Amazon is one of the hottest places to shop this Cyber Monday, they have tons of deals for just about anything you can imagine from TV’s to books to computers. I’ll highlight a few good tech deals but if you’re shopping you ought to head over to Amazon.com Cyber Monday Deals to see everything, there are just too many deals to list.

All items include free shipping from Amazon.com.

External Hard Drive Deals

• Western Digital WD Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $69 – 47% off retail
• Western Digital WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for $89.99 – 41% off retail

Mac Software Deals

• Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 – Single License for $79.99 – 33% off retail
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for $46.22 after rebate – 49% off retail

Mac Hardware Deals

Apple hardware is rarely on sale, but Amazon has some pretty good Cyber Monday deals on MacBooks

• Mac Mini 2.4GHz for $612.50 – 12% off retail
• MacBook Pro 13″ 2.4GHz for $1098 – 8% off retail
• MacBook Air 11.6″ for $969.99 – 3% off retail

Check out Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday Deals for tons more

This is a handy Finder tip for those who like to use the Column View of the OS X file manager: you can zoom into the Mac OS X Finder Column View Preview panes. Here’s how this works using either a key modifier or multitouch trackpad:

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Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 jailbreaks iOS 4.2.1 but also provides the added ability to install baseband firmware that can be unlocked for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G. For other iOS devices, redsn0w 0.9.6b5 will simply jailbreak the device but some models will be a tethered jailbreak.

It’s very important to remember that the 06.15 baseband update for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G that is required for an update is irreversible and it will void your iPhone warranty with Apple. This is currently the only way to unlock 05.14 and 05.15 basebands. Proceed at your own risk.
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Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 has been released for download for both Mac OS X and Windows, and it allows you to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 on iPhone. This new version of redsn0w is particularly valuable to those wanting to unlock their iPhone from baseband 05.14 and 05.15 because it prepares the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G for unlocking with ultrasn0w.

Redsn0w might also be considered easier to use since the application will automatically download the iPad IPSW 3.2.2 file from Apple rather than you having to do it yourself, meaning you only have to point at one IPSW file, which is your own jailbroken version.

Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5

You can grab the latest beta 5 version of redsn0w 0.9.6 for Mac or Windows:

• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Mac – click here
• Download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Windows – click here

Note: these links have been updated to download the rc16, the newest version of redsn0w.

Be sure to keep your device plugged in and powered via USB throughout the entire jailbreak process with redsn0w. For Windows 7 and Vista users, be sure to run redsn0w as Administrator in “Windows XP Compatability Mode” to avoid any errors.

The functionality of Redsn0w 0.9.6b5 is similar to PwnageTool 4.1.3 in that it allows you to upgrade to 06.15 baseband (from the iPad) which is vulnerable to the newly released ultrasn0w 1.2 unlock. This is currently the only way you can unlock certain versions of iPhone baseband.

Update: A new version of redsn0w has been released, you can now download redsn0w 0.9.6rc8, the new version is recommended for all.

The ultrasn0w unlock for iOS 4.2.1 has been released and it works to unlock iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G running iOS 4.2.1 on basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, 05.13.04 in addition to 05.14 and 05.15 via updating to 06.15.00 iPad baseband. Using the ultrasn0w unlock isn’t complicated, but it’s a multi-step procedure that carries a few risks and first requires you to jailbreak your iPhone. Before you get started with the unlock, you need to consider the following:

Important notes about iOS 4.2.1 unlock on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G

• Unlocking your iPhone voids your warranty from Apple
• For basebands 05.14 and 05.15 this iOS 4.2.1 unlock requires you to update to baseband 06.15 from iPad 3.2.2 firmware onto your iPhone, this can not be reversed
• You can not downgrade from baseband 06.15 (the iPad baseband), and you will no longer be able to restore to stock firmware. This means you will forever need to use your custom saved IPSW files!
• And finally, directly from the iPhone Dev Team: “iPhone3GS users with old bootroms who want to go to iOS 4.2.1 should not use PwnageTool! Update to stock iOS 4.2.1 first (through iTunes) then use redsn0w 0.9.6b5 to update your baseband.”

It is important that you understand and accept these risks before proceeding.

How to unlock iOS 4.2.1 on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G using ultrasn0w

If you have older baseband, you can go straight to using ultrasn0w. You can update to iOS 4.2.1 from iTunes but this will update your baseband and require the use of the iPad firmware. Here are the steps to unlock, the process is basically the same with Pwnage or redsn0w:

• If you are using PwnageTool, Basebands 05.14 and 05.15 need to download this iPad IPSW file in addition to PwnageTool 4.1.3 Unlock Edition (Mac)
• You can also just download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 for Mac and Windows
• If using PwnageTool to create a new custom IPSW, use the aforementioned IPSW download (yes its for iPad).
• If using redsn0w 0.9.6b5, the app will automatically download the iPad IPSW for you
• Jailbreak your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS, pointing it at the newly created custom IPSW
• After your iPhone has been jailbroken, reboot the device and then launch Cydia
• Tap on “Manage” and then tap “Sources”
• Tap to “Edit” and then “Add” a repository, and then type the following: http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com
• After the repository has been added, you can search for “ultrasn0w” and download version 1.2
• Download and install ultrasn0w 1.2, this will automatically unlock your iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G
• Restart your iPhone and enjoy your unlock

The process of jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones usually sounds more confusing than it is, just follow instructions carefully. The main problem with this unlock method is that certain baseband versions require the use of an iPad baseband which can not be reversed, this marks your iPhone in an obvious manner to Apple and this is why it voids your warranty with them. Jailbreaking is not illegal but it is frowned upon by Apple, however the difference between a standard jailbreak and this particular unlock is that jailbreaking is reversible, and this unlock is permanent.

Update: the iPhone Dev Team forgot to include the proper bundle for iPhone 3GS users on 4.1 with PwnageTool 4.1.3, but you can fix it rather easily. Here are their comments on the matter:

There’s an error in the bundle for the iPhone3GS 4.1 that prevents the new baseband from being used. If you know your way around OSX, please download the fixed bundle, and unzip it if Safari hasn’t already done so. Then “Show Package Contents” of PwnageTool.app, navigate to Contents->Resources->FirmwareBundles and drop it there. Otherwise, please wait for the updated PwnageTool, or the OSX version of redsn0w coming soon.

Update 2: The redsn0w 0.9.6b5 download is now available for Windows and Mac, it’s an easier method to perform the jailbreak and unlock for many.

Ultrasn0w has been updated to ultrasn0w 1.2 which works to unlock iOS 4.2.1 running on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. If you’re an unlocker that is currently stuck at 05.14 or 05.15 you will need to update to 06.15 (the iPad 3.2.2 firmware) to regain the ability to unlock using the newly available PwnageTool 4.1.3 Unlock Edition or redsn0w update.

Download Ultrasn0w for iOS 4.2.1

You can get ultrasn0w 1.2 from the updated ultrasn0w repository within Cydia, this obviously requires a jailbroken iPhone:

• Launch Cydia
• Add the following repository: http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com
• After the repository has been added, you can then search Cydia for “ultrasn0w” version 1.2

After you download and install ultrasn0w 1.2 you will then be able to unlock your iPhone 3G or 3GS running iOS 4.2.1. This update will allow ultrasn0w to unlock iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, 05.13.04 and 06.15.00 via the iPad IPSW.

PwnageTool 4.1.3 has just been released and includes the ability to unlock iPhone 3G and 3GS with basebands later than 05.13.04 (iPhone 4 is apparently in the works). To do this, you will need to jailbreak using PwnageTool and then download Ultrasn0w for iOS 4.2.1 from Cydia. PwnageTool Unlock Edition works by using the iPad 3.2.2 IPSW file on basebands 05.14 and 05.15, this process is not reversible.

The iPhone Dev Team says that iPhone 3GS users with older bootrom should not use PwnageTool if they want to update to iOS 4.2.1, instead they should use the upcoming redsn0w release to update baseband firmware.

Download PwnageTool 4.1.3 Unlock Edition

You can grab the torrent here or use one of the following download mirrors provided by the Dev Team:

• Mirror 1
• Mirror 2
• Mirror 3
• Mirror 4
• Mirror 5

PwnageTool runs on Mac OS X. There is no PwnageTool for Windows, instead Windows users will want to download redsn0w 0.9.6b5 instead.

If you are not sure what to do, you can learn how to unlock iOS 4.2.1 for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G with ultrasn0w, the unlock does carry some risks for certain baseband versions, since the iPad firmware based unlock is not reversible.

Update: the iPhone Dev Team attached the wrong bundle for iPhone 3GS users with PwnageTool 4.1.3, you can fix this rather easily. Here is what they say about this: Read more »

Your Mac includes a pretty good video player called QuickTime Player, but by default QuickTime won’t play some of the more unique codecs like DivX. You can enable full DivX support by downloading a free QuickTime Player plugin called Perian.

Using QuickTime as a Free DiVX Player on the Mac

Here’s how to get QuickTime to play DivX video:

• Quick out of QuickTime Player (if it’s open)
• Download Perian from here (it’s free)
• Install Perian by double clicking on “Perian.prefPane”
• Relaunch QuickTime Player, it now has DivX codec support

The DivX video should now play trouble free within QuickTime Player.

Downloading and installing something like Perian to play DivX has several advantages, one it’s completely free, and two, Perian supports tons of other video formats, so you are unlikely to encounter any issues when watching movies on your Mac again. The other great thing about Perian is that it doubles as a video conversion utility, which lets you do things like convert an AVI to MOV amongst other formats.

You may notice an excessive amount of disk activity and high CPU utilization from a process called “find” that runs randomly in Mac OS X. This process has been a cause of concern by some users because of it’s behavior, but this is not spyware and the process should not cause worry. If you see the “find” process running you should let it run its course of operation.

What is the “find” process in Mac OS X?
The “find” process is run by user “nobody” and is a normal part of Mac OS X system maintenance, and according to Apple the process clears caches, updates system databases, and removes temporary files that are used by Mac OS X for a variety of functions.

When does “find” run?
You’ll usually see “find” running early in the morning, it’s scheduled to run at 3:15am daily, and then again on 4:30am Saturdays and 5:30am on the first day of a new month. If you leave your Mac running, you likely won’t encounter the process, however if you sleep your Mac, you may notice the process appear in the task manager or Activity Monitor upon the system waking. Sometimes you will the “find” process running concurrently with “makewhatis” and this is also normal.

Despite the name, ‘find’ is not directly related to Spotlight or the mdworker and MDS process and they usually are not run together.

Advanced: adjusting the periodic update schedule
You can read more about the maintenance schedule of Mac OS X by reading the man page for ‘periodic’, to do so, at the command line type the following:

man periodic

You can also manually run ‘periodic’ which will run the maintenance scripts system wide or on a specified directory basis. Additionally, if you know what you are doing you can modify the periodic schedule by editing the periodic.conf file located at:

/etc/defaults/periodic.conf
Editing the periodic schedule should only be considered by advanced users and systems administrators, and a backup of the periodic.conf file should be made prior to adjustment.

The latest version of TinyUmbrella has been released and it’s compatible with iOS 4.2.1. TinyUmbrella lets you save SHSH blobs from compatible hardware, allowing you to upgrade your iOS version while maintaining older versions of baseband.

TinyUmbrella is of particular interest to those who want to unlock their iPhone, if you are looking to unlock your iPhone you should save your existing iOS 4.1 shsh blobs before downloading and updating to iOS 4.2.1. Here’s why this matters, directly from the TinyUmbrella developer:

Do not update to 4.2.1 for the baseband protection. TinyUmbrella is no longer able to kick you out of recovery for that version. TinyUmbrella still works for prior versions and will be able to restore and kick you out of recovery for those versions but 4.2.1 has a baseband version check that will stop your device from booting if your baseband was not updated.

Download TinyUmbrella 4.2.1

You can download the latest TinyUmbrella 4.2.1 from the developers site here or through the links below:

• Get the Mac version 4.21.01 (direct download link) (4.21.12 beta version)
• Get the Windows version 4.21.01 (direct download link) (4.21.11)
• Get the Linux version (direct download link)

If you’re not sure what to do, you can follow our guide to learn how to save SHSH blobs with firmware umbrella.

Here’s a sweet MacBook Pro setup found on Flickr that functions as a portable editing station. Here are the specs according to the flickr page:

MacBook Pro 15″ Core i5 2.4Ghz
4GB of RAM
500GB 7200RPM Seagate Momentus XT Hard Drive
High Res Screen

G-Tech G Drive mini 500GB Hard Drive
Wacom Intuos 3 4″ x 6″ Tablet
Gretagmacbeth Eye-One Display 2 Colorimeter
Calumet UDMA Firewire CF Reader
Apple Magic Mouse
Garmin eTrex Summit HC

The Momentus XT Hybrid is a fantastic drive that we have recommended in the past as the best MacBook Pro hard drive upgrade for the price. That combined with upgrading RAM to 8GB is a great way to get some killer performance from your Mac hardware.

Here’s an awesome setup that really makes the best use of available hardware. On the left, a desktop Hackintosh powers the dual 22″ LG monitors, while an older lampshade iMac runs Linux on the right.

Amazon has tons of awesome sales for Black Friday this year, if you’re shopping for yourself or for others this holiday it’s definitely worth checking out.

The iPod touch seems to be on everyones shopping and wishlist, Amazon has the 8GB model for $30 off, and they’re also selling a Kindle for really cheap:

• iPod touch 8Gb for $199
• Kindle 2 for $89 (will be a featured Lightning Deal at 9am PST)

Prices on other iPod’s seem to fluctuate but the 64GB model was as low as $350 for a brief while before going back up. There’s also a bunch of huge discounts on TV’s, electronics, gadgets, software, books, everything really, it’s Amazon after all. The new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and MacBook are also discounted alongside a bunch of other Apple hardware and accessories, including iPhone and iPad cases.

Check out Amazon Black Friday sales for much more and shop away. Who needs to go to a physical store when you have the web?

Apple hardware is rarely discounted so when you can find a sale it’s always nice. There are some good deals out there for new MacBook Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Air models this Black Friday. Apple isn’t discounting all of their hardware, but Amazon is stepping in where Apple left off and offering discounts on the same gear with free shipping. If you’re looking to save some money, here are some of the deals floating around:
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Apple has posted their Black Friday sales deals for both the Apple Stores and Apple Online Store. You can expect about $100 off a new Mac, and a decent discount on the iPad and iPod series:

• iMac – $1098 ($101 discount)
• MacBook Pro – $1098 ($101 discount)
• MacBook Air – $1198 ($101 discount)
• iPod Nano – $138 ($11 discount)
• iPad – $458 ($41 discount)
• iPod touch – $208 ($21 discount)

If you’re looking for an iPhone, AT&T is offering a great Black Friday sale for an iPhone 4 for $99 with a 2 year contract, it’s a refurbed iPhone but it carries the same warranty as a new iPhone that otherwise costs $200. We’re not sure if Apple is going to match AT&T’s refurb iPhone deal.

The best deals from Apple are probably the MacBook Air and the iPad, the other prices are similar to what you get on Apple hardware with a student discount.

I’m not one to enjoy crowded shopping, so I personally would either shop online with Apple or just go to Amazon for the same discounts on most Apple hardware.

Amazon is offering some huge discounts on the latest version of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, the Home and Student edition are offered at a full 26% discount at the moment, which saves you $41 on the family pack of three licenses and $31 off the single license.

These are by far the cheapest prices I’ve seen for Office 2011, and it ships free from Amazon:

• Office Mac Home and Student 2011 – Family Pack (3 Licenses) – $108.99 (27% Discount)
• Office Mac Home and Student 2011 – Single License – $88.99 (26% Discount)

Business versions are also discounted but not quite as much, at 9% off a single license and 12% off 2 licenses.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday are truly some of the best times to find deals, if you’re anything like me you hate crowded shopping malls which makes these online deals that much more appealing. Thank you Amazon.

This is like the Inception of Windows errors; there’s a problem with “Reports and Solutions” so Windows is checking for a solution to that problem. Will it ever end or do we have to go deeper into this infinite Windows failure loop?

I’m just glad I no longer use Windows on any sort of regular basis, although I do have to use Internet Explorer on the Mac from time to time for browser testing… and what fun that is.

Thanks for sending this picture in Greg.

Amazon just slashed the price of the Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB 7200RPM 2.5″ SSD Hybrid Drive to $99 with free shipping, this is now a 32% discount from the MSRP and $22 cheaper than the already great deal from last week. Here’s what I said about the drive last week:

The Seagate Momentus XT 500GB is 2.5″ and will fit in the Mac Mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro. The hard drive comes highly recommended for it’s very fast performance, which is achieved through a unique hybrid model that offers an onboard SSD drive that seamlessly caches frequently accessed data from the spinning 7200 RPM drive. The result is performance that is close to that of an SSD drive, but you gain significantly more disk space and pay a fraction of the price of a standard SSD drive.

I don’t know if this is part of a Black Friday sale or what, but this is one of the better upgrades you can get for a MacBook Pro for the price. Combine one of these SSD Hybrids with an 8GB RAM upgrade and your MacBook Pro will be one happy camper.

If you’re interested, head over to Amazon and grab the Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB 7200RPM 2.5″ SSD Hybrid Drive for $99.