tastes have overtaken the needs of business as the
leading force shaping technology.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/technology/27apple.html?emc=na

A friend of mine is in the process of deciding between an iPad and a MacBook Air. Here are my three cents on the matter!

One of her concerns was that she couldn’t work on documents on the iPad…

Although it is not the iPad’s forte, one will be able to manipulate documents in the iPad, it just won’t be as easy, or the same, as on a computer. You’ll have the ability to open, read, edit, and create new docs, but it will not be in the native word application you are used to on your computer. There will be a “good” mobile application to do it, you’ll be able to type, make comments, and create documents, but the keyboard will be touch-screen (unless you buy the external keyboard for the iPad!). The touchscreen keyboard will be a biger version of the iPhone’s keyboard. So, it will not be as functional as a word processing machine as a computer.

Let’s compare specs (note, “depth” on the iPad is to be contrasted with “height” on the Air):

iPad specs: $729 (wi-fi + 3G, 32GB — minimum reasonable specs, in my opinion), or $829 (wi-fi + 3G, 64GB)

Height:  9.56 inches (242.8 mm)

Width:  7.47 inches (189.7 mm)

Depth:  0.5 inch (13.4 mm)

Weight:  1.6 pounds (0.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

MacBook Air specs: $1,499 (1.86 GHz base model)

Height:  0.16-0.76 inch (0.4-1.94 cm)

Width:  12.8 inches (32.5 cm)

Depth:  8.94 inches (22.7 cm)

Weight:  3.0 pounds (1.36 kg)

Physical comparison: the MacBook Air is a bit bigger in form factor (11 x 9 inches) as compared to the iPad (7.5 x 9.5 inches), and the Air weighs in at roughly twice as much (3 lbs) as opposed to the iPad at 1.6 lbs.

Functionally, the two are quite different. The Air is a computer, the iPad something less than a computer. This is not to say that the Air trumps all — the iPad comes with connectivity that that Air does not. Out of the box, the iPad gives you Wifi and 3G connectivity (assuming you get the iPad 3G, which it would be silly not to), so you are connected on the road, when you’ll be using it most (probably). The Air requires either a Wifi connection, ethernet connection, or a USB broadband mobile connection (which will run roughly $60/month, plus taxes, and is yet another thing to deal with, subscribe to, set up, etc.) in order to connect to the internet, browse, check email, etc.

The Air is a real computer, with a real keyboard, and it can run the same applications you use every day on your other computer(s). The iPad runs applications similar to those on the iPhone—mini-applications, light applications—although it will have added word processing functionality that the iPhone does not (yet?) have. Apple is designing a new word-processing suite to be able to deal with documents of all types on the iPad. It is a serious question, however, how native they will feel, how seamlessly they will integrate/sync with desktop versions, and how easy the touch-screen keyboard will be to use. That said, the $69 iPad Keyboard (external, a “real” keyboard) will presumably alleviate the keyboard problems, except for the fact that you have another piece of equipment to carry with you.

So, it’s a weighing of functionality, price, size, and feel. I suggest that you get both in your hands at an Apple store before jumping on one, unless it’s absolutely clear which is right for you. If you like the connectivity, think you will use the iPad as an e-reader (to read the NYT?), and to do some emailing and document creation/editing on the road (but not all that that much), then the iPad is probably the one. If it’s road-warrior computing you’re planning on doing, typing a lot, then the Air is probably your best bet.

That’s my take for the moment! Until we get real world reviews from users who are using the word-processing functionality on the iPad, we won’t really know how feasible the iPad is as a mobile work horse for document-manipulation. I’m convinced it’ll be good enough for browsing, reading websites, reading books, and doing simple email (though long typing will be troublesome without the external add-on keyboard I bet, just as it is on the iPhone, but requiring larger pecking motions!). 

so, a friend asked what my favorite iphone apps are. pics are best, so i took screen shots (press power and home button at the same time and it will take a shot of your iphone screen, whatever may be displayed). some built in apps are still on my first homescreen.

—

screen 1. daily use.

camera (need quick access). wish i could get there quiker, unlocking with a code. often just barely get the shot…

settings, always messin in there.

clock. wish it were more fully functioned. i use this many times a day.

mylite flashlight, easy to find in the dark

voice memos ; wow, fantastic. nice syncing

calculator of course

compass

ipod

convertbot, the best converter. awsome

pastebot, sweet clipboard manager, with MacOSX desktop wifi sync, copy and paste to your desktop-iphone or vv. really nice. love the bots.

evernote. love it. but don’t use it all that much right now

tumblr iphone app. goes without saying. awesome. if you haven’t figured out you’re reading a tumblr blog, wake up! this is hot stuff, man.

netnewswire. best RSS feeder that syncs with google, with a nice MacOSX client app too, with the same name. imperfect, but the best i’ve found so far. only way to read news IMHO.

mail. don’t use it that much now that i don’t use a data connection much, usually home on wifi so at my computer is easier.

tweetie. best twitter client for iphone (and macosx). clean. sophisticated. simple. elegant. awesome.

airsharing pro. last on home page but used very often. file syncing from iphone to mac/pc. really sweet. good pdf viewer. i have a 10,000 page pdf of a dictionary on there. works fast. awesome. use it every day. can’t live without it. acts as a server, loads as a server on the desktop. wow. worth every penny of the $9 it costs.

—

screen 2. not daily use, but lots.

skype. love it. wifi talking for free from india to us with my plan. can’t live iwthout it

safari. don’t do too much browsing here, with very limited and expensive data plan.

facebook. ok. much rather interface with tumblr or twitter, tho.

maps

photos. usually get there from camera app.

contacts. usually get there from phone app.

the weather channel. good weather. nice app.

wikiamo. good wikipedia app. needs an internet connection, tho

dictionary. wow, dictionary.com dictionary is really fantastic. works off line too. very sweet.

sun n moon. nice app.

siri. personal digital assistant. if you’re stateside, get this app. it’s free. useless to me in india tho

currency. nice free currency converter.

first class client. if you interface with a first class servers for work, this is essential.

—

screen 3. games. i’ve played the first two often, and really just those. don’t play much, except when waiting for india to get off indian time…

funkyball. best game ever. until you play every level, and realize you’ve just exhosted it all. play more, unlock more balls, but really, savor the initial 20 hrs of playtime, you’ll never find it again!

doodlejump. pretty darn good. get it.

labyrinth. nice, clean.

topple

trace

skee-ball. um, probably NOT worth the 99c

uniwar. pass

fargoal. played once. mistake of a 99c

c-kaku. japanese wierdness game.

kapowie. fun for 10 min. pass

lab-maze free. donno

G the flying squirrel. dumb. kinda funny.

wild wild train. donno.

phazeLite. potential in a futuristic driving game. maybe fun if you get good.

unblockme. nice tetris like game