December 27 - 2:20pm EST   A little girl in Maryland this Christmas opened a box that was supposed to contain an iPod classic, only to discover a book and a strange note in place of the portable player she thought she had received, according to myfoxdc. The box, which her father purchased at a local Wal-Mart store, contained "Awakening Loving-Kindness" by Pema Chodron accompanied by a strange letter, which reads: "Reclaim your mind from the media's shackles. Read a book and resurrect yourself. To claim your capitalistic garbage go to your nearest Apple Store." [full story]

December 19 - 6:00pm EST   Macgamestore.com today announced the release of Venice Mystery -- a unique puzzle game designed for all ages, and Frogames released an update to Penguins Arena with a Christmas theme. Created by Gamgo Games and published by Big Fish Games, Venice Mystery challenges players to travel through Venice to solve an ancient mystery before the city sinks into the water. Venice Mystery is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. [full story]

December 17 - 4:30pm EST   With Christmas fast approaching, Apple has provided many specials for its wide variety of products, with details posted in the Apple online store. In order to make sure that customers receive product by Christmas, a minimum purchase date last is available through the online store portal. Dates range from December 13th to the 19th for standard orders, and December 20th to the 21st for overnight shipped goods. Some computer configurations could add some delay, and may not result in a Christmas delivery. [full story]

December 17 - 10:35am EST   AKVIS has released AKVIS Frame Suite 2.6 for Mac and Windows systems. AKVIS Frame Suite enables users to apply frames and edge effects to pictures, simplifying the process of creating greeting cards from personal photos. The latest revision adds new Christmas decorations to the pattern library, joining the 12 edge effects to provide a vast number of photo frame possibilities. AKVIS Frame Suite 2.6 is available for $50, and requires a G3 or better Mac. The software is also compatible with Mac OS X Leopard. [full story]

December 14 - 1:50pm EST   Macgamestore.com today announced the release of Santa's Super Friends for Mac, a new title created by Toybox Games challenging players to find out who Mr. Stink is and why he would steal all the toys before Christmas. "As you make your way from Candy Cane Cove to Santa's Workshop, you'll meet some Super Friends along the way like Gingerbread Jr. and Edmund the Elf. They'll give you information about Mr. Stink to help you get the toys back!" The game is priced at $20, and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. [full story]

December 13 - 6:15pm EST   Apple today posted a new 'Get a Mac' TV spot on its website depicting animated characters singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town.' Animated versions of 'Mac' Justing Long and 'PC' John Hodgman accompany Santa Claus as they proceed to sing the classic Christmas tune. Partway through the song, however, 'PC' decides to interject his own lyrics about purchasing a PC rather than a Mac this holiday season. 'Mac' and Santa both express dissatisfaction with the lyrical changes, and Apple finishes the spot with a few snowflakes falling in front of an iMac. [full story]

December 1 - 2:05pm EST   MacSanta is back for 2007, after running a successful program for Christmas 2006, offering discounts on featured titles from many different software developers. The promotion is running from December 1st, through to the 24th, and will feature five developers' products at 20-percent off, updated daily at midnight (PST). Once the featured products are updated, MacSanta offers 10-percent off of formerly highlighted products through to December 31st. Rogue Amoeba, who both organizes and participates in MacSanta, says that some big name software companies will be included, as well as many lesser-known developers. MacSanta also has an RSS feed available. [full story]