If you were wondering whether to get Parallels 6 or VMware for virtualization, then some recent tests by MacTech may have the answer for you. In a series of benchmarks pitting the new Parallels 6 vs VMware Fusion 3.1, Parallels is the hands-down winner. In 84% of the tests performed, Parallels 6 beat the competition in everything from general performance benchmarks to I/O, CPU footprint, Office performance, and 3D graphics and 3D games.

The scores in 3D graphics and games are even more in Parallels 6 favor, with Parallels beating VMware in 92% of the tests run. This doesn’t surprise me considering the amazing Parallels 6 gaming performance we saw earlier in the year.
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Today is the last day to get the new iPod Touch 32GB plus a free $25 Amazon Gift Card for just $269.99:

• iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) for $269.99 with free shipping – $30 off from Amazon, usually sells for $299
• $25 Amazon.com Gift Card – add this to your cart as well, becomes free at checkout

To get the deal, add the iPod touch 32 GB and the $25 gift card to your Amazon shopping cart. When you check out, the gift card will become free. Free shipping is included as usual. The deal expires 12/18 at 11:59 PST, so hurry up!

This continues to be the best deal on the 4th gen iPod Touch 32GB model available right now, it’s $30 off the regular price plus you get a free $25 gift card, where can you beat that?

Unreal Development Kit, or UDK, is now available to download for developing on the iOS platform. UDK offers the same Unreal Engine behind hit games like Unreal, Gears of War, and the recently released iPhone hit Infinity Blade.

The kit offers multiple tools a developer needs to create impressive 3D visualizations and graphics for the iOS platform including Unreal Editor and various lighting, scripting, cinematic, and particle designer tools. Additionally, UDK includes the full source code to the iOS game “Epic Citadel” so you can see a working example of just how everything operates together.

UDK for iOS: Windows-based iPhone Development?
Now here comes the odd part, despite the UDK release supporting iOS development, the current beta tools only run on Windows. This is odd for two reasons; one, and most obviously odd, all other iOS development must be done on a Mac through the iOS SDK; and two, UDK running on Windows means that Windows based developers can now build and deploy iOS applications directly from Windows to an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (at least for testing purposes).

The Silver Lining: Infinity Blade is Just the Beginning
While this Windows-only limitation is sure to frustrate many Mac based game developers, the potential upside to consumers is this; the Windows gaming world is already full of great games that are built with UDK’s Unreal Engine. This means, theoretically at least, that complex games like Gears of War, Mass Effect, Medal of Honor, and Unreal Tournament 3 could come to the iPhone and iPad some day in the near future. So while Infinity Blade is undoubtedly impressive, it’s very likely just the tip of the coming iOS iceberg of graphically rich games.

Check out the UDK demo video below, it’s a pretty impressive walkthrough:
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This has to be the geekiest Christmas concert ever performed, as the North Point iBand (what?) performs Feliz Navidad entirely on iPhones, iPads, and the iPod touch using various apps.

If the first video wasn’t enough for you, here’s another with even more Christmas songs:
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It’s no secret that we’re heavy proponents of dual monitors, but this setup goes even further: this is a MacBook Air 11″ model driving 4 screens! OK now a few of the screens are really just for novelty, but this setup looks cool regardless.

That little tiny screen below the Apple Cinema Display is a MIMO UM-710S USB Powered 7 Inch LCD which apparently has a 800×480 resolution. It looks like it’s running an IRC client but a screen that size would also make for a good full-time Twitter, iTunes, or news feed display.

The picture is from Flickr via CultOfMac, and they say the Apple IIc on the far left is powered through a USB to Serial adapter.

The MacBook Air 11″ is clearly serving as the primary machine here, something that many critics argued the 11″ wouldn’t be powerful enough to do. Nonsense, just hook up an external monitor (or 4) and you’ve got yourself a workstation!

Whether you are already an iOS developer or you’re looking to get started, you’re in luck. Apple is offering six free iOS development books to download through their iBooks app. The free development books are:

• iOS Human Interface Guidelines
• iOS Technology Overview
• Object Oriented Programming With Objective-C
• iOS Application Programming Guide
• Cocoa Fundamentals Guide
• The Objective-C Programming Language

To download your own copies, launch iBooks, tap on “Store” and search for “Apple Developer Publications” where they’ll all be listed.

Apple recommends grabbing the latest iBooks 1.2 update before downloading the free books. Due to the iBooks requirement, you’ll need either an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to download them for now, although I wouldn’t be too surprised to see iBooks come to the Mac when the Mac App Store is released next month.

Considering the high cost of iPhone app development, grabbing a few free books and learning on your own may be the best way to have an app idea come to fruition.

The ability to set iTunes allowances is a great way to manage a kids spending habits on the iTunes Store. An allowance on the iTunes Store encompasses music, video, and app purchases. If you plan on gifting an iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone to a child, this is a helpful service to implement beforehand.

Setting up an iTunes Store Allowance

You can adjust the allowance amount and even have it recurring. Here’s how to set it up:

• Launch iTunes
• Click on ‘iTunes Store’ on the left
• Select “Buy iTunes Gifts” from the Quick Links section on the right
• Scroll down to the bottom and look for the piggybank graphic in the Allowances section
• Click on “Set up an allowance now”
• This next screen is where you set the allowance information:

• You can set a monthly iTunes allowance from $10 to $50, and you can set the allowance to become active immediately and to renew on the first of each month
• Fill out the recipients Apple ID and a personal message, and click ‘Continue’

The other nice thing about the iTunes allowance program is that any unused funds roll over into the next month. If the money continues to go unspent, you can close the account and withdraw the funds that are left in it.

Combining this with disabling in-App purchases is a good way to control spending habits and avoid excessive bills. If it comes down to it, you can also request a refund from the iTunes App Store.

If you want to set your Mac to always have the same IP address (also known as a static IP address), you can easily configure this to be set in the Network settings of OS X. This can be valid for both wi-fi networks and wired ethernet networks, and it can also be set under a specific network location if desired.

We’ll walk through how to set a manual IP address in Mac OS X, this is the same in all versions of OS X system software so it will not matter what version is on your Mac.

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If you want to take a screenshot of an iPhone that has a Home button, then you’ll find the process to be super simple. In fact, taking a screenshot using an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is really easy, and the process is the same on all devices regardless of which model it is as long as they have a physical Home button to press.

Let’s jump right in and learn how get a picture of the devices screen captured:

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If you’re looking for an iPad stand that actually looks like it belongs to an Apple product, this just might be it. The Elago P2 stand is made out of aluminum and looks like it came right out of Apple to go perfectly with the iPad, in fact it makes the iPad look a lot like a miniature iMac.

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You can save phone numbers that automatically dial extensions with your iPhone. Essentially this allows you to add the extension number to a contact number, and when that contact is dialed, the extension will automatically dial after the call is answered by the automated phone system. There are so many uses for this as you can imagine, and it can really help to navigate through phone menu systems. Let’s learn how to set this up on any iPhone.

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Update: The Mac App Store and Mac OS X 10.6.6are now available through System Update. You can also Download Mac OS X 10.6.6 Directly and the updaters include the Mac App Store.

Apple has announced that the Mac App Store will be released on January 6, 2011. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch date, and both free and paid apps will be available through the store. Steve Jobs is looking to replicate the iTunes App Store success on the Mac platform:

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.”

The Mac App Store will feature the same one click purchase and install process that has been widely popularized on the iOS App Store. Apple goes on to say that purchased apps will be able to run on all of your personal Macs, and updates to these apps will be delivered through the Mac App Store.

The Mac App Store will run on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (and beyond) and will be available to users as a free download through Software Update.

You can read the full press release from Apple.

Two interesting reports came out yesterday, the first from DigiTimes who, citing component manufacturers, claims “that Apple plans to launch at least four upgraded MacBook Pros” in the first half of 2011. These new MacBook Pro’s are also said to feature a slight modification to the chassis, and they will reportedly include the new Mac OS X 10.7 Lion operating system.

Now this rumor sounds pretty realistic, of course Apple is going to release new MacBook Pro’s next year right? My guess is the chassis change will be a general slimming of the case to accommodate for a lighter and more MacBook Air type of enclosure in the Pro lineup. Of course I could be wrong but based on Steve Jobs words, it sounds like the natural progression of the portable line. So that is interesting right? Well I think this next report might be more interesting, and also may end up relating to the MacBook Pro.

CNET is reporting that Intels new Sandy Bridge Quad-Core chips will be making their way into 15″ and 17″ laptops as early as January 2011 at the Consumer Electronic Show expo. See what could be going on here? Judging by the current MacBook Pro 15″ and 17″ models, I think there is a good chance that we’ll see these new Intel Sandy Bridge chips in the next revision of the MacBook Pro lineup. Also interesting to note is that dual-core versions of the Sandy Bridge CPU’s will be available a few months after the quad-core release, so maybe we’ll see the MacBook Pro 13″ finally abandon the Core 2 Duo and make a jump to the new Intel Sandy Bridge CPU as well.

Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors are expected to bring significantly better performance as well as better power management. Assuming the architecture is adopted by Apple, this should mean more powerful portable Macs with even longer battery life. CNET also expects that NVidia GPU’s will be bundled alongside the Sandy Bridge CPU:

Nvidia’s graphics chips are expected to be used in a number of Sandy Bridge laptops. Most of those systems will use Nvidia’s Optimus technology, which switches between Intel’s integrated graphics and Nvidia’s processor, based on power-saving and performance requirements, respectively.

This would be similar to how MacBook Pro Core i5 and Core i7 models currently operate, switching between the onboard Intel and NVidia GPU’s when needed.

Until there’s anything concrete, treat all of this as rumor and speculation, but it looks like 2011 could be an exciting year for the MacBook Pro line.

The Sudden Motion Sensor is designed to protect your Macs hard drive in the event of a computer being dropped or an unusually strong vibration. Essentially what it does is park the hard drive head when movement is detected, which prevents it from potentially scooting across the disk surface and scratching or otherwise damaging the drive or drive head.

Generally speaking, you will want to always have the SMS sensor enabled, but Apple mentions that certain environments are susceptible to unnecessary drive head parking due to the SMS. Basically the SMS detects a strong vibration and then the hard drive parks which can cause video and music playback issues, amongst other annoyances. This is particularly true with concert halls with strong acoustics, recording studios, dance and night clubs, and even walking workstations (the ones with a treadmill under a standing desk). Also, some owners of SSD drives may want to disable the feature.

Disable Sudden Motion Sensor on a Mac Laptop

This works to disable the Sudden Motion Sensor on the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, PowerBook, and iBook running Mac OS X 10.6 and lower:

• Launch Terminal
• Type the following at the command line: sudo pmset -a sms 0
• Hit return and enter your password

The SMS sensor is now disabled, it’s just as easy to reenable again by changing the zero to a one when you need the protection back:
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Apple may have blown out their stock during the refurb iPad sale but Buy.com still has a few in stock with free shipping.

• Refurbished iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi for $459 with free shipping

I’ll maintain my past advice, getting a refurbished Apple product is a good bargain since Apple products are rarely discounted. That said, you should also buy the AppleCare Extended Warranty which adds an additional 2 years of warranty protection to the iPad. If something ever goes wrong, you’ll really appreciate the coverage.

Apple has released a minor update to iTunes that covers various bug fixes. Here are the release notes from Apple regarding the fixes:

What’s new in iTunes 10.1.1

This release provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Addresses an issue where some music videos may not play on Macs equipped with NVIDIA GeForce 9400 or 9600 graphics.

• Resolves an issue where iTunes may unexpectedly quit when deleting a playlist that has the iTunes Sidebar showing.

• Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit when connecting an iPod to a Mac equipped with a PowerPC processor.

• Addresses an issue where some music videos may not sync to an iPod, iPhone, or iPad.

Download iTunes 10.1.1 Update

You can grab the iTunes 10.1.1 update directly from Software Update under the Apple menu, or by going to Apple’s iTunes site.

One of the underused and certainly under appreciated features of Mac OS X are Smart Folders. If you aren’t familiar with Smart Folders, they essentially let you create a virtual folder that uses search operators from Spotlight to let that virtual folder contain any and all files that match the search requirements. Sound confusing? It’s really not, here’s a practical example:

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If you have an SSD on your Mac, listen up. You can replicate TRIM SSD functionality in Mac OS X by using this great tip from one of our readers, here’s Curt explaining: “I just got a MacBook Air and like many others I was surprised to learn Mac OS X doesn’t support TRIM. I found a workaround, here it is:”

Update 2: You can use a third party TRIM enabler tool for Mac OS X 10.6.7 or later, that actually enables TRIM rather than trying to replicate it.

Update / Warning: There have been reports that using this method slows down the SSD’s speed. Excessive writes to an SSD can also limit its lifespan. Until Mac OS X natively supports TRIM, your best bet may be to backup your files, reformat the drive, and then copy the files back to the drive (frustrating, I know). You may wish to read the comments below before trying this out on your own SSD drive. Proceed at your own risk and always have a complete file system backup handy!

• Launch Disk Utility, located in /Applications/Utilities/
• Select your SSD from the left side drive list
• Click on the “Erase” tab (don’t worry it won’t start formatting things)
• Look for and click on the “Erase Free Space” button near the bottom as seen in the screenshot

• Let the “Erase Free Space” function run
• Close Disk Utility when it’s finished

Curt describes how this work as follows: “What this does is write 0’s over previously deleted files, which makes it easier to later write to that block again, this is similar to the TRIM function. Here’s a simplification of how TRIM works for comparison; it clears deleted blocks on the SSD so that they are understood as empty when it’s time to write back to that block. I would recommend using this tip about once a month as a regular system maintenance plan, or after deleting a large amount of files from your SSD.”
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