picnic

Picnic is another solution to easily share files or folders between two Macs. You can add all folders and files you wish to share and monitor the synchronization process all via a simple interface. Picnic also lets you set a password to files and sync user accounts with Bonjour.

Haven't done any Christmas shopping yet? Getting annoyed that your peers gloating that they've already finished all of theirs? Don't worry, you can get that horrible knot out of your stomach simply by installing a handful of applications on your iPhone. These apps will help you to get all of your Christmas shopping done without even getting up out of your seat.

Amazon Mobile

Amazon is a foolproof destination for anyone stuck for gift inspiration. This pocket-sized version of the site makes it easy to browse through the huge catalog of products and order instantly from your phone using the 1-Click ordering feature. The application even allows you to search for people's wish lists, meaning that you don't have to worry about getting friends and family the wrong presents again!

eBay Mobile

eBay Always great for finding bargain basement gifts, and it's app provides a slick way to search, bid and monitor auction activity from wherever you are. Because you can access it anywhere, you can make sure you never miss out on an item because you weren't around to monitor the bidding. There's also an iPad version of eBay, which makes looking for cheap deals all the more pleasurable.

Apple Store

If you've got a bit of cash to throw around, you might like to treat your geeky loved ones to some Apple goodies. The Apple Store app offers a wonderful way to browse the company's highly desirable product line. You can purchase Apple products and accessories directly from the app, and even add engraving or gift wrapping to items to make for a more personalized present.

TheFind: Shopping

The perfect anti-crisis Christmas app, TheFind: Shopping helps to ensure you get the best possible deal on every gift you buy this season. It allows you to search for any product, then get price comparisons from a wide range of retailers, before showing you where to buy, through a link to the online store or a map showing where the nearest outlet is. TheFind: Shopping even includes a barcode scanner for finding better deals while you're actually out shopping!

CheckPoints

Offering a more enjoyable way to do your Christmas shopping, CheckPoints instantly rewards you for buying stuff in stores.  Scan products using your phone and you'll get CheckPoints, which can be redeemed to get all sorts of goodies for free. The app and the service are free to use, and CheckPoints will even throw in 200 points to get you started when you install the application.

Toys "R" Us

A trip to the Toys "R" Us store at this time of year is about as advisable as taking a picnic in wartorn Afghanistan. It's got some great stuff for the kids though, so install the official Toys "R" Us app on your iPhone and use it to browse and purchase products without setting foot near the store. Features of the app include deals and special offers, customer ratings and reviews, and detailed item views.

Target

Sniff out the best Target Christmas offers with the store's official iOS application. The app allows you to search for a specific product or peruse by category, before completing your purchase through the integrated cart and checkout. The Target app includes a barcode scanner for finding instant details, reviews and availability of products that you find in the store.

If you're lucky enough to have a MobileMe account, you can keep all your files, whether they're on your mobile device or on your Mac, perfectly in sync. We're not all ready to pay up $99 a year though, especially considering the hiccups MobileMe went through recently.

So what are the best ways to easily sync files on your Mac? Unfortunately Apple has never truly released an application to help you keep files up to date easily and quickly. We'll have to turn our eyes to third party developers then. I've found three programs that allow you to easily sync files and make sure you are looking at the most recent piece of information anytime on your Mac.

First up is Picnic. The application is fitted with an attractive rounded interface and simple settings. Using Bonjour, the program ensures that files on one or more Macs are kept in sync. You can subscribe to users on your network, so that Picnic automatically takes care of syncing files that have been modified.

Other more experienced users will probably want to turn to the versatile Cyberduck client. An extremely powerful and intuitive application, Cyberduck allows you to  browse FTP, SFTP, WEBDAV and Amazon S3 servers. Find the file to sync with, open the File menu and select 'Synchronize'. Then select the file to sync and let Cyberduck do the hard work. You don't even need any advanced knowledge of Cyberduck.

Third up is ChronoSync. Specifically built for file and folder synchronizations and backups, it's probably the most effective application of the three. Just select the file or group of files to sync, choose a destination and decide on a specific action. ChronoSync works very well with large batches of files, will analyze files for specific changes and provides detailed logs and data verification.

Have you ever fancied taking control of a remote controlled plane but can neither afford to or even know how to go about getting hold of one? Well fret no more - ClearView allows you to do exactly that and you won’t disturb a single family having their picnic in the park.

ClearView is a fun remote controlled plane simulator that lets you take control of both mini-helicopters and planes in a variety of different scenarios. The program provides a number of flying sites and several models to choose from including 3D Raptors, Scale JetRanger, Lama, Apache and the impressive sounding, TRex450. Enthusiasts will be pleased to know that you can even choose from a light weight electric "Shockflier" to a 4-stroke aerobatic Pitts Special, F15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Dedicated remote control fans can even use their own radio transmitter joystick connected via one of the COM ports.

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