If you’re a last minute shopper like me, the next few days are when everything gets done. We’re quickly closing in on the final eligible days to receive free shipping by Christmas Eve from Amazon, so with that in mind we’ve compiled a list of some great Mac gift ideas and deals, whether you are shopping for a loved one or just getting yourself something nice for the holidays.

RAM and SSD upgrades, external monitors and hard drives, USB keys, iPod touches, Kindles, Books about Apple, software downloads, and more:

Steve Jobs, Apple History, and Mac Books

• Steve Jobs, Official Biography – $17.49 – Free shipping eligible
• I, Steve: Steve Jobs in His Own Words – $7.43 – Eligible for free shipping
• Revolution in the Valley: How the Mac Was Made – $16.12 – eligible for free shipping
• iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon – $10.85 – eligible for free shipping
• Mac Kung Fu: 300+ Tips for OS X Lion – $22.63 – eligible for free shipping

Mac RAM Upgrades

• Crucial 8GB Memory Kit (1067MHz) – $36.95 – FREE Shipping
• Corsair Apple 8 GB Dual Channel Memory Kit (1067MHz) – $37.99 – FREE Shipping
• Kingston ValueRAM 8 GB Memory Kit (1333Mhz) – $39.99 – FREE Shipping

SSD Drive Upgrades

• 60 GB OCZ Technology Vertex 2 SSD – $96.84 – FREE Shipping
• 64 GB Kingston SSDNow SSD – $104.99 – FREE Shipping
• 120 GB SanDisk SSD – $129.95 – FREE Shipping
• 120 GB Intel 320 Series SSD – $189.95 – FREE Shipping
• 240 GB OCZ Technology Vertex 2 SSD – $304.99 – FREE Shipping

Software

• MacUpdate Bundle: 12 Mac Apps for $49 – digital distribution
• Parallels Desktop 7 – $55.93 with free shipping
• Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium Student and Teacher Edition – $369.99 with free shipping

Macbook Air

• Macbook Air 11.6″ 2GB/64GB – $939.94 – FREE Super Saver Shipping

iPod Touch and iPod Nano

• 8 GB iPod Touch 4th Gen – $184.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 32 GB iPod Touch 4th Gen – $274.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 64 GB iPod Touch 4th Gen – $359.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 8 GB iPod Nano 6th Gen – $118.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 16 GB iPod Nano 6th Gen – $139 – FREE Super Saver Shipping

External Hard Drives

• 1.5 TB Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive – $129.99 – FREE Shipping
• 2 TB Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive – $138.33 – FREE Shipping
• 2 TB Western Digital My Book Essential External Hard Drive – $154 – FREE Shipping
• 3 TB Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive – $197.95 – FREE Shipping

USB Flash Drives

• 8 GB Kingston DataTraveler Flash Drive – $7.99 – FREE Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
• 8 GB Kingston Digital Flash Drive – $8.99 – FREE Standard Shipping (3-5 days)
• 16 GB SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive – $14.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
• 16 GB SanDisk Cruzer Blade Flash Drive – $15.47 – FREE shipping
• 32 GB Transcend JetFlash Flash Drive – $29.99 – FREE Shipping
• 32 GB SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive – $32.18 including shipping

External Monitors

• 24″ Viewsonic Widescreen LED Monitor 1080p – $179.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 22″ ViewSonic Widescreen 1080p LED Monitor – $149.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• 19″ Acer Widescreen LCD Monitor – $95.87 – FREE Shipping
• 20″ HP LED Monitor – $109.99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping

Kindle

• Kindle Fire – $199 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• Kindle Touch – $99 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• Kindle Touch 3G – $149 – FREE Super Saver Shipping
• Kindle – $79 – FREE Super Saver Shipping

Happy Holidays!

Update: An untethered version is now available, here is our guide: How to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 untethered with redsn0w.

Redsn0w 0.9.9b9 isn’t the first jailbreak for iOS 5.0,1, but it’s certainly much easier to use thanks to native 5.0.1 support. This basically means you don’t have to point it at older firmware to perform the jailbreak, but it does still require a tether boot.

Requirements:

• iOS 5.0.1 installed
• iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, or iPod touch 3rd & 4th generations

If you already have iOS 5.01 installed you do not need to download any IPSW files.

Jailbreaking iOS 5.0.1 using Redsn0w 0.9.9b9

These instructions are the same for all compatible iOS devices and from running redsnow in Mac OS X or Windows:

1. Download redsn0w 0.9.9b9d: Mac OS X or Windows
2. Launch Redsn0w and click on “Jailbreak”
3. Put the iOS device into DFU mode by holding down the power button for 3 seconds, then start holding the Home button as well for an additional 10 seconds, then release the Power button but continue to hold the Home button for another 15 seconds
4. Wait while the jailbreak is installed, this will take a few minutes. When finished you will see a “Tethered Jailbreak” popup window reminding you of the tethered status and the iPhone screen will no longer display gibberish text
5. Still in Redsn0w, click back to the first screen and click on the “Extras” button
6. Click on “Just Boot” and put the device back into DFU mode again the same way as before, or follow on screen, then let the iOS device boot tethered

Your iOS device will now boot jailbroken and is free to use Cydia.

Remember that if the battery dies or if you reboot the device manually, you’ll need to perform the tethered boot with redsn0w assistance again. This is the difference between a tethered vs untethered jailbreak and why people prefer untether solutions, the untether is in the works for iOS 5 but not yet available to the public. We’ll keep you posted when we learn more.

Update: Links to redsn0w 0.9.9b9d have been updated.

Update 2: You can now untether existing iOS 5.0.1 jailbreaks with Corona

Update 3: Redsn0w 0.9.10b1 is an untethered jailbreak now available, here is how to use it

Macs don’t have a “Print Screen” button like their Windows PC keyboard counterparts, but taking screenshots from a Mac that is booted into Windows by way of Boot Camp is easy with a few keyboard shortcuts. The secret is remembering which keys to press, and beyond that the process of printing screen captures in Boot Camp is simple.

Let’s review the primary screen capture options for Boot Camp.

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The Emoji keyboard and all emoji characters are now included directly in iOS for all iPhone (and iPad / iPod touch) users to access, it just needs to be enabled first. Adding the Emoji symbols to your keyboard is simple and only takes a moment, and because virtually every Apple device supports the icon graphics display, those you interact with will be able to see the emoji icons on their iPhones and iPads too, even if they don’t have the keyboard enabled themselves (though they will probably quickly want to turn Emoji on once they see yours!). After it’s enabled, you will gain access to literally hundreds of Emoji icons, which can be inserted anywhere that typing is allowed.

Ready to have fun with Emoji? Here is how to add the special keyboard to any iOS device including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
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Redsn0w 0.9.9b9 has been released by the iPhone DevTeam to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1. It is still a tethered jailbreak and the process is mostly the same as before, except users no longer have to point the redsn0w application at older 5.0 IPSW.

Supported hardware continues to be iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod touch 3rd or 4th gen. The iPad 2 and iPhone 4S are yet to work, but the upcoming untethered iOS 5 jailbreak should bring those two devices as well.

Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d

Mac and Windows versions are available:

• Download now (Mac OS X)
• Download now (Windows)

If you’re already jailbroken on iOS 5.0.1, this version of redsn0w won’t be of much use to you, although the updated version includes a variety of bug fixes and minor changes to supported hardware.

Update: Here is a guide on how to use redsn0w 0.99b9 to jailbreak iOS 5.01

Update 2: Updated links to latest version, Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d

Apple has started to air a new Christmas themed TV ad for the iPhone 4S and Siri featuring none other than Santa Claus. The commercial is the most entertaining iPhone 4S ad yet and features Santa asking Siri for directions, what kind of weather to expect at various locations around the country, requesting an email from Mrs Claus, and finally asking about his schedule, which Siri responds is filled with 3.7 billion appointments.

The ad has the same background music as past iPhone 4S commercials, which actually sounds a bit like Christmas music at this point. It’s also worth pointing out that the ad doesn’t even mention either the iPhone 4S or Siri by name, it just shows an Apple logo at the end.

You can watch the video below, or just wait for it to show on TV.

The recently aired BBC documentary Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy may have a dumb name, but the show itself is worth a watch for anyone interested in the subject matter. About an hour long, it features classic footage of Steve Jobs, in addition to interviews with a variety of Apple execs and industry leaders, including Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Andy Hertzfeld, Tim Berners-Lee, Avie Tevanian, and many more names that will be familiar if you follow Apple history or have read the Steve Jobs biography.

The video looks to have been posted to YouTube unofficially, so watch it while you can.

A helpful command line tool called hdiutil is included in Mac OS X that allows disk image files (.dmg extension) to be mounted directly from the Terminal, without the need of using the GUI. Using hdiutil for such a task is helpful for scripting or remote connections through SSH.

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This reader submitted Mac setup features a dual use Mac Mini and a MacBook Pro, as well as a bunch of great iOS gear. The Mac Mini connects to a TV to function as a digital hub for the household, alternating between the 32″ TV shown in the picture and a 55″ HDTV in another room, where it serves up video, pictures, and other media.

The hardware shown includes:

• Mac Mini 2010 8GB RAM, 320GB HD
• Samsung 32″ LCD TV/Monitor
• MacBook Pro 13″ late 2011, 8GB RAM, 500 GB HD
• iPhone 4 16 GB (Verizon)
• iPod Touch 4 32GB
• iPad 2 White 16GB
• Apple Wireless Keyboard
• Apple Magic Trackpad
• Seagate 2 TB External HD (via AEBS)
• Not shown: Apple Airport Extreme Base Station, Apple Airport Express (extender)

The background image shown on both Macs is the planned new Apple “Spaceship” campus set to be built in Cupertino, California.

If you want to setup a Mac Mini media center yourself, we’ve covered two guides in the past: a simple walkthrough for a basic media center and a full featured media center with remote torrent capabilities.

Thanks for sending this in P! You can submit your own Apple gear setup shots to: osxdailycom@gmail.com

The recently released iPhone 4S specific build of iOS 5.0.1 resolves an ongoing SIM card issue that was effecting some users. The issue would cause some iPhone 4S’s to not recognize a SIM card, with the iPhone reporting a “No SIM Card Installed” or “Invalid SIM” error message, in addition to the phone not connecting to a cellular network.

To resolve the error, users have two choices:

• Backup and restore the iPhone through iTunes, then restore the iPhone from the last backup – easiest approach and recommended by Apple
• Download 9A406 directly and reinstall manually using the IPSW – more advanced

This makes the latest iOS 5.0.1 update a welcome change for iPhone 4S users who frequently encountered the problem, and this also answers the question as to what exactly the iPhone 4S specifc 9A406 build of iOS 5.0.1 aimed to accomplish. Thanks to MacRumors for discovering this.

Want to compare hard disk performance or see just how big of a speed difference that SSD upgrade had? Grab the free Disk Speed Test tool from the Mac App Store, it’s a quick and simple way to measure drive performance. The app works by creating large blocks of temporary data that are written to the drive and then read, allowing for a consistent benchmark across multiple Macs or disks. The UI is easy to understand and there’s no frills, just launch the app and the test starts.

• Download Disk Speed Test free from the Mac App Store

It’s not exactly scientific, but it’ll give you a good idea of performance changes with upgrades or different disks, just note the read and write speeds both before and after an upgrade, or have your friends run it on their Mac to test speeds across drives.

For example, a MacBook Air might write to an SSD at around 180mb/sec and read at 220mb/sec, whereas a standard 5400 RPM drive in a MacBook Pro may only write at 45mb/sec and read at 60mb/sec. Many third party SSD’s perform even better than the MacBook Air, and these kind of numbers really drive home the day-to-day performance boost you’ll see with an SSD upgrade. If you’re in the market for one, check out the deals on SSD drives at Amazon and get yourself an early Christmas present.

We’re suckers for new wallpapers around here, and iOS 5.1 includes four new gorgeous background pictures sized at 1024×1024 for the iPad. Extracted from the iOS 5.1 beta releases, 9to5mac found and resized the images to fit the iPhone 640×960 display as well.

Grab them in a bundle from Mediafire or via the 9to5 links below:

iPad (1, 2, 3, 4)

iPhone (1, 2, 3, 4)

Many share similarities to those found in OS X Lion, the beach image looks like it’s probably from the same photo shoot as the one included on the Mac.

If your iPhone Wi-Fi connection seems inexplicably slow, particularly when having moved from one wireless network to another, try manually setting custom DNS servers. This speeds up the response time and your wireless connectivity in general.

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Just like you can add spacers between app icons in the OS X Dock (the left side), we can also add these same spacers to the right-side of the Dock, where the Applications, Documents, Downloads, and Trash icons live.

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Apple is said to be working on a smaller iPad with a 7.85″ display, according to a new report from Digitimes. Citing sources in the supply chain, the “iPad Mini” is suggested to debut late in 2012, not alongside the expected iPad 3 release earlier in the year.

Digitimes sources suggest that Apple decided to produce the smaller iPad to handle increasing competition in the tablet marketplace, specifically from the Kindle Fire:

However, in order to cope with increasing market competition including the 7-inch Kindle Fire from Amazon and the launch of large-size smartphones from handset vendors, Apple has been persuaded into the development of 7.85-inch iPads, the sources indicated.

Getting more specific, the display panels for the device are said to be supplied by LG and AU Optronics, and that production will begin at the end of the second quarter of next year.

This isn’t the first time a report of an iPad with a smaller 7.85-inch display has surfaced. Last month, an analyst report also suggested that a smaller iPad would be released sometime in 2012, in addition to the iPad 3 with a retina display.

iOS apps are downloaded as bundles with a .ipa file extensions, but they are stored in different places than your default iOS backups location. If you want to access iPhone and iPad apps manually, here’s where to find them for both Mac OS X Lion, Snow Leopard, and Windows 7:

The easiest way to access these directories is by hitting Command+Shift+G and using Go To Folder, note the path is different depending on the OS:

• Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications/
• Mac OS X 10.6: ~/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications/
• Windows 7: C:\Users\Username\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Mobile Applications\

As long as you’ve downloaded and bought the apps from the same Apple ID and all hardware has been authorized with iTunes, you can move the .ipa bundles from one machine to another, place them in the appropriate folder, and they will continue to sync with the approved iOS hardware. (You won’t want to do this with a new Mac though, you need to authorize it first within iTunes.)

Most of the IPA files are pretty small, but if an apps file size seems too small, it’s probably because it was paused in the middle of a download from iTunes. That doesn’t mean you don’t own the app, it just means you have to download it again if you want to use and sync it. Generally the app sizes are reasonable enough and you wouldn’t need to move this directory to another drive, but for unique scenarios, go for the same methodology of moving iOS backups to another drive and using symbolic links to keep everything working as intended.

Apple has rolled out two minor iOS updates, the first is for the second generation Apple TV and the second for the iPhone 4S. For Apple TV 2, the new build (9A406a) updates system software to 4.4.4, but it’s unclear exactly what the changes are, indicating this is likely a bug fix update. For iPhone 4S, it’s simply a new build (9A406) of iOS 5.0.1, and also doesn’t appear to offer any significant changes.

You can get the updates directly through either devices software update, although the iPhone 4S update doesn’t appear unless you haven’t updated to 5.0.1 yet anyway, indicating it’s not a crucial update for all users. If you prefer to use IPSW manually, these are the direct download links from Apple:

• Apple TV 2 4.4.4 9A406a IPSW (direct download link)
• iPhone 4S iOS 5.0.1 9A406 (direct download link)

There is some speculation that the iPhone 4S update may relate to international releases of the device, which is occurring tomorrow in a variety of new countries, including Russia, Brazil, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and Vietnam.

If you use the multi-desktop Spaces feature of Mission Control often, you’ll probably like a hidden gesture in Mac OS X that lets you immediately jump back to the most recently used Space with just a four-fingered tap on the trackpad (or Magic Mouse). Here’s how to enable the gesture with a defaults write command.
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